“After the horror that befallen the kingdom, some of us evacuated into the human village,” The panda man explained.
Kara shut off her eyes as she took a dramatic sigh. She opened her eyes as she stared at the man she met before. Her eyes indicated that she had an inkling idea of what happened next.
“According to this man, the village was attacked by the elves and the cat tribes. Is that correct?” asked Kara as she recalled the encounter with the drunken group a few days ago.
The short-haired elf interjected, “rogue elves, I might clarify. They have no relation with the Silvrout Kingdom, princess.” The panda man nodded at both Kara's question and the short-haired elf clarification.
“That is correct, princess. Unfortunately, the village suffered numerous casualties, including the village chief. Because of that, I became an acting chief. Under my instruction, we rebuilt the village hidden by the waterfall as measures to counter the cat tribes,” the panda man explained.
The short haired elf added, “we agreed to name this village Elarindel. It combines the mystical feel of a hidden village with ‘Elari,’ evoking the flow of water, and ‘ndel,’ suggesting a secluded or protected place. Mia came up with the name.”
Is that because cats are afraid of water? I thought. It seemed like no matter the universe, cats were known for their weakness of water. Would that mean they never take a bath and just lick each other? Just as I was wondering that, Kara's sharp gaze pierced into my direction resulting in me faking a cough. It seems that her intuition is as sharp as ever whenever I kept contemplating about cats, I secretly thought.
Kara took a deep breath in, and when breathed out I could feel the exhaustion, even though she didn’t say anything. “All of this new information really took a toll on me. Was that everything, or is there anything else I need to know, Mr. Baiyun?” Kara asked.
Baiyun, the acting chief panda man took a second to think as fingers laced and lifted while his elbows rested on the chair arms. He glanced at the short-haired elf beside him, only to be answered with a shrug by the elf. He then looked at the man with a fancy sword.
“While the rogue elves and cat tribes attacked our village, our group was adventuring and exploring the ruin of the Literea Kingdom. It was only two days after the dragons attacked the kingdom, so we expected a ton of injured people we could help,” the man with the fancy sword said.
The man was struggling to find the right words. Kara tilted her head with a puzzling gaze as she waited curiously. The man showed no sign of haste to tell Kara of what happened. Remmy took the initiative and held Kara's hand, perhaps knowing what the man would say next.
“We couldn't find anyone within the kingdom. There was not a single corpse, or even any traces of blood. There was no sign of life, or death. The ruin was all there is.”
❦ ❦ ❦
The moon hung high in the night sky, casting silver beams across the tranquil surface of the waterfall's pool. The gentle roar of cascading water filled the air, creating a soothing symphony that seemed to blend with the night’s calm. Kara and I sat on a moss-covered rock, the cool mist of the waterfall clinging to our skin.
I materialized a few dozen shrine lanterns and placed them near the waterfall. The light enhanced the scenery of the falling water even further. Kara’s eyes were distant, fixed on the waterfall, but her thoughts were elsewhere— far from the tranquility that surrounded her.
“It’s peaceful here, isn’t it?” I asked, though my voice barely rose above the rushing water.
Kara didn’t answer right away. Her fingers absentmindedly played with the silver key inside the gem hanging from her necklace. "Yeah," she finally said, though she sounded far away. "Peaceful... but temporary.”
After the meeting between the acting chief, Kara's eyes turned restless. She wasn't able to sleep, so I invited her to the waterfall to clear her mind. In the first place, aren't mice supposed to be nocturnals? So, It’s normal for her to stay at night or so I concluded.
“Miss Yuzu, why did you save me?” Kara’s voice broke the stillness of the night, catching me off guard as we sat by the waterfall. I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, the weight of that question pressing down on her.
I responded with a question of my own. “Why did you ask?”
Kara hesitated, her fingers fiddling with the key on her necklace. “Did Miss Yuzu save me because there was something I needed to do as the mouse princess? I don’t understand what I’m supposed to be doing…”
I pondered for a second, wanting to choose my words carefully.
“Do you remember the promise I made to you?” I asked softly. “I told you I would only leave you when you became independent, when you could live by yourself.”
Kara nodded, her eyes searching mine for more.
“During our first meeting, I thought,” I continued, “that I would just need to take you somewhere safe. That I’d help you find a home, and that would be it. I didn’t expect you to be the mouse princess, or someone with such a big role in all this.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “Honestly, I never saved you because of who you were. It was just... something I wanted to do.”
Kara’s eyes flickered, a mix of emotions crossing her face—relief, confusion, maybe even gratitude.
“Were you disappointed,” I asked gently, “that it was only by pure chance that I saved you? That it wasn’t some pre-planned destiny?”
Kara’s gaze softened, and she shook her head slowly. “No,” she said, her voice more certain than I expected. “In fact, I think it’s more meaningful that way. That my life wasn’t just some part of a grand plan. Miss Yuzu didn’t save me because Mizz Yuzu had to—Miss Yuzu chose to. That means more to me than fulfilling any destiny. Therefore, I’ll work even harder to be the queen!”
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
A guilt began to stir within my heart, a heavy sensation that I couldn't ignore. I have the power of half the universe within me—enough to reshape worlds, to save this one from every ounce of suffering. Yet, I chose not to. I didn’t want the weight of that responsibility, the burden of knowing I could do more but choosing not to.
But... it’s okay, right, Sekai-chan? I silently asked. The voice of Sekai-chan, though silent, seemed to echo in my mind, reminding me of the freedom that came with this power. She had told me to embrace it and enjoy the journey. I steered my heart away from the creeping guilt, reassuring myself that it was fine. It had to be.
It’s okay, I told myself again, clinging to the thought like a lifeline. After all, that was part of the gift Sekai-chan had given me—to have fun with it, to savor the experience. I don’t have to carry everything. It's okay to live for myself... isn't it?
A few moments of silence passed. I could hear rustling sounds from a distance. Kara responded with her quick reaction as she stood. Her guard was completely up while her gaze was eyeing the forest with alertness.
I also stood up alongside Kara. While we were running from the deafening thunder in the forest, I used my power to observe everything that caused it. Therefore, I already knew what was about to come.
A mature aura emerged from within the dark forest. The owner of the looming presence didn’t seem to be bothered by the hostile gaze by Kara as she continued to walk. The shrine lantern illuminated the figure walking closer onto the waterfall. With a bored yawn, she stopped herself as she took a closer look towards Kara and me.
“Lightning mouse!” Kara stomped the ground as countless lightning with the appearance of mice surfaced from the ground. Most of them were dashing towards the unknown figure. Yet, amidst the chaos, I could see a few lightning mice running on top of the river as they disappeared into the waterfall.
The figure wasn’t too impressed by Kara’s action as she waved her hands. In an instant, deafening thunder cried from the sky as a beautiful arc of lightning decimated the group of mice that was coming into her way. The figure stroked her hair in annoyance as she watched Kara. An inkling of fear showed onto Kara’s face as she tried her best to remain calm.
“That wasn’t very nice, was it?” The figure said. Her raspy voice matched her worn-out clothes. She had long messy dark purple hair. Her entire appearance was evident in how little she took care of herself.
“You were trying to sniff out where the hidden village is by chasing us out, weren’t you?” I asked. The figure smiled brightly. It was as if she already anticipated my question.
After Remmy told us to run, I used my power to identify the source of the thunderstorm that suddenly appeared. I found the figure was waiting outside our proximity as she was stalking every one of our moves. She let us go from the storm while walking behind us, and finally arrived here on the riverbank alongside the waterfall.
“I was wondering why I couldn’t enter the waterfall. It was because of you, wasn’t it?” The figure asked as she pointed towards my direction.
A silence emerged as I had no reason to answer her. Based on Remmy and her sister’ description, the figure in front of me was the demon girl that caused the mayhem of Kara’s kingdom, evident by the pair of horns and her ragged appearance. Kara noticed it immediately hence why she attacked first.
“Why are you doing this?!” Kara screamed.
The demon girl didn’t seem bothered by Kara’s existence. Her lifeless eyes were solely focused on me. She ruffled her unkempt purple hair with a lazy expression. My entire core was screaming towards me, telling me that she would be dangerous to this world. There was as if no light was coming out of her eyes while she stared towards me.
“Is it fun, pretending to be a Goddess? Do you enjoy playing with weak little creatures? Does that excite you, fulfilling your God complex?” The demon girl’s laughter echoed through the night, a harsh, mocking sound that crumbled against the calmness of the waterfall’s surroundings. The lack of light in her eyes didn’t stop her from glaring with bloodlust.
My eyes widened in shock after hearing the demon girl’s line of questioning. How could she know? I wondered, my mind racing to make sense of it all. According to Lily’s memories, there shouldn't have been anyone that knew I was pretending to be the Goddess of Death.
Kara looked at the demon girl with a mix of anger and confusion. There was a hint of fear in her eyes, but the anger she felt after learning the cause of destruction of her Kingdom overpowered her fear. She clenched her fist and readied herself to attack the demon girl, but I stopped her.
“Who are you? What do you want?” I asked.
The demon girl burst out with a crazed laughter as she licked her fingers. Her skin was pale and there was little hint of life on her face. Her figure resembled closely to a tall woman in her teenage years, but the dark spot in her eyes made her seem older. However, based on my previous experience meeting with other people in this world, I knew that I couldn’t judge someone’s age by their appearance.
“Don’t give me that crap. You know who I am and what I want. You and I are not that different, after all,” the demon girl answered, her voice laced with amusement. A wicked smile spread across her face as she stepped closer, the moonlight casting eerie shadows on her sharp features.
I gave a bitter smile at her words. Her answers didn’t give out much, but I could tell that she wasn’t lying. She seemed convinced that I knew what her answer was referring to. The center of my core kept repeatedly telling me that I should be wary of her. But at the same time, I couldn't shake the confidence I had in my own power. No matter what she tried, I knew she wouldn’t be able to hurt me. That much I was sure of.
The demon girl reached out her hand as light showered the sky. I prepared myself for the worst, but there were no incoming attacks from the demon girl. Instead, the night sky grew dull while thunder was ringing from the atmosphere.
“Sigh… I sacrificed so much just to get here,” the demon girl's disappointed expression was visible from her face. Even then, her dead fish eyes weren’t able to convey any emotion– No, after looking closely, it wasn’t just her eyes. Her skin, hair, and her entire being was devoid of life.
A few moments later, a gigantic roar completely decimated the sky as its deafening sound filled the atmosphere. Little by little, a giant shadow was slowly visible as a colossal creature appeared from within the sky. I only knew it from stories and novels, so staring at the real thing completely rushed my brain with dopamine.
“Mr. Dragon…” Kara muttered weakly, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes were wide, locked onto the massive form of the thunder dragon circling above us.
The demon girl gave me a satisfied smile, her eyes gleaming with amusement as if everything was unfolding exactly as she expected. Without a word, she clapped her hands, and a swirling, dark portal materialized beside her. The portal pulsed with an ominous energy, its edges crackling with dark lightning.
However, just before she could enter the portal, I summoned a barrage of transparent arrows with sedative property on them. Just like a tranquilizer gun, it would make anyone that touched them to sleep. Not wanting to let her escape, I thought I'd get a bit serious and flew these arrows near the speed of light.
“Black… holes?” I exclaimed in surprise. The moment I let go of the arrows flying towards the demon girl, a small black hole emerged in front of her. It completely devoured every single arrow I've thrown at her.
After the barrage of arrows stopped, the black hole ceased to be visible. The demon girl smiled as if she expected that. The thunder dragon above us was getting closer while the demon girl walked into the portal. Kara was getting panic-stricken at the sight of the thunder dragon coming from the sky.
“I’m not so stupid to start a fight that I know I can’t win. I’ve been living for over two billion years after all. So, I'll take my leave.” Her tone was laced with an unsettling calmness that sent chills down my spine. The demon girl waved her hand as she walked into the portal. “Goodbye for now, cosmic traveler.”