Chapter 272: 272: Stalemate

I sighed in relief, staring at a spot on the soft ground that was now blackened in one section, smoke rising where plump blades of grass used to be. Next to this area was a winged creature with reddish-dark scales, whose body glistened as it raised its head.

However, I couldn't stare for long because there was suddenly a loud squeal from nearby, followed by a raucous rabble as several Veladrys stormed towards me.

Soon, there was a gaggle of pink haired Veladrys gathered around in a circle, several squealing in excitement as they stared at the creature with eager eyes.

Yet, not all of them were so brave. Some Veladrys signed in amazement, their slender figures hanging in the periphery unable to come closer due to their fear.

And among them, I spotted all four of the silvery haired Lyenysa who had also come to investigate. They stood much taller and it was easy to spot their hesitant figures through the crowd of rosy hued Veladrys.

[Kyaaa it's so cute!] One Veladrys announced, her slender arm reaching towards the creature in the middle, unable to contain her excitement.

Unfortunately, not all of them were as carefree, as her hand was slapped away by the blond haired Lyenysa who rushed over, dark eyes full of concern.

[Don't touch it, it could be dangerous!]

The Veladrys retracted her hand immediately, but after a while she could no longer contain her excitement.

[But it's not doing anything.] she protested, staring eagerly at the Lyenysa as if asking for permission.

[I want to touch it too!] Another Veladrys squealed in excitement.

Soon, there was an outpouring of similar requests and the Lyenysa could no longer contain the wave of anticipation.

However, it was the Nymph who was most eager of them all, and she reached forward to take the prize, smiling fondly as the creature hissed at her, before curling around her arm like a jewelled ornament.

[It's not dangerous, It's lovely.] The Nymph said, her voice almost a purr as she stared at the hissing creature. [Look at how much she likes me.]

I rolled my eyes at her words, but this only made the Veladrys around her to clamour and protest, each one eager to hold the creature too.

[It's cute.] The white haired Lyenysa stated, her amber eyes a little curious. [Can I have it?]

[No!] The Nymph frowned at her, allowing the creature to wrap even tighter around her like she was afraid it would be taken.

The muscular Lyenysa, on the other hand, stood quite far away, frowning at the serpent with her arms crossed. [What is this fuss about?] 

She looked just as mean as usual. However, there was the tiniest glimmer of excitement in her eyes that wasn't there before, betraying her true feelings.

[Hmph. It's only a serpent, stop acting so foolish.] The blond Lyenysa scoffed, yet her fingers were prodding the serpent's tail in amusement. Smiling, even as it reared its fangs at her.

Seeing their reactions, I could only sigh.

It took a good amount of elbow grease to get the Nymph to detach from my body, until it occurred to me to use a summon to distract her.

While it wasn't perfect – it was the only thing I could think of at the moment, and I was pleased to see it working.

Through the crowd, I spotted the Nymph, her dark hair quite striking among a sea of pastel, a miniature version of myself elegantly draped around her torso, its blood red wings draped around her shoulders, the glow from its eyes matching her perfectly.

I wasn't worried my summon would attack them because I'd already instructed it not to bite anyone. 

Instead, I looked at the miniature serpent being mobbed by a group of adoring girls with sadness.

It could only hiss at them or wriggle away when several Veladrys touched it and I said a silent prayer on its behalf.

Pitiful summon, your noble sacrifice will be rewarded in the Abyss.

The banquet was officially over and now that I was free, it was the time to make a run for it. However, I heard an excited hiss nearby, and recognised it as the voice of Delphine. 

Unfortunately, when I looked towards the crowd, I spotted her purple tail wiggling through the Veladrys, also eager to see the creature I summoned.

And I sighed in exasperation because she wasn't the only one.

I spotted other colourful serpent tails mixed in with the crowd and I frowned. How was I supposed to flee when my own nestlings had joined the ranks of the enemy? 

Even though it was quite obvious the creature was just a miniature version of me, all of my nestlings were watching my summon with an odd fascination. 

Cygnus stared at it, his body frozen, as if trying to understand how such a small replica could exist.

Delphine wanted to touch it but was refused. Artemis observed its shadowy wings with interest, wondering why the flowers on the Nymph's body had started to wither.

Morgana even came up close to it, eyes full of challenge as she stared it down with an amused look, but when it hissed at her, she fell back in fright, recreating its stance as she hissed back, like it was an enemy, and I burst into laughter at the sight.

Meanwhile, Apollo approached quietly from behind her, offering up a portion of meat to appease the miniature serpent who was quick to swallow it.

Their reactions were quite amusing, and I watched on for a moment longer, only to notice Delphine was now glaring at the Nymph in envy. 

It seemed she was also eager to possess the creature, enough to regard the Nymph as an obstacle to overcome. So when I called her name, Delphine rushed over immediately.

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However, on reaching me she began to plead for one of her own, utterly unable to contain herself, forcing Cygnus to come over and stop her.

[It is a gift meant to establish a truce.] He scolded Delphine. [Don't act so selfish here.]

Delphine soon stopped as it dawned on her, and although her eyes pooled with frustrated tears, she nodded and didn't say anymore. 

Although Cygnus looked embarrassed, I was quite pleased with his maturity as well as Delphine's. It seemed they didn't want to leave yet, so I allowed the two to return to the Nymph, while I left the gathering.

It was already a while since I summoned the Abyss serpent, and it hadn't disappeared yet. In a way this served as a test to see how long a summon could last when away from me.

So far, it seemed to function much like an Abyssal monster, able to stay alive as long as it received a mana frequently.

As I strayed even further, my summon did not dissipate, instead it seemed to draw more mana from its surroundings, as the flowers on the Nymph's dress had all but withered - not that she minded as new ones grew quickly to replace the ones that were lost.

It seemed my summon would continue to stay if it received mana regularly – unless I recalled it, and I found that fascinating.

The noises from the banquet had all but faded now and I stared up into the tall trees, glimpsing a winged shadow soaring high above the canopy, which made me frown. 

This lizard! How was this hiding?

I quickly signalled for Sylrin to land, and as his large figure loomed closer, the winds billowing through the trees along with the heated air, caused the Veladrys and Lyenysa to shade their eyes, their long hair blown to disarray.

Soon, a fearsome dark dragon descended on the forest floor, looking rather threateningly at the four Lyenysa along with the bevy of Veladrys who stood around, staring curiously at him.

But mostly, his eyes locked onto the ethereal figure of the Nymph in their midst, not at all swayed by her elegance.

He even seemed about to roar.

[Stop it. She's not an enemy.] I said to him using [Thought Transference] and Sylrin lowered his head, his gold green eyes concerned.

[Safe?] He asked, and I nodded, feeling quite relieved to see him.

[Did you find anything?] I asked after a while, but Sylrin lowered his head in disappointment, smoke billowing around him.

[No. Too many…old trees.] he replied.

That was unexpected.

Before I paid the Nymph a visit, I asked him to wait for me. Alongside this, I also tasked him with scouting the forest while concealing his aura, to find out which tree among the thousands here belonged to the Nymph.

Perhaps it was an impossible task to achieve in such a short time, but according to Sylrin he found more than six similarly massive, aged trees in this part of the forest alone, all of which could belong to the Nymph.

It was far more than I expected, making it harder to pinpoint exactly which one was hers.

Sylrin was disappointed, but I was very satisfied with his effort.

[Next time fly much higher, okay?] I said to him.

[Worried?] Sylrin smirked, and I hissed at him for being too arrogant.

How could I risk one of the trees reaching up to grab him?

Hopefully, the summon I gave her would work better as a beacon I could trace, so he wouldn't have to do this again.

[This must be the drake.] An airy voice wafted over to us, causing Sylrin to look up. [What did you name him?]

The Nymph was standing there, staring up at Sylrin in amazement, before approaching carefully, her fingers slowly reaching out to touch his wings, while her children watched worriedly behind her.

I reasoned she must have told them not to come close.

But Sylrin growled at her, and she hesitated, quickly withdrawing her hand.

To the Nymph who detested fire, Sylrin must be an opponent she didn't want to provoke. 

[Sylrin.] I replied to her, and the Nymph once again reached out to touch him, the two facing off against each other in a strange battle — Sylrin wanting nothing to do with her and the Nymph drawing closer, seemingly determined to charm him.

The Nymph bravely carried on, not slowing down even when Sylrin's chest plate heated up dangerously, as poisonous black smoke began to billow out from his nostrils.

However, before she could touch him, Sylrin took off into the air in a crash of wind, her pale fingers grasping nothing as she was knocked to the ground.

With him gone, the Nymph's beautiful face was stunned, but as she realised she was on the ground, it soon became quite ugly as she was overcome with rage. 

[Vulgar, Impetuous beast!] The Nymph seethed. [How dare you!]

Fortunately, Sylrin had already broken free of the tree line, safely out of the reach of several grasping vines.

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