Wearing the crown properly, Chen Mo turned and lifted little Selina onto the throne.
Glancing at the girl whose beauty seemed even more radiant and noble beneath the dazzling crown, he gently pinched her soft cheek. Under Selina's mildly reproachful gaze, he turned away and faced the thousands of subjects below.
Dressed in a black robe, towering and imposing on the high platform, Chen Mo swept his deep, commanding gaze across the crowd—Andrew, Viktor, Amelia, Marcus…
Though dozens of meters separated them, everyone felt as if his eyes could pierce straight through their hearts.
Standing atop the massive black-stone platform, Chen Mo slowly lifted his gaze past the crowd, along the corridor formed by the colossal stone pillars, beyond the open doors of the temple. He looked toward the distant, magnificent, thriving city—and a faint satisfaction crossed his face.
"It's time to leave."
Retracting his gaze, Chen Mo spoke solemnly.
"A thousand years from now, I will return."
His majestic voice still echoed through the grand hall as, before thousands of eyes, his figure vanished from the high platform in a flash of white light.
"Master!"
"Your Majesty!"
"My god!"
…
Witnessing Chen Mo vanish in the white light, no one doubted his divinity any longer. Though he had departed, their faith deepened instead of wavering.
A god dwelling in the heavens was far more awe-inspiring than a god-emperor seated on a throne—unseen, untouchable, yet unquestionably present above the skies, watching over all.
After Chen Mo disappeared, only a small, solitary figure remained on the vast black-stone platform—Selina—sitting upon the throne.
That pure white silhouette became the only light in the surrounding darkness.
The god had departed. From this moment on, she would take his place and guide them forward.
No one questioned Chen Mo's decision now. No one cared about her youth. All dropped to their knees, bowing reverently.
"Your Majesty the Empress!"
Sitting on the divine throne, little Selina gazed down at the kneeling crowd with a stern little face. Paired with the brilliant crown on her head and the pure white gown she wore, she appeared noble, sacred, and dignified. Combined with the awe still lingering from Chen Mo's miracle, a deeper reverence took root in their hearts—they now fully accepted and revered the girl personally crowned by the god-emperor.
Yet no one noticed the tiny linen pouch that had appeared in Selina's small hands at some point.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, Selina secretly squeezed the pouch—her eyes sparkling with excitement.
So many candies!
Chen Mo had bribed her with this bag of candy just to make her wear the dress and cooperate with the "coronation game."
Who could have imagined that Selina, who only wanted a bag of candy, would end up becoming the ruler of a vast empire?
As for the "saintess," "empress," "departure," and everything else Chen Mo said—Selina hadn't paid any attention. She didn't understand any of it.
Right now, her eyes were fixed only on that bag of candy.
Even Chen Mo's sudden disappearance was treated by Selina as him playing hide-and-seek. She even admired how amazing he was—able to vanish instantly. He must be hiding somewhere, waiting to see if she could find him. After all, he knew hide-and-seek was her favorite game.
But after she searched the entire palace and castle without finding him, Selina finally understood—Chen Mo had truly left.
For the first time, Amelia and the others saw cheerful little Selina cry so miserably. She even hurled her favorite bag of candies to the ground.
"Wuuuh… wuuuh…"
"Lord, you liar!"
"You said we were going to play—why did you disappear?"
"Liar! I don't ever want to eat candy again!"
"Waaaah!"
In her innocent heart, she blamed herself—believing that her greed for candy had driven him away.
To her, if she hadn't taken the candy, if she hadn't played the game, the lord wouldn't have left.
She didn't understand why he had to go. He was their lord—their king. How could he abandon his people?
In her young mind, the concept of "departure" barely existed. Every time he left to battle, he always returned. But this time… this time he would be gone for a very long time. Aunt Amelia said a thousand years. Selina was only ten—that was like a hundred Selenas put together.
She counted on her fingers again and again, unable to grasp how long that truly was—only that it was unimaginably long.
Chen Mo held a special place in Selina's heart.
Since she could remember, she had lived in the workshop with her parents and grandfather. From their stories, she learned they had a lord—a protector like a god.
He possessed unimaginable power, capable of slaughtering dozens of terrifying werewolves alone—the strongest knight in existence.
Because of his protection, they lived peacefully and joyfully. She could play freely without fear of being eaten by monsters. She had warm clothes and plenty of food—no cold nights, no hunger.
He was wise beyond measure, with knowledge as vast as the sea and a mind as lofty as the sky. Wonders she had never imagined flowed constantly from his hands—miracles he brought into being.
In everyone's stories, their lord was tall, handsome, brave, and majestic. Clad in armor, sword in hand, riding a towering black warhorse, he led his knight order across the land—destroying werewolves, conquering territories, defeating lord after lord.
He was invincible.
To little Selina, Chen Mo was the greatest hero in the world—her childhood idol.
And then this idol truly appeared before her.
When she learned that the stern knight speaking to her grandfather was their legendary lord, her heart pounded wildly. She wanted to run to him but didn't dare—only staring wide-eyed from the side.
The lord was so tall and strong. His horse was enormous—and had nearly stepped on her! What a bad horse!
She thought seeing him once was already a blessing. But then he brought her to the castle, teaching her swordsmanship and knowledge.
Most lessons came from Amelia, but whenever Chen Mo had time, he taught her personally—especially mathematics. Though the numbers gave her headaches, those lessons were still her happiest moments. One word of praise from Chen Mo could make her glow all day.
Gradually, as they spent more time together, her fear faded. She realized he was not as distant as she once believed. She could feel his affection. She began treating him like an older brother—acting spoiled, being mischievous when upset.
To her, he was like both a father and a brother—strict when teaching, praising when she did well, scolding when she erred, and spanking her when she made serious mistakes.
She cried hard each time and got angry, but afterward he always held her—stroking her hair, wiping her tears, and slipping a candy into her mouth.
Curled in his arms, feeling his warm hand gently stroke her hair and cheek, the sweetness melting in her mouth as his soft lecturing filled her ears—she would bury herself against his chest, adjust to a comfortable position, and fall asleep with tears on her face.
And she would wake up no longer angry.
Now that this familiar figure—part of her life and family—had suddenly disappeared, Selina couldn't accept it.
But at least he wasn't gone forever. He said he would return in a thousand years.
By then she would be grown—very tall, like Aunt Amelia. Would she still be able to curl up in his arms to sleep?
Selina didn't want to grow up.
In the end, Chen Mo had left. With Andrew, Viktor, and the temple knights supporting her, Selina's throne as Empress was unshakable. Though she needed to begin learning how to govern the empire, Chen Mo left instructions ensuring she still had plenty of time to play.
He didn't want her childhood consumed by state affairs. She was still young. Her future was long. With Andrew and the others assisting her, she could enjoy the precious, fleeting childhood of a vampire's long life.
Thus, even as Empress, Selina spent most of her days playing wildly with William. She had grown obsessed with riding. The black warhorse enhanced by serum—tall, powerful, magnificent—became her mount. She named it Thunder.
Every day, she would ride across the land atop it, as if she could find traces of Chen Mo on its back.
She carefully stored away the bag of candy he left her, never eating another piece.
Alexander Corvinus—who had nearly been beaten to death by Chen Mo—was appointed head of the empire's intelligence division. He vanished into the shadows, known only to Andrew, Amelia, and Viktor.
In the future, he would report directly to the Empress—though before she reached adulthood, all affairs would be handled by the three guardians.
Under Chen Mo's intervention, the Underworld had begun moving toward an entirely new future.
What would it become a thousand years from now?