Little Eu is uncertain what the Divine Lord's feelings towards her. She can't casually assume that he implies something else. She is just a child in his eyes for crying out loud!
She might be mature beyond her age. Still, she can't start assuming and be malicious about it, right?
How can she assume that she is more than his precious adopted sibling? He even calls her sister after all. She continues to argue with herself as she inwardly sighs.
Knowing his warmth is already enough. Little Eu doesn't like to impose too much on this charismatic Lord and reciprocate her unrequited feelings. She is already happy, very happy.
Somehow, she felt cheating for knowing events beforehand. If she didn't know how everything will occur, how can she enjoy and cherish these simple moments without hesitation?
She decided to act without reservation because she knew about certain events beforehand. She wants to live and enjoy their limited, shared time without regrets.
She simply wanted to live in content and cherish their time together.
Besides, she is just a child. How could she even demand something more? She already wanted to beat herself up for having such vile conflicting thoughts.
He could sense that the little girl is somewhat tense as he holds her closer. He assumes that she might have a fear of heights and said, "Don't worry. We are almost there..."
She hid her bitter smile as she lowers her head in response. She has tons of conflicting issues she is currently experiencing inside her head.
Simply, there are so many things she can't openly disclose yet with anyone. Especially to this Divine Lord...
Nobody needs to know what will transpire in the future and everything she needed to accomplish. The Divine Lord also needs to focus on more critical pressing matters himself.
She decided to support him ever since that fateful night of her awakening.
Not long, they finally reached the hunting grounds situating in the southern part of the forest. The trees are denser, and wild beasts frequent the place.
For some bizarre reasons, some wild, vicious creatures seem to have anticipated their arrival and start attacking them in hoards. They are not usually this aggressive and very cautious against much more powerful opponents.
The Divine Lord's expression turns grim as he took out his fan and thought, 'An ambush?!'
Little Eu also unsheathed her sword and started to defend herself. She casts a simple formation array to prevent beasts from overwhelming them.
The Divine Lord can't use his flames to defeat the enemies since they needed the materials from them. His flames can burn through one's life force and soul.
It could either give life or give eternal death with no means of resurrection as he passes on his judgment. It's one of his abilities and duties as the Divine Lord Foeni.
The Divine Lord is quite impressed by how the little girl is faring against the sudden attack. Somehow, it gives him a sense of relief.
He can't help stealing a glance or two as he cast a wind spell towards the beast.
Her movements are fluid, swift, and deadly as she attacks without hesitation. One can quickly assume this is not her first battle.
He doubted at first that her weapon of choice is something she can't handle. It indeed suits her perfectly.
Somehow, he can't help admiring her. Her graceful movements, while handling her sword, combined with her magic, that he can only describe as mesmerizing and admirable.
An Oracle who can wield a sword, cast magic, and specializes in defensive and vast array formations; who would have the audacity to harbor discord with her?
"For an Oracle, you have the talent to wield a sword. I'm quite impressed that you handle yourself pretty well, Little Eu. May I ask who's been teaching you?" the Divine Lord inquired as he holds his fan and aimed for one last strike.
"Thank you for the compliment. Captain Jairu initially taught me and has been giving me pointers. Then, I have a master more adept to the field." she turned to him as she sheaths her sword.
She looks around the beasts' corpses as she points out her concern, "But these beasts are somewhat strange. They don't normally appear in these parts..."
He is impressed to know Little Eu is knowledgeable about the hunting grounds. He assumes that she frequently goes there as she is familiar herself with the area.
His expression darkens as he scans the area. He knew very well that this is a deliberately planned attack. Their target might not be him after all since he rarely visits the place, but who?
He turned to the little girl who is still examining the corpses as he pushes away the thought.
'Who would target a little girl? That cannot be the case, right?'
He looks back to her direction as he started thinking. He couldn't meet her for a year, and she already has grown so much. Somehow, he misses the child who hides behind him and seeks his protection.
He took out his hunting knife. The beasts were quite rare, so he took the opportunity to harvest some materials from their remains.
He brought out magical containers just in case he needs them to remain fresh.
He is drowning himself with random thoughts while he gathers materials from the beasts' corpses. The incident creates a mystery.
The attack, their target, and their reasons...
"What is the matter? You seem in a daze. Are you hurt? Do you need medicine? Are you even listening to anything I have said?!" the girl asked.
The little girl's tone is a mix of concern and irritation. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she glares at him.
He seems to have stared at her too much as he observed her changes. She has indeed grown up from that little girl, but this person seems way older than she looks.
She is not acting like a normal eight-year-old girl after at all. He is familiar with reincarnations and transmigration as he looks back at her intently.
He is confident she didn't undergo such transformations. As the Lord of Rebirth, it is within his field of expertise to know the difference.
He ended up lost on a thought.
'I guess I'm overthinking the situation. I failed to see her grow up because I am not around... Still, do Oracles really mature this fast?'
"As I was saying, I learned to refine pills and concoct medicine in my spare time. It is still far from perfect and incomparable to my Master's level, but it's passable." she told him.
"You shouldn't expedite your growth. I can barely recognize my adorable little sister…" he chuckles as he pats her head and continues, "You have tons of time to learn everything, so slow down a bit and don't exhaust yourself."
'Sister…' that word seems to have sliced her heart a thousand times, but the pain she felt doesn't show in her face as she responded as normal as she could.
She can't understand why he continued saying it, as she wonders if that is what he really thinks of her. Was she too obvious on her feelings? Is he hinting to know her boundaries?
Her violet eyes glimmer like polished amethyst as they look at his ocean blue eyes trying to mask all her emotions. She can't possibly expect anything more than being his sister. After all, she is only eight-years-old...
"This little sister sadly has to grow up and refrain herself from always relying on the Divine Lord brother's favor…" her voice has a tinge of sarcasm.
He didn't probe on the issue as he continues to inspect their loot.
Eu manages to kill a bunch of other beasts. Together with the shape-shifting beasts all by herself.
He is impressed as he once again changes the subject.
"Come. Since you are learning medicine, I will teach you a few pointers regarding the matter. You've killed beasts with medicinal properties, and it would be such a waste to leave them here." the Divine Lord called out.
She was somewhat surprised, still, she decided to come closer to him and listens intently. She wasn't expecting him to give her pointers, so she decided to indulge her curiosity. It's not every day she will find someone willing to teach her after all.
They gathered quite a haul of materials, thanks to the attack. Still, the mystery remains.
Who was behind the attack?
Who are they targeting in the first place?
He decided to investigate the matter when he resumes his duties.
"So when do you want to forge the weapon?" he asked.
"Now." she quickly responded.
Realizing her response, she felt embarrassed for acting so demanding. She tried to retract her words, tries to clarify and stutters.
"I meant, as soon as you are free. Not necessarily now. We still need to gather other things, right? And the journey to the Cave of Origins... You just came back… and we recently just faced hoards of beasts…"
"I barely visit you in a while, and you have grown so much. Consider it as catching up. Besides, I am free." the Divine Lord collects the loot and puts in his magical storage compartment in the form of a simple gold bangle place on his left wrist.
The small shimmering magical accessory holds enough goods for traveling.
There is also one method her clan knows as an advanced technique as wizardry storage that she hasn't learned yet. She thought to ask her elders about the skill on her next visit.