The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 218

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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 218

“Look over there! It’s the Witch of the Black Forest!”

“The prince is with her too!”

About a hundred knights clad in golden armor raised their swords and surrounded the cave entrance. They spotted Jurlene and Sion emerging from the forest and began murmuring among themselves.

Behind the knights, priests in white robes and mages in white robes embroidered with gold thread were positioned, and among the predominantly white-clad group, a man wearing a distinctly conspicuous black mitre (a pointed pentagonal hat worn by bishops) stood out.

That man shouted loudly.

“Squad 2 focus on exterminating the heretics! Squad 1 hunts the witch and the prince!”

“Your Highness, please flee! It’s an Imperial Inquisitor!”

“W-Witch! Be careful! The Holy Empire bastards have come in force…!”

Dozens of knights in dented silver armor who had been confronting the golden-armored knights spotted Sion and shouted. The people in crude leather armor standing alongside them yelled toward Jurlene.

‘The silver armor side must be the kingdom’s survivors following Prince Elision. The leather armor ones are probably the fugitives who’ve been living in the cave all along.’

And the golden-armored and white-robed forces surrounding and attacking them seemed to be the unit commanded by the Holy Empire’s Inquisitor.

At a glance, the cave side was clearly at a disadvantage. Many were already bloodied and being carried to the rear.

Magic and aura flew wildly as explosions thundered and the accumulated snow scattered in white clouds.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, no one had the leisure to look up at the sky, so nobody noticed the black dragon floating quietly in the distant skies.

Jurlene drew her staff, and Sion unsheathed his sword. Some of the Holy Empire’s knights, mages, and priests who heard the Inquisitor’s command turned around and charged toward the two.

The prince and witch did not flee.

Elision swung his sword wreathed in white aura toward the approaching knights. Behind him, Jurlene gripped her staff with both hands and chanted an incantation. A golden magic circle appeared around her staff.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen staff magic. Can she turn the tide of battle with that magic?’

[Analysis: Medieval magic utilizing staffs has the disadvantages of long incantations and monotonous attack patterns. It mostly just mimics natural phenomena.]

[Information: The mages of this era created human-use staff magic by imitating the ancient elf mages who used staffs. However, staff magic is fundamentally incompatible with human constitution, so around the 900s, the mainstream shifted to magic circle magic.]

‘So you’re saying that magic won’t be enough?’

[Opinion: Even if the Creator came, they couldn’t handle enemies of that scale with staff magic that’s sluggish and difficult to modify.]

Just as Gnewg’s explanation ended, magical power surged from the tip of Jurlene’s staff. That power created storm clouds pregnant with lightning above the battlefield.

The moment those storm clouds unleashed lightning toward the Holy Empire forces, the white-robed mages raised their staffs in unison. A softly glowing barrier formed and blocked the lightning.

Jurlene’s face contorted, and this time she swung her staff forward. Countless masses of magical power shot out like arrows from the golden-tinted staff.

[Analysis: These are magic arrows, the origin of magic bullet techniques. They would show excellent power against monsters or unarmored opponents, but…]

The attack was aimed at the mages and priests in the rear, but the knights in front wouldn’t allow it. The golden-armored knights struck down the magic arrows with swords wreathed in various colored auras. A few hit their mark, but barriers flickered and withstood the attacks.

Sion and Jurlene were eventually surrounded by knights. Sion cut down a few knights, and Jurlene’s recast magic broke through the mages’ interference to fell several more, but it was only a fraction of the enemy forces.

The Holy Empire side had far too many troops.

“Heretics who deny the great Sun God!”

“Children of demons, die!”

“Kill the witch!”

The knights shouted as they swung their weapons. Jurlene’s barrier protecting the staggering Elision shook precariously.

“No!”

“Your Highness!”

The cave people cried out in despair and tried to reach them, but breaking through the encirclement was impossible when they could barely hold their ground. Red blood splattered across the trampled, muddy snow.

‘This is indeed dangerous as it stands.’

Without intervention, Kairam’s history would end before it even began. The black dragon had to help them. Just like in the founding myth.

She hesitated briefly since the opponents were humans rather than monsters or beasts, but this was a battle where one side had to die, and it was clear which side to help.

Having made her decision, Rita didn’t hesitate. She immediately tapped Gid’s finger. Then she said something to him as he looked down at her.

Gid in his incomplete state didn’t seem to properly understand her explanation, but the ‘black dragon’ obeyed her unconditionally like a tamed beast.

The dragon floating in the sky some distance from the battlefield flapped its wings. It moved to the sky directly above the open field in front of the cave where the fierce battle was taking place. Then it opened its mouth.

A massive shadow fell over the heads of those fighting. Just as they looked up in confusion.

Black flames poured down like divine punishment.

The Inquisitor wearing the black mitre decorated with gold took the dragon’s flames head-on. The mages and priests around him did too.

They burst into flames and melted without a chance to resist.

“Kyaaak!”

“Uaaaak!”

The death cries of the dying and the screams of those terrified by the sudden disaster echoed together. The fierce battle stopped in an instant.

Those who halted their weapons witnessed the being breathing fire from the sky.

“Wh-what is that…?”

“Lord Inquisitor! Dear God!”

“A d-dragon! A dragon has appeared!”

“A dragon? Where in the world would such a thing exist! It’s probably just a somewhat large monster!”

Someone who appeared to be a knight captain shouted to rally the troops that were about to scatter in panic.

“Since the Inquisitor has died, now follow my orders! Squad 1 will handle the sky monster! Mages! Create a barrier—”

That command couldn’t continue to the end. Because the black dragon in the skies moved indifferently and directed its flames toward him.

Golden armor, barriers, whatever—none of it mattered. The black flames passed through the hastily created barriers of the mages as if they were nothing, and within those flames, the knight captain’s armor with flame-prevention magic melted like butter as he died without even putting up much resistance.

‘Right now Gid is a monster, so… things like magic or aura have no effect.’

Unlike the people who fell into confusion witnessing the absurd scene, Rita accurately understood what was happening.

Barriers not created with contamination-prevention magic became contaminated and absorbed upon contact with the black flames, increasing the flames’ intensity. The magic on the knights’ golden armor also had no contamination-prevention measures, so it had no effect whatsoever.

Rather, the aura and magic they unleashed contaminated them, but fortunately or unfortunately, they melted in the flames and died before they could mutate, so they didn’t become monsters.

“Insane…”

“E-even the captain is dead… What is that fire…”

“It just pierced through the barrier! Magic doesn’t work! It’s a real dragon! A real legendary dragon!”

“I-isn’t it a monster?”

“Run away!”

While the black dragon stopped breathing flames and caught its breath for a moment, the Imperial army completely lost their will to fight.

Starting with one or two terror-stricken soldiers who fled straight into the forest, soon all the survivors became routed troops, scattering in all directions and fleeing into the woods.

The black dragon’s head naturally turned toward the fleeing figures, then paused at the tapping sensation from Rita in his hand.

Soon he slowly landed in the open field in front of the cave that had been turned upside down with snow melted into slush. After folding his wings, he carefully extended his front paw to let Rita down.

Rita, who stepped down from between the black dragon’s fingers, looked past the cave people who were either stunned or cowering in fear, toward Sion who had frozen while gripping his sword and Jurlene whose eyes had gone wide as saucers.

“Hmm.”

After choosing her words briefly, she smiled to appear as harmless as possible and said.

“Was I of help?”

Sion sheathed his sword and answered with a hollow laugh.

“More than enough.”

“You were amazing!”

Jurlene threw down her staff and ran over in one bound, then embraced Lillieta tightly and shouted.

“Thank you!”

“Ugh.”

Rita staggered with a short groan as her wounds were pressed and she couldn’t bear the weight of the running impact. Immediately, a fierce roar and heat were felt from above her head.

-Grooooar

“Huh?”

Jurlene looked up in shock, saw the dragon breathing black flames between its teeth, and backed away from Rita in terror with both hands raised.

“No, Lord Black Dragon! Don’t misunderstand! I-I wasn’t trying to hurt her!”

From the cave side too, suppressed screams and terrified moans flowed out, and knights in dented armor raised their swords toward the black dragon with desperate expressions.

“It’s okay, Gid. Calm down.”

Rita patted the black dragon’s hand that had already surrounded her and soothed him. Sion, who looked back at the terrified cave people and his own knights, let out a laugh mixed with a sigh.

“First… we need to sort out the situation a bit.”

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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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