At the same time, an incomparably vast surge of magical power turned into a tangible force and locked onto him in an instant.
Alvin's body stiffened slightly. He felt as if a pair of eyes filled with sacred authority were staring at him from behind.
'This is… a god?'
The thought flashed through his mind.
The only thing that could make a white dragon feel threatened was a god.
'But how could there be a god inside King Marco's manor?'
"Hurry and go, there's still time right now!", Tristan's voice pulled Alvin back to reality.
"It's already too late to leave," Alvin gently shook his head, "She already locked onto me just now, and even if I can leave, she can't."
He pointed to Tiamat at his side.
If Alvin really wanted to leave, he could simply activate the special authority of [Watchman EX].
But Tiamat did not have an ability that could completely erase her presence from perception.
Tristan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said decisively, "I'll go help you hold her off!"
As he spoke, he turned and was about to leave the garden.
"No need, Tristan."
At that moment, however, Alvin reached out and pressed a hand on his shoulder.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be something King Marco stirred up, right? Do you want to become enemies with your uncle right now?"
As if he had been poked in a sore spot, Tristan's steps stopped abruptly, hesitation flickering across his face.
"But you…"
"I'm fine, but if possible, there's something I'd like to ask you to help with," Alvin continued.
"What do you want me to do?", Tristan asked.
"It's simple."
Alvin looked up at Tristan and smiled. "Help me prepare some snacks, and also, remove all the concealment barriers in the garden."
Tristan was clearly stunned for a moment.
The enemy was already on the way, and Alvin was asking him to prepare snacks?
Was he planning to invite the other party to taste Isolde's cooking or something?
"Alvin, don't joke around…"
"I'm not joking," Alvin said with a smile, "Isolde's snacks are pretty good. She didn't seem full just now."
Tristan's gaze unconsciously shifted to the woman beside Alvin, or rather, the little girl now.
In the end, he still nodded lightly and sighed, "I understand… take care of yourself."
Tristan left quickly. Not long after that, snacks were brought over.
Alvin took a small sip of red tea and casually glanced at Tiamat Lily sitting on his lap.
She seemed unaware that danger was approaching, or perhaps she simply did not care much.
At this moment, all of Tiamat's attention had been completely captured by the plates of snacks on the table. Her eyes sparkled, the stars reflected in her pupils seeming to glow brightly.
But she did not immediately reach out. Instead, she turned her head to look at the boy behind her.
"Go ahead and eat, these are all for you," Alvin nodded.
After getting confirmation, the blue-haired little girl reached out and grabbed a piece of bread from the table, then stuffed a slice of cut lamb into it and wrapped it up.
"Ahm~"
She took a bite, eating half of it. After thinking for a moment, she generously handed the other half to Alvin.
"Do you want some? It has meat."
Alvin felt a bit touched. For a natural foodie, being willing to share food with another person meant she already felt very close to him and treated him as one of her own.
What surprised Tiamat was that this time, Alvin did not refuse. He swallowed the remaining half in one bite.
Tiamat froze, staring at Alvin in confusion.
'Wait, you're really eating it?'
The sinister side of human nature was fully revealed at this moment.
She had thought Alvin would refuse her like before, but instead, he ate it all in one go.
After that, Tiamat did not ask Alvin whether he wanted any more. She picked up a small piece of roasted lamb leg and started nibbling on it herself, bite by bite.
At some point in the garden, a ripple of magical power gently spread out.
Magical power from a god was approaching this place.
Alvin seemed unaware, holding his red tea with both hands, feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun, leisurely sipping his tea.
Tiamat put the last piece of lamb into her mouth. Her beautiful eyes shone brightly as she looked toward the fruit platter, pointing at one of the fruits on it.
After eating lamb, her mouth was full of the gamey taste, so she naturally needed some fruit to balance it out.
'Mama Tia really knows how to enjoy herself,' Alvin said, "Do you want grapes?"
Seeing Tiamat nod gently, Alvin reached out toward the fruit platter.
However, at that moment, a figure rapidly approached from outside the garden.
Her speed was so fast that it left afterimages in the air.
Just as Alvin picked up a grape from the table, a tender white foot stepped on the back of his hand.
Then, with a kick, his hand was knocked away, and the grape rolled off and fell to the ground.
Tiamat froze, slowly lifting her head to look at the uninvited guest before her.
Her once bright crimson eyes instantly dimmed.
At the same time, Alvin quickly reached out and pulled Tiamat into his arms protectively. When he saw the appearance of the goddess in front of him clearly, his expression immediately grew tense.
Ishtar stood on the table. Her black twin-tails seemed to be coated in a layer of sacred radiance under the sunlight, like a goddess descending at that very moment.
She looked down at the boy before her from above, an arrogant curve quickly forming at the corner of her lips.
"Knowing full well that I've already locked onto you, yet you still didn't hide in fear."
"Looks like you must be Britain's white dragon."
Ishtar raised one delicate, dainty foot and spoke again with the bearing of one in a superior position.
"Seeing how dumbfounded you look, could it be that you're captivated by this goddess's beauty? I'll give you a chance. If you lick this foot clean right now, I can consider letting you and your companion leave."
Alvin was truly having trouble holding it together at this point.
He had thought King Marco might have summoned a god, and had even guessed which god it might be.
But he never could have imagined that this great noble had summoned the beloved Venus goddess of Mesopotamian mythology.
Seeing that Alvin still wore a subtle, complicated expression, Ishtar frowned slightly, thinking that the boy might have been scared silly by her, unable to squeeze out even a single word after all this time.
Ishtar sized Alvin up a few times, quickly noticing his tense expression and how he kept glancing down at the girl in his arms.
"Oh?"
As if realizing something, a pleased curve appeared at the corner of Ishtar's lips.
"So this must be your lover, no wonder you're so nervous."
"Let go. Let me see what she looks like."
She spoke in a commanding tone.
Alvin hesitated for a moment and said, "Sorry… but she doesn't like being stared at by strangers—"
"Do you think this goddess is negotiating with you right now?"
Ishtar would not let it go. With one hand, she brushed aside Alvin's arms that were protecting Tiamat.
Soon, Ishtar began to look with interest at the blue-haired little girl in the boy's arms.
Her face was bare of makeup. Blue long hair fell loosely, her figure small and cute, her temperament slightly airheaded and innocent. Only her once-bright crimson eyes were now somewhat dim.
She quietly stared at Ishtar.
"So it's actually a little little girl, your tastes are pretty unique~"
As she said this, Ishtar reached out and rubbed the blue-haired little girl's head.
Then her movement suddenly froze.
'Wait a second…'
'Why does this magical power feel so familiar?'
Ishtar stared at Tiamat in shock and uncertainty.
Tiamat was also looking at her.
Then, slowly, an indescribably terrifying aura spilled out from Tiamat's body.
Magical power from the dawn of creation surged forward in an instant.
Ishtar's heart pounded violently. As if realizing something, massive waves exploded in her mind.
The smile on her face gradually froze.
"Mother?"
The grape that had rolled to the ground smashed against a stone at the corner of the table, splashing sweet juice everywhere.
Along with the grape, it seemed that Tiamat's heart shattered as well.
She stared pitifully at the grape by the table leg, her eyes seeming to glisten with tears.
Rumble!
It was not only Tiamat whose mood turned from sunny to cloudy. Just moments ago the sunlight had been bright, yet now the sky was gradually being covered by lead-gray clouds.
Tiamat slowly lowered her head, picked up the grape that had fallen to the ground, then glanced at the arrogant goddess standing on the table who had kicked over the fruit platter.
Then, little by little, those once bright and captivating crimson eyes gradually darkened.
Ishtar's body stiffened. The arrogant expression she had worn just moments ago was completely gone.
She slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth. After realizing the identity of the woman before her, she appeared calm on the surface, but inside her heart was already in complete turmoil.
'Why is Mother here?'
At that moment, a despair-filled scream echoed deep within Ishtar's heart.
In Mesopotamian mythology, Ishtar was the goddess most doted on by the gods.
In a sense, her experiences could be said to be the exact opposite of Tiamat's.
The former had been showered with love and admiration from the moment of her birth, while the latter, after creating everything, was exiled and left to wander the Imaginary Numbers World.
Although she had never seen Tiamat since birth, Ishtar was not unfamiliar with this fluctuation of magical power.
After all, it was a reverence carved deep into the souls of the gods of Uruk, and even Ishtar was no exception.
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