The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 211

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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 211

Of the two unconscious people, Lillieta was the first to wake up.

“Ugh…”

The Black Dragon was startled by the faint groan escaping from within his hands and instinctively tried to raise his spikes before panicking and pressing them down with all his might. The dragon carefully removed the hand that had been serving as a roof and peered into his palm.

Rita, who had been lying collapsed and covered in blood with golden lumps stuck all over her body, slowly opened her eyes. Her golden eyelashes, which had been trembling weakly, finally parted to reveal her purple irises.

Woooo.

The Black Dragon let out a long, low cry like a ship’s horn. Tears of blood dripped down beside her.

Rita blinked several more times before slowly regaining consciousness.

Her throat felt scratchy to the point of tearing, and even the slightest movement sent waves of pain throughout her entire body. She had no strength left at all.

‘Ah, I’m dying…’

[Notice: User has literally come back from the dead.]

[Warning: Emergency mode was activated to provide first aid, but it is not perfect. Absolute rest and additional treatment are desperately needed.]

[Notice: Forced cooperation was obtained from nearby humans to procure healing potions, but it is insufficient. More healing potions are needed.]

[Anger: Baby Gnewg will never forget this incident. I will report everything to the Creator and make sure the user gets thoroughly scolded.]

Gnewg reported rapidly in a voice that seemed to be grinding its teeth. Rita listened to that voice in a daze before asking in her mind.

‘What about Gid?’

[Anger: That damn monster bastard is now holding the user preciously and whimpering.]

‘…When did you learn Oli’s way of speaking…’

Rita tried to laugh absently but couldn’t even laugh properly due to the severe pain, trembling all over.

She could faintly hear the artificial spirit muttering something, omitting even the usual guidance phrases like “notice” or “opinion.” It felt exactly like cursing, making her feel as if Olivia was right beside her.

Rita barely held back another laugh that was about to escape and looked up.

She could see the Black Dragon’s head, quietly keeping her lying in his palm while tears of blood streamed down. She smiled brightly without realizing it.

“Gid.”

So you’re in there.

Have you regained some consciousness?

You can come back, right?

I was right to believe in you. No matter what form you take, you’re still you.

It really turned out like Oli said. It’s like a miracle.

Let’s go back together. Everyone is waiting.

I have so much I want to talk to you about. I’m sorry. For not being able to hold your hand back then…

The jumbled words of joy that bloomed in her mind lingered on the tip of her tongue. She couldn’t voice them. Just smiling and calling his name had exhausted her strength, causing her breath to burst out and cold sweat to form on her forehead.

The Black Dragon folded one finger and tilted it toward her very carefully. His large fingertip, made soft by pressing the spikes close to his skin, very gently brushed away her hair that was stuck with sweat.

Rita leaned against and rubbed her forehead on the head-sized fingertip hovering above her. The Black Dragon inhaled and stiffened all the way to his fingertips. After regulating her breathing for a while, she whispered softly.

“Gid, what state are you in right now? You understand what I’m saying, right? Can’t you return to human form?”

[Lament: User, is that really important right now?]

‘It is important, that’s why I came here.’

[Anger: User should be thinking of ways to recover your own body instead of spending time analyzing that lizard bastard!]

‘You said you gave me first aid… Thank you.’

[Fury: Where did you hear the part about it not being perfect? User shouldn’t be giving thanks right now but!]

“Wait…”

Rita stopped the artificial spirit’s agitated voice with her weak voice. The Black Dragon, who had been looking down at her, suddenly turned his head sharply to look in another direction.

“Gid, what’s wrong?”

Despite her call, the Black Dragon didn’t look back and glared in one direction while baring his teeth. From that direction came someone’s surprised voice.

“Sion!”

It was a woman’s voice. Rita thought confusedly with her fevered, dazed mind.

‘Sion? That’s Gid’s alias…’

“Sion! Sion! Are you okay? Wake up!”

The woman seemed to be urgently shaking someone. Then a fiercely subdued voice followed.

“This monster… Is this your doing?”

She could feel killing intent. Sensing the woman’s murderous aura, the Black Dragon raised all his spikes except where Rita was lying and bared his teeth. Dark red flames leaked through the gaps between his teeth.

“Wa, wait, wait. Gid, stop.”

At Rita’s urgent words spoken in a hoarse voice, the Black Dragon flinched and snapped his mouth shut.

She squeezed out her strength to prop herself up on her arms and raise her upper body. She stuck her head out through the gaps between the dragon’s fingers to look outside.

She could see a woman standing in a defensive stance, gripping a long staff with both hands.

Wearing thick fur robes, with long black hair, a pretty face, and honey-colored golden eyes.

Golden eyes?

‘Black hair might be common, but aren’t golden eyes… a unique characteristic of the Kairam royal family?’

Rita continued her thoughts with effort despite her increasingly foggy mind and looked at the woman’s feet. A man in similar fur robes with long silver hair tied back was lying collapsed there.

‘That man is Sion… maybe? Why is he lying there collapsed…’

Suddenly she remembered what Gnewg had said earlier. About obtaining forced cooperation from nearby humans to procure healing potions.

‘Don’t tell me you stole from that person…? After knocking them out?’

[Defense: It was an unavoidable situation. And baby Gnewg is a good artificial spirit who doesn’t carelessly knock people unconscious. That human collapsed and fainted on his own.]

The woman who had been standing guard over the man and glaring at the Black Dragon suddenly spotted Lillieta. She was startled and perked up her ears.

“A, a human? You’re covered in blood!”

‘Ears… perked up?’

Rita wondered if she had seen wrong due to her blurred vision and blinked again. However, the elongated ears protruding from between the woman’s black hair were not a mistake.

Unlike ordinary people’s round ears, these were pointed and long. She had seen such ears before. In illustrations in books about ancient times.

‘A race that perished and disappeared long, long ago… What was it.’

Elf?

‘Come to think of it, where’s Pascal? Where did that bastard… go?’

Her thoughts weren’t connecting well. Perhaps raising her body had been too much of a strain, as pain surged up. She remembered Gnewg shouting about somehow finding ways to recover her body first.

‘For now, that person doesn’t seem to be… an enemy.’

What appeared on the woman’s face when she saw the injured Rita was clear worry. The killing intent seemed to be because of the collapsed man. And it seemed like that man had collapsed because Gnewg had stolen healing potions.

She didn’t seem to be related to Pascal either. She didn’t seem like a monster either.

The woman had black hair and golden eyes. The colors of the Kairam Imperial Palace. An extinct different race? The man had the same name as the identity Gid had once disguised himself as, and the same silver hair. Sion. Sion…?

She couldn’t think any further.

Feeling like she would lose consciousness again at this rate, Lillieta hurriedly opened her mouth.

“Do you happen to have any healing potions you could lend me?”

“Wh, what? Healing, potions?”

“Pl, please answer clearly… Huh.”

Raising her voice had been a mistake. Her vision spun. She closed her eyes with the surprised woman’s face as the last thing she saw.

* * *

When Lillieta opened her eyes again, her physical condition had improved considerably.

Crackle crackle, the sound of a campfire burning could be heard. Reddish firelight flickered on the wall made of drooping black spikes. And she could hear a rough voice and a gentle voice.

“What? You’re going to spend the night here like this?”

“Not exactly, but we can’t leave a patient in that condition in a place like this. We need to watch over her at least until she regains consciousness. But if we try to take her with us, that dragon will probably roast us alive…”

“That’s the same thing, the sun has already set! We’ve done our duty to a complete stranger! I even got all my potions taken! But you want to stay here longer? There’ll be chaos in the cave!”

“So you go and explain to them. What happened.”

“No, how exactly am I supposed to explain this? That we happened to meet a Black Dragon and can’t return because we’re treating someone the Black Dragon is protecting? A Black Dragon – I can’t believe it even seeing it with my own eyes, but your kingdom’s loyal subjects will surely believe my words! And even if they believe it, it’ll be a disaster – they’ll panic and all run away!”

“Uh… well, let’s hide the dragon story for now. Just tell them there’s a seriously injured patient so we can’t move carelessly.”

“Then they’ll obviously make a fuss saying they can’t leave the prince alone for such a reason! Ah, really! I’d rather stay here myself and have you go back!”

“But you can’t do things like nursing…”

Rita listened to that conversation while looking down at her body. In the campfire light that gently filtered through the dragon’s fingers, she could see bandages wrapped around her body.

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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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