After the sun rose the next morning, I got to my feet and lazily continued my journey toward crayanKingdom.
By the time the sun had been beating down on my skin for hours, I had practically gone tan.
Meanwhile, Ella kept complaining like his life depended on it, whining about his skin getting darker.
Eventually, we arrived at the gates of crayanKingdom.
Several guards stood watch at the entrance, carefully monitoring everyone who entered and left.
I frowned.
Mortals.
Annoying mortals.
I had no desire to deal with them.
Without another thought, I turned around and headed toward the city wall instead.
I planned to simply fly over the wall and enter the kingdom without anyone noticing.
Just as I was about to do so, the system panicked.
"No, Young Hero!"
"A hero shouldn’t climb over the city wall like a villain!"
"You’re a hero, not a villain."
"You should enter through the front gate like everyone else."
"Not by jumping over the fence."
I rolled my eyes.
"What is wrong with this system?"
"Do all hero systems enjoy making life difficult for their heroes?"
"You should be grateful that I’m willingly helping you complete your missions."
"And now you’re making things even more complicated by stopping me from taking the easiest route."
"Young Hero, you must behave like a hero."
"You shouldn’t do the things villains do."
I hissed in annoyance.
"There are city guards standing at the gate."
"How am I supposed to walk past them with this stupid system breathing down my neck?"
"How do I know these guards have nothing to do with my enemies?"
"What if they’re connected to those immortals?"
If someone recognized me...
Well...
Many years had already passed.
Perhaps these mortals no longer remembered me.
But what if they did?
What if someone recognized me before I regained my full strength?
I’d be captured before I had the chance to destroy those bastards.
And now I had another headache.
Ella.
I glanced at him.
Then, suddenly, an idea came to mind.
A slow smile spread across my face.
I grabbed Ella’s wrist and dragged him straight toward the city gate.
The guards immediately crossed their spears, stopping us.
"Halt."
"Where are your entry passes?"
"Oh..."
"We don’t have any passes."
I smiled warmly.
"My daughter and I have traveled here because she’s always dreamed of visiting crayanKingdom."
"She’s heard so many wonderful stories about this place."
"In fact, she even hopes to marry someone from this kingdom someday."
"So I decided to bring her here."
"Perhaps I’ll even find myself a good son-in-law while we’re here."
The moment I finished speaking, Ella began coughing violently.
I gently patted his back before smiling apologetically at the guards.
"Don’t mind my daughter."
"She caught a cold during our journey."
"The weather has been rather harsh on her."
"I’m sorry we don’t have entry passes."
"But..."
"I was wondering..."
"Would there happen to be another way for us to enter the city?"
The guards exchanged sly glances before looking back at me.
"Of course."
"There are other ways."
"We accept anything valuable."
"Gems."
"Gold."
"Anything with enough value."
I laughed softly.
Pretending to reach into the pouch at my waist, I secretly took two sparkling gems from my storage ring instead.
I held them out with both hands.
"Oh..."
"You two are truly kind, sirs."
"These are the only valuables we have."
"Will they be enough?"
The guards’ eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, they snatched the gems from my hands.
"Enough?"
"They’re more than enough!"
"You may enter."
Then one of the guards looked at Ella and grinned.
"And about finding a husband for your daughter..."
"You could always consider me."
Ella forced an awkward smile.
I laughed politely.
"Certainly."
"If my daughter falls in love with you, we’ll definitely consider it."
"Thank you for your generosity."
With that, I quickly grabbed Ella and hurried through the city gates before the guards could say anything else.
As soon as we entered crayanKingdom, I looked around.
The kingdom was vast.
People filled the streets, walking back and forth as merchants called out from their stalls.
The city looked lively.
But...
Something about it felt off.
Just then, the system’s voice rang inside my head.
Danger Alert!
Young Hero, someone is in danger. Save them, and you’ll earn points.
Wow.
I couldn’t believe that the moment we stepped into the city, the system had already found our first mission.
I folded my arms across my chest, pretending I hadn’t heard the notification.
"Young Hero!"
"Someone is in danger."
"A widow is about to be stoned to death."
That finally caught my interest.
I turned toward the commotion.
A large crowd had gathered around a woman who had been tied up with ropes.
She knelt on the ground, dressed in a torn black robe.
Her clothes were ripped in several places.
Blood stained the fabric, and scratches covered her body.
Her white hair was tied into a neat bun.
A widow...
Being stoned to death.
"Adulteress!"
"Adulteress!"
"You committed adultery!"
"You deserve to be stoned to death!"
"You deserve to die!"
The crowd shouted over and over, hurling stones at the widow.
Tears streamed down her face.
"No!"
"I didn’t commit adultery!"
"My husband has been dead for over a decade!"
"Just because a young man has been helping me with my housework, you’re accusing me of cheating?"
"What kind of justice is this?"
"You all just want my blood!"
"This is a conspiracy against me!"
"Someone wants me dead!"
I quietly observed the scene.
It would be interesting to watch a mortal die.
I wasn’t interested in her story.
I simply wanted to see how it would end.
Would this be where her life ended?
Or would someone appear to save her?
Just like the stories my demon servants used to bring me for entertainment.
As I continued watching, my gaze suddenly shifted.
My eyes landed on the silver hairpin tucked into her hair.
A purple gemstone was embedded in it.
Delicate chains hung from the end of the hairpin, each one decorated with tiny bells that gently rang with every movement.
My eyes narrowed.
That hairpin...
I could sense an aura from it.
A powerful aura.
An aura that felt incredibly familiar.
It belonged to me.
My expression immediately turned cold.
I clenched my fist.
Why would a mere mortal possess something infused with my energy?
I needed that hairpin.
No matter what.
I had to take it from her.
But I couldn’t simply steal it.
Not while the system was watching.
Anything too suspicious would only make it think I was acting like a villain again.
I clicked my tongue.
It seemed there was only one option left.
I’d have to get rid of everyone surrounding her first.
Only then would I be able to take the hairpin.
I grabbed a wide-brimmed hat and a mask from a nearby stall.
Well...
"Grabbed" wasn’t exactly the right word.
I stole them.
A plan quickly formed in my mind.
First, I’d get the woman away from the crowd.
Then I’d take the hairpin from her.
Simple.
I put on the hat and mask.
Then I slowly floated into the air.
Hovering high above the crowd, where every mortal throwing stones at the widow could clearly see me, I raised my voice.
"I am the messenger of God!"
"God has sent me to pass judgment upon all of you."
"You are persecuting an innocent woman."
"If you do not stop what you are doing..."
"I am afraid great misfortune will descend upon this kingdom."
"The heavens themselves will curse this land."
"So listen carefully."
"If none of you leave by the count of three..."
"I shall personally punish every one of you."
As I spoke, I released a portion of my aura.
A powerful gust of wind swept through the marketplace.
Fruit stalls overturned.
Tables flipped into the air.
Dust and debris swirled around the terrified crowd.
Just as I expected...
The people screamed in fear.
"The Messenger of God!"
"The Messenger of God has come!"
"We’ve been accusing an innocent woman!"
"Run!"
Everyone scattered in panic, fleeing the square in every direction.
When the last of them had disappeared, I slowly descended from the sky.
I walked toward the widow.
"Young woman."
"You have been falsely accused."
"I have come to set you free from those who wished to harm you."
As I spoke, I reached toward her hair.
With a smooth motion, I removed the silver hairpin and quietly slipped it into my sleeve.
"I’ll consider this..."
"My payment for saving you."
Without wasting another second, I turned to leave.
I already knew I had released enough of my aura for certain people to notice my arrival.
Remaining here any longer would only attract trouble.
But before I could take more than a few steps—
"Stop right there!"
A powerful voice thundered from behind me.
I stopped.
The overwhelming pressure of an Immortal Cultivator swept across the street, causing the air itself to grow heavy.