Otherwise, you can find another savior.

Page 468

“No, Scáthach wants you to calm down and not let the situation lead you by the nose and interfere with your judgment,” Artoria reminded her. “Although you seem calm now, we can see the anxiety in your heart.”

Morgan was speechless.

After all, Artoria had indeed hit the nail on the head.

Or rather, everyone is actually feeling pretty much the same way right now.

If they weren't staying on the ship to handle logistics and protect StormBorder, Skadi, Orange, and Olga Marie would also have joined the search party.

“You’re right. Anyway, cheer up and let’s go meet up with my husband.” Morgan took a deep breath, trying to calm her anxious mind.

However, the air in this tropical rainforest is humid and hot. Without magic, the heat alone would wear down most of the willpower of anyone walking through it.

Moreover, this is not a pure primeval forest; strange enemies also appear in this forest.

For example, the reason they stopped talking now is because they had just dealt with a group of humanoid thugs wearing leopard masks and carrying automatic rifles.

Without speaking or observing, they opened fire almost as soon as they saw Morgan and the others.

Of course, the result was obvious. Because they were facing Morgan and her team, after showing hostility, this small team of a dozen or twenty people was quickly wiped out.

“I was thinking of interrogating them to see if they could find any information.” Scáthach pulled the tip of her crimson spear from a leopard-faced thief and sighed regretfully.

“Something’s really not right. Logically speaking, even barbarian soldiers who make a living by killing would lose their will to fight and either run away or surrender after their comrades fall.” Artoria shook her head. “But they seem to only know how to fight, pulling the trigger even when there is no chance of survival.”

Morgan frowned slightly: "It's probably a rule set by the king of the Lostbelt who rules this area, or a god who rules this region."

“This happens often,” Scáthach said. “American mythology is relatively unfamiliar to me. In my impression, the gods here all have a distinct and exotic quality.”

Her words reminded them of Quetzal Koyatl, who had appeared in Uruk.

That was indeed a god with a free-spirited personality, a love of battle, and a clear sense of right and wrong.

“Yes,” Artoria nodded in agreement, adding, “Time is of the essence, let’s hurry.”

Then, the three of them started walking again.

However, this rainforest was very primitive, with only small paths left by animals, making it difficult for the three of them to traverse.

Although she considered flying, only Morgan could sustain long-distance flight, which would inevitably leave Scáthach and Artoria behind.

As a search and investigation activity, it is not a reliable option.

Along the way, Morgan looked back towards the Storm Border, where he could see the Valkyries and Melusin hovering in the sky through the gaps in the forest.

"But speaking of which, it's actually a ring-shaped underground world?" Scáthach gazed at the horizon.

The entire subterranean world is a cylindrical structure, with a diameter conservatively estimated to be over 100,000 kilometers. Without such a vast space, it would be impossible to maintain the existence of the sky at the center of the cylinder.

It's just like a fictional colony satellite from a science fiction story, only unfortunately it's located underground.

“And there’s no opening at all; the path we initially took to get here seems to have been blocked,” Artoria said. “The only way to leave here is through a long-distance imaginary dive.”

“Even if we are to leave, we should wait until we have met up with my husband first,” Morgan said.

"So, have you managed to get in touch with Tianxi?" Artoria asked.

Morgan shook his head: "The magic channel is still there, but it has been severely interfered with. Even if we can sense my husband's presence and location, we can't contact him directly by telepathy."

“We have no choice but to speed things up.” Artoria nodded seriously. “If the tremor just now was truly caused by Tianxi, it means the battle with the ‘Alien God’ has reached a stalemate…”

Stop—

Scáthach, who was walking at the front, suddenly reminded him in a deep voice.

Morgan and Artoria immediately stopped in their tracks.

The branches and leaves rustled incessantly deep in the forest, making an unsettling sound, followed by the howls of wild beasts and sounds that seemed to indicate a battle.

“There’s someone fighting ahead,” Scáthach said. “They’re probably still at least a few kilometers away…”

Morgan suddenly clutched his forehead: "This feeling...?"

"What's wrong, Morgan?"

"No...it's nothing. My senses were probably interfered with, causing a misjudgment." Morgan shook his head. "Anyway, let's get over there and see who's fighting."

With that, the three quickened their pace, cutting through the dense forest in a more flamboyant manner, heading straight for the battlefield.

When they arrived near the area where the battle had taken place, they were met with a surprising sight.

Chapter Sixteen Larvae

The reason for the surprise lies in the two sides involved in the conflict.

One side consists of several dinosaurs.

An ancient species that went extinct in pan-human history, once the dominant species that ruled the planet for hundreds of millions of years, and finally went extinct 6500 million years ago.

At that moment, the dinosaur appeared before Morgan and the others, but it subtly exuded an aura like that of the dead, like a walking corpse, almost like... a Dead Apostle.

Most of them are anomalies created by the special environment of Lostbelt.

The problem lies with the other party.

Although it was somewhat strenuous, the boy... no, it would be more accurate to say he was a toddler, who held his own against the Dead Apostle dinosaur, which was several times his size.

He looked to be only four or five years old, but he fought exceptionally well.

Of course, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's bound to be this outstanding.

“Wait a minute, Primal Runes?” Scáthach was stunned.

Morgan covered her mouth and gasped in surprise, "How could this be..."

Before the words were even finished, a powerful rune attack caused the Dead Apostle dinosaurs to fall one after another, losing their ability to fight and turning into complete corpses.

The child lowered his hand, breathing slightly heavily.

Despite the ill-fitting clothes hindering his hands and feet, he still managed to defeat the monsters.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his small arms, and then stepped on his trouser legs to get up from the ground.

Then, before the toddler could even examine the dinosaur carcasses, he saw Morgan and the others, and immediately showed a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“...Uh, this…” His voice was childish, but his tone sounded very familiar.

“Although the body has shrunk, the color of the soul hasn’t changed.” Morgan stepped forward, knelt down in front of the child, and picked him up. “Explain what happened.”

The child before them was none other than Shiomi Tenkei.

"I'd rather apologize than explain." tide Jian scratched her cheek with her fingers, looking uneasy. "I've broken my promise again. I guess you won't believe me anymore."

“Indeed, if it’s a vow to live and die together, I can only believe the part about living together now.” Morgan looked at Shiomi with a subtle yet pleased smile. “My husband is the type who, whenever disaster strikes, will push me to a safe place and then face the danger himself. I’m afraid he can’t change this bad habit.”

“…After all, it seems that this is indeed more appropriate in terms of the outcome…” tide Jian sighed and explained with a helpless expression, “Just by looking at me like this, you can tell that the situation is very troublesome.”

"Ah."

However, Morgan only gave a perfunctory reply. He found it strange and looked up, only to notice that she had picked him up and placed him in the crook of her arm, and was trying hard to suppress her smile.

"Hmm?" tide Jian was happy to see him again.

Overall, both sides are safe and sound.

It was fortunate that he escaped safely and reunited with them on his way to find the Storm Border.

But Morgan's reasons for being happy seem to be quite different.

“Normally, I would have made you sit on the ground and explain your behavior, but now… I just can’t do anything with you.” Morgan pulled him into her arms, rubbing her face against his still-muddy cheeks. “But you look so adorable right now. So I accept your apology~~”

Her voice became somewhat light and airy towards the end, a stark contrast to her tense and anxious state of mind just moments before.

Seeing her reaction, tide Jian breathed a sigh of relief and could only let her hold her in her arms and pamper her.

“...But I’m all dirty…” Shio reminded her, “You’ve gotten your clothes and body all dirty.”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing, it’s not poisonous, it’s just some mud.” Morgan’s eyes were full of novelty and joy. “Kids should be a little naughty.”

"I've only shrunk in size, but my spirit and soul haven't changed." tide Jian grinned and chuckled dryly.

"It's okay, it's okay..." Morgan couldn't quite explain how she felt.

She had never seen what Shio-mi looked like as a child, nor had she ever had a child with him in the true sense, so she could not glimpse his youthful appearance from the next generation.

Presumably, when the goddess Nuwa created Xijian, she chose her to be in her early twenties.

Despite enduring thousands of years of wind and frost, it has remained unchanged, possessing a lifespan nearly as long as that of the fairies in the paradise.

Despite the great calamity she was facing, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed to be able to briefly see his youthful appearance, a sight he had never known before.

Just as he had doted on her when she was only fifteen, she understood his feelings back then.

"Ah, but let's go back first—"

Morgan's tone was anything but lighthearted, as if she had something important to do, but before she could finish speaking, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

Turning around, Scáthach cleared her throat as she reached out her hand.

"It's really not admirable that you're eating all by yourself like this," Scáthach said, squinting. "You've had enough hugs, now it's my turn."

“Hmm…” Morgan almost forgot that he was traveling with Scáthach and Artoria.

The objective is to search for Shiomi, who has gone missing.

“That’s true. Even if it’s a husband, it’s a bit too greedy to have him all to yourself.” Artoria seriously criticized Morgan, and naturally took Shiomi from her hands.

Morgan almost didn't realize he was going to hand Shiomi over to Artoria.

It took me a second to snatch it back, and I held it tightly.

“No, I’ve only held it for a few minutes. Let me hold it a little longer,” Morgan said. “What if it turns back later?”

“That won’t do either. Let me hug him first,” Scáthach said. “Of all the students I’ve taught, my beloved student is the one who surprises me the most. I want to cherish him now.”

“Tianxi has just gone through a great battle and needs to rest,” Artoria said. “Let me take care of it.”

Then, the three of them started fighting over Shiomi without any regard for their image.

This was a phenomenon that had never occurred before, and tide Jian felt utterly exhausted.

“My husband is not a child. His mind has not changed. He does not need your pampering,” Morgan tried to refuse.

"Tianxi once said that nothing heals the heart better than a tender heart, and I am unique in this regard," Artoria began to ramble on.

Scáthach was quite displeased: "My beloved student has always loved the feel of my silk, so it's best to let him rest in my arms now. He just had to use rune magic, which means he needs my care."

Each of them spoke irrationally, conveying only one message: to hold Xijian in their arms.

The feeling of being able to easily hold and knead them was too tempting, and they no longer cared about being reserved outside the room.

"So, who does my husband want to hold him?"

Then, Morgan threw out a crucial question.

"...It's all good...it's all good..."

tide Jian looked away guiltily, unable to give a definite answer.

Chapter Seventeen: The Powers That Were Taken Away

The final decision reached by the three was that every ten minutes, one person would take turns holding the infantile Shiomi and then return to StormBorder.

During the communication, Morgan did not immediately explain Shiomi's situation, since some things are more intuitive to be seen by everyone in person.

Although she always felt that bringing Shiomi back to Storm Border in this state would definitely cause a new round of chaos.

But at least it's not bad chaos.

Moreover, the reason why Shiomi became like this is more important than the foreseeable chaos.

"So, why did my husband become like this? Was he cursed by the gods of the Lostbelt?"

Morgan helped Shiomi adjust her clothes, which were so large they were barely hanging on her body, while asking her why.

Lacking suitable clothing, they found a relatively quiet area to rest and began to help Xijian tidy up her clothes.

“No, rather than a curse…” Scáthach guessed before Shiomi could answer, “it’s more like a decline in power.”

Judging from his fight with the dinosaur dead just now, Shiomi's strength has declined to the level he had when he was a magician.

Although it is an extremely terrifying fighting force for a child, weakness is weakness.

The situation we'll face in this Lostbelt is far from optimistic.

“Master’s judgment was correct,” Shiomi said. “During my battle with the ‘Alien God,’ I was besieged. Although the siege was very disjointed, the original plan was at least to capture and seal me alive to weaken Chaldea’s fighting strength.”

"A siege?" Artoria couldn't help but feel worried. "Is it that mysterious giant of light?"