"Is something wrong, Mia?" Eli asked, pulling her closer.
"N-No, it's just I-I..." Her breath seemed to constrict as if she were grappling with a sense of suffocation.
"Alright, alright, take a moment to calm down.... or I might just have to kiss you" Eli remarked with a hint of playfulness.
"...." Hearing those mesmerizing words, Mia flinched for a moment before starting to breathe heavily.
"..." The eyes of Adriana, Lilith, and Zera subtly twitched in response.
"Hehe..." Eli chuckled softly and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Hmph" With a pout, she returned to normal and said with concern, "It's something only noble were?"
"...." Eli maintained a silent gaze, subtly evading eye contact.
"Sigh, you really should avoid using 'Lilith' Name, brother" Mia suggested with a serious expression.
"And you, Miss, kindly refrain from claiming 'Lilith'" Mia directed her remark towards Lilith.
"...." Lilith simply met Eli's gaze, which he continued to ignore.
[My King is it fin-]
[It's fine, Adriana. He will eventually learn the truth. It's preferable that he first hears the human perspective before we disclose everything... as we planned, correct?]
[....Yes]
"Alright, Mia, enlighten your idiot brother further. I'm eager to learn" Eli expressed his curiosity as he seated her on his lap.
"!!!" Mia arched her eyebrows before letting out a giggle. "Big Brother, you're being quite naughty in front of your 'wife'... hehehe".
[...]
'Please, let's not provoke her any further' Eli thought inwardly, maintaining a composed exterior.
However,
"Pfftt---" Adriana, having overheard his thoughts, burst into spontaneous laughter before managing to conceal it.
After a moment of composure,
"Well, what can I say, 'Lilith' is quite the Monsterous Character..."
Eli attentively absorbed Mia's words, his eyes occasionally wandering towards Lilith's trembling legs.
"No, let's start with the basics, shall we?"
"Not many people are aware of this since it happened long before.
There were no records, just tales passed down among the Sapien Continent and others.
In the early age following the emergence of dungeons, the number of surviving humans was minuscule compared to the overwhelming Mana pouring from the dungeons. This abundance led to the birth of nature.
A being born from nature called.....
The Rulers of Elements.
According to evidence, only one of the Rulers of Elements, the Ruler of Dark Miasma, was able to survive after the dark age.
This being is known as Lilith, worshipped in the Fallen Continent as their god. However, for humans and others, she was anything but a god.
With a single snap, she could kill millions and cleave the earth in half....an adversary of the worst kind.
Realizing this, the First Dawn Hero, Lucifer Dawn, waged war against Lilith. But something unexpected happened. Lilith fell in 'love' with Lucifer Daw-"
"Huh? What happened, brother?" Mia interrupted when she noticed Eli's expression suddenly turned to one of disgust and anger.
"Oh... N-Nothing, it's just...." Eli's gaze met sky-blue eyes, and he offered a cryptic remark, "History is REALLY interesting".
"Pfftt--" Adriana controlled her trembling lips.
"M-Mother" Zera bit her trembling lips while trying to cover up for her mother...now her mother acts like Zera and Zera acts like Mia.
"Y-You can continue, My dear Little Mia" Eli encouraged, his smile holding a touch of warmth.
Mia squinted her eyes, feeling no warmth, but she decided to continue since her brother asked.
"'Lilith' fell in lov-"
"You can start after that, Mia"
"....Okay, Lucifer Dawn immediately rejected that being his only aim to kill that being....after a series of love and war....Lucifer Dawn, driven solely by the intent to eliminate Lilith, ultimately succeeded in slaying her, paying the ultimate price...his life.
His last words, etched beneath a towering statue in the capital of Dawn Kingdom, cryptically proclaimed:
"The Door Open"
"...." Mia froze like a statue, her head turning mechanically to gaze at Lilith with a robotic intensity.
"S-Seriously?" Mia, who had always unwaveringly believed her brother's words, for the first time, felt a seed of doubt. The revelation seemed beyond belief, challenging the very trust she had placed in Eli's words.
Eli understood one thing, kept lying only hurt Mia more and so he decided to break the truth....little by little....as softly as possible.
Lilith gracefully waved her hand as Lilith conveyed her reply to Adriana through a Mental Message, Adriana then replied to Mia, "Nice to meet you, little sister-in-law, that's what she said"
Mia took a moment to process the thoughts before exclaiming,
"BROTHER!!"
"Yes?"
"YOU ARE FUCKING GOOD...NO, THE BEST, BIG BROTHER!!!"
"...." Eli was momentarily taken aback by her exuberant words.
"You've not only tamed a mythical beast but also the legendary ruler of Dark Miasma!!" Mia was completely awestruck.
"Well, if you put it like that... Yeah, she's right" Adriana seconded the sentiment with an amusing smile.
"Brother!!" Mia's face radiated with sheer happiness.
"Yes" Eli admitted, still somewhat puzzled by his little sister's overwhelming joy.
"I-I must immediately inform Big Sister!!" Mia declared as she reached for her phone.
"You can't, Mia" Adriana promptly intervened.
"Huh? Why, Master?"
"This is not something everyone should know" Adriana's tone turned stern and serious.
"...." Mia's expression shifted from excitement to dejection as she reluctantly put her phone down. However, her spirits soon lifted as she glanced at the veiled woman.
With thumps up,
She commended, "You've truly chosen the finest man in the world".
"...." Lilith observed the little girl and reciprocated with a thumbs up.
"She said, 'Your brother is the best'" Adriana conveyed as she received Lilith's mental message.
"Isn't he? The finest, sexiest, gentlest, most powerful man in the world....hahahaha...." Mia began to shower her brother with praise.
"She said, hahahaha.....you truly understand what your brother is" Adriana tried to mimic Lilith's laughter.
"...." Zera made a perplexed face, watching her mother distort her expression while uttering those words.
"Yes, I am the only one.....no, tsk, my big sister knows him more than anyone in this world" Mia was about to boast proudly but changed her tone to annoyance.
"...." Lilith gazed at Eli before rising from her seat.
Observing this, Adriana motioned her hand as Mia levitated in the air and floated towards Zera's side.
"W-Wait? W-What? Y-You bitch" Mia screamed at Adriana, whose eyes twitched at those hurtful words, 'She immediately changed Master to bitch...ah?'
"Mia, Please" Eli intervened softly, calming Mia before directing his attention to the person standing before him.
"...."
"A week?" Eli questioned Lilith with a blank expression, thinking his playful antics had gone far enough.
"..." Lilith's hands trembled slightly, her eyes welling with tears....no, she already crying.
Observing this, Eli pulled her into a comforting embrace and spoke with a mix of tenderness and firmness,
"Please, D-Don't Do leave me like that"
"....I am sorry" Lilith whispered with a sweet voice, breaking her silence.
'Crack, Crack'
The barrier surrounding Mia began to fracture.
"Mia, use your barrier" Adriana advised as she promptly erected another layer of protection around Mia.
"Huh?" Mia was momentarily taken aback before comprehending the danger. 'So, what the big sister said is true...' she thought.
'Snap' Lilith suddenly activated, erecting a robust barrier solely around her and Eli, alleviating the concerns of the others about Lilith's immense power.
"Sigh, Lilith is surely reckless" a voice chimed in from the stairs.
"You took your sweet time, Scylla" Adriana remarked just as she was about to create a barrier around Scylla.
"No need" Scylla gestured dismissively.
Adriana squinted her eyes, then widened them in shock, "Timeless Barrier"