Chapter 73: Fiendlight Goddess
The little girl asked excitedly, "Senior, what’s your name?"
"You don’t need to know my name, and stop calling me Senior. I’m only three years older than you," Priam replied without showing any emotion as the two walked north.
"Huh?"
Luvinah’s jaw dropped, and a wave of shock spread across her face.
After a moment, she exclaimed, "Then... I’ll call you Big Brother! Ah... Big Brother, you’re very strong, very, very strong. Even those terrible people were defeated by you in just a few moves. I thought Big Brother was much, much older."
From her voice and the shine in her eyes, Priam could sense a deep feeling of admiration.
But at the same time, the system didn’t show her Loyalty increasing.
It was still Neutral, meaning she couldn’t completely trust him.
’What is she planning?’
If her Loyalty wasn’t rising, it meant she wasn’t as naive as she appeared.
Priam reflected seriously.
After a few seconds, he asked, "How many of your race are still left on this planet?"
Luvinah hesitated for a moment before answering.
"...There are only about a hundred of us left. While I was captured, they were certainly very worried, and if they leave that place to look for me, the consequences could be terrible."
Priam sighed lightly.
After thousands of years living here, they only had around a hundred people left. Besides their poor reproduction rate, the lack of resources had clearly contributed to that.
"Do you have any siblings?" he asked without turning around.
She let out a heavy sigh.
"No... I’m the last Primordial of my branch of the race."
With that information, he felt like he understood.
Luvinah was almost certainly their future leader on this planet.
But seeing the miserable state they were all in, with no real prospects for the future, she had likely decided that Priam was someone worth taking a risk on.
’Damn... why do I feel like I’ve been set up by a little girl?’
Priam was stunned, becoming increasingly certain that was exactly what had happened.
This little brat was taking him home because she sensed he was the type of person who wouldn’t be able to ignore their situation.
Was it risky?
Of course.
If she had been a little more experienced and careful, she would never have risked the safety of her entire race without truly knowing Priam.
In the end, she was acting on instinct rather than reason.
After all, her Loyalty was still Neutral.
The two continued in the direction Luvinah pointed.
About half an hour later, they arrived at a jungle that seemed endless.
The entire place was absurdly cold and bathed in an eternal scarlet hue.
Taking a deep breath, Priam sensed a very strange natural energy within the forest.
But he was already familiar with it, since he had purchased countless pills made from herbs harvested there.
Luvinah pointed southeast.
Now that she was so close to home, she seemed much more cheerful.
"In that direction, I can already feel their aura... That’s great!"
They quickly crossed the scarlet jungle and stopped a short while later.
Ahead of them stood ancient, towering trees covered in countless large, dark-red vines.
The vines completely blocked the path, stretching infinitely beyond sight.
While Priam observed them with hesitation, Luvinah stepped forward enthusiastically.
She made a gentle gesture with her hands, and the dense dark-red vines immediately came to life, twisting and moving rapidly as they opened just enough to form a narrow passage.
"Big Brother, come quickly!"
She tried to grab Priam’s arm and pull him forward.
But this time, he reacted in time and dodged her grasp.
She looked surprised and stared at him in confusion.
Why did he seem so tense now?
Priam simply nodded without saying anything, signaling for her to lead the way.
She understood and noisily hurried into the vine-covered passage.
The corridor stretched on for a long distance.
They walked for quite some time before finally reaching the exit.
And the moment they stepped out...
A sense of danger suddenly struck Priam.
Dozens of dark-red vines descended at once, like the fangs of a gigantic demon.
Priam clenched his fists, ready to burn the little vital energy he had left, the only thing still remaining to him.
But Luvinah didn’t seem shaken at all and continued forward. She made a gentle pushing motion with her arms; a flash of red light appeared, and the vines suddenly froze before immediately beginning to retract.
"Grandma! Auntie! Uncle! I... I’m back!"
The scene that opened before them was a vast field filled with tens of thousands of exotic plants. The grass, while still retaining the crimson hue Priam had seen in the forest, was different; it pulsed with a natural glow, as if every blade was far more alive and filled with incredible natural energy.
The air within that hidden sanctuary was so pure that it brought immediate clarity to the senses. Rare flowers bloomed everywhere, and creatures resembling butterflies made of light drifted gently between the petals.
Despite the dark scarlet tones, it was a paradise hidden amid chaos, a beauty that seemed untouched by the outside world.
Luvinah’s voice, now clear and vibrant, cut through the silence of that sanctuary.
"L-Luvinah?! It’s Luvinah!"
"The Young Matriarch... The Young Matriarch has returned!"
The peaceful atmosphere exploded into a cacophony of joy.
From the shadows beneath flowering trees and behind luminous bushes, silver-skinned figures began to emerge. They ran frantically, their multicolored eyes shining with desperate disbelief.
One of the figures, a woman who appeared older and walked with a slight awkwardness, rushed forward faster than the others. She wrapped Luvinah in such a tight embrace that it seemed she wanted to merge the girl into her own body. Heavy tears were already running down the elder’s face before she could even form a sentence.
"Luvinah... is it really you? Are you truly here...?"
Grandma’s voice cracked.
"We feared the worst. We thought you’d been taken away forever... To see you safe and sound... It’s a miracle from the Goddess."
Soon, the other tribe members approached, surrounding the little matriarch.
There were around a hundred individuals, all with the same silver skin, long ears, and brightly colored hair.
The emotion in the air was palpable. The collective crying wasn’t born from sadness, but from overwhelming relief.
Priam simply watched the scene from a few steps away.
Luvinah wasn’t just a beloved child.
She was the pillar of that race.
As the only one with a pure Primordial Bloodline, she carried the burden of becoming their future leader and possibly the source of power that kept this sanctuary hidden.
If she died, the extinction of everyone here would only be a matter of time.
"I’m sorry, Grandma... I’m sorry, everyone... I really terrified all of you this time."
Luvinah sobbed while clutching the elder’s robes.
"I... I really was captured. I was sold like an object..."
Shock rippled through the group like an electric current.
A horrified silence settled over them.
"But I met an incredible person," Luvinah continued, wiping her face with her small hands before running back to Priam’s side.
"A super, hyper, mega good Big Brother. He’s really powerful! He’s the one who saved me and brought me back."
Countless gazes turned toward Priam.
The elder, whom Luvinah called Grandma, took a deep breath and slowly walked toward him.
Without saying a word...
...she bent her knees and knelt deeply before Priam.
Priam’s eyes widened.
He was completely caught off guard.
He tried to gesture for her to stand up, but a chain reaction followed.
All ninety-nine of the other Pristine Wild-Spirits also dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads against the ground.
"..."
He could only stand there frozen and awkward.
"Young one... thank you. Thank you from the depths of our souls for saving our Young Matriarch," the elder said.
Though her voice carried the instinctive fear of standing before a stranger, it overflowed with absolute gratitude.
"Although we have every reason to fear and hate all humanoids... you seem different. I can feel a connection between our bloodlines. From this day onward, you are our great benefactor. Please accept our reverence."
"The Young Matriarch faced the abyss but found an honorable soul. It is surely the protection of Goddess Fiendlight!" exclaimed a middle-aged man while still bowing.
Priam felt his face heat up, completely embarrassed by so much reverence.
"It was nothing important... Please, stand up. All of this is unnecessary," he replied, scratching the back of his neck while Luvinah looked at him with shining pride in her eyes.
’Damn brat... You really got me this time...’
Seeing that look on her face, Priam could only accept the situation he had gotten himself into.
But soon afterward, Priam felt that meeting this small tribe might be a unique opportunity.
This Goddess Fiendlight they spoke of...
Was that the true title of the Goddess who had disappeared?
Alongside the Vanculari race, it seemed that the Pristine Wild-Spirits also had a deep connection to this Goddess.
She was a being on the same level as the Six Sovereigns, and learning more about her could prove useful in the future.
