Chapter 502: Growing Something You Shouldn’t
“…!”
Shien abruptly stood up from the hot spring and turned around, looking in a certain direction.
There, a little girl had appeared at some point.
“You…?”
Shien was stunned.
He hadn’t expected that voice to come from such a young girl.
She looked like a beastman, wearing a leather dress, seemingly around thirteen or fourteen years old.
The little girl held a fluffy, mysterious creature, blinked her big eyes, and stared at Shien from the edge of the hot spring.
Shien was first stunned by her appearance and age, then his eyes narrowed.
Because he sensed a terrifying magic power from this little girl, and a ferocious aura that seemed capable of crushing the heavens and earth.
It felt as if a world-destroying beast had suddenly appeared before him.
But this little girl with such a terrifying aura simply stood there with an innocent look, seemingly curious about Shien, staring at him.
Frankly speaking, Shien didn’t dare to look away from her.
Before she spoke, Shien hadn’t even sensed her presence, which showed how extraordinary she was.
The current Shien was different from before. His [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] could even perceive the workings of the world, yet he hadn’t reacted to her presence until she spoke. This alone was enough to make him wary.
Of course, if he had been fully focused, Shien wouldn’t have been completely oblivious. It was mainly because he had been too relaxed and comfortable while soaking in the hot spring, and he had been lost in thought, making him less alert.
But even so, not just anyone could bypass the detection of [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree].
Yet, this little girl had done it.
“Who are you?”
Shien asked in a deep voice.
However, the little girl didn’t answer his question.
“Airi?” The little girl tilted her head, as if thinking about something, muttering, “Airi? Airi? Airi?”
She kept repeating this name, seemingly very interested in it.
Shien frowned.
“What?” Shien asked, “Do you know Airi?”
Shien decided to test her.
“Airi?” The little girl was still tilting her head, but seemed to understand Shien’s words and nodded vaguely, then said happily, “Airi! Airi! Airi!”
The little girl cheered, jumping up and down, and accidentally let go of the mysterious creature in her hands.
The mysterious creature fell to the ground without a sound, then, as if understanding human behavior, rolled its eyes and flipped over, staying in a prone position.
However, it stared intently at Shien, a look of scrutiny in its eyes.
Shien also noticed this mysterious creature, then he realized something.
The terrifying aura he had sensed earlier, like that of a world-destroying beast, actually came from this mysterious creature.
As for the little girl, although her aura was faint, she possessed immense magic power, even greater than Lucy’s, stronger than anyone Shien had ever met.
Just what were the origins of this girl and beast duo?
Shien subconsciously used [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree], trying to see through their levels.
However, he couldn’t see anything.
“This…”
Shien fell silent.
Then, an amused voice rang out.
“Alright, stop looking, human boy. With your power, you can’t see through our level. Don’t waste your energy.”
It was a voice that sounded young, yet somehow mature.
Hearing this voice, Shien’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the little girl again.
“Airi! Airi!”
But the little girl was still jumping up and down, chanting Airi’s name.
That voice didn’t come from her.
“Hey, hey, where are you looking?” The voice rang out again. “Here, look at me. It’s me talking to you.”
The mysterious creature lying on the ground raised a forelimb and waved it in a very human-like manner.
Shien finally understood.
“You… you were the one talking just now?”
Shien asked in surprise.
“Yes.”
The little creature readily admitted.
However, it hadn’t opened its mouth to speak.
That voice, rather than coming from its mouth, seemed to be transmitted directly into Shien’s mind, like telepathy.
This stunned Shien.
“Sigh, that reaction again.” The mysterious creature said faintly, as if bored. “Every time I meet someone new and talk to them, they have this reaction. It’s getting old.”
Shien resisted the urge to retort, glanced at the cheering little girl, then at the mysterious creature lying on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t help but ask,
“What are you? A monster?”
Shien’s eyes were filled with confusion.
“Heh.” The mysterious creature chuckled, seemingly too lazy to explain. “Just consider me a monster. To you humans, there’s no difference between me and a monster anyway.”
After saying that, the mysterious creature turned to the cheering little girl, its tone suddenly turning stern.
“Alright, stop jumping around, Millu. Pick me up.”
The little girl, called Millu, stopped and obediently picked up the mysterious creature.
“Lid.” Millu said to the creature in her arms, “Airi, Airi.”
The word “Lid” seemed to be the creature’s name.
“I know, I know.” Lid said impatiently. “Really, how much do you want to see Airi? She’s such a spoiled brat, yet everyone dotes on her and lets her do as she pleases. She’ll be spoiled rotten by you all sooner or later.”
“Hee hee.” Millu didn’t seem to mind Lid’s complaints and giggled happily, seemingly in a good mood.
Shien’s frown deepened.
This strange girl and beast duo, it seemed, wasn’t simple at all.
“Who are you?”
Shien was losing his patience.
This made Millu and Lid turn their gazes back to Shien.
“Young man, be patient, don’t be so impatient.” Lid grinned, its voice still transmitting directly into Shien’s mind. “Don’t worry, we’re not suspicious characters, at least not to you.”
“Not suspicious, not suspicious.” Millu repeated happily, like an innocent child.
Shien naturally wouldn’t believe their words so easily.
Not only because they were suspicious, but also because their behavior seemed strange.
Therefore, Shien didn’t let his guard down.
However, considering that his [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] couldn’t see through their levels, and their familiarity with Airi, Shien had a guess about their identities.
If they were truly who he thought they were, then it would be worth trying to communicate with them.
Just as Shien had this thought, the voice rang out again.
“Good, that’s the right approach.”
The mysterious creature, Lid, said approvingly, then added slyly,
“Anyway, you should get dressed first, lest Millu stares at that thing of yours for too long and grows something she shouldn’t.”
These words made Shien’s lips twitch.
What did she mean by “grow something she shouldn’t”?
If she meant a stye, then just say so, don’t be so ambiguous.
People who didn’t know might think it was something else.
…
At the same time, in several other locations, quite a few people noticed the situation on Shien’s side.
“Why are they here?”
Nadue, waiting outside for Shien to finish his bath, sensed that magic power and aura and was stunned.
“This magic power…!?”
In the Queen’s Palace, Sophie, who had her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and stood up from her throne, her eyes filled with shock and even panic.
In two different rooms in the tree house where Shien and his group were staying, two little girls opened their eyes simultaneously.
“Miss Lilith?”
Lasha, who was by Lilith’s side, called out when she saw this.
But Lilith ignored Lasha, turned her head, looked in a certain direction, then with a “whoosh,” transformed into a stream of evil aura and dashed out.
Lasha’s eyes flickered slightly, but she didn’t say or do anything, just quietly waiting, as if waiting for the dust to settle.
Naturally, in another room, Airi also got up.
“Those two…”
Airi murmured, sighing, either annoyed or troubled.
“Appearing here, it seems their bad habits haven’t changed.”
Saying so, Airi got out of bed.
The next moment, a pair of dragon wings unfolded on Airi’s back, and she transformed into a gust of wind, flying out of the window just like Lilith.
A stream of evil aura and a dragon’s shadow flew towards the same direction.
“…”
In a clear lake, Lucy, who was soaking in the water, raised her head and saw this scene.
Around her were laughing elven girls.
Lucy didn’t move.
She just stared, her thoughts unknown.
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