Chapter 942 - 2: Hiri’s Advance

Chapter 942: Chapter 2: Hiri’s Advance

"..."

"..."

The air seemed to fall into a brief silence.

Though it was only for a fleeting moment.

Returning with Hiri, Miss Tamamo no Mae appeared in the valley, slightly narrowed her eyes, swiftly scanned the scene, and couldn’t help but pout.

Her movements were naturally very fast, prioritizing efficiency and speed, never delaying Master’s business. However, she was also not comfortable letting Master be alone with other girls; if she didn’t know, it would be fine, but knowing and not being concerned is indeed an unlikely situation.

Thus, her actions were of divine speed, almost directly going over and unceremoniously pulling the Demon Hunter Girl who was playing a real-time strategy and simulation management game.

Just as she thought it couldn’t get any quicker, upon returning, she saw the previously empty valley suddenly bustling.

Damnit, are they dogs?

Why are their noses so sharp? Clearly, we belong to the canine family!

Her eye corners twitched several times, and Miss Fox Spirit couldn’t suppress her irritation, puffing up her cheeks in displeasure.

Although somewhat unhappy, upon reconsidering, Miss Tamamo no Mae felt perhaps this wasn’t so bad. If after she left, they immediately came over, it formed a situation where they restrained each other, which actually provided some relief.

She sneaked a peek at Shenqi not far away, regarding her as a lifetime rival, a threat greater than her priestess adversary, Miss Tamamo no Mae secretly cheered herself up.

That’s right, just like this!

Mikko was actually not considered a threat; she realized that earlier, otherwise, she wouldn’t have left so decisively...

The truly terrifying enemy, from beginning to end, is this Demon Realm God!

"..."

"..."

Silence seemed to spread, an odd atmosphere quietly prevailed in the air.

Gu Mo’s mouth twitched slightly, couldn’t everyone speak nicely? Wouldn’t it be better if everyone was amiable? Although it had been sensed earlier, the peculiar atmosphere between Miss Tamamo no Mae and Shenqi, whenever the two appeared in the same space, a faint tension brewed...

But, would this chemical reaction persist long-term?

They just met and simultaneously fell silent, tacitly sparking tension through eye contact, sending each other dissatisfied looks...

Witnessing such a scene was truly headache-inducing, Gu Mo withdrew his gaze, pretending ignorance, and gently coughed, casting the most sincere gaze towards Hiri. Perhaps due to Miss Tamamo no Mae’s quick actions pulling her back, the Demon Hunter Girl was still in a daze.

Hence, there was no response—

Whether she hadn’t heard his earlier words or still didn’t grasp what was happening.

"Hiri’s back, it’s been a while..."

Glancing at the Demon Hunter Girl’s distinct silver-gray hair, Gu Mo cheerfully raised his hand, greeting this Yanzi, raising his voice slightly to make himself the focal point of the scene, hoping to divert everyone’s attention.

"How’s everything going lately, any progress?"

Keenly aware, he intentionally asked such questions, sincerely signalling to the Demon Hunter Girl.

"..."

"..."

"Indeed, it’s been a while..."

Responding to the young man’s greeting and questions, Miss Hiri realized he meant well. Though helping him out was nothing unusual, she had somewhat grown accustomed—thus cooperating willingly.

"My progress is quite impressive; the Third Northern War is reaching its conclusion now. Had December’s frost not arrived early, I could have concluded the war sooner..."

With particularly bright eyes and showing signs of fatigue, Miss Hiri spoke earnestly, seemingly reminiscing about something, her tone carrying a hint of excitement.

Not merely to help the other party divert attention and temporarily ease tension.

Also, she was somewhat enthusiastic, eager to share her excitement and joy with familiar folks, reporting her progress.

——As a member of the small team, though taking on the role of a "navigator," the Demon Hunter Girl always felt her importance was insufficient, always felt her presence was lacking, inevitably leading to some feelings of inferiority and anxiety. Now, having achieved some rare accomplishments, it’s no wonder she’s brimming with excitement.

Maybe these matters are trivial to others, but they represent her efforts and the growth she has undergone.

"That’s the case, huh. Congratulations then..." Gu Mo nodded along smoothly, feeling a slight relief in his heart, as he saw the attention of those around them returning.

He also observed the Demon Hunter Girl, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, and noticed that Hiri had a faint expression of fatigue on her face, but her eyes were particularly bright and spirited, easily revealing a vibrant, spirited feeling.

This is because, indeed, this period has been very exhausting for the Demon Hunter Girl, but behind the exhaustion is clearly a sweet harvest.

——This is the strongest and best positive feedback; her efforts have been rewarded accordingly.

——So despite the visible fatigue, the Demon Hunter Girl’s spirit remained high. It’s probably akin to the state of hardcore players; the more they push, the happier they are, for they can see that their efforts are meaningful and consistently rewarding.

Tiredness is inevitable, but pushing oneself is necessary.

Moreover, she absolutely wouldn’t stop, even if it’s more exhausting than a regular job, yet she finds joy in it.

Speaking of which, Hiri was originally that type of cool and heroic figure, and now even more so. The heroism between her eyebrows is noticeably more prominent than before, not just from her earlier days as a Demon Hunter Girl, but now there’s also a trace of another temperament...

Or should it be said —

Is it a queenly temperament?

It does seem to have a faint essence of that, Gu Mo blinked, watching the Hiri opposite him whose spirit and composure seemed drastically different from the past.

Such changes didn’t surprise him too much; instead, he found them quite understandable.

After all, what the Demon Hunter Girl is doing now is related to this great enterprise.

——Besides, she inherently has such a foundation, being one with maxed-out potential attributes right from the start; it’s just that she’s only now effectively utilizing her initial talent, truly a late bloomer — clearly a delayed potential stock.

Because her origin is that of the Princess of Sintra, and she’s also the first in line for the Niflgaard Imperial Throne and the Sintra Throne, her official titles numbering five in total, each representing significant status, identity, or inheritance rights in her world where she originated from.

Ahem, although it’s just five, still fewer than the Dragon Mother’s titles, they’re also quite impressive.

Indeed, such a long string of titles sounds very imposing. If there’s an opportunity to recreate an iconic scene, presenting seriously to those unaware — "Standing before you is the Empress of Niflgaard, Queen of Sintra, Princess Brugge also Lady Sodden, Heir to the Great and Small Skellig Islands, Lord of Atiri and Albert Yara!"

——That scene would probably be even more interesting, just thinking about it is quite amusing.

Perhaps these titles once indeed served no real purpose, not even Hiri caring or having extra time and energy to focus on such matters.

After all, in the first half of her life, she was repeatedly subjected to destiny’s cruel jest, forcing her onto the turbulent and displaced paths of escape, hunted worldwide by enemy nations in childhood and later hunted across the globe by the Mad Hunt Demon Spirit in adulthood.

She barely had time to catch her breath; in such situations, constantly starving and anxious, never knowing how much longer she could hold on, the risk of calamity lurking anytime...

Where was the leisure to consider the titles she owned, to think about the meanings behind them?

Those were all intangibles she couldn’t grasp.

But one must know that circumstances change, time moves on. As time progresses, she gradually extricates herself from her past predicaments. In these conditions, things that once seemed useless suddenly become very valuable.

For instance, the inheritance rights represented by the titles, now representing unassailable legitimacy.

So the returning Hiri, listening to Gu Mo’s recommendation, decisively begins with addressing these, aiming to restore order and unify the realm, resolved to end the chaos and strife in her world once and for all, fully resolving all problems...

This is the first step.

As for eliminating the threats of the Mad Hunt Demon Spirits or attempting to solve the "White Frost" crisis, those are matters for later.

Food is eaten bite by bite, and roads are walked step by step; there’s no rushing it.

"Yeah, this is all thanks to you... those Servants are really useful; they helped me a lot." For Gu Mo’s congratulations, Hiri couldn’t help but squint her eyes, filled with laughter, and also a hint of undisguised gratitude, for he truly was a great help.

Although she bore the name of legitimacy, holding a string of titles that seem imposing...

Honestly speaking, she’s not a natural-born ruler.

Apart from spending her childhood in the palace, nothing else fits; she didn’t even have time to receive proper education in her grandmother’s court before facing the calamity of her nation’s fall, trapping her in a vicious cycle of flight, so how could she possibly emerge as a competent ruler?

Under such circumstances, applying for support was only natural.

Hiri is really grateful to have joined this small group, thus being able to rightfully receive unimaginable assistance, boldly leveling up!