Sunlight warmed her. The world was beautiful and peaceful, but she was so lonely, angry, and sad.
The Demon King’s elimination was nearly a year ago. Veldya had finally escaped war and suffering, restored to tranquility and harmony. The season between spring and summer was the most beautiful time in the royal capital Mezzo.
The store in the west was bustling with customers. Most were young, dressed strangely, wearing various types of armor and carrying bizarre weapons. They gathered in small groups, shouting loudly.
The shop’s curtain suddenly rustled open, and a young swordsman strode to the oak counter, pounding his fist on the surface and declaring gruffly: “I’m going to explore the Demon’s Lair!”
A person emerged from behind the counter – a brown-haired girl. She smiled slightly and said: “You want to go to the Old Demon’s Lair? We can provide a full route recommendation, including supply station suggestions and resource distribution information.”
The young swordsman was stunned, scratching his nose: “Oh, really?”
The shopkeeper continued: “It’s spring promotion – previously 399 gold coins, now only 199 gold coins to get all materials.”
“199 gold coins? Are you serious?” The swordsman punched the counter again, “This is a scam! Call your boss!”
She tilted her head with a friendly smile and casually replied: “I am the boss.”
“What?!” The swordsman’s face turned red. “These prices are highway robbery!”
The shop owner chuckled: “Alright, I was just teasing. 99 gold coins, no more bargaining. You can ask other customers who’ve taken this route – they all find my information very useful.”
“I heard from someone…” The swordsman mumbled before reluctantly pulling out his money bag. A stuffed leather paper bag was pushed in front of him, and the shop owner smiled warmly: “Thank you for your business, welcome back.”
The swordsman shivered, feeling a chill, and quietly took his items and left, muttering: “Notorious swindler! Swindler!…”
Watching the customer leave, the shop owner lazily propped her chin on the counter.
Before she could finish, the curtain flew up, and a figure burst in energetically: “Hey, Naily, long time no see!” The silver-haired girl looked slightly tanned, her cheeks flushed from running, her eyes sparkling.
So…” Naily bit her lip, realizing she had exhausted her words, and looked down at her knees helplessly. “So,” Karl reached across the small table between them, his fingers caressing her cheek, gently smoothing her falling hair. He kissed her forehead, “I forgot to tell you that from today, you are the wife of the Magic Guild’s president.” “Eh?! Wait a moment,” Naily instinctively grabbed his nearby collar, “You were chosen as president? How could you not mention something so important, umm…” An hour passed in the hourglass in the corner of the second-floor bedroom.
Naily turned over in the blanket, glanced at the time, and slapped away the persistent paw nudging her, turning back to glare at Karl: “What information did the Sage Tower’s magicians actually obtain?”
Karl lowered his head and spoke softly: “You’ve sensed it too, right? The wind in Mez is changing.”
Naily’s expression became slightly serious: “The king is critically ill, with the palace minister in charge, is that what you mean?”
He nodded.
Karl sighed helplessly: “The Grand Sage has already made a prophecy that if things continue like this, the world will be destroyed one day.”
Naily trembled, immediately pressed tightly into his embrace. She looked up, her deep blue eyes swirling with an inexplicable, obscure light. She softly repeated: “World destruction…” then closed her eyes.
Karl gazed at her, an incomparably sorrowful expression flashing in his red eyes. He gently kissed her hair, promising: “If this is truly destined to happen, no one can prevent it, and no one is the sole culprit.”
“And,” his breath landed on her heart’s location, hot and passionate, “I will still love you even if the world is destroyed.” Naily lowered her head, tightly embracing him, murmuring: “I know. Even if the world is destroyed, you will be with me.” This was a world where the Demon King was vanquished and the kingdom was at its peak but about to decline. Even if it was heading towards destruction, what was one person’s power? She hadn’t made a mistake this time, and she believed he hadn’t either. The world’s blood had nothing to do with them. If this blood was destined to engulf everyone, they would sink together. Because she ultimately chose him, chose to stay, and he chose to believe in her. They chose each other, and they would keep the promise between them, no matter what future was to come.
“Go to Canossa, brave child! The lord is waiting for your help there.” The village elder of the starter village stroked his snow-white beard and recited the concluding words of the mission. Naily quietly nodded, taking the supplies: “Thank you.” Carrying her starter shield, she walked to the inn’s door along the village’s only main road. It wasn’t yet dinnertime, but the inn’s ground floor was surrounded by a group of young men, loudly discussing something. “Not good! The front lines seem about to collapse, what are those big shots in Mez dawdling about!
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had news from the outside; the demon army might have already taken the capital!” Rumors suggested that the demon army’s strength had increased significantly compared to the previous cycle.
Naily walked past the arguing people and sat in the corner, gesturing to the innkeeper. A steaming stew was quickly placed before her. This was the first hot meal Naily had after a day of missions. After she ate a few bites, the innkeeper came again with an extra small plate of cheese. She smiled kindly at Naily, seemingly wanting to chat: “I heard you’ve been clearing the monsters around the village these days, thank you very much!”
“It’s what I should do,” Naily slightly lowered her gaze, not really wanting to continue the conversation, “Thank you for the cheese.”
Before the innkeeper could speak, the group discussing politics suddenly crowded around. Their leader raised his chin and tapped the table: “I heard you’re the hero chosen by the goddess?”
Naily swallowed her last spoonful of stew, calmly looking up to assess the other person, and nodded: “Yes.”
The burly young man seemed quite dismissive, sneering at Naily’s shield, which was several times larger than her, and laughed with his companions.
The innkeeper cast an angry glance at the young men because of their laughter.
Naily didn’t take the offense to heart at all, calmly stood up, stored the cheese in her storage space, and bowed slightly to thank and bid farewell to the innkeeper. The sky was still bright, and Naily decided to map the village’s edges a few more times. If there was an advantage to being a guide-turned-hero, it was being extremely familiar with the world’s battle intelligence. Through repeated cycles, she would unconsciously remember the monsters in every location; not to mention Naily had previously done her homework, knowing the monster and resource distribution of every area like the back of her hand. Completing the starter village’s missions was effortless. The edges of the village were mostly populated by magified sheep and annoying goblins. Though the experience crystals were small, Naily’s experience bar quickly reached its end, and with a ding, a large “Level Up” popped up before her eyes.
Naily sheathed her long sword and leaned against a nearby large tree to rest for a moment.
Towards the stone path leading to the village, a sudden commotion arose. Naily instantly opened her eyes and stood up, taking a few steps towards the noise, and unexpectedly saw the group of hot-blooded young men from the inn earlier. They were shouting and heading in her direction.
