The Viscount Fink Territory was nothing more than a remote corner on the edge of the kingdom’s map.

Back then, old Viscount Fink had earned military merits, and combined with his status as a knight, when the kingdom was opening up wastelands, he was fortunately granted the title of viscount and given this marginal land.

But after old Fink passed away, the Fink family no longer had anyone capable of supporting the family and leading it upward.

In recent years, the condition of the territory had worsened day by day.

“You’re saying, a Hero has appeared in my territory?”

“Yes, my lord Viscount, it’s a very young girl, a few days ago I suddenly sensed the Holy Light shining everywhere, so I personally went to Kachi Village and found this Hero.”

But in reality, Anlis Kachi had miraculously awakened the Hero class during a routine aptitude test.

This explanation was purely to claim credit for himself.

“I understand, you may leave.”

The Executor froze, completely not expecting the viscount’s reaction to be so calm.

“My lord Viscount, a Hero has appeared in our territory, this is the blessing of the gods—”

“I said I understand, I don’t want to repeat myself a third time, don’t think I don’t know why you bypassed the Holy Church and came to me first.”

The slightly overweight man leaned forward slightly, his expression growing darker, “You just want to use this achievement to climb higher, some things, if they are yours, they are yours, if they are not, you shouldn’t reach for them.”

“I... I understand.”

The Executor gritted his teeth, said nothing more, lowered his head to hide his embarrassment, and bowed as he withdrew.

Watching the Executor leave, Viscount Fink spat, “Just a mud-legged peasant who rose from farming, letting you become an Executor is already a great favor, and you’re still not satisfied, a commoner should act like a commoner.”

Grumbling aside, the birth of a Hero was still a major matter that couldn’t be ignored.

He pulled out a quill pen from the holder at the side, intending to write a letter to the count who governed this region, but just as the tip touched the paper, he suddenly paused.

“Kachi Village?” Repeating those words, Viscount Fink suddenly realized something.

‘Damn it! The Hero is actually a filthy lowborn? This is simply a stain on the Hero’s status!’

Hero, in this world, symbolized the highest and most supreme status.

Even a king had to lower himself and treat a Hero with the highest courtesy.

A male Hero would marry a princess, and a female Hero would marry a prince.

To some extent, for a farmer working in the mud, this was essentially rising to the heavens in a single step, a rapid leap across social classes.

Before long, that lowborn’s status would far surpass his own declining viscount title.

“Why?” Viscount Fink clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his voice filled with jealousy and unwillingness.

“Why can a mere lowborn rise step by step to the clouds with just a heaven-given identity? How unfair the gods are! If a mere lowborn can become a Hero, then why can’t I? Why... can I, a dignified viscount, not compare to a lowborn? I am nobility!”

Thinking of his family’s gradual decline while that lowborn would step on him and show off, Viscount Fink trembled with anger.

A pitch-black aura of Corruption swirled above his head, and a mad thought became clearer and clearer in his mind.

‘I’ll kill her! Heroes can be born again anyway... the Hero must never be a lowborn beneath my status!’

* * *

On the other side, after finishing breakfast, Anlis and Velian left the city directly.

Having achieved her goal, Velian naturally wouldn’t continue restricting Anlis’s freedom.

Anlis looked up at the sky, she had been out for a full day and night, she should go home and report that she was safe.

After all, under normal circumstances, awakening aptitude wouldn’t take this long.

Kachi Village was only a few li east of the city, it would take one or two hours of walking to arrive.

Along the way, they passed the place where the Corruption Monarch had captured her yesterday. It had already turned into a wasteland, and just walking through it felt eerie.

Several soldiers were investigating the scene, judging by their confused expressions, they had found nothing.

Anlis couldn’t help but glance at Velian beside her, who was a head shorter than her and looked completely unconcerned.

Come to think of it, since waking up this morning, the other had been maintaining a certain distance from her.

Strange.

She didn’t ask about it.

As they approached Kachi Village, they saw a little girl standing at the village entrance, looking into the distance expectantly.

Anlis felt a surge of joy and was just about to wave and greet her, when the little girl suddenly seemed startled and turned to run back into the village.

“Mom! Big sis brought a woman back!”

Anlis froze, then angrily chased after her.

Velian felt somewhat helpless, but didn’t run along, instead following slowly behind at an unhurried pace.

Watching the two run into an unremarkable thatched hut, after confirming Anlis’s residence, she began to examine the surroundings.

This was an utterly ordinary village.

Low thatched houses were scattered about, muddy dirt roads lay underfoot, not far away was a golden wheat field, and the outlines of cattle sheds and sheep pens could be vaguely seen.

Velian subconsciously frowned and pressed her nose lightly.

The air was mixed with the smell of soil, livestock manure, and wheat, not exactly pleasant.

This village would soon be destroyed.

In the original story, to intensify conflict and push the Hero’s growth, after Anlis awakened, she would inevitably encounter a devastating survival crisis.

At that time, Viscount Fink, polluted by Corruption, would lead soldiers into the village to kill the Hero.

As the protagonist, Anlis would certainly not die.

But the others in the village would not be so fortunate.

After this disaster, only Anlis’s childhood friend in her harem and her severely injured, unconscious younger sister would survive by chance.

Hatred would completely shatter Anlis’s peaceful life, forcing her onto a path of revenge and growth.

Speaking of Corruption pollution, just from the name, it could easily be associated with Velian.

But this matter was indeed not her doing.

Corruption itself was one of the rules of the world, even without her as the Demon Lord, Corruption-disaster victims would naturally be born.

And Velian herself was a newly born Corruption Monarch...

In the end, it was the independent actions of her subordinates, but since she was the Corruption Monarch, the blame would inevitably fall on her.

This was also one of the reasons why, in the final ending, Anlis would furiously seek revenge against Velian.

Since the goal was to prevent Anlis from growing and thereby change the ending, then this kind of event that would shatter her peaceful life and push the protagonist onto the proper path of growth absolutely must not be allowed to happen.

Velian would personally stop it.

A mere Hero should, within a peaceful and happy life, have her fighting spirit eroded by Corruption.

‘In that case, there’s no way the Hero could ever catch up to me, even if she tried her hardest. Ke-ke-ke~’