Chapter 1247: 4. Protection

“Tars......”

The ancient stone walls were mottled green, wind chimes beneath the eaves rang with clear tinkling sounds, and the flowers on both sides swayed in the breeze. Even that refreshing floral fragrance was so real.

It was almost as though that ancient city from eight hundred years ago had truly reappeared in this world. Every brick and tile, every flower and blade of grass, every single detail could be touched with one’s own hands, allowing one to feel the traces of time left upon them.

Hamreign’s majestic golden eyes softened almost instantly. Her bare jade feet stepped upon the bluestone pavement, and in that moment, she seemed to travel back eight hundred years, back to the time before any of it had happened.

At the far end of the street corner, familiar figures even seemed to flash past......the windmill turned and turned, while the children’s laughter was as beautiful as a dream.

“Miss Dragon......”

“I’m fine.”

Hamreign lowered her eyes slightly. The radiance of her golden eyes disappeared beneath her fine lashes. Her expression still appeared as calm as ever, but the faint trembling of the fingertips hidden within her sleeve did not escape Muen’s notice.

“Are you really fine?”

“Don’t worry. Since I have already made a promise with you, I will not be defeated by this nightmare of the past. Absolutely not......” Hamreign said softly: “In fact......I am even somewhat happy.”

Those countless remnant souls and resentments had already disappeared.

Standing within this city, she could no longer see mountains of corpses or seas of blood, nor could she hear anyone crying or cursing.

She could freely enjoy this long-lost sunlight and breeze, and properly look once more at the city’s weathered, ancient beauty.

And all of this was because of this human. This human who had saved her from endless suffering and promised to continue walking forward with her, who would never give up no matter how hopeless the road ahead became......he was here as well.

This was good. Truly......good.

So good......that an indescribably complicated emotion actually stirred within her heart.

It was an emotion she had never experienced before.

Even Hamreign could not help seriously contemplating it for a moment. Her golden eyes trembled faintly, reflecting the figure of that blond human.

Then realization dawned upon her.

She understood. That emotion was probably......the resonance between her and him, born from the bond of their eternal promise!

“Is that so? It won’t cause you pain anymore? That’s wonderful.”

Muen also felt inexplicably emotional, but in the end, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Teacher Mela had said, in a certain sense, Tars had not completely disappeared from this world. That could be considered a good thing.

But for Miss Dragon, this city could very well awaken those painful memories once again.

Those were her deepest scars, her most vulnerable weakness. Even though she had already emerged from them, something like this could injure her again merely by being remembered.

......Fortunately, she no longer seemed bound by the past.

“That’s why I say you really do love worrying over nothing, brat.”

Mela watched the exchange between the two of them. In particular, when she saw Hamreign sometimes frown and sometimes smile, it was as though she were watching a fifty-year-old woman dressed in Lolita fashion and acting cute. Her face was full of disgust: “Even the smallest fraction of this dragon’s age is greater than yours. How could she be that fragile?”

“Ahem, I was merely worried that Miss Dragon might become trapped in her own emotional knot again. Something like that has nothing to do with age.”

Rather, the more one had experienced and the more deeply one clung to an obsession, the easier it was to be tripped up by one’s past self.

After suffering for so long, how could she simply let it go just because she said so?

“Still too sentimental. Look at me. When have I ever been as fragile as she is?”

Mela gave a disdainful snort: “Someone who was weak a thousand years ago is still just as weak a thousand years later. Even though she grew taller, she has not changed much in any other respect.”

“Oh?”

Muen blinked and immediately leaned closer with curiosity: “What was Miss Dragon like a thousand years ago? Would it be convenient for you to reveal it?”

“Well......let me properly tell you about it. Don’t be fooled by how big she is now. Back then, she was......”

Mela excitedly lowered her voice. She was extremely willing to spread gossip of this kind......

However, a jade hand suddenly rested upon Muen’s shoulder.

That hand was warm, soft, and fair. Even if one exhausted every word in the world used to describe beauty, it would still be difficult to describe it, making one want to immediately seize it and hold it tightly.

But it made Muen shudder, and he hurriedly returned to seriousness.

“Let’s discuss serious matters.”

Muen gave a dry cough: “We should stop discussing gossip that is completely useless for saving the world.”

“......Brat, you are still as cowardly as ever.” Mela looked at him with contempt.

“I merely care deeply about the world and am unwilling to waste time here. Being afraid of women is something that could never happen to Belrand’s number one good man.”

That was right. He had never been afraid of women at all.

It was merely that Miss Dragon’s claws......no, jade hands, truly possessed a tiny bit of deterrent force.

Of course, most importantly, he really did have serious matters to ask about.

“Speaking of which......what use does this Divine Kingdom have? A Crowned one’s [Domain] can resist attacks and remain impervious to all magic, but I do not feel any defensive ability from this Divine Kingdom. It seems as though anyone who wants to enter can simply enter.”

Muen secretly glanced at Miss Dragon’s equally fair jade feet, recalling the scene of her stepping into the Divine Kingdom in an instant just now. Although she had moved so quickly that he had barely felt anything, that was precisely the problem.

As his [Divine Kingdom], this area did not appear to possess any resistance against outsiders.

“And......isn’t its range too small?”

Most of his previous memories were blurry, but Muen still retained a faint impression. When he had still been that Black Sun, the Divine Kingdom that descended had practically taken the form of an entire city.

But now, the area manifested around him was merely one corner.

Forget an entire city. Its range did not even cover one city block. At most, only the area within a little more than ten meters around him had become his [Divine Kingdom]. It was pitifully small.

“You brat......you really do not know how fortunate you are.”

“......”

He was being looked down upon again.

“Can’t you use that wooden head of yours and think? As an extension of a god’s divine Authority, why would a Divine Kingdom prevent others from entering?”

“Oh? Teacher Mela, you mean......”

“Its effect is not to resist or block anything. On the contrary, it welcomes others inside, because within this area......you are the true ruler.”

Mela stared into Muen’s eyes and enunciated every word: “A Divine Kingdom is a god’s absolute territory. Even during a battle between gods, one god will not enter another god’s Divine Kingdom. Instead, they will first crush the other side’s Divine Kingdom. In other words......while you are here, you are almost omnipotent.”

“Omnipotent......”

Muen looked down at his hands, turning those four syllables over in his mind. His heartbeat could not help beginning to accelerate.

In that case, while he was here, even if he wanted to give this trashy loli’s butt a thorough beating, he would be able to......

“You can think about something like that after you become a true Evil God.”

Mela interrupted Muen’s fantasy with a cold laugh: “Before then, I can still easily handle you.”

“......”

The corner of Muen’s mouth twitched.

What kind of damn omnipotence was that? This damned old loli only knew how to fool people!

“Ahem......then, you said it makes me the ruler here. What exactly are its effects?”

“That is simple.”

Mela raised her chin toward Hamreign: “Do it. Give this brat a demonstration.”

Muen shuddered, inwardly sensing that something was wrong.

“What?” Hamreign suddenly frowned.

“Hit him. If you do not hit him, how will he know what effect his Divine Kingdom has?”

“Then why don’t you do it?”

“If this were the sea of flowers, based solely on the nonsense this brat was imagining earlier, I would have already torn him into eight pieces.”

Mela viciously bit through the lollipop in her mouth: “This brat is becoming less and less respectful toward me. Hurry up and do it. While you are at it, help me teach him a lesson.”

“I refuse.”

Hamreign rejected her decisively.

“Hm? Why?” Mela widened her eyes.

“That is what I should be asking. Why should I help you teach him a lesson?”

Hamreign tilted her head and asked in confusion: “He is my contractor. If anyone is to be taught a lesson, I should help him teach you one.”

“......Exactly, exactly!”

Muen, who had already habitually prepared himself to be beaten, froze for a moment, then hurriedly nodded along: “Why should I be taught a lesson? I did nothing wrong!”

“......”

For the first time, the corner of Mela’s eye twitched faintly.

She looked at Hamreign, then looked at Muen. She took several deep breaths, but still could not help laughing in anger:

“Fine, so the two of you have hooked up like an adulterer and a **.”

“Domir, shut up.”

Hamreign’s expression immediately darkened: “I have already told you not to use those filthy and sordid thoughts of yours to speculate about the pure and noble relationship between Muen and me!”

“Exactly, exactly!” Muen nodded along once again: “Our relationship is pure and noble!”

“......”

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Also for the first time, Mela’s flat little chest rose and fell so violently.

However, before Muen had time to feel pleased at seeing this hateful trashy loli suffer a setback, he saw her stare meaningfully at him and smile even more brightly.

“Very well. Since the relationship between the two of you is so pure and noble, I will stop disturbing you for now and leave.”

“Huh? Wait, about the Divine Kingdom......”

“You can figure that out yourself. It is not a particularly complicated mechanism anyway.”

Mela waved her hand, as though she truly were considerately leaving Muen and Hamreign some time alone. Her departing figure showed not the slightest reluctance.

However, an instant before she disappeared, she suddenly turned her head.

“My own dearest disciple.”

“Wh......what is it?”

“After returning to Belrand, remember to come find me in the sea of flowers.”

“Huh? N-No need, right? I think we have already greeted each other......”

“Who said anything about greeting each other? Since our relationship is so good, why shouldn’t we spend some time strengthening our bond?”

Mela pulled out another lollipop from somewhere and slowly peeled away the wrapper......although she was merely peeling the candy wrapper, for some reason, Muen had the illusion that he was also about to be peeled open, and his entire body shuddered.

“Don’t forget......the alchemical core on your back still has an unfinished procedure.”

Mela licked the lollipop. This time, her smile......was very gentle: “Remember to come early.”

With that, she completely disappeared from where she stood.

Only Muen remained behind, disheveled in the wind, his entire body ice-cold.

Nooo.

Considering how petty that old loli was, if he went to the sea of flowers......he did not even dare imagine what would happen to him.

It seemed......he had gotten somewhat carried away.

“It’s all right.”

Hamreign suddenly wrapped an arm gently around Muen’s shoulders: “I will protect you. I will absolutely not allow that fellow to bully you again.”

“R-Really?”

Muen was deeply moved, and more than half of the fear in his heart instantly vanished.

That was right. So what if he had gotten carried away?

With Miss Dragon around, that old loli would never again be able to do anything excessive to him!

He was no longer the person he had once been. Now......he had someone backing him!

“Thank you. You are so good to me.”

Muen could not help tilting his head back slightly, seeking that warmth.

Because of their difference in height, the moment he moved, the back of his head just happened to accidentally rest against two astonishingly soft objects.

Then......

“Hm?”

Muen felt that warmth disappear.

He turned his head in bewilderment and discovered that Miss Dragon had somehow moved far away from him again. She was calmly looking in another direction, as though admiring the seemingly beautiful scenery around them.

Even though everything around them was nothing but endless white mist, with absolutely nothing to see.

“Somehow......”

The corner of Muen’s mouth twitched, and despair once again rose in his heart: “This side does not seem very reliable either......”