066: I Can't... I Just Can't...
"Be careful, Novia! Nero... she's turning into a dragon!"
Melusine, who had been waiting inside the spear for Novia to call her out, sensed the immense magical energy surging from deep within this human the moment Nero spoke. It was transforming her into a dragon in a way the strongest dragon had never heard of, warping the space around her with magic.
Moreover, this wasn't simply a malicious dragon phenomenon caused by extreme desire. It was a return to some primal source, an origin—as if Nero was a dragon all along, and her previous human identity was merely a false facade for living in this world.
This wasn't a human imitating a beast. On the contrary, it was as if some beast had initially descended into the human world in a form adapted to it—that was the true nature of this being.
"...I understand."
Novia knew well that the dragon Melusine spoke of was undoubtedly the Beast of Sodom. Just being grazed by the sinister red magical energy she radiated gave him the illusion that his spirit was being devoured.
Both Melusine and Novia perceived in an instant—it was as if a crimson sea spanning tens of thousands of kilometers was staring right at them.
With support from Melusine's magical energy and using the magecraft he had learned to perform a teleportation surpassing human reaction speed, Novia appeared before Nero.
"Don't come near... me!"
Nero, one hand clutching her head, the other holding Aestus Estus, saw Novia approach and stumbled backward, brandishing her sword.
The girl's sword-holding posture was so laughable, so different from her battlefield stance of old. And yet, it carried an indescribably dangerous aura, reminiscent of death. Aestus Estus, in Novia's eyes, was also erupting with the same ominous red magical energy.
"Nero, I don't understand why you think this way, but I will not abandon you. I will not let go."
Novia spoke in a calm tone.
"Hahaha... why? Why wouldn't you abandon me?... What value do I have for you? Even the throne... even if it weren't me, for you... anyone could be replaced at will! Tell me! Tell me, what value do I have for you?... I clearly have no value in living..."
The golden-haired girl's vocal cords convulsed as she muttered intermittently,
"Don't want to be abandoned... I... have done nothing wrong... Will never forgive—I will—burn—the world—I will sink you... into the mire, burn you to ashes......."
The frenzied golden-haired girl's eyes were bloodshot. Her backward steps instantly reversed into a forward dash, raising Aestus Estus to swing down at Novia—
At that moment, Nero briefly returned to normal. Aestus Estus slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.
"I can't... I just can't........ I don't want to kill you, I really don't. Teacher, please don't abandon me, okay? I am useful, I can do anything, I have value. Don't abandon me. Killing Teacher... I... I really... can't do it.... I was wrong, please don't be angry with me, okay..."
Words involuntarily poured from her mouth. Nero wept—not silent sobs, but wails like when she was a child. And her bloody tears never stopped. Her final words were whispered as if her soul had left her. Novia, as if uncaring, washed over her emotions with his steady yet powerful voice.
"I promise you, I will not abandon you."
Still, the girl continued to cry, even collapsing to her knees, curling into a ball as tears flowed endlessly.
'Novia, Nero's transformation is irreversible. What just happened can be called a miracle, but it won't be long before she becomes like that again. When that time comes, I'm afraid...'
'I know. Melusine, can you delay the convergence of this magical energy within Nero for a few days?'
Holding the endlessly weeping Nero, stroking her back to comfort her, Novia communicated telepathically with Melusine.
'I can, yes. Because from the very beginning of this place, there have been seven reservoirs of magical energy, likely stored specifically for such a situation, converging here. As long as she doesn't resist, and I guide it a bit, it should work.'
Upon learning this, Novia's hand wiped away Nero's tears, then slid over her face as he said to her:
"Next, Nero, you need to rest well. I don't want the flame that burns everything to be extinguished here like this, understand?"
After speaking words her real mother would never say to her child in a voice meant to soothe, he gently stood up.
"...I'll be obedient... so... don't abandon me..."
As Nero silently closed her eyes, Novia activated a magecraft following Melusine's telepathic instructions.
Instantly, magical energy from all directions swirled violently. At almost the same moment, from the seven hills east of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome, with the Quirinal Hill as the convergence point—Palatine Hill, Aventine Hill, Capitoline Hill, Viminal Hill, Esquiline Hill, and Caelian Hill.
The seven hills that had existed since the city's founding released an overwhelming 'brilliance' of Divine Age ether, left behind by the supreme god born from man, Romulus Quirinus. In that instant, an immensely grand light was achieved, paired with a phantom of nothingness, extending towards Nero's location. Simultaneously, thunderbolts forming a multi-layered structure were deployed around the area.
This all happened in a flash. Before the people of Rome could even voice much inquiry, this fantastical scene vanished.
"...Romulus."
Novia murmured, picking up the unconscious Nero and placing her on a bed.
Then, Melusine, now manifested, asked.
"What do we do now? I really have no ideas... Also, why did things turn out like this..."
Novia answered Melusine:
"There's no need to explore the cause of the problem. Solving it is enough for now... We'll do as the prophecy in that Book of Revelation says."
The silver-haired man's emotions were placid. In that short time, he had already decided what needed to be done.
"If Nero is destined to become the Beast that burns the world, then as her teacher, I cannot stand idly by and let her flames harm innocent people. Moreover, this happened because of me. I bear the responsibility..."
"Mhm, okay. I'll stay with you all the way! Anyway, once everything is over, you can introduce me to Nero properly, Novia!"
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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