Chapter 149

Firefly Meringue.

A fruit that reconstructs the existing body, compensates for flaws, and elevates it to a higher level.

If it’s your first time eating it, the effect is the same no matter when you eat it.

However, depending on when you eat it, the efficacy of this mysterious fruit can vary dramatically.

For Lady Kisea, who doesn’t have any inherent flaws like the girl Yanid or hasn’t been severely damaged like Roka was before death, this fruit isn’t suitable. It might have an effect if eaten now, but it’s better to save it for later.

“You can still increase your physical strength through training, right?”

*Flick.* The woman who had been sitting in the corner with her back turned perked up her ears, genuinely seeming to pout.

“This is a fruit you should eat when you hit a wall. When you eat it then, your body will be reconstructed, and the wall will break as a bonus. It’s for when you’ve reached the limit of what training can do, and you need to break through to the next level. You only get one chance in your lifetime.”

“If you give it to me now, I’ll eat it when the time comes.”

“Unfortunately, the fruit is unstable and won’t last until then.”

Even if stored in a shabby jar, the fruit will turn into light within a week. If Lady Kisea takes it, it will disappear within minutes.

There was already an incident where the Princess, lying over there, ate the Firefly Meringue out of curiosity and regretted it. She complained to me, saying she should’ve eaten it later.

I didn’t want Lady Kisea to have the same regret. If she eats it now, it might not work when she really needs it later.

“…I wanted to try it.”

Seeing her ears droop pitifully, Roka patted Ranga to comfort her. For a moment, I doubted whether that person was really the famous mercenary or an imposter, but I quickly dismissed the thought.

For someone who supposedly doesn’t know greed, the wolf sure has quite the appetite.

Above all, watching her naturally reach into Roka’s pocket to pull out a star candy made me realize that her way of thinking is different from mine.

“Ah, that’s…”

*Crunch!*

By the time Roka noticed, it was too late to stop her. Roka growled and scolded her.

“That’s mine. How can you just take it without asking?”

“We’re family. Between family, there’s no ‘yours’ or ‘mine.’”

With that, she grabbed another handful of candy and shoved it into her mouth. Roka was so stunned she couldn’t even react, just staring with her mouth open.

“…I’ll let it slide.”

Still, being of the same kin, she stopped at glaring. The lizard, feeling down because of Lady Kisea’s mood, muttered.

[Once, I ruled the mountains and rivers, and now I’m reduced to watching this.]

“Hmm…”

The sound of Lady Kisea crunching on the star candy made the Princess toss and turn. The sound of Roka or Lady Kisea chewing candy always reminds me of something collapsing.

It’s that loud. To put it nicely, it’s a noise. The Princess couldn’t take it anymore and finally opened her eyes. She squinted and saw the two wolves bickering.

“Disappointing. You’re stingy over a piece of candy with your sister? Is that all I mean to you?”

“That’s not the point! If you’d just asked, I would’ve given it to you!”

“Oh, so our Roka needs permission to give me a single piece of candy.”

“It’s not just one piece, it’s a handful!”

Silently, she just blinked. Eventually, she even heard the lizard dangling and muttering.

[Hey, can you let me down and discuss this? Oh, the great mind is being shaken! Barbarism is shaking wisdom. Oh dear…]

“Is this… a dream?”

If this is what you see when you wake up, anyone would think so.

“Roka…?”

Finally realizing Roka’s identity, she was shocked. After eating the Firefly Meringue, Roka had grown so much in an instant that it was hard to recognize her.

“Is it really…?”

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Roka finally glanced at the Princess. The child, seemingly annoyed, chewed on the star candy and replied.

“Now we’re even. I’ve paid off my debt with this.”

“Master…? Since when? More importantly, if you’re here, then the Saint…”

Roka turned her head away without answering. It seemed she had no intention of continuing the conversation. Right now, her tussle with Lady Kisea seemed more important.

So when I placed my hand on her shoulder, she was startled and looked at me. Then, her eyes trembled. I simply said one thing.

“I’m back.”

“Your, your eyes… Saint, why are your eyes… What happened?”

“There was something I had to do.”

“Don’t tell me… something happened at the Citadel…”

It wasn’t something that happened to me, but something I caused. I knew this would happen.

I just smiled quietly. I don’t regret what happened at the Citadel at all.

Even if I were given countless chances, my choice wouldn’t change. A hundred times out of a hundred, I’d make the same choice.

“Don’t tell me… because I didn’t follow the Saint…”

So, there’s no need for that misunderstanding. Even if you had been there, things wouldn’t have turned out differently. The Phoenix wasn’t a being that could be defeated just because the Princess lent her strength.

Even if you used every ounce of strength to defeat it, its mysterious resurrection ability is no joke. Just like how Roka managed to defeat it but it came back to life, a single death was nothing more than a minor inconvenience to it.

In the end, it was only through a miracle that its tenacious life was completely extinguished. At the time, there was no way to replace the night when the Milky Way bled.

There was only one way to completely kill it. It just so happened that I was the one with that means.

“Ah, or maybe it’s because of that monster I faced…”

[Don’t make up stories. His eyes were like that from the first time I saw him.]

The lizard grumbled. Seeing the talking lizard, the Princess was startled and shouted.

“Don’t tell me… you’re the monster from before?”

[You already said my name was Oberta, are you trying to scare me to death? I’m Azahadaka. A pitiful dragon who had his heart ripped out. Now I’m reduced to this.]

“A dragon? You…? I can’t believe…”

I can’t believe it either, but it’s true.

That lizard was once a dragon.

[Do I get anything extra for being a dragon?]

“No, well…”

[At least you’re polite. You’re not a beast.]

The lizard grumbled. Then, I told the Princess about the girl we had just met.

Of course, before that, I had to explain what happened at the Citadel, our return to the Imperial Palace, and the events that took place there, as well as the Empress.

When I mentioned this part, the Princess turned her head and looked straight at Ranga.

“What are you looking at?”

“You’re the assassin sent from the Temple to kill my mother?”

“It wasn’t to kill her, but to bring her back! Anyway, I didn’t lay a finger on her and even got paid to leave. If the Temple finds out, they’ll throw a fit. But not you.”

Since it wasn’t a lie, the Princess remained silent. After all, in the end, it wasn’t bad for her.

Anyway, I explained again. I told her that the turmoil in the Imperial Palace seemed to have finally ended, and I also told her about the girl named Yanid.

When I mentioned that the being behind the girl’s manipulation was the Evil God Oberta, she nodded. She probably had an idea. But she didn’t expect that the dragon, Azahadaka, was also involved.

“A dragon, a god, and a human in one body? So that’s why…”

“That girl left to find her freedom. And… we were left with this dragon.”

[Stop treating me like a leftover, Priest.]

The lizard stuck out its tongue and hissed. The Princess still looked confused.

However, a look of self-reproach appeared on her face. It seemed she blamed herself for not being able to help despite all this happening.

“While Edmund was causing all this, I was not only unable to help my father but was also teetering on the edge of life and death. On top of that, the knight who was loyal to me was killed by Oberta.”

Indeed, she sniffled. Then, in a tearful voice, she murmured.

“In the end, I couldn’t do anything this time either. When I had leprosy, I at least had the excuse of being sick, but now… now I have no words.”

“Even if I had words, they wouldn’t have helped. I should’ve followed the Saint. If I had, at least Karsien would’ve lived… and maybe the Saint’s eyes would still be intact.”

It’s all in the past now. Even the Almighty God doesn’t allow the past to be undone.

In the end, we all have no choice but to run toward the future. Hope exists so that we don’t let go of that future.

“But why is it so quiet? It feels like the fight ended a long time ago… Who won?”

Lady Kisea yawned and muttered. Indeed. It’s so quiet you could yawn. Unless those two are chewing on star candy, that is.