He looked at Lynn with a complicated expression, took a deep breath, and his face turned serious. Then he knelt on one knee, crossed his hands over his chest, and faced Nanako, speaking softly:
"Fair lady, may you always be with the one you love."
"May the long wait bring the result he desires."
【！！！！】
The people around them exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was happening.
Nanako tilted her head, puzzled, and looked at the elf with a strange expression, scratching her head in confusion.
"So, is this some kind of elven greeting ritual?"
The King of Secret Source was about to stand up.
Lynn chuckled, reached out, and "gently" grabbed his arm, helping him up, saying:
"Sir, there's no need to be so formal. Such a grand gesture upon meeting is a bit overwhelming. You must be hungry, right? There's a restroom over there. Shall I take you?"
Then, under the bewildered gazes of Nanako and the others, the elf was "kindly" dragged by Lynn, who wore a wide smile, down the corridor.
Elina muttered in confusion, "Huh? Does Mr. Lynn know this bard?"
Nanako, on the other hand, looked thoughtful, pinching her chin as she stared in that direction.
She recalled the two sentences the elf had suddenly spoken earlier, as well as her disciple's reaction...
So, why had he suddenly offered such a solemn blessing to her?
The desired result...
...
The restroom.
Bang—
Lynn gritted his teeth, grabbed the King of Secret Source by the collar, and slammed him against the wall, his fist poised to strike.
"Didn’t I tell you yesterday?! Get out of here! I just helped you transform your essence—do you have a death wish?!"
The King of Secret Source shrugged and smiled, "Lynn, don’t overreact!"
"I just wanted to see your public persona. Now I finally understand why you’ve been trying so hard to get rid of me. It’s because..."
He turned and glanced in the direction outside.
Then his expression slowly turned serious, and he took a deep breath, saying:
"I never expected this. It’s been so many years, yet you’re still obsessed with this. A flower so similar... What a remarkably similar flower..."
He let out a bitter laugh, "I never thought you’d actually find her."
Lynn cursed, "Shut up! My business is none of your concern!"
The King of Secret Source exhaled, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "But I didn’t expect her to be so similar. For a moment, I almost thought she had come back to life..."
He looked up, his expression complicated, as he stared at Lynn, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He had known Lynn for a long time.
And he understood his past better than most.
He still vividly remembered how Lynn had spent those thousands of years after her fall.
To turn a carefree optimist into a tyrant who ruled the entire continent—the pain behind it was far beyond what outsiders could comprehend.
He had always known.
Lynn was never the studious or hardworking type.
Yet, this man had managed to master every system and every piece of knowledge that had ever existed in this world over the course of millennia...
That in itself was an incredible feat.
"The reason you were so desperate to absorb knowledge and power during that time was to bring her back, wasn’t it?"
The King of Secret Source stared at him, enunciating each word clearly.
Lynn sneered, "Think you’re clever, huh?"
The King of Secret Source said with a complicated expression, "Lynn, there’s one thing I’ve never been able to figure out. You’ve always said that you killed the gods to change this stagnant world, to free everything from the oppression and trampling of the gods. But I still want to ask..."
"Was the true reason you started the divine war for the sake of the world... or for her?"
As soon as these words were spoken,
the surroundings fell into silence.
Lynn’s expression slowly calmed, and he raised his head, locking eyes with the King of Secret Source.
Unconsciously, Lynn’s grip on his neck tightened.
But the King of Secret Source seemed unfazed, speaking deeply, "I know these two things aren’t mutually exclusive. Whether it’s for revenge or your ideals, you have every reason to slay the gods. But... but..."
His eyes were firm, "I still want to ask, if your strength finally forces the gods to compromise and offers you a condition that’s almost impossible to refuse..."
"If it comes to that, will you still keep going..."
In an instant,
it felt as if a storm had swept through.
Lynn stared into his eyes and said, "You shouldn’t doubt me."
The King of Secret Source took a deep breath, looking at him with a complicated expression, "But I need to understand this. I don’t want to see my most trusted friend fall on the path ahead. Do you know why we failed ten thousand years ago?"
"It was because the pillar we trusted the most... crumbled."
This was a bloody path filled with thorns.
Knowing the dangers ahead, yet still forging forward against the tide.
But...
the enemy’s attacks weren’t just poisoned arrows—they also came wrapped in sugar-coated promises.
The King of Secret Source stared at him, enunciating each word clearly:
"If the gods could bring her back to life, would you still insist on walking this path of deicide?"
The wind outside whistled past Lynn’s bangs.
His expression was shrouded in a shadowy darkness.
No one could see it clearly.
After a long while,
he slowly raised his head, revealing eyes filled with bloodshot veins, his lips parting...
...
A few minutes later,
Lynn walked out of the corridor with the elf, smiling.
"We’re back."
But Nanako and the others were shocked to see that the elf’s face was now bruised and swollen, his nose seemingly bleeding.
Elina widened her eyes, "Mr. Rein, you... what happened to you...?"
The King of Secret Source took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his nose, chuckling, "It’s nothing. I accidentally tripped in the restroom and hit the door frame. No big deal, no big deal."
Nanako looked at him with a strange expression.
Those injuries didn’t look like they came from hitting a door frame at all.
Instead, it looked like someone had beaten him up.
She glanced suspiciously at Lynn, who looked completely unfazed.
Could it have been her disciple?
Elina and the others also exchanged puzzled glances.
Though they suspected Lynn might have been involved, it didn’t seem likely. After all, Lynn was just an ordinary second-tier mage—how could he possibly defeat such a burly elf?
For a moment, the atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Nanako coughed and said, "Um..."
Just then, shouts erupted from the street outside.
"Extra! Extra! Everyone! Breaking news! Last night, the Order Church’s sanctuary was invaded by demons! The Order Church suffered heavy losses—almost wiped out!"
"Extra! Extra..."
As soon as these words were heard, everyone in the inn turned their attention to the shouts outside.
Nanako and Elina exchanged shocked looks.
...