Firebrand - Chapter 523: One Step at a Time

Coming back from the magic world, Riya rebuked her shameless stepmother.She was back to her first life with the world treasure and thought that her life would be smooth sailing.But…What was happening with the environment?Why did the mana suddenly recover on this Green Planet?And why did those magic beasts also appear?Riya: ???Ah, Riya silently swore to secretly become stronger to deal with these magic beasts that went on rampage. She would use her runes to make a better life while watching the world recover from the destruction.Unfortunately, things were not so simple.Her best friend’s brother suddenly locked his attention on her.“Ah, ah, ah, you don't have to mind me….”“The runes you make are really interesting. Can you show me more?” The man smiled and stepped closer.“I…I can, but can you please not come too close?!”Riya just wanted to meditate silently, so how did she suddenly attract this big boss’s attention?

During an internal Navy hearing, the top brass conducted a serious inquiry into Rogers Daren, the so-called “scum of the Marines” and Admiral of the North Blue.“You’ve had improper relations with royal princesses and noble ladies from multiple North Blue kingdoms?”“I call it showing care for the people.”Marines High Command: …“How do you explain the absurdly high salaries of the North Blue Marines under your command?”“Well, with what the HQ pays, how else do you expect them to risk their lives?”Marines High Command: (ーー`)“Why is the North Blue fleet equipped with technology from Germa?”“That’s just military-civilian cooperation. Germa 66 was moved by my sense of justice.”Marines High Command: (○_○)“And how do you explain the unusual deaths of a Celestial Dragon in the North Blue?”Daren sighed.“A maritime accident… truly unfortunate. I personally express my deepest condolences.”Marines High Command: (._.?)And so begins the story of a rebellious, unorthodox Marine.

Angel Johnson was a waitress struggling to make ends meet when an unexpected contract with Tryson Bliss, one of City Y's most powerful and ruthless billionaires, changed everything.Tryson needed a fiancée to appease his demanding family, and Angel, desperate for money and a way out of her humdrum life, agreed to play the part.What began as a calculated arrangement soon evolved into something neither of them expected—an intense and forbidden connection.But when Tryson's family uncovers Angel's true motives, they cast her out with venomous disdain.Humiliated and heartbroken, Angel's last hope is confronting Tryson. But instead of an apology or a chance at redemption, she finds herself shattered when he declares that he has chosen his first love, Riley, the woman he was preparing to marry.Devastated and with only her pride left, Angel walks away, determined to rebuild her life alone.Two months later, Angel is lost in the pulse of the music at a dark, crowded bar, seeking refuge in anonymity.A hand seizes her from behind, and her breath catches as she turns to face the man she can't forget—Tryson.His eyes, once cold and calculating, are now stormy with raw emotion, and he pulls her into his orbit, holding out the contract she once signed. “We haven't finished our work, Angel. The contract says you have a year left to be my fiancée. Don't tell me you're planning on breaching it now.”With no choice but to comply, Angel moves back into the house that once rejected her.But to her surprise, the family she once loathed now welcomes her with unexpected warmth and kindness.As she navigates this unsettling shift, Angel is left to wonder—what has changed, and why?What secrets do they hide that could alter everything she thought she knew about Tryson and his family?And as Angel's heart begins to thaw, she's confronted with the hardest question of all: Can she keep the secrets she's hidden from Tryson?And will Tryson fight for her love a second time, despite everything that has come between them?

Honjou Kaede was invited by her friend, Shiromine Risa to play a VRMMO.