Hannah

Hannah waited anxiously.

Having fooled the guards by using her status as a young lady, she quietly left the manor and went to her usual spot with Knight Glenn after nightfall.

The eldest daughter of the Good Family waited anxiously for Glen, her heart filled with both anticipation and frustration.

She felt that Glen had probably come to take her away. Something must have happened during that night's chase, making the proud knight Glen realize the true nature of the Joker. That's why he dared not return to the Glittering Sand Manor, dared not continue to oppose this Joker, but he still loved her, and therefore wanted to take her away...

Yes, leave, leave together, leave Glittering Sand, hide our identities, as long as we stay far away, that Joker will definitely not find us... that must be it.

The thought filled her with both joy and excitement.

Finally, I can get rid of that Joker.

Escape that ugly nightmare, escape that terrible demon, and stop living in fear.

But this feeling of excitement and joy did not last long.

She waited there, the cold night wind blowing. After the initial joy, she huddled up, gazing at the brightly lit manor in the distance, a strange feeling welling up in her heart.

Escaping Glittering Sand meant bidding farewell to her life of luxury as a young lady. With only some jewelry and gold coins, how long could she last? And how could she find a new source of income to maintain her previous standard of living? She would probably have to rely on Glen, to have him become a knight of another noble family to support her...

Or, I could find a wealthy and noble aristocrat, and then...

The thought of having to lower herself and fawn over everyone in the future filled Hannah with resentment and resistance. At home, she didn't have to do that. She didn't have to please anyone or do anything. She was the noble and respected Glittering Sand. Her servants revered her, her knights fawned over her, and the commoners of the territory regarded her as an inviolable goddess. But now, she was about to lose all of that.

It's all that wretched Joker's fault!

It's all my fault for having such a useless father!

At that moment, a thought suddenly popped into her mind.

What if Father could really kill that Cathayan?

If that's really the case, then I wouldn't need to run away from home...

He and the mage Richard were guarding this place, his elder brother would return soon, along with more mercenaries, and even reinforcements sent by His Highness the Crown Prince. Could all of them, together, kill that Cathayan?

It should be possible!

My father was confident too!

So, did I scare him too much?

The manor is so well guarded, and the Joker has never dared to come over, so why did I run out? Maybe he saw there was no way to get out and ran away when things got bad!

A gust of cold wind blew, and Hannah's previously chaotic thoughts, caused by her nervousness, gradually cleared up.

She gradually came to understand her situation.

Cold sweat broke out.

Why... did I run away?

The manor was clearly the safest place... so why did I run away?

She gazed at the rose in her hand, its petals so vibrant, its stem so alluring. It seemed that when she took the rose from the wine cabinet, her mind had become somewhat confused. She thought of Knight Glenn's usual attentiveness and care, his sweet words, his deep affection. Moved by his sincerity and devotion, she decided to elope with him and go with him...

Why would I think that?

She hurriedly threw the rose on the ground.

Hannah decided to go home immediately.

Let Glen die! I refuse to go with that crazy, obsequious knight! I refuse to live a dishonorable life! I want to go home! Home is the safest place!

She turned and was about to run back.

But the next moment, the world instantly shone brightly.

In the direction of the distant manor, a brilliant light rose up, like a volcanic eruption, with countless burning torrents shooting into the sky and spreading wildly in all directions.

A terrifying shockwave swept in like a tidal wave.

The earth trembled, the world roared, the sky burned, and the apocalyptic torrent ravaged the entire Glittering Sand.

She was so frightened that she fell to the ground. Luckily, there were huge rocks nearby that she wasn't blown away. Hannah stared at the scene in disbelief, listening to the earth-shattering roar, her mind blank.

She had heard her brother, who had seen the world in the capital, describe true power to her.

Magicians, spellcasters, manipulating elements, influencing nature, changing the world—these were not the low-level mages she had seen who could only cast fireballs and ice spikes, but true spellcasters. Their spells were powerful enough to tear the sky apart, powerful enough to shake the earth, capable of creating towering waves at sea, summoning super hurricanes on land, and destroying a city with a torrent of Flame.

She once thought her brother had exaggerated the power of those sorcerers.

But now she sees it.

The terrifying force and the dazzling flames were like the powerful spellcaster my brother had described, who had unleashed a devastating meteorite here.

She collapsed to the ground, powerless.

Faced with this vast and terrifying power, humanity loses even the right to think.

I wasn't thinking about anything, and I couldn't think about anything.

My mind went blank, and I even forgot to get up.

Just watching, watching, watching all of this happen.

A while later...

She heard footsteps.

Is it... is it Glen?

The figure made her eyes brighten.

She turned her head.

Then, they were enveloped by boundless fear.

"Oh, Miss Hannah, what a coincidence! Are you watching the fireworks too?"

The speaker's voice was polite, filled with surprise and joy.

But Hannah's body trembled uncontrollably.

The Joker walked towards her.

Behind him, in the distance, the light and flames burned fiercely, like a stage set.

Hannah knew that all of this was probably caused by the Cathayan in front of her.

Why.

Why.

He was clearly a Joker, a Cathayan knew no martial arts, and a lowly commoner with no knowledge, manners, or etiquette.

How did he do it?

The intense shock and fear gripped Hannah's throat.

Lying on the ground, she tried to back away, to crawl, to escape the terrifying Joker, but she couldn't move. She had poison in her arms, but she couldn't move a single finger.

"Ah, Miss Hannah, it seems the person you've been waiting for isn't me."

Kang De said, "So, you're waiting for Glen?"

Glen, yes, Glen.

A strong sense of hope flashed in Hannah's eyes.

Glen, where are you? Where are you?

She had never missed, longed for, or yearned for Knight Glenn as much as she did now.

It was Knight Glenn who lured her here; he wanted to protect her, he wanted to take her away.

If Knight Glenn were to appear now, defeat the Cathayan, and protect her, Hannah vowed that she would marry Glen and love him with all her heart.

She looked left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of that figure.

"Knight Glenn isn't coming."

Kang De smiled.

He winked, a sly smile spreading across his face. "That rose, I secretly put it in your house when I went there. The place you met him, the code, even the time—all of that was told to me by Knight Glenn. He wanted to use it to save his life, and I agreed. So he won't be coming. Knight Glenn has already run far, far away, my dear Green Tea Miss."

Hannah's expression froze.

She felt as if a fire had exploded in her mind.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. When her only hope shattered, her disappointment instantly turned into boundless resentment. She screamed and uttered a vicious curse that was utterly incongruous with her noble and beautiful appearance.

Glenn

She screamed, howled, cursed, and hated.

Kang De watched her performance quietly, or rather, he appreciated it all.

Cool.

That was awesome!

That's exactly what I wanted to see.

I also hope Glen can see this.

Seeing this sycophant trying to take the blame even after he's dead.

Hannah cursed and insulted fiercely until her anger subsided slightly.

She then realized her current situation.

She was panting as she looked at Kang De.

Kang De looked at him too, his expression perfectly calm.

Hannah's expression shifted from hatred to fear, from fear to appeasement, and from appeasement to fawning.

"Mr. Kang De..."

She adopted a pitiful expression, even unconsciously twisting her body to reveal her figure, and pleaded, "I'm sorry, I was wrong, I'm willing to admit my mistake, I'm willing to make amends, I'm willing to be your slave, as long as you don't kill me, you can punish me in any way you like..."

A mocking smile appeared on Kang De's lips.

Looking at that smile, Hannah's fear intensified. She cried out, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm still useful! I know a lot! That's right! That's right! My older brother hasn't come back yet! I can help you deal with him! As long as you don't hurt me, I'll do anything!"

Kang De nodded upon hearing this. "My little darling, you're incredibly clever. I do need to prepare a grand welcoming ceremony for your older brother, and that requires your help..."

Hannah's eyes lit up with boundless joy.

Extreme fear and a desperate desire to live were enough to make her pay any price.

What does family ties matter?

She repeatedly said, "No problem! No problem! I'll do whatever you ask! Whether it's poisoning him or ambushing him, I'll do it, as long as you give me a chance! As long as you give me a chance!"

"Shh..."

Kang De put his finger to his lips. "Don't be afraid, don't rush..."

Familiar words.

I've said it twice already.

They were let off the hook every time.

It's the same this time.

Even just letting it go for now would be better.

Hannah shut her mouth, her face shining with surprise.

Kang De spread his arms, stepped back with his right foot, and bowed deeply to Miss Goode in front of him amidst endless flames, like Joker on stage thanking his audience.

Maintaining his bowed posture, Kang De raised his head and smiled gently at Hannah.

He said.

"Now you..."

Hannah's expression shifted from surprise to blankness, from blankness to terror, and from terror to despair.

Unable to contain herself, she let out a mournful cry filled with endless despair.

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PS1: Chapter 1, 3000 words!

PS2: I originally planned to write this as a long chapter, but I had to go to the company this afternoon, so it's split up. The next update will be tonight. Damn, I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm a bit irritable...

PS3: You can guess how Hannah dies—of course, don't make any overly grotesque, gory, or low-brow guesses; Mr. Kang De is a tasteful Avenger.