Homesickness Is Bad for Your Health

"Therefore, someone must seize the opportunity, taking advantage of this moment when her mind wavers, to shatter her dream of returning home—and only I can do that. So, I must be the villain."

"Honestly, I've worked so hard to widen the lane. But am I the only one running? Are the others completely useless?"

She shook her head, her gaze naturally shifting, and then glanced at the pensive pink and white Princess on the wall.

"I can't make her happy on my own... I can't even make myself happy."

"So..."

"You useless bunch, if you don't come out and cause some trouble, I won't even leave you any soup."

Chapter 145. Homesickness is detrimental to health.

A long time ago.

Terra.

It was another ordinary Twilight, another beautiful night slowly approaching, the sky gradually turning red.

The Flame-haired maiden and her sword ended a daytime hunt for a giant beast, and when the mountain-like behemoth, which the local natives revered and called the God of Desolation, fell, the Flame-haired Girl, who was not yet very powerful at this point in time, also felt quite heavy fatigue.

Power... Power doesn't favor a little girl without reason.

Before her talent and skills reach the standard, even Laevateinn, who can provide endless fire, cannot offer more support than the limits of the girl's current abilities.

If one wants to obtain the inexhaustible Twilight Flame from Laevateinn, then one must first hone an indestructible body capable of withstanding this flame.

At this moment, although she has touched upon it, she is far from reaching that state of perfection.

So she still gets tired, still feels pain and suffering—her growth wasn't a carefree, unstoppable journey with Laevateinn. Instead, it was a painful path strewn with thorns.

But she herself didn't really care how rugged the road she was walking on was.

"You could actually choose to attend the victory banquet prepared for you by those mortals. The death of the behemoth will inevitably be accompanied by the rise of a new dynasty. And you, who played an absolute leading role in the campaign, will certainly be the object of those in power to win you over."

The sword made a sound, floating behind the girl, watching her climb the lonely peak, and watching her raise a bonfire on the summit.

"And then drink a cup of cursed wine, from which life and death are no longer in your own hands?" The girl snorted softly, a cold smile on her face. "When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away. This is an essential ruling skill for every ruler. I have no interest in playing house with those natives, and I don't want to ruin this rare good mood."

"That possibility is indeed not small. But the curses and poisons of those mortals are very weak, and I don't think they can work on you."

"Indeed, no." The Flame-haired maiden nodded slightly. She sat down by the campfire and stretched—a thin wisp of mist drifted in from afar. "But their actions would interfere with my principles. While I have no interest in wielding my sword against the common people, if anyone attacks me, I will certainly retaliate with ruthless force."

"I will cut off that Dragon-man's head, kill all the ministers who plotted for him, burn down his palace, destroy his army, and bring his dynasty to an end—I will do this, because that is the price for attacking me. And if his descendants harbor hatred towards me and take action, I will strike again and wipe out all of that Dragon-man's relatives."

The girl's fingertips gently touched the flames in the campfire.

"I didn't intend to do that, so I chose to leave early. Consider it my way of showing them mercy."

"You really don't hold back, Surtr. I thought you would look at this mortal country that has many similarities to your homeland differently."

"It's nothing but a poor imitation." The girl scoffed. "Catastrophe have dictated that all nations in this world are more inclined towards nomadic life than fixed agricultural civilizations. The idea of a unified empire is even more difficult to form; at best, it's just a large federation of multiple cities that mutually recognize each other—socialism, democratic centralism—these true characteristics of my motherland will never appear on this land even in three thousand years. It's nothing but a false imitation."

"Goguryeo, Naturalized Joseon... This is the highest praise I can give to this imitation. Even if I were to transfer my affections, it would be to some other place in the Dream World. I have seen many things, ideals, and pursuits that do not exist in this era. And this makes it really difficult for me to have even the slightest bit of approval for this hybrid, imitation feudal country on Terra."

"I see, Surtr. The reason you dislike these natives is because you've had too high expectations of them lately."

The girl's fingertips withdrew from the flames—there wasn't a single burn mark on her delicate fingers.

"You could say that way, Laevateinn. And aren't you going to change the subject?"

"Are you embarrassed, Surtr?"

"Of course I'm embarrassed." The girl made no attempt to hide her emotions. Her gaze swept towards the foot of the mountain, then her eyes narrowed slightly. "But I don't intend to change my mind."

The sword floated up gently and circled her once.

"—It seems you have a deep affection for your hometown, Surtr. How about we discuss this: if one day you were to return to your hometown, what would you do?"

"I'll die if I go back." The girl wrinkled her nose. "My body in my previous life was very weak, and my respiratory illness made it difficult for me to exert much strength and move around in thick smoke—I would have been burned to death in that fire. Of course, it's also possible that I came to Terra because I was burned to death."

"Hmm, it seems the prerequisites aren't quite there—so let me add one more. If you can return to your homeland while retaining all your memories of this place, and quickly find a compatible path to power to escape the inferno, what will you do next?"

The girl hesitated for a moment.

"An interesting topic. Hmm... I think I'll probably take the civil service exam."

The sword didn't reply, but twisted slightly in the air, indicating its confusion.

"Isn't this a perfectly normal development?" She raised a finger and stirred the air above the campfire. The distant clouds parted to the sides, whipped up by her butterfly effect-like manipulation of the wind. At the same time, the sunlight disappeared.

"A 21-year-old freelance woman who survived a near-death experience, miraculously cured of her lung disease, and then devoted herself to national construction—isn't this my right? I am a citizen with no criminal record, I have received higher education, and I am naturally qualified to take the civil service exam and join the national power structure."

"Then I will climb the ranks step by step, starting as a basic clerk or office worker. Gradually rising, I will handle all matters within my jurisdiction, learning about all the internal and external issues and workings of this country from the grassroots level. At the same time, I will build my own network of contacts and gather political allies. And when I reach the age of sixty, I should try to take the helm myself."

The girl's fingertips gently touched together, forming the shape of a tower.

"And at that time, I will be able to use my vision and knowledge that are at least a thousand years ahead of my time to lead my country and even my entire civilization into the interstellar age. I will walk among the stars with my civilization until the limit of my ability and the end of my power."

"Your ideas amaze me. Surtr... I thought that with your personality, you would clash with your country."

"That's irrational and immature behavior," the girl replied calmly. "It's a partner with whom I have an innate foundation. And I'm not the kind of brat who gets arrogant and complacent after gaining power."

"Then why didn't you cooperate with it from the beginning?"

"Because that would be far more detrimental to society itself." The Flame-haired maiden shook her finger. "In a stable social structure, all power should be placed in a suitable position. That's why I've spent decades examining the entire social structure—I want to ensure that I'm in a suitable position, one that allows me to maximize my talents without causing social unrest. And until then, I don't even intend to use much supernatural power, unless there's a sudden alien invasion or a world war."

"Only I can do this, and no one else can. Because only I can ignore all domestic or international interests. Only I have the longest-term vision. Only I have the most advanced productivity and the most powerful force. Similarly, only I have the patience and perseverance to plan for decades while still being able to decide which way the earth should turn."

"Only I can, and only I have the opportunity to be able to. Therefore, I am not going to shirk my social status."

A lengthy discourse.

Even with swords, it's rare to see a young girl so freely expressing her opinions.

"—A very interesting idea," Sword replied. "Surtr, it seems you're actually looking forward to returning home."

"This is natural; wealth and honor should not be returned to one's hometown. It's like wearing fine clothes at night—this idea is deeply ingrained in the hearts of people in my hometown."

"Then why don't you do it in Terra?"

"Terra is not my hometown."

"Really? But you only stayed in your hometown for twenty-one years before you died. And you've spent far more than twenty years on this land. Are you sure this really isn't your hometown?"

"Of course I do—"