In the Irminsul space—
Lumine, who had now mastered the corruptive power of forbidden knowledge, reconnected her consciousness with Great Lord Rukkhadevata's and entered her memories once more.
This time, when faced with the onslaught of forbidden knowledge, Lumine no longer needed to fend it off with pure Abyssal power.
Instead, she converted the Abyssal energy into "forbidden knowledge power"—a faint dark-red energy distinctly different from the deep purple of the Abyss.
As Lumine summoned this power, the surrounding forbidden knowledge instinctively recognized her as one of its own and ceased attacking her.
Lumine extended her right hand, palm facing the corrupted knowledge ahead, and released her own forbidden knowledge power.
The dark-red energy surged from her body and, the moment it touched the corruption that had polluted Rukkhadevata's mind, began assimilating it—
Transforming it into a part of her own controlled forbidden knowledge.
Because the corrupted knowledge sensed her as the same kind, it offered no resistance.
Soon, it was completely devoured.
Without its corruptive force, this residual forbidden knowledge was no longer dangerous.
It likely would no longer pose any threat to Rukkhadevata or the Irminsul.
Whew. With the forbidden knowledge handled, Lumine let out a quiet breath of relief, then voluntarily disconnected from Rukkhadevata's consciousness and returned to her own body.
"How did it go? All taken care of?"
Nolan asked curiously as he saw her open her eyes.
"It should be fine now," Lumine nodded lightly, her golden hair swaying gently as she turned to look at the Great Lord.
"How are you feeling now?"
Nahida, Paimon, and Nolan all turned their gazes to Rukkhadevata.
"I feel... I feel wonderful."
Rukkhadevata quietly examined the state of her consciousness.
The forbidden knowledge within her memories hadn't vanished completely—though she still couldn't comprehend it, it no longer caused her pain or harm.
She felt as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
Smiling, she said,
"Ever since I was corrupted by forbidden knowledge five hundred years ago, I've lived in constant torment. Now, for the first time, I can finally relax a little."
"Then that means the corruption has been completely resolved!"
Paimon clapped her hands, laughing in delight.
"Yes. The Irminsul is no longer under threat from forbidden knowledge, and I imagine the world's own rejection of it has ceased as well.
"That means the people who were affected by it can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
Despite this, Rukkhadevata couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for not being able to resolve the corruption herself back then.
So many years had passed... undoubtedly, many people in Sumeru had died because of the Withering Zones and Eleazar.
Sensing Rukkhadevata's somber mood, Nahida stepped forward and gently took her hand.
"No one else will have to suffer because of it anymore."
---
Sumeru City.
The stone-paved streets of the city were far cleaner and neater than the muddy roads outside its gates.
Commoners, merchants, and foreign travelers all walked side by side down the same road, forming a vibrant and prosperous scene.
"What a lively place... cough cough."
A young girl walking along the roadside, dressed in clothing that was slightly extravagant, looked at the beautiful scenery with a trace of envy in her eyes.
She envied those common folk who could work hard and contribute to the betterment of Sumeru.
She envied the merchants who, like her father, could support their families with the Mora they earned from business.
She wanted to be able to take care of herself too, so her father wouldn't have to work so hard.
And she envied the travelers who could explore all of Teyvat and witness its vast and colorful landscapes.
Unlike her—she had never even left Sumeru City her entire life.
"Miss, slow down. The sun's getting intense around noon. With your frail body, it's not good to be out in the heat too long."
Behind the richly-dressed girl was a female bodyguard who followed close behind.
Unlike her delicate mistress, this girl had a much more robust build. She had long, wild black hair that resembled a lion's mane, sharp and upright eyes, sun-kissed skin, and faintly visible abs on her midriff—
Everything about her exuded the impression of someone as brave and bold as a lion.
Someone like her didn't seem the type to work as a bodyguard for a wealthy young lady.
She looked more like a mercenary leader, or the head of an adventuring party—that's the impression most passersby on the street got from her.
And they weren't wrong.
Among the onlookers were a few who recognized the name of the girl being protected, and they were even more shocked to see who her bodyguard was:
The famed "Flame-Mane Lioness" Dehya—serving as a personal guard?
Whoa. That family must be insanely rich!
"I know, I know... cough Dehya, before we head back, let's go sit over there for a while. I've walked long enough and need a short rest."
The elegant young lady—Dunyarzad—let out a soft cough and looked toward a shaded bench nestled beneath the sacred tree's roots.
"You're the miss, so you're the boss," Dehya yawned casually, clearly indifferent.
She walked alongside Dunyarzad and suddenly chuckled, glancing over at her young lady.
"You're in pretty good shape today," she said. "We've walked a good few hundred meters from the house, and you're only now feeling tired."
When they reached the shade of the sacred tree, Dunyarzad sat on one end of the bench, leaving space for Dehya.
Lowering her head gloomily, she looked down at her hands folded on her lap and said softly,
"'Eleazar' only ever gets worse—you know that. I've taken who knows how many rare medicines since I was little, and none of them have done a thing."
If it hadn't been for the Little Lord Kusanali encouraging her through a dream long ago, she probably wouldn't have made it this far.
"Don't be so pessimistic. There's no such thing as an incurable disease—people just haven't found the cure yet.
"Maybe somewhere out in this big wide world, someone already knows how to treat Eleazar. And if all else fails, we can ask the Little Lord Kusanali for help.
"She's the God of Wisdom, after all—if anyone would know how to treat Eleazar, it's her!"
Dehya tried to comfort her young lady.
"The Little Lord Kusanali is a kind and compassionate god. If she had a way to cure us, she'd never allow her people to suffer... But it's been so many years, and she still hasn't found a solution."
Dunyarzad sighed deeply.
Back in that dream, when she was comforted and encouraged by the Little Lord Kusanali, she could still feel the god's own sorrow and helplessness—
It was as if she blamed herself for being powerless.
"Sigh... The world's a big place. Who can say for sure whether a cure for Eleazar exists or not?"
Dehya leaned back against the bench, gazing slightly upward as she spoke:
"Who knows—maybe one day, the Little Lord Kusanali will use her divine power to simply erase the disease from the bodies of everyone suffering from it."
She had grown up with Dunyarzad and knew better than anyone the pain she endured. And perhaps because of that, though she hated to admit it—
Her hopes for a real cure for Eleazar were painfully slim.
All she could do was put her faith in the gods, and hope that one day the deity who protected Sumeru would rid the world of Eleazar with a single miracle.
"Hehe, Dehya, how could you think like that?" Dunyarzad chuckled at her.
"Even though the Little Lord Kusanali watches over us, she's not all-powerful.
"As her people, we can't expect her to fix everything for us. Solving problems through our own intelligence is what it means to be the people of wisdom!"
The idea of Eleazar vanishing overnight—how could something so good be real?
Dunyarzad lifted her right hand and lightly held her left wrist, which was hidden beneath her sleeve.
"As long as we don't lose hope, anything is possible!" Dehya said seriously, arms crossed.
"…"
A while passed in silence. Seeing that Dunyarzad still hadn't responded, Dehya worried that she might have said something wrong.
Turning to face her, she asked,
"What's wrong? Was I being too idealistic?"
"…"
Dunyarzad still didn't answer. At that moment, it felt like a tidal wave had erupted in her chest.
Her heart was pounding wildly.
Because as she held her left wrist—
She realized that what she felt beneath the sleeve was only her own slender, soft wrist.
There was no trace of the hard, scaly texture she knew so well!
She knew exactly what that meant.
The most obvious symptom of Eleazar was the appearance of hardened, gray-black scales on parts of the body.
For her, those scales had always grown along both arms.
Under normal circumstances, when she grasped her wrist like this, she should feel the familiar hardness of those gray-black scales beneath the fabric.
But now, all she felt was the smooth, soft cloth of her sleeve—no hardness at all!
How was that possible? Could what Dehya said actually be true—had her Eleazar really disappeared, just like that?!
Dunyarzad stared at the ground without blinking, her right hand clenching her left wrist as her heartbeat quickened further.
She wanted to believe what Dehya had said to comfort her—but her reason told her this had to be a hallucination.
A beautiful illusion, conjured up by her heart after hearing such hopeful words.
Otherwise, how could a disease that had been with her since childhood, tormenting her every day, suddenly vanish like it had never been there?
It had to be just a trick of her imagination!
"—Hey, hey! Miss, what's wrong? Don't scare me like that—if something's happened to you, I won't be able to explain it to your father!"
Dehya panicked as she saw Dunyarzad spacing out, unresponsive no matter how many times she called her.
This woman, who normally carried herself with such fierce presence on the battlefield and off it alike, now found herself flustered and at a loss.
Because to her, Dunyarzad wasn't just an employer—
She was a childhood companion, and a dear friend.
If anything happened to her, Dehya didn't think she could handle it!
"Phew..."
Dunyarzad was finally pulled back to her senses by Dehya's voice, and she forced herself to calm the storm of emotions inside her.
Shaking her head slightly, she offered a reassuring smile to the girl who cared so deeply for her.
"Don't worry, Dehya. I'm fine. It's just… I suddenly felt something strange. I don't know if it's real or just my imagination."
Even now, the feeling hadn't changed—her palm grasped her wrist, and there was absolutely no trace of that familiar hardness!
Those hated, gray-black scales... they really felt like they were gone.
But she didn't dare lift her sleeve to confirm it, afraid that her senses were lying and she'd only end up disappointed for nothing.
Better to leave it like this. Let me hold on to this hope.
Dunyarzad clutched her wrist, feeling the softness of her arm beneath the sleeve, not knowing whether the scales had truly vanished.
She didn't dare confirm it. She couldn't break this fragile illusion—
Let her stay in this dream just a little longer, holding on to that one sliver of joyful hope.
"What's wrong with your hand?"
Dehya didn't know what Dunyarzad was thinking. Seeing her young lady constantly clutching her wrist, she assumed something was wrong.
Concerned, she gently took her hand—and without hesitation, began to roll up her sleeve.
"Don't—!"
Dunyarzad, afraid her fantasy would be shattered, instinctively tried to stop her.
But it was too late.
Dehya looked up, confused by her young lady's sudden resistance, unsure why she wanted to stop her.
Her hands, driven by muscle memory, didn't pause. She rolled the sleeve all the way up—
And what was revealed underneath… was a stretch of pale, jade-like skin.
"…"
Dehya looked down again, holding her young lady's arm, frozen in silence.
Dunyarzad, drawn by Dehya's silence, lowered her head too—
And she, too, fell into silence.
This miracle hadn't happened to Dunyarzad alone.
All across Sumeru, everyone who had suffered from the torment of Eleazar…
Had just experienced the most beautiful, joyful day of their lives.
...
Akademiya.
Nahida stepped out of the "World Tree" space, accompanied by Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon.
Though they had just successfully erased the forbidden knowledge from the Great Lord Rukkhadevata's memories, what remained of her now was only a faint trace of consciousness.
Even if she could still maintain a human form—something far better than Raiden Makoto or Rukkhadevata of the past, who could only exist as spheres—
If left alone, this last spark of awareness would gradually wear away and eventually disappear forever.
So, Nolan had suggested that the Great Lord retreat to the sanctuary realm for rest.
In her current condition, she could no longer take care of Sumeru anyway.
All matters could now be entrusted to Nahida, the new Dendro Archon.
And thoughtfully, he had even considered that the Great Lord might still worry about her people—
So he gave both her and Nahida a "waymark" each.
This would allow Nahida to teleport into the realm at any time to share news about Sumeru, or seek her advice on governance.
Just like Raiden Ei and Raiden Makoto had done before.
Both the Great Lord and Nahida were grateful for this gesture, and their affection toward Nolan deepened.
[Nahida Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (340/700)]
[Great Lord Rukkhadevata Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (370/500)]
(End of Chapter)
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