Night fell deep, and the bonfires reddened half the sky.
Tonight, the residents of Hope Town were staying temporarily in Pu Town, celebrating a victory that belonged only to them alongside the adorable Pupu creatures that bounced around everywhere.
The air was thick with the charred aroma of roasted meat and the pungency of cheap alcohol.
The clamor rose and fell, merging into a rough and passionate song that praised courage, celebrated life, and lauded the precious spirit that had supported the Commoners every step of the way to reach this day.
Joen was surrounded by the crowd in the center, drinking cup after cup of toasted wine.
“Elder Brother Jon! I toast to you!”
A young man, recently recruited into the Security Team due to the expansion of Hope Town’s leadership, spoke drunkenly with a flushed face as he held up a cracked bowl.
“I used to think Nobles were all useless, rotten people—vengeful ghosts who ate people without spitting out the bones. But after seeing you… I finally realized that there are actually Nobles in this world who treat us Commoners like human beings.”
Another man, looking like a destitute Magic user, sighed with emotion.
“Indeed. At first, I was curious how an Imperial Princess could possibly get lost. Looking back now, your move was truly brilliant. Moreover, you were actually willing to go to such lengths for the Doom Victims.”
He had originally been a member of a fallen minor Noble family.
Three generations back, his grandfather had been a Viscount.
Unfortunately, the family had failed to produce a single reliable heir for three consecutive generations, resulting in nothing but a line of good-for-nothings.
By his generation… the family didn’t even have enough money to send him to a professional Magic academy.
To turn his life around through Magic, he had sold off all his belongings and put in every ounce of effort.
He had finally seen a glimmer of hope to restore his Ancestor’s glory, but the magic research results he had worked so hard to produce were stolen by the son of a Marquis at his school.
He had pleaded for justice everywhere, only to be mocked as “delusional” and accused of “trying to blackmail the Marquis.”
Ultimately, he was thrown into prison for the Sin of slander.
The crux of the matter was that no one wanted to offend a Marquis.
In truth, everyone knew he was innocent, but what did it matter? And he was always forcing others to take a side.
There was no other way.
They seized opportunities to reduce his sentence, from ten years to seven, and from seven to three; they could only conspire in silence.
He was originally sentenced to ten years, and after finally serving his full sentence, his family property was gone, his degree was gone, and his Mother had died.
Nothing remained of his life except for that mage robe he couldn’t bear to throw away.
It seemed to be the only proof of his past identity and the support for his final bit of stubbornness.
During these years of wandering, he had tasted the coldness of the world and had long since grown tired of that hypocritical high society full of polished lies.
However, the “honesty” of this Brave One made his long-dead heart beat once again.
Joen gave a bashful smile.
His face was slightly red, and he felt a bit embarrassed, as he was extremely poor at handling scenes where people praised him continuously.
He could only utilize his old strength, heroically draining the strong liquor in one gulp.
The liquid flowed down the corners of his mouth, wetting his collar, and he wiped it away casually with his sleeve after finishing.
Not far away, the Imperial Guards, who were usually high and mighty, also put aside their status.
They put their arms around the Commoners’ shoulders and mingled with them.
“Big brother, big brother, I heard the girls in the Empire Capital are each more beautiful than the last, even smoother than a Succubus. Each one is well-educated, gentle, and wise. Is that true?”
A scruffy squad leader of the Security Team had drunk too much and began to ask questions that men his age were most concerned about and loved to fantasize about.
The Imperial Guard he was hugging gave a series of bitter smiles.
Moved by the moment, he couldn’t help but sigh.
“Well-educated, my foot…”
He lowered his voice to complain, glancing around furtively as if invisible eyes were glaring at him from a corner.
“I’m telling you, my elder sister is a she-dragon; she usually loves to punch me to vent her anger. My fiancée is the same. She acts gentle and obedient outside, but back home, the violence… tsk.”
“If you marry a woman from our Empire Capital, you’ll be in for a treat. Just wait to be a victim of domestic violence every day with nowhere to complain!”
The squad leader didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Big brother, how could I dare to think I’d have that kind of luck… I’d be lucky just to get a wife…”
“Out of the 10 gold Kurons of service pay, I only have 5 silver Coulombs left now…”
“That’s still more than me.”
The squad leader wanted to cry even more.
“Big brother, you’re showing off, right? You’re definitely showing off!”
“Sigh… you’re still young. Once you’re engaged or married, you’ll remember these words of advice.”
The Imperial Guard sighed repeatedly.
In the past, these two people—separated by vast distances and social status—would likely never have crossed paths in their entire lives, let alone enjoyed wine and deep conversation together.
But in the face of this flood, and this rescue operation that was a race against the God of death, the barriers of class were quietly broken.
Inherent stereotypes and arrogance were shattered by cooperation, leaving behind only the warmth of being fellow human beings.
“Roar—!”
A dragon’s cry echoed from the sky.
Kobilio landed on the Black Dragon, carrying two exquisite wooden boxes in his hands.
“Joen, I stole the wine! Same old rules: you threatened me into doing it. I’m a pure victim, completely innocent, got it?”
Kobilio walked over with large strides, thudded the wine jars onto the table, and impatiently tore open the packaging.
“Hey, don’t say I didn’t warn you, I’ve been craving this wine for months. The Imperial Princess sure knows how to enjoy herself.”
Two cups were filled to the brim with the scarlet liquid.
The rims clinked, and the fragrant red wine splashed.
“Thanks, Teacher Kobilio.”
Joen held his cup and seriously performed a junior’s toasting rite toward Kobilio before draining the wine in his cup.
After becoming slightly tipsy, Kobilio leaned on Joen’s shoulder and whispered:
“Be careful with everything once you return to the Empire Capital. You did a lot of out-of-line things in the Dry River Territory this time, but with your abilities, the King should be very lenient toward you.”
“But remember one thing: never disobey the King’s decisions! The Imperial majesty must not be provoked. Under that majesty, as long as you are still the King’s ‘own person,’ he will let you run wild. You must be extremely careful regarding the affairs of the royal family.”
“I understand.”
Joen’s eyes cleared up a bit.
“But there are some things I must do. For those who are still alive, and for those who have died. Don’t worry, Teacher. I will try my best to navigate the situation and not directly defy the King.”
Kobilio sighed softly.
He patted Joen’s shoulder, but the pat turned into a squeeze.
“Sigh… you kid, sometimes you’re so stubborn it could irritate a person to death.”
After a pause, he laughed repeatedly.
“But that’s just who you are… that’s just who you are…”
“Fine, you’re grown now. You can knock your own Teacher and his Dragon away with one punch. Who can control you?”
Kobilio waved his hand drunkenly at Joen.
“Go on, go on, just don’t involve me. Like I said—you threatened me, right? Remember that?”
“I remember, I remember. Sorry, Teacher,” Joen said with an embarrassed smile.
The fire still flickered, and the stars still blinked.
After three rounds of drinks, amidst the cheering, Joen stood up and looked around.
Under countless expectant gazes, his ambition surged:
“Everyone, don’t worry! When I return to the Empire Capital this time, I will definitely find a way to get disaster relief funds for the Dry River Territory. This winter, I don’t want a single person to starve to death, nor do I want a single person to freeze to death!”
“Yeah!!!”
“That’s amazing, Elder Brother Jon!”
“Dedicate your hearts to the Brave One!”
The cheers were deafening, like a heatwave that dispersed the chill of the night.
The banquet continued until the early hours of the morning.
Joen was rarely this drunk, and he was supported back to his Tent by Jonathan and several young men.
“Lily…”
He lay on the bed in a daze, habitually hugging the small pink girl.
Under the influence of the alcohol, Joen actually had a frivolous thought.
He quickly shook his head hard, using his last bit of willpower to drive those thoughts away.
However, in the process of clearing his mind, Joen suddenly remembered a certain Succubus who seemed to have gone missing halfway through.
“Right…”
Joen gently stroked Liya’s small head.
“Lily… where’s Aimil? That Succubus… I don’t think I’ve seen her much.”
Liya snuggled in Joen’s arms and said nonchalantly, “I don’t know. Maybe she died in the Demon Ascension Ritual? After all, it was so chaotic then, no one could look out for anyone else.”
“Is that so… I guess…”
Joen muttered a few words and didn’t ask further.
Under the dual effects of alcohol and drowsiness, he soon fell into a deep sleep, his breathing becoming steady and long.
However, in his arms, Liya’s eyes remained open.
There wasn’t a hint of sleepiness in those pink, ghostly eyes, only a layer of cold frost.
After the Hero fell fast asleep, Liya stealthily left the Hero’s embrace.
Leaving with her was the newly appointed Pupu Clan general — “Lu Budding” Zyra.