Chapter 164: Training
[ D-don’t be ridiculous! I am Naxxis, the god of chaos and destruction! I won’t be confined to some ridiculous doll—Aaaagh, no! Stop! I refuse! ]
Naxxis struggled desperately, but it was useless.
Ariel gripped him tightly and forcefully stuffed him into Sparky.
“Divine Bound.”
With a calm tone, she sealed him inside the doll using holy magic.
The evil god—now no longer Naxxis but Sparky—looked utterly defeated.
If she had to give him a body, couldn’t it at least have been something more dignified?
But no, it had to be this ugly, fat dragon doll, one that looked like it had been sloppily patched together after being torn apart.
The sheer humiliation made Sparky’s stubby wings quiver uncontrollably.
Ariel, seemingly oblivious to Sparky’s shame, gave him a shy smile and greeted him.
“Nice to meet you, Sparky.”
“……”
Sparky glared at Ariel as fiercely as his plushy face allowed, but it had no effect.
When Levena had repaired Sparky, she had overstuffed him with cotton, leaving his attempts at an intimidating expression looking nothing short of comical.
To Ariel, however, his goofy face only made him seem adorable.
Unable to help herself, she hugged Sparky tightly and began ruffling his head.
“L-let me go! Do you even know who I am? Curse you! Stop patting me!”
Sparky flailed helplessly, but his cotton-stuffed arms were useless.
“Ugh…”
At that moment, Selly opened her eyes.
With a puzzled expression, she glanced around the room before spotting Ariel.
“Huh… is that… Ariel?”
Slowly, she walked toward her.
“It is you, right? You’re Ariel, aren’t you?”
Ariel nodded.
“Hello, Selly.”
“Ariel!!”
Selly flung herself into Ariel’s arms, embracing her tightly.
In the process, Sparky was squished flat between them, but no one paid him any attention.
“Ariel! I missed you so much! How are you even here?”
Before Ariel could answer, Lu chimed in.
“My lady came to save you. We heard you were captured by the Bolton family.”
Selly turned her gaze toward Lu, who was perched on Lakia’s shoulder.
“Lu!”
She recognized him immediately.
They had met once when she visited Ariel’s lodging in Sierra.
“It’s been so long! You haven’t changed a bit. Oh! Wait—wasn’t there also a wolf? That big, white wolf?”
“Ghost?” Lu replied with a faintly bitter tone. “We haven’t seen much of him lately.”
“Why not?”
“He’s… fallen in love. He’s even had cubs already.”
“Oh… I see.”
Feeling awkward, Selly nodded and looked down.
“……”
She suddenly noticed that her undergarments felt damp.
Realizing what had happened while she was unconscious, her face flushed red.
“Ack…”
Selly quickly pulled away from Ariel, her cheeks burning.
“S-sorry, Ariel…”
Crouching to hide the wet spot, she stammered, “I—I don’t usually make mistakes like this… I guess I was just really scared this time….”
“It’s not your fault,” Ariel said gently.
Sparky, however, flinched slightly at her words.
Selly was safely returned to her family.
Her father, Philip, wept tears of joy, while Sir Loren and the mage Pamelia hugged her tightly, their eyes reddened with emotion.
“My lady, I’m so glad you’re safe!”
“I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you…”
The gloomy atmosphere that had clouded over the Matiel family lifted, replaced with joy.
Good news didn’t stop there.
After Sven’s death, Rodrik—the new head of the Bolton family—sent a letter of apology.
The letter included not only a formal apology for the incident but also a signed document relinquishing any claim to the eastern coast.
In addition, the Bolton family offered to hand over the major ports they had unfairly acquired.
With this, the Matiel family no longer had to contend with the Boltons and could fully take control of the eastern coast.
Celebrations erupted in the Matiel household.
Their dominance over the east was now inevitable.
Meanwhile, the Bolton family had no complaints about Rodrik’s decision.
Even Maxwell, the captain of the Bolton knights, supported it as the wisest course of action.
The elite knights were even relieved.
They were terrified—of Ariel and Lakia.
“We must never fight the Matiel family again… It’s suicide to go against them. We were so close to being wiped out….”
Indeed, Ariel and Lakia had shown mercy, as there had been no casualties aside from Sven and Cayden.
But everyone understood that if Ariel and Lakia had truly wanted, the Bolton family would have been erased from the continent.
A banquet was held to celebrate Selly’s safe return.
Prominent figures of the Matiel family and the eastern aristocracy gathered to share in the joy.
Rodrik also attended the banquet, bowing deeply before Philip.
“I sincerely apologize….”
Philip waved his hand dismissively.
“Selly told me you tried to save her. She said you risked your life, even though you were no match for them. I am truly grateful.”
“Not at all. I was too weak to protect her properly. I’m just relieved she’s safe.”
“…I offer my deepest condolences for Sven’s passing.”
“Thank you. It’s painful to lose my father, but perhaps peace can finally come of it. From now on, I hope for harmony between our families.”
“As do I. The Matiel family never sought control of the eastern coast out of greed. We simply feared that if the Boltons gained control, they would wage war. Sven had great ambitions, after all.”
“…If my father had succeeded in gaining control, he likely would have started a war, plunging the east into chaos. Many would have died. In truth, I think this outcome is for the best. We must unite, not fight, especially now.”
“You speak of the Demon King’s army.”
Philip nodded gravely.
“I agree. This time, war came to the north. Next time, it could come to the east. If that happens, we must stand together.”
“You have my word—the Bolton family will stand against the Demon King’s forces without hesitation.”
While the two heads of the families discussed serious matters, Ariel and Selly were enjoying their time together.
“Ariel, do you remember Corbin? The guy from the Baraton family who challenged you to a duel at Sierra’s banquet? He’s completely lost it. He’s gone mad. Honestly, good riddance—he was such a jerk. Oh, and Sir Karl…”
On the other side of the room, Lakia was busy “training” Sparky.
“Sit.”
“…No.”
“I said sit.”
“……No.”
“Hah. Fine. I’ll show you what happens when you don’t listen.”
Lakia grabbed Sparky’s tail and began spinning him in circles.
“Aaah! Stop, stop!”
“Will you listen now?”
“Y-yes, yes! I’ll listen!”
“Good. You should’ve done that from the start.”
Watching this unfold, Lu couldn’t help but feel a mix of disbelief and pity.
This… was supposed to be an evil god?
At this point, Sparky seemed more pitiful than anything else.
“You’re Ariel’s doll now,” Lakia said sternly. “And a doll has only one job: to be cute. If you’re not cute, you’re worthless.”
Her training proved surprisingly effective.
After a few sessions, Sparky had even learned to act adorable.
When Ariel approached with Selly later, Sparky waddled over, shaking his plump body in an attempt to show off.
After spending some time with Selly, Ariel decided it was time to set off on her next adventure.
Although Selly was sad to see her go, she didn’t burst into tears as she had in Sierra.
The kidnapping incident had made her braver.
“Ariel, I’ve decided to learn magic from Pamelia. I want to be able to protect myself. I’m no good with swords, but apparently, I have some talent for magic. One day, I want to be a mage like Sena from the Hero’s party.”
Ariel ruffled Selly’s hair and encouraged her to try her best. Selly promised to show Ariel her progress the next time they met.
Before Ariel left, Philip insisted on giving her a gift to express his gratitude.
“…You need a ship?” Philip asked, surprised.
Ariel explained her next destination: a mysterious island that appeared and disappeared once every hundred years.
To reach it, she would need a boat.