Chapter 220: Chapter 218: Getting Approval From Hanuman...
(A/N):
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Guys I hope you put more comments and power stones... Which will encourage me...
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As Hanuman’s attention remained fixed upon Devaratha...
Something else moved.
Silently.
Almost playfully.
The mighty Vanara’s tail, which had gradually extended throughout the confrontation, slowly slithered across the ground behind Devaratha.
Like a mischievous child trying to surprise an unsuspecting friend...
It curled toward his ankle once again.
Not a sound accompanied its movement.
Not the slightest disturbance of the flowers.
Only at the very last instant...
Devaratha sensed it this time.
"...."
His instincts reacted immediately.
Without even looking behind him, he pushed off the ground.
The tail snapped shut around empty air.
Devaratha landed several meters away before finally turning around.
His emerald eyes fell upon the guilty-looking tail, which slowly retreated behind Hanuman as though pretending it had done absolutely nothing.
"..."
He stared at it for a long moment.
Then looked at Hanuman.
Hanuman looked back innocently.
For a brief second...
Neither of them spoke.
Then...
Hanuman burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahaha!"
His booming laugh echoed throughout the flower forest.
He laughed so heartily that he had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.
"Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"
Still chuckling, he casually rested his gada upon his shoulder before walking toward Devaratha as though the two of them had never exchanged blows powerful enough to reshape the landscape.
When he reached him, Hanuman placed one enormous hand upon Devaratha’s shoulder.
"Don’t take it to heart."
His smile was as warm as ever.
"I merely wished to stretch my muscles a little."
"It’s been..."
He thoughtfully scratched his chin.
"...quite a few years since I’ve moved around properly."
"I was starting to feel stiff."
Devaratha slowly looked around.
The flower forest had been turned into something resembling the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Dozens of ancient trees had been reduced to splinters.
Several enormous craters scarred the landscape.
The ground was cracked in every direction.
Even the nearby hills had partially collapsed from the repeated shockwaves.
Then...
He looked back at Hanuman.
"..."
His expression remained completely blank.
Absolutely expressionless.
A perfect deadpan.
"So..."
he said slowly.
"I was beaten up..."
"...because your muscles were sore?"
Hanuman nodded without the slightest embarrassment.
"Exactly!"
"I’ve been meditating for such a long time."
"One has to loosen the body before doing anything strenuous."
He gave Devaratha’s shoulder an encouraging pat.
"And you were the perfect person for it."
Devaratha’s eyelid twitched.
"..."
"..."
"...I see."
Inside his mind, however...
An entirely different conversation was taking place.
’I was dragged halfway across a forest... Hit through several trees... And nearly flattened by a gada... ...for warm-up exercises?’
Hanuman cheerfully continued as though discussing the weather.
"I must say..."
"You’re much sturdier than I expected."
"Most people would have stopped moving after that first kick."
Devaratha silently stared at him.
"...."
His deadpan expression somehow became even flatter.
"I feel..."
"...strangely unappreciated."
Hanuman blinked once.
-Blink!
Then laughed even louder.
"Hahahahaha!"
"My apologies!"
"But you should’ve seen your face when you recognized me!"
"It was priceless!"
The great Vanara laughed with such genuine delight that even the birds, which had fled during the battle, cautiously began returning to the surrounding trees.
Devaratha let out a long, defeated sigh.
"...Lord Hanuman."
"Hm?"
"Next time... If you wish to stretch... perhaps try running laps around the forest."
Hanuman blinked.
He actually seemed to consider the suggestion seriously.
"...That’s not a bad idea."
Another pause.
Then Devaratha quietly added,
"It would certainly be healthier... for everyone else."
For the first time in centuries...
Someone had managed to leave the mighty Hanuman looking momentarily speechless.
"...."
A heartbeat later...
Another thunderous laugh echoed through the entire flower forest.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Now I understand why nature loves you!"
"I like you already, Devaratha!"
The forest, moments ago shaken by a clash between legends, was now filled with nothing more than the carefree laughter of the immortal Vanara and the resigned sigh of a king who had just discovered that being the disciple of Lord Parashurama apparently qualified him to become Lord Hanuman’s personal warm-up partner.
Seeing the utterly unconvinced look on Devaratha’s face...
Hanuman couldn’t help but laugh again.
"My, my..."
"That expression."
"It almost makes me feel guilty."
Devaratha slowly looked at him.
"...Almost?"
Hanuman grinned hearing his question.
-Grin!
"Only almost."
Before Devaratha could respond, the mighty Vanara casually draped an arm over his shoulder as though they had been close companions for years.
"Come."
"We’ve spent enough time here."
"Your friends are probably wondering where their saviour king disappeared to."
Without waiting for a reply, Hanuman began walking toward Malikavana Village, gently but firmly pulling Devaratha along with him.
"...Lord Hanuman."
"Hm?"
"I can walk by myself."
"I know."
"...Then why are you dragging me?"
Hanuman answered with complete seriousness.
"It feels friendlier this way."
Devaratha simply looked ahead with another deadpan expression.
"...I see."
The two continued through the flower forest.
One was the immortal servant of Lord Rama, walking with the carefree ease of someone enjoying a pleasant stroll.
The other was a king trying very hard to understand why the strongest Vanara in existence behaved so... casually.
After walking for a while...
Hanuman suddenly stopped.
Without saying a word, he raised one hand toward the sky and opened his palm.
He waited.
Devaratha looked at him curiously.
"...What are you doing?"
Hanuman smiled raising his eye brow.
"Waiting."
"For what?"
"My snack."
Devaratha blinked confused and curious.
"...Your snack?"
Hanuman simply nodded as though that explained everything.
-Nod!
"...."
Several heartbeats passed.
Then...
A chorus of cheerful chirps echoed overhead.
A flock of brilliantly colored birds descended from the sky.
Their feathers shimmered with shades of emerald, sapphire, crimson, and gold as they circled above the two warriors.
Each bird carried something in its tiny claws.
One particularly vibrant bird flew lower than the others.
Hovering directly above Hanuman’s outstretched hand...
It released its burden.
A perfectly ripe mango.
It dropped neatly into Hanuman’s waiting palm.
Not a moment too early.
The Vanara smiled broadly.
"Excellent timing."
The little birds landed briefly upon nearby branches.
One after another, they lowered their tiny heads respectfully toward Hanuman before letting out cheerful chirps.
Hanuman returned the gesture with a gentle smile.
"My thanks, little ones."
The flock happily fluttered their wings before soaring back into the sky, disappearing beyond the treetops.
Watching the entire exchange...
Devaratha remained completely silent.
He slowly turned his head toward Hanuman.
"..."
Hanuman had already peeled the mango with astonishing speed.
He took an enormous bite.
"Mmm."
His face lit up.
"Still sweet as I have remembered."
He happily continued eating as though nothing unusual had just occurred.
Devaratha finally spoke.
"...Did..."
"...the birds just bring you a mango?"
Hanuman nodded while taking another bite.
"They usually do. When I feel like eating one"
"...Usually?"
"Yes."
"They know I like mangoes."
Another bite disappeared.
"So whenever they find particularly good ones..."
"They share."
Devaratha looked toward the distant sky where the birds had vanished.
"..."
He looked back at Hanuman.
"...You’ve somehow convinced the birds to become your fruit suppliers."
Hanuman looked genuinely puzzled.
"I never asked."
"They simply started doing it. And I accepted their kindness..."
He shrugged his shoulder.
"I suppose kindness has a way of returning."
Another bite vanished.
Within moments, only the seed remained.
Hanuman tossed it lightly into the air.
One of the colorful birds suddenly swooped down, caught the seed with perfect precision, chirped happily, and flew away again.
Hanuman waved after it.
"Plant it somewhere nice."
The bird answered with another cheerful chirp.
Devaratha watched the exchange for several seconds before quietly muttering to himself,
"...I’m beginning to think the entire forest knows you personally."
Hanuman smiled with unmistakable pride.
"Of course."
"They’re my friends too. But this is the first time I was meeting them."
He casually patted Devaratha’s shoulder.
"Spend enough time listening instead of speaking..."
"...and you’ll discover that every creature has a story worth hearing."
For a brief moment, Devaratha found himself smiling.
"...."
The immortal before him was capable of shaking mountains with a single leap...
Yet moments later, he was happily accepting a mango delivered by grateful birds.
It was a contradiction that somehow fit Hanuman perfectly.
As the two continued walking toward Malikavana Village,
The evening breeze carried the sweet fragrance of flowers through the forest, while high above them, the flock of colorful birds continued circling happily,
Escorting the son of Vayu as though welcoming back an old friend after ages apart.
By the time Devaratha and Hanuman emerged from the flower forest...
The entire area where Devaratha had mysteriously disappeared had been surrounded by royal soldiers.
The once peaceful clearing had become a temporary military checkpoint.
Dozens of guards stood with drawn weapons, their eyes fixed upon the forest entrance.
The Crown Prince himself stood at the front of the formation.
Earlier, they had heard an earth-shaking crash from within the forest.
Moments later...
Another thunderous impact had followed.
Then another.
Each collision had been powerful enough to shake the ground beneath Malikavana Village.
Several soldiers had even witnessed a trail of broken trees stretching deep into the forest, as though some colossal force had been carving a path through it.
To make matters worse...
King Devaratha had vanished.
"...."
No one had seen where he had gone.
No one had dared enter the forest without orders.
The Crown Prince’s expression had remained tense ever since.
Just as he was preparing to organize a search party...
A soldier suddenly pointed toward the trees.
"Your Highness!"
"Someone’s coming!"
Every guard immediately tightened their grip upon their weapons.
The bushes parted.
Out walked Devaratha.
Completely unharmed.
The Crown Prince visibly relaxed.
A long breath escaped him.
"...Thank the gods."
Without wasting another moment, he turned toward one of the nearby guards.
"Go."
"Inform Father immediately."
"Tell him King Devaratha has returned safely."
The soldier struck his chest in salute.
"At once!"
He immediately sprinted toward the royal camp.
Only after the messenger disappeared did the Crown Prince turn back.
His relief lasted precisely one second.
Then...
He noticed the towering figure casually walking beside Devaratha.
"..."
The soldiers also noticed.
One after another...
Their expressions changed from relief... to complete bewilderment.
"...A Vanara?"
Several guards instinctively exchanged confused glances.
Vanaras were certainly known throughout Bharata.
Stories of their ancient race were passed down from generation to generation.
Occasionally, travelers even claimed to have encountered one deep within remote forests.
But seeing one...
Standing casually beside a king...
Was something entirely different.
Every soldier stared curiously.
Hanuman, meanwhile, seemed completely unconcerned.
He looked around Malikavana Village with open curiosity.
"Hmm..."
"So this is Malikavana."
He casually observed the decorated streets, abandoned market stalls, and the hurried preparations for war.
One soldier quietly whispered to another.
"I’ve never seen a Vanara this tall."
Another scratched his head.
"...Nor one carrying such a massive gada."
A third looked at Hanuman’s long tail swaying lazily behind him.
"...Do all Vanaras look like this?"
"No idea."
The Crown Prince slowly stepped forward.
"...."
His eyes carefully studied the newcomer.
There was something unusual about him.
An indescribable presence.
The Vanara wasn’t radiating hostility.
Nor did he appear threatening.
Yet...
Simply standing near him made the surrounding air feel strangely... heavy.
Still unaware of the immortal’s true identity, the Crown Prince respectfully folded his palms.
"Greetings."
"I am the Crown Prince of Pushkarnya."
He glanced toward Devaratha.
"May I ask..."
"...who is our honored guest?"
Before Devaratha could answer...
Hanuman cheerfully raised one hand in greeting.
"Hello."
The simplicity of his response caught several soldiers off guard.
One young guard couldn’t help but blink.
"...He’s... surprisingly approachable."
Hanuman smiled warmly.
"I’ve been told that before."
The soldiers visibly relaxed.
They had expected someone with such an overwhelming presence to behave with stern dignity.
Instead...
The Vanara greeted them with the easygoing warmth of a wandering sage.
Only Devaratha remained silent.
Watching the bewildered expressions of everyone present...
He almost felt sorry for them.
None of them realized that the cheerful Vanara standing before them...
The one happily looking around the village as though visiting a festival...
Was the very Hanuman whose name had echoed through the Ramayana.
The immortal guardian who had crossed oceans, lifted mountains, and whose strength had become legend across the three worlds.
To the soldiers of Pushkarnya...
He was merely...
A strangely friendly Vanara carrying an enormous gada.
Devaratha let out a quiet sigh.
"...Your Highness."
The Crown Prince looked toward him.
"I believe... Your Father is about to receive quite an unexpected guest."
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(Author note:)
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