Chapter 318:

During their first conversation, Xu Xi had asked Sylvia a question.

“Sylvia, have you ever thought about the future?”

Back then, the hero had been silent before finally giving a resolute answer.

She would stay.

Even if her parents were gone, even if Crowfield became nothing more than history, she would remain to protect the people of this land until the very last moment of her existence.

The reason was simple—because the people needed a hero.

And a hero could not ignore those in need.

Every word of gratitude, every interaction, gave the false hero the strength to move forward, reducing the guilt of having ended her parents’ lives with her own hands.

But now—

She was no longer a hero.

Not even a false one.

Because there was no one left who needed her.

Fear, crying, cowering, fleeing.

The villagers of Crowfield had all abandoned the land, seeking shelter in larger towns, believing that Crowfield was no longer safe.

The hero had lost those she was meant to protect.

She was no longer needed.

She had become nothing more than an empty shell.

Under Xu Xi’s gaze, Sylvia stood motionless, staring at the now-empty village for a long, long time.

Her soul seemed absent, lifeless.

It was as if something invisible had been drawn out from her skeletal body, leaving behind only pale bones.

“Sorcerer…”

At last, the lifeless thing spoke.

She forced a smile, not wanting Xu Xi to worry.

“Everyone… left safely.”

“That’s wonderful… No one got hurt.”

Sylvia tried to smile, to express her joy, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. Her emerald eyes were dimmer than ever.

In those dull, green gems, the world reflected was gray.

“Sylvia.”

Xu Xi asked, “Are you happy?”

“…Yes, I’m happy.”

“Everyone is safe. They left Crowfield without harm.”

“I really am happy, Sorcerer.”

Meeting those dull green eyes, Xu Xi extended his hand and repaired her undead body.

A spell activated, closing the wound that had pierced through her chest.

“Sylvia.”

His voice was warm. He didn’t expose her fragile lie.

“You did well.”

[A thousand years was enough to erase everything.]

[It erased the history of the Crowfield family, wiped away all traces of this land. The only thing keeping Sylvia going was the oath to protect the people and the expectations of her parents.]

[The girl who ended her parents’ lives with her own hands sought redemption in this way.]

[She feared loneliness.]

[She feared solitude.]

[She feared being forgotten, feared that she wasn’t doing enough, feared that the honor of Crowfield would vanish forever.]

[You ask Sylvia again—what does she plan to do now?]

[This time, the girl can no longer give you a firm answer, because those who once needed the false hero have already left this land.]

[The undead tide has ended. Crowfield is once again at peace.]

[Sylvia climbs the small hill alone, sitting in front of her parents’ gravestones, leaning against them in silence for a long, lonely time.]

[She is lost.]

[She no longer knows the meaning of her existence.]

People possess two opposing sides—strength and weakness.

Sylvia had always been strong, surviving alone in a world a thousand years ahead of her time, silently shouldering the responsibility of Crowfield and protecting the people who no longer knew her.

But at the same time, she was incredibly fragile.

She longed to talk to others.

She longed to be acknowledged.

She was afraid of the dark.

She was afraid of thunder.

Sylvia had lied to Xu Xi.

She had violated the knightly virtue of honesty.

She wasn’t happy at all.

She was heartbroken. Lost. Drowning in sorrow.

“Father, Mother… what should I do now…”

The undead girl sat on the hilltop, hugging her knees in silence. The only thing giving her a sense of security was the gravestones pressing against her shoulders.

The green gem of the Crowfield family had always been pure.

But purity did not mean stupidity.

Long ago, Sylvia had already understood that she could never return to the happiness of the past.

Her father and mother were gone. They would never return.

The Crowfield family’s honor had faded into the pages of history.

Even the people of the land no longer remembered the name Crowfield.

The so-called protection, the so-called perseverance, had always been the hero’s one-sided wishful thinking.

“I can’t…”

“I can’t do it…”

The hollow voice echoed within her armor.

The hero Sylvia was still trapped in the past. Even though the world had long since changed, her mind clung to the distant past, unwilling to accept reality.

She believed—

As long as she sat by her parents’ graves, she could feel their presence, just like before.

She believed—

As long as she protected the people of this land, she could restore the honor of the Crowfield family, just like before.

But as she looked at the empty land, that fragile belief shattered into pieces.

The hero had lost her courage.

Lost in confusion, shrinking back, afraid to face the terrifying reality—she could only lean against her parents’ gravestones, pathetically clinging to the tiny sense of security they provided.

“…Thank you, Sorcerer.”

Xu Xi visited Sylvia often.

The world remained shrouded in darkness.

The cold wind howled.

He didn’t offer empty words of comfort.

He simply stayed by her side, teaching her ways to become stronger.

Sylvia was always polite.

Each time, she thanked him.

But the emerald glow in her eyes remained dim.

Crowfield, devastated by the undead, had become eerily silent.

Now that the villagers had fled, only Xu Xi and Sylvia remained.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Sylvia’s spirit remained low.

Leaning against the gravestone, empty and hollow.

But Xu Xi made a move—

He stood up, looking toward the pitch-black sun.

“Sylvia, I’m leaving.”

His gaze dropped to the lost undead girl, and he extended his hand.

“Do you want to leave with me?”

His invitation was clear.

The undead girl, who had been silent for so long, finally showed a hint of emotion on her vacant face.

“But… I…”

The one called Sylvia, the so-called hero, wasn’t ready for that.

She feared the future.

She wanted to stay in the past.

To lean against her parents’ gravestones.

To walk the land of Crowfield.

To touch the door of her old home.

She couldn’t bear to leave.

She was afraid.

Lowering her head, she dared not meet Xu Xi’s gaze, further shutting herself off.

But then—

The man in the sorcerer’s robe crouched down, bringing his eyes level with the false hero.

“Sylvia, do you know something?”

“Stepping into darkness is easy. But facing the light again is hard.”

“The shift from darkness to light will hurt your eyes.”

“But regaining the light takes more courage than enduring the darkness.”

“I believe you have that courage, Sylvia.”

“Because you are a true hero.”