[I HAVE to endure this. If I fail, Neoma will make fun of me. I'd rather die than have her laugh at me for my failure.]
That was Nero's motivation to keep standing even though he wouldn't stop coughing up blood. In fact, it wasn't only his mouth that was dripping with blood. His ears were also bleeding, and he was even crying with blood.
He was lucky Neoma wasn't there or else she would have killed him for making her look 'ugly.'
[Yeah, Neoma would care more about her appearance than her body's condition.]
However, the person next to Nero didn't have the same opinion.
"Your Imperial Majesty, with all due respect, please stop if you can't handle it," Commander Ruto whispered harshly. His words were polite, but his tone was definitely rude. It was as if the commander just forcing himself to be courteous towards Nero. "And may I remind Your Imperial Majesty that it's Neoma's body and not yours?"
How dare a mere commander lecture the emperor?
"Shut up," Nero said, wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "I can do it."
And that was when he raised his head.
His body was still covered with the golden dust that materialized after the magic circle lit up and 'exploded' in a blinding light.
But the blinding light soon disappeared.
And, right now, he was looking up at the giant image of the goddess that he just summoned.
He said 'image' because the Goddess of Fortune's body was semi-transparent.
[I can see the sky behind her.]
Nero couldn't really see the Goddess of Fortune's face because it was covered by a white mask.
The goddess' hair, however, was pretty interesting.
[Her hair is made of... four-leaf clovers?]
Just like most gods, the Goddess of Misfortune wore a white and gold silk robe.
[And she's barefoot.]
"You dare awaken me from my slumber, little princess?"
"It's not my idea," Nero said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I can see why you'd blame me since I was the one who summoned you."
The Goddess of Fortune scoffed after giving Nero a quick once-over. "Of course, you're a de Moonasterio. Only a de Moonasterio will act so arrogant in front of a god. But since you carry the precious Roseheart Blood, I'll forgive you this once..." the goddess trailed off, and then she raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Aren't you the little princess that I met once?"
"I'm not sure about that."
The Goddess of Fortune looked confused, and so she looked at Nero intently once again.
This time, the goddess' red eyes glowed.
She then closed her eyes and stood still.
Of course, she wasn't worried that Helstor might attack her because she was standing still. After all, she trusted all the people around her.
[Moreover...]
Neoma didn't have to close her eyes for long.
"Neoma?"
Oh.
When Neoma opened her eyes, the first thing that she saw was Ruto's handsome and neat face.
She almost smiled.
But she didn't like the sticky feeling on her face.
When she touched her ears, cheeks, and mouth, she almost screamed from frustration.
"Oh my gosh!" Neoma yelled, still holding back. "What the hell did Nero do to my body?"
"I'm sorry, babe," Ruto said, trying to pacify her. "You still look beautiful, though."
Neoma was about to complain when...
"We met again, little princess."
Neoma looked at the 'apparition' in front of her.
The beautiful goddess caught her attention, especially her pretty hair that looked like it was covered with beautiful four-leaf clovers.
[She must be the Goddess of Fortune.]
However...
"Why are you transparent?" Neoma asked politely. "I thought I told Nero to summon you properly."
The Goddess of Fortune shrugged. "Perhaps this is the limit of the little emperor's ability?"
She couldn't believe that Nero slightly failed.
[I honestly thought he could do it alone.]
But perhaps, there was a reason why they were born twins.
"That can't be right," Neoma said, cutting her palm with her long and sharp nails. "The Twin Summoners can't fail."
***
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