The First Switch

The threat to the village had been eliminated, and a happy life was beckoning them. Faced with this bright future within reach, the villagers celebrated with all their might. As both the protagonist and an observer of the feast, Sordil smiled sincerely as he watched the smiles on their faces.

However, despite the laughter, Old Suo wouldn't forget the important business at hand.

"Village Chief, please!"

"Please!"

After finishing the red wine in his glass, Old Suo placed the glass on the table and then glanced around the room.

"Village Chief, it's been a long time since the village has been this lively, hasn't it?"

"Yes! Ever since that guy came, our village has lost its source of income, and life has become very difficult. We can barely afford our daily expenses, so we have no mood to organize any activities. Therefore, when we heard that the monster had been defeated and the village was going to hold a celebration, everyone ran out to celebrate!"

"Has everyone come out?"

"Um!"

Seeing the Village Chief nod, Old Suo scanned the meeting place again and asked, "Village Chief, are you sure you're not mistaken? Everyone in the village has really come out?"

The Village Chief rubbed his drunken eyes, scanned the area carefully, and then slapped his forehead, saying, "Oh! I remember now, Cornelia is seriously ill, so her family didn't come."

"I see!"

After speaking, Old Suo fell silent, intently watching the performance below.

"Huh? Why isn't this little guy asking anymore?" (The Village Chief's inner monologue)

Although the Village Chief intended to tell the person in front of him about Cornelia's fakery and then ask him to send little Kana to Fairy Tail, he couldn't say it directly since the other party wouldn't speak. Therefore, he could only sit upright and accompany the other party to enjoy the song and dance, and taste the food and wine.

Haha! Although the Village Chief is experienced, he is, after all, a local and doesn't know that in Old Suo's past life, there was a saying, "The drunkard's heart is not in the wine."

That's right! While Old Suo may appear to be enjoying the song and dance and the banquet, he's actually using the Poison Dragon's listening ability to search the village, confirm the target's location, and prepare for his next move. As for why he's doing this... hehe! You'll find out as you watch!

After a night of revelry, the banquet finally came to an end, and the villagers returned to their homes, while Old Suo was invited to stay at the Village Chief's house.

"Thought Body Condensation"

"Buzz!"

After leaving another version of himself in the room, Old Suo transformed into a black bird and flew towards the previously marked location.

"Kana!"

Hearing her mother's weak call, Kana, who was by the bedside, quickly grasped her mother's withered hand.

"Mother, I'm here!"

Feeling the warmth from her palm, the pale-faced Cornelia took a couple of breaths, then said weakly, "Kana... listen to me, I left you a letter with Grandpa Village Chief. If I... go to Grandpa Village Chief and have him read the letter to you, then you'll know... what to do next!"

Upon hearing her mother's words, little Kana gripped her mother's hand tightly, and at the same time, a string of bright tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.

"Tick-tock"

Feeling the warmth on the back of her hand, Cornelia forced a smile and used all her strength to place her left palm on her daughter's head.

"Sweetie! Don't cry, soon you'll... you'll be able to see your dad!"

"No! I don't want Dad, I just want Mom to live a good life!"

Seeing her daughter shaking her head incessantly, Cornelia said gently, "Kana, don't cry. Your mother will never leave you. I just want to become the brightest star in the sky and protect you forever!"

"Mother!"

As the shouts subsided, Kana threw herself into her mother's arms, nestling tightly against the chest that was losing its warmth.

Just as the mother and daughter were saying their tearful goodbyes, an uninvited bird was perched on the roof, spying on the deeply moving scene below.

"Phew! At least I made it in time!"

After expressing his feelings, Old Suo immediately flicked a ball of blue-purple light, enveloped in healing energy, into Cornelia's body.

"Call out!"

The blue-purple light silently entered Cornelia's body and then lay dormant as if nothing had happened.

The moment the blue-purple light finished its stealth, Cornelia's left hand, which was placed on Kana's head, and Kana's right hand, which was clenched in her palm, both fell limply to their sides.

"Mother!"

Seeing this, Kana's pink cheeks, from which pearls were sliding down, suddenly snapped open, followed by a hysterical scream of pain. The cold-blooded black bird, having witnessed everything, not only didn't go in to comfort poor Kana, but instead flapped its wings and flew away.

The slightly noisy night passed quickly, and then a hopeful tomorrow arrived in this world.

After covering her mother's body with a white sheet, Kana went to the Village Chief's house, following her mother's dying wish. This was partly to retrieve the letter that belonged to her, to find out her father's whereabouts and her future path, and partly to ask the Village Chief for help with her mother's funeral arrangements.

"Knock knock"

"Knock knock"

"Grandpa Village Chief, open the door quickly! It's me, Kana!"

Upon hearing the knocking, the Village Chief, who had just gotten up, hurriedly ran to the door and opened the courtyard gate.

Seeing Kana with tear stains on her face, the Village Chief asked with concern, "Kana, what happened? Why are you crying?"

Upon hearing the Village Chief's words, Kana threw herself into his arms and cried out, "Grandpa Village Chief, my mother... my mother has passed away!"

"What? When did this happen?"

"Last night!"

"Kana, wait here for me. I'll go and inform the villagers, and then we'll go back to your house to help with your mother's funeral arrangements."

As soon as the Village Chief finished speaking, Kana stopped sobbing and nodded.

After taking Kana to her room and instructing his wife to take good care of her, he left home to gather the villagers.

So... what is Lazy God doing right now? It's simple! While Kana was at the Village Chief's house, he sneaked in and carried out his plan to switch the Kana and pillars.

"I need to get Cornelia away quickly, otherwise all my efforts will have been in vain!"

But right after he finished making the fake Cornelia and picked up the real Cornelia, he suddenly fell into a daze.

"Damn it! We can't store living beings in the storage space, what should we do?"

As he carried Cornelia around for the fourth time, a flash of inspiration struck him, and his mind clicked.

"Oh dear! How stupid of me! I should have just taken her back to Philiers!"

After saying that, Old Suo immediately activated the Teleportation Array, sending himself and Cornelia to Philiers.

Philiers, the King's Bedchamber

Back in his room, Old Suo quickly settled Cornelia in place and then began the rescue efforts.

"Time Capsule activated!"

As Old Suo finished speaking, a blue-purple light was released from Cornelia's body. The next second, Cornelia, who had already turned into a corpse, suddenly moved a finger.

When the blue-purple light disappeared, Cornelia's heartbeat, which had stopped, started again, and her face regained some color.

"Uh-huh!"

The moment the nasal sound rang out, Cornelia's eyelids, which had been tightly closed for so long, slowly opened, and she returned to the world of light. If Kana were here, she would have noticed that Cornelia looked exactly the same as when she tearfully parted ways with her the previous night.

Where am I?

"It's not time to talk yet. Once you're fully recovered, I'll tell you whatever you want to know!"

Hearing the sound coming from the foot of the bed, Cornelia realized that she was not at home and that there was a silver-haired boy beside her.

Although she desperately wanted to know who the other person was and where she was, after much deliberation, she decided to follow their instructions. After all, if she could truly recover her health, she would have plenty of time to figure everything out.

The moment the room quieted down, the turquoise healing magic encased in the blue-purple sphere of light began to take effect.

"Buzz!"

As the healing magic circulated, Cornelia's complexion gradually became rosy, and at the same time, her withered hands and feet gradually became fuller and shinier.

The emerald light quickly faded, but Cornelia was still far from fully recovered. Seeing this, Old Suo, who was waiting nearby, frowned and said, "Ordinary Healing Magic really won't do!"

After he finished speaking, Old Suo hurriedly closed his eyes and connected with the Source of Beginninglessness within his body.

"Buzz!"

A moment later, a ball of deep green light appeared in Old Suo's hand, and after being illuminated by it, Cornelia's condition recovered at a visible speed.

Five or six minutes later, the beautiful young woman with a rosy complexion slowly sat up from the bed, while the silver-haired boy who was guarding the foot of the bed was pale and panting heavily, slumped on the ground.

Are you alright?

Upon hearing the beautiful young woman's question, the silver-haired boy shook his head.

"Phew... I'm fine, I just need to rest!"

"Oh!"

As she spoke, the beautiful young woman nodded, then sat quietly on the bed, waiting for the young man to open his eyes again.

A quarter of an hour later, the silver-haired boy slowly opened his eyes. At that moment, the beautiful young woman asked impatiently, "Where is this? Who are you? Why am I still alive?"

Upon hearing the beautiful young woman's three-part response, the silver-haired youth took a deep breath and slowly said, "This is the royal palace of the Erus Empire. I am the emperor of the Erus Empire. As for why you are still alive..."

"Bang!"

At this critical moment, the door suddenly shattered, and then a beautiful young woman carrying a forty-meter-long broadsword (the kind with red glowing eyes) and a girl wielding a gold-inlaid spiked club (the kind with a sinister grin on her face) rushed in.

Upon seeing these two, the usually gentle and refined His Majesty the Emperor instantly transformed into a frightened cat (with all its fur standing on end).

"You little brat! You actually dared to bring someone back!" (Irene)

Upon hearing these words, which were as chilling as ice shards in the dead of winter, His Majesty the Emperor immediately foamed at the mouth and fainted, while the beautiful young woman (Cornelia) stared blankly at this bizarre scene.