Chapter 129
In the gaze he held, he did not see Erietta as a threat, but as someone who had yet to comprehend just how vast the distance was between herself and an entity worthy of touching the fate of beings in the world of Flo Viva Mythology.
Within his calm mind, Theo arranged an explanation that could only be understood by someone who had witnessed both the birth of a world and its destruction.
He needed no protection from blades, nor from Erietta's power that could slice through the air like the scream of steel.
He knew that no strike from Erietta was worth fearing, just as no movement from Aldraya was capable of harming him.
Even the power of the eighth main enemy of Ilux Rediona—feared by players all this time—would leave no mark.
The shadows of the Administrators, beings who walked beyond logic and toyed with it, would not be able to do anything to him.
Even the Administrator Castle, called the king among kings who governed every pathway of authority, was nothing more than a quiet echo before his existence.
It was not because Theo was stronger, but because reality itself rested upon something older and deeper than mere combat strength.
In his mind, Theo also realized something far greater, something perhaps no one had ever understood.
He was not a figure in the power struggles between the Administrators.
He was the writer who inspired the birth of the game Flo Viva Mythology, an idea standing right at the boundary between myth and existence.
Resolve, Will, Intent, and Ambition within him were not simply abstract concepts spoken for dramatic effect.
All of them were foundations he could summon if he deemed it necessary, something that could manifest as an entity more complete than any presence that attempted to challenge him.
If the world tried to bring him down, he would summon the entire root of that power as a confrontation, merely to see who dared to stand before him.
"Your face earlier was scary, but I'm fine.
In fact… I liked it.
After all, every being is blessed with their own uniqueness, and that is a gift—not a flaw."
'Unique? What part of that was unique?
That was clearly an ultimatum, a declaration of war against every opponent threatening to erase me.
How could she possibly see that as nothing more than a unique demeanor, let alone a trait?'
In the soft evening light that had yet to fade, Erietta's expression did not show the slightest trace of fear.
Although Theo's smile earlier carried something terrifying in the eyes of ordinary humans—something that should have made their skin crawl—Erietta looked at him with an unwavering calm.
There was a peculiar habit within her, one that kept her from flinching at things that should have made others step back.
Instead, she seemed pleased, as if there was a quiet satisfaction in seeing her teacher show a side of himself he never revealed to anyone else.
To her, the world became easier to understand when someone showed their true colors, unburdened by masks or pretenses that obscured honesty.
On the other hand, Theo himself heard that small mutter.
A simple assessment that made his thoughts turn in odd directions.
To him, the power he mentioned earlier was not something that could be considered a "unique trait," like a preference or a pleasant personal habit.
It was a declaration far broader than that—an unbounded statement aimed at every entity daring to oppose his existence.
Even so, to Erietta, everything seemed simple.
There were no complex layers, no philosophical implications hanging in the air.
The girl saw everything as part of Theo's personality, even the most extreme parts.
Theo struggled to understand from which angle a student could categorize a metaphysical threat to the world as a unique trait.
The evening wind drifted between them, brushing through the tall grass and carrying the scent of earth that had long held hundreds of secrets.
Theo observed Erietta in silence, trying to unravel the thought process of his student who always seemed to leap far beyond expectations.
There was a serenity found only in someone who had fought themselves too many times.
Erietta looked at her teacher with eyes that did not waver even slightly, as if no amount of darkness, power, or strangeness within Theo could push her past her limits.
Perhaps because she herself was not ordinary.Perhaps because she knew the world did not operate according to normal logic.Or perhaps because something within her refused to judge him.
In the end, Erietta merely offered a small smile.
A brief smile, almost invisible, yet enough to confirm that she was perfectly fine.
And to Theo, that was more baffling than any threat from the Administrators.
"Today's instructions received. Knowledge increased. Permission to withdraw."
Under the glow of the fading afternoon light, Erietta's shadow stretched across the pale ground like soft ripples that accompanied the silence.
Her movements appeared gentle yet carried a line of discipline shaped by hours of guidance, as if her body still held the echoes of the lessons she had just completed.
When she stretched her arms above her head, the alignment of her muscles shifted in a silhouette merging with the dim atmosphere of the room, creating the impression that time itself was stretching with her.
And when she stood up, her light steps seemed to erase the traces of intensity that had filled the place moments before, leaving the air slowly returning to tranquility.
She walked several steps before stopping, turning back with a slow movement like someone ensuring that every last second would be stored in memory.
Her gaze fell upon the figure who had guided her for hours—someone the world might find difficult to understand, yet to her radiated a steadiness rarely seen.
The room that had been quiet suddenly felt heavy with something unspoken, as though that small departure carried a weight far greater than what appeared on the surface.
The evening light touched Erietta's green hair, igniting the fleeting blend of lush foliage and golden lines, making her look like a scene slipped into a vast story by its author.
When she bowed—just slightly—that movement carried a profound atmosphere, giving shape to a gratitude no words could fully express.
A softness flowed from her, one that contrasted with the mysterious core always surrounding Theo, as though their personalities formed a balance the world silently protected.
Within that gesture lay respect, warmth, and the understanding of a small yet important change that had taken root within her that day.
The silence accompanying her felt like a thin layer between teacher and student, one that echoed even after she intended to leave.
At last, her intention to take her leave passed like a gentle breeze.
"Take care on your way."
As soon as Theo nodded, Erietta caught that permission like a wind urging her to move swiftly.
There was a kind of urgency born not from panic, but from the certainty that the next step was meant to be taken without looking back.
Her body turned with deft precision, her hair moving in a faint arc that faded along with her first step out of the room.
Within seconds, her stride shifted into a steady rhythm, as if the path ahead had already been mapped by instinct.
Her shadow stretched briefly before being cut off by the corner of the wall she passed, and her presence that had filled the room slowly dissolved like an echo swallowed by distance.
To be continued…