“So, how many of the Duke’s remaining forces are left? I think I’ve heard seven…”

Vervaria accepted it, and Damian eliminated one.

If they catch or kill one on their way to Eshima, that will be the third one down.

That leaves four remaining now.

“Since they say Damian is quite strong…”

As Vervaria herself said, she is a local deity of the region.

Considering that Damian’s summoned minion easily toyed with Vervaria, it does suggest he is indeed formidable.

Now, think about it; Damian is definitely strong.

Thanks to absorbing Damian’s power, Yona can use some magic, but even her clumsy attempt at domain expansion—dubbed the Saint Region—was impressive.

“Amira.”

“Yes—”

Yona couldn’t bring herself to meet Amira’s sparkling gaze and scratched her cheek, looking down.

Having wiped out the Lizardmen of the plains and even moving alongside them, Amira’s trust in Yona seemed to soar tremendously.

‘…But I never said I’d suppress the rebellion.’

The reason Yona’s party was heading to Eshima alongside Amira’s was not for any grand cause.

The snake tribe, that is, the Azrami tribe, worships Vervaria, and upon witnessing Vervaria, Barikian suddenly thought their own god might be another Duke, hence the assumption.

In other words, Yona’s group was not there to quell the rebellion or save the Azrami tribe; they were simply pursuing their own goals.

However, the way Amira looked at Yona suggested otherwise.

But the story had to be told.

Yona took a quiet breath.

She had to say something that would surely disappoint someone who trusted her—

“Princess Amira.”

Alex intervened.

Yona was about to speak but just stared silently at Alex.

He was holding onto Yona’s hand tightly, and that gesture likely meant “Just stay quiet, Yona.”

“Yes— Saint’s knight—”

Amira’s gaze shifted to Alex, who blinked a few times before beginning to speak.

“Right now, our Saint is accompanying you to Eshima because we also have business there. Confirming the existence of that god from the plains’ Agami tribe is our purpose. I mention this, Princess, to avoid any misunderstandings; we are not moving to address the structure of the Azrami royal family or to suppress a rebellion.”

Yona stared blankly at Alex.

‘Does he have some way to read minds?’

How did Alex even catch on to what Yona was going to say?

They hadn’t discussed anything beforehand, so how on earth did he know what Yona wanted to say? He just butted in like a ghost.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but somehow Alex ghosted in, knowing what Yona was about to say.

“Ugh—”

Amira’s face instantly clouded over.

She clearly looked disappointed, which also made Yona feel a bit down.

“We’re not fundamentally citizens of the Katus Empire. We’re from Kapatia. There’s no justification for a Kapatian to interfere in the affairs of the Katus Empire, plus, our Saint has far too much on her plate to meddle in the human realm.”

“Y-Yeah, that seems right—”

Amira tried hard to put on a brave face.

But the disappointment was unavoidable, and she couldn’t help but express it by tapping Zakeloko’s back with her fluffy tail.

“If that god of the Grassland Gill Tribe is an enemy to us, then it’s our duty to take care of it. But that’s where it ends. Beyond that, there’s nothing we can do, nor should we.”

“Ugh— even that much…!”

Actually, Amira was grateful for even that.

The Azrami tribe, being a part of the Katus Empire, were strong fighters, but facing off against opponents as overwhelmingly powerful as the Grassland Gill Tribe was a real challenge.

“Even so… our Azrami tribe has way more people— um, we’ll manage somehow—! They surely succeeded in their rebellion because of that god—!”

Amira couldn’t understand why the other tribes in the council were letting the rebellion slide, but one thing was sure: in terms of population, the Azrami tribe had a significant advantage over the Grassland Gill Tribe.

“Is there a big difference in population?”

“Y-Yeah, a lot— at least since we worship Lady Vervaria, having many children is a must for the Azrami tribe—! Speaking of which…”

Amira Al Azrami.

The twenty-eighth daughter of the Azrami Emperor.

“Wait a minute, if that’s a basic quality, then Vervaria is the goddess of fertility…?”

Yona interjected suddenly.

It sounded like a word she could not simply ignore.

At Yona’s question, Amira’s eyes sparkled as she gazed across at Zakeloko, where Rubina, embodying Vervaria, sat.

“Of course— she is the goddess of abundance, good harvests, fertility, and procreation—!”

‘That little brat is the mastermind—!!’ Yona screamed internally.

*

Rubina sat perched on James’s lap, staring blankly at the little one across from her.
Ruby stared blankly at the water.

The little twin, who was sitting on Kaiyak’s knee.

She knew who it was, but it was quite a wonder to see the gigantic serpent, Vervaria, looking just like her. She had no idea why it looked the same, but it didn’t feel bad at all. It was simply fascinating, and being around other adults made Ruby feel good to see a kid her age—albeit an identical one—sitting in front of her.

‘…I want to talk.’

The sight of Vervaria, looking like Ruby, seemed to be chatting with Kaiyak while sitting on his knee. That expression was adorable as she giggled non-stop.

‘So that’s what my smiling face looked like.’

Then, Vervaria and Ruby’s eyes locked. Without realizing it, Ruby flinched and shivered.

Although her appearance was just like Ruby’s, there was one significant difference. Contrary to Ruby, Vervaria had snake-like vertical pupils.

It was as if looking into the eyes of a snake—well, technically it was a snake—but now that she was staring into those eyes while Vervaria wore Ruby’s face, the nice feeling Ruby had dissipated, replaced by a wave of fear.

“Do you have any business with me, child of humans?”

The voice was grand and not something one could imagine Ruby saying. However, despite the gaze fixed on Ruby, the voice brimmed with benevolence.

They said she was a demon, but she looked nothing like one.

Ruby shook her head slowly. She simply wanted to talk. No matter how hard she tried, her lips wouldn’t budge.

She knew her sister, Yona, adored her.

But still, some things were hard to forget. Yona’s figure appearing from the ceiling of the church, her voice, and the memory of Yona cruelly taking lives lingered as the greatest shock for Ruby.

Whenever those thoughts crossed her mind, Ruby’s voice seemed to become trapped.

Yona’s hands were cold, but Ruby could feel the affection directed at her, and she knew that the terrible events were all in the past.

That’s why Ruby wanted to speak up quickly. She wanted to tell Yona that she was okay now, and there was no need to worry about her.

And she just wanted to say that Yona didn’t have to fret over her at all.

But without the ability to speak, she couldn’t convey that to Yona.

Unable to read letters, she couldn’t communicate it either.

What if Yona ended up thinking she was a bothersome kid? What if taking her around became a hassle for Yona?

Those fears always lingered in Ruby’s mind.

Even if she insisted that Yona wouldn’t feel that way, and that Yona cherished and loved her, those reassurances felt like a hollow echo.
“No matter how much you try to profess your love, it just echoes back as a hollow sound.”

“The more I think about it, the deeper my worries grow.”

“The more I worry, the stronger my fear becomes.”

“The more I fear, the more impatience wells up.”

“Yet, that frustration just won’t turn into words.”

“No one is more frustrated than Rubina, and the inability to voice it made her even more upset.”

“Why do you just stare at me so calmly, child of man?”

Repeating the same question, Vervaria stood up from Kaiyak’s lap and approached Rubina.

How can she walk so steadily on the fast-moving Zakeloko?

Rubina was too scared to even stand, let alone walk.

As Vervaria stepped right up to Rubina, she met her gaze and asked again.

“I am merely curious. Why have you been staring at me so quietly? Do you not have something to say?”

Rubina slowly shook her head.

The only thing she wanted to say was a simple greeting, but it wasn’t urgent enough to make her anxious.

“Are you perhaps curious as to why I look like you?”

Ah, that might be a bit curious.

Rubina nodded slowly.

At that response, Vervaria crossed her arms with a thoughtful “Hmm.”

“Ah, so that is what piques your interest.”

Vervaria smiled brightly.

Rubina quietly gazed at Vervaria’s smiling face.

“It’s a simple matter. In the saint’s ritual, I merely took the form of the second-most cherished person. Since you’ve been remembered as that secondmost cherished, it was your likeness. Ah, the first was that knight’s form.”

“Was it Alex?”

“Did you just say Alex was the most cherished?”

The voices of Kaiyak and James were heard first.

But Rubina didn’t hear that.

‘The second…?’

Of course, the first one belonged to Alex.

She hadn’t even expected that.

The second—just that alone made her heart drop in surprise.

To think she was cherished as the second and not seen as a burden.

She didn’t have to worry about being abandoned.

‘So that’s how it is…’

Sister Yona did not see me as a nuisance.

She didn’t think of abandoning me.

Rather, she held Rubina as the second-most precious.

So, there was no need for Rubina to feel afraid.

“…Second, second…”

With trembling lips, Rubina stammered out the words.

Those lips, long sealed, finally spilled out their thoughts.