The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 176

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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 176

Duke Duilebog, though inwardly leaning toward the Crown Prince, had never shown it openly and was thus classified as part of the Grand Duke’s faction.

Pabein was one of the few people who had been loyal to Duke Duilebog since her days as ‘Princess Saruvia,’ when she was competing with her half-siblings. He was also the knight who had saved her from crises several times, suspected to be the work of her stepmother.

Duke Duilebog, who had no knowledge whatsoever in combat matters, therefore entrusted him exclusively with her personal security and the ducal house’s protection.

Pabein’s loyalty to Saruvia was genuine. Moreover, he regarded Lavinia as if she were his own daughter.

Though he would occasionally dare to raise his voice to the princess, if a gun were to explode in Princess Lavinia’s hands, he would be the one to shield her with his life.

He even had the skills to back it up, as evidenced by his victory in the shooting competition.

This was why Duke Duilebog overlooked Pabein’s arrogance and mistakes and kept him by her side. It was also why she reinstated him after only a brief period of self-reflection despite his rudeness.

“The Imperial Guard is a group under the Crown Prince’s control. We cannot simply remain idle in a place prepared and guarded by such people. We will escort you, so wouldn’t it be better to return to the safer manor?”

This was also why the Duke listened to Pabein’s opinions.

She trusted her own knights, who had risked their lives to protect her since her princess days, more than the Crown Prince’s Imperial Guard.

While she didn’t completely distrust the Crown Prince’s talk of demonic beast contamination, having never experienced it firsthand, she was relatively complacent about it.

After all, that giant monster and some special knight order would clash in the Imperial Palace garden, and no matter what safety measures were in place, wouldn’t it be safer to go home rather than stay in a building within the Imperial Palace?

It was a judgment she wouldn’t have made if she had known that Beacon was moving the Red Queen to Lamcard Arena, and that an accident had occurred in the process, causing Card Soldiers to pour into the city.

Saruvia del Noma Duilebog decided to call her only daughter and return home together.

Just as the Imperial Palace and Guard had no authority to stop the Grand Duke’s departure, they had no right to prevent the Duke’s movements.

The Duke also suggested that Annemarie, who was with Lavinia, return home together, but she looked toward the Raskail family members and her own family and chose to remain.

Thus, as they were returning from the Imperial Palace to Duilebog’s townhouse, they encountered a Card Soldier that the Special Knight Order had missed.

It would have been better if he had simply slashed it with his sword. Or if he had fled.

But Pabein, who was at the front, immediately swung his aura-enhanced sword upon seeing the strange monster, and the aura that contacted the demonic beast began to be contaminated instantly.

Pabein had no means to resist it.

Pabein striking down the Card Soldier from the front, the Card Soldier raising what looked like a paper spear to block it, contamination surging through the aura, and Pabein’s entire body writhing grotesquely—all in just a few seconds.

Those who had not yet faced disaster could not understand the situation. Just as it had been in Pascal’s history.

“Count Pabein?”

Duke Duilebog called out in confusion to the staggering knight. Another knight from the ducal house approached to check on his colleague, whose spine was bulging and twisting irregularly.

Suddenly, Pabein’s head split open like a rose. From within, things that might have been thorn vines or tentacles shot up, wrapping around the approaching colleague’s head and pulling it in. Plucked it. Devoured it.

Pabein’s bulging back tore open as strange wings sprouted. They were shaped like the skeletal wings of a bat.

The sword he held took root and became completely integrated with his hand. His legs lengthened and swelled, covered with fur as the joints bent backward. Like those of a beast.

A monster with bone wings, a flower-like split head, horse-like legs, and swords instead of hands chewed on his colleague’s head with the round mouth at the center of its flower head and looked back at the master he had sworn to serve with his life just moments before.

When one is too shocked, even screams don’t come easily. Neither the Duke nor the remaining knights of Duilebog could even scream.

And Lavinia, who was behind the Duke, recalled the stories that ‘Teacher Rita’ had told her.

For those who weren’t Covenant holders to fight demonic beasts, it was better to face them with pure physical force. Among these, ranged weapons with strong destructive power and little direct contact were most advantageous.

For example… like guns.

Lavinia del Aiser Duilebourg didn’t actually fully understand the situation unfolding before her eyes. Fear and shock had exceeded their limits and paralyzed her reason.

However, the things Lillieta had taught her, the words she had spoken, and the movements she had trained remained in Lavinia’s body.

At the moment when the monstrous Pabein kicked off the ground, spread his bone wings, and lunged toward her mother.

She was able to draw her revolver, aim at the demonic beast’s head, and pull the trigger.

Bang—!

The bullet fired with a loud explosion pierced through the round mouth that gaped at the center of the flower head. Green blood burst from the back of the demonic beast’s head.

Pabein fell to the ground before reaching the Duke. On the stone-paved streets of the Imperial Capital, the grotesque monster writhed and bled green blood.

She could see the large hole in the back of its head slowly regenerating. And beyond it, a Card Soldier with a paper spear pointed forward was approaching them.

She aimed her gun at it as well.

Bang, the rapidly fired bullet tore through the Card Soldier’s paper body. She had aimed for the head but hit the body.

The soldier hesitated, but the paper was only torn and didn’t bleed. The torn hole could be seen slowly mending itself.

‘Restraint… I can only restrain them to this degree with this.’

Lavinia gasped for breath and pulled her mother’s hand with her free hand.

Duke Duilebog looked at her daughter with a completely drained face. Her daughter spoke with an expression she had never seen before.

“The aura… Count Pabein became like that because he used aura. His Highness the Crown Prince said so at the opening ceremony. Everyone remembers, right?”

The knights’ faces turned pale. Lavinia spoke firmly despite her trembling voice.

“From now on, never use aura against the monsters. And we… let’s return to the Imperial Palace. The shelter prepared by the Imperial family will have ways to deal with those things.”

The Duke and knights nodded blankly.

As they ran back the way they came, the demonic beast that had been Pabein and the Card Soldier recovered and pursued them. The knights carried the slow-footed her and the Duke.

Lavinia thought with trembling lips and hands.

Though several knights capable of using aura were nearby, she was the only one who could stop those monsters now. Only the marksmanship her teacher had taught her.

‘Teacher Rita.’

She recalled Lillieta’s back as she stood facing the Kraken. She overlapped herself with that image. She bit her lip.

‘Even if I can’t match teacher, even if I can’t do it like teacher… I can do at least this much! I trained not to drop the coin! I even won the competition!’

Lavinia placed her trembling hand on the knight’s shoulder and looked back. She gritted her teeth and aimed the revolver.

‘I don’t have many bullets left.’

Though she had brought her revolver even while attending the National Foundation Day banquet, she hadn’t properly prepared spare ammunition.

She had only a few chances. She didn’t shoot immediately but waited.

Until just before the knight would be caught by the demonic beast. Until just before the tip of the sword that Pabein had treasured so much after receiving it as a gift from her mother would touch the knight’s back.

She waited until such a precarious moment before shooting the head of the monstrous knight.

She missed because her whole body was shaking. Tears welled up. She bit her lip and shot again.

Bang, this time it hit.

Pabein—no, the monster wearing Pabein’s clothes—collapsed. The distance widened again.

Lavinia burst into tears as she rotated the cylinder to load the next bullet.

* * *

Just before Twilight could reach the Queen’s face, the King tumbled down the slanted spectator seats and blocked it with his body.

The body of the demonic beast that looked like an old man was pierced by Twilight and exploded. The Red Queen let out a scream-like shriek.

Kyaaaaaaak!

Simultaneously, soft green and white lights intertwined in the air behind the demonic beast, covering Lamcard Arena.

Something Beacon had installed to prepare the battlefield and minimize damage after hearing intelligence. A grand magic activated and maintained jointly by Olivia den Luna Blen and Seraphina Shadea.

One of the disaster countermeasures they had been researching since returning four years ago.

A collaboration between the ‘Witch’ and the ‘Saint.’

The magic that Olivia had temporarily and roughly named ‘Isolation Space’ covered Lamcard Arena in a dome, trapping the Red Queen.

Outside the arena, Seraphina stood in a magic circle hidden near the back gate where Beacon had rotated surveillance, clasping her hands together in prayer and closing her eyes.

From now on, she would devote all her strength to the ‘isolation’ of the isolation space. To ensure that no matter what happened inside, the effects wouldn’t reach the outside. To prevent anything inside from escaping.

Using a method that reversed the essence of the Transfer type—the transmission of Ode.

Inside the arena, hidden in a magic circle installed within the covered VIP section, Olivia let her hands hang down and opened her eyes.

She would focus on ‘maintaining’ the isolation space. As long as Olivia didn’t collapse, this isolation space wouldn’t collapse.

She also took on the role of a control tower, sensing both inside and outside the space, analyzing the battle situation, and relaying information.

For this, she received help from Isaiah Kortvan’s unique technique ‘Bird’s Eye Transfer.’ A small blue sparrow borrowed from him circled at the top of the arena covered by the barrier.

The bird’s vision reflected in her olive-colored eyes.

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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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