Cryssa revealed the truth she had kept hidden for a month, about Ayla, about the future, and about the world itself, to Lyra and the slaves. And to her quiet relief, they believed her.

  Lyra glanced at Cryssa with curiosity.

  “Can you… call her back?”

  Cryssa gave a quiet nod. Then she closed her eyes, focused inward, and in a few heartbeats, the light returned.

  Light shimmered over her form, Cryssa’s silver faded, Frostina’s black returned. It was a gentle, quiet transition, like dusk falling over a still lake.

  When the light faded, Frostina sat in Cryssa’s place once again.

  “Ayla… was it?”

  Lyra asked, her expression unreadable.

  Frostina gave a small nod.

  “In public, I’ll go by Frostina.”

  Lyra took a breath, then stepped forward.

  “She said you’re the one who saved Stelluna… so…”

  She bowed.

  A deep, formal ninety-degree bow.

  “Thank you for protecting our family.”

  Her gesture was mirrored immediately.

  Dozens of maids, armed and unarmed alike, dropped to one knee in perfect unison. Their heads lowered, their hands pressed over their hearts.

  Even Roxy, caught up in the seriousness of the moment, hesitated, then hurriedly bowed after her mother.

  Frostina stared at them, utterly stunned.

  “H-Hey… come on.”

  She stammered and flustered.

  “It’s not like I did it out of charity or anything!”

  “I just… didn’t want to die a second time, okay?”

  “I didn’t ask to share a body either. If anything, I’d prefer my own!”

  Lyra and Roxy straightened, but the maids remained kneeling, gazing up at Frostina with something between awe and gratitude.

  Frostina glanced uneasily toward them.

  “…More importantly, what about all of you?”

  She asked, her voice more serious now.

  “I don’t have any real authority over you. If any of you want to be freed, that decision’s up to Cryssa and Lyra.”

  Iori rose slightly, stepping forward as their representative. She said softly.

  “We’re grateful for your concern.”

  “But we’ve already made our choice. We’ve chosen to be part of Stelluna.”

  She paused, her emerald eyes steady.

  “Because to us… Master Cryssa Stelluna is our freedom.”

  Then Glacia’s voice followed, gentle, quiet, but filled with weight.

  “If what Master said is true… then surviving alone wouldn’t have saved us from the loneliness that would’ve followed.”

  She bowed her head lower.

  “So in that sense… you’ve saved us too, Lady Frostina. You’ve changed our future.”

  Frostina’s cheeks reddened.

  “A-Alright, alright! Geez, don’t get so formal with me. I was just a commoner in my past life, remember? And stop calling me ‘lady’! It sounds weird coming from you, teacher.”

  Glacia looked up at her, smiling.

  “Then don’t call me ‘teacher’ either. Right now, I’m just a Stelluna retainer.

  “And honestly, your magic knowledge probably surpasses mine at this point.”

  “How about I call you ‘teacher’ instead?”

  Frostina blinked.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “I’ve been had!”

  She sighed dramatically.

  “Fine. Just call me Frostina or Ayla. I never win arguments with you anyway, Glacia.”

  Lyra stepped forward, clapped once, and swept her gaze around the room.

  “About that, I’ve seen your loyalty towards us in yesterday’s battle. So…”

  “I’ve decided to remove your slave status.”

  The maids’ eyes widened, and several leaned forward in protest.

  “B-But, my lady…!”

  “I-I still want to stay by Master Cryssa’s side!”

  Lyra chuckled happily.

  “I’m truly grateful that you chose to stay with us, even if it meant remaining slaves.”

  “But don’t worry, you have already become ones of us.”

  “Besides, it’s not good in public if they saw Stelluna have dozens of slaves.”

  Ones of us.

  It was like telling them that each of them was also Stelluna.

  They breathed sighs of relief.

  Then Lyra glanced at Frostina, her voice brisk and commanding.

  “Sorry to cut your reunion short, but… can you bring Cryssa back? We still need her.”

  Frostina nodded and allowed the change to happen. Light shimmered once again as her form returned to Cryssa's. The remaining maids stood as the transformation finished.

  Lyra turned to her daughter.

  “Sweetheart, don’t you want to give her your present yourself?”

  Roxy’s eyes lit up as she remembered.

  “Oh! Right!”

  She scrambled to the corner of the room and picked up a massive gift box that had been knocked over in her earlier panic. It was nearly as big as her tiny body.

  She waddled over, arms wrapped around it, and beamed.

  “Aunty! Here! Mama got this for you!”

  Cryssa smiled warmly and accepted the box, patting Roxy’s head gently.

  “Thank you, Roxy.”

  “Ehehe~!”

  Roxy giggled, pleased with herself.

  Cryssa opened the lid… and gasped.

  Inside was a beautifully tailored silver combat dress, sleek and elegant, made from a high-grade enchanted fabric. The skirt shimmered faintly with protective runes sewn into the hem. There was no clunky plating, just practical light armor disguised as refined elegance. The Stelluna family crest was embroidered over the heart, proud and noble.

  Beside it lay a sword.

  The blade was a pale, icy blue, almost crystalline, but far more durable. It glimmered with silent power, and the hilt was wrapped in silver, crafted to match the armor.

  Its sheath was pure white, engraved with curling, frost-like blue patterns, like ice turned into art.

  Cryssa stared at it, breath caught.

  “Sis… this is…!”

  Lyra crossed her arms, smiling slyly.

  “I figured you were tired of suffocating in those old men’s knight armors. I ordered it weeks ago. The others have similar outfits too, though only your weapon is finished for now.”

  She tilted her head with mock innocence.

  “And you should probably start getting dressed. The parade begins in an hour.”

  Cryssa blinked, caught off guard.

  “Parade?!”

  Lyra nodded, her expression calm but resolute.

  “You led the defense of Selini. You stood at the front. And more importantly, you… and Ayla…”

  She paused, then gave a small, wry smile.

  “…you two are the only ones here who actually understand what’s coming.”

  Cryssa tilted her head, brows furrowed.

  “What do you mean? Understand what?”

  Lyra’s expression shifted. Her gaze drifted toward the window, where sunlight spilled across the floor in soft gold.

  “The town’s unstable right now. After yesterday’s catastrophe, everyone’s shaken.”

  “They don't know what to believe, or who to follow.”

  She looked back at Cryssa, her tone tightening.

  “And this morning, things got worse.”

  Cryssa sat up straighter.

  “Worse… how?”

  Lyra answered quietly.

  “There’ve been a few scuffles.”

  “Fights breaking out in the marketplace. Mercenaries getting into shouting matches with people no one’s ever seen before.”

  Cryssa’s eyes narrowed.

  “…Strangers?”

  Then, Lyra locked eyes with Cryssa and nodded slowly.

  “Players have arrived.”

  The words landed like a stone in still water.

  Cryssa's breath caught.

  And then…

  The system responded.

  A glowing window bloomed in the air, its translucent text hovering before her like a divine decree.

  ? NPC Quest Unlocked! ?

  ? Lead The Parade! ?

  ? Rank: Rare ?

  ? Rewards: ?

  ? Stelluna Broadcast Relay System ?

  ? The townsfolk of Stellar remain in a state of unrest following the recent battle at Stelluna. ?

  ? In addition, one hundred unidentified “saviors” have appeared in the town. Their presence has caused tension and confusion among the local population. ?

  ? As a noble representative of House Stelluna and one of the central figures in the battle’s defense, your presence is required to lead the ceremonial parade. This event will serve to restore calm, demonstrate unity, and establish trust between native and the new arrivals. ?

  ? A live broadcast of the parade will be projected across Selini and Stellar. ?

  ? Following your speech, exclusive system-curated footage of the Stelluna Defense will be released to the public. ?

  Cryssa stared at the screen.

  A parade.

  A speech.

  Footage shown to thousands.

  To players.

  To NPCs.

  To everyone.

  She swallowed hard.

  Then, Ayla’s voice gently nudged her from within.

  (“Looks like we’re on stage now…”)

  The two girls had survived the end of the world.

  Soul bound to soul.

  Hand in hand with fate.

  Now, together, they stepped into what lay beyond.

  The beginning, after the end.

  Arc 1: The End of Dream Land! ??

  lot if you could:

  ? Give it a rating

  ?? Add it to your favorites

  ?? Follow the novel so you don’t miss the next arc!

  Arc 2: Dream Land Beta, where the world (and the game) is finally beginning. After all the tension Ayla and Cryssa endured, the second arc will bring more playful stories, alongside new faces and challenges!