The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 128

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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 128

“Richard.”

“Yeah. So right now, that demon beast thing is wandering around here?”

“Yes, even if something jumps out, don’t try to block it with Aura. You must dodge. If it touches you, you’ll get corrupted and become a demon beast too.”

“…Insane.”

“So leave the demon beast to me, and you focus on moving. Let’s go to the first floor first. We need to put everyone to sleep.”

Richard asked as he ran down the stairs while carrying her.

“Put people to sleep?”

“The demon beast wandering in the shadows of this manor prioritizes targeting people who are actively moving. Sleeping people are relatively safe, so we need to put everyone to sleep.”

“What kind of bastard is that… Anyway, I get it. You want me to knock out everyone who’s awake, right?”

“Yes, and then turn on as many lights as possible to reduce the shadows, duck!”

Rita cut off her words and shouted sharply. Richard, who was running down the stairs, reflexively bent his knees and lowered his head.

A massive hand of the Mimic that burst out from the ceiling’s shadow swept past that spot.

She immediately aimed her gun, but the silent bullet hit the ceiling instead of the reptilian skin. The creature had already melted back into the shadows.

“Damn, it’s disgustingly fast.”

As she muttered quietly, Richard stood awkwardly and asked.

“R-Rita, can I lift my head now?”

“Yes, you can move.”

“That thing just now…”

“Right, it’s a demon beast. By the standards of where I lived, it’s Named-class. A monster similar in level to a Kraken.”

“Kraken? That thing is similar to that giant octopus monster?”

“The levels and abilities of demon beasts vary so much that the classification standards are a bit ambiguous… But to get an identification name, they have to keep causing casualties while not being easily subjugated and continue spreading their infamy. In terms of difficulty to subjugate, they’re definitely at a similar level.”

“This is driving me crazy. Why is something like that suddenly crawling into our house?”

“…It seems like it’s because of me.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain the details later.”

Rita smiled weakly. Meanwhile, Richard, who had reached the first floor, adjusted his hold on her with one arm and struck the back of a guard’s neck on his own.

During that time, she shot a paralysis bullet at another guard who was some distance away. The guard trembled as if struck by an electric shock and then fainted.

Richard dragged the two of them to the brightest spot possible as Rita instructed. Then, after turning on the lights in the entrance and lobby, he headed to the kitchen where servants on night duty would be.

While Richard directly knocked out the servants and maids and brightly lit up the kitchen, Lillieta stood at the kitchen entrance, taking in all the surrounding shadows with her eyes and watching for the Mimic that could jump out from anywhere at any time.

She expected the Mimic to attack at least once or twice during this, but it remained quiet. But it didn’t seem like it had gone elsewhere either, as the scent of patchouli wasn’t wafting from anywhere yet.

‘What is this thing doing?’

She felt uneasy, but she couldn’t stop the operation because of that. Instead, she moved even more busily.

Richard and Lillieta, having finished the first floor, then cleared the second and third floors as well.

Wherever the siblings passed, lights opened their eyes and the Creme Dome gradually became dyed with light. Only the bedrooms remained in darkness so as not to wake the sleeping people.

After that, they returned to Lillieta’s room.

“Healing potion? Why that? Come to think of it, that blood on your clothes… you said it wasn’t your blood, right? Whose blood is it?”

Richard asked anxiously as Rita picked up the potion. She answered in as calm a voice as possible.

“It’s Leonhardt’s blood. He was attacked by the demon beast, but I gave him first aid.”

“Brother…”

Richard’s face turned pale as he closed his mouth. Rita threw off the bloodstained gown and reached for another gown.

Richard blocked her hand and threw a black cloak over her. It was the ‘Black Dragon’s Wing’ that had been hanging in one corner of her bedroom since he had given it to her as a gift.

“Hey, wear this instead.”

“…No, wait a minute.”

Rita tried to take off the cloak and hand it to him.

“It would be better if you wore this.”

“What nonsense are you talking? I’m much tougher than you.”

“Then what’s the point? You can’t resist the corruption that demon beasts spread.”

“You said I just need to avoid getting touched, right? I’ll dodge well, so instead of worrying about a top-class holy knight, you should be careful since you’re slow.”

Richard threw the cloak back over her. Rita didn’t really agree with his opinion, but she decided to give up since she didn’t want to waste time arguing.

“Fine, let’s hurry and go treat Leonhardt first.”

“Where should we go?”

“To the ballroom…”

As Richard picked her up and opened the bedroom door, Rita’s words trailed off.

Hanna was standing in the corridor.

Drenched in cold sweat, trembling.

Her tear-soaked light brown eyes stared at her in terror. The focus slowly faded from those eyes.

Having seen it 10 years ago, she could be certain immediately.

That’s not Hanna.

That’s Pascal.

“Get back!”

As she shouted, Richard reflexively retreated into the bedroom.

A pitch-black magic circle appeared around Hanna. And from the shadow of the bedroom sofa to Richard’s left, the wide-open maw of a demon beast rose up.

Glowing chains extended from the magic circle to bind Richard, he stopped with a thud as he was tied by the chains while trying to avoid the emerging Mimic, and Lillieta thrust her cloak-covered arm into the demon beast’s maw that was trying to bite his neck – all happened almost simultaneously.

Crunch, the demon beast’s closed teeth slipped off, unable to pierce through the black cloak.

‘Opportunity!’

With her arm bitten by the Mimic, or rather, with the creature’s head fixed in place, Lillieta aimed her gun.

Bang, the gunshot rang out. This time it wasn’t a silent bullet. Fire bloomed like a flower.

Graaaaaaah!

The Mimic, with one eyeball burst, made a sound for the first time. The creature that let out a shriek instantly disappeared into the shadows.

Meanwhile, Richard frantically struck the chains binding his legs with his sword.

“Damn, what the hell is this? Hey, wasn’t she your maid? How can she use magic!”

“That’s—”

“Can no longer, leave it, be.”

A choppy voice flowed from Hanna. Rita hurriedly looked back at her as she was getting down from Richard’s arms.

Pascal was spitting out clues with her own mouth.

“Become, an example.”

An example? Can’t leave it be? What?

‘Variables?’

That person moved Hanna’s body. Hanna placed her hand on her own throat.

‘I can’t let her cast a spell…!’

Rita immediately moved her gun. She had to subdue her somehow. Just as she aimed at Hanna’s wrist and was about to fire.

She saw focus momentarily return to the light brown eyes. Hanna looked at her with a desperate gaze.

“…Is there no way for me to resist?”

With the same look in her eyes as when she had asked that question in response to her words that Pascal might control her again.

And then she bit her own tongue. Using the momentary gap when she regained freedom.

“Ugh!”

“…!”

Rita paused for a moment with her hand on the trigger.

Pascal, who had taken over Hanna again, frowned. Then tried to cast a spell—

“〈I desire…〉”

—but hesitated due to her uncomfortable tongue. Hanna shouted like a scream in that gap. With her hand still on her throat.

“〈Oaths, I make a vow!〉”

Lillieta’s eyes widened. An oath incantation?

A whirlwind began to rage indoors. Oaths were gathering. The magic circle that Pascal had been floating around Hanna became distorted by the flow of gathering Oaths.

Hanna repeatedly opened and closed her mouth. Pascal’s will and her will alternately took control of her mouth.

“〈The nightmare—〉”

“〈Always―〉”

One mouth chanted two spells. Words broke off and became tangled.

When transparently glowing streams of Oaths surged like waves, Hanna’s voice grew louder, and when the magic circle spread around them shone black and pushed back the Oaths, Pascal’s incantation continued.

“〈Reproduce the nightmare in this place―〉”

The Oaths that had been struggling back and forth were crushed by the black light as Pascal’s incantation continued longer. The magic circle emitted an even greater light.

In that brief moment, Lillieta observed the scene, analyzed it, and made her judgment. Decision and action flowed like water.

Her muzzle, which had been aimed at Hanna, turned toward the magic circle. A Matan packed with as much Oaths as the standard-issue supply rifle would allow was fired.

Bang, the bullet traced a golden trajectory and pierced through the magic circle. Just like when it destroyed the coffin inside the lake, golden light exploded and shattered the magic circle to pieces.

Then Pascal’s incantation was cut short. He widened Hanna’s eyes and stared blankly at Rita.

In that moment, Hanna moved her mouth of her own will.

“〈Always― obey the master’s commands!〉”

An oath perfectly identical to Ethan’s.

“〈I swear in Hanna’s name!〉”

Rang out from her.

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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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