"I an to say he looks very august. He truly has the appearance of a god," Nyria said, gazing at Vyaghra.
"If you find him that attractive, why don't you ask for his help to fight against Gumiho?" I hissed and with an arrogant tone, smirked, pointing at Vyaghra.
"Oh wait, you can't. Because he doesn't have the skill to cure her like I do."
Vyaghra, nudging Jambavan with his elbow, murmured,
"Do you know why I'm being insulted here?"
"Just shut up and enjoy the show," Jambavan whispered back, witnessing the drama unfolding before them.
"Why are you behaving so excessively?" Nyria asked, then paused before gasping, her fingers flying to her lips.
"Don't tell you...
You are jealous?"
Her sudden claim caught completely off guard.
"I'm-I'm not jealous," I blurted.
"But your reaction says otherwise," she replied, staring at my face with a playful smile.
"That'-that's not—" My mind started to blank, and I couldn't find the exact words to say.
She definitely laid this trap to lure in, and I foolishly took the bait. She'd snared completely this ti.
I was about to lose this battle of wits, but then Jambavan spoke, creating a temporary truce,
"Stop playin' with the poor man. We still need him to lift the damn curse from our Queen."
"Yeah, Jambavan's right, we don't have ti for these useless talks. Let's discuss the more important matter," I blurted, taking quick steps towards the centre.
"He is definitely good at running away," Nyria murmured, following .
"My na is Vyaghra. It's a great pleasure to et my saviour's spouse," Vyaghra spoke to Nyria.
"My na is Nyria el Snowbane. The pleasure is all mine," Nyria replied, slightly lifting her dress and bowing her head.
"Oy, he called you my spouse. Aren't you gonna clear the misunderstanding?" I whispered in Nyria's ear.
"What if you get jealous again and won't be able to focus in the upcoming fight? Let it be until we defeat Gumiho," she said smugly, teasing again.
I knew it. This little hamster wasn't gonna drop it that easily.
This wouldn't do. I needed to get the upper hand.
I took a deep breath, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her close.
"Haha~! Isn't my wife a lady of impeccable manners?" I declared.
"Jerk, where do you think you are putting your hands?" Nyria muttered, giving death stares.
"What? I'm just flexing my beautiful wife," I replied, tightening my grip.
"Bwahahahah, ya two are goddamn hilarious," Jambavan burst into laughter, holding his stomach, and continued,
"Vyaghra's the God o' Hunt an' Stealth. Do ya think he cannot hear ya two mutterin'?"
Nyria imdiately shoved her elbow into my guts and slipped away.
"Agh! That-that wasn't needed," I groaned, holding my stomach.
Vyaghra's voice stayed calm. "I apologise for the misunderstanding. Jambavan told that you two were married."
"Don't act out o' character, Ay might puke," Jambavan shot, his voice laced with irritation.
"Guys, stop bickering, let's discuss our next plan of action," I called out, gathering dried branches for the bonfire.
I lit up the fire, and all of us sat in a circle around it.
"Have you faced the Queen before?" Vyaghra asked, looking at .
"No, he hasn't," Nyria said. "But I have faced her."
Vyaghra imdiately responded with another question, "How many tails did she have at that ti?"
"At the start, she had four. But amidst the battle, her Soulforce unnaturally increased severalfold, and one of her tails vanished, which made lose the upper hand in the fight," Nyria told, recalling her clash.
Vyaghra's gaze hardened. "It's already comndable that you fought her in four-tailed form, not to ntion you actually forced her to sacrifice one of her tails."
"What does losing her tail signify?" I asked. "Is she getting stronger or weaker?"
"Of course, she is getting weaker each ti she loses a tail, "Vyaghra declared. "However, if she still has three tails, then even all of us fighting together won't be enough against her."
"But aren't you and Jambavan literally gods? How could there be such a big power difference between you and her?"
"The odds would be different if Ay an' Vyaghra at least had a quarter of our strength," Jambavan muttered. "But we're just empty shells o' our forr glory."
"What kind of power does she possess for you to be this skeptical about her?"
"She can cast sealing spells faster than Ruru. Her raw strength is greater than Jambavan 's, and her movent is faster than mine. However, that's not the end of it. The reason that made her the God of all Beasts is her illusion magic. The mont you set foot into her sensory field, you will be under her rcy. She can turn opponents into followers with a single gaze. In battle, she's the greatest ally you could hope for—and the worst foe you could face," Vyaghra replied, his eyes sharp with seriousness.
"That's a troubleso ability. Any way to avoid it?"
"She ain't be usin' the hypnosis no more. To use that damn ability, the caster's mind should be stable, an' right now, her mind is in complete chaos," Jambavan mumbled with a smirk.
"Yes, Lord Jambavan is correct," Nyria said. "She didn't cast hypnosis when I fought her."
"So the final question is," I spoke, getting up from the seat,
"Who is participating in the battle?"
"I am in," Nyria replied.
"Count an' Vyaghra in as well," Jambavan responded.
Vyaghra spoke, looking at Ruru lying beside us,
"However, she is staying here. She does not possess any offensive ability, and she is too frail to use her protection spells."
I had this question in the back of my head from the mont I saw Ruru in Jambavan's mories.
Without delaying any further, I finally asked,
"Ruru doesn't transform into human form like you two. And she doesn't speak, either. Can you tell —is this by her choice, or is there any other reason?"
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