I couldn't comprehend what The Hero had said. The idea that a hero would be summoned without a particular goal in mind was baffling. Heros had always been used as tactical weapons, a piece to be played on the board of war. Why would no one tell this girl in front of me, what they wanted her to do? The serpent on my shoulder picked up on my confusion and tapped my shoulder to get my mind moving again.

"I think I misheard you. What exactly is your goal?" I repeated the question in hopes of getting a more understandable answer.

"Well, I don't know about them," The Hero gestured to the rest of the group. "But I don't have a goal. I just want to see the world, travel around, help people where I can, and have a little fun along the way."

..

...

.........

"Uhh, you in there?" The Archer asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

His words brought my mind back from the complete halt it had experienced for the second time today.

"Yes, my apologies. I was surprised because I didn't expect a hero to have such an unclear objective." I showed them the words while trying to piece together a clear picture of the current situation.

"You are not the only one who is bewildered by the circumstances." The Priestess voiced her understanding but showed no signs of adding context to her statement. Before I could question her, or anyone else, Ther Hero spoke again.

"What about you all? Does anyone have somewhere in particular that they want to go?" The weary smile on The Hero's face told me that she knew more than she was letting on, but I chose not to pry. Not yet.

"Not really. I just want to see the world myself. All I have ever seen was the capital of my country and this one." The Archer said while leaning back in his chair.

"I desire to visit the holy grounds across the world." The Priestess said in reference to the lands marked by each god as hallowed ground.

"I want to see the libraries of the world." The Mage said with false disinterest before continuing. "I have been told this country has the greatest library in the lands, but several legends refer to a grand library the held knowledge from across the globe. Including a clear record of events from before the hero war. I would like to see if I can find any other indication of where it might stand or have stood." The Mage's words caused The Serpent on my shoulder to smack my back with his tale, rather forcefully at that.

I expected the Shieldbearer to speak his piece on the subject but was disappointed when he remained silent about his objectives. Even a lie from him would have been better than not knowing anything about what he wanted from this journey.

Seeing that everyone had said their piece, I decided to reveal a partial truth about my objective.

"I wish to take a journey to the blighted forests and attempt to reach the center." I showed the message and waited for the backlash that would likely follow.

"You're insane." The Shieldbearer said with wide eyes.

"I must second his opinion." Said The Priestess with a hint of unease in her voice.

"What makes you think we'd join you in you're attempted suicide?" The Mage questioned in a somewhat dismissive tone.

"HAHAHA. This guy has got a death wish." The joy-filled laughter of The Archer seemed to indicate he thought my statement had been made in jest.

"Umm. What's are the blighted forests?" The Hero said curiously.

Everyone stopped looking at me with accusatory eyes to look toward The Hero with confusion written on their faces.

"You don't know?" Said The Archer, baffled.

"uh-uh." The Hero said, shaking her head no.

Before anyone else could begin explaining, The Shieldbearer spoke a suggestion. "Why don't we use this as an opportunity to test this guy's ability to inform us of things out in the world?" He said, with a small amount of arrogance in his voice.

"I would be happy to oblige." I created the message and showed them before I began weaving mana into a somewhat lengthy explanation. "The blighted forests are a location of land to the west that are considered the most dangerous place in the world. No recorded settlement has ever survived in the area for long, and no one has ever returned from the area around the center. The strength of monsters in the area is drastically higher than anywhere else in the world. The landscape shifts with time, making it impossible to map. Beasts' and plants' in the area are potentially hazardous at the best of times and deadly at the worst. In several regions, it is considered to be the final frontier for explorers and other powerful people. A successful journey into the deeper parts can reward one with materials of significantly higher quality than can be found anywhere else in the world. Everyone knows about it because, without the combined front of several nations and the wall surrounding the region, it would expand, functionally consuming the lands around it. No one knows how it came to be what it is today. Still, the standing theories are that the region is the work of a dark god, that the area lost the protection of the god that once blessed it, causing it to fall into chaos or that the center is the location of the final resting ground of the first demon king. Whatever theory you choose to believe, the area is ridiculously dangerous and insanely lucrative to those that successfully journey into it and return." I finished weaving my explanation, and when I was sure The Hero has read through it all, I pulled on the woven mana to return it to my reserves.

"So, basically what this guy just said, is he wants us to become the best of the best, and help him achieve what loads of people think is impossible." The Archer said after my message vanished.

"I am prepared for failure. I am prepared for the possibility that this group won't reach the necessary strength even to set foot in the region, let alone reach its depths. I merely wished to say what my goal has been for a long time." I wrote.

"Do you expect a hero to have a greater chance of succeeding where others have failed?" The Mage asked while trying not to look focused on the situation. "Or are you committing to working with a group far less experienced than yourself, to prepare them for a journey no one knows anything about?"

"Yes, to both," I replied simply.

Before anyone else could continue interrogating me about my goals, The Hero spoke up. "I understand why everyone thinks you're crazy, I think. But, if you are telling the truth, you don't anticipate doing this any time soon. So, it shouldn't be relevant to our journey for some time." Ther Hero said in an understanding tone.

"That is correct. I am comfortable waiting as long as I need to achieve my goals, so I will be of assistance to you all for as long as you'll have me." I showed the message that contained not a single untruth.

"That's fine with me then. What about you all?" The Hero asked everyone else after voicing her acceptance of my stance.

"I think working with a crazy guy like this might be fun, so I'm in." The Archer said, putting his feet up on the table.

"As long he does not actively make my life difficult, I will work with him." The Priestess said smoothly.

"I am willing to work with him, he might have knowledge in his mind I will find useful, but I will hold my breath on that." The Mage said while yawning exaggeratedly.

With all eyes on him again, The Shieldbearer was forced to speak his mind. "I don't like the idea, but everyone else said yes, so whatever happens will happen."

And with his acquiescence, my position in the party was solidified.