Brain bloom

"...That's really true."

“Since the Holy Skull is so important to you, then go and search in that direction. That will also prove my innocence.”

Then, we'll just wait for Mori to meet up with this group of people, and then they'll be strung together and shot into the sky.

……

(P.S. I've seen readers want the protagonist to show off a bit, and I understand that. But... do you really want to read about me showing off? Are you sure?)

Volume 1, Chapter 115: The Massacre Plan

Although the melon cutter didn't believe that Dandelion was telling the whole truth, and even had a vague feeling that she might have thrown something out to set a trap, he still got up and left.

Behind him, a retinue of men, armed and unwavering, followed without hesitation, their eyes as resolute as ice. The sacred skull was worth the risk, for it represented one of the most important cultural foundations of the entire nation.

Watching the group leave, Aisalia seemed to want to chase after them to help. Dandelion ignored her; after all, the slave contract was a powerful, binding law that she couldn't disobey.

There are other things that are more important now.

She beckoned with her finger, pulled Fufu out of the inside pocket of her clothes, and said to her, "Go tell Senshi the good news: the enemy is heading her way. Tell her to go easy on her."

"Princess, am I being asked to run errands again? That ruin is terrifying, and there's the sound of owls hooting..."

"Thank you for your help, Fufu. Without you, I don't know how we Four Seasons People would survive. You are so reliable. When the Kingdom of Flowers regains its glory, I will establish the first rule: everyone must thank the Salt Spirit, whose name is Fufu, before eating."

"I'll go then."

Fu Fu left cheerfully with good news, and Dandelion breathed a sigh of relief.

After seeing off the first wave of troublemakers, they'll have a long time to catch their breath. After all, the watermelons in Silvermoon City are ripe, and the Watermelon Cutter's group happens to be there. Others won't be able to arrive so quickly.

The most urgent task right now is to talk to another partner about what to do next. This time, she also needs to do something practical; she can't leave the burden entirely to Mori.

She slung her staff over her back and hurriedly ran back to the backyard.

Yuan was watering the apple tree, humming a loosely tuned song. She had already made a pact with the Four Seasons, and was in an exceptionally good mood.

Dandelion seemed puzzled: "Why are you watering my tree trunk? You're not my hired gardener."

"Is that not allowed? I think the four-season trees seem to enjoy watering each other, and I think the tree would be happy too. Wouldn't that make it produce more sour apples?"

"...I'll send you a sour apple sapling later, and you can plant it yourself when you go back to the Demon Realm."

"Give it away? What do you want in return?" Yuan's eyes were wary, after all, the devil believed that everything should be a reciprocal exchange.

"Let's talk about what to do next. You're quite influential in the Demon Realm, right?" Dandelion leaned closer, shy but still mustering her courage. "I'd like to ask you for a favor... what do you think?"

"What for? I can't handle troublesome things. Dad also told me not to get involved in those conspiracies and schemes, or I'd suffer the consequences. But I'm fine with fighting though..."

"It's not a conspiracy, and there's no fighting. You demons can contact big shots in the Chaos Land, right? How about you introduce me? I'd like to ask them for help with the Four Seasons."

"Oh, that's fine. Little Melia and I have always had a good relationship."

"Little Melia? Who?"

With deep affection, she explained, "She is the founder of the Chaos Land, known as the 'Queen of Demons and Banshees,' and also a demigod who rules over evil—Meria Sen. She is my only friend; I don't know if she counts as a big shot?"

……

On the other side, after listening to Fukufu's words, Mori sat at the exit of the ruins and fell into deep thought.

This is hardly good news... At the last melon-betting event, Mori had observed the melon-cutter from afar.

That guy was a level 80 powerhouse, and his followers were probably all around level 70. Not only that, their equipment was excellent, and they even possessed a kind of innate divine attribute, which made Sen Shi feel physically disgusted.

The key point is that Mori didn't know whether they were wealthy, and that was the biggest factor that would determine the outcome of the battle.

"When are we going out to kill the enemy?" Fufu asked innocently. As a spirit of nature, she didn't have much of a moral compass; she only knew that those who were close to her among the Four Seasons were her family, and those who were harmful to them were her enemies.

"...We're not going out."

"What should we do then, Mori-shiki-neechan?"

Mori bit her finger. Even now, that damned enemy was on their way. If this weren't underwater, they probably would have already met. However, they possessed a keen sense, like a dog's nose, that allowed them to pinpoint the location of the holy skull on her body.

That's the troublesome part.

and many more?

“…Yes.” Her mind suddenly opened up. “This can be used as bait.”

Following this line of thought, Moritoki immediately devised a method to deal with the enemy, and she was absolutely certain of success. A confident smile appeared on her lips, but to Fukufu, who was standing to the side, this was not the usual Moritoki, and it even seemed a little frightening.

Sen Shi took the holy skull out of his bag and placed it on the first step of the ruins.

“As my first believer, I gave you so much money, so just do me this favor.”

After saying that, she sent Fufu out to scout ahead. Once she was sure that the enemy was not nearby, she took off the ruby ​​and put it in Fufu's place. Using ice elemental magic enhanced by the staff, she forcibly created an ice passage in the sea before escaping into the bushes next to the small dock.

It feels so good to be free again.

There's no time to deal with the corpses and the Ghost Lotus, because a group of enemies led by the Melon Slayer has already arrived at the small dock.

Mori Toki was hiding in the bushes, still with that familiar feeling. Maybe he should change his title or something, like the Lurking Archer/Coffin Bearer/Mori Toki. But this feeling is actually quite nice; being able to experience the feeling of a god secretly observing his followers is particularly interesting.

Then, after observing, they're killed off; no problem.

The person holding the silver orb nodded and reported to the melon slayer: "It's just ahead, at the bottom of the sea."

"Build a small boat, Holy Mage!"

“Leave this to me.” The only priest dressed as a mage in the group stepped forward. “There’s plenty of wood here that we can use.”

"The sooner the better, it's urgent. The others go and collect materials, prepare the Breathing Leaf for logistics, and underwater ropes for safety."

The order from the melon cleaver roused the group; their hands trembled slightly, for the matter was of utmost importance. The melon cleaver, noticing this, suddenly drew his holy sword and pointed it at the sea, using a single sentence to boost his comrades' morale—

"After we bring back the sacred skull, we will be hailed as heroes by the people."

"Yes, heroes." Mori smiled maliciously, because once the ship was built and these people reached the sea, Mori would use the Flame Bird's Hundred Cries to sink their ship. Even if they didn't burn to death, their armor would sink into the sea.

At that time, Mori will either shoot the enemy to death like shooting chickens, or she will offer a helping hand insincerely—life and death are in her hands, and she is almost certain of success.

"...Lord Slayer, there's...something's amiss!" The silver sphere in the speaker's hand suddenly trembled violently. "The position of the Holy Skull seems to have changed!"

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

"Look! Something is emerging from the seabed! I can sense a powerful, sacred aura."

"It's...it's the skull of the first Pope from the Crystal of Eden! My God, a miracle!"

Some people even had trembling knees and wanted to kneel down and worship.

Mori stared in disbelief at the sea, for the skull, which was supposed to be bait in the ruins, had suddenly burst forth from the water and was flying toward her.

Volume 1, Chapter 116: We Have No Choice But to Admit It

As the crystal box, reflecting the light of the sea and the blue sky, swept through the air, the eyes of Sen Shi, the melon slayer, and everyone present were drawn to it.

The grayish-white skull, with its flawless crystal, exuded a strong, sacred aura, as if it could make even withered straw sprout fruit.

In that instant, Mori realized the immense danger. His thoughts became clear, and in that brief second, many ideas surged and piled up, even making Mori feel somewhat confused.

Exposure was inevitable, and there was no time to escape—that was the cry of her reason.

Since that's the case, it's time for a head-on battle! In his mind, a thought, seemingly out of nowhere, was whispering, bringing with it a murderous intent intertwined with excitement and exhilaration.

However, facing so many people head-on, there was no chance of winning, and Mori knew this very well.

A jumble of thoughts swirled in his mind. Mori gritted his teeth, suppressing the intense killing intent, and instead grasped at a fragment of his thoughts. It was the only feasible way: to reveal his true identity and avoid this trouble.

Moreover, the Four Seasons are currently in a precarious situation, with at least two parties clearly expressing hostility. And Silvermoon City, the third party, will undoubtedly be furious once it learns that Sen Shi broke the seal left by Man and explored the underground ruins.

Eliminating a troublesome princess of a fallen kingdom will prevent anyone from holding a grudge.

"It's time to do something," Mori thought.

For the sake of safety in the present moment, and even more so for the peace and tranquility of those who live through the four seasons in the future, the only thing we can do right now is to acknowledge the name of the God we believe in.

So, Mori took a gamble.

She quickly changed her posture, transforming from a figure lurking among the bushes into one sitting calmly on the shore facing the sea.

She looked beautiful and had an artistic temperament, like a bard who had lost his inspiration and sat there serenely admiring the sea.

Immediately afterwards, the ground trembled slightly, because Sen had won half of his bet.

The holy skull landed beside her, then fell silent again. Like a clingy little puppy, it wanted to stay by its owner's side forever, but Mori breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that it had come.

At the same time, the melon cutter swung his sword, slicing through the obstructing bushes, and was about to lead everyone over.

Only then did their fervent gaze finally fall upon the girl sitting serenely by the sea, gazing at the ocean with deep eyes.

Everyone was as still as trees, but the very foundation of the nation, the true holy skull, actually flew to her side on its own.

But what a beautiful and peculiar young girl she is!

She wore an ethereal, otherworldly gown, revealing her long, shapely legs. Her long hair and the tender shoots atop her head swayed in the sea breeze, her eyes deep and wise…

Beside her was a uniquely shaped staff. The gemstones inlaid on it were even more extraordinary; they were as blue as the sea and seemed to be absorbing the blue of the sky and the earth, rhythmically flickering in and out of focus.

"With leaves on its head... it's the one who experiences all four seasons!" The gourd-cutter's gasp drowned out the last sound.

"The skull of the first Pope is with her? What exactly is going on...?"

"She was here the whole time?"

"They treated us like dust, not making a sound at all."

The others were making a racket, but even so, the girl from the Four Seasons didn't even glance at them. Mori was actually very flustered, and it was difficult for her to maintain her composure.

After a long pause, the melon-cutter uttered a gasp of astonishment: "Could it be that this Four Seasons Master is the one who killed the Rain Wizard and caused the world to descend into chaos...?"

"——Shh..."

The girl reacted for the first time, raising her pretty index finger and pressing it against her soft lips to signal for quiet.

The melon-cutter instinctively remained silent, but the next moment, he suddenly realized, why would someone like him, possessing a holy sword and a title, be subdued by such a simple action? No, she's a thief, she shouldn't be like this!

"So it was you who stole the first Pope's skull? What methods did you use?"

The others, as if waking from a dream, pointed their weapons at the composed girl. And without any concealment, they summoned their most powerful divine energy to date from the depths of their souls into their weapons.

In an instant, the otherwise dull seaside seemed to transform into the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere of the thirteen churches of the Holy Coffin, hailed as "divine creations." They realized that their faith was stronger than ever before.