Reincarnated as an Energy with a System

Chapter 1979: Minhya’s Thoughts

When Ning returned to the island, Minhya was in the middle of breakfast, while Emma sat across from her and spoke casually enough that the young High-Elf seemed far more relaxed than she had the day before. The base was quiet around them, with the morning light coming in through the open side of the building and the distant sound of the ocean carrying through the trees.

Emma looked toward Ning as he approached, then stood from her seat. ”I’ll go get Jun’Tal. He should be ready for training by now.”

Ning nodded, and Emma walked away before disappearing from the island entirely, leaving Ning and Minhya alone at the table. Minhya watched the place where Emma had vanished for a moment, then slowly turned back toward Ning.

”How did she do that? How do you do that?” she asked.

The fact that these people came and went as they pleased surprised the girl far more than anything else at this point.

”We just can,” Ning said.

The girl realized he wasn’t going to answer her. ”Was she your daughter?”

”Yes,” Ning said.

”But you said you had a son with my cousin Alya,” the High-Elf said.

”Uhh... think of that as a different relationship,” Ning explained.

The young girl’s eyes narrowed, and Ning could almost see the level of respect she had for him dropping when she heard that.

”Anyway, I said I would help you yesterday, so here I am,” Ning said as he took the seat Emma had just left. He could still see some exhaustion in Minhya’s face, but compared to the frightened girl he had pulled out of Faedria, she already looked considerably calmer.

Minhya lowered her gaze toward the food in front of her and continued eating, though more slowly than before. Ning did not rush her, waiting until she had eaten enough and no longer looked as though she might collapse from hunger before beginning the conversation he had been intending to have.

”You’re safe here,” he said. ”No one in Faedria knows where this island is, and even if someone somehow discovered it, they still wouldn’t be able to take you away from me.”

Minhya looked at him over the table, studying his expression carefully. ”I understand that you are strong, but you cannot underestimate the noble families of my kingdom. They each have people with powers that are far too strong for anyone to handle.”

”That’s fine. I’m stronger than them all combined anyway,” Ning answered.

The girl blinked in surprise, more so at the audacity than anything else. ”Are you that certain of your power?”

”You saw me yesterday,” Ning said. ”I am certain.”

There was nothing more the girl could say.

Ning continued. ”They can search as much as they want. As long as you’re here, they won’t be able to reach you.”

Minhya held his gaze for another moment before setting down the piece of food in her hand. The fact that he said it so casually made the statement more convincing, especially after what she had already seen him do.

”What happens now?” she asked.

”That depends on you,” Ning answered.

Her brows drew together slightly. ”On me?”

Ning leaned back in his chair and gestured loosely toward the island around them. ”You have several choices now that nobody is chasing you. You can stay hidden for as long as you want, leave Faedria entirely and build a life somewhere else, or you can go back and challenge what is happening there.”

Minhya stared at him as though she had expected him to tell her what she needed to do instead. ”And you would really help me no matter which one I choose?”

”Yes.”

”Even if I wanted to disappear forever and never deal with Faedria again?”

”I can make that happen,” Ning said. ”There are plenty of places where nobody would know who you are or care what bloodline you belong to. In fact, I could change you to look like an ordinary village girl with no elvish features in the slightest.”

Minhya looked down toward the table again, tracing one finger against the edge of the plate. ”And if I decided I wanted to go back?”

”I can help with that too.”

She fell silent for a long time after that, while Ning waited without interrupting. The morning breeze moved lightly through the forest, and for several moments, the only sound between them came from the waves farther down the island.

When Minhya finally spoke, her answer came more easily than Ning expected.

”I don’t want any of it.”

Ning watched her quietly.

”I don’t want to be a trophy to someone. I don’t want to be involved in politics. I care nothing about the throne,” Minhya continued. ”I just want somewhere none of them can find me. Somewhere I don’t have to keep wondering whether the next person I meet is there because of my blood.”

Ning understood her desires and nodded once. ”Then I’ll help you leave.”

For the first time since the conversation began, some visible relief appeared in her expression. Her shoulders loosened slightly, and she looked as though a decision she had been afraid to make had finally been taken out of her hands.

Then the relief faded.

Minhya turned her head toward the distant trees outside the building, and the silence stretched long enough that Ning could tell something else was bothering her.

”What about the others?” she asked.

Ning did not answer immediately.

She turned back toward him. ”If I disappear, what happens to everyone else with royal blood?”

”They’ll probably keep looking, I suppose.”

”Can you do something about it?” she asked.

Ning shrugged. ”I can help those in trouble, but I cannot predict who will be in trouble. So I cannot guarantee that I can help them all.”

Minhya gave a small, bitter nod. ”That’s what I thought. There is no way for you to determine who even has the royal bloodline in the first place. Those people have a way, so it is useless for others to run. Sooner or later, they will all be found.”