The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 111

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 111

As soon as he poked his head above the cliff, a gun muzzle touched his head. Gideon didn’t panic and remained still, hanging from the cliff as he looked up at his opponent.

Lillieta.

Her blonde hair, soaked with cold sweat, clung to her pale face. Her breathing was uneven, making her shoulders heave, and her eyes were hazy. Her eyelashes fluttered weakly.

She stood there in a daze with her gun aimed, then slowly asked back.

“…Gid?”

“You’re too slow to recognize me, Rita.”

Gid, who instantly grasped her condition, answered in a low voice.

Even though he had approached while openly revealing his presence, her reaction was much slower than usual. If she had been in normal condition, she would have recognized who he was before he even showed himself.

She only had enough consciousness left for instinctive vigilance. Seeing her maintain a stance ready to shoot and kill approaching enemies even in that state was both admirable and absurd.

She was safe for now, but actually, she wasn’t safe at all.

‘What on earth happened in the brief moment I looked away…’

This was truly maddening.

Rita, recognizing him, slowly lowered her gun muzzle and relaxed her guard.

As soon as Gid confirmed her guard was down, he quickly pulled himself up onto the cliff. After completely climbing up, he first checked the source of the blood smell that had been wafting since earlier.

His breath caught in his throat.

One side of her grayish-blue dress was so stained with blood it looked red. Between the dress hem that had been carelessly torn with a blade, he could see something horn-like that had pierced through her thigh, fixed in place with bandages.

Even those bandages were turning red. It must be from the recoil of the sniping she had just done.

“Hah…”

Gideon let out a groan-like breath and immediately lifted her into his arms.

“Uh, Gid? I—”

“Shut your mouth.”

The fact that she felt even lighter made him angrier. He added through gritted teeth.

“I’m really going crazy because of you.”

“Look, it’s not as serious as it appears. I even gave myself first aid.”

“I told you to be quiet.”

“…Sorry. For making you worry.”

“You’re just good at apologizing.”

Gid moved very slowly while grinding his teeth. Carefully, so as not to shock her leg.

Meanwhile, he briefly turned his head to check the location she had sniped. He could see the Crawler melting and writhing in the rising smoke.

To think a named monster with ridiculous defense and difficult to catch had been torn to shreds in one shot—it was an infuriatingly clean and excellent result. If it hadn’t been Lillieta, catching it would have been troublesome in many ways.

‘Only the finishing touches remain. Oli and Luca will handle that themselves.’

Looking to the opposite side, there was a single tree rising alone on the barren cliff. Around that tree, some thickets and grass grew, making it suitable for temporarily hiding.

Not performing emergency treatment in open spaces had become an instinctive habit.

He went there, hid appropriately, leaned against the tree trunk, and then seated Lillieta on his thigh.

Then he took out bandages, healing potions, oath concentrates, anesthetics, and other supplies from his belt pouch, untied the cord that had been securing his cloak, and spoke.

“Rita, it’s dangerous to move like this, so I’m going to pull out the horn first and give you first aid again.”

“…Okay.”

“Are you dizzy?”

“A little. It’s fine, I didn’t reach the point of oath overuse…”

“…”

Words he wanted to argue with surged up, but Gid didn’t get angry. Treatment was more urgent.

“Even if it’s not overuse level, you used a lot of oath just now, right? Then it would be better not to use the oath concentrate.”

“Yeah…”

“Lean on my shoulder. Stretch your leg this way… That’s it.”

He hurriedly removed his cloak and jacket with its complex ornaments, pulling her close with his upper body clad only in a soft shirt.

Then Lillieta leaned the side of her head against his shoulder and let out a thin sigh.

He felt a tight sensation inside his chest. Separate from his anger at her reckless behavior, relief that she was safe welled up.

She was alive. He was just so grateful for that.

Gid pressed his forehead against her sweat-dampened crown, took a deep breath, then turned his gaze toward the thigh where the horn was embedded.

“…I’ll apply a tourniquet and then make an incision around the wound.”

Rita nodded slightly while leaning against him. Gid lifted her limp arm to wrap around his neck and whispered.

“I have anesthetic, but it’s emergency-use. It’s going to hurt a lot, so hold on tight. If necessary, bite my shoulder.”

“I have a handkerchief…”

“Did you forget I’m enhanced? No matter how much you bite and tear, I won’t get a single wound, so just bite.”

Rita sighed again, then pulled his neck close and buried her mouth against his shoulder.

It was a softer and hotter sensation than expected. Gid stiffened for a moment in confusion, then immediately came to his senses and moved his hands quickly.

First, he unwrapped the bandages that had been wound around her thigh and wiped away the clotted blood with a handkerchief.

The white, smooth skin that had been hidden under the bloodstains was revealed. Compared to before when it had been firm, it was excessively soft and tender, making his touch naturally more careful. It felt like it might bruise if he pressed wrong.

Seeing that hideous, dirty horn embedded in such skin made him curse involuntarily.

It must have hurt terribly, yet she climbed trees and cliffs with this leg and even did sniping? Having too much mental strength and endurance was also a problem.

‘Damn Rita Pascal…’

Gideon swallowed his curses and dipped his finger into the ointment-form anesthetic, beginning to apply it around where the horn was embedded.

Every time his ointment-covered hand touched the red, swollen wound area, Rita flinched as she endured the pain.

He was going crazy in multiple ways. With his remaining hand, he grasped the back of her head and gently pressed it against his shoulder.

“Just bite it, I said.”

“I can still… bear it.”

Rita mumbled. Gid let out a long sigh.

After barely finishing applying the anesthetic, he waited a moment for it to soak in.

During that time, he carefully wiped the cold sweat beaded on her forehead and smoothed back her disheveled hair to tidy it. She complained weakly.

“My hair is uncomfortable.”

“Should I tie it up?”

“No, it’s fine…”

Lillieta stopped mid-answer, hugged his neck tightly, then laughed softly with her mouth buried against his shoulder.

His nape felt ticklish. Gideon barely managed to calm his heart that was about to jump out of his throat and asked grumpily.

“You find this funny, right now?”

“No, it’s just… it’s funny how much I’m relaxing because I trust you. Here I am, sprawled out just because you came, complaining about my hair… I’ve completely let my guard down because of you.”

“…Even pretty words won’t make me less angry, Rita. Look at what you’ve done to your body.”

“What do you mean, pretty words?”

“I’m really going to lose it.”

Gid muttered in exasperation and picked up the cord that had secured his cloak.

After tightly wrapping the cord above the wound area for hemostasis, he generated sword energy at his fingertips and made small incisions around the horn. This was a process to prevent the wound from worsening due to skin tearing during extraction.

Rita looked down calmly at him cutting around her wound and said.

“The anesthetic is working well?”

“It won’t be good now.”

He gripped the horn with one hand, held Rita’s upper body tightly with his other arm, then once again gently pressed the back of her head against his shoulder.

“Don’t be stubborn and bite, Rita.”

“…”

“I’m pulling it out.”

He felt Lillieta place her teeth against his shoulder. Gideon took a deep breath, examined the angle of the horn, then pulled it out in one swift motion.

“…!”

She trembled all over, hugged his neck forcefully, and bit down on his shoulder. Bright red blood gushed out from the hole in her thigh.

Gid moved his hands swiftly.

The blood pooled around the wound area was flowing out, so it wasn’t immediately dangerous bleeding, but if left alone it would become truly dangerous, requiring quick treatment.

He quickly scanned the inside of the wound with his eyes to check for remaining foreign matter, removed blood clots and damaged tissue, then poured healing potion over it. Being made from medicinal herbs, the potion would also serve as disinfectant.

One bottle wasn’t nearly enough. He poured out all the potions he had, plus everything from Lillieta’s reticule. Until the bleeding completely stopped.

At the third bottle, he removed the tourniquet and instead pressed firmly on the upper part of her thigh with his hand. Keeping it tied longer could cause tissue necrosis.

At the fifth bottle, he could see flesh growing and the hole closing up.

‘Her constitution is definitely different. The potion effects are good.’

For an ordinary person, no matter how much healing potion you pour on them, torn flesh won’t regenerate. The wounds would only close.

Pouring this much potion in such a short time should have caused poisoning symptoms or side effects, but there were none.

However, considering that divine power and healing magic don’t work on her, it’s not entirely positive.

After using the sixth bottle, the last healing potion he had, he took out fresh bandages and wrapped them around her thigh.

‘That should do it.’

Now she’ll be fine if she rests for a while.

The tension finally left his spine that had been rigid with stress. He turned his head to check Rita’s condition.

“It’s finished. Are you okay?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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