A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 189

Like father, like son.

then--

"Hey."

Vera spoke in a melodious voice as she stood on the edge of the ruins, sweating profusely.

There wasn't even a fixed target or stake here; she just mechanically and methodically performed each sword strike. This was the sword technique her mother had taught her.

She kept slashing and thrusting, simulating battle. Her mind was focused on the non-existent, unseen enemy before her.

The blazing sun beat down on Violet's skin, her icy blue hair shimmering and translucent in the sunlight. A gentle breeze occasionally blew, playfully swirling and blowing her hair around in the air, in sync with her movements.

At home, Violet prefers to tie her hair into a neat single ponytail, but she rarely does so when she's out.

She felt that a ponytail would make her look a bit unsophisticated, and she wasn't good at braiding hair, so she didn't wear it as well as the girls in the city.

She enjoys her current life and is not afraid of difficulties at all; she feels very free this way.

Moreover, she was wearing real armor! No longer the fakes from training or the light, flimsy fabrics favored by nobles, but genuine armor, the heavy, shiny kind.

The hero's mother gave Violet the armor she wore when she briefly fought the Demon King and even killed one of the seven legion commanders of the Demon Clan.

Although the Demon King later chose someone else to replace the seven legion commanders, such achievements are still invaluable.

This is the armor of a hero; wearing it gives you a sense of pride.

Although Violet felt she couldn't compare to her mother and wasn't the kind of heroine in the storybook, she would try her best.

Her mother had retired from her position as a hero and married a priest from another hero's party, with whom she had her. After that, they received the king's reward and lived on a farm in the countryside.

Instead of becoming commoners, the heroes were granted titles and fiefs, and lived peacefully and happily in the countryside as nobles.

The farmers treated her family very well because they knew that this noble lady was the heroine of yesteryear.

It is said that the king originally intended to provide his two mothers with luxurious mansions in the capital, complete with servants and a considerable amount of wealth. However, the hero refused.

My mother said that since she has retired, there is no need for her to occupy her former position and take everything for granted.

So they went to the countryside of a small town in the Central Country and lived a simple and happy life for more than 20 years.

It took a lot of effort for Violet to get out. She grew up listening to stories of heroes, and her admiration and longing for heroes outweighed everything else.

She went to great lengths to reassure the mothers.

Although I've heard from others that my mother was the 17th Hero, and could have served much longer, she resolutely relinquished the burden of being a hero after her battle with the Demon King. The reason is unknown, but it's likely due to the injuries she sustained. Those injuries don't usually affect her daily life, allowing her to live normally, but they make it difficult for her to continue engaging in high-intensity combat.

Not to mention, they went to protect the human race.

How heavy is the fate of each race...

Therefore, the doting mother initially did not support Vera's dream. During the period when the 18th Hero was about to step down, she became the 19th Hero of Humanity.

Her mother only hoped that Vera could grow up safely, marry a woman who loves her or a woman she loves, get married, have daughters, and live a peaceful life.

It's like that little girl from the pastry shop next door; she's really fond of Violet. But Violet is oblivious and doesn't realize the little girl's feelings. It's just that her mother is trying so hard to bring them together.

"Don't give up! I finally convinced my mother, I can't give up so easily. There's nothing to be afraid of on my own journey. Once we get to the capital, I'll be able to build my own team."

She didn't intend to rely on the king's power; Violet simply wanted to start from the bottom and build her own small team.

Each hero's team consists of a core group of members who trust each other implicitly. All team members are genuine companions whom the hero deeply trusts.

"You can do it! Violet, hang in there!"

Violet practiced her swordplay, drenched in sweat, while encouraging herself.

She was getting closer and closer to the capital.

"Hey! Hey ya! Ha! Ah!"

She pushed herself to the limit.

One hundred times.

Thousand times.

10,000 times.

Finally, after countless swings, she lost her grip on the sword, and it slipped from her sweaty palm and flew away.

The blade struck the hard stone with a crisp "ping-pong" sound before falling to the ground.

"call--"

Violet let out a heavy sigh.

She didn't intend to stop there; instead, she paused briefly to rest. Then, she walked to where the sword had fallen and prepared to bend down and pick it up.

"Pfft-"

Then, their actions were interrupted by laughter coming from above, from who-knows-who.

"Practicing swordsmanship and making the sword fly? You're really stupid. I thought you were some powerful knight on a mission, making such a commotion, so I came to check it out."

"ah!"

Interrupted by the sudden sound, Vera let out a scream typical of girls, stumbled, and almost fell.

Luckily, she grabbed the hilt of the sword, which gave her some support. Otherwise, she would have fallen quite badly.

She couldn't imagine how disheveled and humiliated she would be after the fall, facing that sudden sound.

"Wh...what the hell is that? Trying to scare people here?"

She looked up in a panic, glancing around at the sky and surroundings, but couldn't find any people or monsters.

"Hmm... Could it be that I'm just hallucinating from practicing too long and getting too tired?"

Violet muttered something to herself.

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for someone to hear it in a quiet environment.

Naturally, the person who made the sound also heard it.

"Meow hahaha! Of course you're not hallucinating, you heard right, it was me who made that sound."

"Huh? Huh?"

For some inexplicable reason, Violet attributed it to hallucination, but then she heard that voice again.

Now she knew that the voice wasn't a hallucination... but she looked around again and still didn't see anything that showed any signs of life.

...Could it be a ghost?

"You're not thinking I'm a ghost, are you, lovely lady?"

Just as Vera was thinking this, the voice spoke as if it knew what she was thinking.

She spoke with a sarcastic tone, and also with great arrogance.

Not a ghost? Then it must be a person. Perhaps they used invisibility magic? Violet thought to herself... Perhaps they were trying to use a feint to launch a sneak attack.

She has just finished practicing her sword and is a little tired, making it the perfect time to attack her.

Thinking this, Vera's body tensed up instantly.

Although she has never actually fought anyone, the kind of life-or-death struggle... her hero mother has sparred with her countless times.

Having simulated direct confrontations and various scenarios, Violet is not afraid of her opponent.

However, after her body tensed up for a long time, nervously looking around, she still didn't see the other party launch an attack; they were just giggling in a certain direction.

"Don't be so scared, lovely lady, I won't attack you. Besides, you should have already found my location, right..."

The owner of the voice was very confident.

Indeed, Violet had pinpointed a location by listening to the other person's laughter: a tree.

She didn't notice it at first because she was frightened. But once she calmed down and observed carefully, it wasn't hard to find the clues.

So, when the other person parted the leaves and branches, Vera finally saw what the other person looked like.

It was a little girl, or rather, a little girl with black cat ears. Black was not uncommon in the Central Kingdom, because the Central Kingdom had people from all over the world, unlike the Lorian Empire, where most people were blond and blue-eyed.

"The Asian Cat Clan?"

Violet was a little surprised.

She had heard of the Cat Clan, but this was her first time seeing them. The Cat Clan members were small, about the size of a human child. If you ignored their ears, you might mistake them for Dwarfs.

Because the Asian cat race, like humans, does not have the hands and feet of beasts, but rather the fingers and toes of humans.

The only difference between them and humans is that they are much shorter, like children. They also have cat ears and cat tails.

"Yes, meow~"

The other party readily admitted it.

In short, Violet has finally seen her.

The other person was dressed in what looked like an adventurer's outfit, with a small cape on their back, making them look like a witch cat.

In short, she's very cute. And she's wearing white stockings.

White stockings can make a lot of skin look bulky, but they look great on little girls.

And… Vera blushed. Because the little cat girl wasn't wearing safety shorts and was wearing a skirt, Vera could clearly see what was under her skirt from below.

The absolute territory is very conspicuous...

Doesn't she feel ashamed? Talking to herself like that. Violet thought that if their roles were reversed and she were the one on top, she would be incredibly embarrassed.

"Oh my, your cheeks are so red! I've never seen an apple as red as yours!"

The other person was clearly not in the same league as Violet. They weren't ashamed at all, and even had the leisure to make fun of her.

"Ah... um... I was just thinking..."

"Are you thinking about how to play with my sexy body?"

The black cat girl smiled slightly.

"puff--"

If Vera had been drinking tea, she would have definitely spat it out right now.

However, she didn't. All she sprayed out was saliva.

"What!? No, no, no... I didn't."

Vera's face turned even redder, and she explained incoherently.

She couldn't imagine how the other person could see right through her. Although it was hard to admit that a little girl's body was sexy, Violet had to admit that the other person had large breasts.

Perhaps because the clothing was too tight, Vera could hardly see the other person's face clearly from below. Don't ask, it's because the other person's sexy cleavage was obscuring it. Those breasts were big and round, hard for a normal person to handle.

"No, you do~ hehe, I bet you're still wondering how I, with these two balls so big and me so small, managed to climb up the tree."

She was persistent and unforgiving.

"No, I didn't. I swear, I didn't think about your body that much, and I didn't look at it either."

The more she explained, the worse things got, and Violet paced anxiously in circles, like an ant on a hot pan.

This is terrible! Although she was watching, she didn't look at it from such a vulgar angle as the other person said.

Therefore, she had to do something to save face.

"Still saying no? Humans really love making excuses for themselves, even though you're clearly still watching meow~"

With a playful tone at the end, the other party exposed Vera's last excuse.

She raised her eyebrows and began her attack from the high ground, then continued, "If you say no, why are you looking at me here and there... with the eyes of a hungry wolf, ready to pounce?"

"Did I?"

"You have."

"Hmm... okay. I have it."

Vera was utterly defeated. She wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

"Hmph. I told you you did, and now you've admitted it yourself. Honestly, when I first saw you diligently swinging your sword, waking me up from my sleep, I thought you were an upright, harmless girl. I never expected you to be this kind of person. It seems I was wrong. Sigh... Luckily I climbed up the tree, otherwise my chastity would have been defiled by now."

"Oh dear, the world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be..."

After she finished speaking, she deliberately patted her voluptuous chest, letting it ripple like ocean waves.