Chapter 85

It seemed impossible to bring out those embarrassing words to this tactless but sweet beast.

“Humans sometimes need to distance themselves a little before marriage, Aymon.”

“But, I don’t want to.”

“In any case, you’re not allowed to enter my room until the engagement ceremony.”

“But still-”

Aymon’s words were cut off abruptly. Mainly because Belinda grabbed his hand and dragged him out. As she pulled him, Belinda continued.

“I think I also need some time by myself.”

A time to regain her energy back.

Aymon was dragged away helplessly even though he could easily shake off her small hand. 

A moment later, he arrived in front of the entrance door. 

Aymon’s complaint rang without stopping, however, it didn’t stop Belinda and the next thing he knew, the door was slammed in his face. 

Bang! 

The only door to enter the Guest Palace was closed now.

Aymon muttered sadly as he looked at the firmly shut door.

“….Why…..”

A pitiful voice resounded in front of the door.

Shanti, who saw his chief getting kicked out pathetically, laughed inwardly.

‘What the hell is this!? This is so much fun!’

She was undoubtedly the strongest human on earth. 

Where in the world can you find any living being who can kick out a noble existence ruling all lands, called the Shinsu?

Mazetto, who watched the poor Shinsu getting kicked out while perching on Shanti’s back, chirped as if laughing at Aymon.

“Aymon was kicked out. Kicked out!”

Of course, Mazetto flew away as soon as Aymon turned his head menacingly as if he was going to devour him.

***

“The bed seems very spacious now that Aymon isn’t here anymore,” Belinda muttered to herself, as she rolled around the bed.

She missed him already even though it hadn’t been a day since the last time she slept in his arms. Humans’ adaptability was truly impressive. Now the same bed looked especially big, and the cozy blanket felt chilly for some reason.

Aymon’s tight embrace was like a warm and large carapace. When he disappeared, that shell shattered and she became lonely like a chick without its mother in a cold snowy field.

“I shouldn’t have told you to leave….”

Belinda shut her eyes while rubbing her cheeks against a cozy blanket instead of a cozy Aymon.

I miss you.

In fact, she missed him very much. 

As her longing for Aymon got greater, she started to drift off. Soon her breathing slowed down, and her consciousness subsided.

She often dreamed after she made love with Aymon. Almost like he awakened something that was asleep inside her.

As she got further and further away from consciousness, a familiar, yet unfamiliar, landscape unfolded before her eyes.

Drifting into an unknown period in time.

A girl was seen humming as she soaked her feet in the spring water. Whenever the water poured down, she could feel the raging power around her feet. 

From her outer appearance, she seemed to be at the age between a girl and a woman, but her clear and bottomless eyes made it difficult to really deduce her age.

“Humhmm~”

After humming for a long time, she turned her head upon feeling someone’s presence. No one could access this place except those with divine powers, so it must be the infamous hero, Barahan.

A younger brother whose origin was different from her and a God who controlled humans.

“Lapyan. Do you think it’s enough to just dip your feet?” Barahan asked, sitting next to her.   

He raised his hand to touch her wet hair, but Lapyan quickly moved her head to avoid him. Barahan laid his hand down as if nothing had happened.

There were many emotions in his eyes that only saw her. There was a sense of admiration for his beautiful sister. At the same time, there were incompatible feelings of jealousy and envy.

Lapyan nodded. Then, as if it just occurred to her, she unfastened the sword around her waist and handed it over to Barahan.

“Here, it’s all yours.”

“…Can I really have it?”

Lapyan only nodded indifferently and closed her eyes again. 

“Yeah. Because you’ll need it more than me.”

The sound of birds chirping resounded throughout the forest. Barahan slowly looked down at the sword. His eyes glistened greedily.

The sword she gave him was no regular sword. It was a sword imbued with Lapyan’s divine power, it was used to protect the land and subdue impure darkness.  

It might be nothing but a tool for Lapyan, but it was something Barahan had envied so much.

Once upon a time, the waters coming from underground – springs – gave birth to the first god, Lapyan. As soon as Lapyan came to understand her true self, she cultivated the earth after she drove out the creatures that put the continent into chaos.

And the god who was born after that was Barahan. Unlike Rapian, who controlled the earth, Barahan ruled over humans.

Barahan’s body was powerful, but that was all. His power was incomparable to the powerful deity called Lapyan.

They also had a different appearance. Unlike Lapyan, who had golden hair symbolizing the sun and silver eyes symbolizing the moon, his hair was sandy and he had golden eyes.

Barahan always lived in her shadow. Secretly harboring a sense of inferiority complex, misplaced jealousy, and twisted affection toward her.

“Barahan, is it true that another war broke out?” Lapyan asked in a worried voice.

She drove out the black shadow and achieved peace on the continent, but the war between humans broke out afterward.

The existence of God was meaningless to humans. They thought of God only as a danger beyond the wall, not a visible terror. 

“I’m giving you my sword, so you should bring back the peace, Barahan. For the sake of humans, Please lend them your strength.”

I’m so tired now.

As she mumbled quietly, Barahan nodded.

“Trust me, Lapyan.”

Barahan bowed his head with the sword in his hand. He felt the power rush up inside his body. Each time the power surged, his golden eyes turned into silver and then returned back to their original color again.

He was convinced. If his body and her sword’s divine power were combined, he would be a greater God than he is now. 

Everyone will look up to me and worship me.

***

For 10 years, Barahan used her sword to conquer the entire continent. 

Lapyan quietly protected his back. She used invisible force to support Barahan and maintained the public order on behalf of her lacking brother.

After the situation started to return to normal in some measure, she came back to live quietly in the forest. Doing nothing but growing flowers and mingling with animals in peace.

With her divine power, the forest grew denser and a bit of her power was slowly infused into the blood of animals. 

She was often praised here and there on the continent, but that was pretty much all. She was always alone. It wasn’t to the point of suffering from loneliness, but there was a bit of emptiness somewhere in her heart.     

Did I live too long?

Sometimes, she noticed that Barahan gazed at her with a rather strange look. However, he was like a younger brother who was born from the same springs as her. She couldn’t possibly have feelings for such a child.

All she could do was pretend not to know Barahan’s heart.

Lapyan was slowly walking through the forest path.

Is the season changing?

The leaves leisurely turned green as if it was smudged with paint. There were traces of melted ice everywhere. 

But suddenly, when it was time to walk through the grassy path across the desolate woodland with enormous bushes here and there…  

“Growl….”     

The growly sound of a beast could be heard from somewhere and she stopped walking. It sounded like a groan of a wounded beast.

Lapyan slowly entered the bushes. 

What cute things may be hidden here?

Along with a mixture of tension and anticipation, she pushed the bushes away and saw a black beast.

“Hmm….so it’s you.”

Lapyan tilted her head to see the black beast closely. A huge black leopard was glaring at her. Its front leg was soiled with red blood. She couldn’t really tell whether the blood belonged to the black leopard or to another beast. 

The area below its neck trembled and a terrifying sound rumbled again.

Lapyan approached the black leopard without any hesitation.

She heard the birds chirping some time ago. A very big black leopard appeared the other day, and they said the black leopard was making enemies here and there because of his nasty personality.

Perhaps because of the forest’s energy, his inherent strength was superior to everyone else, which is why he didn’t die yet, but he might soon. At least that’s what she heard about the wild beast that entered her forest.

As she got closer, the leopard’s eyes shone dangerously as he revealed his sharp claws.

The leopard, who had been waiting for the prey to come close, was about to charge at her as soon as she came within his range. However…

“Good boy.”

When Lapyan patted his forehead, he stayed still like a statue.

He couldn’t move a single muscle as if he was bound by an unknown force.

The leopard blinked in a daze. 

I’m sure there’s no beast stronger than me in this forest, no, even on this whole continent.

The wide-open purple eyes gleamed under the sunlight shining through the cracks between leaves.

Lapyan rubbed the powerful beast’s nose as if she were dealing with a cute kitten.

“It’s my first time seeing a black fur like this one. How pretty.”

「…….」

“I heard some rumors about you. Seeing that you were born like this… You must have been influenced by the power of my forest, right?”

「…….」

“Do you like being alone? If you make everyone your enemy, you’ll only get hurt. Look, you’re bleeding.”     

Lapyan thought that the leopard in front of her was a pitiful animal. She heard he had been rejected by those near him since birth because of his unusual appearance and strength.

Still, he’d be very lonely if he kept on making everyone his enemies and getting ostracized.

Just like me.

The leopard eyes shot up aggressively at her when she smoothed his fur. When the leopard wrinkled its nose fiercely, Lapyan touched the beast’s forehead as if she just remembered something.

“I forgot that you couldn’t talk….how about now?”

At the same time, just like magic, the leopard’s body loosened up. However, due to the unknown pressure, the leopard didn’t dare to rush toward Lapyan.

[Who the hell are you?]

He growled as if he was ready to drive his fangs into her thin neck at any moment.

Lapyan pointed a finger at her own chest.

“Me? What about me?”

Staring right at the leopard’s fierce eyes, she answered gently.

“I am the light of the continent, the guardian of the forest, and your ruler, adorable cat.”

Suddenly, there was a gleam of respect in the leopard’s arrogant eyes.

Swish- 

Thin leaves swirled by gusts of wind and flew around them.

***

Splash! 

Lapyan dipped her feet in the spring water up to her knees and splashed the water.

If it had been before, only soaking her feet would have been enough, but as she was giving her divine powers here and there, she was often at her limit lately. Even more so after giving Barahan her sword.

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She pushed the petals floating on the water and played with the falling leaves. Around the stream, was a huge black leopard crouching as if to guard her. 

She ran out of energy each time she was in contact with the springs. It was her most vulnerable state. Previously, Barahan was the one who stayed next to her, but she was now accompanied by a black leopard.

The leopard, who had his eyes closed with a bored expression, asked.

[By the way, what is this stream for?]