The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 201
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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 201
It truly looked that way, to most people.
Knights who could use aura and a few people with keen eyes knew that it was an optical illusion caused by red energy swirling around the sphere that formed and blazed at the muzzle of her gun.
But even they couldn’t deny the fact that the sight looked like the sun wrapped in sunset glow.
Twilight, or perhaps dawn.
While it was building up, the blue wolf herded the monsters like a dog herding sheep. Skillfully and nimbly circling around the hill to create flow, staying just out of reach.
And when the blazing twilight at the fingertips of the archer on its back reached its peak, it climbed vertically up the steep terrain and reached the hilltop in one bound.
The monster horde swarmed like a whirlpool at the bottom of the hill.
Blue light wrapped around the beast’s body like a mirage. Having infused his entire body’s muscles with Oaths, he kicked off the hilltop with unrealistic movement and leaped up once more.
The moment the giant beast soared high toward the brightening sky.
Dawn, no, a moment of twilight fell toward the monsters gathered far below.
The round light dropped downward like a water droplet. Like the sun hanging at the edge of the horizon. Wrapped in red heat like sunset glow.
The monsters watched it falling above their heads in bewilderment, or filled with rage, some of the sensitive ones terrified. The quick ones ran frantically in the opposite direction, but.
The range was too wide.
It was thanks to Lillieta adjusting the magic bullet to explode as widely as possible while accepting a slight reduction in firepower. She judged that this level of power would be sufficient against monsters that weren’t magical beasts.
As a result, none of the monsters that had gathered near the hill could escape the range of twilight.
The setting sun touched the ground.
Intense light burst forth and filled the surroundings. The smoke created by heat warming the air came next. The roar of the earth shaking echoed last.
Through the explosively rising smoke, the blue wolf soared up once again.
Beacon’s beast didn’t resist the tremendous recoil of the fired twilight but used it to leap even higher. And it fell toward the fortress wall, avoiding the exploding and overturning ground. With very graceful movement.
“S-s-sister! What kind of firepower is that! It’s not just a bit better than before! Aaaah! It’s high! This is too high! That magic! Some magic please! My legs are all breaking!”
Lucas’s completely ungraceful wailing was buried in the roar and explosions and didn’t reach people’s ears. Only Lillieta riding on his back could understand and immediately placed one hand on her neck.
“〈I desire. Wind that will prevent our fall.〉”
With her quick incantation, wind rushed in and supported them from below. Lucas let out a sigh of relief and slowly descended while relying on the wind. In front of Winterfield’s gates.
Behind the heavy beast’s paws landing softly, chain explosions occurred and flames shot up.
People watched the scene with their souls departed, or with both hands clasped in prayer, or shedding tears and embracing each other.
Those who came to their senses dealt with the few monsters still clinging to the fortress wall, and some saw the blue wolf and blonde woman who had descended at the gates and hurriedly ran along the fortress wall.
Before long, Winterfield’s gates, which had been firmly closed all night, opened smoothly.
Not a single monster could pass through those gates.
* * *
She slept like the dead without even dreaming.
Lillieta suddenly opened her eyes at some point.
It was an unfamiliar ceiling. She hurriedly tried to sit up, but her head spun a beat late.
‘This must be Winterfield Manor.’
It was clearly a well-decorated guest bedroom with even a blue wolf banner hanging. The Winterfield family crest.
Once she knew where she was, there was no need to rush. She removed the hand that had stuck to her waist and moved slowly.
‘The holster is now on my wrist, but I still reach for my waist first. Habits are scary things.’
As she put her feet into the slippers placed under the bed, she felt someone approaching beyond the door. After waiting a moment, she heard a knock and a slightly excited voice.
“Guest, might you be awake?”
“Yes.”
When she answered briefly, a lively response came back.
“I’ll bring up wash water right away!”
Shortly after, a maid came to the bedroom with warmly heated wash water. Rita asked her.
“How long did I sleep?”
“You slept for a full day. Everyone was very worried, but the priest confirmed it was simple fatigue so we waited, and it’s now 9 AM on July 13th. Oh, please speak comfortably to me, guest.”
While Rita was washing her face, other maids arrived in succession and attended to her devotedly. Wiping her hands and feet, combing her hair, tidying the bed, asking about her preferred breakfast menu, and so on.
The maids’ eyes sparkled brightly or moistly as they tried to do something, anything more for her.
Roughly guessing what feelings motivated this behavior, Lillieta obediently accepted their excessive attention. However, she declined the dress they brought.
“Please bring comfortable clothes.”
Since she hadn’t come here as the Raskail Princess, she didn’t want to wear an uncomfortable dress. But she couldn’t wear her original clothes again as they must be a mess, so she needed new clothes to change into.
She hadn’t brought many belongings when departing alone with Lucas, and after meeting the messenger in the mountains, she had abandoned most of what little she had.
The maids who quickly understood her request soon brought something like hunting attire.
A loose-fitting shirt with a thick leather vest that would provide some armor protection. Comfortable pants and sturdy boots good for running through forests.
They thoughtfully brought her luggage and original clothes as well, but the cloak had been replaced with a new one.
“Your previous cloak was too worn out, so we discarded it and brought a new one instead.”
“What?”
When Rita jumped up in shock while changing clothes, the maid quickly continued while taking out a small box.
“The brooch that fastened the cloak is here. The second young master ordered us to keep it separately since it was an important item for you, guest.”
“Ah.”
She stared blankly for a moment at the brooch in the box the maid offered.
A crude object that wouldn’t be strange to mistake for a toy. A rough copper ornament with a yellow glass bead.
A prize from a target shooting game, a civilian imitation of the ‘Black Dragon’s Eye’ awarded at the Imperial Shooting Competition.
Lillieta had refused the real one that Lavinia tried to give her, but she had kept the fake one that Gideon had fastened for her.
Something she had brought instead of the music box, which she couldn’t take on the arduous journey.
She remembered the deliberately clumsy way he held the slingshot and his playful whisper.
“I’m not sure, will you teach me?”
His back that stiffened when she embraced him.
“You were too close earlier, Rita. Close enough that I couldn’t pull any more tricks.”
The subtly warm breath that settled by her ear.
“Let’s enjoy this now. As Oli said, it’s a rare opportunity.”
The hand that led her. The eyes that curved behind the mask.
Pretty and small things. Sweet and fragrant things. Laughter and music. Trivial and new experiences.
Under colorful flags and flower-decorated lanterns, the hand that hid in his pocket.
“Couldn’t you pretend not to know, Rita?”
“Then everything would be fine.”
What had she answered to that question?
“How can I pretend not to know?”
“How can I, with you, do that.”
“Whatever you did, whatever happened… it doesn’t matter. Between you and me.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
She remembered the sound of fireworks bursting in the sky. A sound similar to battlefield explosions. A sound that rang together in dreams and nightmares.
‘I… said that, and yet.’
The nightmare-like memories she had been forced to witness rose like cold sweat, then sank deeply, leaving behind a chilling coldness.
“Gid, did you really do that?”
“Is that the truth you’ve been hiding?”
“It’s a fake memory fabricated by Pascal, right? If so, just say one word.”
“Whatever you say, I’ll believe it all… please.”
When she actually faced the things he had hidden, she tried to turn away. She didn’t want to believe it. She hoped he would tell her it was all lies.
Even though she had said that whatever he had done, whatever had happened, it wouldn’t matter between them.
‘The moment I truly found out, I…’
She couldn’t accept it.
The deaths pouring out before her eyes, the terrible truth, his appearance as he went mad—all of it tore through her entire mind, the sickening rose fragrance and the mist flowing like water made her dizzy, her vision blurred with tears so she couldn’t see his expression.
In that moment, she couldn’t do it.
But she shouldn’t have done that.
Ever since that day, she keeps dwelling on it.
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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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