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Time seemed to slow down to a crawl at this moment. Ravel was pushed aside by the oncoming Elmen, but Elmen herself became the target of the Evil Dragon, who promptly bit off her entire arm!
"Ahhhhh..."
Blood sprayed everywhere as Elmen let out a painful cry, while the Evil Dragon roared, preparing to attack again. However, just then, with a sharp sound cutting through the air, a golden war spear shot from afar, piercing directly through the Evil Dragon's head.
It was Tenraku who had arrived just in time!
Both Elmen and Ravel fell to the ground with a thud, but as Ravel regained her senses, she didn't hesitate to rush to Elmen's side.
"Elmen, I'm... I'm sorry..."
"I... I..."
Seeing Elmen's horrific injury, Ravel's face turned pale, overwhelmed with guilt. Elmen had been injured like this just to save her.
At that moment, Tenraku also descended from the sky, raising his hand, and the True Longinus returned to his grasp.
"Take care of Elmen," He said to Ravel, before soaring back into the sky. With his Holy Spear shining brightly, he swiftly cleared out the nearby mass-produced Evil Dragons.
When Tenraku returned to the ground, Kunou, Mittelt, and Kalawarner also gathered around. Seeing Elmen's severe injuries, the girls couldn't help but feel worried and concerned.
"It's... it's serious," Mittelt remarked.
"Onii-chan, please help Elmen," Kunou urgently pleaded, and Tenraku gestured to reassure the girls.
"Elmen, can you still use the power of Phenex?"
"I... I can..."
"Phenex is an immortal holy beast, capable of being reborn from fire. Use Phenex's flames to wrap around your wounds."
"O... okay."
Following Tenraku's instructions, Elmen used Phenex's flames to envelop and burn her wounds. Then, a miraculous scene unfolded—there was no pain at all, and her lost arm visibly began to regenerate at an astonishing speed!
"This is wonderful..."
The girls, including Kunou, couldn't help but show expressions of joy, while Elmen breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Vampires possessed powerful healing abilities, regenerating a lost limb was still a troublesome task. Being able to recover so easily was truly a blessing.
"Elmen, thank you for saving Ravel. You did well."
"It's what I should do."
Tenraku gently brushed the girl's forehead, while Elmen shook her head.
Regardless of their companionship with Ravel, as Tenraku's Younger Sister, she couldn't simply ignore the danger Ravel was in. Tenraku noted the girl's actions in his heart and didn't say much more, then turned to look at Ravel.
"Sob..."
Thinking that her Onii-chan was going to scold her, Ravel covered her head in fear. However, instead of a scolding, Ravel felt herself enveloped in a warm embrace.
"Onii-chan..."
"Ravel, do you understand where you went wrong?"
"I... I do..."
Realizing that her Onii-chan wasn't blaming her, tears welled up in Ravel's eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
"From childhood to now, you've been protected by Otou-Sama, Okaa-Sama, and all of us older brothers. You're a precious gem to all of us."
"You're smart and talented, but being sheltered by us, you've always been like a hothouse flower, never experiencing the darkness and cruelty of the world."
"But battle is a cruel place, not a place to showcase your competitiveness. Any mistake you make could cause irreversible harm to you and your comrades. Do you understand now?"
"Wū wū wū..."
Tenraku spoke solemnly, while Ravel was now unable to hold back her tears.
It was just because of a little bit of competitiveness that she charged into the enemy's camp alone. She never thought about the possible consequences. If it weren't for Elmen pushing her aside, she would have been the one injured.
But this only made her feel even more guilty and upset.
Seeing Ravel in such a state, Tenraku couldn't help but soften his heart.
Ravel's nature wasn't bad; she had simply been protected by Tenraku and the others all this time, never experiencing the darkness and cruelty of the world. After going through this experience, she should grow significantly.
"Ravel, no matter what mistakes you make, I will forgive you, because you are my most precious and adorable younger sister."
"However, I hope you can also grow, and be able to stand on your own. Even if we're not by your side in the future, you should be able to protect yourself."
"O... Onii-chan, I won't be willful anymore in the future."
Tenraku wiped away the tears from Ravel's cheeks, while Ravel sobbed and spoke.
"Well, you don't have to take it too seriously. You're our princess, after all. Even if you're willful, it's your right. But as long as your wilfulness doesn't harm you or those around you, it's fine."
Easing the tension, Tenraku smiled.
Tenraku understood the principle of not going too far. Although he wanted Ravel to learn and grow from this experience, it wouldn't be good if he pushed her too hard.
After comforting Ravel, and once her emotions stabilized, Tenraku said, "Do you know what to do now?"
"Yeah."
Although somewhat awkward, Ravel walked up to Elmen, who was beside her.
"Elmen, I'm sorry. It was my wilfulness that caused you to get hurt this time. Thank you for saving me."
In the past, even if she felt grateful in her heart, Ravel would definitely have said something tsundere like "Even without your help, I could have handled it on my own." But this time, she bent down and sincerely apologized to Elmen and thanked her.
"I... It's okay."
A little surprised by the unexpected apology, Elmen quickly helped Ravel up.
It wasn't surprising that Elmen reacted this way. Normally, Ravel was quite assertive and wouldn't have done something like this.
"Great, Ravel-chan..."
Watching Ravel's growth and change, Kunou beside her also felt happy for her.
Standing up straight, Ravel looked at Tenraku again, seemingly having made a decision.
"Onii-chan, I want to become a [King] too."
"Oh... you want to become a [King] as well?"
"But being a [King] isn't just an honor; it also comes with responsibilities. Have you realized that, Ravel?" A little surprised, Tenraku smiled and asked.
"Yeah, I want to become an excellent [King] like you, Onii-chan."
"I don't want to just rely on you to protect me anymore. I want to become stronger and protect you too!"
Ravel's face was filled with determination, and Kunou beside her couldn't help but have countless little stars in her eyes.
Ravel-chan suddenly became so cool.
"You're quite bold for a little girl, even saying you want to protect me."
"But I'm happy, Ravel."
There was a touch of emotion in Tenraku's heart as he gently brushed the girl's forehead.
"Since you want to become a [King], I'll go to see the Demon King later and ask him to give you a piece."
"But let's talk about these things later. For now, let's go help the others."
"Yeah."
To be continued...