Frilian: Starting by inheriting the title of the Southern Hero

Chapter 31 The Priest

After leaving the Krul region, Lynn and Laofen arrived at the village of Elsia in the Imperial territory.

The village is nestled in a gentle valley, with a clear stream flowing through it and wisps of smoke rising straight up from the chimneys.

Golden corn was drying in front of the wooden house, and children were playing on the grass.

"So peaceful..."

Laofen took a deep breath of fresh air and twirled the staff in her palm.

"After all, there are very few demons and monsters in the imperial territory, so life here is usually quite peaceful."

As Lynn spoke, his gaze immediately lingered on the old woman not far away.

The old man stood there, staring at the direction of the back mountain, a hint of helplessness on his face.

Lynn was about to go up to the old man to ask about the village when a woman carrying a wooden basin immediately came up to him.

"Are you two adventurers?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Laofen nodded politely.

"It's getting dark, you probably haven't found a place to stay yet, have you?"

The woman lifted the wooden basin to her waist and pointed to the most conspicuous two-story wooden building in the center of the village:

"Let's go to that hotel. It's run by the village chief's son-in-law. It's clean and cheap."

The two followed the directions and arrived at the hotel entrance.

Behind the counter, a plump man wearing an apron immediately came out with a friendly smile, "Are you two looking for a place to stay?"

Laofen blinked and asked, "Excuse me, how much does it cost for a night's stay?"

The portly innkeeper waved his hand: "One silver coin, lodging and dinner included!"

"One silver coin?"

Laofen's face lit up with joy.

In the towns of the empire, one silver coin is only enough to buy ten loaves of bread.

"It's so cheap."

"well enough."

Lynn took out a silver coin and placed it on the counter.

It's normal for prices to be low in a remote village.

Please follow me.

The portly shopkeeper pocketed the silver coins and deftly led the way.

Pushing open the door, the hotel room was clean and tidy, a quality that was hard to imagine for a hotel in a village.

The two put down their luggage and went downstairs to the restaurant.

Dinner was served quickly; it was stewed meat until tender, served with fresh vegetables and richly flavored bread, and tasted exceptionally good.

Laofen didn't stand on ceremony, picked up a spoon, scooped up a large mouthful, and put it in her mouth, saying with a satisfied look, "It tastes really good."

Lynn silently chopped the meat on the plate, offering no comment.

After finishing their meal, the moonlight was bright outside, so the two of them took a walk in the village to digest their food.

"Huh, where are they going?"

Laofen suddenly pointed ahead at the groups of villagers.

The villagers I had seen during the day were now forming a silent long line, moving towards the back mountain to the north of the village.

The hotel owner was among them.

"Should we follow them and see?"

Laofen tucked his staff under his arm and asked.

"Let's go take a look."

Lynn was also quite curious.

The two mingled at the very back of the group.

The woman at the very back was the same one she'd met during the day. Noticing someone behind her, she turned around and, recognizing the adventurer, immediately greeted him:

"Oh, it's you guys."

"Auntie, it's so late, where are you all going?" Lynn asked.

"Let's go to church."

"church?"

Raofen tilted her head. "What are you doing going to church in the middle of the night?"

"Go and pray. You'll see when you get up; this is the most important moment in the village."

After saying that, she quickened her pace and caught up with the group ahead.

The mountain behind is not high, and dark forests cover the mountain, with only the top of the mountain faintly showing a faint blue light.

The higher you go, the lower the temperature in the air becomes.

"It has a strange magic."

Laofen suddenly frowned.

"A monster? Or a demon race?"

Lynn pushed the sword guard open an inch with his thumb.

"It's hard to say," Laofen said.

Half an hour later, they reached the top of the mountain.

A solitary church stands on an open plain.

The church was small, with withered vines climbing its stone walls and a missing corner of its roof tiles, making it look dilapidated.

The church's heavy wooden doors were open, and a deep blue light was pouring out from within.

The villagers filed in.

Lynn and Laoffen boldly walked in through the main entrance.

The church interior was spacious, but there were no statues of goddesses or pews.

Only in the center of the hall was there a stone table.

A figure dressed in a gray robe stood behind the stone table. Because of the hood, his face could not be seen clearly. Only a section of his chin was visible, which suggested that he was a young man.

The man was holding a plant in his hands.

This plant has only one stem, as clear as jade, with a fist-sized flower blooming at the top. The petals are translucent pale blue, layer upon layer.

A soft halo emanates from the flower's stamen.

"That is..."

Laofen's pupils constricted sharply, and she almost cried out in surprise.

Lynn grabbed her shoulder, signaling her to be quiet.

At this moment, the fat hotel owner was standing at the very front, his hands clasped together, his face full of piety.

"Lord Mantle."

The hotel owner looked sorrowful. "The memories of my daughter's death are returning. Please let me forget them again..."

The grey-robed priest, Mantel, nodded slightly and handed the flowers in his hand to the innkeeper. "Pain is an impurity of the soul. Hand it over."

The hotel owner reached out with trembling hands and touched the icy blue petal.

The flower's light shone for a moment, becoming even more alluring.

A moment of confusion flashed across the hotel owner's face, followed by a smile.

"thank you……"

The hotel owner nodded gratefully and then stepped aside.

"What's this?"

Lynn frowned as he watched this scene. "Mental castration?"

"That's a forget-me-not flower."

Laofen lowered her voice, "I've read about it in ancient books. It's a magical plant that grows in Enda, feeding on the memories and emotions of intelligent beings."

Are there any side effects?

"The side effects are severe. The Forget-Me-Not Flower feeds on the intense pain and suffering of living beings. Each time a memory is consumed, a portion of the life force is lost. But that's not the worst part."

"What's terrifying is that, in order to feed for a long time and grow to adulthood where they can hunt for themselves, this magical plant doesn't consume all of this painful emotion at once, but leaves a seed of memory in the human body."

After a while, those forgotten painful memories will return with even greater intensity, causing even more unbearable suffering, leaving one with no choice but to seek them out again.

"Like harvesting leeks."

Lynn frowned.

This isn't salvation; it's clearly domestication.

This reminded him of the magic that Nan Yong had previously obtained that allowed him to "forget unhappy things," which was much better, wasn't it?

"Do you know anything about the mature Ashoka flower?" Lynn asked.

"I've never seen one. People who know about it usually don't let it live past its infancy," Laofen said.

"So, this thing is potentially quite dangerous," Lynn frowned.

"What are you planning to do?" Laofen asked.

"Let's wait until the villagers leave first," Lynn replied.

After the villagers left, Lynn approached the pastor.

Facing Lynn, Mantel gave a refined and approachable smile and asked:

"Are you here to forget your pain too?"

"No."

Lynn twirled his sword, the tip pointing directly at Manter's throat. "I'm here to take you down."

"Take me in?"

Manter paused for a moment, then slowly put down the flowerpot in his hand. "Sir, do you think I did something wrong?"

"Isn't that right?"

Lynn's gaze was icy. "This flower drains life force. Don't tell me you didn't know that."

"I know."

Mantel answered frankly, "But so what? The life lost is negligible. Compared to being immersed in the pain of loss and betrayal every day, what's wrong with living a few years less to gain a lifetime of happiness?"

"Painful memories will fade over time."

Laofen stepped forward and slammed her staff heavily on the ground. "But using the Forget-Me-Not Flower to erase your memories will only cause the wound to fester repeatedly and never heal."

"Healing?"

Mantel chuckled softly. "Young lady, you're too naive. You know, some wounds never heal. I've seen husbands drown in barrels after losing their wives, and mothers who lost their children go insane and die young. What's wrong with helping them forget these things?"

"Nonsense!" Lynn said angrily.

"Of course you can't understand everything I've done because you haven't experienced true despair."

"If the people around you had experienced something like that, you wouldn't say that," Manter said.

"I don't want to hear your lectures."

Lynn's sword tip moved forward half an inch. "Destroy the Forget-Me-Not Flower, or shall I do it myself?"

"It seems we are incapable of understanding each other."

Mantel sighed, seemingly with some regret. "How about this, I'll keep this flower for now, and you can decide what to do after you've checked on the situation in the village these next couple of days?"