The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 214
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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 214
“…It means I’ll deviate from the original timeline I belonged to. If I accidentally enter a different timeline, from that point on, no matter what I do, I won’t be able to return to the world I lived in.”
[Admiration: You have understood correctly, user.]
[Conclusion: Contrary to 1770 where we moved to change history, here in 821, we must move to avoid changing history.]
“This is driving me crazy. One mountain after another.”
[Sentiment: To comment with childlike innocence, it feels incredibly cool that this artificial spirit’s user is directly involved in the founding myth.]
[Imagination: Then Gnewg will become a mythical weapon! The mythical magic gun used by the mythical hero, Mystic Great New Grace! From now on, you can call me Mynewg!]
The butterfly pattern on Lillieta’s wrist, who was clutching her head, flickered as if floating. Rita let out a hollow laugh.
“Well, at least you’re enjoying yourself.”
[Opinion: They say it’s better for mental health to enjoy what has already happened.]
“Right. What can I do when things have already turned out this way. If I think positively… at least the goal has become clear.”
She took a deep breath and organized the current situation and operational objectives.
The main goal was to return to the capital Lambard of 1770 together with Gideon.
‘The prerequisites needed for achievement are…’
First, maintain the historical flow of 821.
This meant Gid would suddenly have to play the role of the black dragon in the founding myth. At least there was a clear guide called actual history, so it didn’t seem too difficult.
Second, find the ‘star’ of this era.
The fact that the star’s explosion sent them to this time period meant that a ‘star’ must exist somewhere in this era too. She had to find it somehow to even attempt returning.
Third, find a way to return to 1770 using the ‘star’.
‘This is going to be really troublesome. Should I try exploding it again? Wouldn’t that send us further into the past? …I don’t know anything, so let’s think about it after finding the star first.’
Additionally, she had to find a way to turn Gideon back into a human.
‘This is also daunting.’
She thought there would be a precedent in the founding myth where she could find clues, but it turned out that wasn’t a different case—it was Gid himself.
The trail had gone cold.
‘No, actually I did find another case… Pascal used monster power in a human body.’
She recalled Pascal pulling out tentacles from under his robe while fighting the black dragon. That was definitely monster power, and he was using that power while maintaining his identity as an archmage.
‘If he was suppressing it himself like Gid did before, it would be an unstable state. But there’s also the possibility that he has some more stable method.’
However, having come to the past, it was difficult to immediately use Pascal as a precedent to find a method. He would be in 1770.
‘There’s no guarantee that Pascal’s method is sound anyway.’
Could the ego of someone who had regressed more times than Gid really be intact? What if Pascal’s secret to mimicking humans in monster form was something even more horrific than the truth Gid had hidden?
‘…Maybe following the actual myth here will help me find some other method. The black dragon in the founding myth eventually left behind an avatar called Coronator and disappeared.’
She recalled that what was considered the black dragon’s avatar was Jurlene, whom she had just met, and that the mythical black dragon left only its shell, which was buried in Lambard’s sanctuary.
Did this mean that according to the myth, Gid wouldn’t return to being human and would die?
Rita gritted her teeth.
‘No, that can’t be. I won’t let that happen.’
Perhaps there was a way to discard that thorn-covered black dragon shell as a ‘monster’ and extract the human Gideon from within.
‘That’s why only the black dragon’s shell remained in the myth.’
She decided to think in that direction.
‘Then the most urgent task is.’
Short-term operational objective.
‘Let’s recover my physical condition first. In the process, I need to gain the first emperor’s trust and make the people he leads believe that Gid is the great black dragon.’
To recover her condition, she needed sufficient sleep. Though her head and heart were complicated and there were mountains of things to worry about, Rita decided to sleep first.
‘…It would have been nice if Beacon were here too.’
Then Oli would have handled the various strategic concerns, Sera would have managed her condition, and Ethan and Is would have shared situation assessment, reconnaissance, and information gathering.
‘Luca is… come to think of it, what situation has 1770 become?’
Did Lucas successfully deal with Acrobat?
That kid didn’t end up facing the enraged Pascal alone, did he?
Did the special agents who went to Winterfield Castle successfully defeat the monster legion?
After that, did they realize she and the black dragon had disappeared together?
Could anyone notice that a star exploded at that location? Maybe if it’s Oli…
Not knowing they had flown to the past, wouldn’t Beacon waste energy searching for them?
How long could Her Majesty the Empress of Lambard hold out against Duke Adickl?
What would happen to Pascal, who failed to exploit Gid’s rampage? Wouldn’t he find some new means of regression again?
What state would the ‘star’ that sent them away be in?
What if her family found out she had disappeared again?
She had barely returned after 10 years, only to go missing again in less than a year. She worried that her mother might fall ill again.
She also worried that Richard, who had wanted to follow her to the north, might feel unnecessary guilt.
She would return somehow, so she hoped her parents and brothers wouldn’t worry too much.
She wished everyone didn’t know about her disappearance.
While she couldn’t sleep due to all these thoughts, her stomach growled.
‘Tomorrow I need to secure food first…’
With that final thought, her eyes finally closed.
* * *
March 3rd, 821.
Lillieta woke up sensing unfamiliar presences approaching.
As she opened her eyes, she saw the black dragon’s eye socket right next to her. He seemed to have woken up sensing the presence too.
She sat up and checked her physical condition.
‘I still can’t move properly, but I’m quite stable.’
Since her body didn’t respond to divine power, being a priest was meaningless, but if she could obtain more healing potions or Ode concentrate, she would recover much faster.
Though she was close to a novice at potion making, she roughly knew how to process Ode concentrate. Rita added making Ode concentrate to her mental list of additional objectives.
‘Anyway, I think I can stand now.’
She carefully climbed down from the dragon’s palm and stood on her two feet.
The black dragon, who had been watching her movements with tense attention, let out a sigh of relief. Rita turned around at the sound of wind escaping from above his head and smiled.
“What, were you nervous?”
The black dragon nodded, then hesitated and shifted his gaze to the forest. Rita looked in that direction too.
Soon, Sion carrying a small sack and Jurlene holding a staff appeared from among the snow-covered trees.
Rita briefly glanced at Jurlene’s long ears, which still felt incredibly unfamiliar.
‘Come to think of it, Gnewg, what exactly is elfborn? Is it different from elves? Elves are the race that dominated the continent before the common era, right?’
[Confirmation: Correct, user. ‘Elves’ are the race that dominated the continent before the common era. Starting from the first year, that is, Continental Calendar year 0, the age of humans began as the elves fell.]
[History: ‘Elfborn’ refers to descendants of elves. In the process of elves going extinct due to their inability to adapt to the changed environment after the first year, a very small number of elf-human hybrids succeeded in adapting and survived—these are called ‘elfborn.’]
[Information: The Holy Empire was founded on the ideology that the gods, angered by the elves’ corruption, made the elves extinct and newly chose humans, so they called elfborn ‘demons’ and oppressed them for ages. In the current year 821, there are probably almost no surviving elfborn.]
‘So that’s the context.’
She decided to be even more careful not to stare at Jurlene’s ears.
Sion, who spotted her standing in front of the black dragon, approached with delight.
“You can stand up? You seem much better!”
“Thanks to you.”
Lillieta answered with a slight bow. Thinking that this person would become the first emperor of the Kairam Empire made her naturally more cautious in her attitude.
“I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some food. Please eat first.”
The silver-haired man smiled with a gentle and handsome face that was hard to believe would belong to the future founding emperor, and unpacked the sack he had brought.
While he was taking out bread and dried meat, Jurlene muttered disapprovingly.
“Our food situation is already tight, and if you share this much…”
“Is it difficult to obtain food?”
Rita quickly picked up the conversation. Jurlene and Sion spoke simultaneously.
“Of course. Do you think it’s easy to get food in a forest like this during winter? You should know how much Sion overexerted himself to bring this!”
“We have some stored up, so it’s still fine. Don’t worry about it. We have plenty of leeway.”
When their words overlapped, the two looked at each other. Jurlene made a grim expression and Sion sighed.
“Jurlene, saying unnecessary things…”
“Are you really that much of a pushover? It’s already tough enough taking care of the people under you, and now you want to look after complete strangers too? Why don’t you try feeding that huge dragon over there while you’re at it?”
Jurlene pointed her finger at the Black Dragon as she unleashed her words.
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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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