"Heh heh, since that is the case, then decide for yourself. Let's put this aside for now—
"Hero, have you thought about what you want to do afterwards?"
[Has the Hero thought about it? (50+ yes)]
[The Count's suggestion]
1. Study at the Capital ♛
2. Learn at the Holy City
3. Goblin research beyond the Border
7. The military's invitation
8. Observer of the Arcane Surge
9. Exchange with a Foreign Country
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
"About the future..." Hearing the Count's words, the Hero first showed a hint of surprise, then fell into contemplative thought.
Seeing that the Hero did not appear confused, the Count felt a bit surprised and also nodded slightly in his heart.
At the age of fifteen, when her peers were still studying at the academy, the Hero had already become a Military Merit Duke, a status that many Adventurers struggle for a lifetime and still can't achieve.
While so-called prodigies were still competing over learning new Magic and Skills, this young girl was battling with a Legendary Great Demon that awakened from ancient times, on a highland three thousand meters above sea level.
Her age and identity as a Hero predetermined that she could not possibly stop here; if she herself was still clueless, she could be easily exploited by those with ulterior motives.
In fact, within the city, a great many clever people had already set their sights on her, including the Count, who was inevitably prodded at subsequent banquets and parades; although everyone knew the Hero had a close relationship with him, they still attempted through him, or by circumventing him, to extend an olive branch to the Hero.
The information about the Hero was still unfamiliar to the general populace, but these individuals could not be fooled.
Nobles, merchants, and even those from the Guild, the Hero had too many lucrative aspects in their eyes — to court, to invest, or even to intermarry...
Even without considering the future prospects and current achievements, merely the Bloodline the Hero possessed was enough to make people covetous.
The power of the Phoenix, if one could introduce such a noble Bloodline into a family's Lineage, what a glorious thing it would be, surely elevating the entire family to a higher level.
Even if the Hero announced now that she would no longer fight and just wanted to find a place to retire, there would still be countless Nobles who would rush to present their eligible youth to her.
Thinking of those Nobles who came to probe with eager faces, and the president of the Warlock Association who always lingered nearby but was blocked by the Archbishop, the Count couldn't help but show a wry smile.
His gaze brushed past the Collar on the Hero's neck.
Fortunately, she did not attend the subsequent activities today; otherwise, the exposure of her gilded canary attire would have already caused a flurry of gossip in the city, and those people would probably be concocting all sorts of stories behind her back.
"If I had a son, there wouldn't be so much trouble…" he thought to himself with an inward shake of his head.
The Little Girl in the Capital sneezed involuntarily, rubbed her nose while looking at the Magic Book in front of her, feeling that recently she might have been overworking.
Meanwhile, the Hero, unaware of the bullet she dodged today, also sorted out her thoughts.
[The Hero's idea is——]
2. Study at the Capital
4. Goblin Extermination Team
5. Help the victims of Goblins
6. Head to the Holy City
7. Stay temporarily at the Border
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
After hearing the Hero's plan, the Count also fell into reflection.
A Knight Patrol is a rather ancient ritual of pilgrimage. In times when the Kingdom's transportation and information flow were more undeveloped than now, consecrated Knights had the obligation to Patrol their Lord's territory to deal with potential threats near local villages, be they Magic Creatures or Humans.
It showcased their rights and fulfilled their duties.
This is why the public pays great attention to knighting ceremonies and can naturally turn such events into festive celebrations.
Because in the past, many people who were powerless against Magic Creatures in the villages outside the city and could not seek help, their only hope was for a patrolling Knight to arrive at their locale.
If the Royal Family personally conferred the honor, the range of this Patrol could even extend to the entire Kingdom. Although in practice, very few could complete it, each Royal Knight who did was basically regarded as a pillar of the Kingdom.
However, with the development of the Kingdom, the general availability of Communication Arrays, and the expansion of major transportation routes, such Patrols no longer held much practical significance.
After all, as long as a distress signal could be sent through the Communication Array, and it wasn't a matter of overnight destruction, rescue could usually arrive in time.
Therefore, although the Knight Patrol ceremony hadn't been completely abolished, not many newly minted Military Merit Dukes would do it anymore, only Holy Knights and Ascetics from the Church would undertake such Patrols for their spiritual practice.
"But I've thought about it, the reason why the army doesn't eliminate those weak Magic Creatures is that they're focusing their attention on the powerful ones. So, as long as I find and eliminate those powerful creatures, the local Soldiers can devote more effort to killing Goblins."
The Hero had come to understand this after the issues at the Border; she alone could only kill a limited number of Goblins, but after she helped resolve the crisis at the Border, the military increased their efforts to clear the harmful creatures nearby, so much so that she could work peacefully in the medical facility, rather than going out to kill Goblins.
The Count didn't oppose the straightforward words of the Hero and instead nodded slightly.