The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"Hey, Aunt Hannah, is there a guy named Bartolo in our village?"

"Are they people from our village? Or could they be the ones who came later?"

"Maybe I remembered wrong. By the way, Auntie, do you remember the village chief's name?"

"Hey, the village chief is just the village chief. Everyone's used to calling him that, so who remembers his name anymore?"

......

"Village chief? We only have the town chief here, right?"

"You're asking me what the mayor's name is... I honestly don't know."

......

“Sagoci, do you know a man named Bartolou?”

"...I seem to remember it a little, Master, please wait a moment."

“Found it!” Sagoci pulled out a stack of old orders. “When I came to Lumiel Village to build the new blacksmith shop, the client at the time had this name.”

"This person's name also appears when a monument is erected for the ancestral hall."

"That's it, then I understand."

......

"On September 12, 1174 of the Goddess Calendar, the campaign against Bartholomew failed."

"On September 14th, the campaign against Bartholomew I was successful..."

"...On September 21, a campaign was launched against Bartholomew VI."

-----------------

"Bartolou".

Without waiting for the village chief's answer, Wiener revealed the answer in a declarative tone.

The village chief's originally peaceful expression subtly changed upon hearing the name, and he sighed softly, "It's been so long since anyone called me by that name."

"But it's just a name, what does that prove?"

“A name alone may not mean anything, but seven consecutive village chiefs being Bartolou cannot be explained by coincidence,” Viner said bluntly.

Upon learning that the village chief was Bartolou, and that Bartolou was the village chief, Vina's previously vague memories suddenly came together.

There has never been a seventh village chief; the village chief of Rumiel Village has always been the same person.

Bartolo looked up at the wooden house atop the tree and suddenly realized, "So that's where the flaw was revealed."

“I’ve tried my best to erase all traces of Arios, but I didn’t expect him to leave clues.”

“Heroes are truly unreasonable,” Bartolomeu remarked, looking at Vena. “You are the same. You’ve only been a Herald for a short time, yet you’ve already progressed to this level. Even Arios is probably not as good as you.”

"And then there's that girl you gave away back then... Fate always manages to entangle you when you least expect it."

Vena drew her Mimi-kiri and focused all her attention on the other person. "I'm curious, why didn't you eliminate Arios completely when you discovered he was the hero?"

Before this, who could have imagined that this kind-hearted village chief, with whom they lived day and night, was actually a high-level demon?

“Because it’s meaningless,” Bartolo shook his head, then pointed to the sky. “Heroes and demons are just two pieces on the same board.”

"The so-called fateful showdown is nothing more than a farce to give them some fun."

“I’m tired of all this.”

Chapter 478 The True Face of the Hero

The title of the strongest demon below the Demon God may be controversial, but the title of the oldest demon has long been settled.

Bartholomew, the Demon of Time.

It is the first demon created by the Demon God, and the only demon that even the Demon God cannot control.

As long as time runs fast enough, the demon god's commands can never catch up with it.

It can be considered freedom in another sense.

With the blessing of time, the true years that Bartolou has experienced are probably only known to itself.

“You really are quite different from the other demons I’ve met,” Vena remarked.

After breaking through this barrier, Bartolou made no attempt to conceal his presence.

However, what emanated from it was not the ferocity and evil commonly found in demons, but rather a feeling of weariness, vicissitude, and old age.

“Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived too long,” Bartolomeo said slowly. “Once you’ve seen enough, even demons become numb.”

It is generally believed that demons have a longer lifespan than humans.

Especially those demons who are granted power by the demon god are able to transcend the limitations of lifespan and achieve a certain state of immortality.

But this is actually a misunderstanding.

Even a demon will grow old one day.

It is only because of their warlike nature that few demons are able to live to the end of their lifespan, thus creating the illusion that they will not die unless they are killed.

If it were when it had just become a demon, it would never have spoken to humans so calmly.

“I know what you young people are thinking,” Bartolomeu continued, “that you want to be heroes, to defeat the demons like Arios and the heroes of all time, and drive the demons out of the human world. But what if I told you that it all means nothing?”

Just like it had before, it desperately killed human emblem bearers and blocked wave after wave of human heroes.

Until we understand the true nature of this world.

“Demons cannot be killed,” Bartolomeu seemed to be stating an inescapable fate. “The same goes for heroes. As long as they don’t get tired of it, new heroes will keep appearing and repeating this cycle.”

"No matter how much effort we put in, it's just adding a little something extra for them."

"Who are they?" This expression, clearly telling a story, piqued Vena's curiosity. "Aren't they goddesses creating heroes?"

"Your statement is as ridiculous as saying a demon can defeat a demon god."

It's easy to understand if you think about it: if the heroes created by humans could defeat the demon god, then the goddess would have solved everything long ago by taking action herself.

Because she couldn't do that, the goddess sacrificed herself, leaving behind the Holy Sword and the Emblem Bearer.

"If we consider this continent as a chessboard, the goddess is a chess piece opposing the demon gods. However, she has not fulfilled her duty as a chess piece, and is willing to destroy herself in order to drag them into the game."

This was supposed to be a closely contested match, and the spectators placed their bets.

As a result, the goddess representing the human side suddenly set off a firework, making the originally evenly matched duel a foregone conclusion.

This must be incredibly frustrating for those self-proclaimed chess masters.

Just when they thought the battle would end with the demons having an absolute advantage, the change in the situation slapped them hard in the face.

A girl named Hitley picked up the holy sword and defeated the demon god who was originally impossible to defeat, thus extending humanity's lifespan by another hundred years.

While the battle between humans and demons might pique their interest, it couldn't compare to the exhilaration of an epic tale of heroes.

After witnessing this spectacular show, they were no longer content to watch from the sidelines and began to get involved themselves.

The stakes at the opening were no longer the outcome of the battle between humans and demons, but whether someone could replicate the miracle of that girl.

The chessboard, which should have been used and then discarded, was thus preserved.

Bartolour learned this from a hero who was weak but very talkative.

The brave are their projections and incarnations.

They won't actually kill the demon god, in order to prolong the game.

"I didn't want to be their pawn, but I never expected that I would underestimate how much they hold grudges."

After it destroyed that hero, subsequent heroes followed it relentlessly, forcing it to become the most low-key demon.

Aside from the Demon God, Bartolomeo is probably the only one who can enjoy the treatment of being fought by a group of heroes.

"You've really had a tough time..."

The thought that Arios had slashed it six times made Vena twitch uncontrollably.

“It’s alright, I’ve gotten used to it,” Bartolomeo said calmly. “Do you know why I’m telling you all this?”

Wiener shook his head.

"Because I've found that humans are far more interesting than demons. Just watching them makes me feel at peace."

"Perhaps this is related to my impending death. I am tired of the struggle between demons and humans and just want to find a quiet place to end it."

Bartolo raised his finger and pointed to the wooden house in the treetops. "As long as I erase the last trace of Arios left in Lumiel Village, I can take Lumiel Village away from this chessboard and to a place where they can no longer find it."

“I’ve watched you grow up, and I don’t want to lay a hand on you. If you don’t want to stay, you can leave with your two companions.”

"What about the others?" Wiener asked the most crucial question.

“They will naturally stay with me; the new village of Lumiel cannot be without villagers,” Bartolou frankly stated.

"So you're not planning to give others a choice?" Wiener countered.

"It's better to live with me in this barrier than to become food for monsters. They'll be grateful for that."

Bartolou could manipulate time, even taking the entire village of Lumiel to another timeline, but he could not create vibrant life.

If the newly established village of Lumiel is to continue, the people here must be taken away with them.

Bartolo, who has traversed the turbulent currents of time for so long, understands the heart-wrenching pain of loneliness better than anyone else, and it will never back down on this point.

“Weakening a demon-level opponent without fighting sounds like a good deal,” Viner said with a slight smirk, then changed the subject, “but I refuse.”

"What's the reason?" Bartolomeo asked curiously. "In my memory, you shouldn't be this indecisive."

“That means you don’t know me well enough,” Viner said dismissively, brandishing his sword. “You think you can fool me, an old man with a face full of wrinkles?”

“You are a demon. No matter how eloquently you speak, I cannot believe the nonsense of a demon.”

He was certain that as soon as he turned to leave, the other party would immediately destroy the wooden house's protective barrier, and then no one would be able to leave.

"So what made you suspicious?" Bartolo asked, puzzled.

Although it concealed some information, it mostly told the truth, and as a result, it did not shake Wiener in the slightest.

"Your biggest weakness is that you shouldn't have tried to negotiate with me; you should have attacked directly." Vena sneered. "That shows you're guilty. The injuries Arios inflicted on you probably won't heal so easily, will they?"

"Then you still-"

"boom--"

A loud noise suddenly came from the edge of the village, interrupting Bartolo's speech.

In that moment of distraction, Viner suddenly swung his sword and launched a fierce attack.

Chapter 479 Shrinking Vina

"Quick! Everyone, get out this way first!"

Felix pointed to the shattered city walls and urged the crowd on.

Without his twin hammers, he really wouldn't have been able to carve such a large hole in the city wall.

After saying that, Felix handed the twin-bladed hammer to Sagozi, saying, "This is yours now!"

He could already sense the immense aura rising from the opposite side of the village and was eager to go and provide support.

“Why don’t we take it with us!” Sargozi said, taking a step forward.

"No need. I have other swords to deal with the demons!"

Felix replied without turning his head.

-----------------

"You're stalling for time!?" Bartolou finally showed a shocked expression.

It wasn't a demon skilled in close combat, which is why it was surprised to see Vena appear so close.

"if not?"