Diary of the Improper Monster Girl Transformation.

Chapter 361 You Broke My Heart! (Please Subscribe!)
Question:

How do I win over a mature woman (monster girl) who is superior to me in strength, status, and age?

"Ugh! And what's more, it's your boss's girlfriend..."

Very urgent, waiting online!
Herbert looked at the unexpected visitor and felt a little embarrassed.

"Ah this..."

He was confident that he could easily conquer the game again after having already done so, but he never expected that he would be conquering it again while it was still in progress.

This is a bit difficult.

However, to be fair, the attribute combination of the Ash Bishop sounds quite tempting.

If this character were placed in the workplace of her previous life, Herbert wouldn't mind pursuing him.

Achievements are earned, but not necessarily calculated.

Is it not okay to have an older woman?

Hello, sister! That's exactly the kind of sister I've been looking for.

Young men don't know the value of rich women and mistake a young girl for a treasure.

Of course, Herbert was always very loving.

As long as the strike zone is wide enough, he loves you the same way, whether you're a mature woman or a cute girl.

it's the same!
But now... how should I bring it up?

Herbert remained silent, unsure how to break the ice, while the phantom of the Ash Bishop opposite him also remained silent, watching him intently and waiting quietly.

After thinking for a while, Herbert decided to say hello first.

In any case, let's get the conversation going first, and then we can adapt to whatever comes our way.

Herbert waved, flashing a bright, sunny smile, and greeted him warmly: "Um, you... um?"

But just as Herbert was about to ask, "Have you eaten today?", he suddenly stopped.

Ok?
Herbert's brow twitched slightly, and he narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Ash Bishop. He suddenly sensed something unusual.

wrong.

Isn't her current posture a bit too formal?

When facing Herbert, the Ash Bishop always displayed a relaxed and natural attitude, revealing a haughty and casual demeanor.

At this moment, the Ash Bishop subtly shifted his weight backward, seemingly wary that Herbert might retaliate at any moment, or perhaps even flee.

In either case, what she was showing Herbert at that moment was wariness and unease.

Eh?
After deciphering the other person's body language, Herbert's lips curled into a sharp smirk.

Herbert felt deeply hurt; he was so distrusted!
No, are you being so formal?

Are you serious?!

All I did was... bite your tail.

You, an epic-level powerhouse, don't even have this much magnanimity?
Why are you so wary of me?

I'm not crazy!

It's impossible for him to just pounce on you in broad daylight and then lick your tail, right?!

Do you think I'm the kind of person who would do something like that?

No!

If I really want to do it, then I'll have to... find another opportunity.

Given the chance, would Herbert repeat his previous blasphemous act?
Of course I will.

However, we have to wait for the right time to do it; we can't just rush in without any preparation—there are two reasons: first, it's too reckless, and second, we can't win.

We must wait for a good opportunity when the timing, location, and people are all right.

Herbert felt that the other party's wariness was meaningless and served no purpose other than to hurt and pain him.

Herbert, in a foul mood, grimaced, crossed his arms, and glanced sideways at the Ash Bishop, his body language conveying one message—you've hurt me deeply!

The two remained silent, staring at each other in awkward silence.

"..."

After a long while, the Ash Bishop finally gave in first, asking with considerable confusion, "Why...why are you looking at me like that?"

Won!

Herbert won this test of endurance.

He secretly felt smug, then let out a soft hum.

"Hmph, you don't know the reason? You hurt me, yet you try to laugh it off!"

The current situation is very complicated.

Even though Herbert was the one who "offended" the other person before, he is now behaving as if he is the one who was wronged.

Of course, Herbert wasn't some idiot who thought he was "never wrong"; he was actually just fooling around with the Ash Archbishop.

Use a joke to break the ice, bring the two closer, and restore the slightly awkward atmosphere to normal.

Herbert made a joke, the Ashen Archbishop laughed and cursed a couple of times, and that was the end of it.

But... the Ash Bishop didn't seem to want to participate and didn't cooperate with him in completing the performance.

"..."

She even slowly backed away a short distance, much to Herbert's astonishment.

Herbert: ?

no!!?

Why go to such extremes?

Didn't you say before that you would forgive me and never do it again?

How can they hold a grudge like this?!

Just as Herbert was wondering what he had done wrong again, the Ash Bishop spoke up.

Her silver hair was slightly different from before, and her voice was full of confusion: "I'm sorry, I don't know where I hurt you before, I don't even know you."

"Could you please remind me? If it really is my fault, I'm willing to apologize to you." She tilted her head and asked, puzzled.

"You don't know? You do know! You're clearly injured right now... um!!?" Herbert complained, then suddenly froze.

What did she say?
Herbert swallowed hard, his brow furrowed, and slowly asked, "You're saying... you don't recognize me?"

"Yes."

The Ash Bishop nodded slightly and said calmly, "I'm sorry, but I really don't recognize you."

"White hair like yours is easy to make a strong impression, but I have no recollection of you at all."

Hearing her earnest yet distant explanation, Herbert nodded silently.

"……Um."

At this moment, he appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, a mental storm was brewing inside him.

Don't you recognize me?

What do you mean?
Are you angry? Don't you want to see me again?

Strangers play?
Or is it that... she really doesn't recognize me?
Amnesia?
No, this isn't a Korean drama, why is there this plot all of a sudden?

……

Herbert mentally grumbled for a long time, finding the current situation extremely strange.

His first thought was that the disheartened bishop was sulking and pretending not to recognize him.

I was just joking with you before!

Why are you suddenly being so distant? Are you such a sore loser? But at the same time, Herbert had another idea in his mind.

What if what the Ashen Archbishop said is true?
What if...she doesn't have this memory at all?
After searching for a while, he slowly raised his head, took a deep breath, and asked, "Sorry, I'm a little confused right now. Can you tell me what year it is?"

"which year?"

The "Ash Bishop" tilted his head, somewhat puzzled, but still answered him: "The Age of Faith has just passed its second millennium."

Although Herbert was somewhat prepared, he was still taken aback upon hearing the answer.

The second millennium, that is... the 2000th year of the Faith Era!
A thousand years ago!

My sixth sense was right; this Ash Bishop was definitely not right.

The Ash Bishop before him was not the one he knew, but rather her "girlhood" (questionable) from a thousand years ago!
Is it a temporal and spatial distortion? Or an ancient memory?

Herbert preferred the latter.

Under the unknown effects of [Silence and Noise], he encountered a memory from a thousand years ago.

Or, if we follow the previous speculation that "the phantom is not only from his own memories," then it is very likely a memory from the Ash Bishop.

Seeing Herbert lost in thought, the Ash Archbishop waited a moment before asking, "So, can you tell me where we met before? And how did I hurt you?"

She was genuinely wondering what had happened between her and this man.

Eye contact doesn't lie; the other person's previous joy was genuine, and they clearly knew him.

She felt somewhat apologetic that she had no memory of it.

At the same time, the paladin aura emanating from the other party was undeniable, further proving that he was not lying.

who are you?
Who are you?
"...No need."

Herbert took a deep breath, looked at the Ash Bishop, and shook his head with feigned strength.

He lowered his head and sighed, "Since you don't remember, there's no need to think about it anymore. Let's pretend that everything in the past never happened."

Herbert's voice was low and hoarse, revealing a deep weariness.

His appearance as a deeply affectionate man who had been hurt by a "scumbag woman" left the Ash Bishop somewhat at a loss.

"……you?"

The Ash Bishop was somewhat bewildered.

what's the situation?
I feel like I've inexplicably taken on a heavy emotional debt—but I don't even know him.

"Since you don't remember me, that's okay. Let's just pretend we're meeting for the first time."

"Right, that is it!"

Herbert abruptly raised his head, shook himself off, and his eyes regained their sharpness. He looked intently at the Ash Bishop and said in a deep voice:
Let's get to know each other again.

He strode forward and stood before the Ash Bishop, bowing to her with the highest honors of a paladin.

"Holy Knight, Herbert Albert, greets you!"

Faced with Herbert's "respectful bow," the Archbishop of Ash was somewhat at a loss, but after a moment of silence, he chose to return the bow, bowing in return as well.

"Keeper of Secrets, Ophidia, I salute you."

After bowing, Herbert nodded to Ophidia and gave her a gentle smile.

He breathed a long sigh of relief.

it is good.

well.

We've got the name!
When he had previously interacted with the Ash Bishop, he was always in a lower position and did not have the right to communicate with him on an equal footing.

This was the first time he had ever learned the other person's real name.

And having a name allowed Herbert's story to continue.

Otherwise, if you claim to know the other person and have been hurt by them, but don't know their name, that's really hard to believe.

Herbert nodded to himself, then noticed that the Ash Bishop... no, Ophidia remained silent after being tricked into revealing her name.

He was like a silent gourd, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"Why are you so silent? Don't you have anything to ask me?" he asked curiously.

Right?
In the current situation, even if you remain silent, shouldn't you at least ask a few more questions?
Moreover, in Herbert's memory, the future Ash Bishop was not a socially awkward person who was not good at speaking.

"..."

The Ash Archbishop paused for a moment, shook his head, and said wearily, "The Keepers of the Secrets are all silent. Words are not our weapons; silence is."

Upon hearing this answer, Herbert suddenly realized the biggest difference between the Ophidia before him and the future Ash Bishop.

If the future Ash Bishop seems like a carefree tycoon who has taken everything lightly and no longer cares so much about discipline.

The Ophelia before them was like a perfect keeper of secrets, strictly adhering to all the rules of a keeper of secrets.

Hide your face, remain silent, and endure loneliness.

Like a taut string, it stretched itself to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

Herbert was unaware of what had happened a thousand years ago; he didn't know what had happened to Ophidia or what she had encountered during that time.

But he could see that Ophidia was carrying a heavy burden.

The invisible shadow was like a magnificent mountain falling on her, seemingly about to break her back.

So he chose to ask directly.

Herbert looked at Ophidia and asked softly with a hint of heartache, "Carrying all this must be very hard, right?"

He didn't mention what Ophidia was specifically burdened with—because he didn't know.

But Ophidia understood.

Her face, hidden beneath the hood, shifted slightly. She bit her lip and slowly shook her head, saying, "...This is my responsibility."

She didn't deny that it was hard work, nor did she stubbornly insist that she wasn't tired.

Instead, they answered with "responsibility".

"Since I have chosen to bear their souls and guard these secrets alone after they left, I should take on this responsibility."

Ophelia's answer was very firm.

Whether she had been asked the question too many times or had mentally rehearsed it countless times, it's unclear.

She is a keeper of secrets, destined from the beginning to be accompanied by solitude.

She was already aware of the responsibilities she bore.

Herbert paused for a moment, shook his head, and asked, "Ophidia, you don't need to be so hard on yourself. Can't you find someone else to help you share the burden?"

"Share?"

Ophidia showed no anger at being slighted. She knew Herbert was worried about her and slowly explained, "Herbert, I understand your concerns, but... this is my own choice."

Everyone has their own choice.

Some choose to uphold the precepts for life, some choose to associate with evil gods, and some choose to bear everything.

"Besides, who else can I turn to?"

Ophidia shook her head, calmly stating the facts: "Since that disaster, the Keeper of the Misty Monastery has been a mere figurehead; there is no need for any more sacrifices..."

"I."

A steady, powerful voice interrupted Ophidia's sigh.

Herbert, with a serious expression, stepped forward again.

He looked at Ophidia, who was clearly taken aback by this turn of events, and said in a deep voice:
"I will become the keeper of secrets."

"Please let me go with you!"

(End of this chapter)