Chapter 76: Please be kind to your friend

  “Kiita, how come you can use Falling Vajra?” Nitaan asked while stroking the giant dog’s head in bewilderment.

  Kiita, lying lazily, tilted his head to look at Nitaan, his eyes still half-closed from sleep, his tongue hanging down comfortably.

  "Woof."

  Because Nitaan can do it.

  It only answered with that, then yawned widely.

  Because I can do it? What does that mean? Nitaan was even more confused by Kiita’s answer.

  Besides allowing the sharing of power, Named Word of Power also have the ability to copy Technique? No, that can’t be it, Nitaan pondered. He tried to channel Kiita’s power, hoping to imitate Kiita. He pictured Kiita biting and tearing with its fangs.

  ‘Kiita Wonjantra’ trembled violently, yet no power surged out. He tries to bite the air wildly like Kiita did, yet nothing strange happens.

  I can’t seem to do it. Is it because my Word of Power is only at the Newborn level? Or is it because of the physical difference?

  Kiita’s ‘Nitaan Wongjantra’ is already close to becoming an Ancient Character. On the other hand, his ‘Kiita Wongjantra’ was only at the Newborn level.

  Nitaan sighed. He could only think positively that as Kiita grew stronger, they would have a better chance of winning the tournament.

  ——————————————————————————————————————————————————

  Upon returning to Ratana City, countless people flocked out to welcome them like heroes. The carriage, now adorned with the royal crest, instantly looked more magnificent and prestigious.

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  “Only Princess Pailin is worthy of the throne!”

  “Only Princess Pailin is worthy of the throne!”

  Shouts of praise echoed throughout the vast Ratana City. It seemed Princess Pailin's faction had worked incredibly quickly. They hadn't even reached the capital yet, but news of her success had already spread throughout the city.

  There's no doubt that this achievement has strengthened her image in the eyes of the people.

  Princess Pailin waved and chatted with the people lovingly. She even jumped down from her carriage to receive bread from an old woman.

  The people surrounded her, showering her with numerous small gifts. She held so many gifts in both hands that they almost completely covered her small frame.

  Even so, she always smiled and laughed with everyone. Princess Pailin is still Princess Pailin.

  Enlightened Flame Manifest must be having a hard time, Nitaan thought. It seemed her granddaughter liked to put herself in easy positions for ambush. Just looking at the large crowd surrounding her, Nitaan couldn't help but feel sorry for Enlightened Flame Manifest.

  Unit 3 watched the scene with smiles. They waved back at the many people who were cheering them on. Nitaan has a faint smile on his face.

  Not bad.

  —————————————————————————————————————————————————

  Everyone held a small party to celebrate the mission. Although it was called a party, it was just a simple dinner that evening.

  They gathered in a private room at their favorite restaurant, Bharata.

  A lavish spread of food was placed on the table, the vibrant colors and fragrant aromas making everyone's mouths water. Flower salad, Emperor fish, Shooting Star Chicken—everything was beautifully arranged.

  Outside the private room was a medium-sized dining room. Several soldiers who had returned earlier were also enjoying their meal enthusiastically.

  Laughter and chatter created a lively atmosphere at Bharata. Unit 3 and Princess Pailin enjoyed their meal immensely, and even the soldiers occasionally came over to chat and joke with them.

  Nitaan, after a brief but formal conversation with everyone, secretly slipped away. He climbed out the window because the balcony was too close. He sneaked onto the restaurant's roof, spread a cloth on it, stretched, and then lay down comfortably.

  He didn't like parties, but he could still tolerate a little bit of merriment. But since he had a chance to escape, why stay any longer?

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  Nitaan lay comfortably gazing at the night sky. After a while, Kiita poked his head up onto the roof. The darkness of the night made Kiita's black figure difficult to see. In his mouth, he clutched a large tray filled with a variety of food.

  Even though he wanted to follow Nitaan, he couldn't resist the gluttony of food. Since he had no choice, he decided to just carry everything along.

  Seeing this, Nitaan laughed. Kiita nimbly leaped onto the roof without spilling a single piece of food. He placed the tray aside. Among the large amount of food he brought, there was certainly some for Nitaan.

  "You can go down and eat as much as you like. I'm not in a hurry to go back," Nitaan said, looking up at the sky again.

  "Woof!"

  Stay with Nitaan!

  Kiita replied clearly. Nitaan affectionately stroked his head, then took out Kiita's favorite brush.

  Before he could even begin brushing Kiita’s fur as usual, a sweet, clear voice rang out.

  "You're getting harder to find. Why are you hiding on the roof? Are you a cat?" The voice of his friend coming from behind Kiita.

  Nitaan turned to look at Kiita again. He just noticed that, in addition to the large tray in Kiita's mouth, there was also the fiery red-haired woman on his back.

  Nitaan raised an eyebrow in surprise, then burst into laughter.

  "I only know about riding horses. Is riding dogs also a royal etiquette?"

  "Of course! I can even ride dragons!" Princess Pailin laughed. She nimbly climbed down from Kiita's back and sat down beside him. She offered him a beautiful red apple.

  Nitaan took it and took a bite. The sweet, juicy taste of the apple made him smile.

  "How did you find me? I thought I was sneaky enough." Nitaan asked.

  "I just asked Kiita to bring me to you. Easy peasy," she shrugged, stroking Kiita's head triumphantly as he sat eating beside her.

  “Wow, when did you two become so close?” Nitaan raised an eyebrow.

  “Hmph, it’s me, after all. If you don’t take good care of Kiita, he might run away and come live with me.” Princess Pailin laughed.

  “Can you handle him? Kiita eats a lot,” Nitaan replied with a laugh. Kiita, hearing this, barked in protest.

  “Woof!”

  Kiita is growing!

  “Six years old already! How much bigger are you going to be?” Nitaan grumbled.

  “Woof!”

  Still young! Young eat a lot!

  “You gonna eat even more?!” Nitaan’s eyes widened. Kiita’s food bills were considerable.

  Princess Pailin, though she didn’t understand Kiita, couldn’t help but laugh at the interaction between the two. She clutched her stomach, laughing loudly. The sight of the young man and the large dog arguing was strangely amusing to her.

  Seeing Princess Pailin laughing so hard, they couldn’t help but look over. They exchanged glances and burst into laughter themselves. Kiita barked cheerfully, wagging his tail, and then lay down beside Princess Pailin.

  Under the bright starlight. Laughter and barking from a man, a princess, and a dog echoed through the area. Many people turned to look for the source of the sound, but no one would have thought it actually came from the roof of a restaurant.

  After a while, the laughter subsided. Princess Pailin stretched, gently stroking Kiita's head on her lap.

  "Thank you," she said.

  Nitaan raised an eyebrow slightly, then a faint smile appeared on his face.

  "It's nothing. Friends help friends," Nitaan replied.

  Princess Pailin smiled softly. She knew that Nitaan probably misunderstood, thinking she was thanking him for helping the villagers.

  "You're amazing, able to fight above level like that." She deliberately let him continue his misunderstanding, changing the subject.

  "It would be impossible alone, but with Kiita, it's manageable," Nitaan explained. He had only given a brief overview, but it was still true. Without Kiita nearby, he was only slightly stronger than the average Learner. He couldn't possibly fight Engraver.

  "I, on the other hand, can only rely on treasures. "I have no power of my own," Princess Pailin sighed. Although she felt more confident in herself, thinking about Nitaan's abilities still troubled her. She couldn't help but feel resentful of her fate.

  She still kept her Word of Power a secret. Discovering her first Word of Power at the age of 24, while not late, still felt inferior compared to her two older brothers.

  Nitaan stood up, stretched slightly, and then took another bite of his apple.

  “813 people,” Nitaan said.

  Princess Pailin was puzzled by Nitaan's sudden outburst.

  “That’s the number of villagers in the FlameFrost Village that you saved." Nitaan smiled, chewing his apple.

  “But it’s because of you…” Princess Pailin began to speak but was quickly interrupted.

  “If you hadn’t decided to talk to me about Sila, we would have gone back already,” Nitaan interrupted. Princess Pailin tried to speak again, but Nitaan was quicker than before.

  “If it weren’t for you using so much treasure to set a trap, we wouldn’t have succeeded.” Hearing this, Princess Pailin paused.

  “If it weren’t for me, that village wouldn’t have been targeted by Sila either,” Princess Pailin added.

  The root cause of the problem was that Sila wanted to tarnish her reputation. He secretly murdered villagers one after another to attract the authorities' attention.

  “Why would you blame yourself for others' bad deeds?” Nitaan tilted his head in confusion.

  “Then I should blame the queen for wiping out the Devil beast, causing other faction’s Enlightened to attack and kill my parents?”

  Princess Pailin was speechless upon hearing this. She didn't expect Nitaan to tell this story so easily. After all, personal matters that had caused past wounds and trauma were not something that should be discussed so casually.

  “It’s true that this world is cruel. Many things are terrible. Sometimes I even think that this world hates me, like maybe I accidentally stepped on Lakiz’s foot when I was born,” Nitaan laughed.

  “But that’s why there is Fate Scripting. To script the future for the better.”

  Princess Pailin lowered her head. She knew he was right, but for someone without talent like her, hearing such words from a genius made her feel resentful.

  “People live for hundreds of years. I'm just walking a little faster than everyone else, that's all. Who knows, I might get stuck in comprehending some word till I’m 100 years old. " Nitaan looked up at the sky.

  "A genius like you probably wouldn't get stuck," Princess Pailin replied. Although she was a little disappointed about her abilities, she didn't want to hear her friend belittle himself like that.

  "'Probably,' right? You also don't know the future." Nitaan smiled.

  Princess Pailin nodded. Even those with strong divination-type words of Power could only see a few days in advance.

  "So, do you think you'll be stuck here for the rest of your life?" Nitaan laughed.

  "Like I said, I'm just running a little faster than everyone else, but the finish line is still far away. Who knows what might happen along the way?"

  Princess Pailin smiled faintly. She understood these things well, and she had heard these sayings before. But when the person saying them was her friend, she couldn't deny that it made her feel better than before.

  "Then hurry up and run ahead! If you're lazy, I might overtake you! Have you ever heard the story of the tortoise and the hare?" Princess Pailin laughed.

  "Oh, that fairy tale, isn't it? I've always wondered why the rabbit would go to sleep. It'd be so much easier to just flip the tortoise over and walk away," Nitaan laughed.

  "Isn't that cruel? If the tortoise had a lot of money, it might use its treasures to catch the rabbit," Princess Pailin suggested.

  "Rich. As expected from a princess," they both laughed. Princess Pailin smiled brightly.

  "So hurry up and overtake me! I'm waiting," Nitaan winked.

  "Don't get too cocky! Before you know it, you'll be crying and begging me for help. Probably something like you went into the forest and accidentally provoked some local Devil beast," Princess Pailin pointed at Nitaan playfully.

  “Okay, when you're able to run past me, I’ll cling to you tightly so you can protect me." Nitaan smiled brightly.

  Princess Pailin laughed from picturing this strong genius hiding behind her for protection. Just imagining it makes her feel invigorated.

  “But while I’m still ahead, don’t hesitate to ask for my help." Nitaan smiled faintly, his deep blue eyes gazing into her pink eyes.

  She paused at his words, suddenly remembering Colonel Lalanta’s words:

  ‘That kid hardly trusts others, but once he does, he's ready to give his whole heart.'

  She grinned happily, picking up another piece of candy and offering it to Nitaan and Kiita.

  “Thanks. Then I’ll work you reaaally hard." She grinned, her pink eyes sparkling, her right hand raised up.

  “Please be kind to your friend." Nitaan smiled wryly, high-fiving her with his right hand.