The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns Chapter 296: A Princess From Another World

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The rainbow light constantly merged with Princess Pomelo’s dress and her entire body. Her dress, which was rather plain before, became more beautiful, covered with frills and ribbons, while her long blonde hair was tied into a cute, flowing ponytail. 

“Oh my! Did I get bigger now— Not enough?!” 

She gasped, realizing she was still quite small… Unlike a child, she seemed fully adult, but her size was simply diminished. Now, she finally stood taller than Vulcan or Kirby, surpassing the two of them. She was about twice their size—around forty centimeters. 

“I-Is this as big as I can get? Lady Giantess, do you think I could grow to my normal size one day?” 

“I… don’t know, but I could probably help you with that. If you cultivate a physique and then enhance your body, growing in size shouldn’t be hard.” 

“Physique?” 

She cutely tilted her head, looking rather confused by the many words I used. 

“Hm, first of all, let’s talk. I’ll explain to you who I am and what’s going on… We’ve got time; it’s still pretty early in the morning.” 

“Thank you…” 

“Oh, right, would you like to drink something?” 

“Um, a cup of tea would be nice…” 

“Alright, how about some biscuits to go with it?” 

“That would be wonderful!” 

“Very well. Are you hungry?” 

“I… think I am, yes.” 

“I noticed.” 

“Uuh…” 

She blushed, feeling embarrassed after I pointed that out. She was like a cute doll that had suddenly hatched from the egg rather than a person… But I know that sounds weird. It’s just that her appearance and dazzling atmosphere were really—how do I say it?—kind of special. She certainly wasn’t a normal human; her presence felt like that of a magical or spiritual being. 

I think she didn’t stay the same as in her previous life. After this “reincarnation” through the egg, she most likely still counts as something akin to a “Divine Monster,” though it’d be better if I didn’t say that directly to her face. 

“Hmm…! This tea is incredible, Lady Giantess!” 

She happily drank the tea I prepared—a simple green tea with a few herbs for flavor, a bit of ginger, and Divine Golden Honey from the Golden Peak Bees. 

“The sweetness is so nice and not overwhelming at all~!” She smiled happily. “And these biscuits… Hmm! Delicious. I’d never tasted cookies made out of rice before. And is this… soy sauce?” 

“Yeah, they’re simple rice crackers with a soy sauce flavor,” I said. “Something I used to make as snacks all the time.” 

“I see! A wonderful combination of sweet and savory flavors, Lady Giantess! I wonder, though—what’s your name?” she asked. 

“I’m Bing Xue, and well…” I slowly explained more about myself, Earth, a bit of Murim, and what had happened so far. 

Her eyes widened the more I told her of all the crazy things planet Earth had been subjected to. Even her hands, holding the cup of tea, trembled lightly. 

“S-So many things…! I cannot… I can hardly believe it,” she muttered. “I… I suppose I don’t really have much reason to return to Earth either way. I never met my parents, and honestly, I’m not really interested in meeting them either. I’d rather return to the Acorn Kingdom, to my people. I bet everyone must be very afraid—I’m concerned.” 

“Hm, and well, there’s a possibility you didn’t even come from the same Earth I did, as there are many parallel ones out there,” I explained. 

“Yes, I’m well aware now, Lady Bing Xue,” she said, sipping more of her tea. 

“Now, tell me, Pomelo… Um, how did you even die?” I asked. “What happened over there?” 

“Ah…” She fell silent for a moment, gazing at her reflection in her big cup of tea. “It’s… a bit complicated. Our peaceful Kingdom was suddenly attacked by mysterious forces—an eternal, endless darkness that spread everywhere. Those who touched this darkness would suddenly become encompassed by black auras, and their eyes would turn red.” 

“Huh…” 

“A-And a lot of my people got sick from this darkness. It got into our water… We tried fighting back—my army was ready—but The Darkness was too powerful. My soldiers turned against me. Not even with all the Power-Up Items could I defeat them all, much less kill them. I couldn’t bring myself to do that…” She sighed. “In the end, I fell from the flying ship I was using—a gift from the Evil Dragon King Barbarios. He was also fighting by our side, alongside the other Kingdoms of our World.” 

“So you fell?” I wondered. “And even enemies allied together against this… Darkness, huh? That sounds terrible.” 

“Yes… I fell into The Darkness. I can still remember hearing the screams of my subjects…” She sighed, shedding a few tears. “I thought I would die, but… I ended up here. Now that you’ve explained how things are, I suppose I did die. I simply reincarnated miraculously. And as you imply, we have no idea how to go back to my world—it could even be in another dimension entirely.” 

“I’m sorry… I’m currently working on a machine that can open gates to other timelines,” I explained. “I’m fairly sure they’re dimensions too. I can’t promise you anything right now, but if it’s possible, I’ll try to find a way for you to go back.” 

“T-Truly?! Ah, Lady Bing Xue, you’re such a good person…” She cried as I handed her a little handkerchief to wipe her tears. She was such a crybaby. 

“For now, I think you should rest. I’ll protect you until you can find your way back home, and I might even accompany you to get rid of whatever this Darkness might be,” I said with a gentle smile. “Until then, I hope it won’t be too bothersome to be with me or my family.” 

“O-Of course not! I’m very grateful. I’ll work hard as well. I’ve… awakened strange and mysterious powers myself. With them, I might be of use against whatever foes you encounter,” she smiled. 

“I appreciate the thought,” I nodded. “Maybe it would be a good idea if you trained these abilities—not to help me, but to help your own world once you get back.” 

“Right… You’re right, Lady Bing Xue!” She nodded. “My Kingdom… If one day I truly go back, I’ll free them from this Darkness with these new powers. I must train them… I can’t rely on Felicidad or the Power-Up Items from my World to do all the work. Perhaps what I needed was true strength born from myself.” 

“Well said!” I nodded. “Alright, Princess Pomelo, shall we test what you can do?” 

“Very well!” She nodded, her blue eyes shining with rainbow light. 

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