Chapter 144: News That Spreads Like Wildfire (1)

Upon hearing the mockery, Malverna felt a surge of anger and frustration. But when she remembered who Nolan truly was, she forced herself to hold back her emotions.

With a heavy sigh, she crossed her arms and responded casually, "Afraid? Have you forgotten who I am? I’m the Demon Empress—one of the most powerful figures in history. Why would I be afraid?"

Sensing the lie in her words, Nolan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Still, he had no intention of teasing her further and simply nodded with a relaxed expression.

"Yes, yes, I believe you," he said, just as casually.

A blue vein twitched on Malverna’s forehead, but before she could speak, Nolan interrupted her.

"Whatever my status is, there’s no need to be scared or act formal around me. Just treat me like you used to. It’s way more comfortable than watching you get all stiff, you know?" He added, taking a sip of his wine and flashing her a playful look.

Malverna’s expression froze. A moment later, a blush crept onto her cheeks as embarrassment took over.

Somehow, his words sounded ambiguous—easily misunderstood.

She gave a small shake of her head, then took a deep breath and returned to her usual cold, indifferent demeanor.

"If that’s what you want, fine," she replied calmly.

Nolan nodded in satisfaction. As annoying as Malverna could be, he actually liked her arrogant and cold demeanor—it had become a defining trait in his mind.

"Then you may go. I want to rest," Nolan said with a lazy yawn.

Malverna rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. Truth be told, she was just as exhausted and eager to rest.

Without another word, she vanished like a gust of wind.

Watching her disappear, Nolan shook his head with a faint smile before slowly walking over to the bed and collapsing onto a pile of pillows.

But just as he was getting comfortable, his brow furrowed—he felt something move beside him.

In one swift motion, he threw back the covers—only to be stunned by the sight of Eliza.

"How did this little girl get here? Why didn’t I notice her?" Nolan muttered in disbelief.

As far as he remembered, the room had been empty when he entered. So how could Eliza appear and fall asleep in his bed without him sensing anything?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

Letting out a long sigh, he decided to put the mystery aside and ask Eliza directly tomorrow.

Gently, he covered the girl with a blanket and placed a bolster between them as a barrier.

Then, pulling up his own blanket, he slowly closed his eyes.

...

The next day, news of the Halveran Capital’s destruction sent shockwaves across the continent.

Within a short time, every empire and kingdom had heard about it.

The rapid spread of the news wasn’t surprising—Halveran was the economic heart of the Holy Empire of Valtanir. Merchants from countless cities and factions came to trade there daily.

But that morning, when merchants arrived as usual, they were met with an unthinkable sight: Halveran’s capital was gone.

The residents were just as confused. All of them had lost consciousness overnight and had no idea how their city had vanished. In its place was nothing but emptiness... and a massive crater two meters deep.

To ease the growing panic, Daniel quickly rallied the remaining soldiers and summoned nobles from across the empire to find a solution.

It was no small matter. Halveran had housed countless buildings—many of them of immense value.

The complete destruction of the infrastructure, combined with the two-meter ground collapse, resulted in devastating losses for the people.

In the end, Daniel was forced to draw on the empire’s financial reserves to begin rebuilding.

But the cost was staggering. According to economic experts brought to the palace, full restoration of Halveran would require between three hundred and six hundred billion Solaris.

Even with the Holy Empire’s vast wealth, the amount was staggering—enough to put serious pressure on its financial reserves.

To manage this, Daniel appealed for donations from noble families and secured large-scale loans from the Blue Moon Trading House.

The interest rates were steep, but it was the only viable way to fund immediate reconstruction.

Yet amid the chaos, one long-forgotten name began to resurface—the Singularity of Chaos.

...

"Brother, have you heard the news!?"

The door to Nolan’s room burst open as Elina rushed in, her face full of panic.

Nolan, who was feeding Eliza on his lap, looked up in surprise at her sudden entrance.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked calmly, "What news are you talking about?"

Elina’s eyes widened for a moment at the sight of Eliza, but she quickly remembered her reason for coming and hurried to sit on the opposite sofa.

"Brother, you might not know this yet, but something huge just happened!" she said with a serious expression.

Nolan blinked, looking genuinely puzzled.

"Then just say it," he replied casually, slicing a piece of stir-fried beef and gently feeding it to Eliza.

The little girl accepted the food with a bright smile, chewing happily.

"Brother, the capital of the Holy Empire of Valtanir was destroyed last night!" Elina said, her tone filled with concern. "They say it was the work of the Singularity of Chaos. The entire continent is in shock—it’s all anyone’s talking about."

When Elina first heard the news, she had been utterly stunned. The Holy Empire of Valtanir was one of the continent’s strongest powers—yet it had been struck down without warning.

But the moment she learned that the attacker was the Singularity of Chaos, her reaction turned to silence.

Just last night, the Singularity of Light had shown up at their father’s birthday banquet and nearly killed both her and Nolan.

What made her even more suspicious was that the Halveran capital had been destroyed that very same night. She couldn’t help but wonder—was it retaliation for what happened?

In any case, it all seemed too coincidental.

Nolan feigned surprise and looked at Elina curiously.

"Is the news reliable? Where did you hear it from?"

"Hehehe..." Elina scratched her head in embarrassment. "I was passing in front of Father’s workspace and... heard it by accident."

Nolan rolled his eyes, then stabbed a piece of beef off the plate and popped it into her mouth.

"Accidentally? Or were you eavesdropping on purpose?" he teased.

Elina chewed and swallowed before answering with an awkward smile, "Ahem... I was eavesdropping."

"Pfft!" Eliza couldn’t help but laugh, making Elina pout and purse her lips.

"You little rascal, how dare you mock your sister?" Elina pretended to be angry as she raised both hands, as if to tickle her.

"Ah! That’s not it, Sister Elina!" Eliza quickly defended herself. "I just thought your reaction in front of Brother Nolan was adorable!"

Elina pinched Eliza’s cheek as she grumbled, "Still, you can’t laugh at me."

Seeing their interaction, Nolan gave a small smile. A peaceful scene like this was something he had been longing for.

However, he knew peace could not last without strength.

Hence, he vowed in his heart to destroy anyone who disturbed his peace, no matter how strong or powerful that person was.