After Green led the great army on the expedition, the administrative affairs of Falling Leaf Town and the entire Land of Hope remained stable. The system he had spent years building had entered a steady rhythm; even without his personal management, the entire territory operated with meticulous precision.
But Mary felt bored. She loved Falling Leaf Town and this Land of Hope. However, ever since a certain person had departed, her spirit seemed to have lost its spark.
“You should go out more,” her mother’s advice echoed in her ears. “Go meet more friends, whether they are girls your age or outstanding young men.”
Mary understood her mother’s underlying meaning perfectly. But…
“No need, Mother,” Mary said with a smile, shaking her head. “Like this… is already very good.”
Yes. This was already very good. Enjoying the free, fresh air; saying goodbye to the childhood of displacement and famine, the bone-chilling greed of corrupt officials, and the wars that were everywhere.
Brother Green was truly great. When she was little, in Mary’s eyes, Brother Green was an omnipotent hero who could stand up for her in times of crisis. As she grew older, Mary gradually discovered that Brother Green was not as omnipotent as she had thought—he could cry, laugh, go hungry, and get hurt. Yet Mary’s admiration for him did not diminish in the slightest; if anything, she admired him even more.
“Yes, Brother Green is also a mortal…”
Staring at a prominent monument on the main road, she saw rows upon rows of names carved into the stone—soldiers who had sacrificed themselves for the Land of Hope during the war against the Church of Light.
“So he will also grow old, and he might also die.”
Gazing at the magnificent marble pillars around her and the comparatively modest building directly opposite, Mary felt a deeper pang of sympathy for Green, the man who had built today’s world single-handedly. That was the former Lord’s Manor, now the Office of the Chief Executive.
“Even though he always risks his life fighting for everyone, Brother Green dislikes being praised. He even refused the Senate’s proposal to renovate and expand the Executive Mansion.”
Mary’s heart swelled with an inexplicable emotion. She vaguely understood the intent behind Brother Green’s actions.
“Perhaps I am a perfect Executive, but what happens after me?”
Mary remembered the words Green had once said: “The Executive is not the master of the Land of Hope; you all are.”
That was what he said. Honestly, why did Brother Green always enjoy saying such unlucky things?
Taking a breath, Mary stretched. It was time for work. She set off for the laboratory on the outskirts of town.
Along the way, the golden stalks of rice rose and fell with the wind, looking like waves in a golden sea. The fields were crowded with people dressed as farmers, bending over to harvest. The air was thick with the fragrance of the paddy fields mixed with the scent of damp earth.
“The harvest is so good this year—at least twice as much as last year.” “Indeed, it’s all thanks to the new fertilizer Lady Sophie invented.”
Hmph. Mary felt a flash of pride. She had contributed to that invention as well.
The young girl’s mood, which had been somewhat gloomy due to Brother Green’s departure, finally began to lift. Even if she couldn’t be like Brother Green—devoting everything selflessly to everyone—at least she could contribute what she could for the people and for him.
Mary walked cheerfully into the laboratory.
Drip. Drop.
The thick scent of potions mixed with the characteristic acidity of the underground created a pungent aroma. Sister Sophie sat by the experimental bench as usual, busily handling daily tasks.
Wait. Something was wrong.
Mary, who was already intimately familiar with the workflow, quickly noticed that something was off today. Sister Sophie… wasn’t working on their previous research?
“Oh, Mary, you’re here.” Noticing Mary’s arrival, Sophie looked up, a flash of joy in her eyes. “I happen to need your help.”
“But, our research on the preservative potion from last time…” Mary looked at her mentor with confusion. For some reason, she felt Sister Sophie had been acting strangely lately. Although she was still as bright and beautiful as ever, and still spoke with gentle politeness, she seemed… overly obsessed with her work.
No, more accurately—how long had it been since Sister Sophie had left the lab?
As her apprentice, Mary knew Sister Sophie wasn’t a social person. Due to her past experiences, Sophie was more comfortable being alone. But no matter how passionate she was about research, Sister Sophie had never stayed locked in the lab without ever stepping outside before.
What was wrong with her?
“It doesn’t matter. We can leave the preservative potion to the other mages. The new mage practitioners trained by the Adventurer’s Guild happen to need some practical work for training anyway.” Sophie waved her hand dismissively.
Too strange. In the past, Sister Sophie would never treat an experiment so lightly. As long as it was something Brother Green had assigned, she would immediately put forth all her effort to study it.
“I have a new topic.” Sophie interrupted Mary’s thoughts. Seeing Mary’s suspicious face, Sophie said apologetically, “The importance of this new topic is much higher, so I can’t personally research other projects for now.”
“A new topic?” Mary blinked. She hadn’t heard anything about this from Brother Green.
A witch’s research was dangerous. Although their bloodline granted them talent beyond the reach of normal people—allowing them to “perceive” ancestral knowledge through meditation while traditional casters spent a lifetime failing to invent—they also faced the constant risk of backlash. To avoid errors, Sister Sophie had always followed Green’s research plans. For years, they had worked in perfect harmony, with Sophie conquering difficulties one after another without facing much danger, benefiting the entire Land of Hope.
So why was Sister Sophie breaking away from Brother Green’s guidance now? Was it because she no longer trusted him?
No. Anyone might doubt Brother Green, but not Sister Sophie. Mary knew this better than anyone. Then, was Sister Sophie doing this for…
“Immortality.”
Sister Sophie suddenly spoke. “This is the new topic I intend to research. Mary, you’ll help me, won’t you?”
Immortality?
Mary, who had studied the arcane deeply, immediately realized what this topic implied.
“Sister Sophie, are you trying to…”
Mary suddenly understood. Brother Green was a human. He could cry, laugh, get hurt, and grow old… she had just been lamenting this fact.
“You can understand me, can’t you?” Sophie’s gaze was misty, her voice carrying a hint of longing. “You don’t want Green to leave this world one day either, do you?”
Sister Sophie’s voice was full of temptation.
Yes. Such a good person like Brother Green—how could he, how could he die?
Forever. Let him be immortal, remaining in this world forever—what could be wrong with that? Mary’s mind went blank for a moment, and she almost nodded subconsciously.
But…
In that instant, Mary remembered an old fairy tale Brother Green had told her long ago in the study to coax her to sleep.
“Once upon a time, there was an evil dragon that plagued the land, hoarding gold and silver treasures. The people lived in misery. So they searched everywhere for heroes to kill the dragon. But many years passed, and countless warriors were chosen, yet no one could defeat it.”
“One day, another hero set out to slay the dragon. A bard had a sudden whim and followed secretly behind the hero, hoping to record the dragon’s weakness. It was a fierce battle; the dragon roared fire that made it impossible for the hero to move. But the hero, carrying the hopes of countless people, persevered and eventually drew his sword, risking his life to pierce the dragon’s heart.”
“The hero won!”
“The bard was overjoyed, believing he had witnessed a miracle. He wanted to go and congratulate the hero, but at the same time, he was curious. Why had this dragon, though terrifying, not died despite generations of heroes attacking it? As he was puzzling over this, something strange happened.”
“The hero, drenched in dragon’s blood from the fight, staggered step by step toward the hoard of treasure in the dragon’s lair. He reached out and touched the crown encrusted with jewels. At that moment, scales began to sprout on the hero’s skin—the scales of a dragon.”
The story had ended abruptly there. Mary stared blankly at Sophie’s fanatical expression.
“No.”
She shook her head and rejected her teacher’s proposal.