"What's this nonsense? I'm a king. A king's duty is to care for his people. What I'm doing is right, so why are you laughing, huh?!"
King Duck glared at Siegfried, who was struggling to hold back his laughter.
"How about you just stay here, Your Majesty? Leave the firefighting to ."
Unable to suppress his laughter any longer, Siegfried let out a hearty chuckle. He snatched the bucket from King Duck's hands and dashed toward Ark City, ignoring the king's indignant shouting.
.....
Around the city outskirts, players and AI citizens who had fled the inferno worked together to try and extinguish the raging black flas that devoured the city. No matter how hard they tried, the fire showed no signs of dying down. It consud everything in its path as if it would not stop until the city was reduced to ashes.
Nearly an hour passed before the black flas began to subside on their own. Smoke and the acrid stench of burning filled the air, and the area was still too hot for anyone to step foot into the ruins. Inside Ark City, there was only one spot untouched by the devastating flas. Dus, Angie, and Amata stood in the middle of it, stunned. The once-thriving city, full of buildings had been reduced to little more than a massive pile of ash. And the person responsible for it lay unconscious at the very center of the unscathed area.
"Unbelievable..."
Amata whispered. The scene around him looked like sothing out of a disaster movie.
"How could soone do this? Turning an entire city into ashes like this."
Angie's voice was filled with awe and fear as she stared at Chang Long.
"What level is Chang Long anyway? With destruction like this, she must be at least level 100. But no player in the ga has a level above 90 yet."
Dus stared at Chang Long as if she were a supernatural entity. He felt a mix of admiration and trepidation. Though her unconscious face looked like a masterpiece of art, serene and harmless, the mont she woke, she could unleash catastrophe on him with ease.
"Hey, look. There are survivors in the city. Let's ask them what happened."
AI and players, curious about the aftermath, began filtering into the devastated area. Spotting movent through the haze, they rushed toward Dus's group.
"Holy. How did you guys survive this!"
A male player, the first to reach Dus's group, asked in astonishnt.
"Uh, well. The fire didn't co our way. Yeah, we were just lucky."
Dus stamred his response.
"So the flas really ca down from the sky? It wasn't so beast sneaking attack on the city, was it?"
An AI rchant, whom Dus recognized as the local potion shop, chid in with her question.
"I'm not entirely sure. Everything happened so fast."
Dus responded while Angie tugged at his arm, nodding subtly toward Chang Long as if urging him to tell the others the truth—that the destruction had been her doing. But Dus gave her a warning glance, silencing her objections, though she still looked displeased.
"Who's that over there? She has wings and looks like she's injured."
A female player pointed toward Chang Long, who was still unconscious.
"Chang Long?"
A voice called softly in surprise as a man erged from the crowd of players and AI. His eyes widened when he saw her. Though he would never forget Chang Long, her appearance had changed once again, leaving him uncertain, especially seeing her unconscious.
"Lord Siegfried!"
Kitsune exclaid joyfully upon seeing him.
"Kitsune? What happened here?"
Siegfried asked as he approached to check on her, his expression full of concern.
"No ti to explain. We need to get her out of here as quickly as possible."
Kitsune urged anxiously.
"Alright, let's take her to King Duck's royal conservatory. I'm staying there for now."
Without another word, Siegfried gently scooped up Chang Long's unconscious body. The crowd of curious players and AI parted for him, especially after hearing him ntion King Duck. Dus and his group, unsure of what to do, decided to follow Siegfried. They did not want to stay behind and face the barrage of questions from the inquisitive onlookers.
At the Royal Conservatory
Chang Long was brought to a temporary pavilion constructed for the king, queen, and their entourage. As they exited the city, Hulu and Kitsune reverted to their original animal forms, a sight that left Angie and Amata utterly astonished. Even Dus, who already knew about their identities, could not help but feel amazed. These two were rare beasts that no other player had ever successfully tad before.
"Uh, excuse , but are we really allowed to stay in the royal grounds?"
Amata asked hesitantly, feeling out of place in such a prestigious location, reserved only for royals and their close associates.
"Oh, it's fine. I'm a guest of the king, and Chang Long knows him well."
Siegfried replied while adjusting Chang Long's sleeping position and tucking her in with care.
"A guest? As far as I know, the king doesn't usually invite guest, especially players to stay within the royal grounds."
Dus asked, puzzled.
"I'm here on a quest. Actually, if you had the Duck Crest, you could stay here and wait for quests too."
Siegfried explained as he led everyone out of the pavilion, ensuring Chang Long could rest undisturbed.
"But to get the Duck Crest, don't we have to complete an initial quest first?"
Amata remarked, holding up the item that had been the source of his conflict with Angie—the very thing that had sparked the chaos.
He displayed a bundle of clovers tied together like a bouquet. It consisted of dozens of ordinary clover leaves and small wildflowers, but the key feature was the rare four-leaf clovers within the bundle. These were incredibly difficult to obtain.
"Is that the first quest item?"
Siegfried asked with interest.
The clover bouquet was undeniably charming, perfect as a gift for soone special. Siegfried imagined giving it to soone he liked would make her face light up with joy and a smile wide enough to reach her ears. However, when it ca to Chang Long, he was not so sure if she would appreciate sothing so romantic. Given her oblivious nature, Siegfried grew increasingly frustrated. How long had it been since they first t? Their relationship had made no progress despite all the ti he had spent trying to show his feelings. Obstacles always seed to get in the way. Siegfried could only hope that this quest together would finally bring them closer—beyond just friends.
"Lord Siegfried, the King requests your presence,"
a royal attendant announced politely before excusing himself. Siegfried nodded and headed toward the grand tent, which served as a temporary throne room. Dus, Amata, and Angie exchanged uncertain glances before deciding to follow him.
"Ah, you're here!"
King Duck exclaid upon seeing Siegfried enter the makeshift throne room.
"Is sothing the matter, Your Majesty?"
Siegfried asked with his customary smile.
"I heard you found Chang Long. Where is she?"
King Duck inquired with delight. Despite the chaos that needed his attention, he was genuinely happy at the prospect of seeing his old friend Chang Long again.
"She's still unconscious. I think she overexerted herself. It might take a while before she wakes up."
Siegfried replied, his voice somber. Thinking about how much power Chang Long had to have used to knock herself out left him uneasy. Among the survivors in the city, none possessed the kind of destructive capabilities Chang Long had—turning an entire city into ashes. The most plausible suspect for such devastation was none other than Chang Long herself. Siegfried's face paled as he noticed King Duck's expression. He clenched his jaw, silently cursing himself for ntioning her excessive use of power.
"Overexerted herself, you say!"
King Duck repeated, clearly deep in thought. His stern deanor made Siegfried inadvertently hold his breath. If the king shared Siegfried's suspicions, who knew what kind of punishnt Chang Long might face?
"That's excellent. Chang Long must have fought valiantly against the invading beasts, using all her strength until she collapsed. When she wakes up, we'll have to reward her properly!"
The king's declaration left Siegfried and Dus's group, who had arrived behind him, utterly speechless, mouth agape. Dus and his companions, in particular, began questioning the king's sanity. How could he even consider rewarding soone who had turned the city into a pile of ashes?
"Your Majesty, but sh... mmph!"
Angie began to protest, startling everyone. However, Dus quickly clamped his hand over her mouth before she could finish. The sudden interruption drew everyone's attention to their group, who had not been formally invited into the throne room.
"And who are they? How did they get in here?"
King Duck asked, his curiosity piqued as soldiers began to close in around the uninvited guests to escort them out.
"Apologies, Your Majesty. We assud they were accompanying Lord Siegfried."
One of the soldiers explained respectfully before turning to his subordinates and ordering them to remove the strangers from the throne room.
"Wait a mont, please. These people know Chang Long, and it seems they've co to deliver a quest item for Queen Anna as well."
Siegfried quickly intervened as the soldiers approached Dus and his group with hostility.
"Delivering a quest for the queen?"
King Duck narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Yes, this clover bouquet is what Queen Anna tasked to find."
Amata promptly displayed the bouquet for everyone to see.
"Oh, a genuine clover bouquet! In that case, you'll receive this badge and be eligible for the next quest stage."
The royal chamberlain stepped forward, carefully placed the bouquet onto a tray, and handed a duck-shaped crest, the quest reward, to Amata.
"Now, you may rest for the ti being. Queen Anna is not here at the mont. When she returns, I'll have soone summon you to receive your next quest. Oh, Siegfried, if Chang Long wakes up in ti for dinner, let her know I'd like to share a al with my old friend."
"Understood. I'll let her know."
Siegfried bowed respectfully to the king before leaving the temporary throne room, with Dus and his group trailing behind.
"Excuse , are you Siegfried, the leader of the Pendragon Guild?"
Dus asked excitedly after they were far enough from the throne room.
"Yes, that's . Is there sothing you need?"
Siegfried replied, studying Dus with curiosity. Angie, who had been gazing at Siegfried with sparkling eyes for a while, let out a soft gasp of excitent.
"It really is you. No, nothing in particular. I just didn't expect to et you in person. You're such a celebrity, especially after claiming special territory recently."
Dus spoke with a genuine smile.
"It's not that big of a deal. But what happened in the city? You must know sothing. Why did Chang Long collapse like that?"
Siegfried worded his curiosity.
The expressions of Dus' group changed instantly. It was difficult for them to believe that everything they had witnessed was the doing of a single player. A player who dressed as if they had stepped out of a fantastical realm, who bore fused wings, emanated a terrifying killing intent, and who outwardly seed harmless—yet had reduced an entire city to ashes in an instant.
As the sun sank lower into the horizon, Siegfried lounged near the tents. He released Lycanth from his seal, letting him play with Chang Long's pets after keeping him confined in the ring for so long. Siegfried laughed heartily at the sight of the beast kings engaging in silly antics that were completely unbecoming of regal or divine creatures. While he was still laughing, a noise ca from inside the tent. He grinned and stood up, but before he could take a step, the tent collapsed before his very eyes. A cry from inside followed imdiately.
"Chang Long!"
Siegfried quickly ducked under the fallen canvas, his concern growing, while nearby soldiers rushed over to help clear the tent no one had expected to collapse.
"My head..."
A muffled voice ca from not far away. Siegfried hurriedly made his way toward it.
Chang Long lay sprawled on the ground, a wooden beam the size of an arm resting across her body. She struggled to push it off, her movents clumsy and sluggish. One hand clutched her forehead, and tears brimd at the corners of her eyes. Siegfried crawled over to her, concern etched on his face. Gently, he reached out to touch her arm. When she turned to et his gaze, he found himself frozen, unsure of what to do.
"Sieg, what's wrong?"
Chang Long asked, puzzled by his sudden silence. Wiping her tears away with her free hand, she glanced around, searching for a way out of the ss.
"Uh, I an... are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"My head, I don't know if it's cracked or not. That beam fell right on ."
She replied.
"Should I check it for you?"
Siegfried asked, moving closer. He gently took her hand away from her forehead to examine the injury.
For so inexplicable reason, Chang Long's heart began to race. She averted her gaze, unable to look at the handso face that was now re inches from her own.
"H... how is it? Is it cracked?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Uh... no, not cracked, but..."
Siegfried hesitated, startled by his own thoughts. If Chang Long had not spoken up, he might have leaned down and kissed the small bump on her forehead without even realizing it.
"But what? It hurts a lot. Are you sure it's not cracked?"
"No, it's not cracked, but... it's swollen into a bump the size of an orange."
He answered softly.
"An orange!"
Chang Long turned to him, her face filled with astonishnt.
"Yes, an orange,"
Siegfried replied, unable to suppress a small smile.
-----
Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
User Comments
0 comments from readers