The fall of the Prince of the Night shook the world.

His Majesty William II of Kamarun declared that this day would forever be known as the 'National Day of Mourning.' He ordered a national mourning for seven consecutive days, with flags at half-mast and white flowers hung at every household, in memory of the greatest friend of humanity, the most intimate family member of the world, the Prince of the Night. His Majesty William II personally addressed the world in a hoarse and sorrowful voice, proclaiming the Prince of the Night as his brother, a son of Kamarun, a star shining in the human world. A colossal statue of him would be erected in the heart of the capital for all to admire. Any voice of dissent or opposition was considered hostile to Kamarun, and the people of Kamarun would retaliate against such enemies with war.

“If anyone protests or opposes my statue being placed in the city center, I will not be angry, for I am not yet great enough. But my brother, the savior of the people of Kamarun, the prince from the Magic Abyss, another son given to our human land by the gods, the Prince of the Night, if any force dares to oppose, we in Kamarun will regard it as the assassin of the Prince of the Night and declare war on it!” His Majesty William II was furious, like an angry lion.

Although as a monarch, his words were a bit extreme, they perfectly represented the feelings of the people of Kamarun.

At the same time, millions of angry citizens furiously stormed the Temple.

Whether they were Temple Knights or Temple Warriors, or even priests and Cardinals, all fled in panic. Some Kamarun clergy announced their departure from the church, leading the angry crowd in assaulting the Temple.

In the main chambers of the Temple, people found loads of gold coins, alcohol, and obscene books, and in the magic teleportation room, they found shattered swords, armors, and suspicious bloodstains. All these discoveries further fueled the madness of the people of Kamarun. For the first time, people toppled the statues of gods, for the first time, they set fire to the Temple of Light they had built themselves, and for the first time, they declared the permanent expulsion of the Temple's influence...

Without the assassination of the Prince of the Night, people would not have been so angry, nor would they have impulsively expelled the Temple’s personnel, nor discovered the ugliness and filth hidden under the guise of sanctity.

“Give us justice, give us fairness, give us faith…”

“Expel the Temple, expel the evil!”

Apart from weeping for the assassination of the Prince of the Night, the furious people roared throughout the night, demanding His Majesty William II to hold the Temple accountable. They piled up blood-stained armors, broken swords, obscene books, and magic paintings, all the illegal alcohol and hoarded gold coins, as evidence of the Temple personnel’s crimes, high on a platform. Then they captured all this with memory crystals and broadcast it to the world.

In Kamarun, everything related to the Temple, whether the Truth Report or the worship places where believers received communion and holy water, was smashed to pieces by the people.

Many who declared their departure from priesthood bravely stepped forward, revealing various ugly truths about the Temple, causing public outrage.

Of course, more people, especially women, gathered outside the estate of the Prince of the Night, mourning his assassination. In every corner of Kamarun, there were sounds of crying, every inch of land wet with people’s tears.

The capital of Kamarun, Blaye, tonight, was destined to be a city of tears.

People desperately prayed for the night not to pass, for the dark dawn not to arrive, not to let the falling starlight of the Prince of the Night be obliterated… But the brilliance of the sun did not diminish because of people's prayers. On the contrary, it shone even brighter than usual. The night disappeared under thousands of golden rays, deepening the grief in people's hearts.

The sun rose, the night disappeared, and the death of the Prince of the Night became an irreversible fact.

How the people of Kamarun wished that the four Starlight Maidens would bring the Prince of the Night back, descending slowly from the sky, returning to everyone’s side. But as the sun rose, everyone’s heart shattered.

The dearest and most beloved star in everyone's heart had truly fallen, fallen forever...

The whole world experienced a tremendous shock at the moment of the Prince of the Night’s assassination. People woke up in the middle of the night, startled by the spontaneous magic alarm bells of mourning from various countries, their hands and feet ice cold. The Prince of the Night was assassinated under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands of Kamarun's citizens, leaving the world in misfortune. The farewell recording of the Prince of the Night was played over and over again, causing countless people to cry out in heart-wrenching sorrow.

In front of the magic screens, people felt the world's abandonment of them, their hopes shattered, mourning the departure of the Prince of the Night and their own abandonment of faith.

In countless hearts, there was a sense of being shattered.

“I am an inconspicuous little star, a shadow in the darkness, I... am everyone’s friend.”

“People of Kamarun, I love humans so much, if the Goddess of the Night hears my prayer, let me become a human living among you in my next life! Even if not a prince, but an ordinary person, a boy who walks on the streets and smiles foolishly at everyone, that would be good…”

“Friends, although I am reluctant, I must say goodbye to everyone…”

“Before parting, I want to give everyone one last gift. I wish for the underworld to rescue the magical youngster Rody from the despairing hell and bring him back to your side… He will surely do better than me, I believe he won’t disappoint everyone… Friends, I will forever quietly listen to your hearts in the endless darkness, wishing you eternal happiness and joy…”

The final farewell of the Prince of the Night left thousands of people in tears.

A prince of the Magic Abyss, labeled by the Temple as the root of evil, showed no hatred for humanity's ruthlessness after his assassination. He did not seek revenge from the underworld for himself. Instead, he hoped to be reborn as a human and for the underworld to attack hell to rescue the magical youngster Rody and return him to the human continent.

The broad-mindedness and attitude of this prince from the Magic Abyss could move even the most hard-hearted and stubborn people to kneel and repent. Before losing him, people also had a bit of fear and worry in their hearts; after all, the Prince of the Night was not a human but a prince from the Magic Abyss, a terrifying place of legend filled with demonic creatures. The Temple was also capitalizing on this, desperately propagating the threat of the Magic Abyss. But what people didn't expect was that in the moment of the Prince of the Night’s death, he did not utter a single word about the underworld taking revenge on humanity. On the contrary, he was as kind and benevolent as a god.

Only upon losing the Prince of the Night did people realize their regret, understand the value of what they had, and recognize how selfish and wrong their slight worries had been.

With shame and grief, people wept aloud.

People were grieving for the departure of the Prince of the Night, and they also felt ashamed of their own doubts and selfishness... Compared to the Prince of the Abyss, they, who considered themselves kind and just, were so selfish, so insignificant. Only upon losing the Prince of the Night did people realize that a treasure bestowed by the gods to save them had been callously shattered due to their own lack of appreciation... Before this, humanity had already lost the magical youngster Rody, and now, they had let the Prince of the Night meet the same fate.

How could people not cry?

...

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“I always considered myself heartless, having been a magic reporter for decades, accustomed to life and death, unfazed by the corpses strewn across battlefields, by the sight of countless dying before my eyes. Yes, I am such a heartless man. I always thought my heart had turned into a piece of cold stone, but this morning, I discovered I am still human, still capable of tears, still normal. In the face of great sorrow enveloping the human sky, I cried... As I wept, I wrote this report, my tears wetting my manuscript... It tells me that a truly unfortunate event worthy of my tears has occurred! The Prince of the Night, whom I always feared would bring misfortune, has left... How I wish he could slap me hard, because that would make my heart feel a little better…” The white-haired war reporter Uso published his mourning report.

“I am a prince of humanity, and I think when I went to the Magic Abyss, it was impossible to build the Starlight Avenue or the Rody Academy for them. The actions of the Prince of the Night have left me utterly ashamed. Apart from paying my deep respects to him, I can’t think of anything else to do.” Prince Norn Shrelix also published a mourning article in the magic newspaper.

“A great sorrow envelops the human sky, as that star falls, our most loyal friend leaves us.” The Capital Galle Express.

“The departure of the Prince of the Night is the greatest loss to the world.” The Morning News of Goth City.

“At the time of solemn mourning, what are the clergy of the Temple doing? We actually saw their smiling faces, they seem to be celebrating some kind of victory!” The newspaper of the Dennis Free Alliance not only published the sad news of the death of the Prince of the Night but also featured the smiling face of the local bishop of the Temple, causing great anger among the people. In the afternoon, the Dennis Free Alliance erupted in protest marches.

“Before our tears dry, the blurred vision from tears made me notice a terrifying fact, some assassins were actually holding divine weapons! Which country in the world has assassins with the strength of nine Sword Emperors and Magic Kings? Which country possesses divine weapons? Millions of people, let us call out together, we need the truth!” The ‘Voice of the People’ magic newspaper of Bo'an City pointed directly at the Temple, following the incident of the old woman blessed by the Prince of the Night, Bo'an City's faith in the Temple plummeted.

“The departure of the Prince of the Night is regrettable.” The magic newspaper of the country of Redlands published a lukewarm sentence, causing strong dissatisfaction among the people.

“I just want to say, the Prince of the Night did not belong in the human kingdom, he should have returned to the Magic Abyss long ago, to be with the simple-minded demonic insects.” The magic newspaper of Great Frey even lacked a fair word, outright mocking.

“Although it might be a bit too much to say, I think humans should prepare for war, as the underworld will definitely not let this go. The Prince of the Night was undoubtedly great, but who can say that everyone in the underworld is as kind and benevolent as the Prince of the Night?” Some countries' magic newspapers expressed concern over the incident.

"The gods will punish us, for we have destroyed what they bestowed upon us, humanity will surely face retribution…" The King of Naples mourned sorrowfully.

"Yesterday, we lost the magical youngster Rody; today, we have lost the Prince of the Night; what son of the earth will we lose tomorrow? Is this really the will of the gods?" The military representative of the Holy Sanctum Alliance issued a strong statement, expressing their determination to assist the Kamarun Empire in pursuing the culprit to the end, without compromise or tolerance for any force.

"I will pray for him, the Prince of the Night, he was a friend of humanity, my friend." The pure Saintess issued a eulogy in her personal capacity.

She was the only one among all the people of the Temple to publicly make a statement. Before and after her, the upper echelons of the Temple were dead silent.

The Temple refused any interviews, the Pope was in quiet prayer, and the high-ranking Cardinals also remained closed within the Temple. Except for a few countries, most temples in countries that had a favorable view of the Prince of the Night canceled their worship and prayers, and some even closed their doors to take refuge, fearing that crowds demonstrating like the people of Kamarun would storm the Temple.

But the demonstrations and protests erupted more intensely.

People, apart from mourning the misfortune of the Prince of the Night, also needed to know the truth, to track down the real culprit, to vent their inner rage…

"Previously not, but since yesterday, the Prince of the Night has become our brother." Chris of Rody City also published a eulogy, acknowledging the Prince of the Night for the first time. Despite his previous extreme dissatisfaction with the Prince of the Night for using Rody's appearance, even expelling the Prince from the city, today, he led the entire city in silent mourning.

"The Prince of the Night, he was like my son. I liked him from the first sight, never hiding my affection. I asked him to call me mother, let him sit beside me, I shared bread and cake with him, just like I did with my own sons and daughters… Whatever he did was so endearing, sometimes I was really jealous of his mother, how could she have such a good son… His departure, although I knew it was coming, still left me washing my face with tears. My dear, your departure is the biggest reason for your stay, the more you wanted to stay, the more reluctant to leave, the more the evil forces hated you, the sooner you left us… My dear, how I wish you returned to the Magic Abyss, to live safely, but at the same time, I couldn’t bear to let you go, my heart is so conflicted… Now, my only hope is that when I look up at the stars, you can smile at me, just like you used to smile… My dear, I can’t bear to let you go…” Queen Mireille issued her mourning eulogy, a heart-rending and tear-inducing voice.

After Queen Mireille's eulogy, people learned another truth.

Months ago, the Prince of the Night had been attacked multiple times and was gravely injured. But the requests of the people made him abandon the idea of returning to the Magic Abyss. He couldn’t bear to leave everyone, although His Majesty William II and Queen Mireille repeatedly advised him to leave and return when it was safe.

But the calls of millions of people, the requests of countless citizens, ultimately led him to choose to stay.

This stay also meant he would leave everyone forever.

When the people of Kamarun heard this news, many cried until they fainted. They never thought that they were the biggest reason for the death of the Prince of the Night. Their reluctance to let him go, paradoxically, gave those malicious assassins the opportunity they needed to ultimately succeed... Kamarun was a nation in mourning, a nation of tears.

His Majesty William II, during the visits of heads of state to pay tribute and remember the Prince of the Night, publicly revealed the Prince's will to the world.

"I know that even eternal stars fall one day, perhaps that day is not far from me... Despite the repeated advice of His Majesty William and Her Majesty the Queen, I still chose to stay in Kamarun, among everyone. My time is running out, and even if I die, I wish to die by everyone's side. May the Goddess of the Night have mercy on me to let me live until the unveiling of the Rody Academy... Anyway, I have to arrange my affairs first. His Majesty William II, my brother, if I unfortunately meet with disaster, then he will take over all my finances. The money I have left is not much, only half a million, and the expenditures may be more than this, but I trust that His Majesty William II will do well, I trust my brother... All the demonic insects and demon flower seeds are to be handed over to Mr. Chris of Rody City, for him to handle. This is my small apology to him; I used Rody's image, and I hope these little things can be of greater use in his hands. I trust him because he is also my brother... As for the Magic Spring and various magic fruit, I wish to gift them to Queen Mireille, as a sign of my respect. The careful and kind-hearted Her Majesty will surely know better how to arrange and distribute them... Even though you want to hear it, I have never said 'I love you, mom' to you. Dear Queen, I am shy and do not feel worthy to be your son, so I only write it here secretly... As for the people of Kamarun, the people of the world, I have nothing left to give, only hope and happiness to leave with you, finally, I wish you eternal happiness, forever, forever..."

The last words of the Prince of the Night, his final voice and smile, left everyone heartbroken.

He left everything to humanity, he left hope to everyone, yet he died at the hands of human assassins, especially knowing such an outcome and still facing it with a smile. This unregretful and unresentful attitude caused people to feel as if their hearts were dripping blood, filled with tearing pain... Why? Why couldn't everyone prevent such a tragedy?

It was because of people's cowardice, their indulgence. If people had earlier forcefully expelled the Temple and fully protected the Prince of the Night, then he would not have been assassinated, would not have died.

No, it was the same with the magical youngster of the past, also because of people's weakness, such a tragedy occurred.

Thinking of this, people felt even more guilty, more self-reproachful, and wailed in great sorrow.

...

The great sculptor Cha·Rodan, with a hundred students, pulled out his secretly made sculpture work from his studio.

It was a colossal statue, fifteen meters high.

In the colossal base of the statue, two figures were carved, two identical figures. On the left, the magical youngster Rody, bound by divine chains and burned by divine fire; on the right, the Prince of the Night, dressed in opulent clothes with long hair like a river of stars. Both stood on the base, reaching out to each other, as if wanting to embrace tightly, but their bodies were forced back by an invisible force. Their closest fingertips were almost touching, yet still a paper's width apart, unable to meet.

Beneath the feet of the over ten-meter-tall statues, there was a small protrusion less than three centimeters high, with a hidden cross symbolizing the obstruction of the Temple. It was this minuscule thing that forced the two figures apart.

People saw Master Rodan’s “V” shaped twin star design and were utterly heartbroken, their cries of anguish rising.

Everyone remembered the previous protests of the Temple and various persecutions.

Without a doubt, if not for them, perhaps the magical youngster Rody and the Prince of the Night could have embraced tightly. These two outstanding 'twin stars,' together, would have definitely become the star of hope for humanity. But now, people could only watch helplessly as the twin stars were forced apart and cruelly assassinated. The sorrowful look in the eyes of both the divine-chain-bound Rody and the pale-faced, starry-haired Prince of the Night broke everyone's heart...

The “V” shape symbolizing victory was the twin stars’ most heartbreaking form. Whenever people saw the magical youngster and the Prince of the Night reaching out to each other under immense pressure, their hearts ached.

Many parts of the twin stars were stained with fresh blood, adding to the tragedy.

This was the blood spilled by Master Rodan during his intense work, to complete it before the unveiling of the Rody Academy, as a surprise for everyone, for the Prince of the Night, and as a blow to the Temple. Master Rodan had exhausted his life's energy. In just a few months of sculpting, he aged fifty years, becoming gaunt and white-haired, his once steady hands now trembling uncontrollably. Although the Prince of the Night's ankle and a part of Rody’s chain were not yet completed, the death of the Prince had deeply affected Master Rodan, leaving him unable to continue.

People did not care whether the statue was completed or not. They only knew that Master Rodan’s soul was in it, everyone’s soul was in it, the souls of the magical youngster Rody and the Prince of the Night were in it.

Through their sorrowful yet resolute eyes, people continuously understood the hearts of the magical youngster and the Prince of the Night.

“In my lifetime, the work I am most satisfied with is this one. They are not stone, but our souls, our hope. I will not sculpt any other statues in my life, because my soul, my blood, has already been fully imbued in it... If it were up to my heart's prayer, my hope, I would rather shatter it, to let the real magical youngster Rody and the Prince of the Night stand upon it, waving at us. But all I can do is sadly present this memory with their cold forms... They were the gifts of the gods, the gifts of the gods, the treasures of the earth, they once existed..."

Master Rodan sat beneath the statue, crying loudly.

Beside him, hundreds of artists, magicians, and sages, along with millions of people, mourned in unison.

“When you see the stars in the sky, will you think, think of me…”

“Will you remember my face from those days, that smiled for you, more than the stars…” The little doll singer sang a poem that the Prince of the Night had contemplated before his death, turning it into a lament in the tunes of the Magic Abyss. In front of millions of people of Kamarun, she played a huge magic harp, using her voice to remember the Prince of the Night, with a voice like the sound of heaven, a sorrowful melody, and the inner touch of the Prince of the Night, all transformed into unstoppable tears of the people at that moment.

“When you remember the past, what will you do? Will you sigh gently in sadness, remembering me, who shone in your heart…” The voice of the little doll singer made people reach out their hands to the dazzling starry sky, crying out in tears.

“I was like those Milky Way stars, silently loved by you, and let that gentle light ease your pain…” The poor fainted on the ground.

“When you see the bright stars, please think, think of me. When you have seen the brilliant galaxy, please, in your heart, remember me!” The little doll singer sang the heart of the Prince of the Night, and at that moment, whether

it was His Majesty William II, Finance Minister Mack, Marshal Gorton, the heads of state and envoys of various countries, all shed manly tears. At that time, Kamarun was a city of crying, a night of crying…