The Desperate Sherlin
In the heart of the city, the streets were crowded with people while merchants sold their goods at stalls lining the main street.
"Fresh, delicious mountain chicken for sale! Buy two pieces, and I'll throw in an extra half piece for free!"
"There are many fresh fruits straight from the eastern cities—perfect for this summer season. What are you waiting for? Buy five kilograms, and you'll get a ten percent discount!"
The merchants' cries filled the air from all directions, adding to the lively morning atmosphere in Thymeris.
"Hey, pretty girl, what are you doing here all alone? Waiting for your boyfriend?"
In front of the large fountain, about fifty meters from the main street, three scoundrels approached a beautiful woman with lecherous smiles and hungry gazes.
The woman, Sherlin, glanced at them coldly. "Leave me alone."
Instead of retreating, the men became even more excited.
Sherlin's near-perfect beauty sparked their desire. Her face, extraordinarily beautiful, resembled the reincarnation of the Moon Goddess, Luna.
Her tall, slender figure and curvaceous body, still in its growing stage, made their lower bodies react strongly.
"Don't be so rude, pretty girl. We're just asking out of good intentions. After all, your appearance is extremely charming, and there are many out there with evil intentions towards you," one of them said, feigning sincerity.
However, the lascivious grin and desire-filled gaze in his eyes betrayed his words, making Sherlin even more disgusted with him and the other two men.
"I told you..." Sherlin's blue eyes glowed with intense killing intent. "Get out of my sight!"
Boom!
A powerful, cold aura erupted from her body, instantly forcing the three scoundrels to the ground.
Their lewd, lustful expressions quickly shifted to fear and horror.
"Young lady! Please forgive our rudeness! We're truly sorry!" The man in the middle stammered, his voice trembling.
Cold sweat poured down his body, soaking his clothes.
He and his companions had never imagined this beautiful woman was a mage.
As ordinary people with no abilities, how could they dare to tease, let alone harass, a mage?
They were still young and had no desire to die so soon!
The scene quickly drew the attention of countless passersby. After all, this was the city center, where tens of thousands of people passed by every hour.
Yet, when they saw the miserable state of the three scoundrels, none of them showed any pity or concern.
Who told them to dare tease and harass a mage?
It was simply their bad luck.
Seeing the fear and pale expressions on the men's faces, Sherlin slowly withdrew her aura and waved her hand dismissively.
"Get out of my sight. I'm disgusted by all of you. Don't ever appear in front of me again, or I'll turn you to ashes," Sherlin said coldly, her words laced with threat.
Upon hearing this, the men scrambled to their feet, bowing to Sherlin in fear.
"We understand!" they said in unison before quickly fleeing.
The onlookers, who had been watching with curiosity, soon returned to their business.
'Foolish, blind men,' Sherlin muttered under her breath, shaking her head dismissively.
On a normal day, she certainly wouldn't have shown such mercy. But with so many witnesses around her in the heart of the city, she had to hold back.
If she went too far, it would only cause trouble. After all, the Holy See had a strict rule prohibiting mages from attacking ordinary civilians.
Besides, today was her special day to meet privately with her big brother—well, ahem, a "date."
She didn't want this special day to be ruined by those insignificant men.
Calming herself, Sherlin stood quietly in front of the large fountain adorned with statues of the three goddesses.
Unlike before, not a single man dared approach her, despite her stunning beauty. They had probably heard about the incident with the three unlucky men and didn't want to end up as the next fools.
The flow of people around the fountain picked up as the sun began to sting with its rising heat.
After waiting for over an hour, Sherlin still hadn't seen Arthur, causing her to grow slightly agitated.
'Why isn't Brother Arthur here yet? Wasn't the meeting scheduled for eight? It's almost ten, and he hasn't shown up. What's going on?' Sherlin wondered, biting her lower lip.
Having lived with him for many years, she knew her brother well—he hated breaking promises and was always punctual.
Those traits of his had a profound influence on her, indirectly shaping her personality into what it had become. That's why she was so puzzled by her brother's lateness.
'Is Big Brother busy and couldn't make it?' She wondered inwardly but quickly dismissed the thought.
If something had come up, her brother would have informed her last night and certainly wouldn't be this late.
After checking for five minutes and confirming her brother hadn't arrived, Sherlin reached into the pocket of her gown and pulled out a light blue rectangular device.
It was a Magic Link, a communication device that had become incredibly popular over the past five years.
With its complex and remarkable magic mechanism, it allowed users to communicate without any distance limitations.
Created by her brother, it was initially intended only for use between the two of them.
However, over time, Arthur had expanded its development and began selling it to students at the Academy and ordinary citizens.
The creation of the Magic Link communication device was a significant advancement in human civilization, which is why so many people were in awe of Arthur's genius.
Sherlin powered on the Magic Link and searched her contact list for Arthur's name.
Once she found it, she pressed the "call" button and waited quietly for him to answer.
However, the call went unanswered, and her anxiety began to rise.
'How is this possible? Why didn't you pick up? This has never happened before,' she muttered in disbelief.
Even when her brother was still on the battlefield, he always made time to answer her calls, no matter the situation.
Refusing to give up, Sherlin pressed the "call" button again and waited anxiously.
But once again, her brother didn't pick up. Just as she was starting to lose hope, the call was suddenly answered, making her heart leap.
"Brother—" Before she could continue, a middle-aged voice came through the call.
"Are you Sherlin Crown, the younger sister of Arthur Crown?"
At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, Sherlin's joyful expression froze instantly.
After a moment, she regained her composure and became alert. "Who are you? Why do you have my brother's Magic Link? And where is my brother?"
The Magic Link was a personal device—there was no way her brother's communication device would be in someone else's hands.
The voice fell silent for a moment before finally responding, "I'm one of the higher-ups of the Holy See. I know you're looking for your brother, but I must inform you that he's already gone."
"Gone!?" Sherlin was momentarily shocked, then quickly asked, "Where did he go? Why wasn't I informed?"
"Your brother received a mission from the Three Holy Messengers to stop the invasion of the Golden Dragon Emperor. He probably won't return for a year and a half," the middle-aged voice replied casually.
Boom!
Sherlin's mind went blank at those words, and she subconsciously dropped the Magic Link from her right hand.Her beautiful face drained of color, her body trembling uncontrollably. "Brother Arthur is going to the battlefield again? Why wasn't I told about this?"
People passed by her, but to Sherlin, there was only a crushing loneliness and an overwhelming emptiness.