After two and a half days of playing, Lilith was fully satisfied.
“Mmm~ This trip to the Elf Kingdom was overall quite excellent, except for that part in the middle where I had to clear out those magical beasts!”
Lilith continued her flight through the sky, her storage space stuffed with specialties from the elven race.
“The mille-feuille was delicious, the starlight pudding was great, and the dream bubble drink was refreshing... There were still a few I didn't get to taste. I’ll definitely have to make up for that next time!”
She was already beginning to plan her next in-depth tour of the Elf Kingdom.
“Oh right, I still have to go back and get those high-level magic books Aurora prepared...”
“Still, once I get those books, my strength should increase significantly, right? When that happens... hehe.” She felt smug again, imagining the scene where she mastered a bunch of cool, high-level magic and made Veen look at her in a whole new light.
As she flew, the human territory below gradually became clearer. She had already left the vicinity of the Forest of Elves and entered the border region of the Human Empire.
According to the map, if she flew a bit further, she would be able to see the Holy City.
“Speeding up, time to get back early... Hmm?”
Lilith suddenly lowered her altitude and looked down in confusion.
It was a sizable border city with high walls, appearing quite substantial in scale. But at the moment, smoke and dust drifted over the city, and black smoke billowed from several locations.
Even more striking were the soaring flames and the sounds of explosions. Although they were far away, with Lilith’s hearing, she could hear them perfectly clearly.
“What’s the situation? Setting off fireworks in broad daylight?” Lilith muttered, then suddenly realized. “Wait, that sound... is it combat?”
She hovered in mid-air, observing carefully.
In different areas of the city, brilliant flashes of light erupted from time to time, especially the various colors produced by magical clashes.
Every flash was accompanied by a violent explosion, and houses in those areas instantly vanished within the light as dust rose into the air.
Lilith could even see small black dots running through the streets.
“?”
She rubbed her chin, feeling a bit curious.
She hadn't intended to meddle in others' business; she had to keep moving. But suddenly, she sensed an aura belonging exclusively to the demon race, which made Lilith’s brow furrow slightly.
“This is... the aura of the demon race, not magical beasts!”
Lilith looked at the fleeing civilians below and hesitated for a moment.
“I'll just take a look from a distance to figure out what's going on. If it really is the demon race, I definitely have to deal with it.”
“Right, that’s the plan.”
She found a secluded corner and landed.
She set off, walking toward the nearest city gate.
The gate area was a scene of chaos. The guards who were supposed to be on duty were nowhere to be seen, the gates were wide open, and the city's civilians were running out in a panic, their faces filled with terror.
Cries and curses were mixed together.
Lilith moved nimbly through the crowd and quickly squeezed into the city.
The scene before her eyes was even more shocking than what she had seen from the air.
Debris was everywhere on the streets, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and the residual aura of magic.
The battle seemed to have lasted a long time, and it was a large-scale conflict occurring in multiple areas across the city.
Furthermore, the destroyed areas primarily originated from the direction of the city center.
“It looks like they’ve been invaded,” Lilith frowned.
The area around the Holy City was relatively peaceful, but she hadn't expected a border city to be this chaotic.
Just then.
“Watch out! Get out of the way!”
A startled cry came from the main street ahead.
Lilith peeked over and saw a squad of about seven or eight soldiers in grey light armor pursuing two mages in blue robes.
Both sides were firing magic at each other as they ran, accidentally damaging many buildings along the street and civilians who hadn't had time to hide.
A fireball went off course and looked like it was about to hit an old woman huddled under a stall by the roadside!
“!” Lilith quickly took action, her fingers moving slightly.
That scorching fireball vanished into nothingness half a meter away from the old woman.
Neither of the combatants noticed this detail, continuing their chase into the distance.
“Why are humans attacking each other?” Lilith was very confused.
But the old woman before her was paralyzed on the ground, shivering with fear.
Lilith sighed, stepped out from the shadows, and quickly went to the old woman’s side.
“Grandmother, are you alright?” she asked softly, squatting down.
The old woman looked up and saw a young girl with clear features. She calmed down slightly, but her voice was still shaking. “I-I’m fine... Thank you, young lady... You should leave quickly, it’s too dangerous here!”
“Grandmother, what exactly is happening in this city? Why is it such a mess?” Lilith helped the old woman up, patting the dust off her clothes while she asked.
The old woman looked around, her face full of grief and indignation. “It’s a sin! The Gray Wolf Mercenary Group brought in several powerful demons and started fighting with the Blue Stream Mage Association! They’re fighting for control over a mineral vein!”
“A mineral vein?”
“Yes, a rich magic crystal vein was recently discovered north of the city! It was originally supposed to be developed jointly by the City Lord's Manor and several local merchant guilds. I don't know how, but the news leaked, and it brought on a war!”
The old woman sighed. “The Gray Wolf Mercenary Group is ruthless; they collaborated with the demon race for their goals. And the Blue Stream Mage Association is a small group of mages with backgrounds in the capital, and they’re incredibly arrogant. Both sides want the vein for themselves. They couldn't reach an agreement, so they started fighting in the city!”
“What about the City Lord? Isn't he doing anything?”
“Doing something? How can he?” The old woman smiled bitterly. “The City Lord reportedly fell ill suddenly yesterday and is bedridden. The guard unit has also split into several factions—some were bought off, some are staying neutral, and some are just looting for themselves... Sigh, it’s us common folk who suffer!”
She pointed toward the city center, where another flash of piercing white light appeared, followed by a massive explosion.
“See that white light? That’s outside help brought in by the Blue Stream Mage Association, a very powerful light-element mage! As soon as he arrived, he destroyed several blocks. He says he’s killing demons, but in reality, he hasn't hit many enemies—our houses were the first to go!”
The old woman became more agitated as she spoke, and tears began to flow.
Listening to this, Lilith’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
To fight over a mineral vein, two outside factions were brawling in someone else’s city, disregarding the lives of the civilians? And they even brought in a light-element mage who used indiscriminate attacks?
This was just too much!
“Grandmother, where is your home? I’ll take you to a safe place.” Lilith decided to help the elderly woman first.
“No need, young lady. My home is just in the alley ahead; I can make it back myself. You should leave the city quickly, don't get mixed up in this!” The old woman waved her hands repeatedly, urging Lilith to leave.
Lilith watched the old woman’s receding back and the surrounding ruins.
She sighed and rubbed her temples.
“I knew it; nothing good ever happens once I come down.”
She looked toward the city center, her gaze gradually turning cold.
“Fighting over a mineral vein... I don't care about that.”
“But...”
She began to walk toward the city center at a steady pace.
“Large-scale destruction... that’s going a bit too far.”
On the other side.
“Dammit!” The light-element mage from the Blue Stream Mage Association spat out blood, struggling to stand.
The scales of battle had originally been tipping in the favor of their association, but several demons had suddenly appeared. They were powerful and had nearly wiped out the Blue Stream Mage Association.
The light-element mage looked at his fallen comrades behind him, who no longer showed any signs of life. He gritted his teeth, preparing to flee.
“Hahaha, still trying to run?” The demon laughed, gathering power in his hand.
Seeing this, the light-element mage tried to fly backward, but only then did he realize that the ground was deforming. His feet had already sunk into the earth, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Looking at the demon who had finished gathering power before him, the light-element mage closed his eyes in despair.
Rate on N.U.
