The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"You really have plenty of free time."

Anna insisted on going, and Venus had no reason to stop her, but there were some things that needed to be said beforehand.

"It's fine if you come along. I will do my best to be a good host. But there are a few things you have to promise me."

“Go on,” Anna said, all ears.

"Don't mention anything about the Knights or the academy. This trip is just a quick visit. If you can't do that, then change your route."

Wiener gave his instructions.

"...Is it really necessary to be this careful?"

Anna saw an unusual seriousness in Vina's eyes.

“Of course,” Wiener said firmly.

Chapter 196 Vena: Oh no, my home is gone.

Wiener was not the kind of guy like Felix who would fall asleep at the sight of a book.

He was also a regular at the Silver Wolf Class library.

However, the books that Venere liked to read were different from those that Lisette liked to read; he preferred to read biographies of all the graduates of the Silver Wolf Class.

Wiener soon discovered a pattern.

Any brave warrior who leaves the village will keep the location of their hometown a closely guarded secret during their active period.

Even if someone wants to make a pilgrimage to the holy site, they can only find the former residences of the previous heroes.

Although the biography does not explicitly state the reason, Wiener quickly understood the intention.

Everyone is different, and the brave are no exception.

Some are decisive in killing, some are compassionate, some believe that those who are not of their kind must have different intentions, and naturally, some are overflowing with a saintly heart.

Even demons would have a hard time harming a hero once he has grown up, but the hero's fellow villagers are ultimately just ordinary people.

Whether used for revenge or as a threat, it can at least severely damage the mentality of a brave person.

There have even been instances where heroes were devastated and lost their way after their hometowns were destroyed by demons.

Vina is not a hero, but Kroumi Village is truly a village of heroes in the modern era.

Now that the hero is dead, who knows when a demon who escaped from the hero might find out and cause the village of Narumiel to lose heart.

This puts Wiener in a very contradictory state.

They wanted the villagers of Lumiel Village to have a better life, but they didn't want it to be because they were involved with the hero.

......

"In that case, I must meet the villagers of Lumiel Village as a wealthy, beautiful, kind, gentle, virtuous, and intelligent merchant lady."

Anna agreed with Wiener's point of view.

"...I really didn't know you were so narcissistic."

It was as if Wiener had rediscovered the other person.

“My daughter always insists on genuine products at fair prices when doing business. Tell me which of the above statements is not true?” Anna puffed out her cheeks, seemingly a little unconvinced.

"Take this talent and good looks for example, you're almost at the bottom of the class now, aren't you?"

Perhaps because she focused most of her energy on business, Anna's progress was slow.

When Viner first became a Herald, Anna was at the second rank. Now Viner is at the third rank, but Anna is still stuck in the same place.

Tier 1 to 3 are low-tier emblem users, and the difference between them is not significant.

Many freshmen get stuck in the first or second level when they enroll, not because they have a problem with their talent, but simply because their conditions are too poor and they do not have the right guidance.

Neither of these two points are a problem at St. Freya Academy.

With proper meals and targeted guidance from faculty members, most freshmen make breakthroughs during their first month of school.

In other words, when advancing from the beginner level to the intermediate level of a crest wielder, a certain level of skill is required, which is why many people remain at the third level.

For people like Baal and Sigurd, who are already third-tier emblem users and have no flaws in their skills, it won't be difficult for them to reach the fourth tier after this project ends.

Miss Anna, however, showed absolutely no interest in improving her strength.

“I was referring to this ‘wealth’,” Anna said, pointing to the ring on her neck.

"...Then how do you explain being charitable?" Wiener asked hastily.

"Well, my daughter originally planned to represent the Valentine Chamber of Commerce to investigate Lumiel Village and see if it was worth investing in. If you, Vena, don't trust me, then I can only—"

“Come, come, this way, Miss. I’ll show you the way right away.” Vena was flexible and immediately made a gesture of invitation.

Given the size of the Valentin Chamber of Commerce, changing the fate of a village is just a matter of a word.

Just like Anna did in Hanover.

"hehe."

Anna smiled slightly as she watched Vina obediently lead the way.

Perhaps it was because of the trepidation of returning home, but at this moment, Wiener was surprisingly easy to understand.

......

When they got closer to Lumiel Village, even without Little Ma's directions, Vina knew how to get there.

"We'll be there soon once we turn at this next intersection," Vina explained to Anna.

"Your house is really in a bit of a remote area," Anna remarked.

The village road they are now traveling on is fifty li away from the nearest official road.

However, what Wiener said was not "We're here" but "We're almost here".

However, what surprised Anna even more than these things was that such a remote place actually had a road that allowed the convoy to pass normally.

The varying depths of the indentations on the ground indicate that quite a few convoys have passed through this area.

“That’s what happens when a village can’t produce a single Herald every few years,” Venere said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

Previously, emblem bearers were not as cheap as cabbages are now.

If there had been a herald in the village back then, a few petty thieves wouldn't have been able to bully them.

"There it is..."

Wiener suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked curiously.

"grass!"

Wiener did not answer, and even swore, which was unusual for him.

He squeezed his legs together forcefully, and Little Ma understood and began to accelerate.

"Wait for me!"

Anna quickly spurred her horse to catch up.

The air wall that had blocked Venus for over a decade was now easily breached.

Wiener urged Little Ma to rush into the village, only to find that it seemed that the thing he had feared had not happened.

"Hmm, isn't this Vina?" The village chief of Lumiel Village, who was working in the field, stopped hoeing when he saw Vina rushing over.

"Why did you suddenly come back, kid?"

The village chief called to several villagers around him to continue working, then wiped the sweat off his shoulders with a towel and walked toward Vina.

"Vina, why did you run away without a word!"

Anna then caught up with Vina from behind.

Vina jumped off Little Ma and asked the village chief, "We can talk about those things later. First, tell me, has something major happened in the village?"

"No."

The village chief looked puzzled, not understanding why Vena had asked such a question.

"What about my house? My house is so big! Even if a thief breaks in, they can't possibly tear my whole house down!"

Viner's blacksmith shop has always been located on the border of Lumiel Village.

But when I came back this time, it was gone.

Vina was so frightened that she thought something had happened to Lumiel Village while she was away.

“The village can’t be without a blacksmith for a day, can it? After you left, we hired a new blacksmith and moved the blacksmith’s shop to the center of the village.”

The old village chief explained calmly, "As for the things you left behind, we've kept them safe and stored them in the ancestral hall."

“When did our village get an ancestral hall?” Vina couldn’t help but ask.

"It was built after you left." The old village chief said in a matter-of-fact tone, "This year, starting with you, four emblem wielders have awakened in our village all at once. This is a great blessing from our ancestors."

"It just so happens that the village has become much better off in recent years, so we built an ancestral hall to commemorate you little guys."

Just as Vena was wondering if there was something wrong with a living person entering the ancestral hall, the village chief continued to speak.

"By the way, didn't you enroll at St. Freya Military Academy? Did you get rejected?"

Chapter 197 Hang that Demon God weapon on me too.

"Uh... well, I guess so."

Viner had no choice but to agree with the village chief.

He had just emphasized to Anna outside the village not to talk about the academy, but the village chief immediately asked him about it, making him quite embarrassed.

"Sigh, I told you so. The entrance requirements for St. Freya Military Academy are too difficult to get into. Is it too late to apply to other academies now?"

"Or you could go back to the village and stay there for a year, then try again next year? You're still young, there's no need to give up so soon."

The village chief made a series of suggestions.

Wiener knew he meant well, but unfortunately, one lie required countless more to cover it up, which left him somewhat exhausted.

Anna, who was initially annoyed by being ignored repeatedly, probably guessed what she had been worried about when she saw Vina's embarrassed appearance.

So he suppressed a laugh and stepped forward to defuse the situation.

"You must be the village chief of Lumiel Village, right?"

"I am the village chief of Lumiel Village. And you are, guest?"

With outsiders in front, the village chief let Vina go first.

“My daughter is an agent of the Valentine Chamber of Commerce and Mr. Venere’s employer. Her name is Anna.”

Anna gave Vina a playful look, then continued.

"Our chamber of commerce has taken a liking to Mr. Wiener's forging skills, and has invited him to serve as the chamber's chief forging master for a long term."

"It's just that Mr. Wiener has been unwilling to give an answer, which has put my daughter in a very difficult position."

"Is that so, Vina?" The village chief looked at Vina.

Anna may not have known what Lumiel Village was before she came, but that did not prevent the Valentin Merchant Guild's name from spreading to Lumiel Village.

"Is such that."

Knowing full well that he would be ridiculed for this, Viner still resigned himself to admit it.

"I see...Vina, you're not young anymore, and you have your own opinions. Whether you agree or not is up to you."

The village chief patted Vina on the shoulder and continued, "Not everyone needs to achieve great things to prove themselves. Being able to live a peaceful and stable life is also quite difficult."

The reason for having Wiener take the assessment again next year is to give him a better future.

Upon learning that Viner had been valued by the Valentin Chamber of Commerce, the old village chief instead advised Viner to follow his own heart.

“I understand, village chief.” Viner nodded.