That night, Veldora and Dino sat together, speaking quietly under the stars. Their conversation drifted to Veldanava and Lucia's deaths, and how Dino had gone on a rampage after hearing the news—annihilating the nation responsible for their assassination.
Pico and Garasha listened from nearby. Both wanted to join in, but Dino and Veldora ignored them completely.
Pouting, Pico crossed her arms.
Pico:
"They're both so mean! Let's go to the garden, Garasha. When we came here, I saw a big slide and lots of rides! 😻😻😻"
Garasha:
"Really? Then let's go, Pico. I want to ride the slide. 😄😄"
And so, the two angels fluttered off toward the garden.
Watching them leave, Veldora muttered with relief.
Veldora:
"Finally, those two idiots are gone…"
Dino smirked faintly.
Dino (sarcastic):
"Wow… an idiot calling others idiots."
Veldora:
"Oi! I'm not that stupid. Don't compare me with them. I still wonder how you manage to handle those two."
Dino:
"They're not that bad… 😔😭😔😔😔"
Veldora:
"Really?"
Dino:
"…Hmmm."
The two drank the Nasca Kingdom's special alcohol as they continued talking through the night, their words flowing until the first light of sunrise.
At dawn, Dino rose to his feet.
Dino:
"It's time for me to go, Veldora."
Veldora:
"Don't you want to see Milim? She'll be awake in a few hours."
Dino:
"No… I don't have the courage to face her. Besides, I still have a task Lord Veldanava entrusted to me."
Without another word, Dino took off, with Pico and Garasha reluctantly following behind.
---
Hours later, Milim stirred awake, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Not seeing her uncle, she turned to Gaia.
Milim (sadly):
"So… Uncle already left without saying goodbye again, huh? Don't you think so, Gaia?"
Gaia let out a low, mournful growl.
Just as the weight of loneliness settled in, the door creaked open.
Veldora:
"Ooh, you two are already awake. I brought you breakfast."
Milim (surprised):
"Uncle Veldora… you didn't leave?"
Veldora:
"How could I leave without saying goodbye to my cute niece?"
Milim (hesitant):
"But last time, you already left wi—"
Before she could finish, Veldora shoved a piece of bread into her mouth.
Veldora:
"You shouldn't cling to the past or worry about the future. You just need to live happily in the present. Now, eat your breakfast."
Milim chewed, then smiled faintly.
Milim:
"But Uncle… I haven't even brushed my teeth yet. How can I eat breakfast?"
Veldora (flustered):
"Ooh… dear. Sorry about that."
---
[Timeskip — 15 years later]
Veldora remained in the Nasca Kingdom for fifteen years, watching over Milim as she slowly but surely regained her cheer. Velgrynd often visited, meeting Milim almost daily. Guy and Velzard also came by weekly.
Rudra, however, never met her directly. Instead, every night after Milim and Gaia had fallen asleep, he would secretly come to see them—his guilt over failing to protect Veldanava and Lucia binding him in silence.
Meanwhile, in the Super Magic Empire…
Jahil, possessing the Elf King's body, grew increasingly irritated. His plan to kidnap Milim and Gaia, then brainwash them to conquer the world, had failed again and again. Veldora's long stay in the Nasca Kingdom had ruined every chance.
To make matters worse, Rudra had won over all of Jahil's allied nations, leaving him isolated. Even with his advanced weapons, Jahil was powerless. The only reason Rudra had not already executed him was due to delicate political considerations. Otherwise, Jahil would have long been dead.
Driven into a corner, Jahil began scheming to force Veldora back to the Jura Forest. To that end, he traveled to the newly built Magic Tower, where he met the members of the Trinity Wisemen:
Ashley — the "True Ancestor" of the Oni-kind.
Pippin — former research assistant of Twilight.
Prelix — the Night Stalker and creator of the Magic Tower.
Jahil sought them out because he knew their ambitions.
The Trinity Wisemen had two goals:
1. To seize control of the entire world and spread the knowledge of Twilight's greatness.
2. To defeat Veldora—a feat they sought in order to prove they were not "failures," and could achieve what even the "masterpiece," Luminous, could not.
Fifty years earlier, when they had still served under Luminous, the Wisemen had attempted to defeat Veldora. Their plan failed spectacularly, and an enraged Veldora had retaliated—resulting in the destruction of Luminous's Night Rose City.
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To be continued.
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Authors Note:
This chapter ends here. The next one will be the last chapter of Volume 1. Thank you for reading till now! 🙏