On the day Green set out on his expedition, banners fluttered and drums thundered.
It was as if everyone in Hope’s Land had stepped out of their homes, the bustling crowds completely filling both sides of the main street, all gathered to watch the fully armed army preparing to depart.
Swish, swish, swish!
Marching in perfect unison, the soldiers under Green’s command radiated a chilling, unmatched aura.
“Oh, oh, oh, is that the legendary Steel Praetorians? They really do look extraordinary!”
“I heard they were originally just a bunch of homeless vagrants? But look at them now, so imposing and majestic!”
“That’s all thanks to Lord Green, isn’t it? I heard His Excellency the Consul and Lady Sophie jointly developed a way for ordinary people to wield extraordinary power, and this Praetorian Guard was the first to succeed.”
A few well-informed residents pointed to the burly men at the front, boasting and chattering with pride, treating this unshakeable force as the pride of their own land.
“Wow, so this is the strength of our Hope’s Land? Good! Show those Vampires in Radiance City what we’re made of!”
“Yeah, and those arrogant Noble Lords too, always acting high and mighty just because they can sense magic. So-called noble blood—do you really think we Commoners are inferior?!”
Amidst the discussions and cheers, the people of Leaffall Town, Hope’s Land, found their gazes toward Green and his troops quietly changing.
It was not awe, nor mere approval.
It was… recognition.
A recognition not only of Green’s governance, but of something deeper, something that touched the entire social order constructed by the Holy Light Church and the Noble Lords.
“Go for it, Lord Green! Give those villains a lesson and show them we Commoners are every bit as good as they are!”
Feeling this powerful surge of emotion, Green smiled contentedly.
Over these ten years, many things had changed.
Despite countless obstacles, despite an uncertain future, at least at this moment… he had accomplished something.
Even if it was only in a simulated life.
Green felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
“Your Excellency the Consul.” An older woman with graying hair approached him, “You, you must be careful.”
Dressed in a chef’s apron, with a kindly face and wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, the woman’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke sadly, “Our Mary has been so worried about you.”
The same woman who once dared not even breathe loudly before Green, who stammered just to speak, now stood straight and spoke to him as if sharing the everyday worries of life.
“Mary’s a good girl.”
Hearing this, Green glanced at the fresh little flower pinned to his chest and gently took in its scent.
Its sweet fragrance washed away his weariness.
Though several days had passed, the violet—empowered by magic—remained fresh and dewy, emitting a captivating aroma.
“Thank you for the gift, Mary. I really like it.”
Green glanced at the shy girl behind the Mistress Chef.
Mary.
At this moment, Sophie’s Disciple hung her head, looking for all the world like a child who’d done something wrong.
“Mama, l-let’s go home.” She glanced anxiously at the surging crowd, clutching tightly at her mother’s apron.
“What are you going home for?” Mistress Chef’s voice was as booming as ever, cutting straight through the crowd to reach everyone’s ears.
“Haven’t you been worrying about Lord Green all this time?” Mistress Chef gave Mary a little push toward Green, “At home, every few hours you make me answer whether Lord Green is really safe, and what kind of present you should give when he comes back.”
A playful smile crept onto Mistress Chef’s slightly aged face as she continued chattering to Green, “So I brought this child here, so she could say these things to you herself.”
Ten years ago, Mary would only play and joke with Green a little at the lord’s manor, and Mistress Chef would be frightened into a fluster.
But now…
Feeling this subtle change, Green was filled with an indescribable satisfaction.
Change.
“Maybe I really can do it.” Gazing at the sunset on the far horizon, he sighed softly, “As long as I win this battle.”
It was going to be a tough fight.
The contested spot wasn’t anything grand, but the small town was rich in Magic Crystal Stone deposits. If he succeeded in taking it, Green even planned to relocate Sophie’s laboratory there.
“What Sophie’s research needs right now is that crucial Magic Crystal Stone resource. If we can develop it, I can trigger a revolution in the Magic Domain…”
Green muttered under his breath, so only he could hear, “Revolution.”
Magitech Industry.
A technology that had already come to life and thrived in the real world, was still just taking root in this simulated life.
The spellcasters, obsessed with bloodlines, resembled real-world mage professionals only in appearance, but their essence was completely different.
One was a craftsman, passing on their skills in a Master-Apprentice tradition.
The other was a large-scale, industrialized system producing trained specialists en masse.
But which one truly represented the future?
Green already knew his answer.
Though born a noble, and in theory bound to side with the spellcasters to maintain their lofty privileges—
Instead of striving to feed everyone and grant extraordinary power to all.
But…
“Since I have the chance to play the Hero in this simulated life, how could I possibly give up?”
To carve out immortal achievements.
Even if only in this simulated world.
That’s why Green looked forward to the day when, after taking the Magic Crystal Stone mine and helping Sophie establish a complete Magitech Industry system, this World… would once again change in unimaginable ways.
His gaze remained fixed on the distance.
The setting sun was like blood, a cold wind whistled through, tinged with murderous intent.
But amid the suffocating despair, a hint of fragrance drifted by.
The breath of life.
“Brother Green.”
As the Consul was lost in the dreams of his heart, the shy and complicated girl seemed to summon her courage, suddenly raising her head, her round face fixed intently on him.
“Come back safely.”
Mary didn’t give some passionate speech or pour out her feelings.
Yet this short, simple sentence weighed on Green’s heart like a thousand pounds.
Heavy.
“I will, Mary. I’ll come back safe.”
Green was confident.
Not because he had always been the victor in years of war with the Holy Light Church.
But because…
It seemed as though “history” itself stood behind Green.
“I am the one who represents the direction this World is heading.”
That was Green’s true source of confidence.
“But…”
Glancing around at the cheering crowd, a hint of doubt flickered in Green’s heart.
She didn’t come to see me off?
Well, of course.
She must be at a critical moment in her research.
Besides, even though the two of them were now close—
For a nearly immortal witch, ten or so years together probably felt as fleeting as a shooting star.
Green couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful.
“Sir Brown?” He turned to the knight beside him, whose hair was now completely white and whose age was beginning to show, but who still stood tall and spirited.
“Let’s set out.”
“Yes. All troops assemble!” Turning back, Knight Brown’s eyes were resolute as he called out, “For Hope’s Land, for the Senate and the people, march for our destination and return victorious!”
Swish, swish, swish!
“Victory, victory! Victory, victory!”
With the rousing army song, the troops moved out in perfect formation.
Riding a white steed, Green took the lead at the front.
“Sophie.” Though he understood that a witch’s sense of time was unlike a human’s, he still felt a little let down by her absence.
“Brother Green! Brother Green!”
Just as he was about to leave Leaffall Town, Mary suddenly ran up to him.
“Um, um, Sister Sophie asked me to pass a message to you.”
“What is it?”
“If you dare die on the battlefield, she’ll destroy the whole World to get you back!”
Hey, hey.
Is that a curse or a blessing?
Still… it’s just like her.
“All right.” Green said loudly, “Tell Sophie—I won’t die.”
Underground laboratory.
“So… you really aren’t going to say goodbye to him?”
After another fruitless day trying to capture so-called “Holy Light,” Jessica sighed helplessly, glancing curiously at her companion.
“What’s the point of saying goodbye?”
Sophie was focused intently on her experiment data.
“And besides, you didn’t say goodbye to him either, did you?”
Sophie looked up and retorted.
“I’m not the same as you. After all, he’s your… your…”
Jessica’s tone was tinged with disappointment as she turned away, “Lover.”
As if just saying that word had drained all her strength, Jessica left with a downcast face.
“Lover.”
Watching Jessica go, Sophie smiled softly.
“Yes, Green is mine, my lover and mine alone.”
Her lips curled up, and her hands moved even faster with the experiment.
“That’s why I won’t let you leave me, not even… by dying.”
A hint of darkness flickered in her pupils.
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