Symphony for the Insect Princess

"I don't see her having any close friends in the temple."

"She's still a sixteen-year-old girl after all. If she's always so busy and lonely..."

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

The sudden stern voice startled the knights. Yaerduo appeared beside them on horseback with an unhappy look on his face.

“I’m sorry, Vice-President!”

"Although there's no danger on the road right now, and Her Majesty the Saint won't bother with it, as Paladins, you must at least strictly observe discipline!"

“I’m so sorry!”

"Also... although I may not be qualified to say it, it's not your turn to worry about the Saint Lady's affairs."

At this moment, a knight suddenly remembered something and asked cautiously, "Speaking of which, Vice-Captain, didn't the Saint mention it before? She had a childhood playmate in a small country called Aaron..."

"She did mention it, but I just told you not to worry about her... Eh? Wait, Aaron..."

Yaerduo suddenly remembered the report about that "big event" he had read before.

"Come to think of it, a big incident happened in the Kingdom of Aaron just a week ago. Both the Babel Pantheon and the Knights' Territory were alarmed."

"What big event could possibly happen in a small country? It can't possibly be something like a great secret treasure appearing in the world..."

"It's really a great secret treasure."

""Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?""

"It seems that a great noble there has been secretly keeping a great secret treasure in an unformed state for hundreds of years. Some time ago, something happened within that noble family, and the great secret treasure was lost... Now these things are no longer secrets. After all, since it involves a great secret treasure, the news spread quickly."

"To think such a thing could happen... A noble from a small country is truly courageous..."

"According to the report, it seems to be a noble from the Zelah family... Wait, I told you not to chat casually, so why are you—"

BANG!!!!

Before the female knight finished her words, the door of the moving carriage was pushed open with astonishing momentum.

Winnie suddenly stuck her head out, and it was the first time she showed such a solemn expression.

"Saint, Saint Lady!?"

"The carriage is still moving. It's dangerous! Please—"

"Tell……"

"Eh?"

"The Zelah family? Sister Yaerduo, you just mentioned the Zelah family, right? What's going on? Please tell me in detail!"

Title of this volume: Volume 26: City of Gu, Chapter : Prologue: Ladies

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom, and in the kingdom there was a beautiful girl.

She is the princess of the kingdom, innocent, kind, beautiful, and a treasure to everyone.

One day, the evil demon king broke the peace of the kingdom, defeated the army, abducted the princess, and took her to his castle which was shrouded in darkness all year round.

The king, terrified, sent out his army and recruited capable men to fight the demon king, but this only resulted in more casualties. The demon king was still alive, and the princess was still imprisoned in the castle. No one could do anything about it.

Finally one day, a fearless brave man passed by the kingdom and heard the people's cries. He then met with the king and volunteered to go and fight to rescue the princess.

The brave man set out on his journey, blessed with blessings. He journeyed alone through mountains and rivers, heading for the Demon King's castle. His steed trampled through the thorns, and his sword slew countless demons under the Demon King's command. Overcoming all odds, he finally reached the Demon King.

After an earth-shaking battle, at the critical moment, the brave man finally took advantage of the moment when the devil was relaxed and struck a victory, killing the devil and rescuing the princess.

The brave man brought the princess back to the king, who was almost in despair. The king was delighted and announced the good news to the world, and the whole country celebrated. People praised the brave man's bravery and might, and the brave man and the princess fell in love with each other. With everyone's blessing, the two got married and lived together until they were old and gray.

Congratulations, congratulations.

but,

If such a hero never appeared, how would the story end?

--------------

Once upon a time, there was a girl who was born amidst much anticipation.

She has incredible talent, a strong background, countless resources, and the best teachers.

They have received the most rigorous education since they were very young. Their every word, action and move have been carefully planned by their relatives. They have no self and no freedom, and can only live like a puppet, at the mercy of others.

Years of restraint seemed to have smoothed her personality, but this was only superficial, as the turmoil within her continued to build. She knew that everyone was out for her own good, that only in this way could she maximize her life's value and ensure that her talents would not be wasted. Yet, somewhere in her heart, she still fantasized about escaping this life of restraint.

One day, a bewitching evil demon appeared before her.

"The people around you don't love you. You are just a puppet. When you finish your life according to the script, your heart will be filled with pain and regret. Come, child, come with me. I will give you strength and freedom."

The evil demon said so.

In the face of the devil's bewitching magic, the girl's negative emotions were magnified to the extreme. Her heart kept telling her to agree to the devil's advice, get rid of it all forever, and fly away.

But at the critical moment, the call of her relatives made her wake up. At this moment, she remembered the love and expectations in her parents' eyes, the warmth in their busy life, and the responsibilities and obligations she should bear.

So she rejected the evil demon and resisted its temptation. The evil demon disappeared in anger and stayed away from the girl forever.

Congratulations, congratulations.

but,

If the girl had gladly accepted the evil demon's proposal, how would the story have ended?

--------------

Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in obsession all the time.

She is smart, beautiful, talented, and powerful. She is loved by many people and is the perfect girl in everyone's mind. However, she has always had a hidden obsession with "beauty" in her heart. It is not the level of love for beauty that ordinary girls have, but an intense desire for beautiful things and an extreme disgust for ugly things.

She only wanted to make friends with beautiful people, talk to people with beautiful voices, wear beautiful clothes, and eat delicious and beautiful food. Whenever she saw dirty and smelly livestock, ragged tramps, and vulgar people with rude conversation, she wanted to destroy them with her own hands.

One day, she finally couldn't stand those ugly things anymore and wanted to order the soldiers to kill all those people she considered ugly, leaving only the beautiful things in her mind.

Just when she was about to make a big mistake, a wise old man stopped her.

What is beauty? What is ugliness?

A person may speak crudely, but he or she may also be a kind and charitable person. A livestock may be dirty and smelly, but it can help people with farming. A ragged homeless person may be unwelcome, but he or she may have a heart that loves life. Many things are not as ugly as they seem. Everything has its value, and the beauty of all things lies in this value.

The old man's words touched the girl, and she suddenly realized that she was no longer relying solely on her own feelings to distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Instead, she tried to understand others and appreciate the value of everything in the world. Finally, she no longer obsessed with so-called beauty and became a person of beauty and kindness.

Congratulations, congratulations.

but,

How would the story end if the helpful "wise old man" in the fable had not appeared?

--------------

Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in confusion.

She was unable to recognize her own existence, who she was, and what the meaning of her existence was. To her, life was a vast ocean in the darkness without lighthouses or beacons, and the only sound she could hear was the sound of waves coming from the darkness.

She felt confused, confused about her family, confused about herself, confused about her memories, and afraid of being controlled.

So she escaped and boarded the boat called self into the dark sea. She was not well prepared and had no clear goal. She only knew that she could not stop and that only by moving forward could she stay away from the grave called confusion.

So she embarked on her journey.

She traveled to many places, met all kinds of people, and witnessed many strange things. As her knowledge and experience increased, her inner self became more and more fulfilled, but even so, she could not find her true self.

Days passed, and one day, when she was recalling her past, she suddenly realized it.

In the past, I was inferior and confused, and I always used seemingly great words and attitudes to cover up my inner cowardice.

Now I am fulfilled and brave, always working hard for a more wonderful tomorrow, and always have an optimistic and positive attitude.

At this moment, she finally realized.

Throughout her long journey, as she gained experience and knowledge, she herself was constantly changing. What she had been like before, what her true self should be like, no longer mattered—because people change. She had become her ideal self. Where the heart leads is where the body belongs, so why be confused?

So she cast aside the last bit of confusion, said goodbye to her past self, and embraced a bright future.

Congratulations, congratulations.

but,

If this girl neither finds her true self nor gets rid of her confusion, how will the story end?

Chapter 27 Chaos

Balbula is the southernmost of the five continents, bordering the two central continents—Plein and Afrista. Compared to the central continent, with its generally mild climate, predominantly plains and hilly terrain, and numerous large nations, Balbula experiences significant temperature swings throughout the year, a complex landscape, and most of the so-called nations here exist in name only.

Balbula is renowned for its chaotic landscape, where lawlessness is extremely fragile. Most areas are lawless, with only a few places maintained by large forces through force. This world is a place where the strong prey on the weak and strength reigns supreme, a haven for mercenaries, adventurers, unscrupulous traders, anarchists, and outlaws.

And just recently, an explosive piece of news added fuel to the fire of this already overly energetic continent.

Kasolu, the northernmost coastal city in Balbra, is also the largest city in the north. It faces the Kingdom of Aaron, a small coastal nation in Afrista, across the Aaron Sea. The Aaron Sea is very narrow and long, more like a slightly larger strait than a sea, and can be reached by boat in about half a day.

As one of the largest cities in the north, it's naturally a hodgepodge of good and bad. Mercenaries, adventurers, criminals, and profiteers gather here, maintaining a dangerous prosperity. The city is controlled by several families, led by the Curtis family. Mayor Saenris Curtis is known for his tough tactics, and it's precisely because of him that the city maintains a minimum of order.

In the past, when people talked about the city of Kasol, they would inevitably talk about the astonishing share of black market transactions, the openly fighting mercenary groups, the most high-end chain brothels, anecdotes about underworld celebrities, etc., but now everyone talks about only one thing.

"Zerach's Great Treasure"

About two months ago, explosive news broke from the Kingdom of Yaren, a small coastal nation situated across the narrow Yaren Sea from the Kasol region. A major internal conflict had broken out within the Zelah family, a prominent aristocratic family. Siblings had murdered each other, leaving only the eldest son dead. Normally, such a bloody affair involving a small aristocratic nation wouldn't have garnered much attention from other nations. However, something changed the story entirely.

Big secret treasure.

A supreme treasure, capable of granting human wishes, yet still in its ownerless state, had been hidden for centuries by a noble of a small nation. This very artifact seemed to be the source of internal strife within the family. What had begun as a minor incident quickly escalated into a major event, enough to provoke the attention of nearly all of Maya. The core of the matter—the great secret treasure—was missing. It seemed stolen by other surviving members of the family, or perhaps by outsiders. Regardless, once word of this leaked, the situation escalated far beyond the control of the tiny nation of Aaron. Neighboring powers, unconcerned about the potential consequences, dispatched their most elite troops to guard their borders and frantically intervened in the investigation. The Kasol region, separated from Aaron by a mere sliver of sea, naturally became alarmed. Who knew if the scoundrel who finally possessed the secret treasure would escape across the sea?

After a while, when everyone thought that the matter would be over, something strange happened.

Just over half a month ago, the great secret treasure appeared in the Kasol area.

Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, nearly everyone who stayed awake that night witnessed the light rising into the sky around the city, along with the powerful ripples that shook everyone. The most direct evidence came from a patrol on routine duty. That night, the patrol leader actually saw a suspicious individual, seemingly holding something, running towards Kasol City. He had initially been too lazy to investigate, but just as he was about to question the individual, in a moment of panic, he seemed to activate something in his hand.

Hence the vision that night.

The unprecedented vision, coupled with the recent news of the loss of the great secret treasure, instantly connected the two events. Just a few days later, an investigation team from the Tower of Babel, the Pantheon, and the Knights arrived in the Kasol region. They extracted "magic traces" from the scene of the incident that night and compared them with the "magic trace samples of unowned great secret treasures" treasured by the three major forces. They simultaneously reached a conclusion.

The Great Secret Treasure that appeared there that night was indeed a truly precious one, an ownerless one at that. The suspicious figure the patrol captain had spotted was already dead on the spot. Clearly, they were just ordinary people who activated the Great Secret Treasure without proper preparation and died from being unable to withstand its magical power. The Great Secret Treasure itself vanished without a trace.

And now-

------------------

In a small town under the jurisdiction of Kasolu City——

The town, built along a drayage road and with a population of only a few hundred, is one of the few towns in Barbra that is pleasant and has a low crime rate.

There's a small hotel at the entrance of town, its wooden structure is simple yet warm. It's usually never fully booked, but these days are an exception. The upper floors are packed, and the ground floor is also full of people drinking.

"It's confirmed, new information."

"Is there any new news?!"

"So fast? Tell me about it!"

A burly man in his fifties, carrying a heavy rifle, took a sip of the store's best fruit wine and said to a few excited young people next to him:

"Just this morning, a major incident occurred in Kasolu City. Someone died in the Knight Territory again, and the great secret treasure—"

“““““…………”””””

At this moment, the entire first floor of the hotel fell silent.

The drinkers who were chatting and laughing just now stopped talking, pricked up their ears to listen carefully, and glanced at the people at the table from time to time.

The atmosphere became eerie.

Even this veteran mercenary who had experienced many battles felt uncomfortable with the suffocating atmosphere. The strong man hesitated for a moment, then kept silent and just lowered his head to drink.

But the silence in the hotel continued. "Zelach's Great Treasure" was the hottest topic recently. Even the lowest-level civilians could not help but have strange thoughts about the great treasure, not to mention that most of the people in Balbra were desperate criminals who lived on the edge of a knife.

"Boss, another glass of wine."

The burly man waved his hand with a gloomy face, and the hotel owner with an extremely sexy figure slowly came over and served the burly man a new glass of fruit wine.

"Is it just fruit wine? Something women drink?" the sturdy man curled his lips.

"This is a hotel. Drinks are an additional service. Please don't treat this place as a bar."

The proprietress responded and took away the empty cup on the table. The men's eyes followed her swaying hips under her long skirt until she disappeared backstage.

Then they continued to stare at the burly man, everyone wanting to know more first-hand information about the great treasure.