Chapter 379 – Disaster Descends

The morning in the City of Enchanting Maple Flowers was tranquil and chilly. Though a devastating war had stripped the nation of everything, the lives of the survivors had unexpectedly improved. Both plague and famine had been resolved a week earlier, along with the deaths of five million starving people in the war. Even Joni Zordas, who had long oppressed everyone, had met his downfall.

Though some inevitably felt disheartened or wept bitterly over the loss of their kingdom, after the royal palace concluded its final meeting and announced the decision to “merge the Maple Leaf Kingdom into the Mobywise Kingdom,” most people looked forward to their new lives. Especially since, according to rumors, the Mobywise Kingdom was a nation with a wise monarch and enlightened political and financial systems. This reputation, which might have seemed insignificant under normal circumstances, now alleviated the worries of many citizens of the Maple Leaf Kingdom.

“Though merging into the Mobywise Kingdom feels like a betrayal of our ancestors… since Her Majesty the Queen is willing to marry their prince, the two nations must be on friendly terms. We ‘survivors’ should receive fair treatment.”

When news spread that Liwaqi was to marry the prince of the other kingdom, this was the prevailing sentiment among the common people and minor nobles. In a way, this demonstrated the value of political marriages—while those in high positions understood all the intricacies, those at the bottom found solace in them.

Influenced by this atmosphere of “renewal,” everyone from the nobles still haggling over profit distribution to the workers heading to the foot of the Sleeping Dragon Volcano with pickaxes at dawn was in relatively good spirits. For instance, Wood, one of the miners, hummed a cheerful tune on his way.

“Hey, Wood, have you heard the latest? The Mobywise Kingdom is willing to reduce the tax on Crimson Bar Stone ore by thirty percent!”

A close workmate jogged over, excitedly sharing the news.

“Really? That’s wonderful.”

Hearing this, Wood paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile.

“I knew the Mobywise Kingdom was a good nation. Thanks to our Queen, even though the Maple Leaf Kingdom is history, our livelihoods are secure.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

The dark-faced workmate grinned in agreement.

“But even with the tax cut, we still need to mine more to earn silver coins. If I can extract three cartloads of Crimson Bar Stone before the next cold winter… I’ll have the means to propose to Miss Deni!”

“You’ll have to work hard then. Crimson Bar Stone is the most valuable ore but also the hardest to mine—it’s usually found in the toughest shale. If you want to win Deni’s father’s approval, you’d better be prepared to give it your all!”

Seeing his friend’s blissful expression, the perpetually single Wood couldn’t resist dousing his enthusiasm with a dose of reality.

Jolted out of his daydream, the workmate hefted his hammer, glanced at his less-than-sturdy arms, and finally looked up at the sky with a resigned sigh.”Sigh, to catch that sharp-eyed stubborn old man’s fancy, I might have to dig out a full four cartloads of raw ore… Really, if only Crimson Bar Stone ore would fall from the sky…”

“Stop joking, how could ore fall from the sky? You should think more practically. It’s rare to have such a clear day today, we need to start work quickly…”

Wood could only smile wryly at his coworker’s wild fantasy. As the mining facility at the volcano’s foot came into view, Wood was already getting into “work mode.”

But just as he finished speaking, a wave of scorching heat suddenly swept over them.

“BOOM!”

Before Wood could react, a tremendous roar exploded beside the worker’s ear, the shockwave whipping up a gust of wind that showered Wood with dust and mud.

And… mixed in that shower of mud was an unmistakable bloody scent and sticky red substance that Wood couldn’t ignore.

When the completely stunned Wood slowly turned his head, he saw with utter shock that right where his friend had been standing moments before, a red ore stone over twice a man’s height had embedded itself several centimeters into the ground. Beneath the stone, only a pool of blood mixed with mud and a crushed iron pickaxe testified to some horrifying truth. By sheer coincidence, if this ore were broken up, it would exactly fill four carts…

“This… this…”

Completely terrified, Wood collapsed onto the ground. His mind went blank, and he could only instinctively look up at the sky.

The next moment, Wood witnessed… that terrifying scene like the end of the world!

In the blue sky, a massive crimson smoke cloud centered around Sleeping Dragon Volcano rapidly spread outward. In less than a few seconds, all the sky Wood could see had been dyed red. Then, as if the air itself had begun to burn, countless meteorites began falling like raindrops. Those precious raw ores that workers usually dreamed of had now become deadly reapers. Wood personally saw three or four coworkers screaming for help get smashed to pieces by a flaming meteorite not far from him.

In that moment, the hard-won tranquility of the City of Enchanting Maple Flowers was instantly swept away. Large meteorites easily shattered houses and shops, each massive stone’s impact causing terrifying tremors along entire streets. The fire elements carried by the smaller fragments easily ignited the city’s wooden structures. Within minutes, the vast City of Enchanting Maple Flowers was engulfed in a blazing inferno.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please evacuate quickly. Sleeping Dragon Volcano has erupted. This old man has a fairly deep basement at home that might offer survival in this disaster…”

In the now empty Royal Palace, the only remaining old Count Kakaloute urgently “advised” Liwaqi with great concern. But the “Your Majesty” he addressed showed no change in expression.

“Evacuate? Hide in cellars like those nobles who ran away? We’re right at the foot of the City of Enchanting Maple Flowers. Why can’t you all face death with dignity?”A cool, detached voice softly escaped Liwaqi’s lips. Though the catastrophe was already at hand and the terrifying roars grew increasingly dense, from beginning to end, Liwaqi’s gaze remained fixed on the small handful of ashes in her pale hands.

“Survival? What meaning does it hold? Just to marry that Prince whom I’ve never even met, in the name of being Queen?”

Faced with Liwaqi’s calm words, the old Earl could only bow his head in silence.

Without even glancing at the old Earl beside her, Liwaqi quietly lowered her head. On her face, which hadn’t known a smile for who knows how long, a trace of innocent smile flickered and vanished.

A scorching breeze swept by, gently scattering the ashes from Liwaqi’s palm.

“Just as expected, it’s different from the stories. A fallen princess cannot find a Hero to rely on…”

In this final moment, aside from Liwaqi herself, no one else heard the young princess’s murmurs.

The next second, a falling stone as large as a house struck the temporary Royal Palace as if wiping away a mark. Under the glow of dawn, the bursting flames blazed as brilliantly and dazzlingly as fresh blood…

(End of Chapter)