Chapter 169: B2: C69: Push Yourself 1
The lake view hotel was already gone when Zarian returned to tell the others how seriously bad his little sister was. Para regained consciousness by then. She was just learning about the truth, too.
However, Zarian didn’t give everything up at first. He started by alluding to the connection between Ariana and The Dragon, removing prior predictions of her being a demon or devil. He waited to see how the others would react.
“There’s a bright side, guys!” Bianca said. “We have a knight.” She waved at Gilbert. “And the prettiest, most powerful, and prettiest princess in all the lands.” Bianca combed her gauntlet-clad fingers through her long amber hair and stood proudly.
Gilbert tipped his hat up while sitting comfortably on Slip’s back. He glanced at Bianca before looking back toward the lake. It was another pretty morning, and it was obvious Gilbert wanted to fish more.
“Demon. Devil. Dragon. It doesn’t matter, right? We’ll have to climb our way up and deal with these forces of evil while spreading freedom,” Gilbert said, as a strangely familiar bird cried out in the background.
“You’re hiding something, Zarian,” Hannah called out flatly from on top of the rune cart. “There’s more going on than the possibility of Ariana being The Dragon. Because it doesn’t match up with the lore. Unless Ariana is not your younger sister and is actually much, much older.”
“So how much stronger do I have to be to spank her?” Naomi grumbled.
She was still suffering the debuff from Even Further Beyond, but it wasn’t as bad as yesterday. She looked like she was ready to get back to the grind.
Zarian took a moment to gather his thoughts as he reflected on everything from the moment his little sister appeared to the moment she left. Her transformation from a cute little girl to an immense and powerful monstress was still disturbing for him. It was like being subjected to the loss of innocence and trust all in one moment.