My moms didn’t argue otherwise, since I wanted to go. The fleet was ready to set out at any time. Frankly, we couldn’t continue to stay on the island, as we didn’t have sufficient provisions. The residents of the island didn’t leave behind much food. The Valkyries scoured all the food available, but they weren’t interested in it. They avoided it as if it was the plague as long as they could return to the ship.
My moms gave up eating the native food. Vyvyan was interested in the vegetables, though. As a result, Ying, Xia and I were the chief rice consumers. That was why we continued to deplete the provisions on the ship despite the ship having docked. That was also why we couldn’t stay here for long. The return trip will be a big issue once the food on the ship runs out. As such, we have no choice but to hurry and battle the wyrm. However, the sea was calm. We had several sunny days, while the warmth on the water surface was addicting.
There were no turbulent waves or winds. The risk of being thrown into the water that night was nowhere in sight. The area in which the wyrm was active was a lot wider than we imagined. We could only stay for another three days. We had no choice but to return after three days whether or not we succeeded. We informed Ying about our circumstance, and she said there weren’t any problems. She expressed she’d return with us if we didn’t encounter the wyrm, but she would return in the future.
I really wanted to know the reason for the wyrm coming and leaving. Supposedly, Ying didn’t know why it left. Ying was responsible for protecting the village, not slaying the wyrm. If it arrived at the perimeter of the village, she could sense it. I didn’t quite understand why it came to me that day when its active zone was so wide.
I had a few questions on my mind: “Why did it suddenly come to me? Why did it attack me? Was it a coincidence or did I unfortunately encounter it when I entered?’ According to Ying, however, she didn’t receive any news that day. Something must’ve attracted it to us when we approached. I don’t know what attracted it, but it couldn’t have been us, could it? It doesn’t eat humans; if it did, it wouldn’t have a need to eat us specifically, right?”
Vyvyan sat next to me and let the breeze of the sea blow on her. With a smile, she said, “If there are no obvious signs, we will have to leave. Ying and Xia are aware of that, right? You also understand that if they return in the future, it will have nothing to do with us, right?”
I nodded, and then threw a shell toward the ocean: “I know, and Ying knows, too. If we can kill the wyrm this time, that’ll be for the best. If we can’t, we’ve done our best. We can’t stay here forever to kill it. But, Mom, I’m very worried as to what we’ll do when we return?”
Vyvyan firmly rubbed my head: “Isn’t that perfect, then? We won’t have to search for it in that case. If it comes over on its own accord, it’ll be doomed. It didn’t approach when we came. Now we have Ying and Xia, as well. If it approaches now, we’ll kill it while we’re at it. Honestly speaking, I think I can take it out alone. Creatures in the elven lands are all creatures with mana. I can kill all of them, so a wyrm is nothing impressive. Believe in Mommy. Mommy will surely protect you. Mommy will surely protect you. Mommy won’t let you get hurt. You’ve fallen into this ocean once. Mommy won’t let you fall into it a second time.”
Mommy Vyvyan said that every time. I felt safe as long as I was with her. With that said, something about her felt off. In the past, she never repeated she’d protect me so many times or say so much, because she was confident she could keep me safe as long as I was with her. This time however, she repeated herself numerous times. Therefore, I pondered, “Was she trying to reassure me or herself? Mommy Vyvyan said that we absolutely had to leave in three days. Is she glad? Is the wyrm threatening to her? Ying described it as a mere wild beast. Is she not too confident this time despite her overwhelming power?”
I questioned, “Mom, why do I feel that you’re not so confident this time?”
Vyvyan shook her head with a soft laugh. She pulled me into her embrace and quietly explained, “Son, Mommy is, indeed, not too confident this time, but not due to the wyrm. The wyrm is just a wild beast with mana to me. There’s no shortage of these kinds of beasts in the elven forest. There are dragons to our west. Why would I be worried about a single wyrm?”
“Then, Mom, you…”
Vyvyan erased her smile and looked at me with a serious look: “I’m worried about Ying and Xia. Ying and Xia are immune to mana. In other words, I’m just an insignificant existence to them. I basically have no mana against them. At the same time, I hate the feeling of cutting people with a sword, so I’m very worried about Ying and Xia this time.”
“But aren’t they on our side?”
Vyvyan looked in the direction of the shrine and sighed: “But Xia will go berserk. Last time she went berserk, she killed five kids. This time, I’m worried about you, Son. You may have grown up now, but I still see you as a kid. Furthermore, even if you have come of age now, you’re still no different to Xia. You’re as vulnerable as those five kids. That’s why I was honestly very worried about you when I heard Ying and Xia were coming with us. I can protect you thanks to my mana as a demi-god, but my mana is completely ineffective against them, so I’m very scared. As such, Mommy isn’t confident that Mommy can protect you this time.”
Smiling helplessly, I gave Vyvyan gentle hug, and she hugged me back. She gently stroked my back and, in a soft voice, said, “This time, you must stay by Elizabeth’s side if we go out to battle. Ying and Xia can still be wounded with blades despite being immune to mana. Nier can defeat Ying; hence, Elizabeth can certainly defeat her, as well. I’ll share a boat with Ying and Xia, while you, Elizabeth, Nier and Lucia will be on another ship. Remember: the wyrm isn’t a problem, so don’t worry about it. Focus on Ying and Xia. You must bear that in mind, Son. Ying and Xia are dangerous to you, much, much more dangerous than the wyrm.”
I replied, “I trust Ying and Xia. I trust that they won’t harm me.”
Vyvyan didn’t argue. Instead, she stroked my head then gave my forehead a soft kiss. In a soft voice, she remarked, “Aren’t Ying and Xia the same as the wyrm? Aren’t they wild beasts, too?”
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