CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 51: THE MAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY

Spark Port is a bustling port in the Ignis Sky Realm, located along the route to the Flos Sky Realm, where many goods are distributed, allowing the local Feinat Clan to make a fortune.

In the open space in front of the Sky Port, the honor guard stood ready, with officials from all levels of Spark Port lined up, flanking nobles of all ranks to jointly welcome the third son of Count Feinat who was returning soon.

Unlike his two brothers who cultivated the homeland, Wendes Feinat forged his own path, bravely venturing into the blue sky to become one of the top Sky Knights and even the top-ranked member of the Celestial Group.

The mere fame brought by this has won the Feinat Family a lot of cooperation, reaping both visible and hidden benefits.

Upon hearing the news of Wendes’s return to the territory, Count Feinat decided to halt some port operations and hold a grand welcome ceremony.

Not only were officials and nobles from various sectors present, but even commoners could enjoy free gourmet catering from afar and find a suitable spot to view the entire ceremony.

Most ordinary people and passing travelers were there to join in the fun, but the numerous officials of Spark Port knew well that it wasn’t the rare extravagance of the astute Count. Wendes had returned earlier, temporarily attending to Imperial affairs, and would return by afternoon.

The Count merely wanted to use this ceremony to showcase Wendes’s charisma upon his arrival, to boost his reputation. This way, in the Empire’s future new order, this son returning from the Celestial Group could lead the family to attain a higher status.

The ceremonial parade had been ongoing since morning, with music playing throughout.

Dorothy stood on the edge of the official crowd.

Expressionless, she spoke to no one, as if all human relationships and fame and status were irrelevant to her, while those seizing the chance to socialize strived to present themselves with deliberately chosen attire, making her feel like she was seeing clowns in a circus.

"Lady Dorothy, may I take a moment of your time—"

"No."

"Beautiful lady, I am—"

"You’re doing great, you’d probably kick your legs straighter than those soldiers if you were in the parade."

"I just returned from the Holy City and met many members of the Celestial Group. Madam, do you know what’s different about them compared to Master Wendes?"

"They have a third leg?"

"..."

Dorothy felt she was deliberately acting uninterested. She didn’t dress up, opting for simplicity. If it weren’t a matter of status, she wouldn’t want to be standing there at all.

During this rare holiday, she just wanted to brew a pot of tea, catch up on a serial novel in a magazine, then sleep, go out to see the latest movie, try new desserts, and then... anything but standing there.

She didn’t want to be bathed in the variously implied glances from those around her, nor did she want to be accosted with all sorts of intentions even after making her disinterest clear.

Some wanted to break into the level of society she naturally belonged to by birth, some engaged in wide-ranging social networking, and some focused on her for what she was.

Maybe some of them knew who she was, but that didn’t matter, as it’s not uncommon to see elegant ladies in public acting recklessly in private, so why couldn’t she be one too?

Even though she simply tied her hair in a bun, deliberately adding cool tones when dyeing it, turning it into a crude ginger yellow, and wearing inconspicuous brown contact lenses—a purchase made possible by a connection to the City of Magic—these efforts still earned her compliments like "You highlight your sweetness so well".

What was vexing was that no matter what she wore, she appeared seductive to others, who whispered that any less would be too thin, and any more would be excessive.

She wore long-sleeved gloves, a long dress draping over her, with ruffled thin cotton socks at the edges of her shoes, and adorned herself with a choker necklace to show as little skin as possible aside from her face.

Dorothy didn’t dislike being praised; she just equally disliked speaking with others.

So annoying, so annoying, so annoying... why am I here... damn Feinat Family... is it necessary to hold a ceremony to welcome a monkey?

So noisy, so noisy, so noisy... can you make music that sounds more human? Wow, those soldiers in the parade aren’t even in step, they’re walking with matching arms and legs; stop winking at the ladies on the sides... damn, they’re looking over here.

Dorothy increasingly missed the self wrapped in a quilt, her eyes lowered, trying to shut out the invasion from others.

Suddenly, she felt the people around her start to move in one direction, and the shoe tips that tentatively stopped before her also turned.

Is Wendes Feinat back?

The curtain of her eyelashes quietly lifted, she saw the crowd looking up at the sky in astonishment. The commotion drowned out the gradually ceasing music.

In the firmament, a large Flying Ship was surrounded by a green-black storm, with whirling columns of wind even on its deck.

A large, sturdy Griffin carrying its knight charged from the air toward the deck, where obviously an enemy waited.

It’s Wendes! He’s fighting someone!

Some shouted with confidence, some cursed at whoever dared challenge the Feinat Clan’s dignity, some blatantly spoke from Dorothy’s despised "Empire" perspective, some viewed it as a show, and some didn’t care if it was a show, but thought it was a chance to demonstrate Wendes’s power.

Am I the only one seeing that beautiful big snake on the ship? That’s not an ordinary Demon, right? Dorothy thought.

She felt things weren’t that simple.

However, she also didn’t care about the details.

She just thought it would be better if Wendes got killed.

Count Feinat called for men, quickly instructing them to take soldiers to the nearby dock and launch the Flying Ship for aerial support.

Dorothy inwardly cheered for the invisible enemy.

Especially when Wendes finished one charge and launched another. Others might be cheering, perhaps praising Wendes’s power, but Dorothy was thinking: Missed, definitely missed, come on, knock him off the Griffin.

All her morning frustration vanished, her fists subconsciously clenched, feeling the slick fabric of the gloves only made her realize it now.

Just as she was nearly unable to suppress her voice, a low, aged voice sounded from behind her.

"Miss, you should know the family’s expectations for your development with Master Wendes. Please don’t display an attitude that might lead others to criticize. Have self-respect."

Dorothy suddenly felt her light, soaring emotions choked by something, direct, heavy, and cold, slowly pulling her back to the reality on the ground.

This voice didn’t belong to an unrelated other but to the butler accompanying her from home, to prevent her from delaying the family’s great cause by being "disrespectful".

Dorothy exerted some effort to regulate her breath, successfully transforming it into the short sentence, "Understood".

She still looked at the sky, but after the reminder, she understood again that she shouldn’t expect anything from destiny.

All hopes and fantasies had never come true, how could she possibly expect someone to defeat Wendes, a member of the first Celestial Group?

Wendes launched another charge, the crowd’s excitement grew more intense, as if it were a grand show dedicated to today.

But when the Snake shaped Demon emitted a burst of exploding firelight, Wendes no longer flew back into the sky on his Griffin.

The cheering significantly weakened.

The Flying Ship providing support reached the high sky, sparking another battle, the air in chaos.

After a surge of energy and explosions, many were blasted out of the ship, free falling, while someone leaped from the air.

No, that’s not just one person, it seems to be—

The crowd screamed, running to avoid, leaving only Dorothy standing dazed, staring at the falling figure.

On the morning of May 23, Guild Calendar year 300, in front of Miss Dorothy Campbell, Wendes Feinat was stomped headfirst into the ground by Li Ang descending from the sky.