Chapter 191: The Prophecy Fulfilled

“Ha…”

After putting down the evacuation progress reports from the city and surrounding areas, Mona rubbed her forehead wearily, gazing out at the already brightening sky beyond her study window, letting out a deep sigh.

“It’s too slow; at this rate, we might not make it in time…”

“Knock, knock, knock.”

A familiar knocking sound came from outside. No need to discern too closely; the little princess could easily guess the identity of the visitor, as there was only one person who’d be coming frequently in this situation.

“The door’s unlocked; just come in.”

“Creaaaak ~”

The door gently swung open from the outside, revealing a valiant girl donned in combat gear, a long sword hanging at her waist, her black hair tied into twin ponytails. She cautiously stepped into the study and saw the little princess’s delicate face marked by dark circles under her eyes, prompting a helpless sigh.

“Your Highness, you stayed up late working again? You’re still growing; you really should take better care of yourself.”

Seemingly not wanting to dwell on this topic, Mona shook her head and got straight to the point.

“This is a critical time; losing sleep a bit is fine. That magic potion you had prepared before was quite effective… But let’s not discuss that. Lan, how’s the progress of the evacuation outside?”

Lan Tuls, the acting city lord and current head of the Tuls Family, pondered briefly before swiftly adopting a professional demeanor, speaking seriously.

“It’s going smoothly; although the schedules vary, over ninety percent of the civilians have already evacuated from Demon Town, and the last few batches are currently being urgently mobilized. I believe we’ll complete the evacuation of non-combat personnel before noon.”

“Yes… We must urge them to hurry; our time is running out.”

“Right, um, Your Highness. Shouldn’t you also…?”

Before the sentence was finished, Mona, understanding Lan’s implication, decisively shook her head again.

“No need to elaborate. I’m not going anywhere; only I can make timely decisions during this imminent disaster. The soldiers at the guard need a solid leader to support them. My sister is far away in the royal city, lacking information, and shouldn’t take unnecessary risks. This matter cannot be left to anyone else but me.”

“But Your Highness, you are just an ordinary person! Even if I stay by your side all the time, based on what you described, it would be difficult to ensure complete safety…”

At her words, Mona merely chuckled lightly.

“Don’t worry, Lan. Every person has their fate; my fate won’t simply end here. Nothing will happen. By the way, how’s the progress on comforting the populace?”

At the mention of the matter, worry returned to Lan’s face.

“To be honest, not very smoothly. Currently, in the northern part of the kingdom, including Demon Town, there’s widespread discontent among the populace in more than a dozen large and medium cities—it’s even worse than the most severe conflicts with the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons.”

“Our methods have been too rough, with no explanation provided for the evacuation efforts. Some hidden enemy elements are taking the opportunity to stir up trouble. Though I’ve arrested a lot and even killed quite a few, the situation itself is one where we officials are in the wrong. With heavy snow blocking the roads and forcing long-distance marches, it’s all piling up…”

“Yes.”

Mona, barely over thirteen, simply nodded in silence to Lan’s concerns and subtle suggestions. Standing from the desk, she held the now-cold tea cup and pondered.

“This is the expected outcome, but we can’t tell the general public that disaster is impending. The populace is largely ignorant and can easily be misled into foolish actions by unscrupulous individuals. Once the information is made public, those who believe it will rush to escape, causing huge chaos, while non-believers would find any warnings meaningless.”

“Let them grumble and speak; as long as it doesn’t lead to real unrest, once that moment arrives, the people will naturally understand our good intentions.”

“…”

After hesitating for a moment, Lan gritted her teeth and ultimately chose to speak frankly.

“But Your Highness, it’s not that I doubt you, but you keep insisting on a great disaster looming over the northern kingdom yet are unwilling to disclose your sources… What if, I mean what if, that so-called natural disaster doesn’t come? Our efforts would amount to nothing; how will we make sense of it then?”

The little princess turned her head and deeply gazed at the sword-bearing girl before her; for a brief moment, Lan had an absurd illusion that the girl before her was not merely in her early teens, but rather a sage who had experienced countless lifetimes.

This thought felt extremely ridiculous to the girl. When she looked closely, though, Mona had already turned away again, speaking softly.

“If the disaster can be averted beforehand, that will naturally be a stroke of luck for the kingdom and its people. As for how to settle things… Lan, why do you think I issued the decree on behalf of my sister instead of the Queen?”

“Wait! You’re not planning to…”

Lan’s heart stopped, but before she could inquire further, the little princess abruptly cut off the topic.

“Alright, Lan, that’s merely a precaution. Due to certain circumstances, I can’t definitively say when the disaster will strike or whether it will truly arrive. But compared to the time when innocent lives are lost, it would be wise to put some energy into early prevention, don’t you think?”

“…Since you are so determined, I can only support you wholeheartedly. I’ll hurry and urge them again…”

“!!!”

As the acting city lord was only halfway through her sentence, Mona suddenly stiffened, and then, as if struck by lightning, she fell straight backward!

“Your Highness!”

“Smash!”

The ceramic tea set shattered on the floor into countless pieces. Lan reacted quickly, rushing forward to catch the teetering little princess, supporting her with her soft chest.

“Your Highness! Are you alright? Have you overworked yourself too much recently!? I’ll go call the priest for you!”

“I’m… I’m fine.”

The girl with twin ponytails rushed to call out to the little princess in her arms, but Mona’s pale face quickly regained her composure as she opened her eyes again, shaking her head. With Lan’s help, she stood steady, her expression now extremely solemn.

“The prophecy… is truly approaching…”

“Your Highness? What’s coming? Are you sure you’re alright?”

The little princess forcefully shook off Lan’s support and grabbed a transparent golden gemstone that was sitting on the table, lifting her skirt as she bolted toward the exit.

“I’m fine! Lan, we’re leaving, outside!!!”

…

The mighty swordsman Ahybern was the former captain of the inner guard bureau of Demon Town, the top expert in the northern part of the United Kingdom. Likewise, he stood as one of the steadfast opponents of other races like Tyler Tuls.

However, Ahybern himself was not a scheming individual; on the contrary, he was sociable, generous, and unencumbered by small matters. He treated his comrades and subordinates as family and was kindhearted, often using his assets to aid the impoverished. Though not an adventurer, his fame spread far and wide, being renowned in the north comparable to the three great legends of Courage City in the royal capital.

Thus, after the upheaval in Demon Town, he was not too heavily implicated, merely dismissed from the inner guard bureau and, per his own wishes, transferred to the northern army.

Now, Ahybern was following the royal command, leading troops to guard the northern gate of Demon Town.

   

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