"Let... let me go! Waa... waaaah... Who... who gave you permission... to pull my tail!... Edward! You... you're ruthless! If you have the guts... fight me fairly like a man! Don't... use such underhanded... tactics!... Yiya~~~~~~~~!"
Now, Mengdie's body trembled uncontrollably. Lying weakly on the ground, the tears she hadn't shed even under the direct attack of the Starlight Extinction now gushed out like a broken faucet. Her face, filled with shyness (actually anger), looked stunningly beautiful. It even made Edward, who was trying hard to hold her down, captivated...
Edward felt the fluffy sensation in his palm and pressed his other hand on Mengdie's shoulder to prevent her from struggling. But...
(Mengdie... Huh?! Am I... holding her down now? Holding down this girl... who I could never get close to before? She... she looks so weak now... I'm holding her down... I can restrain her completely with just one hand... !!!)
The girl with her ears pressed close to her hair looked so weak. For the first time in his life, being able to completely control Mengdie made Prince Edward swallow hard, and the hand pressing on her shoulder trembled suddenly...
"Howl!"
Suddenly, the white wolf by their side growled at Edward, and he, feeling guilty, quickly let go of his hand and jumped to the side, his face flushed, not knowing where to look. The white wolf glared at him warningly, then picked up the weakened Mengdie and, accompanied by Nia, took her to her tent to rest.
Unfortunately, Mengdie lost this battle, and there was no excuse for it. Now lying in the tent, she gasped for air, trapped by fatigue and exhaustion.
Was she content?
No, she wasn't.
No one is content after being defeated. Of course, Mengdie wasn't either. But a loss is a loss, and being discontent doesn't change that. The only thing that matters is to reflect on oneself after failure, recalling every detail and action of the fight to find the real reason for the defeat!
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Indeed... I underestimated them.
Traveling with them for so long made me unable to see their true strength. They were both much stronger than I had anticipated! Maybe I could handle one, but against both, I could no longer compete. Reality is indeed cruel...
But, I also have to thank this battle. My over-excitement during the fight and my underestimation of their strength made my actions careless. Being woken up by them before facing the Black Flame Serpent isn't a bad thing.
In this battle, I confirmed many things. One of the most important is that I absolutely cannot accept a female identity!
Damn it, the thought of being intimate with a man gives me goosebumps. So what if my mind, technique, and body can't unify? I am me, I have my own way of training! Even if it's slower, as long as I intensify my training, I won't be weaker than if I accepted a female identity!
Amidst these thoughts, the girl finally slowly fell asleep. Her expression was so serious that even in her dreams, she seemed to be continuously engaging in various virtual battles, further enhancing her strength...
※※※
The night sky was tranquil, surrounded by silence.
Under the starry sky, only the rustling of insects in the grass could be heard. With the stars and moons shifting, it was now deep into the night, and everyone in the camp seemed to be resting peacefully in sleep.
"Whoosh!!!"
Suddenly! The tent flap of Xiu's tent was violently pulled open! The cold wind of the early morning blew in, startling Xiu from his sleep.
"Who is it?!"
Panic and fear appeared on Xiu's face. He hugged his staff, tremblingly pointing its tip towards the tent door.
"...It's me."
Father Cotton's voice came from outside the door. However, unlike his usual gentleness, this voice was ice-cold.
"Huh... Father. What's up? Why in the middle of the night?" Xiu put down his staff, scratching his head sleepily, yawning.
Father Cotton's cold gaze was fixed on Xiu. After a long moment, he hummed lightly, "Stop pretending, come out. I have something to ask you."
With that, the tent flap closed. Xiu, who was yawning inside, smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth and began to dress.
Three minutes later, Xiu, dressed neatly, followed Father Cotton's steps to a clearing far from the camp.
Father Cotton looked up at the starry sky. The three moons were so beautiful. The Milky Way and stars were brilliant, a spectacle that perhaps only the greatest Goddess could create...
"Father, what do you need me for?"
Xiu stood beside him, smiling, leaning on his staff.
Father Cotton slowly lowered his head, his expression solemn, looking at Xiu. His cold and sharp gaze scrutinized the apprentice magician from head to toe several times, as if trying to discern something.
After a long while, the cold and questioning words finally came from Father Cotton's mouth—
"Xiu Mula. Who are you, really?"
The night grew heavy, and the air around seemed to freeze in that moment...
Faced with Father Cotton's questioning, Xiu instead showed a somewhat surprised expression, "Who am I? Father, you know I'm Xiu Mula. Why ask who I am? How should I answer that...?"
"Hmph." Father Cotton raised his head, continuing to gaze at the stars, "What do you think?"
One question answered with another. After this, both fell into deep silence... until ten minutes later, Xiu chuckled softly—
"Who am I, Father Cotton? Shouldn't you know best? Respected... Great... Sage... Sir."