The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 227

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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 227

 

“…Thank you.”

 

She gave a greeting with her complicated thoughts, then spread out the fur she had brought from the bedroom, sat down, and fell into contemplation while looking at the snow pile. After a moment, Jurlene asked.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to watch over it for half a day like this?”

 

“No, if I were going to do that, there’d be no need to write a warning. I’ll just watch for about an hour to see if it works properly, then go inside.”

 

“Ah… Oh, right.”

 

Jurlene lightly clapped her hands as if she had forgotten something, then rummaged around and pulled something out before handing it to Rita.

 

“This is a reward for helping me avoid punishment yesterday.”

 

It was a leather pouch smaller than her palm. Rita’s eyes widened as she received it and opened it.

 

“This is….”

 

“I noticed you were very interested in moon bone.”

 

Jurlene added.

 

“I told you before, right? My mentor believed this stone was the hope for elven revival and researched it her entire life. I can’t give you the necklace since it’s a keepsake, but I can give you some fragments left over from my mentor’s experiments.”

 

It was a very small bead. Despite being only the size of a fingernail, she could clearly see iridescent colors shimmering on its glass-like surface.

 

A material like the ‘star’. A mineral called ‘moon bone’ among the Elfborn and ‘sun’s egg’ in the Holy Empire.

 

As Rita stared intently at the bead in her palm, Jurlene lifted her chin and shrugged her shoulders.

 

“I picked out one that looked decent from the fragments remaining in my mentor’s research lab. You can keep that one.”

 

“Thank you so much, Jurlene.”

 

“What’s the big deal, hmph. I told you it’s a reward for helping me.”

 

“But you helped me first, Jurlene. What I did was the reward.”

 

“Ah, anyway!”

 

Jurlene snorted, then suddenly her eyes lit up.

 

“Ahem, if you’re that grateful, how about sharing some of that medicine!”

 

“That’s not medicine for ordinary people. It’s dangerous.”

 

“I know! I get it, but… I’m curious about what it’s like since the effects vary by constitution. And you forgot that I’m a ‘witch’? I have a hundred years more experience dealing with dangerous things than you!”

 

“Hmm… Then just a little.”

 

Until she discovered that Oaths could be used without refinement, there wasn’t much point in observing and analyzing Oath concentrate.

 

The mages and knights of this era would also be accumulating mana or aura by training in places rich with natural energy. To them, Oaths would just be useless natural energy that wasn’t refined.

 

They would quickly realize that absorbing such things would harm the body like untreated herbs.

 

“But handle it carefully. Don’t forget it could be poison.”

 

“Yes! I’ll be careful!”

 

Jurlene nodded excitedly. Rita carefully put the pea-sized moon bone fragment into the leather pouch and treasured it. She planned to examine it in various ways later.

 

‘Oli would be much better at this kind of thing.’

 

She missed her companions who weren’t here in many ways. There were too many problems she wanted to discuss together and things that needed to be done. Myth recreation, means of return, and even a way to restore Gid….

 

‘Ah.’

 

Rita, who had been swallowing a sigh, remembered an important clue she had forgotten and looked back at Jurlene urgently.

 

“Come to think of it, Jurlene, how’s your body feeling?”

 

“Huh? What about my body?”

 

“Yesterday, um, since you received the black dragon’s punishment.”

 

“You helped me get through that safely, didn’t you? Of course I’m fine!”

 

“Sometimes there are aftereffects.”

 

“I’m perfectly fine. Actually, I’m in great condition?”

 

“Just to be sure, may I examine you?”

 

“Of course! I’d be grateful if you did.”

 

Jurlene readily extended her hand. Rita took her hand and flowed Oaths into it.

 

‘…She really has no aftereffects at all. What I felt then wasn’t a mistake.’

 

Why was that? Did Jurlene have some special constitution? Or was it really because she was Elfborn?

 

What characteristic of the Elfborn made them better at withstanding mana contamination compared to humans? If she could figure that out and apply it to Gid, perhaps….

 

“Witch! The prince is looking for you!”

 

“Huh?”

 

A young man who came out of the cave called for Jurlene. She furrowed her brows.

 

“Do I have to go right now? Is it urgent?”

 

“It’s important! You need to come quickly, gasp, Dragon Knight!”

 

The young man, who belatedly noticed Rita, hurriedly bowed deeply and greeted her respectfully. Rita nodded and returned the greeting, then released Jurlene’s hand.

 

“You definitely don’t have any particular aftereffects. Go on, Jurlene.”

 

“Okay, see you later! Don’t forget to share some medicine! And don’t stupidly keep sitting there in the cold!”

 

Jurlene waved her hand and quickly disappeared into the cave with the young man who had come to find her.

 

Left alone, Rita sat basking in the sunlight, thinking about various things regarding the future and the Elfborn, then looked down at the black dragon still sleeping in the box.

 

‘He’s been sleeping for quite a while….’

 

Monster ecology varied greatly, so she couldn’t gauge whether this was okay. She reached her hand into the box to pet the black dragon.

 

-…!

 

Just before her hand touched him, the dragon’s eye sockets suddenly opened. He bristled all his spines for a moment, then shot up like lightning, kicked off the box, and flew up.

 

“Gid?”

 

Rita, startled as she called to him, discovered a very ominous element.

 

Black smoke was rising from the eye sockets of the small black dragon floating in the air, looking down at her.

 

‘Don’t tell me he’s going berserk again?’

 

Her spine went cold. She hurriedly stood up and reached out to the black dragon again.

 

“What’s wrong? Are you okay— Gid!”

 

He flinched and dodged, then whirled around and flew into the forest. He didn’t look back even as Rita called out in alarm.

 

‘No!’

 

Horrified, Rita ran into the forest after him while awakening the artificial spirit in her bracelet.

 

‘Gnewg, wake up!’

 

[Question: What’s wrong, user? You seem very urgent.]

 

‘Enhancement magic! On my legs!’

 

[Shock: What? You haven’t even fully recovered from your injuries, are you insane?]

 

‘Since I haven’t fully recovered, I need it even more!’

 

Since she was still recovering, her legs wouldn’t move as she wanted. As she stumbled and ran, the small flying dragon’s figure disappeared into the dark forest shadows.

 

Growing impatient, Rita gave up on persuasion and cast rapid magic herself.

 

“〈I desire. The sprint of a deer.〉”

 

[Shock: User!]

 

Then she turned off the artificial spirit entirely and began running with her magically enhanced legs. The surrounding scenery passed by like wind, and the black dragon’s distant figure suddenly came closer.

 

She stretched out her hand with all her might. She barely reached him.

 

“Gid!”

 

Though the hedgehog-like spines stung, she ignored it and caught the small body, embracing him as she rolled on the ground. As she caught her breath while lying face down, the dragon struggled in her arms. She pressed down on the black dragon’s head with her left hand as he tried to escape and spoke to him.

 

“Why are you suddenly acting like this? What’s wrong, ugh.”

 

The dragon bit her hand. Rita swallowed a short groan and left her bitten hand alone while checking his condition.

 

The black dragon was breathing roughly with his teeth embedded in her tender flesh. His spines heaved rapidly and thick black smoke rose from his eye sockets.

 

Rita moved carefully not to stimulate him and met his gaze through those eye sockets.

 

“Can’t you recognize me? What’s wrong?”

 

Her movement caused the wound to open, and the flowing blood seeped between the dragon’s teeth. Human blood went down the black dragon’s throat past his tongue.

 

Fresh vitality that stimulated extreme hunger.

 

The backlash of repeatedly fighting without eating anything since becoming a monster while only suppressing his appetite surged up. Starving instinct filled his dimmed mind completely.

 

The black dragon chewed the flesh that had entered his mouth as if entranced, then suddenly caught a familiar scent. Lillieta’s scent. Filling his mouth.

 

-…!

 

Horrified, he opened his mouth and spat out Rita’s left hand.

 

What was he about to do just now?

 

He felt like he was going insane. No, his mind had been gone for a while already. Violent craving stirred his spider web-fragile reason wildly.

 

No, absolutely not.

 

The monster’s movement, which had been twisting frantically to escape Rita’s embrace, suddenly stopped.

 

Sensing something she had gathered in her bloodied left hand.

 

“Are you perhaps hungry?”

 

Along with her gentle voice, something shimmering in her hand approached the black dragon’s mouth. It was Oaths processed with magic power.

 

The monster’s tongue instinctively crept out of its mouth. However, instead of frantically licking up that magic power, the black dragon bit down on its tongue. Its reason, on the verge of snapping, cried out like a scream.

 

No!

 

A monster absorbing magic power meant contaminating it. The contamination would inevitably spread to Rita.

 

Dark red blood dripped from its bitten tongue. Rita whispered as if she knew what he was worried about.

 

“It’s okay, I can withstand contamination to some extent. You haven’t forgotten how excellent an Oathbinder I am, have you?”

 

She moved her hand, making the shimmering golden magic power touch the tip of the black dragon’s tongue.

 

“It’s okay to eat.”

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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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