Starting as Cipher-The Flame-Chaser Identity System(Honkai Star Rail)

Now that they had bought the clothes, matching shoes were a must. However, this world didn't use shoe sizes. Instead, people simply held shoes up to their feet to check the fit, eyeballing it until they seemed about right.

Aria held up a pair of black, round-toed leather boots. "Sister Cipher, what do you think of these?"

Having already given up after seeing the two adorable outfits Aria had picked out for her, Cipher sighed resignedly, "Whatever. Just get what you think looks good."

"Then let's at least check if they fit," Aria suggested.

Cipher found a chair in the store, removed her right golden thigh-high heel, and extended her dainty, pale foot. She took one of the boots Aria offered and compared its size. "They're a little big, but they'll do."

But... flat shoes? Cipher glanced at the thigh-high heel still on her left foot. Come to think of it, she had initially planned to buy a pair of flats, but for various reasons, she never got around to it. Now, after wearing these heels for almost a month straight, had she unknowingly become completely accustomed to them?

Just as Cipher was pondering this, Aria approached with another pair of high heels, this time adorned with golden floral patterns. "Sister Cipher," she said, "you seem to really like these shoes. Should we get another pair?"

Then, in a tone of genuine admiration, she added, "And Sister Cipher, you're amazing! You can wear high heels all day and move around so freely. I can barely manage for an hour before my ankles start aching."

Cipher found Aria's awed expression unsettling. As a true girl, Aria couldn't get used to wearing high heels, yet Cipher had grown completely accustomed to them. Was that... right?

In the end, Cipher firmly declined the offer to buy the second pair of high heels, opting only for the flat shoes she had chosen earlier. After paying, they left the shop.

Cipher and Aria continued browsing the market, finishing their shopping before returning to the Adventurer's Guild. By the time they arrived, evening was approaching.

The Hero Party unanimously decided to rest for another night before officially setting out the next day.

Back in her room, Cipher immediately retrieved the small scissors she had just bought. Spreading her left hand wide, she gazed at her long, golden fingernails with eyes as brilliant as sapphires. With the scissors in her right hand, she carefully began trimming them.

Most people simply clip their nails to the quick, a simple task. Cipher, however, deliberately left a bit of length, thinking it looked better that way.

Of course, this made trimming more challenging, but she had plenty of time and didn't mind taking it slow.

Just then, Aria emerged from the washroom after her bath, drying her short, golden hair with a towel as she walked to her bed and sat down. After a moment, she spoke up, "Sister Cipher, what do you think... if the Great Hero from three hundred years ago knew that the weapon she used to save the world was later used to create famine, how would she feel?"

Cipher corrected her. "To be precise, it was His Majesty the King who orchestrated the famine in order to wield the Divine Artifact."

But the result was essentially the same: a famine either way. Cipher finished trimming the nails on her left hand and began on her right, saying, "Aria, you read that storybook every day. You probably know more about the Hero than I do. What kind of person is she depicted as in the book?"

"Without a doubt, she's a good person!" Aria declared without hesitation. "Even though she wields hellish power, she's always used it for good!"

Seven heroes had formed a party and, after enduring countless perilous battles, united to defeat and slay the Demon Lord. However, their combined tales were far too vast to fit into a single book. Instead, the narrative was divided into seven major series, each focusing on one of the heroes, with multiple volumes dedicated to each.

These volumes covered each hero's origins, training, how they met their companions, their final battle against the Demon Lord, and what they did after saving the world.

Naturally, such detailed divisions and numerous books allowed the authors to earn more money. In any case, the book Aria held told the story of Lori Gavin, the Bard among the seven heroes, and what she experienced alone after the Demon Lord's defeat and the disbandment of the Hero Party.

Because Aria's family wasn't wealthy, they had only ever bought this one book. She had read it countless times since childhood, and its contents had ignited her deepest yearning to become a hero who saves others.

Just like how children often dream of becoming scientists or astronauts when they grow up, Aria's childhood dream was to become a Hero. Unlike most fleeting aspirations, her resolve never wavered, and she worked tirelessly towards her goal, a wish that remained unchanged to this day.

Now, back to the Hell Book. Judging by its name alone, it sounds like a wizard's or Warlock's weapon. You might imagine opening its pages, reciting incantations, and unleashing powerful spells with a flick of the wrist.

Yet, it's actually a bard's weapon. Cipher herself was quite shocked when she first learned this.

It could be said that the two most common Class Holders in the world are Rogues and Bards. For Rogues, any orphan who manages to survive to adulthood through sheer grit and street smarts can be considered a Bronze-rank Rogue. After all, surviving that long implies exceptional skills—either they're master thieves or swift runners; otherwise, they'd have had their legs broken or starved to death long ago.

Bards are similar. Anyone who can earn a living by singing well or performing simple tricks (magic) on the streets qualifies as a competent bard.

"If you're not good enough, no one will tip your performance, and you simply won't survive!"

That's why Rogues and Bards are generally considered the weakest Class Holders. But that's not always the case. Cipher thought of herself. I'm probably a Thief, right? And I'm pretty strong, aren't I?

Just because they're generally weak doesn't mean there aren't exceptions—individual masters who rise above the norm.

Aria pouted. "So, if Lori Gavin found out about this, she'd be absolutely devastated!"

Cipher finished trimming the nails on her right hand. She sat cross-legged on the bed, leaning forward, one hand gripping her right foot, thumb and forefinger pressing against her toes. With her other hand, she carefully clipped her toenails one by one. "By the way," she said, "are you sure everyone in the Hero Party is really dead? Could someone still be alive?"

Three hundred years is longer than the entire history of the United States from her previous life. Humanity has gone through countless generations. But let's not forget that this world has long-lived races like elves. If there were any elves in the Hero Party back then, surviving until now would be a piece of cake.

Cipher couldn't help but wonder, "If elves truly exist, wouldn't the seven members of the Hero Party, who had shared so many adventures, have been incredibly close? If someone were misusing my best friend's weapon, I'd definitely go and reclaim it."

Aria shook her head. She only knew the story of Lori Gavin from the novel she possessed; she didn't even know the names of the other six heroes. Besides, the book wasn't a historical record but a work of fiction, so its contents might not be entirely accurate. "Let's ask Feidric tomorrow," Cipher suggested. "He might know something."

Finally, as they chatted, Cipher finished trimming her nails. She wiggled her small toes, glanced at her neatly trimmed nails, and grinned with satisfaction. "Perfect!"

The next day, after breakfast, the four adventurers set off from Stone Pine City. As they traveled, Cipher turned to Feidric and asked, "Three hundred years ago, did the Hero Party of seven include any long-lived races like elves?"

Feidric answered without hesitation, "There was a half-elf Druid. Are you asking if any of those Heroes are still alive?"

Cipher nodded. Feidric continued, "Half-elves typically live for two to three hundred years. That Hero has most likely died of old age by now."

"So, all seven Heroes are actually dead?" Cipher asked.

"According to the Legend of the Demon King and the Hero, that's the case," Feidric replied.

Cipher was stunned. The Legend of the Demon King and the Hero was the very novel Aria had been reading. Could it be that Feidric's information comes from that novel too?

Seeing her expression, Feidric sighed helplessly. "After all, this happened three hundred years ago, so it's more of a legend than historical fact. The Legend of the Demon King and the Hero is a recent novel, only about ten years old. It's become so popular that even adventurers in taverns have stopped talking about old legends and started debating the novel's plot. The original legends have been completely forgotten."

"Besides," Feidric said, "the novel's content might be fictional, but the legends passed down by word of mouth aren't necessarily true either. It's best to take such stories with a grain of salt. If you're really curious about the details, perhaps you should seek out the author of Legend of the Demon King and the Hero? His novel is brimming with intricate details, giving it a remarkable sense of realism. Maybe he knows something we don't?"

"Where would we find this author?" Cipher asked.

Feidric's expression grew even more exasperated. "You don't actually think I'm omniscient, do you? How would I possibly know that?"

The group continued their journey. Meanwhile, Cipher idly glanced at her System interface and noticed her Fame had increased by another 200 points, reaching just over 4,200. This was likely due to her legendary adventurer exploits still circulating in Stone Pine City. Such a sensational tale would likely remain a popular topic of conversation among adventurers in taverns for quite some time.

In other words, Cipher's fame would continue to grow steadily, which wasn't so bad.

One uneventful day, as dusk approached, the four travelers stopped by a small stream to set up camp. Aria pulled out the large tent they had purchased in Stone Pine City and began assembling it.

Yes, Cipher had finally succumbed to Aria's relentless pestering and agreed to share a tent again. Imagine a cute little puppy wagging its tail and whining softly beside you, begging for a cuddle. If you refused, it might whine like that all day. Who could resist such persistence?

While Aria worked on the tent, Cipher wandered straight to the nearby stream. The crystal-clear water allowed her to see the pebbles at the bottom with ease. The water was shallow, barely reaching mid-calf, well below her knees.

What would most people do upon seeing this?

Cipher didn't know what others might do, but she simply sat on a rock by the bank, took off her shoes, and dipped her small feet into the water, gently swinging them back and forth.

After a full day's hike, Cipher's feet were aching terribly. Soaking them in the stream seemed perfectly reasonable, right?

Well, truth be told, Cipher's feet weren't actually sore at all. But she couldn't deny that the cool stream water felt incredibly soothing as it swirled around her ankles. She closed her eyes slightly in contentment.

Just then, she heard a noise nearby. Turning her head, she saw Douglas less than ten meters to her right, downstream, cupping water to his mouth as if he had just taken a sip.

By chance, Douglas also glanced toward Cipher. He froze for a moment, stunned, before spitting out the water with a sputtering "Pfft—!" followed by a fit of coughing. "You... you're the only person I've ever seen strip off their shoes and dip their feet in a river like that!"

The truth was, Douglas had arrived shortly after Cipher. He'd noticed her standing by the bank, lowered his head to scoop up some water, and when he looked up again, she'd already plunged her feet into the stream.

Cipher exclaimed in surprise, "Who just bends down and drinks straight from a stream like that?!"

A habit from her past life, she only drank bottled water from the supermarket or boiled water at home, refusing to drink water from any other source due to hygiene concerns.

Douglas retorted, "Even if you wanted to soak your feet, you should wait until others have finished drinking! How are people supposed to drink now?"

Cipher blurted out, "Not necessarily! Maybe some people prefer it that way? Foot-soaked water might even fetch a higher price!"

Douglas stared at her, utterly bewildered. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Clearly, these modern-day antics were far too advanced for a medieval man like Douglas. Cipher cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh, what I meant was... the river's so wide. The water you just drank probably wasn't even near where my feet were. If you're really worried, just go drink upstream."