Chapter 131: Old Secrets

It’s likely that only a few members within the royal family know the true whereabouts of this powerful royal ancestor.

Even Liliya only told Miss Vilyric that deep in the dungeon there is a powerful Guardian, but she didn’t specify who it was.

As a result, the Priestess was quite curious.

“Well…”

The legendary adventurer, Miss Edith, let out a helpless chuckle.

“To be honest, there isn’t really a deep reason. The only reason I became an adventurer back in the day was because several close friends went to be adventurers, and since I had the capability, I thought I’d lend a helping hand. Establishing a kingdom with them was for the same reason.”

The girl in the golden robe picked up a wooden cup and casually sipped from it.

“I’m a person with no grand ambitions or aspirations. My biggest dream is just to eat, sleep, tend to flowers, and play around, living my life without burdens, and eventually lying down in a coffin when it’s time.”

“So after everything wrapped up, I retired and found a place in the capital city to live incognito.”

“After living like that for a long, long time, three hundred years ago, that generation’s king suddenly found me. He said something had happened in the kingdom, and they needed a powerful Guardian deep in the dungeon to manage the situation. He asked if I could take on a leader’s role or something. I thought, since I’m just killing time anyway, it doesn’t matter where I do it, so I accepted.”

The lazy Guardian pointed outside the house.

“You can see this place is pretty nice, right? I specifically had that kid Afuri build it. Every blade of grass and every tree here, I’ve planted with my own hands. They’re like my children. Life has flown by quickly, three hundred years like a snap of the fingers. I feel a bit sentimental looking back.”

This answer was a bit more straightforward than Vilyric expected.

The truth is always simpler than people imagine. The so-called schemes, loves, and hates, actually don’t even exist.

The reason for her sudden disappearance was simply that Edith is someone who doesn’t want to take on a mountain of responsibilities and prefers to be lazy!

Speaking of which, when Vilyric previously inquired about this Guardian in that essential control room, she also indicated that she didn’t plan to interfere in the kingdom’s internal affairs and wouldn’t lead the “Sinbearers” out to quell unrest.

At that time, she spoke very seriously. Now that I think about it, it was just because she was lazy!

Feeling awkward under the strange gaze of the black-haired girl, the ancestor’s face became a bit flushed, and she could only clear her throat, patting her heaving chest with conviction.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’ve also fulfilled my responsibilities as a leader! Over the last three hundred years, I’ve fought back and suppressed several riots in the dungeon. Let me think… that demon summoning incident two hundred years ago? I helped out with that too, and then there was sixty years ago…”

Watching the golden-robed girl fumble through her accomplishments, Vilyric’s forehead developed a black line.

That reliable big sister image completely crumbled!

With a helpless sigh, Vilyric had to interrupt the Guardian, who was busy counting how many times she has gone out in her three hundred years.

“Alright, alright, we understand Edith is impressive. Now onto the next topic.”

“Ahem, what topic? Please, go ahead.”

Seeing that they finally skimmed over the topic of her slacking for eight hundred years, the girl in gold immediately perked up, her aura of a reliable neighborhood big sister returning swiftly.

“Hmm… How much does Miss Edith know about this world?”

“?”

Seeing the Guardian tilt her head in confusion, Vilyric instantly realized her own stupidity.

It’s because she comes from another world that she can deeply grasp the connections and anomalies between the two worlds and this game, “Phantom World.”

But for someone like Edith, a native born and bred, these contradictions and quirks were simply facts, just as she would naturally assume that there should be three moons in the sky, changing every year.

Thus, Vilyric narrowed down the topic.

“For example, what do you think about something like the ‘World’s Boundaries’? Do you have any conclusions about it?”

“The World’s Boundaries… what Miss Vilyric is saying, could it be those forbidden areas in the four corners of the world?”

“That could be it.”

Originally, Vilyric wanted to say something about how the world is a planet wrapped by oceans, and it’s impossible to achieve true vastness, but considering Edith might scoff at that, she chose not to speak right away.

The Guardian thought for a moment.

“Well, it’s indeed a topic that many have been curious about for a long time. To be honest, I don’t know what kind of world lies beyond the forbidden areas, I’ve never been out, but I do know a little about the origins of the forbidden areas.”

“Oh?”

Vilyric felt a bit overjoyed. Should she say that as an ancient relic who has lived for over eight hundred years, Edith surprisingly knew about these secrets?

Just as she opened her mouth, the Guardian dropped a bombshell.

“The forbidden areas are protections left by the Gods, established to prevent curious beings from crossing the boundaries and going where they shouldn’t.”

Edith paused for a few seconds, looking at the pensive Priestess with some surprise. She had thought that hearing such news would leave her distraught, but surprisingly, the black-haired girl remained remarkably calm.

“Miss Vilyric knew about this already? You don’t seem surprised at all?”

“Ah? No… it’s indeed very valuable information, but…”

Such an answer could only be considered unexpected yet reasonable.

Even considering magic, there is no world that is truly infinite; it just doesn’t make sense in various theories.

No one can leave those four corners, either the ones who go out are blocked from returning, or they all get trapped in an expansive kind of barrier similar to a spirit wall.

What Edith said perfectly matched Vilyric’s two hypotheses.

If it’s the work of the Gods, it is indeed possible to have such an effect that almost covers the entire world’s boundaries.

So, Vilyric smoothly extended the conversation.

“Miss Edith, have you ever come into contact with the Gods?”

The girl in the golden robe decisively shook her head.

“If we’re talking about miracles, prophecies, God’s relics, I’ve indeed seen those a few times, but I’ve never witnessed a God myself. There’s a saying that the Gods’ true forms lie at the edge of the world, beyond the forbidden areas. They intervene in the world through agents or revelations.”

“Oh… I see…”

What a pity; if that’s the case, it seems she won’t be able to meet those Gods anytime soon.

However, since the Guardian offered such useful information, Vilyric decided to share some of what she knows in return.

“So, do you know about the term ‘Continent’?”

   

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