Chapter 226: Danger Level and Punishment (5K Bonus Chapters 59 & 60)

Three-headed behemoth, Heroic Spirit legion, flesh-corrupted construct golem.

In Herbert's view, all three were powerful and extremely troublesome opponents.

The flesh-corrupted construct golem needs no further elaboration—Herbert had just personally experienced its danger firsthand.

Bizarre, bizarre, still goddamn bizarre.

Danger rating: four stars.

The three-headed behemoth's most troublesome aspect was its heads, each capable of unleashing damage of a different attribute, every head possessing a unique offensive ability.

Flame, frost, death… all were terrifyingly lethal abilities.

Especially since its heads could coordinate with one another, forming a tight partnership between offense and defense.

In terms of tacit understanding, three people with one mind could never compare to one person with three minds.

To truly pin it down would require at least three legendary-tier powerhouses.

Beyond that, it also possessed a considerable size advantage.

Given that behemoth's bulk, one could never let one's guard down against any of its movements—even a seemingly casual flick of its tail could easily inflict massive damage on an enemy.

Danger rating… for now, let's tentatively set it at three stars.

As for the Heroic Spirit legion, its troublesome aspects were considerably more complex.

On the surface alone, it boasted four legendary-tier combatants, one of whom was a peak legendary top-tier combatant, with another hundred high-tier combatants capable of forming battle formations.

The Heroic Spirit legion was composed of the souls of former heroes and warriors, each of whom had been a combat expert in their own field in life.

They possessed rich combat experience and knew every tactic and strategy inside out; whether cold-weapon fighting techniques or battle strategies, they could employ them all with practiced skill.

Every Heroic Spirit also possessed its own unique skills—some melee-types, some spellcasters… combined, the challenge difficulty multiplied.

At the same time, Heroic Spirits were a special kind of spirit-body form.

In battle they had great concealment and elusiveness; they could freely pass through physical objects, and ordinary physical attacks were not very effective against them.

But this point was actually manageable, because the combatants Herbert's side would send would not be weaklings—all legendary-tier powerhouses, every one of whom could easily handle these special spirit-bodies.

Beyond that, however, these Heroic Spirits also had a hidden additional ability.

Momentum.

Their very existence represented a kind of legend and glory; when they appeared on the battlefield, they themselves brought a berserk morale bonus.

Danger rating… tentatively five stars.

After this simple analysis, Herbert had roughly arrived at a preliminary conclusion.

On paper, the target should be placed on the three-headed behemoth.

But analyzing only the opponent's strengths and weaknesses without considering one's own side's capabilities could never yield the most perfect conclusion.

For example, the three-headed behemoth had an advantage neither of the other two Remnant holders possessed.

It could move!

Although it had always been guarding the remains beside the Heroic Spirit Pool, it was not restricted in its range of movement.

If Herbert could successfully provoke it, he might be able to lure the three-headed behemoth away from the Heroic Spirit Pool and into a pre-prepared trap.

As for the construct golem, it also had a weakness.

Endurance.

This sudden battle had already proven one thing: its energy would not be infinite.

That zero-frame-startup beam could only fire three shots in a short period; any more and it couldn't fire again.

And once this point was figured out, there would be plenty of room to maneuver.

Kiting, rotating attrition, outlasting them… if one wanted to drain its energy, there was no shortage of methods.

As for the Heroic Spirit legion… Herbert could not, for the moment, think of any response he was particularly confident about.

He had three preliminary ideas.

One was to find weapons that countered Heroic Spirits, to deal them critical damage.

Another was to try a mouth-skill attack, planning to fully leverage his own oratory ability in an attempt to disrupt their thinking.

Never mind how high the odds of success were—trick one if you can, shake one if you can.

As for the last one… Herbert was targeting the Heroic Spirit legion's greatest weakness.

Numbers.

In Herbert's eyes, the Heroic Spirit legion's large numbers were not an advantage at all, but rather an unavoidable weakness.

Their formation was simply too well-suited to being picked off one by one.

But how to split them apart was yet another problem.

And among these plans there was also one greatest hidden danger—must not draw out more existences from within the fog.

If those powerful existences of the inner ring were also drawn out, no one knew what the final shape of things would become.

"…"

After thinking seriously for quite a while, Herbert helplessly shook his head and couldn't help sighing.

"Sigh, this is tough!"

I just wanted to mess around with a new Heroic Spirit Pool and pull a card—how did it end up feeling like I'm on a journey to fetch the scriptures?

Does it really need to be this hard!

【"Looks like you've already reached a conclusion?"】

"…No, just a preliminary idea. The specifics still need to be thought through carefully."

Herbert was not the type to act on impulse; he preferred to plan before moving.

"No rush. Let me keep developing for a while—first build up Eltha a bit more. Once the Goddess of Ice and Snow's priestess group arrives, perhaps they'll be able to give me some new ideas."

And just as Herbert was thinking this, he felt the centaur beneath him slow down, and finally come to a gradual halt.

"Mm?"

He raised his head and looked at his surroundings. He still had an impression of this place — it was close to Elda, but still some distance away.

Why had they stopped?

Before Herbert could open his mouth to ask, he thought of the reason Sophia had done so.

Because of guilt.

As a guard, she had succeeded this time.

She had successfully protected Herbert, bringing him back from the crisis.

But as a servant, she considered herself derelict in her duty.

She had let Herbert suffer harm, and had nearly lost her head in fury, refusing to follow his commands…

Far too great a failure.

"…"

Herbert dismounted and walked over to stand before Sophia.

The centaur spirit stood before him with her head lowered, her eyes full of guilt, her sturdy centaur body trembling slightly, her tail swaying gently with her unease.

Sophia knew deeply that she had committed a mistake.

That mistake weighed on her heart like a heavy boulder, leaving her soul unable to find peace.

Herbert did not blame her. After waiting a while, he asked softly, "Is there something you wish to say?"

The centaur spirit, upon hearing these words, trembled and slowly raised her head, her gaze carrying both resolve and supplication as she looked toward her master.

"My lord…"

Though this youth was still young in years, to her he possessed a unique, solemn authority.

His deep, penetrating eyes revealed wisdom and calm. Simply standing there quietly, he was like a radiant lighthouse amid this fog.

"My lord, I have committed a sin."

Herbert raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Mm? What sin have you committed?"

Sophia's voice was low and hoarse as she spoke to Herbert: "I have committed the sins of pride and wrath."

Herbert:?

First, the sin of pride was committed by… ahem!

"Were it not for my pride, you would not have suffered any harm."

Sophia looked at the back of Herbert's hand — the wound there had long since healed, but the mistake she had made back then would not vanish from her heart.

The centaur spirit's mood sank even lower, and in a rasping voice she said: "I also nearly lost my reason to wrath, and did not heed your command."

In Herbert's view it was a trivial matter, but for this loyal spirit, it was a matter greater than the heavens themselves.

She bowed her head deeply and pleaded:

"I do not ask that you forgive me. I now only beg you to mete out punishment."

Mistakes must receive their due treatment; she believed Herbert would render the most just verdict.

"…"

But in truth, Sophia's request put Herbert in a bit of a quandary.

Because he truly did not think it was any great matter.

Herbert was not the domineering sort.

He did not wish to treat his very first follower in too harsh a manner.

But he also understood that he absolutely could not simply brush it off lightly — doing so would only plunge Sophia into a spiral of self-torment.

She was loyal.

But she was also somewhat simple and clumsy.

As she was now, she still could not grasp complicated thoughts.

In Sophia's heart —

Right was right, wrong was wrong.

For a subordinate such as this, as one above her, one had to be clear in reward and punishment.

Right deserved reward.

Wrong deserved punishment.

Now that a mistake had been made —

Only by receiving punishment could Sophia's psychological burden be completely set down.

After a brief moment of thought, the corners of Herbert's mouth lifted slightly; he had reached a decision.

Herbert looked at the centaur Young Lady with her head lowered, raised a hand to cup her chin, made her meet his eyes, and asked with a smile:

"Sophia, you have already made your decision — you wish to accept punishment?"

Sophia, upon meeting Herbert's eyes, trembled. A glimmer of hope rose in her gaze, and she nodded firmly.

"Yes, I beg my lord to punish me severely."

Please punish me, and then forgive me.

She hoped Herbert would punish her, and absolve her of her sins.

Herbert nodded and announced softly:

"You let me be wounded, and you defied me once, so I shall give you two punishments."

"Thank you!!!"

Herbert looked at the excited centaur, smiled and shook his head, and commanded:

"Good. Now close your eyes. You may not open them without my command."

"Yes!"

And the moment the centaur Young Lady closed her eyes, Herbert quietly circled around behind her.

Herbert slowly raised his hand, then suddenly struck with force, slapping hard against the horse-body's rear.

"This is the first punishment."

*Smack!!! *

This time, Herbert held nothing back, pouring out the full strength his current soul state could muster!

Because it was a punishment, he had also enlisted Nie Nasha's help, covering his palm with fine, small thorns.

And Sophia's reaction was just as he had expected.

"Mm!!!"

The centaur Young Lady, who had intended to stay completely silent, couldn't help but let out a muffled groan and collapsed weakly to the ground.

The sensation far exceeded her imagination.

Because both of them were spiritual bodies, every attack struck directly upon the soul.

The instant their souls made contact, Sophia felt pain.

Pain.

Terrible pain.

Her entire soul first went blank for a moment, and only then did the agony register.

But Sophia did not grow angry because of it.

Yes.

This was what she had wanted — this was the punishment she had wanted to receive!

Sophia clenched her teeth hard, her voice trembling, and said gratefully, "Thank you, my lord!"

"Please bestow upon me the second punishment!"

But the moment she finished this plea, Herbert behind her gave no answer.

No — more than that.

When Sophia reached out with her senses, his presence had already vanished as well.

As if he had disappeared from this world into thin air.

"Mm!?"

Sophia called out in some panic, "My lord!!? You — are you still there?"

She did not know whether some mishap had befallen Herbert!

If that were the case, then she herself…

But the very instant she opened her eyes in a panic, searching for Herbert's figure—

"This is the second."

*Smack. *

The second惩戒 fell, and this time it landed on the exact same spot as before.

"Mm!!!"

The centaur heroic spirit's body trembled violently, her whole form shaking beyond her control.

She raised a hand to cover her mouth, refusing to let any distorted sound escape.

Compared with the fierce pain of the first time, this time the sensation had shifted in some subtle way.

Beyond the pain, there was now an added, peculiar tingling numbness.

Why… why was this happening?

I… why am I feeling pleasure from the punishment?

Sophia was bewildered.

What on earth was happening…

Immediately after, she heard Herbert's same, unhurried voice:

"Sophia, you opened your eyes."

"You have disappointed me. You have disobeyed my order once again, so there will be a third punishment."

"Now, close your eyes once more."

Sophia wanted to protest, but in the end said nothing, obediently closing both her eyes and her mouth.

"…Yes, my lord."

She waited reverently.

Waiting for Herbert to deliver the punishment.

But this time, the waiting seemed far too long.

Drawing on the previous experience, Sophia did not rush to search for Herbert's figure at the start.

But after she closed her eyes, time seemed to crawl by unbearably slow, unbearably agonizing.

"…"

She pressed her lips tightly together, struggling not to disappoint Herbert again.

Yet she did not know how long she had waited — still, the punishment she was owed did not come.

And from some unknown moment, a new, different feeling began to stir within Sophia's heart.

She felt as though something in her spirit had begun to change.

She was… anticipating.

I longed for the punishment to come quickly, longed to feel something new…

It was certain that Sophia was not a special personality who enjoyed pain, like Elizabeth.

But this waiting now stirred within her a strange sense of tension.

This anticipation tormented her will, bringing her soul to the brink of exhaustion.

And finally, just as her spirit reached its limit, Herbert's punishment descended.

Crack!

"Ugh!!!"

This time, even though she had prepared herself, Sophia still let out a soft whimper.

For this time, the punishment held no pain at all—only a tingling sensation.

The last time, Herbert had merely tapped her buttocks lightly.

The motion was extremely gentle, more like soothing than striking.

The contact between soul and soul continuously stimulated Sophia's will, pushing her spirit to an extreme peak.

"My Lord, I, I…"

"Shh."

Herbert signaled her to clench her teeth, then squeezed tightly at the final moment.

"Ah—"

Sophia froze, silent, her entire body stiffening in place.

After a long while, the dazed half-elf lady came back to herself.

She felt the lightness in her body, tilting her head in confusion.

What exactly happened to my body?

Why do I feel so light, so… comfortable?

Wasn't I just being punished?

I…

"Alright, open your eyes now."

Sophia opened her eyes at Herbert's words and saw a pair of gentle eyes.

"My Lord, I…"

Herbert placed a finger on her lips and asked with a smile, "Do you feel better now? Is your heart more at ease?"

Comfortable?

Sophia blinked, uncertainly saying, "... My Lord, is this really punishment?"

Is this right?

Herbert waved his hand, insisting, "Don't ask so many questions—just tell me, are you comfortable now?"

Sophia fell silent, then nodded shyly: "... Yes, I feel very comfortable now."

Her body felt light, her soul at peace, as if her entire being had become transparent.

"That's enough."

Herbert mounted his horse and said casually, "This is a proper punishment—don't think I'm showing you favoritism."

This is pure technique and execution!

"... Understood."

Sophia seemed to understand something, lowering her head in gratitude: "Thank you for your mercy."

"I shall vow to follow you unto death."

She rose slowly, her spirit fully renewed, and continued toward Elda with Herbert.

Just after they began moving, Herbert suddenly added:

"By the way, I'll warn you—don't even think about deliberately misbehaving."

The hooves paused for a moment, then resumed their pace.

"... Understood."

Herbert:?

What are you hesitating about?

Before Herbert could ask, as they neared Elda, a strange feeling suddenly arose in his mind.

Hm?

He suddenly felt himself wet—everywhere.

????

Herbert blinked in confusion, then realized he was sensing the sensations of his physical body.

Wait, this doesn't make sense.

You little sea witch, what exactly did you do to me?

He thought for a moment, then told Sophia, "Walk slowly—take it slow. I'm returning to my physical form."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

Without waiting for the bewildered half-elf lady, Herbert flew straight toward his physical body.

And a kilometer away, guided by the soul's pull to his physical form, he instantly returned.

Whoosh—

The next moment, Herbert opened his eyes as he reentered his body and said, "Hey! What did you do to me?"

The mermaid lady, clearly unprepared for Herbert's sudden return, was startled badly.

"Eek—!?!"

Fu Leimei went pale with shock and blurted in a panic, "You! How did you get back so fast!?"

"Why couldn't I come back this early? You… wait a second."

Herbert blinked, and suddenly realized he was soaking stark naked in a warm spring… Hm?

Where did this warm spring come from?

"What are you doing?"

"I, I… wait, Sophia is coming back too!"

Realizing Sophia was about to return any moment, Fu Leimei had no time to explain and clamped a hand over Herbert's mouth.

Deciding to see it through, she simply dragged Herbert and ducked deeper into the spring.

Herbert:???

(End of chapter)