The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 215

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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 215

Rita quickly stepped forward before Sion could say anything.

“Gid, this Black Dragon doesn’t need meals. It’s quite different from ordinary creatures.”

Monsters don’t need to consume ordinary food. They substitute eating by corrupting and absorbing magical power. The reason monsters devour humans is also to absorb the magical power permeating human bodies.

In environments full of corrupted magical power, they didn’t need to eat at all. This was why monsters survived tenaciously and swarmed in the empty Polluted Ruins during the Ash-covered Era without dying.

‘Come to think of it, does the current Gid need to consume magical power? How much does he need?’

Rita glanced back at the Black Dragon behind her.

Not knowing what she was thinking, the Black Dragon tilted its large head, then lowered its neck and gently pressed the tip of its flattened-spike nose against her cheek.

‘…He seems fine for now. Monsters vary so much… I’ll watch him, and if his condition looks bad, I’ll process some of my Oaths for him to eat.’

She patted and pushed away the Black Dragon’s nose as it leaned against her like a spoiled child, then turned toward Jurlene.

“You don’t need to worry about the dragon’s food. And I’ll repay some of the food rations I received right now.”

“Right now? How?”

Jurlene frowned and asked back. Rita secretly drew Silvergrass from the bracelet on her hand behind her back, then brought it forward and gripped it.

‘Hmm, as expected, they don’t recognize it.’

This was an era where guns didn’t exist at all. Both Sion and Jurlene just stared blankly at the revolver in her hand with puzzled expressions.

“Uh, um, is that some kind of instrument like a flute?”

“What’s that? It’s too small to be a magic wand, and the handle is unnecessarily large.”

Jurlene’s words contained clues that could explain the existence of guns. Rita aimed the muzzle at the sky and answered.

“This is something like my personal magic wand.”

And immediately fired.

With a whooshing sound like air escaping, a Matan shot up into the sky. It was a silent bullet she had deliberately formed, worried they might be too startled by the gunshot.

“…!”

Despite muffling the sound, Jurlene’s ears perked up sharply as she sensed the power of something that had shot out from the end of the metal rod. She instantly blocked Sion’s front and raised her staff, as long as she was tall, pointing it at Rita.

Regardless, Rita fired a few more shots into the sky, then calmly lowered the muzzle.

“This should help with the food rations a little, right?”

“No, what on earth… Kyaah!”

A dead bird fell from the sky with a thud. Four or five more fell one after another onto the piled snow with soft thuds.

They were part of the flock of birds Rita had been sensing in the distant sky.

Sion emerged from behind the startled Jurlene, examined the birds by turning them over, then exclaimed in admiration.

“You caught them incredibly cleanly. Just piercing through the head… I couldn’t even see the birds, this is amazing magic.”

To him, who didn’t know about magic gunmanship, it seemed like magic. Rita deliberately didn’t correct that misunderstanding.

“When my body recovers, I can hunt much more. I won’t be a burden with food rations.”

“A burden? It’s natural for people in difficult situations to help each other. You’re not even a Holy Empire noble.”

Saying this, she could feel Sion subtly observing her reaction. It felt like he was being cautious in case she might be a Holy Empire noble.

‘Both Jurlene, who is an elf, and Elysion, a survivor of a kingdom destroyed for being Shadea Faith… they’re both being pursued by the Holy Empire.’

Rita pondered briefly, then opened her mouth pretending not to know, to reassure him.

“I seem to have come from quite far away, so I don’t know much about this area. Is there some problem if one is a Holy Empire noble?”

“How far did you come from to not know about the Holy Empire… Ah.”

Sion, seeing the Black Dragon still nuzzling her from behind and the massive wings attached to the dragon, nodded as if understanding.

“Did you crash here after getting injured while flying on the dragon?”

“Something like that.”

Having vaguely deflected, she sat down in a spot where snow had melted near the extinguished campfire and pointed to the bread Sion had brought.

“May I eat now? I’m quite hungry.”

“Ah, of course! Please eat quickly.”

Sion hurriedly handed over bread, dried meat, and a water bottle. While the famished Rita sat properly and quickly devoured them, Jurlene examined the bird carcasses.

“What kind of magic is this? To think there’s magic I don’t know…”

“It must be foreign magic. Stop that and help me prepare them.”

Sion approached and sat beside the grumbling Jurlene, reaching for the birds. Jurlene smacked the back of his hand.

“Prince, don’t even think about touching them. You’ll ruin precious food.”

“I need to learn too.”

“Practice when we have food to spare. Go away!”

Jurlene pushed Sion away, then took out a small knife and skillfully cut the birds’ necks to drain the blood. While she removed the innards and stuffed the birds’ insides with clean snow, Rita finished her meal.

“The birds are quite plump. Hmm, ahem, cough.”

Jurlene, who had strung up the simply prepared birds, slowly approached Rita who had finished eating and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, I grumbled too much earlier. Sorry. I got frustrated watching that guy always giving things away.”

“It’s fine. It’s an understandable situation.”

Rita, who well knew what it meant to give resources to a complete stranger in a group where food rations and potions were tight, wasn’t particularly angry. Considering the situation, Sion’s side was rather abnormal and problematic.

“Going back to what we were discussing earlier… Is there a reason you’re wary of the Holy Empire? I don’t really know what kind of country the Holy Empire is.”

She deliberately asked as if she were an outsider who knew nothing. It seemed easier to lower their guard and gain trust by hearing the situation directly from Elysion’s mouth rather than pretending to know things poorly.

Besides, it was true that she didn’t know much about a country from such distant history.

‘Unless another Black Dragon pops up from somewhere, we need to follow and help the first Emperor for now.’

Sion’s expression darkened at her question.

“That’s…”

“Sorry, but it’s not something to discuss with someone we don’t know well.”

Jurlene interrupted and added.

“If your condition has improved, can’t you just continue on your way riding the dragon? As for the potion cost, well, I’ll put it on credit so you can come back and pay later. I live in this forest permanently.”

“Ah.”

Rita, momentarily at a loss for words, mixed some truth into her fabricated story.

“Actually, I’m in a shipwrecked state.”

“Huh? Shipwrecked?”

“I asked about the date first yesterday, right? The truth is, I don’t really know when it is now or where this place is. I lost consciousness in summer, and when I woke up, it was winter in this unfamiliar place. You can tell from my clothing, right? These aren’t clothes suitable for this season.”

“Co-come to think of it, that’s true.”

“I think I got caught up in some strange magic and ended up in an incredibly distant place. I thought about it all last night, but I have no idea how to get back home. My physical condition is like this too.”

“Oh my… th-that’s terrible…”

“So I’d like to stay with you until I find a way back, if that’s okay? I’ll do my proper share of work, so please let me stay temporarily. The dragon doesn’t need food, so you don’t need to worry about that, and if there’s anything we can help with, we’ll help as much as possible.”

Since it was mostly true, the words flowed smoothly. It was true that she didn’t know how to get back home, and she was sincere about wanting to help them as much as possible.

“Uh, oh… if that’s the situation, hmm…”

Jurlene stammered as if confused, then suddenly turned to look at Sion.

“You, you decide!”

“Hmm.”

Sion smiled with a troubled expression, then gently objected.

“Couldn’t you return if you knew where this place is? With a dragon, it shouldn’t be difficult no matter how far… What’s your reason for being certain there’s no way back without even looking at a map?”

[Opinion: The first Empress appears fierce and the first Emperor seems gentle on the surface, but it seems their true natures are the opposite.]

‘I think so too.’

After responding to Gnewg’s whisper only in her mind, Rita improvised a suitable excuse on the spot.

“The constellations were completely different.”

“Pardon?”

“When I looked at the sky last night, there wasn’t a single constellation I recognized. So honestly, I’m even doubtful whether this is the same world I lived in.”

In reality, what she had briefly thought while looking up at the night sky last night was that the constellations were the same even a thousand years ago, but now she decided to use it in reverse.

‘I can’t just suddenly say I came from the future.’

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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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