Chương 80: Chapter 79: Nina

Nina walked step by step through her consciousness before taking control of her body. Everything felt so distant. She walked through the corridor in silence. After reaching the center of the chief's home, she saw that most people were looking at her with awe. It seemed like they understood that the previous event had something to do with her. Turning her head, she came face-to-face with Furen, who was the only one looking at her with slight suspicion. Sigh. Nina felt exhausted.

This body had been in a state of tension for too long. She turned her head away. She was not ready for any confrontation. She walked toward the new makeshift medical area and asked for a place to rest. Despite the highly flustered people who were trying to give her the best bed they had, or rather, the best makeshift resting area they had, Nina was simply finished. She laid down, closed her eyes, and fell into a restful sleep. Opening her eyes once more, she was informed that she had been asleep for a full week.

Hearing that, Nina frowned. A week. Remembering that she had done this before, it seemed that every time she slept, it coincided with the amount of energy used during a battle. The three days were due to a calamity-type event. So, activating the statuette and everything that happened beforehand must have been the cause. The statuette probably contributed most of the reason why she had to rest, if not the entire reason. After being brought up to speed, she wished to receive a briefing.

The person in question who had briefed her on things the hero party wished for her and just as she was about to tell her what was happening in town, space opened in front of them. Rosa popped her head through.

"Nina, you're awake!" she said in a lighthearted voice. Nina merely nodded in response.

"That's good. Right, you need to see this." She grabbed Nina, taking her through the portal. Standing outside, Nina was met face-to-face with many people. The moment she appeared in front of them, they all bowed.

"Thank you, Seer. We're forever grateful to you. Our lives are forever in your debt." Nina watched as all the people bowed before her. Three thousand people might not seem like a lot on paper, but when those people were standing in front of you, each of them bowing their heads, it felt different. The pregnant women and their children. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The children, around three hundred of them, also bowed their heads, doing their own small form of respect. The infants on their mothers' backs looked at her with gratitude. Even the elderly nodded their heads in approval. It felt weird. She had made a gamble. Whether the gamble worked was another problem. And even if she had made that gamble, they were the ones who carried it out. She looked at the fighters standing in front. There were about 1, 800 people who helped those who fought and tended to their injuries.

Even though nobody died, there were still some who were severely injured. But even they were being helped by their buddies, friends, and comrades who had built bonds during this time. All of them bowed toward Nina. She felt her eyes almost water. This... This was weird. This was so weird. She didn't understand. Self-worth value increased by 30. Current self-worth value: 86. She didn't help with anything. She only gave verbal orders. And despite that, she truly didn't understand.

She quickly searched the crowd, looking for someone who could help end this. Finding the chief, Nina remembered something. She still had the item the chief had given her. Maybe, just maybe, this was happening because they needed it back. Self-worth value decreased by 30. Current self-worth value: 56. But because she was their benefactor, they couldn't simply ask for it back. It would make them look petty and irresponsible, as though they did not care for their benefactor.

So this was probably a way for them to get it back, since it was something important. It could decide the life and death of a town. Without it, a town could not request aid or trade with neighboring towns without passing the yearly identification test to ensure it had not been taken over by bandits. That had to be the case. Nina tried to rationalize things, even though she herself knew this was probably the wrong way to think about it. She opened her mouth.

"There's no need for the formalities. You can all raise your heads," she said. They all looked at her with gratitude. Nina clenched her fist.

"I'll give back the token. You don't need to do all of this." She turned toward the old man walking down the stairs. She walked toward him, passing him the token.

"I'm sorry I didn't give it to you before I went to rest. I didn't know I would pass out for a whole week. I apologize for causing you trouble." Just as she was about to bow, the old man quickly stopped her.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not... what? No, no, no." Just as the old man began to explain, a cry of pain echoed throughout the group. Everyone seemed to clutch their heads. For those who were unable to, the pain felt even worse, especially those older in age. Something was happening within their minds. Images flashed over and over again. It seemed as though different timelines were clashing together. Holding his head, the chief, the old man, seemed to be feeling the pain the most.

Nina, completely shocked by what was happening, helped hold him steady. A ringing sound, a familiar ding, came about. Host has gained 150 divergence points. Current divergence points: 154 out of a possible 1, 000. After the tuning sound stopped, Nina looked around. She saw a layer of confusion in everyone's eyes. Even the chief, who had been rather welcoming before, felt more distant than before, confusion appearing within his gaze. Silence echoed throughout the area. Even the children were quiet.

After analyzing the memories, the chief understood. Because in those memories, he had been the one who, once the disaster had come, tried to help everyone evacuate. Each timeline showed him trying something different. Because during the calamity, they were supposed to regain their memories. But this time, they did not regain their memories when the calamity happened. It was only happening now, after seeing the person in front of him. The chief did not bother to ask where the saintess was.

Even if the saintess had been here and could heal all the men, there was no guarantee that they would have come out with nobody dead. This was the best outcome. The old man went down onto his knees, placing his arms on the ground and lowering his head. All the others followed. Even the children seemed more serious, understanding deeply what the person had done. The women, unable to completely show their gratitude due to either being pregnant or having to hold their children, could only lower themselves slightly.

Those who were too injured to kneel could only give a military salute, tears falling down their faces.

"Thank you, Seer," they echoed with a powerful roar that resounded throughout the area. This change shook Nina. She stepped back, a little scared.

"What is happening?" Will to live increased by 20. Current will to live: 60. Nina did not feel safe about this. Rosa, who had been watching everything from the side, was also stunned. She did not understand what was happening. But after looking toward the hero's party and seeing Ronin, who did not seem surprised, as if he had already figured something out, Rosa turned back toward Nina. She felt that something had intuitively changed about the people, but she could not put her finger on what it was.