Chapter 62: Back Home
Kyriaki did not die.
Her emergency recovery mood finally activated, making her fall asleep. Though, she had to stay in the recovery mood for an entire week before awakening.
The fuss her family made—according to her—was just the overreacting of three idiots.
'Dammit. I never thought I'd be like a webnovel protagonist.'
Currently, Kyriaki was aggressively eating lunch with her family in her Palace. Very much alive and kicking.
'Nonetheless, it feels good to be back home'
Apart from her unusual violence, her feelings were laid bare as her earrings were glowing dimly.
"By the way…why are you all here?" She asked, putting a piece of Amber mushrooms fried golden-brown with golden fox oil.
She could feel the Time and light Mana of food getting absorbed into her body. Anything involving Amber mushrooms and golden foxes were her favorite food. Feeling good about it, she nodded to herself in satisfaction. If not for the echoing voices in her head, she'd have enjoyed it more.
〘Because I'm really worried〙
〘Of course because It has been months since I last saw my amber star!〙
〘I don't want us to be separated anymore!〙
Voices flowed into her head. But the owners of those voices did nothing but foolishly grin at her, looking at her earrings and herself back and forth.
"No wait, nevermind. Don't think." Kyriaki rolled her eyes.
"Hmmm…she says not to think."
〘Not don't "talk", but don't "think"?〙
"Huh? The light went out."
〘Is she under the weather? Is this an aftereffect of the Void Plane?〙
"Aww…Are you unwell, sister?"
〘She must be still feeling unwell. I'll nurse you to health, Ria!〙
"Sigh…so noisy." Unable to endure the voices in her mind, Kyriaki put down her utensils and lowered her head, her voice aloof.
"I'm glad to see you back in spirit."
〘Well, as she said, I shouldn't mind too much〙
"Gasp! So cold!"
〘She's back to normal!〙
"Hehe…Ria, want to eat with me alone?"
〘I'll kick out dad and grandpa if you want! I can apologize to them later!〙
"Wow…" Kyriaki's head lowered even more, pressing her check on the dining table. "Bloody hell." She mumbled.
Why does she hear voices in her head? One might ask.
'It's all because of this!'
Kyriaki glared at the transparent silver window from the corner of her eyes.
[Inner Voice
Rank: DG
Category: Divine Authority
Type: Passive
Description: You can hear the inner voice of people around you. By making them enter your active rage or making eye contact, you are able to glimpse their hidden voices.
Active rage: 10 meters]
'Haah…I suddenly want to play the violin.' She suddenly felt like she lost her appetite, the sense of loss felt like losing chips to a seagull on the beach.
Meanwhile, hearing her sigh heavily, exaggerating gasps and sounds of utensils dropping filled the room.
〘She looks exhausted. Seems like she even forgot her elegant table manners in middest of that〙
〘Wait a minute, she's breaking table manners?! Something is wrong!〙
〘Ria would never mess up table manners, is something bothering her?〙
"..."
'Am I that much obsessed with table manners?'
Kyriaki lifted her head like a zombie and stared at her family. They were looking at her with eyes filled with worries.
〘I should cast another healing spell on her to make her body relax〙
"My dear, you must be tired, right? Let me check your condition after lunch." Endymion leaned forward, smiling gently. His calm and kind demeanor was completely different from when he was as a professor.
〘I want to know what made her so…lifeless〙
"Tell me if something's wrong, okay? I can listen to anything, even if it's nothing serious." Elysium softly and cheerfully advised her.
〘Is she in pain? I mustn't let her be in pain alone anymore!!〙
"Ria, are you in pain? Should I stay with you until you feel better?" Kyrios bit his lips lightly and insisted with an earnest expression. His golden eyes gleamed with tears.
"Haha.." Listening to them, she felt helpless.
How can they speak everything they thought without hesitation?
She couldn't help but laugh in resignation. To think all the fuss they made in the past were their genuine feelings. It was both foolish and precious.
〘I'm glad to see Her Highness safe. I couldn't bare to see His Highness withering away like that〙
Netzer, who prefers to stay silent even after he gained hearing ability and practiced speech, looked at the golden dragons with teary eyes. Besides him Ezekiel wet his handkerchief with silent sobs.
Those two looked really like father and son.
But the problem right now wasn't the teary eyed father-son duo or the three idiots who loved her very much. She glanced at the transparent screen once and cautiously looked up at her family.
'Should I do it?'
She hesitated.
〘Hmm…she's hesitating. Is she in pain like Rio said? Or is she trying to say something to us?〙
〘She seem to be checking her status window. Ah, now she looks like she wants to say something. Oh no, she's hesitating…Does she have something important to say?〙
〘Ria is hesitating! I can feel it! Ah, what should I do!!??〙
Outwardly, the three dragons looked the same. Elysium stole glances at her, placing food on Kyrios' plate. Endymion sipped water with effortless grace. Kyrios now held an anxious expression, completely ignoring food in front of him.
That was their typical behavior. But the thoughts were entirely centered around her.
Kyriaki was a cautious person.
Yes.
Worn out from the reality of her human life and billions of years of unknown imprisonment where she listened to whispers of time, her emotions were in jambles. It naturally made her cautious in her precious second life she gained through a deal.
Being cautious was her first rule of this life.
But even so, she wasn't dense. She immediately knew those thoughts came from their genuine emotions. Those were sincere. So much so that her heart pounded rapidly with joy. She knew how rare and precious it was to have a family that truly cared and supported her.
She was…truly lucky.
Kyriaki grinned with joy. Her yellow diamond eyes curved into crescent moons as her already beautiful face brilliantly shone, just like her earrings. Her hesitation vanished alongside her changed expression.
The three dragons' minds went chaotic seeing her smile. So much so Kyriaki had to frown the next moment, feeling the incoming headache. The glowing earrings went dark in an instant.
The thoughts they had were not only about her. Until now, she only filtered out the thoughts about her when she was talking to them.
But a dragon can think about a hundred different things at the same time, so when three dragons gather together with chaotic thoughts of a hundred varieties, she, who could focus on only a hundred, was left shaken.
Immediately, the three dragons' thoughts changed direction after seeing her expression change to negatives.
"Hah…can you please refrain from thinking? I beg you to empty your head. It's tiring when it's so noisy." Finally, Kyriaki snapped in an annoyed tone. She pressed her temple and gave a stern look to her family.
"My dear, we didn't say anything exclusive. We are just worried that you are in pain. And what is this about emptying our minds?" Endymion smiled gently as usual.
"My morning sunshine is so cold, is this winter?" Elysium put down his spoon, dejected.
"Hap! I didn't say anything!" Kyrios wrapped his tiny hands around his mouth adorably.
"Yeah…I'm sorry. It's not about talking in general. Sigh…I know how worried you all are. But this is…complicated."
When Kyriaki pressed her pretty lips together as if she was having a hard time, all three of them tilted their heads in sync.
She could hear their inner voices expressing their desire to know her troubles.
'Well, whatever happens, happens.'
"I have something to say."
"Yes, tell us." Representing everyone, the eldest; Endymion spoke. Elysium and Kyrios nodded enthusiastically. Elysium's crown made tingling sounds as the tiny chains and jwels bumbped together.
"I got a new…skill."
Kyriaki slowly and carefully opened her mouth. Her eyes determined and her resolve strong.
This was the result of following her second rule; Do things you'd never regret.
She wanted to fully open her heart to her family.
She wanted to enjoy their love.
After hearing their inner thoughts, those feelings grew even more. So, following her third rule; Be honest when needed, she wanted to be honest with her family.
She wanted to share her worries and receive advice. Although she couldn't share all the secrets she carried, this much should be allowed.
'I can't say it's an authority, though. There are no gods to bestow authorities in this world anymore. It could get complicated.'
"The skill is a bit…complicated."
"I see. Do you need guidance to use it properly?"
"Is it something troublesome?"
"Skills are cool. But if it gives Ria pain, I'll do anything to get rid of it."
Hearing their response, matching their inner voices. Kyriaki lifted the corners of her mouth effortlessly. She felt warm in her heart.
"Yes. I need guidance because it's troublesome, but it's not something we could get rid of."
"Tell us more. What kind of skill is this? What's the effect?"
Kyriaki took a deep breath, listening to the encouraging inner voices, her rosy lips parted.
"It helps me to hear the thoughts of people."
The moment she uttered those words, all the voices, whether outer or inner, ceased. Even the two elves on the side stood froze like ice sculptures.
"If I must explain further; it's a passive skill named
Ignoring the silence, Kyriaki proceeded with explaining her new skill to the people she trusted. Her dreamy voice was steady and firm, full of determination to share her struggles.
The three Golden Archdragons said nothing as they carefully listened to her words. Hence, silence stretched on for a while after her explanation.
And finally…
〘Ria! Ria!! Can you hear my voice too?〙
"Yes I can."
"Woah!!" When Kyriaki responded to his inner voice with a solemn expression, Kyrios practically jumped up in his seat.
—So we don't need to use
He then used his usual way of communication to ask another question, switching to telepathy as if switching TV channels. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.
—No, we still need it.
—I see! Good to know!—
Kyrios nodded enthusiastically. Besides that, he doesn't seem to have any particular thought except for the worry of her being in pain.
〘Seems like a powerful skill, which rank is it?〙
"Demi-god rank."
*Oh! No wonder." Endymion expressed his surprise.
Even though he asked the question in his thoughts, Kyriaki also heard his doubtful thoughts behind the first thought she heard. Thus, his surprise was palpable.
"Gasp!" As if coming back to senses, Elysium gasped after seeing the strange conversations they were having.
〘Can you really hear our thoughts? Then tell me you love me!〙
'So typical.' Kyriaki held back her laughter.
This man, who was the sole ruler of Dragons and the five Planes, was a fool for his children. Who'd believe it if she revealed that?
"I told you I can, Dad. And sorry for not telling this sooner, but I love you."
"Gasp! How can you say that with a frown! But it's cute, so I'll let it slide just this once!"
"I'm frowning because your thoughts are too chaotic."
The minute she said that, the hundred of thoughts squeezing into her mind vanished, leaving one each for one person.
Free from the chaos, Kyriaki finally let out a deep sigh. The frows drawn on her forehead smoothed out and she finally made eye contact with each of her family members.
They seemed to have deliberately suppressed all of their inner thoughts, leaving thoughts as minimal as possible. It wasn't easy for a dragon to do that.
If one asks a human to not think of anything and just talk to them, just how many would be able to do it? Most of their thoughts would overlap and become chaotic if that kind of a request was thrown at them.
Usually, it was hard to surpass something you just naturally did all your life.
That was the same for dragons.
Besides, they had
'So this is what it's like to have a family that actually cares.'
"Thank you."
Knowing all that, Kyriaki smiled brightly. The earrings on her shone brilliantly in a beautiful blue hue.
Just how many times had it glowed like this for today alone?
"Alright," Endymion clapped his hands once, smiling benevolently. "Now that all the noises have ceased, let us figure out how to manage this skill."
Kyriaki's back straightened immediately. The other two also looked at Endymion with no-nonsense expressions.
"Ria, my dear. You told me you can hear our thoughts without you intending to, is that correct?"
"Yeah. As I said, it's a passive skill."
"Hmmm…that means it'll be hard to interact with dragons for you from now on."
"It'll be hard. But I can still manage as long as their thoughts stay neat. If they become chaotic and overlap with one another, that's when I believe I wouldn't be able to endure it."
"I see." Endymion slowly nodded.
"Distracting your mind won't work either." Kyrios muttered from the sidelines.
Kyriaki agreed with him. A simple distraction like using headphones with full volume music to distract herself wouldn't work like those in novels. As she said before, she was a dragon with
Talking about characters from novels, she had seen many manhwas and novels where mind reading characters go through their daily lives. In those stories they always suffer from unwanted information and inability to recognize their true voice and inner voice.
She felt there was some truth to it. But she was too rational and calculating to think about this power as a disadvantage. She wasn't soft enough to feel guilty about knowing other people's deepest secrets.
In fact, she welcomed it. The more cards she has, the more plans she could build after all.
'But no one said those voices echoes in mind!'
That's right.
Not a single novel told her the process of hearing inner voices came with this kind of cave-effect.
This was the reason she felt it was too noisy. Who'd like it when hundreds of people begin to talk in the cave where you are standing.
In her opinion, that was the only disadvantage in her skill. Moreover, it was inevitable that she felt drained just from sitting still, listening to those voices.
She wanted to do something about it for that very reason.
Yet…
Literally, there was nothing she could do to surpass this power.
"How about reducing the active rage, and refrain from making eye contact?" Asked Elysium, looking at Kyriaki with eyes so soft—Oh, so very soft it sparked something pure inside her beating heart for a second.
Endymion's fine eyebrows arched. Kyrios reacted by lifting his head as if he was hit with a sudden enlightenment.
"I'll try!" With dazzling golden eyes, Kyriaki summoned her system.
'Hey, System'
[Ding!]
As usual, the system, which she still thought too holy for her, appeared in front of her.
'Hey, I can't just lock this authority, can I?'
[Due to the effects of the Sub-authority
'I knew it. Then how about reducing the active rage?'
[... Calculating the probability of reduction rage]
[Loading]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[Ding!]
[Calculations shows that the active rage of the Sub-authority
"Oh, that's good." Kyriaki mumbled with slightly wide eyes.
"Can it be done?" Elysium asked with expectations, his eyes gleaming identical to hers.
"Yeah, dad. I can reduce it in half."
"So it's 5 meters now?"
"Yep."
"Not bad."
"Yep~"
'Do it.' while responding to Elysium in an unintentional cute voice, Kyriaki nonchalantly commanded her system.
[...]
[Host, your attitude—]
'Just do as I say.'
[...]
[Loading]
[Ding!]
[Your Sub-authority
[You can adjust the active rage of the authority freely with your will]
[Please note that minimum rage is 5 meters and maximum rage is 10 meters]
[...]
[And Host, for the love of Time, be mindful of your nasty delinquent personality!]
[Thank you!!!]
'Pfft…are you cursing?'
[...]
There was no reply. Kyriaki felt her lips twitching.
Frankly, she found it enjoyable to bully her system. Its reaction was always amusing. Usually, the systems of novel protagonists were always just emotionless or came with an attitude that the protagonist could never win against. It was rare to find a system with this kind of ego, after all.
Her sadistic tendencies wriggled out each time she teased and bullied it.
Smiling to herself, Kyriaki adjusted the rage of her authority to minimum with a satisfied heart.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Much better."
*Good." Elysium smiled brightly.
"Now that it has been solved, even by a little bit, tell us Ria. What's your future plans on this matter?"
When Endymion asked nonchalantly, Kyriaki immediately understood where he was getting at.
"Hmmm…" she hummed softly, resuming her eating.
"I want to keep this confidential. It's okay for records to exist. However, announcing this matter to the public would put them in a tight spot. People would be much more uncomfortable interacting with me, no?"
"I agree."
Kyriaki was already classified as an unusual mutant. Reading minds on top of having the control over all 13 elements, anyone could see that she might grow beyond imagination at this pace.
It wasn't because mind reading abilities have never been manifested in this world, there were records of dragons, demons and even humans manifesting them.
But the danger of someone unstable and already powerful having that kind of power was, objectively speaking, terrifying.
The unstable label came from her "Stigma", and the power label came from her background including her race.
If words get out, it wouldn't be surprising to start a racial war once again.
"Then it's decided. Let's keep it a little secret between the four of us!" Elysium winked. His handsome features shone with his playfulness.
"There are six of us, Dad." Kyriaki hinted at the two Dark High Elves standing far away with her chin.
"Ugh…I wanted it to be just two, why is it not even four but six?!"
"Blame it on your origin." Endymion patted his shoulder as if he found Elysium adorable.
"Ria~ Ria~"
"Hmmm?"
As the two adults showed off their bond as father-son, Kyrios excitedly called out to Kyriaki.
"Got any plans after this?"
"Hmm…" Kyriaki tilted her head.
There was too much to do.
She had to get a check up from Endymion.
Thereafter, she had to check on Euclid and Levana.
She also had to meet Erik if possible.
And to top it all, the survivors she managed to bring here had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Thus, Kyriaki answered;
"A lot."
"What's the first?"
"To meet Levana and Eucee."
"Oh!"
〘They might be in the trial right now〙
"Huh?" Kyriaki looked at Kyrios, one of her eyebrows rose as if to ask; What trial?
"The trial… they must be there since there's no way they could avoid it. Eucee is the defendant and Miss Levana is a witness. Oh, there's also Prince Erik too."
"...What trial are you talking about?"
"Oh? You didn't know?" Kyrios gave a puzzled expression. "The trial for your missing teammate, Ethan of house Benowitz."
Bam!
The moment Kyrios uttered those words, Kyriaki sprang up on her feet. Basically toasting away the spoon she was holding.
"That supposed to be today?! Why didn't anyone tell me?!"
"Ria, my darling. You were unconscious for a week." Probably after eavesdropping on their conversation, Elysium tried to calm her down.
"That doesn't exclude me from laws! I am a witness too, I should be there!!"
"That—"
"And why are you here, Father?! You are the King!"
〘F-father…she called me father! How painful! Ah, my poor heart!!!〙
"W-well, the final decision is on my hand, yes. But even so, ADC is the one handling the higher court of Dragon-Elven pact."
〘Please stop calling me Father! I'm your Dad! Dad!!!〙
"Gosh! Surpass your chaotic thoughts, F.A.T.H.E.R! and don't talk to me, don't follow me and don't look for me!"
Kyriaki pushed back the chair and strode away like an angry gorilla.
"Where are you going, Ria?" Tapping his mouth with a white napkin, Endymion asked her. His movements are as calm and elegant as ever.
"I'm going to crash the trial…and you too, Grandpa. Don't follow me."
"Okay. But why are you going there?"
His question made her paused. In that gap, Netzer, who was dumbfounded for a moment at the sudden change of mood, hurriedly rushed over to push the massive door with ease. Kyrios also slipped down from his chair smoothly and fell one step beside her.
Letting them do whatever they want, Kyriaki turned her head around and made eye contact with Endymion.
"Because right now, I am the Truth Holder."
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