Frilian: Starting by inheriting the title of the Southern Hero

Chapter 27 The Goddess's Monument, Max Level Nan Yong

"Phew... Phew... Finally... I made it."

Laofen rushed to the carriage, bracing herself on her knees and panting heavily.

"Are you going for a morning run?"

Lynn chuckled and joked, "Not bad for carrying the weight."

Laofen straightened up, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, glared at Lynn, and said:

"I want to join you."

"ha?"

Ellie poked her head out from inside, looking wary. "Join us? Are you trying to steal my captaincy?"

"Who cares about your captaincy?"

Laofen threw the huge backpack onto the car, causing it to sag.

"The old man said that if you want to become a fully-fledged mage, you have to go out and see the world."

She scrambled onto the carriage, using both her hands and feet, and sat down opposite Ellie. "So I've decided to go with you."

Lynn frowned and thought for a moment, then quickly sighed, "Alright, having a mage in the party might be good."

Immediately afterwards, the carriage accelerated and sped north along the winding road.

.......

Upon arriving at the Imperial Pass, Lynn led the two women on a hike up the mountain.

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, but there were basically no monsters to be seen.

Ellie climbed up panting heavily, taking two steps and then resting three.

Although Laofen had better stamina than Ellie, she was also exhausted and used her staff as a crutch to climb up.

Finally, as the sun was about to set, the three arrived at their destination.

This is a flat plateau, where a broken stone tablet stands.

The Monument to the Goddess.

"arrive."

Lynn walked up to the statue and placed his hand on the cold base.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Laofen circled the stone tablet once. "It doesn't look like anything special."

"No, what I'm looking for is in Flo Village. I'm just here out of interest."

According to the original story, it was here that Frilian touched the stone tablet, and her consciousness traveled back eighty years.

What will happen if I touch it myself?

Can they also time travel?

suddenly!

The scenery in my field of vision distorted for a moment, then reformed.

It's still that same terrace, but the broken stone tablet has been restored to its original state.

There was only deathly silence behind them; the sounds of Laofen and Alli complaining had disappeared.

"Laopen?"

Lynn turned around, and there was only one man left on the platform behind her.

The man wore a cloak, had two swords at his waist, and was slowly wiping two red apples with his sleeve.

Lynn's pupils contracted slightly.

He had seen that face many times before, though they were all statues, but that didn't stop him from recognizing the real person.

The Hero of the South! Humanity's Strongest Warrior!

"Want some?"

The man raised his hand and handed over the cleaned apple. "These wild apples around here taste a bit astringent, but they're very thirst-quenching."

Lynn was stunned and didn't react.

"Don't just stand there."

The man smiled, took back the apple, and took a bite. "Young man from the future, don't be shy. Now that we've met, let's have a good chat."

"You know..."

Lynn was about to ask, "You know I'm from the future?" But upon closer reflection, he realized this was the Southern Hero who could foresee the future; how could he not know?

"Looks like I'm lucky; I really have traveled back more than eighty years."

Lynn walked over and said, "It really is a surprise to me. I never expected to meet you, the Hero of the South."

"Unexpected? Maybe it's just a prank by the goddess."

The Hero of the South swallowed the fruit and looked at Lynn with gentle eyes. "The real surprise is that my swordsmanship has not been lost in the future."

"However, since you know I'm from the future, you also know what I want to ask next, right?"

It's certainly more convenient to chat with someone who can predict the future.

Many things don't need to be said outright.

The Southern Hero casually tossed the leftover fruit pit into the bushes, clapped his hands, and said, "You want to ask, did you finally go home?"

"right."

Lynn immediately perked up. "The Land of Souls... is there really a way for me to return to my original world?"

The hero of the South did not answer directly, but instead gazed at the distant, undulating mountain range.

Before I answer you, I'd like to ask you a question.

"...Is your current journey causing you pain?"

Lynn was taken aback.

pain?

Living on dry rations was tough, and fighting monsters and demons was exhausting, but...

Images flashed through my mind of the hearty drinking session with Kraft, Frillian's languid sleeping face, and Philon's occasional burst of anger.

"It was tough, but far from painful."

Lynn frankly admitted, "I even find it quite interesting sometimes."

"Isn't this perfect?"

The Hero of the South laughed, "There's no fun in knowing about the future in advance."

"You're avoiding the issue."

"It's not about escaping; some questions simply cannot be answered with words."

The Southern Warrior shrugged. "Want to walk with me? There's a village up ahead that makes some pretty good fruit wine."

"You still have the mood to drink? Judging by the time, it won't be long before you perish together with the all-knowing Shurahat."

Lynn followed behind him, stepping on his shadow.

"That was the ending I had already chosen."

The Hero of the South, with a nonchalant air, said, "For the future of humanity, I must do this."

Lynn lowered her head slightly.

Is this the magnanimity of humanity's strongest warrior?

Knowing he was doomed, he still went to the appointment with equanimity.

"You should know that I inherited your abilities, but all I want to do is go home. I have absolutely no intention of saving anything."

Lynn felt ashamed of himself.

"Don't make that face."

The Warrior of the South slowed his pace and walked alongside Lynn. "Wanting to go home is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their own place to belong."

"And what about you?"

Lynn asked, "Where do you belong?"

"My destiny?"

The Hero of the South stopped and pointed to the ground beneath his feet. "Right here, in this world I once protected."

He turned to look at Lynn. "As for you, Lynn."

"You have a reason to go home, and that's good. This conviction will be your sword, cutting through all obstacles."

"but……"

The man reached out and placed his hand on Lynn's shoulder.

The palm is broad and warm.

"Don't forget to look at the scenery along the way. Sometimes, the road home itself is part of home."

Lynn looked into those deep eyes.

There was no fear of death there, only a deep love for the world.

"What a preachy old man."

Lynn pursed her lips, but relaxed her shoulders. "Fine, then I'll reluctantly have a drink with you."

"That's right."

The Warrior of the South laughed heartily, patting Lynn hard on the back. "Young people should be more energetic. By the way, how's the wine in your world? Is it stronger than here?"

"In our world, all the alcohol is diluted with water."

That's really bad.

The two walked down the mountain path, one in front of the other.

On the way down the mountain, Lynn kept staring at the pair of long swords at Nan Yong's waist.

The scabbard was badly worn and wrapped in thick linen, obscuring its original material.

These two swords were the ones that cut down the Demon King's army's front lines and forced the arrogant omniscient one to his death.

Stop staring at my sword.

The Southern Hero casually brushed aside the tree branch blocking the road. "This is just an ordinary iron sword, the kind that costs fifty copper coins at a blacksmith's shop."