Episode 167
Finally, the day of the public unveiling of the Source of God arrived.
Amidst the strict security of the four Divine Beasts, the Imperial Knights, and the Holy Knights, the Source of God revealed itself for the first time in a century.
The Source of God was a sphere of light, about the size of an adult’s fist, that repeatedly expanded and contracted.
At the wondrous power felt just by looking at it, people who visited the Great Temple marveled, saying it felt like facing an incarnation of God.
Asil, who was sensitive to mana, also frequently looked back toward it with curious eyes.
“Let’s go see it up close later,” Edenber said when Asil had looked back about five times.
Currently, they were gathered with the knights of the Monlepe ducal house along with Rune to protect the Source of God.
As the other Divine Beast houses were in charge of different directions, they were the only ones here.
“Or you can go and take a look for a moment now. I’ll stay here and guard.”
“No. I’m going to protect the Source of God, too.”
To catch the wicked snake that was trying to ruin the forest of beastmen, her Mom, Dad, and brother had come, so she
couldn’t be left out.
‘I’m a grown-up dragon now who can do work that requires this kind of responsibility.’
Asil straightened her back maturely.
“I just looked for a moment because the mana I feel is so huge.”
“Certainly, since it is a holy relic, it seems to contain a tremendous amount of power.”
“Yeah.”
Maybe if I eat that, can I easily beat Dad, who is proficient in magic?
When she said this, Edenber took off the earring he was wearing and handed it to him.
It was a protective magical tool made from the basilisk tooth given by the snake’s mother.
“Just in case, keep it.”
“What about Edenber?”
“You might be in more danger than I am. He kept following you when I was the Crown Prince.”
“They said human bodies are weaker than beastmen.”
“I’m not as weak as you think I am.”
“I’m not weak either.”
The two bickered over trying to give the protective magic tool to each other.
Then finally, Edenber just stuffed it into Asil’s pocket and held it tight so she couldn’t take it out.
Asil, who ended up receiving the earring unexpectedly, puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“I challenge you to a duel, Edenber!”
“…Do you hate receiving an earring from me that much?”
Edenber, who hesitated for a long time, asked cautiously.
For some reason, his expression looked hurt, so Asil was startled.
“Or do you hate me acting friendly…?”
“No, no. I don’t hate it! I just didn’t want Edenber to be in danger, so I was trying to give the earring to Edenber.”
“Then why are you challenging me to a duel?”
“That’s…”
The tips of Asil’s ears, as she trailed off, turned slightly red.
How could I say that my heart flutters whenever I think of Edenber and that I always want to be with him?
How could I say that I feel like heat is rising in my face!
…But that was only for a moment; when she thought about it, there was no reason she couldn’t say it.
In the end, Asil decided to pour out the feelings she was experiencing.
“My heart flutters just by looking at Edenber, and heat rises in my face. Snowa brother taught me that it would go away if I won a duel.”
“…Why does your heart flutter and your face heat up just by looking at me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just because I like being together?”
Having said this much, Asil opened her eyes wide. What did I just say?
Edenber’s eyes also grew wide at the unexpected words.
Asil’s heart went pit-a-pat.
Surely she had said she liked being with Edenber when she was young, but the resonance of the words was completely different from back then.
At that time she didn’t think much of it, but now—
“No, it’s not. It’s because I’m frustrated and upset about losing the leader Arc before!”
She shouted out loud, but Edenber had already heard everything.
He, who had been stiff with reddened ears, opened his mouth stumblingly.
“Do beastmen originally challenge to a duel when they like someone?”
“No… Yes, that’s right. Beastmen challenge to a duel when they like someone!”
I don’t know what I’m saying right now. Asil, colored by embarrassment, yelled out.
At that, Edenber responded a bit skeptically.
“The Erzébet young master also challenged me to a duel before.”
“…My brother must really like Edenber a lot. That’s probably why he challenged you to a duel.”
Oh my, why did brother challenge Edenber to something like a duel!
Asil held her chin up even more stiffly so as not to get caught lying.
It was just when a strange atmosphere was flowing between the two.
“It’s an emergency!”
Several knights ran over urgently.
“The Divine Beasts of Sunrise and Skya are attacking each other!”
“What?”
“Why?”
A startled Asil and Edenber questioned back at the same time.
They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn’t even noticed that the surroundings had become noisy.
There was no more time to talk. The two moved quickly to the scene, led by the knights.
Before the Divine Beasts of Sunrise and Skya attacked each other.
The young Duke of Sunrise, Leon, was hiding in a corner, trembling.
“I’m scared… hugh…”
Having grown up as a flower in a greenhouse, he had never experienced anything like war.
Although a battle had not yet broken out, the very fact that people were gathered to stop the snake was very, very scary.
The knight commander, who looked at the sight with pity, pointed inside.
“We and the Divine Beast will guard this place, so go in and rest for a moment.”
“Yeah…”
Even the scariest snake would not be able to easily enter the place where the Source of God was. Leon, thinking so, nodded slowly.
But when he tried to move alone, it was a bit scary even if it was a safe area.
Noticing this, the knight commander called one of his subordinates.
“Hey, you there. Come and attend to the Duke.”
At that, a knight who was wandering around came immediately.
It was a person who looked somewhat clumsy, with the upper part of his face deeply hidden by his bangs and helmet.
“Can you see ahead walking like that?
Strawberry.”
“Apple. Yes, I can see well!”
“Hmm.”
It was somewhat unreliable, but since he had said the code word, the knight commander attached the knight to Leon.
Thus, Leon headed inside with the knight.
The interior where the Source of God was located was like a maze.
Although it was decorated as if the Source was right in front of them for the people who came to see it, once they actually approached, the distance continued to widen like a mirage in the desert.
This was to prevent the snake from seizing it, and only the high-ranking officials of this event could reach the place where the Source was without getting lost in this maze.
So, when they had passed about half of the maze and reached the area where entry was prohibited for unauthorized persons.
“I’ll go alone from here. Thank you for the escort.”
Leon tried to dismiss the knight.
It was because he knew that no matter how scared he was, he should not take an outsider inside.
However, the knight did not intend to go back.
Rather, he lowered his voice and whispered.
“Does the Duke not want to see the late Duke and his wife?”
“The late Duke and his wife… my parents?”
Leon’s face was colored with bewilderment.
“Of course I want to see them. But why suddenly…”
“I will make it so you can see the two of them. Of course, I mean the two who are alive.”
“…What?”
“The Source of God has the ability to resurrect the dead. All the high-ranking people know this fact… Did the others not tell you?”
“No, not at all…”
Leon’s eyes trembled.
“…Why didn’t they tell me?”
“That is because they do not trust the Duke.”
The knight whispered as craftily as a snake.
“Because if they told the truth, the Duke might use the Source of God.”
“No. Even if they told the truth, I have no intention of using the Source…”
“Even if you use the Source, if the late Duke and his wife return to life, they will resolve everything.”
No, that couldn’t be.
He was momentarily confused, but Leon was not foolish enough to believe those words.
So he tried to deny the knight’s words by shaking his head quickly.
However.
“Y-your eyes!”
The moment he faced the knight’s face, which had become extremely close, he turned pale and ended up falling on his backside.
The place where the eyes should have been was tightly wrapped with bloody bandages.
It was the snake.
“It’s the snake! The snake has appeared!!”
Leon, seized with fear, screamed at the top of his lungs.
But the snake disguised as a knight was faster at casting magic on him.
Due to the injury, using magic was not smooth, but it was easy enough to win over the heart of a confused child.
Soon, the focus disappeared from Leon’s eyes.
The knight whispered.
“I know how to use the Source of God. Please guide me to the place where the Source is.”
“Yes…”
Soon Leon, who had lost his reason, guided the snake to the place where the Source of God was.
And having reached the end of the road, he encountered Lilibet and the Divine Beast Eter who were guarding the Source.
“Duke?”
Lilibet furrowed her brow.
“Why did you come all the way here? And with an outsider at that.”
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