CHAPTER 557: CHAPTER 381: NEW SCREENING: 1 ARROW MISSES SUNSHINE PRINCESS

The moment Smough fell, Ceder received the reward for the victory of this battle.

[Soul of Smough]

[The soul of Smough is forever thirsty, his greed did not dissipate even after becoming a Knight]

[Legend has it that he was not chosen as one of the Four Knights because of this insatiable brutality]

Only Smough’s soul?

Ceder felt a little surprised, why wasn’t Ornstein’s soul there? He was quite interested in that Dragon Hunting Spear.

Pondering for a while, he suddenly thought of a detail.

Smough had two ways to absorb the power of his comrades: one was for the comrade to run into him, which applied if the comrade was still breathing but Smough was restrained and couldn’t move; the other was for Smough to walk over and smash Ornstein with a hammer.

Ceder believed this behavior was about absorbing a comrade’s power, because whether Ornstein or Smough absorbed the other, their size would increase greatly and they could use moves characteristic of the other.

Thus, a reasonable supposition naturally came to his mind.

"Could it be that since Ornstein’s power was absorbed by Smough, his soul didn’t appear?"

He successfully discovered a blind spot!

Ceder looked at the soul in his hand, which was larger than any other soul the adventurers had obtained so far, and couldn’t help but sigh. It turned out that one battle wasn’t enough to "collect them all," he’d have to fight again.

But only next time would he be able to challenge the Royal City duo again.

Speaking of which, the rank of the Four Knights Under King is already quite high, isn’t it? Why didn’t Rudolf appear to refine the soul for us after the battle? Never mind, I’ll go look for it at Fran Fort later.

Ceder was now heavily injured physically, but his spirit was unprecedentedly uplifted. If he had to describe such an emotion, it would be like thinking he’d have to restart only to make a miraculous comeback and win.

Who wouldn’t be excited in such a situation!

At the same time, he also noticed the slowly opening door at the end of the arena. Since the Painting World hadn’t ejected him after defeating the duo, it meant there was still a path ahead.

"Solar, we——"

He turned around, intending to invite this hardworking and reliable comrade, as well as the mainstay big C, to explore the path ahead. But as he turned his head.

"You’re disappearing!"

Solar, who materialized in spiritual form, would naturally disappear after completing his mission to help the adventurers defeat the area’s boss, whether he or any other Sun Warrior had to abide by such rules.

Ceder was startled at first, but after he reacted, he was left with only sentiments as Solar waved goodbye to him, looking cheerfully.

Who knows where they would meet again next time, and what kind of story they’d weave.

"... Praise the Sun."

Just before Solar was about to disappear completely, Ceder suddenly, very awkwardly, struck a pose similar to the Praise the Sun gesture, looking like he was thanking the other.

However, this pose only lasted for a second or two before he pulled back quickly, face blushing, he seemed to feel a bit embarrassed.

Was this considered successful assimilation?

A bit of embarrassment made him not have time to see Solar’s reaction, but in the end, the guy laughed out loud.

Ceder couldn’t help but cover his face, coughing repeatedly, and only after the laughter left by Solar had completely dissipated did he pat his cheeks, return to a serious demeanor, and walk toward the door at the end of the arena.

Behind the door was an upward spiral staircase. The higher he went, the more dazzling the sunlight, without a hint of chill.

It was precisely this warm feeling that encouraged him to walk forward boldly, not worrying about encountering stronger monsters and getting wiped out.

Above the spiral staircase, the view opened up suddenly. There was a spacious hall, and beyond it, a stone door carved with intricate patterns quietly stood there. On the door flowed the radiant glow of the Sun, and beside the door, there were two kneeling corpses.

The corpses were charred, highly animated, with no clothing, impossible to discern any background story, but each held a golden light point in their arms. Ceder picked them up: one was the Goddess’ Blessing, the other a Miracle.

[Sunshine Healing]

[The Miracle specially taught to the Saintesses serving the Sunshine Princess, the descending sunlight can largely and widely restore the Life Force of surrounding beings, making the Sun believers braver]

[The beloved Sunshine Princess, Gwen Ivia, shared the Miracle’s grace with many warriors, and this is one of them]

[Those who have taken an oath with the Princess will receive extra blessing when using this Miracle]

"Sunshine Princess..."

Ceder remembered there was a portrait of Gwen Ivia in Yilushier, and the appearance of Sunshine Healing and the Goddess’ Blessing here was definitely no coincidence, surely holding an implication.

So behind this door, could it be the Sunshine Princess?

As his hand touched the door, he suddenly felt a bit hesitant.

Entering Gwendolin’s Fog Gate is considered a transgression against her, causing the oath to be annulled. Would entering what is likely the Sunshine Princess’ room also be seen as such a transgression? Although it seems the Sun Warrior Oath appears unrelated to the Sunshine Princess, it might still be affected.

After pacing and thinking in front of the door for a while, he took a deep breath and decided to push the door open.