I want to be a faded person for life

When she blew the whistle to call Torret, Melina also sat on the back of the spirit horse.

"Neferi Lu has something for me to bring to you."

"Is that the female warrior?"

Sure enough, wood will eventually become a mouthpiece... Xiangzi thought rudely. Her mood did improve a lot after leaving Se Lian.

"Nepheli asked you to leave her Holy Grail bottle. She'll find a way to get herself a new one, and told you not to worry... She said the payment has already been paid with Greg's battle axe."

"...What a profiteer."

"Yes, it is true that you, Miss Xiangzi, are at a disadvantage in this transaction."

At Toyokawa Shoko's request, Melina did stop calling her the Fader, but she still used the strange and distant honorific.

"Grek's Axe should be worth more than 500,000 runes."

Xiangzi suddenly pulled the reins and stopped where he was.

"...How much did you say?"

"Five hundred thousand, what's wrong?"

Xiangzi's little face twitched a few times.

The luxurious ceremonial sword was sold to Kale for only one thousand runes. With this start-up capital, she bought a full set of mail armor, a map and sufficient supplies.

With Rune's purchasing power, a few more axes like this would probably be worth enough to offset the losses that his bastard father had caused to the family.

Even... apart from the indissolvable fragments of the magic ring called the Great Rune, the number of runes provided by Greg himself is not so much.

Resisting the urge to go to Great Blessing to find Nepheli, the girl clenched the reins in her hands. After a long time, she finally pinched Torret's belly as if in frustration.

"Forget it, let's go to Storm Hill and earn some runes along the way."

"By the way, Ms. Xiangzi, what kind of power do you plan to transform Rune into this time?"

"Um......"

Considering that the magic power is still sufficient and it is not convenient to use pyroxene magic in a short period of time.

"You still have the physical ability...right?"

Xiangzi made a decision.

She had long wanted to change to a heavier set of armor with better defensive performance.

Now, when facing a slightly stronger enemy, this exile soldier's light armor is no different from a folded newspaper.

"...Are you still a magician like this?"

"Why not? The Kalia Greatsword is also magic!"

"..."

Xiangzi laughed on the back of the magic horse.

This was the first time that the blue-haired girl put her worries aside and showed a happy expression in this border area.

-

【Rough pyroxene stone cover】

The crude pyroxene stone cover made by the magic block witch Seren seems to be a special item.

It will reduce sensory and intelligence, and increase energy and health.

——The hood is both a form of self-protection and a cage of self-imprisonment.

Author's message

ps: The first volume is finished

Please look forward to the story of Volume 2

Solar puppet singing under the moon

Chapter 1 Kingly Way Unfolds

Roderica still stayed in the shabby house in Storm Hill.

After Xiangzi broke through the city of Stonewell, the zombie soldiers near the fortress were still guarding the city defenses or patrolling aimlessly.

This dilapidated house, which is located in a slightly remote area and is sandwiched in a blind spot between several patrol areas, has become a relatively safe place. As long as you don't leave, you won't encounter much danger.

Little Red Riding Hood Roderica cried for a long time after getting the relics of the Pupa Group, but she was finally able to stand up again.

"Please allow me to thank you. If you hadn't handed over everyone's belongings to me, I would have sat there feeling sorry for myself and continued to betray everyone's expectations."

"I'm very grateful to you. Please accept this."

Roderica held the golden seeds in her hands.

"Even if I can't do anything right now, I'm willing to believe in the future... I plan to go to the Hall of the Round Table and find out what I can do."

"Round Table Hall..."

Xiangzi scratched his head. At least it looked like a safe place.

"If you see the light there...if she asks, just tell her I'm fine and not to worry."

This familiar name surprised Roderica. She originally thought that the hero who volunteered to stay behind to cover their retreat had also turned into a chrysalis like her companions.

"Ah, Miss Deng is safe and sound... That's great."

But at the same time, she was also a little puzzled. If she remembered correctly, the Faded One had ventured into Stonewell just to find Miss Lamp.

"But why don't you meet her and tell her yourself?"

Xiangzi opened his mouth, then closed it again, avoiding her gaze guiltily.

"I have some personal reasons... well, now is not the time to meet."

Roderica nodded, not quite understanding.

"Well, Miss Wolf..."

"Why do you all like to use strange names... Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Toyokawa Shoko, and I'm a magician."

Xiangzi has returned to the back of the magic horse.

"Well then... Miss Xiangzi, goodbye, and I wish you a safe journey."

Roderica waved.

-

"Melina, does the seed Roderica gave me have any special effect?"

Xiangzi asked Melina who was sitting behind him.

She gradually developed a habit of asking Melina any questions that came to her mind.

She discovered that unless she asked, this wooden-like one-eyed girl would most likely not speak up, and it would be easy for her to miss out on important information.

For example, the existence of the Dettol Chalice bottle.

If only I could have gotten this earlier...

Xiangzi shook his head, thinking that it was useless to think about these things.

"After the Ring shattered, the Golden Tree scattered its seeds across the borderlands... It's like a life that knows its final destination. Perhaps many years later, they will become new Golden Trees."

Melina's words are still so mysterious.

In this respect, she is at two extremes. The latter is that she speaks too briefly and directly, and sometimes even omits half of the words.

Melina describes everything like an ancient proverb or sonnet, which is so euphemistic that it is difficult to understand what she is trying to express.

But this will all lead to the same result, which is misunderstanding.

"So... what's the purpose? It's not for me to use it to plant trees, right?"

"The dew of the Golden Tree contains the same power as Blessing, and its seeds are no exception. Collecting golden seeds can help you strengthen the Holy Grail Bottle and use it to restore more physical strength."

"——Is it such a crucial thing?!"

Xiangzi pulled the reins again and turned back in horror, but Melina still had a calm expression on her face. Instead, he was a little confused as to why she had such a big reaction.

"You piece of wood... Never mind, so how am I supposed to collect the golden tree seeds?"

Xiangzi covered his face with his hands and then moved his hands away angrily.

"There are seeds and dew drops at the feet of the Phantom Tree and the already grown small golden tree. Nimgufu should have some as well."

Xiangzi sighed deeply.

"Ha... So how much have I missed? Generally speaking, we gather supplies first and prepare thoroughly before challenging powerful enemies, right?"

"......is that so?"

Melina looked bewildered.

"That's common sense!"

Xiangzi let go of the reins and signaled Torrett to continue moving forward, walking through the camp in front of the fortress at a slightly faster pace.

It would be somewhat awkward to see Eric again now, after all, she had just killed the demigod he served not long ago.

"Ouch!"

While walking through a bush, Torrett seemed to kick something.

"?"

Xiangzi looked down but found nothing.

"People passing by... please help me."

The owner of the voice sounded quite weak.

Who is speaking?

The girl followed the direction of the sound, but only saw a few bushes.

"Oh... please don't ignore me... why is everyone like this."

Xiangzi got off the horse, slowly narrowed his eyes, and his pupils gradually took on a glassy texture.

In her eyes, the starlight unique to pyroxene magic appeared on the surface of one of the withered yellow bushes.

Xiangzi knocked on the bushes with his sheathed sword.

"Ouch, it hurts!"

After a puff of smoke, the bushes turned into strange, thin human figures.

The other person was wearing a black bowler hat and a beige shawl. Although the material was cheap, the stitching was delicate.

The thin humanoid has slender hands and feet, protruding front teeth, and looks more like a rodent with a human body than a human.

"Hmm...it's a demihuman."

Melina had turned back into a spirit at some point and seemed to have no intention of appearing in front of people.

The demihuman in the bowler hat rubbed his head with a complaint.

"Why did you hit someone all of a sudden? That's too much!"

Xiangzi retracted her sword. The opponent was so weak that he could not pose any threat to her.

"You're under a spell, aren't you?"

The demi-human stood there in a daze, shaking his head from side to side, as if he had not yet gotten used to changing from a tree back to his original form.

"...Yeah, yeah, that's right."

"I was cast under a spell and turned into a tree... You just came to help me remove the spell. Thank you. My name is Burke, and I'm a tailor."

"tailor?"