bookbashuk Page 29
Page 29
Erwin bowed and turned to walk toward the palace terrace.
The training camp for brave candidates is connected to the royal palace conference room, with a connecting observation tower built between them to facilitate the observation of the brave candidates' training progress.
Only Dane and Lark remained on the field.
"Chief Lark, would you be interested in having a chat with me?"
Dane's face softened just the right amount of his expression; this was undoubtedly a good opportunity to get closer to the chief of the Round Tower.
Even though Lak is very old, who knows how many more years this old codger will live? For a long time, he will be a key figure in the kingdom.
As the most promising candidate for hero, he must be highly regarded by the other party.
Dane chuckled inwardly and was about to speak when suddenly, Lark spoke up:
"Do you smoke?"
Dane was taken aback, not understanding what Lark wanted to ask. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and told the truth: "Tobacco is harmful to the human body. As a candidate for hero, I do not want to give the people a bad impression."
Lark nodded expressionlessly.
For some reason, Dane sensed a hint of...disappointment from the other person?
"So, do you drink alcohol?" Lark asked again.
Dane hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "I might have a couple of drinks in normal social situations, but I don't usually like to drink."
Dane understood. This must be Chief Lark testing his character and integrity. It seemed... the other party valued him highly.
Lark then looked at Dane's blond hair: "Your blond hair, it's not dyed, is it?"
Dane replied cheerfully, "Of course it's natural."
next moment.
"Well then, we have nothing more to talk about... goodbye."
Lak turned and left.
Dane's blond hair was left disheveled in the gale.
This...isn't this right?
It took Dane a long time to react, and his face showed astonishment.
As the strongest candidate for hero, even if he doesn't become a hero, he can still join the Royal Knights, become a high-level adventurer, or even a king-level warrior!
The other party's attitude seems a bit perfunctory...
"Could it be that he discovered it?"
A shadow crossed Dane's eyes.
A hint of disarray appeared on Dane's once radiant and benevolent face, and his eyes were filled with gloom: "No, he couldn't possibly see that. Hmph, at most it's just the arrogance of the chief of the Round Tower."
"It's said that Mino and Lak have a very deep bond. He probably looks down on me, you foolish old man!"
"One day, I'll make you pay!!!"
Dane muttered to himself, then quickly shook his head vigorously and resumed his smile.
He clenched his fist over his chest, at a grayish-white stone.
"No, today is the day of the hero's awakening, I must hide my true nature."
"With this stone, said to come from the 'Abyss,' even goddesses cannot see through my true heart. At that time... I will surely be the hero!"
A fiery glint flashed in Dane's eyes. Although he also came from humble origins, he had long been fed up with those lowly and miserable days.
Once he becomes a hero and accepts the nobleman's invitation to become his adopted son, his status and identity will instantly change.
With fame, power, and status in hand, what ambition can't be fulfilled?!
Thinking of this, Dane laughed heartily, looking in the direction Lark had gone, his eyes full of contempt.
"You're just a laborer assisting with the ceremony; you can't make any decisions."
"The goddess is on my side."
……
Lark walked toward the canteen that Erwin had mentioned, his face contorted with disgust as he recalled Dane from earlier.
Even without glasses, it's clear that the other person is a righteous zealot, full of righteous indignation, just as disgusting as Mino.
Once the ceremony begins, the goddess's gaze will surely fall upon Dane.
"The Kingdom of Kur is truly fortunate; in just a few short years, two brave and selfless true heroes have emerged."
"But can you become a hero just because you want to?"
Rak rubbed a magic stone ring on his middle finger and gave a sinister smile:
"If you have someone to blame, blame your kindness, Mino 2."
Chapter 39 And you and my friends are the real Xiaomi haters!
Several tents were pitched on the west side of the training camp's open space.
Several long wooden tables were set up on the open ground, allowing the brave candidates to eat nearby after they finished getting their meals.
Lak sat down in a corner with some food, feeling somewhat disheartened. Even if he could use interference magic to deprive Dane of the chance to become a hero, he would lose a troublesome Mino II.
But the plan to drag the hero into darkness is basically doomed to failure.
“I miscalculated…” Lark frowned, gritting his teeth as he recalled Jenny and Tonk from before.
They were all good or bad seeds... but Mino managed to bring them back to the right path!
Mino, as the strongest hero in human history, is practically an idol among these young people.
Its influence is so profound that everyone dreams of becoming a hero like Mino.
At the dining table, some brave candidates had finished their training and came to eat, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
They gathered in groups, their young faces brimming with anticipation and excitement as they chatted.
"I'm so nervous, I don't know if I can become a hero."
"I must become the nightmare of the demon race, just like the Mino Warrior."
"Actually, I initially came to the Hero Candidate Training Camp to avoid becoming a hero..."
"Once I become a hero, I will marry Lady Mino!"
"Whether or not I can become a hero, one day I will become a savior like Mino!"
As the sounds entered his ears, Lak cursed his bad luck inwardly with annoyance.
Mino, mino, all I know is mino.
These hero candidates are hopeless... Damn it! In the end, aren't hero candidates just a bunch of pushovers?!
The chances of finding the seeds of chaos and evil among these people are extremely slim.
Besides, these people all have a deep respect for Mino. Even if he really becomes a hero and is controlled by them, how much of a threat can he pose?
With a deep look of disgust, Lak gave a slight sneer, completely abandoning the plan and deciding to settle for second best, randomly choosing the weakest candidate at the ceremony to fill in for Mino 2.
He got up, about to leave...
"Mino? That kind of idiot who can't even get into a stirrup, what kind of savior is he?"
Ok?
Lak, who was about to leave, widened his eyes and looked toward the source of the strange sound that suddenly emerged from the crowd.
Although he had similar thoughts in his mind, even he wouldn't dare to say them openly.
Moreover, in this training camp for brave candidates, where Mino left a strong spiritual mark, are you really not afraid of getting beaten up?
Sure enough, the surroundings fell silent immediately after the voice was spoken.
All eyes turned to that person simultaneously, allowing Lark to instantly pinpoint their presence.
Unlike other groups of three or five with their friends, Shana, a red-haired, red-eyed girl, sat alone at the table, gently tearing apart a few slices of rye bread and eating them little by little.
Is it her? Lark raised an eyebrow. After walking around the training camp, he also learned about Shana's nickname—"the red-eyed girl with a screw loose." To be honest, at that moment, he immediately gave up the idea of contacting her.
"Sana, how could you speak of the brave and holy Mino Warrior like that?!"
Immediately, some people started criticizing Shana.
"Am I wrong?" Shana calmly commented, seemingly unfazed by the many disapproving stares.
"He's just a lucky idiot who became a hero."
Eh?
Lark stared blankly at Shana, his heart skipping a beat as if he had been struck by something.
"Besides his exceptional strength, what makes him stand out as an ordinary person?"
Shana wrinkled her nose in disgust and continued, "He has no sense of propriety at all, and his emotional intelligence is so low that he can't even see how much others dislike him. He's always been the type to act without thinking. Come on, every single thing he's done has left others to clean up his messes."
boom!
Suddenly, the long table next to them made a loud bang, startling everyone around.
Turning her head, she saw an old man in a black robe with a white beard standing up, staring intently at Shana, his eyes flashing with intense light, his beard trembling uncontrollably.
This old gentleman... is very angry.
The people around him thought with empathy that they were not surprised by Lark's presence. The training camp was often visited by noble servants and messengers from the Adventurers' Guild who came to observe and gather intelligence—this was something that the royal palace tacitly approved in order to recruit some powerful warriors as a shield in advance.
Even outsiders like him lost their composure after hearing those words... Looking at Lak's constantly moving lips but unable to utter a word, the surrounding hero candidates were both moved and indignant.
Judging from the other person's uncontrollable emotions, they must have a deep connection with that Mino Warrior, right?
Look how angry Shana made this old man!
And the other side.
Lark's heart was in turmoil. He stared in disbelief at Shana, who had uttered those words, his mind a jumble of thoughts that coalesced into two words—
A true friend... a true confidant!