The lingering dampness of the night had not yet dissipated, and a thin mist, like a veil, hung low over the Fountain Plaza.
A cold wind swept through the crowd, denser than usual—all the elves who had received the Saintess's grace were there—they were silent, and a heavy sense of unease permeated the air.
Rielian stood in the usual spot where the Saintess preached, wrapped in a gray cloak, beneath which was a faded coarse linen shirt and patched trousers.
The morning light fell sparingly on his face, revealing deep dark circles under his eyes, adding to his weariness.
One hand gripped the rough edge of the fountain tightly, his knuckles white from the effort, while the other hung somewhat awkwardly by his side, then he raised it to rub the tip of his nose.
He opened his mouth, his throat dry, and it was a long moment before he squeezed out his first sentence, his voice trembling slightly:
"I... I know who you're waiting for."
This faint voice, however, was like the first spark ignited in the darkness, instantly drawing all eyes.
"But she... Liriel, was taken away by the nobles last night."
A suppressed gasp rippled through the crowd.
Many heads drooped, some biting their lower lips, while others finally couldn't hold back and let out faint whimpers.
Rielian looked at those desperate faces, his heart pounding violently with tension, his fingers gripping the stone edge even harder, his nails almost digging in.
"You all know," he took a deep breath, his voice tinged with bitter self-mockery, "I'm no leader..."
"I'm just... just like you, a Queldorei commoner abandoned in the dust by the nobles."
His initial words were a bit stumbling, but as he recalled the past, a familiar surge of grief supported him, and his voice gradually became clear and coherent:
"I once watched my mother, convulsing and screaming from mana addiction in a cold room... yet she couldn't even get a shred of extra mana."
"We were all the same."
"Hunger, cold, pain, and that endless mana addiction."
"Until she came."
When Liriel was mentioned, Rielian's lips unconsciously curved upward, and his eyes seemed to light up with a faint glow:
"The lady we respectfully call'Saintess.'"
"She didn't descend from the heavens like a god; she was even... only slightly older than many of us."
"But it was she who came when we were crushed by despair and on the verge of collapse."
"She didn't bring the mana we craved, but she brought—light."
At this point, Rielian subconsciously looked down at the spot where Liriel used to stand and preach.
Then, his gaze shifted to the dark corner of the plaza where the cages once stood.
"She was the first to approach those cages, one by one, to awaken the souls devoured by mana addiction."
"It was she who soothed our pain with warm divine grace; it was she who knelt down, listened, remembered, and called each of us by name."
"She wasn't high and mighty, never imperiously saying, 'Go do this for me.'"
"She just stood here, moving things, boiling water, cleaning wounds with us—I asked her, 'Why don't you rest for a bit?' She said: 'It's not time to rest yet.'"
His voice choked, and he raised that awkward hand, clenching it tightly into a fist.
"How many of us, in her light, truly felt for the first time that we... were still alive? Like living people, not struggling walking corpses?"
"She owes us nothing. But what she did for us is more than what we've done for ourselves."
"However, such a person as she is no longer here." Rielian's voice deepened, as if he too was struggling to swallow this bitter truth.
But a moment later, he suddenly raised his head, his gaze abruptly becoming sharp as a knife, sweeping across the entire plaza:
"Do you know how she is 'not here'?"
He saw it, the confusion in those eyes being replaced by rage.
"That's right! It's those nobles!"
"It's those noble lords who cower behind magic barriers all day, enjoying themselves by sucking our blood and sweat, who sent people to seize her!"
"What crimes did they pin on her?"
"Illegal spellcasting! Inciting a cult!"
Rielian let out a short, sharp laugh, as if he had heard the most absurd lie in the world.
Immediately after, his chest heaved, and he cried out with all his might, his voice soaring:
"Shameless! How utterly shameless!"
"Illegal spellcasting? That's a law enacted after the Great Sundering, ostensibly to prevent attracting demons, but what was the reality?"
"Ultimately, it just became an excuse for the nobles to monopolize mana and magic!"
"Moreover, what Liriel cast was divine grace! It was the warm power bestowed by our Lord, the Dragon of Radiance! How can it be illegal?!"
"As for a cult? That's even more baseless nonsense, not worth refuting!"
"Ever since we believed in the great Dragon of Radiance, the mana addiction in us has been receding!"
"He could never be an evil god! His power is so warm and pure, his teachings so noble and clean!"
Rielian paused for a moment, took a deep breath, letting the anger burn in his chest:
"They took Liriel away based on these two fabricated charges!"
"They took away the Saintess who saved us!"
"In their eyes, the Saintess who brought hope and salvation is actually an enemy!"
His voice grew increasingly high-pitched, carrying a scorching fury:
"But you tell me! Before she arrived, which noble lord ever stepped down from his high tower to care about whether we lived or died? Even once?!"
"They only demand endlessly from us! Draining our last ounce of strength!"
"Then, like swatting away a fly, they throw us a few scraps, merely to keep us alive like livestock, so they can continue to exploit us!"
"When we finally grasped a shred of hope in this swamp of despair, saw a glimmer of light! They, like rabid dogs sniffing blood, rushed over impatiently to extinguish it!"
"Why?!"
"Because they fear us! As long as we have hope in our hearts, they can no longer enslave us with a clear conscience, as they did in the past!"
These words were like a red-hot iron, searing deeply into everyone's hearts.
The plaza instantly erupted in long-suppressed roars and curses, the crowd incensed, their eyes red with fury.
Rielian raised his clenched fist and pressed it down, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
"...But," his voice lowered, yet it pierced through the noise even more powerfully, clearly reaching every ear, "the light has already shone in."
"We refuse to pretend we don't see it anymore."
"We cannot pretend we don't see it anymore."
He paused again, his gaze becoming profound and resolute:
"She said this is just our Lord's test."
"If this truly is a test—" his gaze swept across the crowd, "—then it's not just Liriel being tested!"
He slammed his fist against his chest, producing a dull thud: "It's me!"
Then, that arm suddenly swung out, pointing at the dense crowd before him: "It's you! It's every Queldorei standing here!"
"If we retreat now, abandon her, that's equivalent to personally extinguishing the light she brought! Letting darkness swallow us again!"
"But if we choose to stand up!" His voice continued to rise, filled with determination, "We're not just saving her! We're saving ourselves—saving everything that has been trampled, deprived, and ignored!"
"We don't have noble blood, nor do we have powerful martial might—"
"But we have faith."
"The spark she sowed in our hearts!"
"Now, this fire is in your hearts! Right now!"
"Tell me—"
He spread his arms, his voice like a war cry, tearing through the morning mist, "Are you willing to let it die out now?!"
"Or do you want it to—burn! Burn brighter! Burn through the darkness that presses down on us?!"
This final shout was like a heatwave from a flame, instantly igniting the plaza!
"No!"
"Burn!"
Some responded hoarsely, some pounded their chests with their fists, some had tears in their eyes, nodding desperately.
A long-suppressed power surged and converged within the crowd!
Rielian seized this boiling tide, roaring with all his might, his voice hoarse but firm:
"Then, what shall we do?!"
His fiery gaze swept over every face ignited by anger and hope.
"We must go! Bring her back!" a voice echoed from below.
"Yes, we will show all of Sendarra with our actions—" Rielian continued.
"The light belongs to us!"
"It belongs to you! It belongs to me! It belongs to every single one of us!"
"Those nobles want to silence us! They want us to forever sink into the abyss of mana addiction, to rot in the darkness!"
"But we—never!"
"We are not livestock to be slaughtered! Not numb walking corpses! And certainly not tools for them to take whatever they want!"
The crowd completely erupted!
They waved their arms, repeating Rielian's words, transforming their accumulated unease and hesitation into the fuel of anger, igniting the flames of rebellion!
Just then, a deep and profoundly penetrating voice rang out from behind Rielian, setting the tone for this uprising:
"This is not revenge."
Sindaiseth slowly stepped forward, standing beside Rielian, his tone as cold as ice: "Rather, it is—reclaiming our future."
His sharp gaze swept across the entire plaza, pausing for a moment, "We will not indiscriminately kill, nor will we burn down streets."
"We will only do one necessary thing—"
"That is to break! Break the invisible chains the nobles have placed upon us!"
"They tied us to mana addiction, day after day, year after year, exploiting our value!"
"Now, the time has come—"
His voice was decisive, "to end all of this!"
Rielian stood shoulder to shoulder with him, his chest heaving violently, his clenched fist raised high, shouting hoarsely:
"We are not expendable commoners! Not cursed invalids! Not hideous monsters—we are the true masters of Sendarra!"
"She gave us light! Now, it's our turn—to fight for her!"
"Those willing to join—" his roar was like a bugle call, echoing through the sky, "stand up!"
"For her! And for our own tomorrow!"
The entire plaza fell into a moment of absolute silence, even the wind seemed to freeze.
Then, the first elf suddenly stood up, his movement filled with a do-or-die determination!
Immediately after, came the second, the third... like a chain reaction, the standing figures merged into a single mass, sparks converging into a raging inferno capable of consuming everything!
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