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"Will we disappear?" Xia Lun asked.

"We will," Ninika replied. "This is the curse of that evil god... Right now, the nun in the church serves as our anchor. She knows everyone in our village."

"Then why don’t you go out and interact with others? If more people know you, wouldn’t your existence become more stable?" Xia Lun sounded puzzled.

He roughly understood Ninika’s meaning—those cursed by the Fabricated Truth had become something akin to beings of a subjective world. Their existence no longer belonged to themselves but depended on others' perceptions.

"That wouldn’t work," Ninika shook her small head, adopting a strangely mature tone. "Everyone perceives things differently... When multiple people’s perceptions overlap onto one person, their nature also overlaps. If there’s a conflict in perception, things could go very wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me give you an example. If one person thinks I’m good and another thinks I’m evil... what form would I take when I’m next reshaped?" Ninika said with a headache. "If both traits are imposed on me, I might end up with split personalities. Of course, if everyone sees me the same way, it wouldn’t be too bad, but even then, small differences in memory would still distort my original form."

Xia Lun nodded, half-understanding, then suddenly realized something. "Ninika... does that mean your current appearance..."

"Ah, yes, exactly," Ninika said indignantly. "Originally, I just looked a bit youthful, but after being reshaped by the perceptions of several generations of nuns, I ended up like this—a complete little girl!"

That really was unfortunate.

Aina’s expression remained unchanged, as if she already understood the nature of the Fabricated Truth’s curse.

"Our situation is still relatively good. It’s said that the Chaos Dragon Clan, who were directly targeted by the evil god, had their entire race erased from existence... Now, people outside probably don’t even know what the Chaos Dragon Clan is," Ninika shrugged. "Because of an ancestor who liked to... fraternize with humans, we came into existence so casually, carrying this curse... But as the Chaos Dragon blood in us grows thinner, maybe after a few more generations, the bloodline and the curse will fade entirely, and we’ll become ordinary people."

As she spoke, Ninika seemed to remember something and looked at Xia Lun and Aina with disbelief.

So... just who—or what—were these two in front of her? How did they know about the Chaos Dragon Clan?

Xia Lun stroked his chin.

So, others didn’t know about the Chaos Dragon Clan? He’d have to ask Liyana about it later.

"By the way, Aina, what about Mida...?" Xia Lun couldn’t help but think of that child.

"Before the Chaos Dragon Clan was cursed, she was already my trophy," Aina said flatly. "My possessions aren’t something others can destroy."

So, Aina had intervened to protect Mida.

Wait.

According to Ninika, the Chaos Dragon Clan had been completely erased, leaving nothing behind.

Then what about his body...?

Aina seemed to read Xia Lun’s thoughts and smirked slightly. "Mida’s parents were the ones I killed. Their flesh and blood became your power."

Xia Lun: "..."

"Those two dragons were no good. They planned to sacrifice Mida to strengthen themselves," Aina added. "Mida sensed her parents’ intentions even while still in the egg. There’s no misunderstanding—she’s grateful to me, so she’s obedient."

Then, Aina poked Xia Lun’s arm. "If you think about it, calling you Mida’s father isn’t entirely wrong."

Ninika was now utterly bewildered.

What were these two talking about? She felt like she both understood and didn’t understand at the same time.

Though the Nameless Village was mostly isolated, they still knew some things about the outside world through the nun.

For example, the five existing Demon Kings...

Frost Demon King Mida was said to be a frost dragon.

But everyone assumed she was a powerful pure-blooded white dragon... Was her true identity actually the Chaos Dragon Clan?

Ninika really didn’t want to know this.

She didn’t even want to guess who these two in front of her were—casually dropping forgotten secrets, having a Demon King call him "father," entering the Nameless Village as if it were nothing...

"Ninika?"

"Y-yes! I’m here!" Ninika forced a strained smile. "Do you have any orders?"

"Sorry."

"Huh?" Ninika was even more confused. Why would someone like Xia Lun suddenly apologize to her?

"Because of our arrival, your village’s perceptions have been disrupted, haven’t they?" Xia Lun said regretfully. "Both Aina and I have met the people here. The next time your existence is reshaped by the curse, the deviations will likely be even greater."

Xia Lun glanced at Ninika, hesitating to say more.

In his mind, Ninika was already the image of a little girl. Next time, she might become even smaller.

"It’s fine, my lord. We’re used to this," Ninika waved her hand dismissively. "Every time we’re reshaped, everyone changes a little—some grow taller, some gain weight... The nun can’t remember every detail. I’m just happy you remember me as I am now."

"My name is Xia Lun. No need to call me 'lord,'" Xia Lun said warmly, patting Ninika’s head. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"If Lord Xia Lun could stop patting my head, that would be great," Ninika said helplessly.

Xia Lun awkwardly withdrew his hand.

Xia Lun? The same name as the legendary hero?

Ninika muttered to herself.

Then, Xia Lun’s earlier words echoed in her mind:

"Don’t worry, I’m over a thousand years old."

A startling realization struck Ninika.

No... that couldn’t be, could it?

She blinked, but there seemed to be no other explanation.

"Seriously, Ninika, is there anything we can do for you? We’d like to help," Xia Lun straightened up and said. "To be honest, I’m actually quite strong."

Ninika nodded vigorously. "There is something I’d like to ask of you."

Then, she pulled out a pen and paper from somewhere and handed them to Xia Lun.

"Could you give me your autograph?"