The Necromancer and the Priestess (30)

Yin Mei and El, for the next couple of days, proceeded to have a silent war. Snubbing each other at lunch time, when meeting, and etc., everyone was at their wits end. It hadn't taken long for people to have realized how well the two got along, and so seeing this was very painful for them.

"What do I do?" Yin Mei said gloomily, even tearing up a little. Okay, she hadn't actually meant to be like this for so long, but once she started, it was hard to stop. And before whenever she was like this, Yao Heyan would immediately start asking for forgiveness and pampering her, so it was easier to stop. But now El was also being angry at her!

She was really upset, but she also really didn't want to waste twenty years in the dragon valley. She had spent so much effort to escape the church, only to walk right into another cage?

Although she knew it was for her own good... But it was clear that El wasn't going to let up until she agreed.

"Is it that important...?" She leaned back against the edge of her bed, looking up at the cave ceiling. She couldn't understand.

She really couldn't understand.

In the end, the one who gave in was Yin Mei. Although Yin Mei was normally the stubborn one, the moment that El was involved, she quickly broke down.

Well, the result was that it was for her own good.

But, she was anxious. Unbearably anxious. The last time she left things to his own hands, what had happened? She had died, and then he had died soon after. From inner demons... Would this time be any different?

In this amount of time, she had also talked with Azurite's grandpa about the cause of the illness. He was shocked - it had been something under their noses all this time? How is it that they could have not seen it?

But when he heard more from Yin Mei, he realized why. First, dragon's had a much higher residence against the illness in comparison to humans. Because of that, the development of the illness was much slower and less noticeable, making it harder to pinpoint the exact time when they had caught the illness. On the other hand, Yin Mei had immediately developed symptoms after consuming the marble, and the spread of the "stonification" was also extremely quick. In addition, the marble was very difficult to find with a magical x-ray sight, unless they knew exactly what they were supposed to be looking for.

The grandpa dragon was surprised, but also extremely grateful.

Yin Mei was named an honorary member of the dragon race, the first human to be name thus, and the first person in more than ten thousand years to be named thus.

In addition, grandpa dragon promised the best care and treatment for her during this time that she would be staying here, in addition to any time she wished to return.

Yin Mei felt that after the treatment duration, she would definitely never want to return though...

The grandpa dragon even said that he'd set up a teleportation portal that connected to the demon king's castle so that the group could visit Yin Mei when they wanted. But, Yin Mei herself was advised not to leave, as the dragon valley had special parameters that would aid her healing...

QwQ

When it came time for the group to leave, Yin Mei was still sulking a little, a gloomy expression on her face. Rosella, Kai, and Eve had both elected to stay here, but because Yin Mei was worried, she had asked Rosella to go with El, and they would be keeping in contact through Yin Mei's familiar. As for Kai, she was still worried about what would happen if he found out his true identity, and so would definitely not allow him to leave with the other group. And for Eve, she was also slightly worried. With her magic in its current state, she wouldn't be able to make any adjustments to her initial mind manipulation, and thus, also allowed her to stay here.

Now it was El's turn to be worried. He left the black haired demon with her, along with a few other soldiers, just in case. With only two people, both people he didn't like, here, then how could he not worry? Of course, there were the all powerful dragons protecting Yin Mei, but this was a more a matter of him being able to feel that she was safe with people he trusted by her side than anything else.

"We're going now," El said, after Rosella tearily bade Yin Mei goodbye.

The two groups stood facing each other. Rosella was by El, her eyes slightly red as she looked reluctant to part. Rather than El, it felt more like Rosella was Yin Mei's lover than anything else. Huh? For some reason, Yin Mei felt that there was something that she had forgotten.

She shook her head, before looking at El. Although she was still a little sulky, she couldn't help but tear up a little. She stubbornly turned her head away. Of course, she knew that after the teleportation array was set up, El would be able to visit any time. But, she wouldn't be there. All her planning, and she would be stuck here for the most important part of the mission.

What if something went wrong? Who would be able to save El?

There was only Rosella she could rely on, but she had always still been worried when it involved the female and male leads.

Even if such thoughts went through her head, she couldn't stop El, nor convince him. With those thoughts in her head, Yin Mei was suddenly enveloped in a warm embrace, a voice whispering by her ear, "Don't worry. I'll see you soon."

She looked up, but by that time, El had already let go and turned around, walking away. She hated the El, who would do things like this, making her want to forgive him.

In the end, El left just like that, and Yin Mei shut herself in her room.

Kai looked to Eve, but she just shook her head. They couldn't do anything. Kiel stood nearby, biting his lip. The Celestina that he remembered wasn't like this, but, in the end, people changed didn't they?

He had already been dead for so long...

Several months later.

"Azurite? Azurite! Are you over here~ Or is it here~?" Yin Mei called out. She looked very good, like the events of before had never happened. She was energetic again, and though her magic was still the same - as weak as before - she was no longer having any issues with her health due to the injury of her magic source.

She was playing hide and seek with Azurite, of course, with no magic and a limited area. If there was magic, the game would be unfair... and also completely impossible for Yin Mei to win. As for the limited area, with the size of the dragon's valley and the fact that one individual had wings and the other didn't, then it would make it equally impossible on Yin Mei.

Therefore such rules had been invented in light of Azurite's sheer OPness.

That being said, even with these rules, Azurite was still more intelligent than any average human, and thus, Yin Mei was still having difficulties.

She had been at this for half an hour now, wandering here and there, this way and that, but had still yet to succeed.

"Celestina!" Eve called out, running up to Yin Mei.

"What is it?" She asked.

"The dragons said that they're setting up the teleportation portal now. They just received notice from the commander." She answered excitedly. She knew how much Yin Mei liked the general, and so was happy for her savior.

"... That's... good." Yin Mei was at first unable to say anything, but finally managed to just say that. She was happy, really. Happy that she didn't have to experience something like in her previous worlds, where all her hard work had been unable to result in anything.

But at the same time, she wasn't sure what to feel.

The sign that they were building the teleportation array meant that El had likely succeeded in overthrowing the demon king right?

In that case, then what was all her hard work for, if he could finish the mission on her own? In fact, wouldn't that mean that all her interfering was...

Maybe even for the worse? No. That was untrue. She knew it was untrue.

After all, if not for her, El would have died under the hands of Kai already.

But, then she thought of the previous worlds. The modern world didn't need to be talked about, but in the zombie apocalypse world, if she hadn't interfered, then wouldn't the zombie emperor have still lived?

It... it was her fault that he had died.

"That's good, really," Yin Mei said. Eve tilted her head, feeling that Yin Mei's expression was slightly off. "Azurite! Azurite! The game is over! Let's go look at the teleportation array!" Yin Mei shouted, her face clearing up. She didn't know why she bothered to think these things. They were useless, stupid thoughts.

Azurite poked her head out from seemingly nowhere, before rushing over and grabbing at Yin Mei's robe. "Haha, that means you lose again! A human can't beat me after all! I'm too awesome!" Azurite gloated and Yin Mei couldn't help but smile, picking her up.

"Of course, our Azurite is the best!" She said happily.

Eve guided Yin Mei to one of the mountains, walking through the large opening to the vast system of cave tunnels inside. Even after months, neither Yin Mei, Eve, nor Kai had yet to memorize all the routes, and instead, had to carry with them a map every time.

Except for Yin Mei, who couldn't read maps for her life. But she always had someone else with her at all times, so it also wasn't necessary.

The three of them continued until they reached a medium sized cave, where several dragons in humanoid forms were working on creating a magic circle on the ground.

"Ah, human. You're here. Just in time, it's almost done." A middle aged looking man with a black beard and hair said - he was Azurite's old grandpa.

Among the dragons, he was the oldest. And though he looked only in his forties or fifties, he also appeared the oldest dragon as well. He was the eldest of the dragon's council of elders.

Yin Mei didn't think that such a prestigious and honorable sounding title suited this boisterous and loud old man, but what can she say. It was a title earned by the oldest of dragons, and wasn't granted based on their personality traits.

He was no longer as intimidating before, and much friendlier. Probably due to the fact that Yin Mei had saved his life, considering that he was one of three dragons that had been infected with the illness. Though she didn't even know if it could be called an illness. Maybe more of a curse, or something. They hadn't let her in on what they had found out, and Yin Mei didn't really ask. Although she was certainly curious, with all the unanswered questions, she also had no desire to have anything to do with it anymore - considering it had turned her stomach to stone (temporarily) and left her stuck here for the next two decades.

Kai nodded at them, giving a short and friendly greeting before going on to listen to the dragon who was talking to him. Yin Mei had noticed that he had gotten much friendlier with Eve in the time that they were here, and was seriously wondering if the fate as true lovers between Kai and Rosella was in jeopardy right now.

It was so serious that Yin Mei was considering setting the two up together so that she didn't break this whole true love thing going on.

Though she wasn't sure why it made her so anxious, but it did.

Perhaps it came with the fact that she wanted to believe in true love, but if the male and female lead never got together, the one role model of true love, then how would she be able to believe it?

How would she be able to believe that every lifetime, the one who El, who the demon king, zombie emperor, or whatever he was in that life... the one who he would fall in love with was her?

For some reason, she had been getting gloomier and gloomier these days, only thinking of depressing things. She had thought she had been beyond that by now, but it looks like she wasn't.

"It's done." Grandpa dragon suddenly said, and everyone stepped back a moment, admiring the intricate runes drawn onto the ground. "The one at the palace will finish soon too. Are you ready to see your friends again?" He looked at Yin Mei.

"Yes." Actually, she wanted to say no.