"Any other questions, Luminous?"
"If not."
Rin gestured to Veldora. "You can begin."
What was to begin was already self-evident.
"Uh..."
Because Rin had given her so much, even Luminous felt a little embarrassed.
Her revenge on Veldora was also affected.
With Rin present, she didn't feel comfortable being too harsh.
So, after using the Lord of Lust's control over life and death to inflict extreme pain and torment on Veldora, Luminous, although still somewhat displeased with him, did not bring up their grievances again.
A clarification is needed here.
Originally, with Veldora's divine magicules, Luminous's control over life and death could not be remotely cast on him.
However, considering their past grievances, Veldora very sensibly did not resist.
This meant Luminous didn't have to cling to him as in the original story; instead, with just her gaze, she tormented Veldora to death and back.
Hmm, the instant-death demonic eye that could kill others with a stare.
When it landed on Veldora, it only caused pain.
This shows how overpowered the Dragon God truly was.
"For Rin-sama's sake, my grievances with you are hereby cleared!"
Luminous didn't want to make things difficult for Rin and chose to take a step back.
"Good, good, good!"
Seeing this, Veldora immediately understood that this was his way to save face. "It was my immaturity. I will definitely mend my ways and never repeat it!"
In addition to apologizing, Veldora also promised to provide adequate compensation to the Vampire Clan.
Only then was the matter completely settled.
"Rin-sama."
Luminous asked, "May I ask, how should the Holy Empire of Lubelius handle this matter?"
The time for the Monster Nation to appear openly had been set.
When Rin returned from the Campione World, the Cardinal World would be completely shrouded in the shadow of the Monster Nation.
After that, it would be the Eastern Empire's turn to capture the Scorch Dragon and declare war on the Ten Great Demon Lords.
"What do you think?"
"A bit troublesome."
Luminous stated that the Holy Empire of Lubelius was the top power in the human faction.
The only ones comparable were the Rosso Family of the Kingdom of Englassia, led by the human hero Granbell.
"This operation was led by Hinata, with a total of three thousand Holy Knights, including six Saints and one hundred eleven Temple Knights."
Such a massive force, however, was defeated in the Great Jura Forest.
If this news were to spread, Rin's plan to conceal his existence would fail completely.
After all, if you can repel Hinata's army,
That means you already possess the strength to contend with the entire Western Nations.
And with Rin's personality, he wouldn't stoop to making Luminous lie about it.
He was just afraid of trouble, not genuinely trying to play the submissive role.
If it really came down to it, Rin was indifferent to exposing the Monster Nation's existence prematurely.
"The best solution is actually for them to never return."
"Never return?"
Rin pondered the phrase and said, "You mean, simply not letting the Holy Knights return, creating a situation where the entire army is annihilated and sinks into the sea with the fifty thousand troops from the Kingdom of Falmuth?"
"Yes."
Luminous said, "As long as the Knights do not return, then I don't have to do anything."
"Because according to the customs of the Holy Empire of Lubelius, our country will inevitably communicate with other nations and hold a Human Alliance Conference."
And the actions of humans, well, they certainly wouldn't be fast.
Especially a gathering of kings like this, with no evidence and only rumors about anomalies in the Jura Great Forest.
It would take at least several months of debate before any conclusion could be reached.
"How long will Rin-sama's next actions take?"
"One month at the fastest, half a year at the slowest."
"That's fine."
Luminous said, "As long as there's no movement from the Jura Great Forest, the Western Nations will spend a long time just discussing the failure of this expedition."
If she were to delay it further, the time would only stretch longer.
"Hmm, let's do as you say."
Speaking of this, Rin suddenly thought of something, and his gaze shifted between Luminous and Hinata. "I say, you're not just doing this for this matter, are you?"
"Oh my, you really can't be fooled, Rin."
Luminous nodded slightly and said sincerely, "I just feel that an excellent child like Hinata should, like me, become your strength."
"The previous incident was due to Hinata being deceived by villains, which led her to make a wrong choice."
"So, please give her a chance to atone for her sins and prove herself."
Luminous knew the full story behind Hinata's initiation of the war, and she utterly detested that scoundrel Yuki Kagurazaka.
As for Hinata...
Hinata became a hero and joined the Holy Empire of Lubelius primarily because of Luminous's attitude toward humans.
Luminous believed that Vampires and humans could coexist harmoniously.
She provided humans with a good life.
Humans regularly donated blood, allowing Vampires to obtain the most blissful blood.
The two complemented each other; it was not an exaggeration to call it a unique form of symbiosis.
"My grievances with her are already settled."
As Rin spoke, he gave Hinata a meaningful look, making the girl blush.
Thinking about what happened in the black box, Hinata wished she could find a hole to crawl into; it was just too embarrassing.
"However..."
Rin changed the subject and said, "Whether or not she wants to follow me still depends on Hinata's own thoughts."
"Hinata?"
Luminous had wanted to say that Hinata would definitely agree.
However, remembering Hinata's personality, Luminous ultimately said nothing.
"Tell me, Hinata."
Rin asked, "Are you willing to join the Monster Nation and become the sharp sword in my hand?"
Hinata's talent was beyond doubt.
As one of the few top combat powers on the human side in the original work, Hinata possessed the potential to reach the extreme.
In the future, even if she couldn't reach Gods Ultimate, she would still be among the strongest below that level.
Rin had no reason to let such a talent go.
But... it was still the same principle.
When Rin took someone in, it was about mutual willingness.
Forcing Luminous to stay was different. She was a monster herself and believed in the law of the jungle.
For Rin, who could help her evolve and avenge her grievance against Veldora, Luminous would naturally be loyal and unwavering.
However, Hinata was different.
Hinata was human.
Rin knew the upper and lower limits of humans better than anyone.
Things like power, authority, and status... these held no meaning for Hinata.
If Rin couldn't give Hinata a reason to strive for and protect, Hinata would rather die than compromise, let alone aid evil.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)