Chapter 1300: 58. Sick

That's right. So hopelessly tangled, such a complete mess, so incomprehensible to most people in the world, yet at the same time an absolute artistic treasure—wasn't that exactly the same as love?

That had to be what Master Josh Jory was trying to express!

At that thought, Lorne burst into loud laughter:

"As expected of Her Majesty. Even the statue she gave me has such exquisite taste. And naturally, it takes someone equally tasteful like me to decipher its meaning!"

It was decided!

The statue before him would become the number-one treasure in the entire ducal estate!

At every social ball held from now on, he would definitely add an art appreciation segment and invite nobles from all across the Empire to admire it together. When the time came, their envious, perhaps even jealous gazes would surely fall upon him, the top-tier collector possessing extraordinary vision and foresight, along with this top-tier piece in his collection!

Let's see who would still dare say that everyone in House Campbell was nothing but a bunch of brutes!

Wahahaha...

But then again.

Since it was his number-one treasure, he would have to protect it properly from now on as well. He absolutely could not allow what happened to his previous collection to happen again."

This time was different. He would personally watch over it. He absolutely would not allow his beloved collection to suffer even the slightest harm ever again!

Lorne stroked his beard, which resembled a lion's mane, and made a firm resolution in his heart...

"Symbolizing love?"

"That's right. This sculpture undoubtedly symbolizes love!".

Just as he was feeling pleased with himself, he heard someone ask a question. Lorne immediately nodded vigorously.

"How come I can't see it?"

"Can't see it? Then perhaps your artistic attainment simply isn't high enough. Look at this form, look at the movement of these figures, look at the master artist's almost supernaturally exquisite carving, and then look at this inseparably tangled artistic meaning. Which part of it isn't... Hm?"

As he spoke, Lorne suddenly froze..

Cold sweat also began pouring madly from his forehead.

Because that familiar flash of red was as vivid as blood. It appeared abruptly, then stabbed just as abruptly into his vision, making his head ache.

He could not understand it, nor did he have any way to understand it. He only felt an intense sense of danger erupt from the depths of his heart, yet under the suppression of the instincts for danger he had honed over decades, not the slightest trace of it showed outwardly.

If he was not mistaken, the person who had suddenly appeared beside him at this moment....

Was that Calamity?

Damn it, why was she here?

Could it be that she really had come back with a baby dragon in tow?

Lorne summoned his courage and glanced over from the corner of his eye... No. Thankfully.

Whether that made him relieved or disappointed, he did not know. In any case, he let out a breath.

It was just that, unless he was imagining things, the direction she had come from... seemed to be the direction of his dear son's room?

Surely not.

Her Majesty was still there.

If those two had met, there was no way nothing would have happened.

"Se... Senior."

No matter what, Lorne still cautiously edged closer and asked with a dry mouth, "Why... why have you come here..."

"Don't call me Senior."

Hamreign shot Lorne an unfriendly glance. "I hate that form of address right now. It makes me sound old."

"I-Is that so? I understand. But you really don't need to think so much about it. How could it make you sound old? You look about the same age as my son..." Lorne gave an awkward laugh, his beard trembling. There was not even a trace left of the Lion King's dignity.

But he did not feel there was anything wrong with that at all. After all, the person before him really was... an absolutely extraordinary senior as far as he was concerned.

Forget being the Lion King. Even if he were the Dragon King, he would still have to straighten out his attitude before her.

Hamreign, however, paid no attention to that strange compliment. She merely stared fixedly at the statue before her.

"You said just now that this statue symbolizes love?" she asked.

"Th-That's right!"

Seeing Hamreign ask about it, Lorne assumed that she was interested as well... And thinking about it, that made sense. Although everything spreading around right now was supposedly just rumor, there was no smoke without fire. If someone told him she had absolutely nothing to do with his son, he would not believe it.

Who would have thought that even a mighty Calamity could harbor springtime feelings and yearn for love? The world truly was vast enough for every strange thing imaginable.

At that thought, Lorne straightened his back and immediately began explaining without pause:

"Your... Your Excellency the Calamity may not know this, but this sculpture is the work of one of the Kingdom's greatest abstract artists. Although his reputation is not particularly prominent at present, in my eyes, he is one of the finest creators on this entire continent. And this sculpture before us is something into which he poured the effort of his entire life, expressing the complexity and entanglement of love in an extremely subtle manner. Truly..."

"Enough."

Hamreign abruptly interrupted Lorne. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Eh?"

Lorne froze.

You don't want to hear it?

Then why were you staring at the statue for so long?

"Symbolizing love?"

Hamreign suddenly sneered. "Indeed. It looks just as twisted and incomprehensible as love!"

"???"

How was it twisted?

How was it incomprehensible?

Hadn't he just explained it to her? How could she still...

"It's hideous."

Hamreign snorted coldly. Seemingly unable to tolerate the statue's strange appearance any longer, she immediately swept one jade-white hand through the air...

Crack.

And so, Lorne's eyes suddenly widened as he watched his most, most precious collectible—the collectible he had only just sworn to protect properly... even the collectible he had obtained by selling out his conscience and selling out his dear son—simply...

Disappear.

Under the disgust of a mighty Calamity, the statue was as fragile as a block of tofu, effortlessly turning into a pile of broken stone and dust.

And Lorne... could do absolutely nothing.

"Don't bring back any more statues this ugly in the future. I don't want my companion inheriting your taste as well, to the point that someday..."

Hamreign's slender brows knitted. She seemed to think of something that disgusted her and immediately stopped speaking. Her figure flashed and vanished from the spot.

Leaving Lorne standing alone in the desolate courtyard. Slowly, he crouched down and used trembling hands to scoop up the dust and fragments from the ground...

"No—"

His beloved collection had once again been destroyed. The wounded Lion King threw his head back and roared toward the heavens, that anguished cry sounding especially bleak and forlorn.

But no one cared.

......

......

Belrand, the streets.

A fiery-red figure suddenly appeared, yet did not attract the slightest attention from the surrounding pedestrians.

The sun was already nearing noon. People and carriages filled the streets, making them quite lively.

And as she looked at this scene, some of the things her companion had said once again surfaced in her mind...

Miss Dragon, what you've done wasn't meaningless...

Miss Dragon, you're truly very gentle...

Miss Dragon, the reason this world is still so beautiful is because of you...

Miss Dragon, Miss Dragon, Miss Dragon...

"Enough!"

Hamreign suddenly growled and shook her head forcefully, driving those voices out of her mind.

"Stop saying it..."

They were clearly words that should have made someone feel warm, yet at this moment, all they did was worsen the irritation inside her.

She did not understand.

"Hah..."

Hamreign breathed heavily, her hands unconsciously gripping her own arms tightly. She looked around and suddenly seemed somewhat lost.

This enormous city was filled with traffic and bustling crowds, yet she had no idea where she should go.

Thinking carefully about it, throughout this entire journey, she had always been led along. The moment she lost the warmth of that hand, she could not even seem to figure out which direction to take.

He was still busy and had no free time. So now, where else could she go?

Hamreign stood in the street thinking for a long time.

Then suddenly, she thought of an option she normally should never have considered.

Her figure disappeared once again...

......

......

Saint Maria Academy, underground, sea of flowers.

Spring was precisely the season for tulips. The entire sea of flowers had also changed into tulips of every color, competing with one another in full bloom, dazzlingly beautiful.

And in the middle of that sea of flowers, the white-haired little girl still dressed in strawberry pajamas was reclining in her homemade lounge chair, sucking on a lollipop while both hands oper**ed frantically.

The light and shadows before her shifted rapidly, as though some enormous and exquisitely precise mechanical structure were operating along with the movements of her fingertips, while a vast rumbling sound resounded throughout the entire space.

Suddenly, the rumbling vanished, and the sea of flowers returned to silence.

Mela's movements stopped as well. She raised her eyes, and a trace of surprise appeared within those red pupils resembling amber submerged in water:

"Oh my, you finally worked up the courage to enter my sea of flowers? What, after an entire thousand years, you've finally decided to come settle the score with me?"

"......"

"Fine by me. I'm sick of arguing with you too. As for which of us is bigger, naturally we'll have to compare properly before we can know."

Mela sat with one leg crossed over the other, her chubby, snow-white bare foot bobbing up and down. Licking her lollipop, she slowly turned her head...

Then froze slightly.

Because the appearance of the person who had come was truly somewhat beyond her expectations.

"Domir."

At the very center of the sea of flowers, the intruder showed not the slightest trace of battle intent. There was only bewilderment and dejection utterly inconsistent with her identity and temperament.

She looked at the sworn rival she had been entangled with for a thousand years and spoke, her words unexpectedly carrying a trace of appeal for help:

"Take a look at me. I seem to be... sick."