Nolan calmly watched Moonrithyll's face shift through surprise after surprise, then explained with a faint sigh.
"I don't care much for those people, so I was a little heavy-handed."
"You burned the thorns?"
Moonrithyll's eyes widened as she stared at Nolan in disbelief, as though hoping he would tell her it had all been a joke.
For an ancient champion who had survived since a bygone age,
"Yes." Nolan nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"And you killed all the Hornsent men in Enir-Ilim and Belurat too?" Moonrithyll pressed.
"Yes." Nolan's expression did not change as he nodded again.
"Well done!" Moonrithyll clapped excitedly, then burst into hearty laughter that rang through the entire room.
"I've been sick of those disgusting creatures for ages. They deserved exactly that! As expected of our brave and fearless Caria… cough, cough."
She suddenly realized she had misspoken, because she could feel the dangerous gazes of a certain noble princess and several other beautiful young women locked firmly on her.
So Moonrithyll wisely shut her mouth at once, lest one more word invite unnecessary trouble.
After a brief silence, Moonrithyll quickly changed the subject and asked curiously,
"These Numen seem to have escaped the Hornsent's clutches without being persecuted. Where exactly did you find them?"
"We've been in this land for so many years, yet we never discovered a trace of them. That's unbelievable!"
"In the dungeon of Tower Settlement, the one underground east of Belurat," Nolan replied with a smile.
As he spoke, he walked to the massive sand table in the center of the hall and lightly tapped a certain spot with his finger.
"But we sent people to infiltrate that place before, and they didn't find anything special. Just countless large jars." Moonrithyll looked at the man beside her and froze.
"They didn't come out of the jars, did they? Don't tell me the Hornsents' ritual actually succeeded and they really became 'good people.'"
"How could those wretched things ever have succeeded? This was all because of Nolan. He was the one who performed that incredible miracle!"
Trina, perched on Nolan's back, spoke up for him.
It was hard to imagine a deity who seemed to regard himself entirely as a mortal using a word like "miracle," filled as it was with awe and wonder.
"You really did it?" Moonrithyll's eyes widened as she stared hard at Nolan, disbelief written all over her face.
After all, Messmer had spent countless years and untold effort trying to settle the matter of the Hornsent, yet even he had never managed to achieve what he wanted.
And now this young man before her had actually done it?
While Moonrithyll was still reeling, the people around her began speaking over one another, recounting Nolan's various deeds.
What the Hornsent had done to the Numen should have been impossible to heal, so what Nolan had done truly deserved to be called a miracle.
"Life! What an incredible power. Don't tell me you can even create life?"
Moonrithyll stared fixedly at Nolan, her face showing the kind of alarm one might have when looking at a monster.
Faced with her exaggerated reaction, Nolan could only shake his head helplessly and explain,
"For now, I really can't create new life directly."
"The Numen's lives were still there. All I did was make a few small adjustments, remove the excess impurities from their bodies, and restore them to their original state."
"As for creating life in the truest sense, bringing something out of nothing, that's far harder than reshaping a person."
Moonrithyll parted her lips slightly. A few indistinct sounds caught in her throat, but she soon closed her mouth again.
She genuinely had no idea what to say.
Nolan made it sound far too easy, as though this were nothing more than casual conversation. That very casualness was what made it so frightening.
"Did I just hear something I shouldn't have?" Moonrithyll asked.
She did not want to die at the hands of someone who might be their Lord Consort.
If it really came to a fight, she suspected that princess, with the same love-addled streak running through her bloodline, would not be much help. She might even take his side.
"Relax, dear Lady Moonrithyll. We're friends now, aren't we? It's fine." Nolan waved a hand and smiled.
"And if you think it's necessary to report this to the higher-ups, go right ahead. There's no need to worry about it."
"If possible, it would be best to gather all the Numen together. That would save us from having to search everywhere for them."
At those words, a deeply complicated look flashed across Moonrithyll's face.
She stared at the man before her, a man she still did not truly understand. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly said,
"You. Are you trying to be a savior?"
"You're overthinking it." Nolan could not help letting out a soft laugh, a trace of self-mockery in his smile.
Savior? He had stopped being one long ago.
"A lofty title like 'Savior' doesn't suit me. I just want to do this." The faint smile remained at the corners of his mouth.
"I really am getting old. Young people these days are impossible to figure out."
Moonrithyll sighed deeply and muttered to herself,
"Were you planning to use me from the very beginning? Fine, then. I'll be your messenger this once."
Nolan replied with a pleasant smile, "Our meeting was a coincidence."
Was she treating him like some calculating mastermind?
It was not as if he were Miquella.
The valiant female knight had always acted swiftly and decisively. With a single order, the cavalry in black armor rode out of the fortified stronghold without delay.
The clear, ringing sound of hooves rose into the sky, seeming to echo that grim and murderous rhythm as the riders went farther and farther away, until they disappeared from view.
It was worth mentioning that, aside from Nolan and the other four, every one of those mysterious Numen had been invited into the inner city.
For the soldiers who followed Messmer with unwavering devotion, the arrival of the Numen was undoubtedly joyous news.
Because of that, the night was destined to be lively, filled everywhere with a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
Early one morning a few days later, the girls, dressed in clothes of many colors and looking entirely renewed from head to toe, gathered within the high walls. At a glance, they were as pure and beautiful as white roses in full bloom.
The braided Numen beside Nolan brought him breakfast. The young woman wore a white gown that matched her long hair.
The skirt swayed gently in the breeze and fell naturally around her small, delicate feet, as lovely and moving as a flower in bloom.
Looking at her, Nolan's handsome face held only a calm, gentle smile.