As an ordinary villager, he didn’t have a path to becoming a priest yet.
After all, the village was too peaceful, with no church.
His village was located in the central region of the continent, under the jurisdiction of the Central Kingdoms.
The demon tribe’s stronghold was in the far north, even requiring crossing highlands to reach.
In the center of the demon territory was a vast magic empire.
Whether facing the demons at their peak or the remaining ones, the empire was always on the front lines.
Compared to the Northern Kingdoms that directly faced the demons, and the slightly farther Southern Kingdoms, the Central Kingdoms had almost no need to worry about attacks from the north.
The Northern Kingdoms weren’t just for show.
As for the Southern Kingdoms, his grandmother said things were a bit uneasy, with nations stirring up trouble.
Instead of dealing with the demon remnants, internal conflicts were starting to show signs.
Ethan wasn’t surprised by this.
Without external enemies, prolonged peace always led to internal strife.
However, the Central Kingdoms showed no signs of this yet, especially since Hero Himmel had only recently passed.
Even if some monsters wanted to cause trouble, they’d have to get past the other members of the Hero’s party.
He heard the Hero’s party’s priest and warrior were currently in the Central Kingdoms.
Before they passed away, no minor troublemakers would dare to cause any issues.
As for the Hero’s party’s mage, Ethan only knew her name was Frieren.
She loved to travel, and because she was an immortal, people rarely saw her for decades.
Frieren?
Ethan felt the name was familiar, but he couldn’t recall anything.
After all, it was the Hero’s party.
He must have heard it from the village children before.
He didn’t overthink it.
His past self had been worn down by life.
How long had it been since he’d properly enjoyed any entertainment?
He couldn’t remember.
…
Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and Ethan was eight years old.
During these three years, Ethan hadn’t been idle, waiting to grow up.
He often followed Üffie, the village’s rough-and-tumble leader.
This had nothing to do with Üffie gradually growing up and starting to exude girlish charm.
It was purely because this woman was slightly too strong.
Ethan now remembered that Üffie once jumped from a seven or eight-meter-high tree without a scratch.
The other children only dared to climb down slowly, and even if a child accidentally slipped, Üffie could instantly appear at their landing spot and catch them with ease.
It was likely why the adults in the village trusted her to look after the children.
Speaking of which, Ethan wasn’t just playing by her side; his main goal was to train with her.
After regaining his memories, Ethan belatedly realized that Üffie had been training rigorously as a warrior since she was young.
According to her, a passing knight had taught the village chief the training methods.
Ethan thought that if possible, this would be the easiest way for him to gain physical strength.
“Little Ethan, do you really want to train with me?” Seeing Ethan’s determined gaze, Üffie sighed, “Do you know that everyone in the village who wanted to learn besides me gave up halfway?” The village chief also regretted this, but if even one person persisted, it was still a gain.
“Sister Üffie, please let me try,” Ethan’s gaze didn’t waver.
Whether this path suited him or not, he had to walk it first to see if it hurt his feet.
Besides, as an ordinary villager, before knowing how to activate his cheat ability, he had to try every method.
Üffie just looked at him deeply and agreed to Ethan’s request.
And so, they trained for three years.
Ethan, who initially collapsed from exhaustion after just one or two hours of training, could already keep up with Üffie’s current training volume by the end of the first year.
When Üffie was his age, her training volume was at most a tenth of Ethan’s.
She only increased the intensity after her physique gradually improved.
She didn’t know why Ethan trained so hard, but she could at least understand the boy’s eyes.
They were the eyes of someone determined to charge towards a set goal.
“Ethan, let’s talk.” Üffie sat on the grass, patting the spot beside her.
Although she was only thirteen, she already had a mature demeanor.
In such a world, the earlier children understood things, the better.
However, Üffie’s first sentence made Ethan’s expression freeze.
“Starting tomorrow, I won’t be able to train with you, little Ethan.” Ethan looked sharply at Üffie, but her face showed no gloom, only a slightly lonely smile.
“Why?” Ethan asked.
“I’ve decided to give up on my dream of becoming an adventurer.” Although Üffie had never told him, Ethan could tell that Üffie’s lifelong dream was to travel the world.
Seeing Ethan’s puzzled expression, Üffie giggled and gently patted his head, “I have a sister.
She was born a week ago.” Ethan knew about this too.
A new junior in the village was a good thing, but what did it have to do with Üffie?
“The priest said that child has amazing magical talent.
Her future achievements might reach grade three mage or higher,” Üffie smiled.
“I plan to inherit Mom’s tailor shop.
Compared to me, who doesn’t have magical talent or warrior talent, that child is more suited to exploring the world.
So, I plan to be a little selfish.” “What if your sister wants to stay in the village and be a couch potato?” Ethan suddenly said.
“I know what you mean.
I won’t force her to inherit my dream,” Üffie poked Ethan’s forehead playfully.
“If she also decides to stay in the village, then at least she can be a mage who protects it.” As she finished speaking, Üffie suddenly lay back on the lawn, and they remained silent for a long time.
“Actually,” Üffie’s voice suddenly came from behind him, “Ethan, I’m so unwilling…” She seemed to be sobbing quietly.
Ethan didn’t turn around.
As the leader of the rough kids, Üffie had never let the village children see her vulnerable side.
Talent.
Merely because of talent.
Especially for the warrior profession, talent was extremely important.
Since there were no methods for tempering the body, it could only be strengthened through pure training.
It was said that Himmel, at Ethan’s age, could kill powerful monsters more than ten times his size without formal training.
That’s why Himmel could become a hero.
Although Üffie could now defeat monsters, her skill level was at best that of an ordinary city guard.
This was the gap between ordinary people and monsters.
One more thing, Üffie might not have realized it herself.
As the sole survivor of the knight’s training, she couldn’t just give up.
She couldn’t bear the villagers’ expectations.
Now that there was a more talented Ethan, her withdrawal was actually a form of liberation for herself.
“Sister Üffie,” Ethan said only after Üffie’s sobbing subsided.
“By the way, have they named the child?” He chose to change the subject.
He himself was no ordinary person; his warrior talent was visibly stronger than Yuffi’s.
His offering condolences would only pour salt on the wound, making it meaningless.
“Übel.
Her name is Übel.” Üffie’s voice finally brightened considerably.
When she said her sister’s name, her tone was filled with joy.
“No matter what, she is my most important sister!
I will protect her until she can stand on her own.”