CHAPTER 528: CHAPTER 194: RECOGNITION

So, when she entered another room and saw the woman who seemed a bit tired but looked nothing like someone who had given birth to two children, as if time had stopped at [] years old, she subconsciously asked.

D14+16=d14(7)+16=23

"... What a strange question, can’t you ask him yourself?" The purple-haired woman with Moon Eyes frowned slightly.

Asking a lady about her husband’s relationship with another woman...

The Hero’s mother gazed at the girl for a while.

"Forget it." Then, the still youthful mother shook her head.

"I also have some responsibility for only letting you take the bare minimum of etiquette courses, so let me tell you about it."

[Father and the Divine Knowledge Saintess]

1. Judged

2. Pursued her

3. Fought together♛

4. Once classmates (Saintess initially had the Profession of Magician)

5.1

6.2

7.3

8.4

9. Saved by her

10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure

D10=d10(3)=3

The mother sat on a soft chair in the room, her silk robe outlining her graceful figure.

The Hero had overheard the servants whispering in admiration of her mother’s youth, even speculating that the Viscount’s House possessed a mysterious beautifying Magic Potion.

But the Hero had never seen her mother drink any Magic Potions and rarely appeared to care much about beauty.

In hindsight, it seems her mother’s youthful appearance was due to the Moon People’s bloodline.

It’s rather laughable that even though the Hero lived in this house for fourteen years, she hardly knew anything deep about her own family.

It wasn’t until she left for half a year and returned that she truly got to know her blood relatives for the first time.

Signaling the Hero to sit opposite her, the mother’s fingers lightly tapped the table, and, driven by Magic Power, the tea set started to move on its own, brewing hot tea.

"You should know that your father is a Military Merit Duke. Naturally, he has had experiences on the battlefield earning his stripes."

The mother began recounting her father’s past with an indifferent expression, while the Hero listened intently.

"It was during a [] large Arcane Surge."

1. Happened at the border

2. Suddenly broke out domestically♛

D2=d2(2)=2

"At that time, he hadn’t entered the palace yet, though he possessed Legendary strength, it was still far from enough against a large Arcane Surge.

"He didn’t tell me much about the detailed battle situations, just know that back then the one who mainly resolved that large Arcane Surge was the already renowned Divine Knowledge Saintess.

"Even then, the Divine Knowledge Saintess hadn’t completed her Ultimate Shift, but as part of the palace, she was enough to take on the Saintess’s duties. It is said that her graceful and sweeping presence on the battlefield captured the hearts of many participants then."

The steam from the tea rose, yet the mother’s tone remained cold and indifferent.

"Because the Arcane Surge suddenly broke out domestically, the surrounding cities didn’t have time to prepare the army. Although the Kingdom Central received the message, it would take enough time to organize the troops and send a force capable of dealing with a large Arcane Surge, during which the nearby territories would likely have been destroyed."

The Hero sat upright, eyes fixed on listening to her mother’s words.

The reasons for Arcane Surges are numerous: abnormalities in lord Magic Creatures, the descent of Outer Heaven Magic Power, natural disasters... Essentially, they are all severe changes in the magic element environment, causing local Magic Creatures to lose their sanity and madly head towards areas where the magic element environment is stable.

And those stable areas are often human settlements.

Magic Creatures are naturally able to absorb the magic elements in the atmosphere and become stronger, but humans cannot do that. Many Magic Creatures naturally grow and acquire Strength that ordinary people could only dream of without deliberate training.

But this blessing from nature is both a gift and poison, once the magic element environment undergoes drastic changes, the magic power balance within Magic Creatures is disrupted, even collapsing, eventually transforming into terrifying disaster beasts.

But humans, whether untrained ordinary people or Professionals who absorbed magic power, though they might feel uncomfortable or even die in such a drastically changing environment, wouldn’t lose their sanity like Magic Creatures.

Demons, despite having human-like thoughts and physiology, cannot achieve this, which is the main reason they are ostracized.

Due to such traits, even if it appears peaceful domestically, there is always the inherent risk of Arcane Surges occurring.

Magic Creatures eroded by chaotic magic elements will become overwhelmingly strong upon losing rationality and mutating, even breaking through their Species limits to become terrifying Demon King Species.

"It is said that the Divine Knowledge Saintess foresaw the occurrence of the Arcane Surge slightly ahead of time, quickly arriving not only to participate in frontline combat but also to undertake strategic support and dispatch decision-making in the rear—essentially supporting an entire war on her own.

"At that time, your father happened to be adventuring outside and joined the army as an Adventurer. As a Legendary Battle Mage, he was in the center of the camp, always listening to the dispatches from the rear. He should’ve met the Saintess fairly frequently, but according to him, he didn’t talk much with her."

The mother took a sip of hot tea, continuing to recount the memories of her father’s past.

"He didn’t tell me in detail about the battle, probably not what you’re keen on hearing.

"But after everything ended, watching all of the Divine Knowledge Saintess’s efforts, when he talked to me about it, your father described her as—"

1. A patched-up woman

2. A slave of Strength

3. A monster feigning ignorance

4. Futilely holy

5. Firewood wasted prodigy

6. Puppet of All Living Beings

7. A fool manipulating herself♛

8. Heartless machinery

9. A weakling pursued by Strength

10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure

D10=d10(7)=7

"W-what did father say?"

The Hero swallowed a gulp, and the mother, not withholding, set down the teacup and spoke calmly.

"—A fool abandoning the present, manipulating herself."

A fool manipulating herself...?

[The Hero’s musings (80-will try asking mother for help, 100+ gains clue)]

D70+50=d70(37)+50=87

Silently repeating her mother’s words, the Hero blinked in puzzlement.

"To be honest, I don’t quite believe what he said. While this Kingdom has generally been progressing, I don’t think humans on the ground could achieve such a thing."

It didn’t seem she expected the Hero to fully understand all at once, the mother slightly shook her head, then said.

"You are a Professional of the Church, and surely interested in that Saintess? If you have the opportunity, seeing her might help you understand."

The room fell into momentary silence.

The mother quietly observed the Hero, who was still processing the earlier information, a hint of hesitation seemed to flash in her eyes, but ultimately, she slowly began to speak.

"I heard you won against your brother today?" (in Moon Language)

[The Hero’s Moon Language (100+)]

D70+50=d70(31)+50=81

[Mother’s attitude (original 45, Moon Language minimum +5, multiple times indifferent -4, divergence 60-, 75+, 90+, =96)]

D46+50=d46(15)+50=65