The border lands have been plagued by demon attacks for years.
Everyone wants to move away from here.
But the closer you get to a town in the Inner Circle of the Kingdom, the safer it is, yet the cost of living also rises.
For commoners to survive, they can only live in cities near the border.
This is the result of the Kingdom’s upper echelons doing nothing, a combination of internal strife and external threats.
“Goddess…”
“It really is the Goddess…”
“Please, Goddess, save us…”
Some people even burst into tears from excitement.
They desperately needed a savior.
Whether Primrose could actually save them or not, just seeing her standing there dispelled more than half of the fear in their hearts.
Lin Naiyue, clad in that Smoky Purple Grade armor, walked over to stand beside Primrose.
Looking at the scene before her, she felt a mix of awe and pride, but also a hint of sadness on her face.
Her daughter was a deity revered by the world—that was something for her mother to be proud of.
But thinking of these commoners suffering, praying to the Goddess for a glimmer of hope, her heart ached inexplicably.
On the day her daughter died suddenly, hadn’t she felt the same way, pleading with the police, with the doctors…?
To the side, Cecilia planted her scepter on the ground and walked to Primrose’s side.
“Goddess…” Cecilia quietly explained the current state of the Kingdom.
Primrose gave a slight nod.
So it seemed the threat wasn’t just the Demon Race, but also the Kingdom’s corruption and inaction.
Yuna, in her maid attire, kept one hand on the sword at her waist at all times, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Meanwhile.
Warrior Chief Buck, from his position below the stage, habitually swept his gaze over the crowd from the corner of his eye.
This was a habit he’d developed from years of battle—always observing the surroundings for any movement.
With that sweep, Buck noticed something off.
In the far left corner of the square, there was a person who, though also half-crouching on the ground, had a strange posture.
The person wore a loose gray cloak, hood pulled completely over their head, face hidden.
Their hands were concealed beneath the cloak, holding something.
Buck had sharp eyesight. He faintly saw a weak blue glow coming from under the cloak.
It was a crystal ball.
Buck’s heart suddenly tightened.
‘What would someone be doing with a glowing crystal ball at a time like this?’
‘Could it be someone from the Night Demon Society?’
‘Were they about to activate some dangerous magic item?’
Buck instinctively reached for the sword hilt at his waist.
He prepared to rush over and take that person down.
But when he took a closer look at a small pattern revealed on the gray-cloaked person’s cuff—
Buck froze.
That pattern was a red rose wrapped in thorns.
Others might not recognize it, but Buck would never forget it.
It was the exclusive private insignia of a certain high-ranking figure from the Royal Capital Saint Roland.
He had once been seriously injured in a battle with the Demon Race, and that very figure had saved him.
Slowly, Buck’s hand released the sword hilt.
He swallowed hard, his mind reeling.
‘Why would someone from that figure’s circle be here?’
This was a border town thousands of miles from the Royal Capital!
And judging by how that person was holding the crystal ball, they were clearly using some kind of Image Transmission Magic.
Were they sending a live feed of this scene back to the Royal Capital?
Buck didn’t make a sound, nor did he alert Constatine.
He knew that matters involving that high-ranking figure were absolutely not to be meddled with.
He could only pretend he hadn’t seen anything.
On the stage.
Primrose took a deep breath.
She stood at the very edge of the platform.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her.
Primrose looked down at the commoners below, their faces lifted, staring at her with full expectation.
She quickly ran through the speech she had prepared the night before.
Couldn’t be too aloof, couldn’t be too approachable.
Had to strike the right balance.
She opened her mouth, her voice clear, amplified by magic to reach the entire square.
“People of Tattle Town, hello.”
With her first words, Primrose didn’t use an arrogant tone; instead, she greeted them like an ordinary person.
The crowd below was taken aback.
They had assumed a deity would speak with a voice like thunder, or in some ancient language they couldn’t understand.
They never expected the Goddess’s voice to be so pleasant, so easygoing.
“I come from the Unified Divine Realm. My name is Primrose.” Primrose continued, looking at the people below.
She didn’t add any prefixes—didn’t call herself the Strongest Human Sage or a deity.
She simply stated her name.
“I understand what’s on your minds.”
“You’re afraid the Demon Race will attack again, afraid of dying, afraid of losing your families.”
“You feel this world has lost all hope.”
Primrose’s words were blunt, hitting everyone right where it hurt.
Quiet sobbing rose from the crowd.
“You have every reason to be afraid.”
Primrose’s voice grew a little louder. “For the past three hundred years, you have suffered far too much.”
“You placed your hopes in the deities and the Heroes, but they let you down.”
“They didn’t save you; instead, they plunged you into even deeper despair.”
“You cursed the Goddess as a rotten Goddess—I heard that.”
“You think all deities are liars—I know that, too.”
At these words, the people below were terrified.
Cursing the Goddess as rotten?
That was a crime punishable by death!
Who would dare say such a thing out loud, only to have the Goddess overhear it?
Everyone was too scared to even lift their heads, fearing the Goddess would rage and bring down divine punishment.
But Primrose wasn’t angry.
“I don’t blame you, and I have no right to blame you.”
Primrose’s tone was calm. “Those mistakes were made by the ones before me. You shouldn’t have to bear the consequences.”
“I stand here today only to prove one thing…”
Primrose turned and gestured toward Lin Naiyue beside her, her voice gaining sharp clarity.
“This person is the Hero I have brought.”
“She won’t be arrogant and unreliable like the Heroes of the past. She has a heart that truly wants to protect you.”
Lin Naiyue quickly straightened up, forcing what she thought was a dignified smile.
To others, it looked both gentle and a little silly.
But the commoners actually found that more reassuring than those gallant-looking Heroes.
“The Demon Race is strong.” Primrose turned back to face the crowd. “They have the Twelve Demon Generals, the Four Heavenly Kings, and that Demon King who hides in his castle and dares not come out.”
Primrose smiled inwardly.
This was the perfect chance to dispel Dorothy’s suspicions.
Saying this at any other time might have seemed too deliberate.
But now, since everyone knew she, as Goddess, most needed to calm the people, making remarks to undermine the enemy’s morale was perfectly normal.
Dorothy, hiding in the crowd, heard that and almost jumped up.
“Hides in his castle and dares not come out?”
I’m standing right next to you right now!
Middle aged summoned heroes are the best kind