Valencia, located in the south-central part of the world map, was a kingdom of wizards.
Unlike Keliville, the elven kingdom, this place was not known for a culture of books and lively taverns, but rather for the brewing of potions and dark magic.
Because of this, Valencia attracted many malicious criminals—wanted fugitives from various countries who, once forced into exile, immediately gathered here.
Princess Lia originally had no intention of attending this auction.
Any smart person would avoid such a place; it was far too dangerous.
Even though she brought along the Sage, one of the kingdom’s greatest forces, her safety could never be fully guaranteed.
So, why did she come?
The answer was simple: while her subordinates were gathering intelligence around the world, they unexpectedly discovered a familiar name.
Tina—that was the reason Princess Lia was willing to make this trip.
Before entering Valencia, she needed to visit a household in a small town and verify through them whether the person who had helped them was really Tina.
If it was true, then where had she gone afterward? What was her current condition? And when they met, how should she react?
Was it with nostalgia, anger, or emotion?
“Your Majesty, you seem quite nervous,” Everett said, sitting across from Lia, noticing her restless fidgeting.
The young woman had been rubbing her hands continuously since leaving the kingdom.
Everett knew this was a common sign of Lia’s nervousness, though it seemed out of character for a queen.
“Are you still thinking about that person? People don’t come back to life. Maybe it’s just a coincidence—they simply share the same name.”
“I understand…” Lia replied softly.
She knew well enough that there were many with the same name in the world, but after all these years, she had not given up hope of finding her.
Even if only a few features matched, she insisted on confirming it with her own eyes.
She firmly believed that witches weren’t so easily killed.
“By the way, Everett, why did you bring that maid even when traveling abroad? Is she of any use?”
“Ah, she’s actually useless. She just wanted to follow me, no matter how much I tried to persuade her not to.” Everett made a distressed face, as if he had really been pestered for a long time.
“Get out of here,” Lisa elbowed him. “Isn’t it you who worries about me being alone in the palace, so you figured out a way to bring me along?”
“Tsk, don’t say that. Who would worry about you?”
“You’re all mouth.”
“Can’t say for sure.”
Lia couldn’t help but interrupt, “Hey, both of you, if you want to argue, take it outside. Is it fun to flirt and quarrel in front of me every day?”
“Sorry.” ×2
“I give up. Both of you answer in unison.”
After a moment of dead silence, the carriage gradually slowed, and everyone’s attention shifted outside.
Lia was the first to lean out and saw a cluster of buildings on the boundless grassland—that was the small town she was looking for.
“Let’s get off. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can enter the city. Better to avoid any danger out here.”
According to the previous intelligence, the household lived in a blue-roofed house in the center of town—quite conspicuous.
But after entering the town and searching around the target area for a long time, no building matched the description.
“This should be the right place…” Lia muttered, unconvinced.
“Could it have been demolished? It can’t be such a coincidence.”
Just as she was considering giving up, a child wearing a straw hat ran over, his voice hoarse from crying:
“Sister, please save us! Bad people have come to the town—they want to hurt everyone!”
“Don’t panic.” Lia squatted down to the child, her expression gentle. “I’ll help you. First, tell me where the bad people are.”
The child didn’t speak but pointed eastward, where thick smoke was rising.
“Alright, I understand. Hide first.”
Lia had been puzzled why there wasn’t a single person on the streets today.
It turned out someone was disturbing her business. Since she was already here, she might as well use them to vent her anger.
“Everett, prepare to strike.”
Years of tacit understanding meant that even before Lia gave the order, the Sage was already chanting the spell.
With a single command, a precise fireball blasted from the sky straight into the middle of the black-robed group.
“Boom—”
The black-robed men, who had been chasing the townsfolk, were caught off guard, flying into the air along with the floor beneath them, suffering burns and heavy injuries from the fall.
Lia rushed to the scene, raising ice pillars to shield the scattered residents from the blast’s aftershock, then flicked out wind blades to finish off the injured enemies.
The magic bombardment required no mental effort, and only a handful of enemies remained standing.
But their eyes were devoid of fear; instead, they looked like puppets with hollow stares.
After exchanging a few glances, they pulled out black potion bottles from their pockets and drank them all at once.
Their bodies began to swell rapidly, limbs snapping and bursting as the black-robed men inflated into bloated meatballs on the verge of explosion.
“Everyone, be careful. Stay behind me.”
Lia and the Sage swiftly raised several earthen walls, reinforcing them with magic.
A deafening explosion shattered the walls into pieces, and the buildings beyond were reduced to ashes in the lingering flames.
Fragments of torn black robes floated down from the sky. Lia recognized the familiar attire.
“It’s the Moonmist Sect. After all these years, have they really risen from the ashes again?”
But more important than that was checking on the townspeople’s injuries.
They carried the wounded to the clinic in the center of town, and only after making sure no one was left behind did they finally relax.
The child from before ran over, now wearing a joyful smile.
“Sister, did you chase the bad people away?”
“Yes, we gave them the punishment they deserved. They won’t harm you anymore.”
“Yay!”
The child immediately threw himself onto a woman’s hospital bed, mumbling “Mom” over and over.
The woman waved at them and asked, “Miss, would you like to have a meal here? Consider it our thanks.”
Lia declined with a wave. “No need. It’s nothing.”
“How wonderful. Such a kind person. We haven’t seen anyone like that since that girl.”
“?!”
Lia suddenly stopped just as she was about to leave, turning back to grip the woman’s hand, eyes full of hope.
“Wait, you just said ‘that girl’? Who is she?”
The woman was a little confused by Lia’s reaction but then explained, “Back when I still lived in the old house, there was a girl with black hair who passed through and helped our town.”
“Black hair? Could it be…” Lia’s voice rose with anticipation. “Do you remember what she looked like?”
The woman replied, “It’s been too long, I can’t recall exactly, but I do remember her eyes—they were purple and very beautiful.”
“Hohohohohahaha!”
Lia burst into wild laughter, the shocking sound startling everyone present.
“It was you, wasn’t it? It really was you. You’ve been alive all this time, haven’t you? I’ve had such a hard time looking for you…”
She clutched her chest, her face a mix of ecstasy and madness, utterly different from the composed queen she had been moments before.
How will you repay me, Tina?
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.