I'm in another world, and I start out transformed into Lancelot.

She tried to numb herself with this habit, but she couldn't stop the unfamiliar, dull pain that spread from the depths of her heart because of those last two words, like an ice pick piercing her skin. CC was too lazy to even wipe the grease off her fingertips, letting the sticky, cold touch spread along them, like a silent farewell.

For the first time, the privilege of the immortal felt a chilling sense of powerlessness in the face of the departure of a being. And this powerlessness was silently mocking the armor she had just tried to use as a shield to protect herself.

Chapter 51 We are—a three-person team!!

A biting sea breeze swept across the deck of the Avalon warship, brushing against the figure standing silently at the edge of the bow.

That was no longer the fairy knight clad in lake-blue armor, nor the elegant bodyguard.

Hands and feet covered in jet-black dragon scales, stardust particles faintly emanating from the back...

And that signature head of pure silver hair that flutters gently in the wind—these qualities clearly proclaim her origins as a "dragon fairy."

The molten gold vertical pupils calmly gazed at the approaching island outline below, the lingering stench of decay making the surrounding air thick and sticky.

In the shadows where the bridge and deck meet, Euphemia is not waiting in the safe rear.

She clutched the front of her dress tightly, her pinkish-purple eyes filled with deep worry about the perilous depths of the island.

And... a pure reluctance almost overwhelmed by worry.

[It's not that I don't understand...] The perceptive princess's mind was in turmoil.

The extraordinary speed at which the plan was progressing, the lingering urgency hidden beneath the absolute power that the Dragon Fairy displayed during its actions…

Countless subtle signs converged into a chilling aura, pointing to a possibility that made her heart tremble.

【Merusin...the knight I rely on, the knight I love...】

That being who lit a lamp in her dark world, cloaked in the guise of a knight but possessing a pure power she had never experienced before...

Is it finally time for me to leave?

[Has this dream, woven amidst the flames of war, tinged with the smell of gunpowder yet radiating starlight... finally reached its... curtain call?]

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

That clear, cold voice, with its strange penetrating power, suddenly rang out from just inches away, like moonlight instantly dispelling the gloom.

Yuffie suddenly looked up! What came into view was the figure that had been silently "present" in front of her.

Its hands and feet were covered with fine, jet-black dragon scales, and stardust drifted faintly from its back; everything about it was no longer human.

However, in those molten gold vertical pupils looking down at him, there was still a gentle concern flowing through them.

That is the core that belongs only to them and has never been changed by form.

The distance is too close.

So close that Yuffie could even see the faint glimmer of water vapor brought in from outside the ship clung to the other's perfect silver hair.

That gentle inquiry, as natural as when they spent time together at the villa, shattered the fragile dam she had been holding in her heart.

The grief she had been suppressing, mixed with immense dependence and the fear of losing her, instantly shattered the princess's composure.

Yuffie's purple eyes instantly became misty, and her long eyelashes trembled violently, like butterfly wings in the rain.

She mustered all the courage she had accumulated over a long period of time and painstakingly revealed her most humble yet strongest wish:

"Melushin...can you...stay..."

The final note was as light as a sigh, almost a breath, yet it carried immense anticipation.

Before she could finish speaking, she bit her lower lip tightly, not daring to say another word, afraid that she would lose control and burst into tears.

That glimmer of hope flickered fragilely in her eyes.

In Melusin's molten gold vertical pupils, Euphemia's face, filled with reluctance and pleading as she struggled to hold back her tears, was clearly reflected.

Deep within those clear eyes, the gentle ripples of the core essence of the "Guardian Knight" stirred once more.

The dragon fairy slowly raised its fingertips, which were covered with delicate black scales.

Those claws, sharp enough to tear apart the hardest alloys, were now being controlled with incredible precision.

As if cherishing the most fragile glass in the world, she gently touched Yuffie's tear-filled eyes.

Euphemia did not flinch.

She even tilted her head slightly, as if she were entrusting her most vulnerable moment to her most trusted guardian.

The touch on my fingertips was icy and strange—it wasn't the softness of a human, nor the piercing coldness of metal.

Rather, it possesses a unique texture that is slightly cool and elastic, belonging to an ancient existence.

The cool touch blended with the ultimate gentleness of the fingertips, almost defiling this hideous appearance, and gently wiped away the rolling tear.

Almost the instant the action was completed—a gentle word fell softly with the touch of the fingertips:

“...Guomena.”

These three simple and gentle words are like an ice needle forged from absolute zero.

In an instant, it pierced through all of Yuffie's desperately held hopes, freezing the slight warmth that had just risen from the gentle touch into dust.

The young princess's body seemed to have been struck by an invisible force, and she froze completely in place.

She didn't sob at all; even her breathing seemed to stop.

Only the tears that betrayed his will, like a breached dam, silently and surgingly slid down from the corners of his eyes.

It rolled back over her icy cheek, following the path that had just been touched by the cold, scaled claws.

"……well……"

A very soft, almost imperceptible sigh reached Yuffie's ears.

It wasn't a cold declaration, but rather a helpless sigh, tinged with weariness and pity, as if weighed down by an immense weight.

The sigh brushed past Yuffie's ear like a feather, followed by a cool, soft touch carrying an indescribable, star-like coolness.

Like dewdrops condensed from moonlight, they were imprinted on Euphemia's forehead, which was covered with fine pink hair.

It wasn't a passionate kiss, but rather a comforting ritual stemming from the instinct to uphold a vow.

At the same time, the warm, mellow voice that had resonated in Yuffie's heart, like fragments of moonlight scattered by a gentle breeze, rang out again, deep yet incredibly clear:

"I will come back to see you after everything is over."

This was a promise full of warmth and expectation, in stark contrast to her previous cold rejection!

A vow that should have been buried deep beneath reason and "prescribed path," but which completely crumbled when faced with her precious tears.

That love and loyalty, which originated from the core essence of "Fairy Knight Lancelot," briefly and forcefully crushed all the cold "rules" and the "inevitability" of parting.

A glimmer of light, faint as stardust yet intensely burning, was left for the desperate girl.

Euphemia's tear-streaked face suddenly lifted! As if she had been instantly infused with light by that fervent yet ethereal promise.

She nodded vigorously, her long, pinkish-purple hair tracing a defiant arc in the wind:

"Yes!...It's a promise!...I absolutely, positively, will come back!"

The princess's smile still bore traces of sorrow, yet it burned with a desperate trust that gilded her pale face with a breathtaking radiance.

"Tsk, what a touching drama..." A lazy yet cold and sarcastic female voice suddenly cut in from the edge of the storm.

A slender figure appeared out of thin air.

CC had somehow found herself leaning against the cold shadow of the bridge's alloy frame, her long, emerald-green hair fluttering alluringly in the wind.

The languidness accumulated over a thousand years was gone from his crimson-gold eyes; only a sharp, piercing insight remained, like a blade, penetrating his disguise, and... a hint of barely perceptible annoyance at being excluded.

She took a sudden step forward, moving as fast as a ghost, and instantly closed in on Melousin, who was slightly stunned by Euphemia's smile.

Under Euphemia's astonished gaze, before Melusin could react—!

"Don't... show favoritism!" she said softly, her words carrying the honeyed sharpness characteristic of a witch.

CC suddenly rose on her tiptoes, her graceful neck stretching out like an attacking swan.

Before anyone could react, she bit down hard on Melusin's lip!

A very faint sound, like biting into an ultra-dense alloy, rang out.

"Huh?!" CC frowned instantly, then quickly took a step back after relenting. Her crimson eyes stared in surprise at Melusin's perfectly intact, cold lips, which didn't even have a dent.

A hint of frustrated anger flashed in the witch's eyes. She abruptly turned her head away, presenting the back of her head to Melusin.

Her emerald green hair concealed her momentary loss of control, leaving only the hard lines of her profile and a muffled, forcedly nonchalant remark:

“…I will…wait…” Her voice suddenly lowered, tinged with annoyance and awkwardness, “Anyway, for an immortal witch…”

"...How long I wait...it's just a matter of taking a few naps..."

This understated "how long to wait" is like a shooting star encased in a millennium-old ice shell, leaving a mark in the void that is heavier than any lament.

All she left for Melusin and Euphemia was a figure standing against the light, appearing exceptionally thin yet stubborn.

And that swirling vortex of long, green hair that moved without wind, carrying a silent accusation.

Melusin's fingertips, covered in dragon scales, unconsciously touched the corner of her mouth that had just been "bitten".

A complex, incomprehensible ripple flashed across the molten gold vertical pupils between CC's awkward silhouette and Euphemia's tearful yet smiling face.

A sense of stagnation, anchored firmly to this world by two such intense and so distinct “waiting” experiences, welled up in my heart.

But I don't dislike it.

Chapter 52 Fly, towards the sky beyond!

With a gentle clench of her slender yet powerful fingers, Melusin hummed!

Like loyal pterosaurs, Joffrey and Fremond once again returned to their master's control!

The pair of dragon wings, flowing with black and blue energy patterns, unfolded like cosmic shadows tearing through the night sky, bursting forth from her slender back.

Each time, even the slightest tremor, caused the surrounding space to hum under immense strain.

The air was compressed, the light was torn apart, and the natural laws of this sea trembled under the dragon's majesty.

The molten gold vertical pupil pierced through the chaotic spatial fluctuations and locked precisely on Euphemia's face.

On that inhumanly perfect face, a gentle smile as warm as the morning sun appeared, creating an incredible harmony with this posture that could make even the gods tremble.

"So……"

The fairy's voice, amplified by the ripples in the space, became even more ethereal and distant, yet carried the knight's unique focused warmth.

"...Please give the order, Master."

She tilted her head slightly, her long silver hair hanging motionless behind her head amidst the chaotic energy field.

"Ugh..." A short sob escaped from deep within Yuffie's throat!

It wasn't fear of the power to tear through space, but rather the unique gentleness that she still revealed to herself even at the heart of ultimate power!

This stark contrast was like the strongest liquor, instantly filling her heart with a bittersweet feeling.

She suppressed the soreness rising in her throat, and her purple eyes, glistening with tears, burst forth with an unprecedented determination, as firm as tempered steel!

The young princess raised her right hand high—

"In the name of Euphemia R. Britannia, I command—! My knights! Open the way for our shared ideal world!"

*Whoosh!* The final command spell shattered!

The azure light surged violently! But it was not a link; rather, it was like a divine fire that had been lit, forcefully injected into Melusin's palms, which were covered in dragon scales and tightly gripped her twin pistols!

"Yes, my majesty!"

Melusin's voice was instantly drowned out by the explosive surge of energy! The twin pistols emitted a piercing shriek that seemed to tear the universe apart!

The light from the tip of the gun was so intense it almost blinded anyone who looked directly at it!

"boom--!!!"

In the millisecond before the destructive torrent of energy was about to unleash its full force— "Hey! You dragon over there!" A domineering yet languid voice forcefully wedged into this frozen moment.

CC's figure broke through the boiling energy barrier like a ghost, her emerald green hair dancing wildly in the hurricane.