Chương 149: Someone Is Trying to Steal the Wedding

The long, melodious chimes of the bells echoed in my ears.

Shane and Frilian stood in the center of the golden dance floor, looking at the people on the red carpet.

The music stopped.

Lyleen, Falshu, Zain, Philen, El.

Several people, each holding a staff, stood in a circle around the person in the center.

A terrifying magical energy surged in the air, and everyone held their magic in their hands, ready to unleash it.

Exclamations erupted throughout the banquet hall as everyone scrambled to get out of the way.

The entire hall instantly descended into chaos.

Some people were pushed down and trampled, some were scattered and cried in fear, and some were cut by flying blades that appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground.

In the chaos, the group faced off against each other, none of them paying any attention to anything else.

They only have eyes for their opponents.

"Huh?"'

The figure on the red carpet let out a sweet moan, then covered her mouth and giggled twice.

"I thought you would go and help the people first."

"That's strange."

"Aren't you adventurers?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En gave a disdainful smile.

"Stop with the moral blackmail. Aren't they your subjects? If anyone should be saving them, it should be you—Grand Mage Minus."

"Minus—it's been so long since I've heard anyone call me so disrespectfully—" In the center of the red carpet, a seemingly innocent flower girl had a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

immediately.

Her figure lengthened and grew taller, transforming into the likeness of the portrait of [Great Magician Minus], and the flower basket in her hand instantly turned into a staff entwined with flower vines.

Clang! The staff struck the ground.

A ring of pale golden magical ripples emanated from the staff handle and spread outwards.

Golden leaves are faintly swirling within the ripples.

Like waves.

Wherever they went, the panicked people disappeared one by one.

The banquet hall suddenly became empty.

Only the others and Minus remained.

Minus looked at Shane and Frilian and shook her head regretfully.

"It's a pity that the prince and princess couldn't live happily ever after this time. This is the ending I've been waiting for."

"But it's okay, the script can be revised again soon."

As she spoke, Minus turned her gaze to the terrace of the banquet hall, looking out at the Golden Tree, where only a faint glow remained on the treetops, its light about to fade.

She touched her lips with her finger, revealing a confident and radiant smile, her light blue eyes blazing with intense anticipation.

"This time I will get rid of all the troublesome 'irrelevant people,' and it will definitely be a good ending."

Looking at the confident Minus, Shane and Falshue exchanged a glance.

Both of them gave each other enigmatic smiles.

time flies.

One second, two seconds, three seconds — Half a minute passed.

An eerie silence fell over the entire banquet hall.

Minus's confident smile froze on her face, her lips twitched slightly, and she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She looked out the window again.

The Golden Tree, which had been emitting only a faint glow and was about to disappear into the darkness in a few seconds, is still shining, showing no sign of going out.

This is impossible!

The expectation in Minus's eyes was replaced by astonishment. She looked at Shane in disbelief, "You guys did this, didn't you! What did you do—" Xia En smiled.

He didn't speak.

Falshu adjusted his glasses and spoke up, "It was just a little fog magic that interfered with cognition on the terrace."

"I initially thought it wouldn't work, but now it seems Shane was right. Someone who's solely focused on a perfect ending wouldn't notice something as trivial as the [Night Fog]."

"7 With a wave of her staff, Minus dispelled the wisp of night mist that had been lingering on the terrace.

There was no golden tree about to go out; it was clearly a gleaming golden tree, still half-lit.

The elven girl's chest heaved slightly, and anger surged across her face.

Frilian stood beside Shane, looking down at Minus.

"You're trying to fool us by using the lives of the people as bargaining chips, so naturally we'll retaliate."

Shane glanced at Frillie.

The white-haired elf's face was calm, but Shane knew she was angry.

Shaun hates those guys who like to make puppets.

Because he almost became a gruesome experimental puppet— Frillie despises those who like to use other people's lives as bargaining chips.

Because when they destroyed elven villages, the demons preferred to use the lives of ordinary people to coerce elven mages into laying down their staffs.

"you----" Minus's beautiful face contorted slightly.

"Shouldn't heroes be upright and gentle people? Why are you all so insidious?!"

Shaun remained unmoved by Minus's accusations.

"Excuse me, I am the [Sage]."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a kunai shuriken shot out from Xia En's hand toward Minus's face.

Minus neither dodged nor evaded, her staff remaining still; with sheer willpower, a shield of light formed by [Defensive Magic] appeared before her.

bite- The shuriken struck the magic shield and fell to the ground.

Minus curled the corners of her lips into a smile.

"A mere trifle."

However, something unexpected happened: as the sword fell from her hand, a blinding light shone, illuminating the entire banquet hall in white.

"ah-" Minus was blinded.

At the same time, Zain's [Thorn Magic] and Falsh's [Shadow Chains] were unleashed simultaneously.

Minus was instantly bound like a dumpling.

The staff fell to the ground.

He was lifted up.

"You—you all—" Minus closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and struggled to resist the pain of being blinded.

"mean!"

Xia En didn't care about the impotent rage of the prisoner at all; such harmless words were practically nonsense.

"How do you leave here? Should you tell us yourself, or should we tell you for you?"

"Don't even think about it!"

"I see—" As Shane spoke, the Shadow Chains slowly tightened, and the elven girl let out a painful moan.

But Minus gritted her teeth and didn't say a word.

Xia En clicked his tongue.

Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a tough nut to crack.

"I know you want to stall until the golden tree's light goes out, and then you can reset everything here at midnight."

"But do you really think we won't kill you?"

The Shadow Chains tightened suddenly, almost constricting Minus's flesh, and blood seeped faintly from the elven girl's arm.

Minus finally sensed the determination of Shane and the others.

His previous composure vanished.

The girl looked up at Xia En and said, "Okay, I'll tell you—come closer and I'll tell you."

Xia En smiled.

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

After saying that, he even took a step back.

He proudly raised his chin.

The meaning is clear: trying to outsmart me? No way.

did not expect.

Seeing Shane's actions, Minus smiled as well.

"Of course I know you're not a three-year-old. You're a sage, very cunning, so I set a trap behind you."

Swoosh, Xia En disappeared.

Everyone was shocked.

Frilian brandished her staff, unleashing a solid beam of magic.

boom- The beam of light pierced through the floor of the hall.

But Minus had already turned into a pile of golden leaves and disappeared from the spot.

Only the leaves, stirred up by the magical impact, remained, fluttering and swirling.

A long, drawn-out chime echoed throughout Rivendell.

outside the city.

on the ridge.

Beneath the giant tree radiating golden light, at the very moment the bell rang, two figures appeared: a man and a woman.

The girl, wearing a long, flowing gold dress, smiled and took the boy's arm.

"I told you, this story will have a happy ending."

There is a golden tree in Ravendale.

She is the ruler of the city, the great mage Minus, who brought her from the homeland of the elves and planted her with her own hands.

But for some reason, the saplings that left their hometown could not grow normally no matter how carefully they were nurtured.

Day after day, year after year — The golden tree will remain exactly as it was when it was planted.

Minus was very distressed by this.

Don't you want to grow up?

The innocent elf, resting his chin on his hand, squatted in front of the sapling and talked to himself.

Shaun stared at the scene before him, trying to move his body, but to no avail. He had become a floating object on the [Golden Tree].

The [spirit behind] on top.

The scene had a strange, déjà vu feel to it, exactly the same as when he was forced to witness the past of [The Mad Sage, Charles] — in front of you.

Minus began collecting many books on plant cultivation, seeking advice from farmers on planting techniques, and even composting fertilizer for the golden tree herself.

After all that fuss, the already weak sapling was almost completely destroyed.

Minus was a little discouraged.

"Does it require some kind of catalyst?"

The elven girl was confused.

one day.

While studying planting, Minus also learned how to build thatched huts.

From then on, she no longer had to sleep on the grass; she owned her own house and successfully achieved the goal of living alone.

the first step.

She shared this joy with the sapling.

To my surprise, the sapling seemed to have grown a little taller.

The clever elf girl immediately began to wonder if her tree would grow a little bigger if she did.

Thus, the elf girl began her grand exploration of "life".

During those long and lonely years, she learned to grow fruits and vegetables, raise chickens and ducks, and make friends with travelers.

Gradually, people settled here, and a small village was established.

The golden tree has grown a little taller.

The small village became a town, the town became a metropolis, time passed quickly, and the name Rivendell began to be sung by bards.

Elves, humans, dwarves—people of all races live freely and harmoniously in Rivendell.

The once innocent elf girl has become a powerful magician who dominates the city.

People admired her and loved her.

The tiny sapling has grown into a towering tree that blocks out the sky.

one day.

A handsome human boy fainted from hunger at the city gate.

Minus took him in.

From then on, the boy lived in Rivendell.

He displayed unparalleled magical talent and successfully became Minus's prized disciple.

The two were inseparable, either studying magic books together, helping the dwarves experiment with new inventions, or helping the residents solve everyday problems such as hens not laying eggs or cabbages being eaten by insects.

People loved this boy as much as they loved Minus.

In their tenth year together, the naive boy had grown into an outstanding and composed young man. Under the golden tree, the former boy proposed to Minus.

Everyone was cheering.

People have been waiting for this moment for far too long.

This seems to be the happy ending that everyone had already anticipated.

but.

For some reason, Minus did not agree.

In the gentle spring breeze, the branches and leaves of the golden tree swayed softly, making a rustling sound.

Xia En frowned slightly, looking at the scene before him, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

The boy stood under the tree for a very long time.

The next morning, before the city had even woken up, the boy left Rivendell.

Life without a teenager is less fun, but it's not much different from usual.

Minus continued to live a leisurely life of planting trees, reading books, and raising chickens.

People gradually forgot that there was once a boy who always followed Minus with a smile, serving her tea and water, holding an umbrella and swatting flies; the two were once inseparable.

the strange thing is.

One day, everyone suddenly noticed that Minus had started sitting under the golden tree in a daze.

The once carefree elf gradually became silent and taciturn.

Later, when the name of Rivendell spread throughout the continent, Minus suddenly left the city and was not heard from for two hundred years.

Even without Minus, the city remained as peaceful and serene as ever.

People work at sunset and rest at sunset; life goes on.

Until disaster struck.

Xia En floated above the city, watching as Minus, who had been missing for two hundred years, returned on the day of the [Anniversary] celebration two thousand eight hundred years ago.

The elven girl mercilessly slaughtered the city.

She burned the homeland she had built with her own hands to the ground, and filled all her worshipping and revering people into the sacrificial magic circle.

Rivendell was reduced to a mountain of corpses and a sea of fire.

In the fierce wind, the branches and leaves of the golden tree swayed wildly, emitting a mournful, mournful sound.

Minus stood under the tree, talking to herself: "I can't feel guilty now. This is the path I chose. Everything was to get what I wanted. I can't feel guilty, and I don't need to—" A massive, blood-red magic circle was completed.

The immense and terrifying magical power tore through time and space.

A young boy appeared above the sea of blood.

The familiar figure struck Minus's heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

The girl stumbled down the ridge and came to the boy. The familiar face and features were right in front of her. She reached out her hand, wanting to touch him, but hesitated just before she could.

The boy slowly opened his eyes.

The two looked at each other.

Just then, a sharp, silvery flash appeared, and Minus looked down as a broken sword pierced her chest.

The broken sword came from the ground, from a city guard who died at her hands.

It is currently held in the boy's hand.

"Why—I thought you'd be happy to see me—" The boy remained silent.

His gaze toward Minus was calm and indifferent.

"madness."

These were probably the last two words Minus heard.

A fierce wind howled, breaking the branches of the golden tree. The wind blew across the broken ends, leaving no sound.

A blinding golden light, carrying a world-destroying aura, instantly annihilated everything.

The entire city of Rivendell has vanished.

Xia En opened his eyes.

To detach from the flood of memories.

Looking at the elven girl holding his hand in front of him.

She glanced again at the Golden Tree radiating a soft glow in front of the two of them, sighed softly, and a hint of sympathy appeared in her eyes.

"Stop, Minus."

"No, perhaps I should call you 'Golden Tree'?"

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