Under the witness of Saintess Fleurdelys, Riel, also known as Amaterasu, finished eating the eggshell and egg liquid that had nurtured him.
The tiny black dragon's body expanded slightly, now about thirty to forty centimeters in size. Its dragon skin was very black, shiny, and lustrous. It felt smooth and tender to the touch, making a young girl like Fleurdelys fall in love with it at first sight.
Riel's dragon mouth also grew short, sharp, and pristine white fangs. Its pair of soybean-sized dragon eyes glowed with dazzling gold, filling Fleurdelys with immense joy.
She truly adored this little one—the gift Gehinnom brought her late at night had truly touched her heart.
Fleurdelys was originally a child from a commoner family, but after the Sentinel bestowed a blessing upon her and she became a Saintess, the people around her only showed reverence, and her friends grew increasingly distant.
Even though Fleurdelys never felt that becoming a Saintess was particularly remarkable, or rather, even if she still wished to consider herself an ordinary girl and humble herself to socialize with others, in others' eyes, she was sacred and inviolable. Even speaking an extra word was considered a defilement of the Saintess and disrespect to the Sentinel and the faith.
Not long after she became a Saintess, she was left with only her seihai friends.
Now she was truly a 'leftover woman' (a pun on 'Saintess' and 'leftover woman' in Chinese).
Lonely and restless, her youthful mind was not yet fully mature. How could she endure this 'isolation' in the name of holiness?
She, too, felt lonely and empty, longed for friends, yearned for fun, loved excitement, and wanted to run around outside, to see places she had never been... But her identity as a Saintess was undoubtedly a kind of shackles. As a Resonator of the Sentinel, the human representative of the Rinnascita people's faith, she had to constantly pay attention to her appearance and behavior, and was 'protected' by The Convent at all times.
The identity of a Saintess meant there were too many things she couldn't do.
Therefore, even if she could only be accompanied by seihai, every new Pterosaur Echo that was born, or every new companion, made Fleurdelys especially cherish them.
What's more, for a special existence like Amaterasu, with its unique birth method and an appearance even more exquisite than ordinary pterosaurs, Fleurdelys couldn't help but place more attention and affection on it.
"Gehinnom, I've decided!"
Fleurdelys looked at the somewhat sleepy Amaterasu, who had finished eating the eggshell, gently hugged it to her chest, and said to the large white dragon beside her:
"Tomorrow's Saintess Coronation Ceremony, in addition to the thirty-six adult pterosaur guard 隊 and the one hundred and eight small pterosaur honor guard, I also want to bring this little one along, to witness the blessing of the most supreme, most holy, and most brilliant Lord Master with me."
Riel, who was nestled in the young girl's soft and nascent cleavage, about to fall into a deep sleep, heard this and was greatly roused!
Tomorrow? Saintess Coronation?!?
Isn't that the time point for the second black tide outbreak?
During the second Saintess Coronation, the Saintess resonated with the Sentinel, who had been assimilated and polluted by Threnodian, triggering a super-large-scale Tacet Discord Tide, forging countless tragedies and the Saintess's lament... And it's tomorrow???
And I have to go with her?
Huh?
Me?
Riel shook his dazed head, scrambling in the Saintess's arms, wanting to break free from her gentle embrace and tell her—don't go!
The coronation is a trap!
It's the Ming Shi Leviathan, representing 'plague,' after assimilating the Sentinel, attempting to gather all the people of Rinnascita through the Saintess Coronation Ceremony, and then summon a Tacet Discord Tide to invade and slaughter Rinnascita!
Fleurdelys didn't notice the little dragon's unusual behavior in her arms—its struggles were too small, like it was acting spoiled. The Saintess just gently patted it, cradling it like a baby and rocking it back and forth, paying no mind, and seriously discussing with Gehinnom.
"Awoo... Roar roar... Awoo awoo awoo... (Lord Master, are you thinking of letting it join the small pterosaur honor guard? But it's too young, it might not even have the strength to hold a flower basket or wreath, and it can't even fly...)"
"No, Gehinnom, I just want it to stay by my side, accompany me in, and ride on you with me. When we enter Avinoleum, it will stay with you, and I will go in alone to receive the coronation. That doesn't break the rules, right?"
"Although I didn't agree with The Convent beforehand, such a small little fellow isn't very noticeable, is it? Even if it enters with me and sits on your back with me, no one will notice, right?"
Fleurdelys, with her free spirit, still enjoyed doing such small, slightly rebellious things.
"Awoo... (This...)"
Gehinnom hesitated a little.
"Or, Gehinnom, are you unwilling to let it ride? Or will carrying one more make you unable to walk?"
Fleurdelys reached out a hand to stroke Gehinnom's lowered dragon head, attempting to use reverse psychology to get her mount—the strongest female dragon and the proudest flight champion among the younger generation of Pterosaur Echoes—to agree to her idea.
"Awoo... (As Saintess-sama wishes.)"
"Gehinnom, you're so good!"
Fleurdelys happily jumped up and kissed Gehinnom's cheek. A hint of pink also stained the pure white Gehinnom's dragon neck.
Even seihai couldn't resist the Saintess's charm!
"Wah-eh...?"
Suddenly, an unusual sensation came from the hand holding the little black dragon, attracting Fleurdelys's attention.
Amaterasu wasn't sleeping soundly. Instead, it had bitten her, leaving shallow teeth marks. No blood flowed, and it wasn't even bitten red.
Riel saw that the Saintess's attention was finally on him—although he inexplicably felt like he was competing with Gehinnom for affection, he still looked at Fleurdelys very seriously.
He opened his mouth to speak, then suddenly didn't know what to say.
"Amaterasu, why did you bite me? Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Hmph hmph~ Confess honestly! This Saintess isn't someone you can just bite casually~ If you can't give me a good reason, watch out, this Saintess will bite back! I'll gobble up you, little blackie!"
Facing Fleurdelys's soft interrogation, Riel was in a dilemma. His gaze towards Fleurdelys was somewhat evasive, and even more, filled with regret and reluctance... "Awoo... (Fleurdelys, you... tomorrow... can you... not go to the Saintess Coronation?)"
Riel was very troubled, and even more saddened that this beautiful young girl, whom he wanted to protect for life at first sight, would tomorrow bear a sullied reputation, be thrown into a dark future of fighting Tacet Discords, confronting Threnodian, self-sealing, and awaiting destruction.
He was too weak now... But he wanted to save her, yet how could he tell her?
Subconsciously, Riel dared not reveal that he was a transmigrator—this was what he considered his biggest secret. He was an outsider to this world, an invader of this world.
How should he say it? Say that you are just characters from a game I played? That I've already seen the plot in the game?
What would they think? They would only think that Amaterasu had gone mad at such a young age.
But setting aside his identity as a transmigrator, he was just a newly born seihai. What credibility could his words have? How could he know what would happen in the future?
Why would Fleurdelys and Gehinnom, and even The Convent organizing the coronation, and the people of Rinnascita eagerly anticipating witnessing the coronation ceremony, believe him?
"Little one..."
Fleurdelys's expression visibly grew serious.
Is it, is it coming?
Was Fleurdelys going to scold Riel for his nonsense?
"You should call me Lord Master or Lord Sister or Lord Sister-sama! Little seihai must not be impolite."
?
Your focus is a bit off, sis!?
...