Chapter 168: You Are Stupid

​​The campfire crackled in the distance, casting long, dancing shadows, but Mirabella stood far from its warmth. She stood under the vast, alien night sky of the silent forest, staring at the swirling, energy-infused clouds, her mind distant, calculating variables far beyond the immediate wilderness.

​"Why are you here?" She asked, her voice flat, not even bothering to look back. Her sensory stats had already picked up the soft, hesitant footsteps approaching her.

​"I want to speak with you."

​Mirabella slowly looked over her shoulder at Princess Delphine, who stood wrapped in a high-tier thermal cloak, offering her a warm, earnest smile that seemed entirely out of place in such a dangerous zone.

​"What about?" She asked, turning her cold gaze back to the starry sky, uninterested in royal pleasantries.

​"Mirabella, I want to know about you? About Earth." She said, stepping forward and stopping beside Mirabella, her eyes also staring up at the celestial bodies that governed Galaxy Fall.

​"There is nothing special about our worlds... Galaxy Fall is a lot better than it, there is just one different. Our world doesn’t have spirit energy or monsters, just greedy humans." Mirabella answered bluntly. To her, Earth was just a low-tier realm devoid of the World System, a place where power was bought with paper rather than earned through blood and leveling up.

​"Really? How did you guys manage in a world without Spirit energy? I don’t think I can stay in such a place." Delphine said in sheer disbelief, turning her head to stare at Mirabella’s stoic profile. To a native of Galaxy Fall, a world without spirit energy was like a world without oxygen.

​"That’s why I admire you, Mirabella... Even when you’re a true descendant of Galaxy Fall, you lived in such a lower world for 20 plus years... You are truly admirable." Delphine smiled softly. Her words were meant as a compliment, stunning Mirabella for a brief second, but her physical expression remained perfectly flat, an unbreakable poker face.

​’This is what is troubling me.’ Mirabella thought, the gears in her mind turning rapidly. She knew the unforgiving logic of Galaxy Fall; the System would never make a mathematical or historical mistake to give her a random title as the Heir of the Sun family. Even the ancient ghost of the old man from the Sun family had explicitly acknowledged her as his true descendant.

​The main reason she didn’t unlock this legendary title in her previous life must be because, back then, she didn’t possess the Master System. The regression had changed the fundamental variables of her existence.

​She clenched her fist tightly at her side, her nails biting into her palm. ’Am I truly a descendant of the sun family? Then what happened? How did I end up in Earth? Is that why my Dad always treated me as a trash?’ She sighed internally, the bitter memories of her Earthly father’s disdain clashing with her new, god-tier lineage, as Delphine’s soft words drew her back from her dark thoughts.

​"Mirabella, you’re now a Colonel... You have the power to control 5,000 military guards, what do you plan to do with this power?" She asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. A Colonel rank in the Dragon Empire was a massive leap in faction authority.

​"Nothing, the empire is peaceful, there is no need for war." Mirabella answered, her tone still perfectly flat, giving nothing away.

​"Come on, I am sure you don’t believe that." Delphine looked around her nervously, checking the perimeter to see if someone—or something—was nearby listening. Even Mirabella was mildly confused by the Princess’s sudden, paranoid behavior.

​"Mirabella, this is a very important Intel my father got... It hasn’t been confirmed yet." She whispered, leaning in closer, the weight of Imperial secrets heavy on her tongue.

​"The Intel states that more organizations like the devil cult are appearing in Galaxy Fall. We don’t even know such organizations existed, and now, they are revealing themselves."

​"You sure about that?" Mirabella held her jaw, immediately diving deep into the memories of her past life.

​’Damn It!! I was just a nobody in my previous life, I don’t even have that much information on things.’ She cursed her past weakness. If what Delphine said was the truth, it meant the fragile peace maintained by the Three Empires and the Guardians would soon be shattered by these unknown, endgame-level organizations.

’Out of all of them, I only know about the Holy Palace... Indeed, these guys are powerful, but I thought they are lackeys of the devil cult.’ Mirabella thought, analyzing the faction web, and then shook her head lightly to clear it.

​’Forget that, it’s too early for their resurgence. Seems I will have to increase the speed of my future plans.’ She thought, her ambition burning colder and brighter, while Delphine stared at her in confusion, unable to read the anomaly before her.

​’The military badge is good and important, but I can’t remain under the dragon empire forever, and the moment I leave, the badge will be useless to me. I will have to cultivate my own force.’ The logic was absolute. Borrowed Imperial stats could be revoked; a private guild bound to her by absolute loyalty and power could not.

​"What are you thinking about?" Delphine asked in confusion, staring at Mirabella’s sharp side profile.

​"Princess, what do you think about this mission?" Mirabella asked, smoothly deflecting the question and turning her piercing gaze directly to Delphine.

​"About the mission?" Delphine looked over her shoulder at the Camp, staring at their small, vulnerable group of students and Guild members resting around the fire.

​"To me, this Mission is very important, not just to me, but the hundreds of thousands of people in Ragon city. If we don’t stop this, the city will be wiped out." Delphine’s voice trembled slightly.

​"Ok, so why didn’t the king send an army? Why send Yakima and you?" Mirabella turned around, crossing her arms, staring analytical daggers at the Camp.

​"This has been in my mind, I am sure the King knows about what is happening in that City, he should at least send 100 soldiers with us." Mirabella pointed out the gaping tactical flaw in the Empire’s quest issuance.

​"I was the one who stopped him."

​Mirabella turned to Delphine in genuine, unmasked surprise.

​"An army will surely draw attention, and it will take them more days to arrive in the city, by then, more lives would have been lost... But, if we ask a guild for help, we will arrive faster and save the city." Delphine explained her reasoning, her eyes pleading for understanding.

​Mirabella blinked, staring at her with a slight, incredulous frown. ’What sort of thinking is that? Even if your father agrees to your wishes, shouldn’t he at least send Lv400 or even Lv500 warriors to guard you?’ Mirabella thought, baffled by the lack of high-level escorts for a VIP traversing a Monster Zone. But Delphine continued, her voice heavy with guilt:

​"I know it might sound stupid and careless, but this is the best way I can think of... Of course, we can also take more people from the dragon tooth guild, but I specifically want students of the academy. With students, the enemies will surely lower their guard and underestimate us, but I didn’t expect mutated humans." She exhaled deeply, the stress of the near-death ambush weighing on her.

​"Maybe you’re right, I am stupid."

​’When did I say you are stupid?’ Mirabella thought, slightly amused by the Princess’s self-deprecation. She took a moment, thoroughly thinking about Delphine’s strategic words—sacrificing defense for speed and stealth to reach a dying city. And after a moment, she nodded her head with brutal honesty:

​"Indeed, you are stupid."

​Delphine was stunned, her eyes widening at the blunt confirmation.

​"But I understand your point, you are worried about your people, and being the only one that can cure them, you will do anything to get here." Mirabella’s tone softened just a fraction, acknowledging the Princess’s resolve. She uncrossed her arms, a predatory glint returning to her eyes.

"Don’t worry Princess, Nothing will happen to you on this mission, but I need something from you in exchange, it’s something you have in your possession."