Chapter 12: The End of Disaster
A week has passed since the fall of the Star of Ruin, and those who were urgently evacuated to other countries have gradually returned to the Mornhart Kingdom. Everything in Mornhart has returned to calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
Except for the two bounties issued personally by the royal family.
The first bounty is for the fragments of the Star of Ruin.
That night, almost ninety-nine percent of the Star of Ruin was evaporated, but there were still many remnants left behind.
According to reports from the Sacred Domain, the materials of the Star of Ruin are special and carry traces of divine magic, making them highly valuable for research. The king immediately issued a decree, calling on the populace to search for the fragments of the Star of Ruin, offering a reward for each gram.
The second bounty is for information about the girl who shattered the Star of Ruin.
On that day, the Star of Ruin fell, and a hero emerged, but that legendary figure did not succeed in preventing its descent.
Then, a mysterious power suddenly appeared, and a thick darkness enveloped the entire Star of Ruin.
At the same time, a strong interference occurred, with all observation methods in the human realm, whether magical or mechanical, experiencing malfunctions or failures when trying to observe the Star of Ruin. People could only rely on their eyes to track its movements.
Later, the light of the Hero’s Holy Sword shone again, tearing apart the darkness and temporarily halting the Star of Ruin for a moment.
However, the light of the sword quickly dissipated, and the Star of Ruin continued to fall, plunging everyone into despair.
Yet, divine favor bestowed a “miracle” — a black fire erupted into the sky, and the Star of Ruin was instantaneously shattered in midair, less than a thousand meters above the surface of the Mornhart Kingdom.
This scene was fortunately recorded by the astronomy department of Saint Franca Academy, which had activated its backup equipment.
After complex image processing, people finally got a clear look at the true nature of the “miracle.”
It was a black-haired girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was cute, petite, and adorable. Wearing a magnificent cloak and wielding a giant black sword, she charged boldly toward the Star of Ruin.
A terrifying explosion of mana occurred, and the Star of Ruin was instantly evaporated.
At that moment, Mornhart was saved, but the black-haired girl vanished without a trace.
Upon learning this news, the king immediately commissioned tens of thousands of portraits of the black-haired girl and issued the second bounty for any useful information about her.
She was the savior of all Mornhart, and every citizen wanted to know — who was she?
…
At the border of Mornhart, in the Judyia Forest.
A rugged man was driving a spacious cart down a small path in the woods, looking at the familiar surroundings with a smile: “Ah, I’m back. I’m finally back.”
A few days ago, the Star of Ruin fell, and he and his three daughters were urgently evacuated by a ship from a neighboring country. Today, they finally returned to their hometown.
Suddenly, a cute ten-year-old girl popped out from the cart and gently leaned against the tough man’s back.
“Kendrick, I’m hungry.”
“Hungry?” Kendrick glanced at the sunset in the west and smiled, “Well, it is almost dinner time.”
Saying that, Kendrick pulled on the reins, bringing the cart to a stop.
“Let’s rest here for a bit,” Kendrick said. “Stella, go wake Lilith up and ask her to come help.”
“Okay.” The girl nodded gently and then crawled back into the cart, approaching a young woman with red hair and gently shaking her: “Sister, it’s time to get up for lunch. Kendrick wants you to help.”
“Hehe, chicken legs, roast meat…” Lilith turned over, showing no sign of waking.
“Sister, don’t sleep anymore.”
Stella called Lilith a few more times but still couldn’t wake her.
At that moment, a girl who had been sitting at the back of the cart reading quietly closed her book and walked over: “Stella, let me handle this.”
“Sister Luna…” Stella blinked and said, “Sorry to disturb your reading.”
“It’s fine.” Luna shook her head and then looked at the sleeping Lilith: “She’s really sleeping like a pig.”
“Isn’t that how she always sleeps?” Stella smiled helplessly and then asked, “Sister Luna, how do you plan to wake her up?”
Luna waved her heavy magic book and said lightly: “Knowledge is power.”
“Knowledge is power?”
Stella’s eyes lit up. Did Sister Luna plan to use magic?
However, in the next moment.
The heavy book slipped from Luna’s hand and landed squarely on Lilith’s head.
Knowledge is power (physically).
“Bang!”
“Ah!”
A scream accompanied the thud as Lilith sat up suddenly, holding her head and staring at the grinning Luna and the magic book on the ground, immediately realizing what had happened.
“Luna!” Lilith said angrily, “How many times have I told you not to hit me on the head? It makes me stupid!”
“Well, you don’t have much intelligence to begin with.” Luna crossed her arms and said dismissively, “Besides, this isn’t my fault. You’ve been sleeping like a pig all day, and Stella has been trying to wake you up for ages. You disrupted my reading, so this is all your fault, right?”
Lilith puffed her cheeks in frustration. Although, as the eldest sister, she was certainly stronger than Luna, she never won when it came to a war of words.
“But even so, you…”
“What about me?” Seeing Lilith about to retort, Luna interrupted: “Kendrick asked you to help make dinner, so don’t waste time. If Stella goes hungry, it’ll be your responsibility.”
“You…” Lilith shook her fists angrily and said, “Forget it, I won’t argue with you. I’ll go make dinner.”
With that, Lilith turned and jumped off the cart.
“Hmph, that’s more like it.” A smug expression crossed Luna’s face as she bent down to pick up the magic book from the ground, brushing off the dust and returning to her previous spot to leaf through it again.
Seeing Sister Luna prepared to continue reading, Stella decided not to disturb her and quietly climbed down from the cart.
Outside the cart, Kendrick and Lilith were working together to set up the cooking gear for an outdoor meal.
Stella gently approached Lilith from behind, saying, “Sister Lilith, is there anything I can help with?”
“No, there’s nothing.” Lilith grinned, holding the heavy cooking equipment. “All this stuff is too heavy for you to carry.”
“Oh, I see.” Stella replied, her eyes revealing a hint of disappointment.
Lilith noticed Stella’s change in expression, glanced around, and then took out her water bottle, pointing to a nearby stream: “How about this, Stella? Go help me fill up some water; I’ve been lying in the cart all day and haven’t had anything to drink.”
Stella took the water bottle, nodded vigorously: “Okay.”
With that, Stella jogged toward the stream.
The water in the stream was clear and cold.
Stella squatted by the stream and filled the bottle with water.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a flash of light from the corner of her eye.
“Huh? What is that?”
Stella blinked and then followed the light source, noticing something in the nearby woods emanating a bright glow.
Curious, Stella walked toward the light. She gently parted the bushes and saw a young girl lying naked against a large black-purple rock, as if she were asleep.
The source of the light was the bracelet on her right wrist.
Stella slowly approached the girl, getting a clear look at her features.
The girl had flawless, fair skin, a petite body like a flower just ready to bloom in spring, and long, holy silver hair cascading down her chest, concealing her charming beauty. Her exquisite face resembled that of a beloved goddess, perfect in every way.
Golden rays of sunlight filtered through the dense leaves of the forest, casting a sacred veil over the girl’s body.
Stella stood there dumbfounded. Though she was young, she could distinguish beauty from ugliness.
In her heart, there was only one word to describe the girl before her.
Stella gently stepped in front of the girl and reached out to touch her beautiful face, unable to help but say, “Are you an angel?”
