Chapter 32

Novia looked at the girl, whose face was already flushed and her expression blank from his kiss, and spoke to her while holding her.

"O-Okay, Teacher, I will always listen to you..."

For a girl, Nero in this state was incredibly cute, but her next words, perhaps out of embarrassment, became increasingly quiet.

"But, but... if that's the case, I feel... I could be pulled by the hair harder, or something like that. I've only heard about it, I've never thought about it myself..."

Novia naturally had no hesitation in fulfilling Nero's request, as he simply wished for her to cradle his hair during kisses from now on.

059: Melusine's Name, Belonging Only to You

The next day, having confirmed that her teacher was fine and received excellent rewards, Nero no longer hesitated.

After seeing Novia in the palace that morning, they shared a moment of tenderness before she directly announced her intention to travel to the Isthmus of Corinth in the Greek peninsula to dig a canal.

With the Emperor away from the capital, Seneca was in charge of the civil officials, and Lucius led the imperial guard. Novia's commands were equivalent to the Emperor's, though for Novia, it seemed there was little difference from when Nero was present.

After all, as long as he proposed something, the golden-haired girl would agree.

In reality, with the Holy Church established, himself as Pope, and the number of Christians nationwide rapidly increasing, Novia had virtually nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy himself.

However, even after learning about the situation with the new Revelation from John, he had been extremely busy.

Regarding the Holy Church, while they had people from the Burial Classroom and had already enlisted the help of Roman Mages stationed in various regions to assist in dealing with local Dead Apostles, it was ultimately like trying to quench a fire with a cup of water. This would have to wait until the foundation of the 'Bible' created by Novia was successfully established, allowing ordinary people to defend themselves with rituals, though it would take some time.

Novia hadn't yet considered whether to establish an order of knights for the Church, thinking it would be better to train Agents first.

After all, this was ultimately an overt military force. Although Nero would never have any objections, as her teacher, he had to consider her feelings.

After dealing with the Holy Church's issues, it was time to address the Roman Empire. Several years prior, Novia had visited the Judea Province, where, apart from the First Temple in Jerusalem still standing, almost all other buildings had been destroyed. However, it was necessary to relocate the province's overpopulation there, so rebuilding the cities and the holy land of Jerusalem around the First Temple was also a matter that needed to be put on the agenda.

In Novia's vision, after all these matters were concluded, it would be time to address the issue of Byzantium.

This place was the gateway to Asia and the sole passage from the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea.

Furthermore, the nearby Golden Horn was a natural harbor with excellent conditions, a place where merchant ships from all over the world had gathered since ancient times. With strong support starting now, convenient land and sea transportation would rapidly develop commerce, providing substantial revenue for the Roman Empire's treasury and necessitating the construction of more infrastructure.

In addition to this, developing Byzantium vigorously would also allow residents of the major provinces east of the Roman Empire to take pride in their identity as citizens of the Roman Empire, gradually consolidating their loyalty.

In short, these were all time-consuming endeavors, but Novia and Nero were both young, so the problems were unlikely to be too significant.

Now, having learned about the situation with the new Revelation, Novia's immediate thought was to visit a place located eighty kilometers north of Jerusalem: Armageddon.

That is, the final battlefield mentioned in the Book of Revelation, where nations would engage in war in the end times, initiated by the "Beast Kingdom."

"I'm going out for a while. It'll be a long time before I can return."

After bidding farewell to Nero, Novia returned home and spoke to the 'Spear' hanging on the wall. Ever since Albion had forcefully stuck out her unique long tongue and licked his mouth over ten times last time, she had disappeared by dawn.

From that day on, no matter what Novia said, she showed no reaction and remained silent.

Although he could leave without a word now, he knew that Albion was very afraid of loneliness, so he decided to say something. Whether she followed or not was up to her.

'Don't let me see you. I still want to eat you.'

Hiding within the spear, Albion felt the instinctive desire and appetite stirring within her. Having previously consumed a piece of flesh from Novia's shoulder and abdomen, she sensed a subtle change in his soul and, out of instinct, craved more. She also inexplicably hoped that afterwards, she would be panting chaotically because of Novia, and wished to lick away the sticky hands covered in blood and flesh.

After waiting in silence for over ten seconds, Novia realized Albion still hadn't reacted and thought he needed to push a little harder. Tsundere types were truly troublesome.

"...I fear you."

Novia's sudden words were met with continued silence from Albion. While she disliked being disliked, she preferred even more that Novia wouldn't be eaten by her.

"I fear what you want to do, which is eat me," Novia said, taking down the spear and stroking it. "Although you are precious to me, you are also terrifying. Right now, I probably should have destroyed you."

As the silver-haired girl within the spear murmured in pain, Novia did not remove his hand from the spear. He did not break his weapon and abandon the dragon, nor did he use his known magic to destroy the girl's head. He did none of these things.

"...However, I wish for you to live, even if it means devouring my flesh and blood."

"...I can't."

Albion finally reappeared before Novia.

"I am the strongest dragon, but I cannot control my desire to eat you. Even though I am obedient, I will never be willful."

"...Come to me."

Novia picked her up. The silver-haired girl trembled slightly and clutched Novia's collar with her small hands.

She didn't want to leave. Her feelings were very clear.

"If you can't help it, then from now on, let's make a contract. I'll give you a new name. From then on, whenever you hear that name, it will mean you belong to me, and that should suppress your desire."

"...Okay."

The dragon girl's golden eyes were somewhat hazy.

"Melusine. This is the name that will lock away your desire to eat me from now on."

"Yes, I understand. I am your strongest dragon, Albion, and also Melusine."

"Then, before the contract is established, as an exchange for showing me this," Novia said, holding her and bringing her head towards his shoulder, "Eat the last bite."

At that moment, the girl's cheek was bathed in splattering blood, her delicate appearance slightly marred.

"Novia... it hurts, doesn't it? Bite me. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I promise, this will never happen again. Really, really, this is definitely true..."

After realizing that even though she had only taken a bite from his shoulder this time, it still hurt Novia considerably, Albion, who had been bestowed the name Melusine, extended its tongue and licked up the blood and bits of flesh that had appeared on Novia from its own biting.

"...Melusine, have you gotten a bit heavier?"

060: Melusine No Longer Hiding, and the Oracle of the Final Destination

"If I fly, it will indeed save a lot of time..."

"So, Novia, do you still think I, Melusine, am scary?"

The silver-haired girl showed no discomfort or unease with her new name; on the contrary, she was overjoyed.

Novia was literally in the sky, speeding at high velocity over the seemingly boundless, endless Mediterranean Sea.

To be honest, this wasn't the first time he had flown; it wasn't through magic, but rather with things like airplanes or gliders.

Not long ago, after restraining Albion's desire to eat him by bestowing the name Melusine, the silver-haired girl spontaneously requested to accompany him.

"Without further ado, Novia, where do you want to go? I'll take you. I can fly, you know. My magic won't increase if I don't use it, so I might as well use it all for you."

Melusine hopped lightly and wrapped her arms around Novia's neck. Her body, weighing only twenty kilograms, was indeed quite light, and she was even three centimeters shorter than Nero.

"Seventy kilometers north of Jerusalem."

"Eh, that place... Alright, if that's what you want, any place will do."

The dragon girl lightly pushed off from the air, her blue-black metallic wings unfurling as she took Novia into the sky.

Time returned to the present.

"I don't like it when you're afraid of me," Melusine buried her head in Novia's neck and licked him a few times. "I am indeed not human, and it's understandable if you see me as a beast, but I don't want to be just friends with you. I really like you, Novia. In the beginning, I came all the way from a very, very distant place just to find you."

The silver-haired girl's voice sounded excited, happy, and elegant.

Novia remained silent, his intuition telling him that the other party didn't wish for him to speak at this moment.

"There, I was lonely and sad, and could only endure and endure. No, I'll just tell the truth. Actually, I was so, so sad, so lonely that I wanted to cry at any moment. I kept enduring until I heard your voice, which provided some relief. Even though you're just a human, my initial thought was, 'I wonder what you'd taste like? But you're so weak, you must not taste good.' However, if I ate you, I would be incredibly sad."

"So, Novia, let's always be together."

Melusine spoke softly in his ear, her voice so low it was almost drowned out by the sound of air friction.

"I don't want you to leave me. I want you to only have me... Actually, when I first met you, I lied to you... There's no one who can replace you. Since that's how I see you, you should see me the same way. That's how it is. Also, I want to possess your body. In human terms, it's called mating."

She then lowered her gaze, as if enduring something.

"..."

Novia stayed silent for a few seconds, likely unaccustomed to being asked such a thing.

"If you pretend not to hear, I'll kill you. Just kidding, three, two, one, answer me quickly."

"...Melusine, aren't you a soul right now? Didn't your body already—"

"I don't know. In any case, I feel like I'm gradually getting a human body. In a few more years, it will be complete. That's great, Novia. I'm already yours, and you can treat me however you want... Is that... no, is that not okay..."

The Strongest Dragon, named Melusine, pressed her face close to Novia, touching him with her cheek. As he remained silent, her voice grew softer and softer, thinner and thinner.

"I'm terribly sorry... it was my oversight. Ah, right, I can keep it from your human, Nero. Because I only appear when I'm alone with you."

This statement was true. For over the years, except for the initial outing with Novia where she met Nero, Melusine basically only appeared when Novia was alone.

Afterward, the two fell silent. Soon after, they arrived at Novia's destination. For Novia, his magic had not been consumed at all.

Melusine, looking somewhat pale, was trembling involuntarily, whether due to his lack of response, the immense drain on her magic, or perhaps both.

"...I, I'm a bit tired and need to rest. Ah, sorry, Novia, I was just mentioning it casually... Please forget about it..."

"Is that really okay? I actually don't think it's necessary to hide things from Nero."

Even though a simple nod would have satisfied both parties, Novia firmly believed that he should not take advantage of the preferential treatment he received from anyone who treated him with sincerity, and that such people should never be treated dismissively.

Thus, Novia narrowed his eyes as if deep in thought, and clasped Melusine's trembling hand.

"Whether it's you or Nero, I won't let go of either of you. Please be confident about this. You will never be alone again, Melusine, Albion."

"Okay... I'll see you later. I really need to rest now..."

Melusine's tone was as if a great burden had been lifted, and her smile seemed to bloom like a flower before she vanished, returning to the 'Spear' Novia held to recover her magic.

Afterward, Novia looked up at the vast fields of cultivated land, woven from patches of brown and green.

"This is the final battlefield."

Novia gazed at the scene before him, clenching the key pendant on his chest. He fell silent.

The legends he had heard in the Book of Revelation flashed through his mind one by one:

The kings of the earth gathering, the coming of the Antichrist, the Almighty defeating the devil and the "kings of the whole world," the destruction of the entire land, the capture of the beast...

When would the prophetic Book of Revelation that John spoke of come to pass? The Nero he encountered was essentially the beautiful beast.

Everything he had done was in vain; in other words, neither condemnation nor salvation existed for him.

As he pondered, an earthquake occurred around Novia. It was a slight tremor, only shaking the ground in his immediate vicinity. Then, as if conjured from thin air, a scene depicted in flames arose—

The legendary twins were raised by a wolf. After helping their grandfather reclaim the throne, the twins planned to establish a new city.

However, they quarreled over the location. The elder brother wanted to build it on the mountain where they grew up, while the younger brother wanted to build it by the river.

And so, from that moment on, an irreparable rift formed in the relationship between the twin brothers.

This ultimately led to the tragedy of the elder brother killing the younger.

From that moment on, this kingdom was destined to be forever mired in endless bloodshed and conspiracy.

Even though the elder brother, the founder, was like "light," he could not stop the sins and evils that continued to this day.

The flames vanished, and Novia followed the vanishing point, discovering the source was a book named—

Sibylline Oracles.

061: The Book of Revelation and Nero from the Sibylline Oracles

Sibyl means "prophetess," referring to ancient Greek oracles whose prophecies were created under divine inspiration and recorded as such:

Sibyl, with lips quivering with delirium, spoke of things she could not smile upon; unadorned, unfragrant, but with the aid of the divine, her voice echoed for a thousand years.

The Sibylline Oracles are a collection of prophecies made by the legendary ancient Greek prophetess Sibyl while she was in a state of frenzy.

There are 14 books and 8 fragments, often considered "apocalyptic" literature.

The vision it showed Novia was the story of Romulus, the founder of the ancient Kingdom of Rome, and his brother Remus. Just as Osiris had once shown him, killed by his brother Set, it reappeared in Novia's mind.

In the Type-Moon world, Romulus is an undeniable human who can be described as "light," representing the potential of humanity freed from the Age of Gods.

His brother Remus, in contrast, shared a similar destiny to Enkidu of Mesopotamia. After the twins disagreed on the city's founding location, their relationship fractured. During the city's construction, Remus crossed the "boundary" established by Romulus, a gesture symbolizing an appeal to the gods for connection between humans and the divine.