The Heart of the Exploding volcano is built inside a real volcano. This volcano has been dormant since the discovery of Middleworld, so those who built it were not afraid to build a castle inside and around it.

  Since the volcano is inactive, funerals for important people are held at another volcano in Lava lake, located a short distance from the volcano where the Heart of the Exploding Volcano is built... This volcano is called Extinct Fire, which is a bit ironic because there is lava at the bottom of the volcano. All the inhabitants of Middleworld hope that the lava will remain at the bottom.

  Flame V's "funeral" takes place at Extinguished fire. Any inhabitant of Lava lake can attend... in fact, it is considered good manners to do so, especially when the former ruler was respected, and Flame V was a very respected ruler. After saying goodbye to the former ruler, the funeral moves to the top of the volcano, where only Flame's closest loved ones and people called Firekeepers are allowed to enter. The Firekeepers are tasked with ensuring that the funeral is conducted according to tradition.

  Ash stood in the front line in front of the volcano. The Firekeepers read out the names of all the previous users of the red Crystal and told the story of their lives so that the inhabitants of Lava lake would remember who had brought them to this moment. Ash's expression showed that she was not herself at that moment.

  "His brother must not get his hands on that scythe." "His brother must not get his hands on that scythe." "His brother must not get his hands on that scythe." ...So who should get their hands on it? My mother, who until now had been hiding a secret that would cause Lava lake to explode if it were revealed. My sister, who had been crying so much for the past two days that people were surprised she hadn't collapsed from dehydration...

  While Ash was lost in her thoughts, Spark grabbed her hand. Spark was completely shaken up, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

  No matter what happens, Spark cannot live in a world where Ruby rules Lava lake... I need her to be happy. I need to make sure that no one hurts her anymore. But how can I achieve that when there are so many people in this world who crave power?

  A few moments ago, Blaze finished telling Ash her story.

  "You understand? I'm glad to hear that, Ash... I... I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner. I was hoping I could bury my past..."

  "So what do you want to do, mom? Ruby is the rightful heir to the red Crystal."

  "One way is to convince people that this is wrong... we have until tomorrow... tomorrow the legendary scythe will be handed over... that scythe must not be handed over to him... the people must not want it.

  Ash remembered this conversation, let go of Spark's hand, and stepped out of line. The Firekeepers stopped talking, and one of them spoke up. - "Please, get back in line, this is destroying old traditions."

  "I'm sorry, but not everything old is good. The fact that I can only talk about my father at the top of a volcano seems unfair to me. I would like to talk about him here and now. In front of the people of Lava lake... I think everyone should hear what a great man he was."

  The Fireekeepers wanted to send Ash back to the line until there was a response from the line. - "My sister is right, everyone deserves to hear about my dad from the people who were closest to him... what's wrong with that?"

  The entire audience began to support Ash, everyone wanted to hear what she had to say. Ash began to speak.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "My father... my father was a great fighter. He always fought for his goals. Whether it was banishing troublemakers from the city, enforcing the right opinion, raising his children... he always fought to the end. His last two goals were to protect his daughters at Horwann's child's celebration... he fought to the end again. AND DON'T THINK HE WAS DEFEATED. The attackers wanted to take his scythe... and he passed it on to me... the attackers lost. His last goal was to see his wife. Even though he was on the verge of death, he still fought, survived the long journey, and made it home... my father died in peace."

  Ash paused her speech for a moment and approached her father's body. She took his hand. - "It's time to move on." - Ash turned back to the audience.

  ''At the same celebration, the king of the black Crystal kingdom had an interesting speech. He talked about how people come and go. I didn't like that speech because when people leave, if there is no one to ensure that their goals are fulfilled, their lives were meaningless. My father's main goal was for everyone to be happy... for the people of Lava lake to be able to raise their children safely, live their lives, and fulfill their goals. My father was a leader who will not easily be replaced... a leader who put the happiness of his people before himself. As long as I am alive, I will ensure that the flame of my father's goal continues to burn, even though he is no longer here.''

  Ash moved closer to the audience. "Now I've told you how I knew my father, unfortunately I didn't have the honor of knowing him as a child... but his brother did, please... tell us what my father was like as a child." - Ash pointed to Ruby, who was also standing in the front row. The audience's gaze shifted to Ruby. Ruby did not move from the line.

  "It's nice that you think breaking old traditions is okay, but it's not. Ash... what you said is nice, but you have to respect the old traditions. If you won't, then at least I will... the future ruler of the red Crystal kingdom.

  Ash smiled at Ruby and returned to the line without a word. From that moment on, the funeral continued as usual. Once the Firekeepers had finished their speech, the funeral moved to the top of the volcano.

  Ruby, Blaze, Spark, and Ash were the only ones besides the Firekeepers who were allowed to go to the top. Spark and Blaze said their final goodbyes to Flame. When it was Ash's turn, she said she had already said her goodbyes. As for Ruby, he said he had no intention of saying goodbye to a dead body.

  Flame's body was thrown into the volcano... the ruler of fire became fire. The funeral was over. Tomorrow, when the sun is at its strongest, there will be a ceremony to hand over the scythe, which contains the red Crystal. But that night, Ash met her mother again... more precisely, Ash came to her.

  "Hi Ash... your speech was very touching.'' - I didn't give it for that reason. I don't care what other people think about my father... I will always know that he was a great man, and that's all that matters. The reason I decided to give my speech was simple... I had to show people that traditions can be broken."

  Ash looked her mother in the eyes. From Ash's eyes... from her whole posture, you could sense that something had clicked in her head... this something had a clear thought.

  "Tomorrow, Ruby will not gain the power of the red Crystal, but you must ensure that those who disagree with this are eliminated."

  Blaze couldn't understand what she was hearing, but she realized that it was her who had told Ash not to give Ruby the power of the red Crystal. - "Okay, Ash... I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."

  Blaze isn't the only one who has "infiltrated" the red Crystal kingdom. There are several descendants of people who fled Horw I when he conquered Lava lake. These descendants became members of the army, and Blaze knows exactly who they are. Blaze contacted them that night and told them that her father's vision could come true if they made sure Ash's decision went smoothly.

  That night, Ash returned to the volcano where her father had been thrown. She stood at the edge of the hole, looking down at the lava that had melted Flame's body.

  Dad... I'm sorry. You probably won't like what's going to happen from today onwards... but you'll like the result. I've always liked the story of Horw the Conqueror, but you know what I think? That he was a complete idiot. Horw conquered the whole of Middleworld just so he could hand over his power to people he trusted? What the hell was he thinking... every person has a little desire for power inside them. Ever since Horw conquered Middleworld, there have been far too many such people. Your brother, that bastard who sent his men to kill you, several current rulers. If there were only one ruler... one person who controlled all of Middleworld, then such people couldn't appear. Dad... that person will be me.