On the day the gathering began, Mira couldn't sleep early in the morning.
Her body lay in bed, but her mind was already filled with thoughts of what the gathering would be like.
Lance had told her that this was not just an ordinary black-market transaction, but a large-scale gathering organized by the six major races.
Everyone attending the gathering remained anonymous, and no one knew what race the person you were trading with was.
Mira was quite surprised by this; Lance had mentioned a joint gathering of the six races, which meant that even humans were aware of this event.
"Many things won't be done out in the open," Lance said to Mira, "but I'm not sure if it's the Hero Association or the Magic Hub this time."
Hearing these familiar terms, Mira's expression darkened.
"Don't worry." Lance, understanding her concern, comforted her. "As long as you stand by my side, no one will recognize your identity."
Mira trusted Lance. His magic was extremely powerful, and the illusion spell he cast wouldn't be easily seen through.
This time, the gathering was held near the Demon Scar's Silent Moon Valley.
This was the dwarven territory, with some wandering elves active in the nearby forests.
Mira asked Lance if she could see the legendary elves at the gathering, but the blue dragon wasn't sure.
After the Goblins had been struck, the Elven race had reduced their contact with other races and returned to the forests they knew best.
Among the six races, the only one they still interacted closely with was the plant-spirits race, which included various intelligent plant beings.
Mira was eager to meet the elves.
After confirming that Lance was not a Dragon, Mira had received a new book from the stars— Dragons and Elves.
The book described elves as very beautiful beings. She imagined many different appearances in her mind, and she was genuinely curious about what the elves would look like.
"Maybe some wandering elves will participate."
Thinking of this, Mira couldn't lie still. She quickly got up to prepare and set off with Lance for the Silent Moon Valley.
Lance had also gotten up early to prepare. He put away the scroll he had written and took out several rare gems from his collection.
The Goblins were a greedy race, and Lance wanted to gather information from them. In addition to using the pressure of the dragons, some treasures would also be needed to tempt them.
Before leaving, Lance cast an illusion spell on Mira. In the eyes of others, she transformed from a human girl with black hair and eyes into a blurry black mist.
He cast the same spell on himself, but instead of black, his was a pale blue.
They used a teleportation circle to arrive near the Silent Moon Valley and then walked into the valley.
The Silent Moon Valley was near the Demon Scar and crossed through lush forests on both sides. Mira noticed that once they entered the area, Lance suddenly became much more serious.
There were figures hidden under illusion spells nearby, and each individual seemed to be on high alert.
There were also some who didn't use disguises. Some were looking around curiously, while others had serious expressions, holding long swords.
Mira also noticed some warriors with longbows and quivers.
Although some figures had disguised themselves, their non-human traits were easy to identify based on their body size.
Among the beings who revealed their true forms, Mira immediately spotted a tall and alluring woman.
Her gaze lingered on the woman's face and was instantly drawn to her beauty.
The woman was truly beautiful.
Mira stared at her, admiring her features and figure, until she noticed a tail swaying behind her.
"She's a succubus." Lance's hand rested on Mira's shoulder, pulling her out of her enchanted state.
Mira looked up at Lance. In her field of vision, he still appeared normal.
"Don't look into her eyes," Lance reminded Mira. He narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze away from the succubus.
The dragon's pressure was quite useful in some situations, and the succubus, sensing the warning, withdrew her smile and swished her triangular tail as she moved off in another direction.
The gathering hadn't officially started yet, but many mysterious beings had already gathered in the Silent Moon Valley.
Dwarves had set up crude booths, and those who needed to sell goods could contact the dwarven staff and, after paying a fee, use the booths.
When Mira and Lance arrived, some items were already on display.
Dragons were experts in identifying treasures, and Lance could tell at a glance that these items were mere displays.
Based on previous experience, gatherings usually lasted three to five days, and it was still too early for any rare treasures to appear.
Lance wasn't here to search for treasures.
Information was also highly valuable at these gatherings.
Protected by the black mist illusion, Mira curiously observed the surroundings of Silent Moon Valley.
Her gaze lingered on figures like hers, wondering what kind of beings were hidden beneath their disguises.
As they ventured deeper into the valley, the number of people around them grew, and although the trading area appeared empty, the building ahead was crowded.
Lance explained that this was a temporary residence built by the dwarves for the gathering.
Silent Moon Valley was a dwarven mining area, and on the other side of the valley were their maze-like underground palaces. This side was usually deserted and only used in special circumstances.
The area was surrounded by desolate mountains and primeval forests, offering no accommodation. The dwarves' temporary residence would earn them a lot of gold.
Lance immediately knew that this idea had come from the Goblins. The humble dwarves wouldn't have thought of such a plan, and they would certainly invite those attending the gathering into their underground palaces.
It was large enough to accommodate everyone.
Lance also headed toward the crowded area.
Mira followed him and quietly said, "Aren't we not staying here?" Thanks to the teleportation magic, no matter how far the distance, to Mira and Lance, it was just the time it took to cast a spell.
There was danger in the gathering. Before coming here, Lance and Mira had discussed that they would return to the tower each night and, each day, Lance would change their disguises at the gathering.
Lance shook his head gently.
He thought the Goblins wouldn't expose their tracks so quickly. But these greedy creatures couldn't resist the temptation of gold. The gathering was held in rotation. The Goblins had never been qualified before, but now that they were living with the dwarves, they could certainly make a fortune from the gathering.
Lance wanted to see if the owner of the temporary inn was a Goblin.
Mira didn't know his true purpose here. Although she felt puzzled, she hadn't forgotten Lance's instructions.
She had to stay close to him at all times. Only then could Lance's power envelop her, ensuring that even if people from the Magic Hub were present, no one would recognize her.
Lance stopped at a distance from the inn.
This distance was enough for him to clearly see the faces of the figures passing by.
He didn't see the owner, but he overheard a few guests chatting.
They were waiting outside the shop, exchanging the information they had gathered in the meantime.
One of them spoke to the person behind them.
“Today’s accommodation isn’t paid in gold, but with usable medium crystals.”
“Why’s that?”
“The Magic Hub can no longer produce artificial media.”
“That’s some valuable news; it must be worth quite a bit of money, huh?”
“It’s not worth much. They’ve already come to seek new alternatives. This issue has already spread among the mage circles. A few months ago, the price of medium crystals suddenly started to drop. To stabilize the mages' emotions, the price of artificial media remained steady, which was already a suspicious drop.”
“Many mages started stockpiling them at a low price, but before half a month had passed, the artificial crystals they bought turned into nothing but worthless rocks.”
“Then the Magic Hub announced they would suspend selling artificial crystals to non-Magic Hub mages.”
This news didn’t surprise anyone.
The reason the medium crystals were no longer usable was that the mines in Ghillian no longer produced the Magic-Nullifying Stones.
The Magic Hub, a powerful mage organization with a history of hundreds of years, had other substitutes for the Magic-Nullifying Stones, but their quantities were nowhere near comparable to those from Ghillian. They had no choice but to abandon their golden goose.
Lance had already suspected this. Human mages had become so accustomed to relying on mediums rather than understanding nature. Without the Magic-Nullifying Stones, they would look for other materials to make medium crystals.
“There are a lot of humans at this gathering,” another voice reached Lance’s ears.
“It’s all for the mediums,” someone else responded indifferently. “Every time there’s an opportunity like this, there are always a lot of humans—mages, adventurers, and information brokers.”
“Will anyone really be selling mediums?”
“Yes. But probably not many. Powerful mediums are rare, and mages generally don’t sell what they’ve obtained.”
Aside from mages, others weren’t particularly interested in mediums.
Many also knew that humans weren’t here only for temporary mediums.
“There’s word that there are still some leftover goblins in Moonlit Valley.”
The two speakers fell silent, seemingly aware of the situation. Before humans could mass-produce artificial media, goblins were the best at crafting mediums. However, they were both sly and greedy, and most mages had to pay huge prices to continue using magic under the goblins’ control.
However, with the goblins, they lost money. The Magic Hub offered two choices: either pay in gold or swear allegiance to them.
“Magic mediums are too important for humans,” someone sighed. “Without mediums, they can’t even use magic.”
In fact, it wasn’t just humans. Among the six major races, only the fae and elves, and some half-beasts, could cast innate spells. For the rest, magic wasn’t an easy thing to wield.
Dwarves disliked magic; they had no mages in their ranks. Other races also had their own racial talents and didn’t rely entirely on magic.
“The Hero Association and the Magic Hub are here; this time, humans are stealing the show from the dwarves again.”
“Since when have humans not liked to steal the spotlight?”
“When Black Dragon Nathaniel was around, it wasn’t their turn.”
“True. We haven’t seen Black Dragon yet.”
“Who knows if he’ll come again. The succubus clan still has his former lover, who was taken away in great style but now is back at the original place. I heard someone brought them out of the tower.”
“Internal dragon conflict, maybe? I wonder if the information brokers have news about the tower. The tower has been pretty quiet in recent years.”
“Any news related to the tower is always the most valuable.”
“I know something, but it’s probably not worth much.”
“Tell me.”
“I heard the human king eventually sent his daughter to Black Dragon’s tower.”
“Even though so many lords opposed continuing service to Black Dragon, he still sent her?”
“Yes. I heard the lords under his command recommended the Sword Saint, but in the end, he refused.”
“Sword Saint? Losa?”
“Your news is outdated. Pay me a few copper coins as information fees.”
“Losa was killed. A young swordsman, not from the Hero Association, killed him with a regular iron sword during a Justice Challenge.”
“The current Sword Saint is Sam. That lord was the one who recommended him to the king.”
“What does that matter? The king refused. He sent his daughter away.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Someone will deal with him.”
“He won’t be king for long.”
“Who cares about an old human? What about Black Dragon Nathaniel? Is he really dead?”
“Dragons die with natural phenomena. He’s definitely not dead; he’s probably hiding somewhere to heal.”
“Who injured the dragon? Did the succubus say? Could it have been the current Sword Saint?”
“No one knows. No one knows where Nathaniel is. But it definitely wasn’t the Sword Saint. The current Sword Saint is a young man in his twenties. When the Black Dragon was injured, he was probably still playing in the mud.”
The casual conversation among the guests revealed much about events happening in other parts of the continent. Lance, with his keen hearing as a blue dragon, effortlessly obtained this information, which would normally require paying for it.
Lance, however, already knew Nathaniel’s whereabouts.
With his injuries, Nathaniel had flown across the Devil’s Scar to enter the Demon World.
For an ordinary person to drag their injured body to the Devil’s Scar was to seek death, but Nathaniel was different. The Black Dragon drew power from brutality and slaughter, and with his innate strength, even demons couldn’t directly confront him.
“After Nathaniel disappeared, news about dragons has been getting less and less. Why don’t we sell dragon news to the Magic Hub at a high price? Dragon scales are eternal and indestructible mediums. Isn’t that better than those fragile crystals?”
“That would require scales from a Blue Dragon. Too bad, after the Blue Dragon Queen died, there are no more Blue Dragons in this world.”
Their conversation gradually shifted, eventually landing on the Blue Dragon Queen.
Lance lowered his eyes, a trace of sadness crossing his face.
Mira, unable to hear the guests’ conversation, noticed Lance’s expression change and saw his sudden sadness.
“Lance,” she whispered, calling his name softly.
Lance glanced at her and smiled.
But Mira could tell the smile was forced. She wanted to ask Lance what he had heard, but seeing his expression, she decided not to.
Lance shared the news with Mira. “Both the Magic Hub and the Hero Association are attending this gathering.”
Mira froze for a moment before quickly realizing the reason: it was because of the mine situation.
“They need new mediums,” Mira murmured.
This made her think of her.
She still minded that word, feeling a deep chill in her soul whenever she thought about it.
Feeling the change in her, Lance reached out and took Mira’s hand.
“I’m here,” he said softly, his voice even gentler than when he had hummed that song.
Mira, however, felt strength in his words.
She looked up at him.
“I’m not afraid.”
Lance rented a stall for Mira, where she sold the scroll magic she had written during her practice.
With the scarcity of mediums, these instantly usable spells were very popular.
This was the only area within the entire Moonlight Valley that was protected by professionals. The dwarves were responsible for overseeing this event, ensuring the fairness and safety of the transactions, but that was only within this small designated area. Outside the trading zone, there was no dwarven guard management, and incidents like robbery or broken promises frequently occurred.
Fortunately, today was the first day of the gathering, and most people were still in the observation phase, so no serious conflicts had broken out yet.
Mira’s stall was filled with lower-tier scrolls that she had created during her practice.
Lance mentioned that he had some matters to attend to and would be leaving briefly.
He left a protection magic array behind, ensuring that no one could harm her as long as she stayed within the stall’s range.
To prevent any accidents, he also taught her the knock spell.
Mira sat behind her stall. A long table, a gray cloth, and scrolls on top were all the merchandise she had.
To avoid speaking too much, Mira scrawled a few letters with her left hand and placed them in front of her stall.
“Magic scrolls, five gold per sheet, no bargaining.”
Initially, there weren’t many people at her stall, but when the word "magic scrolls" appeared, people quickly approached with questions.
For the non-critical inquiries, Mira simply responded with “mm” and “ah.” Only when she couldn’t handle the questions would she lower her voice and answer in a few simple words.
These scrolls were the result of Mira’s practice. They were all low-level simple spells, with the advantage of being instantly cast but the disadvantage of being unstable.
She had timed it well. Because of the medium shortage, too many spellcasters were struggling with how to cast spells.
Mira’s stall quickly became surrounded by spellcasters.
Magic scrolls weren’t a rare commodity—many wizards could create them. However, compared to carrying around mediums, scrolls were inconvenient, and few people had used their mediums to create magic scrolls before.
But with the sudden invalidation of mediums, these scrolls became incredibly valuable.
The price of five gold wasn’t much to most spellcasters.
Some people bought one first and, after personally verifying the effectiveness of the scroll, proceeded to buy in bulk.
These spells were generally low-level, consisting of simple attack or speed-enhancing magic.
Defensive spells were the rarest, so many spellcasters began to bid higher for them.
Mira’s second-tier scrolls weren’t many. She was a highly talented spellcaster, and after passing her early learning stage, the quality of her scrolls had significantly improved thanks to the dragon scales.
Mira knew she couldn’t reveal all her good scrolls at once, especially since Lance wasn’t nearby.
After the last scroll was sold, Mira flipped a sign to display "Sold Out."
She didn’t leave, staying at her spot.
Some people eyed her, but Mira remained quiet and still, not responding or speaking.
The magic scrolls were more popular than she had expected, and Mira’s ring now held not only the gold bricks from the king but also many more gold coins.
She still had more scrolls but didn’t dare take them out for sale just yet.
They would be staying here for a few more days, so she could sell them then.
Today's scrolls were all for magic of level four and below.
With her disguise, Mira scanned the crowd.
People in the trading area had disguised themselves, some even wearing hoods that covered their faces and heads.
The surrounding shops were also crowded, with dwarven warriors wielding heavy hammers occasionally patrolling the area to ensure fairness in the transactions.
Mira felt a bit bored. She missed the fantasy books in the tower.
She hadn’t seen any elves in the crowd yet and wondered if this opportunity would allow her to spot them.
The mine tunnels, the shaking lift platforms, everything here felt familiar.
Lance controlled his miniature form as he flew through the mine.
Compared to the low, cramped mines under Ghillian Town, the dwarven kingdom was the most perfect mining ground in the world.
Through the Dragon’s Eye, he gazed downward, searching for the green-skinned creatures lurking among the dwarven crowd.
Perhaps the goblins had really learned their lesson from humanity’s strikes. Even though they now coexisted with the dwarves, it was still hard to spot them in the mine tunnels.
But Lance was certain they were here. He could smell the greedy scent of goblins in the air.
The miniature blue dragon dove down, deeper into the dwarven kingdom underground.
He needed to find out what the goblins had lost.
Mira spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
She had originally been looking for elves.
But her eyes caught a familiar sword—a long dragon-slaying sword, belonging to Fran Ellin.
Could it be Ellin?
Mira knew that he had secretly taken the sword and left the group heading to the Sword Tomb. Had he also come to the gathering?
Mira was surprised. But there was no mistaking the aura of that sword. She wanted to leave her position to follow him, but Lance’s warning echoed in her mind.
Mira looked down at the magical array beneath her feet and then glanced at the gradually fading figure of Fran’s sword.
She closed her eyes and imagined Lance’s appearance in her mind, then mimicked the spell he had used before, gently knocking on a door in her mind.
Quietly, Mira followed the shadow. The figure, carrying a sword, was cloaked, with a black hood hiding his eyes. Mira couldn’t make out his features.
But the sword was unmistakable.
She carefully maintained a safe distance, always staying within a secure range.
The people here were no ordinary folks. Mira remembered Lance’s warnings.
But as time passed, the gathering had become busier. People who had been observing began entering the trading zone, and the valley was growing crowded.
Mira dared not move too quickly. Her anxiety would make her stand out in the crowd.
Before long, she had lost track of the figure.
Mira felt frustrated.
She stopped, sighed, and was about to return to the trading area.
A bulletin board surrounded by people caught her attention. Or rather, it was a board where bounties were posted.
What attracted Mira was one of the bounties, as she recognized the person’s face.
Her eyes widened.
It was Maria’s father, the King of the Eastern Human Kingdom.
Someone had offered one million gold for his head.
"Who are you?"
A sword was placed across Mira’s shoulder, its sharp edge pressed against her skin.
Mira hadn’t even noticed when the person had approached her.
"Why are you following me?"
Mira dared not move.
People around them had also witnessed the scene. But this area was far from the trading zone, and no one would intervene in conflicts outside the trading area.
The voice wasn’t Ellin’s.
Mira recognized the reckless young man’s voice, but this person had deliberately disguised his voice, and it wasn’t Ellin.
She lowered her eyes, her gaze moving over the sword.
It was an ordinary sword, yet it had slain a dragon.
Mira took a deep breath. “I recognize this sword.”
“A reckless brat lost to me…” The man hadn’t finished his sentence before he yanked Mira, leaping backward a short distance.
A soft blue mist surrounded the man holding the sword, appearing before him.
Magic stirred the dust, leaving a terrifying mark on the ground.
It was Lance.
Mira’s eyes brightened, and the spell she had been holding back in her mouth completed at that moment.
A blue teleportation portal appeared beneath her feet. Mira stumbled downward, and in the blink of an eye, she fell out of the half-sized portal.
The blue dragon extended his hand to steady her, almost causing her to fall.
He hadn’t shifted his gaze away from the hidden man.
The blue dragon rarely felt pressure from humans.
The Dragon Slayer’s sword had fallen into the hands of the one capable of slaying dragons.
The magic connecting their minds transferred all of Mira’s emotions to him, though he couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed that she hadn’t stayed within her protective array.
But it was understandable. Mira wouldn’t sit still in one place.
If he hadn’t arrived in time, her teleportation spell would likely have taken her back to the tower, and she would have ended up beside him.
Wind blades formed without any buffering needed.
The hero didn’t use magic, and couldn’t disguise his appearance. Let’s see what he looks like.
The wind blades condensed in the air, rushing toward the man in the black robe holding the sword.
The sword in his hand was excited.
He had plenty of experience fighting spellcasters, and now that he had a sharp sword, he wanted to test it on the spellcaster in front of him.
The man in the black robe gripped the sword handle.
He could feel the sword’s excitement in his hand. Like him, it was eager to face the opponent before it.
The ordinary iron sword seemed to transform into a divine weapon in the black-robed man’s hands.
He twisted his wrist, swinging several times, and cut through Lance’s magic.
Lance smiled.
Heroes’ attacks were always straightforward.
The wind blades were cut off, losing their attacking power, but they were still wind, flowing with the air as they swirled around the sword, forming a hurricane that pressed toward the hero, pulling back his hood.
A brilliant red appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The man realized what was happening and hurriedly reached up to try to cover his face, but it was too late.
The black-robed man smiled slightly, lowering his hand that had been blocking his face to reveal a young, stunningly beautiful face.
Lance’s wind blades weren’t meant to kill him; they were meant to unveil his disguise.
Such a powerful human swordsman could never remain unnoticed. This was a gathering, and exposing his identity was the most dangerous thing.
Just as Lance had predicted, when the swordsman’s true appearance was revealed, someone immediately recognized him.
“It’s Sam! The new Sword Saint.”
Rumors had it that the new human Sword Saint had fiery red hair, and with a simple longsword, he had killed the previous Sword Saint in three moves.
The sword in his hand was heating up. In the right hands, the Dragon Slayer sword displayed its sharpest edge.
Sam calmly gazed at the spellcaster. His figure was shrouded in blue mist, obscuring his features.
He hadn’t wanted to hide his face, but Maria had said it was safer this way. After all, he had just challenged the former Sword Saint, and many outside were curious about the new Sword Saint.
He didn’t like hiding.
A petite figure squeezed through the crowd, and her gaze landed on the three figures confronting each other in the center.
Just a few minutes away, and Sam had indeed caused trouble.
Maria walked toward the center. She carried a sword, and compared to Sam’s, her sword was wider and longer. It was already approaching the size of a greatsword, which looked odd on a short girl.
“Sam.” Now that his identity had been exposed, his previous alias was no longer useful. Maria walked toward the center. “You’ve caused trouble again.”
The red-haired hero scoffed.
That voice.
Mira recognized the small figure.
It was Maria, the true princess of the kingdom.
Mira couldn’t believe it. How could Maria be here, and why did she seem so familiar with the Sword Saint?
She took a step forward, but Lance stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.
Since the door hadn’t closed, he had heard the name that appeared in Mira’s mind and sensed her shock.
But now was not the time. There were too many people around.
Their identities couldn’t be revealed.
Maria glanced at the man confronting Sam. Ever since gaining the Hero Soul, she could see much more.
The person in the black mist…
Maria’s eyes flashed with surprise. But she wasn’t the impulsive princess she used to be. The situation was too special right now, and she couldn’t acknowledge Mira.
There were other things to do now.
Maria suppressed her surprise, and in Mira’s disbelieving gaze, Maria walked toward the bounty board. Under everyone’s watch, she took down the bounty with her father’s face on it, then returned to Sam’s side.
“Let’s go,” she said to Sam.
The red-haired Sword Saint nodded to his companion, and under the gaze of everyone, they left.
Now everyone knew. The Sword Saint was going to kill the king.
With the help of magic, Lance and Mira quickly caught up with the departing Sword Saint and the Princess.
Maria seemed to have known that Mira would come looking for her, as she was waiting in a secluded spot.
Sam was sitting on a rock, tossing stones into the shallow stream beneath him.
"I told you not to use someone else's sword. You got recognized, didn't you?" Maria looked at him. "And you let someone use magic to pull off your hood. The world’s greatest swordsman, how embarrassing."
"Spellcasters are all tricky guys," Sam muttered.
"I told you not to have stereotypes," Maria retorted.
She recalled the days she spent with Mira in the royal palace. In the real world, that was over six months ago, but to Maria, it felt like it had been ten years. She had always wanted to save Mira. Meeting her here was a truly unexpected event.
The Black Dragon, Nathaniel.
Only after becoming a hero did she realize what kind of "husband" Mira was going to face in her place. That guy’s dragon flame had burned several cities, and her father...
Maria stopped her thoughts.
Fortunately, Mira seemed to be doing well, and she had people around her to protect her.
A blue portal appeared. Sam, who had been lazily tossing stones, immediately grabbed his sword.
Two figures emerged from the portal. Upon recognizing who they were, Sam sheathed his sword.
He had always known that Maria wanted to become a hero to go to the Dragon King's Tower and save her friend, who had replaced her to marry the Dragon King half a year ago.
They had entered a mysterious world before. In that place, time moved differently from the outside world. Otherwise, the delicate princess would never have been able to become a strong hero in just half a year.
Maria had become a formidable swordswoman, but the girl she had wanted to save seemed to have already been saved by someone else.
Lance dispelled the magic disguising Mira and himself.
As soon as they emerged from the portal, Mira saw Maria standing straight under a tree.
"Maria!" she smiled, her voice filled with excitement.
Though she was curious about what had happened—why Maria was carrying a sword, why she was here, and how she knew the Sword Saint—Mira couldn’t be bothered to think about these strange questions.
She ran toward Maria, who also ran toward her.
They hugged each other tightly.
On the day Mira was "married" to the tower, Maria had run across the field full of bones, tripping over exposed skeletons. But she told Mira that she would come back to rescue her.
Yes, she did it.
Mira pulled away from Maria and looked at her in surprise.
Maria had cut her long hair, exposing a smooth, full forehead. She had tanned quite a bit, and her skin had turned a healthy, sun-kissed brown. She was carrying a heavy sword, and her body had obvious muscle tone.
She had become a hero.
During the time they had been apart, Maria had truly been working hard to save her.
Mira was so surprised that she temporarily lost her ability to speak, simply staring at her in awe.
She was amazing. Mira’s eyes sparkled.
"You really became a hero," Mira whispered, her voice soft. "In just half a year."
"More like a bit longer than half a year," Maria said. Although they looked the same age, it wasn’t the same as when they were in the kingdom. Back then, Mira seemed like the older sister. After spending ten years in a special world, Maria had clearly matured mentally. She was ten years older than Mira.
Mira realized that Maria had encountered her own fortuitous event.
Maria winked at Mira, who understood immediately and winked back.
When Mira had stayed in the royal palace, they had a secret signal: when Mira blinked three times, the second and third blinks spaced a little longer apart. This was their secret code.
Whenever Mira blinked at Maria, she would use magic to sneak Mira out of the boring classes, leaving behind two illusory shadows for the female lecturers.
They would play in Maria's garden.
That was the garden the king had built for Maria. It was full of all sorts of flowers, but Maria and Mira’s favorite spot was a large, unnamed tree in the corner.
That tree had not been part of the king’s original garden plan. When it began to sprout branches, the king had wanted to remove it, but an old gardener had told the king that the tree was likely as old as Princess Maria herself.
So, the king left it there.
No one could be sure if the tree was truly as old as Maria, but it was certainly the most fun spot in the entire garden.
Mira had used magic to transport the two of them to the tree’s branches.
They couldn’t climb up, so this was the only way.
Especially at sunset, Mira and Maria would sit side by side on the trunk, watching the sun slowly disappear, the sky shifting from orange to purple and finally to a deep blue.
Then, reluctantly, they would return to the palace at the call of the palace attendants.
Some said that the sunrise was even more beautiful.
But because Maria was always lazy in the mornings, they never got to see the sunrise before Mira left for the tower.
Mira and Maria both silently understood each other’s thoughts.
Perhaps they had an entire evening to talk, then watch the sunrise they had never seen.
"I should introduce you," Maria knew that Mira was curious about how she became a hero, and she was also eager to find out what had happened after Mira reached the tower.
She took a few steps back and grabbed Sam, who had been tossing stones by the river.
"This is my boyfriend," Maria smiled. She still looked like the innocent princess when she smiled. "His name is Sam, the second-best swordsman in the world."
Sam frowned in displeasure. There were still people around, and Maria had so unceremoniously exposed him.
Mira's gaze fell on Sam. He had just had a sword pressed against her neck. But since he was close to Maria, Mira decided to let it go for Maria's sake.
Lance didn’t need her to pull him; he took a step closer.
The blue dragon’s gaze was fixed on Mira.
He hadn’t closed the door yet.
Mira, following Maria’s example, turned to look at Lance.
"This is Lance. He's a powerful spellcaster."
Maria had said three sentences in total. Mira said two.
She introduced Lance, but hadn’t clarified her relationship with him.
Mira’s mind was usually quick, but at this critical moment, her mind went blank.
There were several words floating in her mind, but they didn’t seem to fit.
She turned to look at Lance, who seemed to be waiting for an answer.
After a moment’s thought, she finally managed to spit out a sentence about their relationship.
"I’m living with him now."