Chapter 210: Luck

Chapter 210: Luck

Jenny was lucky because her uncle, the King, started to pay attention to her and acted very friendly. She was also unlucky because this attention trapped her in the Royal Capital, costing her much freedom.

In her family mansion, she looked displeased and stared toward the Royal Palace like a dog on its hind legs. She was filled with anxiety and hope, wishing that the Great Wizard would appear soon to prove her innocence. She had been dragged around and questioned thoroughly, but that Wizard had vanished.

This couldn’t go on! If that guy was really a fake, wouldn’t she lose face?

She couldn’t afford to lose face, having bragged a bit too much lately. Jenny began to make wishes and pray, hoping for a miracle, hoping Wizard Bran would show up here.

Under the glow of the setting sun, the mountaintop was dyed glorious, appearing sacred and majestic. In that shimmering golden sky, a wisp of gray smoke rose curling upward.

This made her blink. But in just that blink, she missed too much. The top of that wisp of gray smoke drifted apart and instantly covered the entire mountain peak. The gray was replaced by a deep darkness.

Golden sky, black mountain peak, as the setting sun gradually vanished, carrying a great momentum, it pressed down.

Jenny jumped up excitedly. He was here! That Wizard was here!

She shouted, “Look, I wasn’t lying! He’s here, it must be him—Wizard Bran!”

A strong, power ful hand landed on her shoulder. Her father stared at her with an ugly expression, squeezing out one word from between his teeth, “Run!”

Coming to her senses, Jenny had never been so obedient. She bolted out of the house.

The streets were filled with panicked people. Some hid in their homes, others fled toward the city gates. In the chaos, all class and order lost meaning. Nobles, Knights, and commoners were no different. They bumped into and pushed each other, leading to falls and trampling.

Jenny squeezed through the crowd and smoothly made it out the city gate, only to realize her family wasn’t with her. She started to panic, calling out her family members’ names loudly amidst the crowd.

In the fading sunset light, the Darkness stopped at the city walls, which allowed people to relax a little. Nobles and Knights began to step forward, directing and gathering the crowd. Before night fully fell, someone lit a bonfire. The dancing flames brought Light and warmth, gradually calming people’s hearts.

As order was reestablished, courage began to return. The Knights voluntarily patrolled. Some tried to investigate inside the city, but they retreated after only a few steps.

Just a few steps apart were two Worlds. The torches in their hands couldn’t Light the path under their feet. From the city came dying groans, the wails of the injured, and the cries of the helpless. These sounds were infinitely amplified in the Darkness. The Knights, who had just regained their courage, instantly lost their nerve.

Lui hugged her legs. The bonfire before her lit her cheeks red. Her father had protected her, and they escaped without major incident. Once things settled a bit, her father began to organize and maintain order, a habit formed from his long tenure as a Lord. She wanted to help, but her father stopped her. In this chaos, he didn’t want to worry about her anymore.

Sitting here with nothing to do, the helpless looks around her made her heart flutter with panic. The dancing firelight made everything nearby seem twisted and grim.

That boy’s Shadow occasionally floated before her eyes. If those three jerks hadn’t disrupted their interaction, perhaps they would have become friends during their journey together. Back then, she clearly felt his kindness, but her body uncontrollably started to run. If they had become friends, or if she hadn’t run then, maybe all of this today wouldn’t have happened.

She always felt he wasn’t someone who would hurt a friend. When she asked him in despair, he let her go and, in doing so, let everyone go.

This was supposed to be an easy trip. Before coming, her father had told her it would be fine. The King had pardoned everyone; they were just going through the motions. Asking for forgiveness was more about giving everyone a way out. The King needed to show his tolerance and generosity, and the Nobles and Knights needed to show their courage and loyalty.

Now everything was in chaos! She didn’t understand. Why would Wizard Bran do this?

…

The always lofty Royal Palace used to greet the city’s first ray of sunlight and bid farewell to the last glimmer of sunset. Now it welcomed a change: the Darkness descended here first.

With the arrival of the Darkness, the inside and outside began to separate. Fortunately, having experienced last night, the people in the Royal Palace weren’t too panicked. However, the prematurely arriving Darkness caught them somewhat off guard.

Andong didn’t know yet that the outside world was in chaos. Right now, he could barely protect himself. In his own country, his own Royal Capital, his own Royal Palace, he crouched shamefully in the Darkness, silently enduring and waiting.

The night was long, but it would eventually pass. The sunlight of dawn once again drove away the Darkness, revealing the ruined city before his eyes. Andong felt the world spinning. He never imagined so much could happen overnight.

He thought the Darkness only enveloped the Royal Palace. He never imagined it would affect the entire city. He was filled with regret and even began to beat his chest and stamp his feet, but everything was too late. Even just a notice could have avoided these losses. He had an entire day to deal with this matter.

Bran! Andong went mad. He yelled, screamed, and cursed in the Royal Palace, directing his rage at the source of the chaos, the creator of all this loss.

…

He had another good sleep, even more comfortable than yesterday. Bran and Huahua stretched together with a big yawn. This place was really nice; he was somewhat reluctant to leave.

Bran felt very lucky. As if guided by spirits, he came here and resolved the hidden danger in his body. Perhaps all of this was guided by Mana. As a Wizard, sometimes one doesn’t need too much reason; learning to follow Mana is also a good choice. Mana finds its own way out, just like now.

Maybe Lily followed the guidance of Mana, which is why she sailed smoothly and became the favorite of heaven and earth.

Bran wasn’t the only one feeling lucky. Many survivors felt the same, like Jenny. She returned home and found all her family members safe and sound, which made her ecstatic.

Unexpected joy and sorrow mixed in the city. In the busy chaos, the sun rose in the east and set in the west. The glow of the setting sun once again painted the sky above the city in a glorious hue.

People simultaneously stopped their work and looked toward the mountaintop. There, a wisp of gray smoke rose curling upward…