The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 243

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 243

An application of smoke grenades. Fire suppression rounds that were rarely used during the Ash-covered Era. A firefighting technique that scattered powder instead of smoke at the point of impact, cutting off the air that fire needed to breathe.

Fires started by monsters couldn’t be extinguished with magic, so when fire extinguishers were in short supply, Arcane Gunners would step in for firefighting operations. That’s when fire suppression rounds were used.

Using the same technique of compressing multiple explosive rounds to create a fleeting twilight, multiple fire suppression rounds were compressed into a single bullet.

And just like when she had collided defensive rounds against each other in the Gremlin’s Nest before, she created bullets that would burst the fire suppression rounds through rapid fire.

The golden Ode gathered at the muzzle was processed into powder and glowed pure white. Rita held her breath, aimed at the void above the flames, and pulled the trigger.

Bang—a sound closer to an explosion than a gunshot echoed through the night sky.

The Inquisition Unit on the ground was in hell.

Black flames that ignored defensive barriers pierced down, burning and melting people. Scattered sparks clung to trees and spread. Screams filled with agony echoed before being swallowed by explosively multiplying flames.

They had doubted the first unit’s report.

The survivors from the Black Forest were mostly ordinary soldiers, half out of their minds with fear and babbling incoherently. The testimony these men gave about flames that ‘completely ignored magic, aura, and divine power’ sounded like nonsense or delusions.

If this report had gone further up the chain—to the highest levels of the Holy Empire who secretly knew what the ancient environment was like before the meteor fall—the outcome might have been different.

But from the perspective of the Holy Empire that ruled the entire continent, the village in the Black Forest where refugees and exiles from the Shadea Kingdom had gathered wasn’t that important an issue.

So the report didn’t reach the highest levels, and it was concluded at the cardinal level overseeing the North to dispatch a unit capable of dealing with large monsters.

The moment they realized the Black Dragon wasn’t just an unusual monster, but an existence beyond common sense that breathed flames piercing through magic, aura, and divine power as if they didn’t exist, was when that fire began burning their bodies and melting their armor.

It was too late.

In the hellish pitch-black sea of fire, the Inquisition Unit cursed demons and sought God. In their eyes, the Black Dragon breathing black flames was the manifestation of a demon.

And God’s salvation rose in the sky like the moon.

A white, round light shot up between the stars. The humans engulfed in flames couldn’t see where that light had risen from. They only knew that something white, round, and enormous had suddenly appeared in the night sky with a thunderous sound.

The white moon exploded in the air above the black sea of fire.

Then it snowed.

No, it was ash. Or perhaps sacred white blessings. Not snow or ash, but something falling from the sky—fragments of stars that God had scattered.

A miracle.

White powder fluttered densely in the night, sparkling in the firelight. Wherever it settled, the flames subsided. The demon’s fire drew its last breath.

Seeing this sight, the dragon stopped breathing fire.

The survivors praised the god of night and sighed in relief.

The Holy Empire believed in various gods but not the moon god. Because the moon was the god of elves and demons. So even while witnessing a moon-like miracle, the inquisitors prayed to the god of night.

They fled to where the flames had died, grateful that God had saved them. However, a few were overwhelmed by the thought that God was with them and instead raised their weapons.

Several strands of magic and arrows shot up toward the sky. The Black Dragon swept them away easily with its tail, then looked down into its carefully cupped claws.

Lillieta, with her gun barrel lowered, was catching her ragged breath and sweeping back her flowing blonde hair. Meeting his gaze, she moved her lips with a fierce expression.

Go down.

The Black Dragon obediently followed her words. It folded its wings and landed on the ground, crushing the burned trees.

During this process, it paid no attention to the attacks hitting its body. It only took care that human attacks didn’t reach the front paws holding something precious.

The few inquisitors who had been emboldened by God’s miracle saw the enormous size of the landing dragon, magic touching its massive body disappearing without a trace, and arrows breaking without even penetrating the thorns covering the dragon.

It was a sight that could only destroy their fighting spirit. Most dropped their weapons and fled. However, one or two still charged forward with reddened eyes, screaming.

“God is with us! Kill the demon, gah!”

A golden line shot from the hand the landed dragon extended downward, piercing through the forehead of the charging attacker. Despite being wrapped in aura, it was penetrated far too easily.

Rather than absorbing and corrupting aura like monsters, this was a phenomenon where the Ode contained in the magic bullet was more concentrated than the inquisitor’s aura and overwhelmed it, but to people in the year 821, it was all the same.

The Black Dragon was now shooting light that could pierce through aura. The other surviving inquisitor was belatedly terrified. He screamed, turned around, and fled.

Lillieta didn’t shoot a magic bullet at his back. She lowered her gun barrel and came down from the dragon’s palm.

The surroundings were quiet. There was no sign of human presence anywhere nearby.

The ground was a mess of snow half-melted by heat and condensed fire suppression powder from the burst suppression rounds. Meanwhile, burned corpses and half-melted human forms lay scattered here and there along with charred black trees.

The darkness of night somewhat concealed that horror. Compared to the Gremlin Lair covered in toxic spores, it was a tolerable scene.

But this time, they were all human deaths. Even if they were all enemies.

Rita silently took in the scene dimly revealed by moonlight, then stood straight on the ground that was sticky and crunching with mixed melted snow and powder, looking up at the Black Dragon.

“Why did you do that just now?”

At the quiet question, the dragon made no sound. Rita took a deep breath and asked again.

“Why did you ignore what I said and breathe fire on your own?”

-….

“Answer me, Gid.”

When she hardened her expression and pressed again, the Black Dragon finally moved.

The massive front paw moved slowly, raising the thorns at its fingertips like claws to scratch the sticky ground. The white lumps of mixed snow and powder split apart, revealing dark soil as letters were carved.

You don’t have a music box

“What…”

At the unexpected answer, Rita opened her mouth then closed it. She steadied her breathing and covered her face with her hands.

He heard what I muttered earlier.

“…Why would you care about that.”

As she spoke with complicated feelings, the Black Dragon glanced at her and wrote with his thorns.

I don’t like Rita having a hard time

Leave things like this to me

I don’t find it hard

Because I like Rita

I want you to only do things you like

I’ll do the things you hate

Those letters transformed into Gid Pascal’s voice and echoed in her mind.

Long ago, on a devastating night.

She was around twenty years old.

It was winter when the already scarce food situation had worsened due to the Commander’s monster army.

Even the soldiers guarding the Last Line of Defense were surviving on a single piece of bread or one potato per day, starving.

Then when heavy snow fell, even that was cut off.

At least the Sworn could eat monster meat, so they were fine. Even if it was disgusting and tough, it was much better than starving.

That day, Beacon roasted the carcass of a caught monster for their meal. Everyone just filled their stomachs and left the meat they couldn’t finish skewered and hanging over the campfire, feeling queasy.

Ordinary soldiers, driven mad by that smell, attacked Beacon’s camp. Rita was sitting alone by the campfire at that time.

Ethan had gone out on patrol to prepare for night attacks, Sera had gone to the Command Post for medical supplies, and Is had followed to escort Sera. Oli and Luca had gone to support another block a few days earlier and weren’t there.

And Gid was lying inside the barracks in a dazed state from his injuries. The reason Sera had gone specifically to get medical supplies was because of his severe wounds.

Rita faced off against more than ten soldiers charging at her alone.

She couldn’t share the monster meat. If they, who weren’t Sworn, ate this, they would become corrupted and die or turn into monsters.

There was no way they didn’t know this fact, but the soldiers who had been starving continuously since the snowfall seemed to have lost their reason. Rita’s persuasion and warning shots couldn’t stop them.

Why should only you eat your fill, they said. Even if it’s monster meat, wouldn’t just a bite or two be okay, they said.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————