The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 71

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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 71

A golden haze-like substance wrapped around the gun barrel, and an unfamiliar pattern clearly emerged on the grip. A coin-sized magic circle with a butterfly design drawn in its center.

The magic circle absorbed Lillieta’s Oath and glowed golden, then the thumbnail-sized butterfly pattern in the center filled with a soft rainbow light. When the light was complete, it fluttered its wings and rose into the air.

A butterfly-shaped mass of light that sparkled in pale five colors like carved opal. While it was only thumbnail-sized as a pattern, when fluttering in the air it had grown larger to about finger-size.

It circled around above Silvergrass, then perched on the gun barrel. Each time the thin butterfly wings fluttered, Lillieta’s golden Oath covering the revolver rippled along with it.

Rita unconsciously held her breath as she watched the scene.

After a moment, the glowing butterfly took flight again and landed on her fingertip as she held the revolver. Then it raised its sparkling antennae high and looked up at her face.

In that position, the butterfly busily moved its antennae for a while before suddenly stopping. Soon after, a golden light appeared on the butterfly’s iridescent body and a calm voice was heard.

[Recognition: Greetings, user.]

[Request: Please tell me your name.]

The voice itself sounded like a girl’s, but the choppy feeling and monotone delivery made it seem more like a machine or doll than a person.

Rita was so startled her shoulders jumped, then she hastily swallowed the potion she’d been holding in her mouth before speaking.

“Oli, this thing is talking?”

“Talking? Good, it’s working properly.”

Olivia muttered with satisfaction, then continued.

“Only you can hear what it says. It’s not speaking with sound, but connecting to your Oath flow to convey its intentions.”

“What is this thing? How can it talk?”

“It’s an artificial spirit made with magic. In the city—no wait, you haven’t been to the city much. You’ve seen the machines they call calculators at Command, right? Have you heard how they answer results in human voices? Those use artificial spirits.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of that… So this is like a calculator?”

“You could say it’s a miniaturized calculator with functions concentrated in specific areas. Of course, since spirit creation isn’t my specialty, it doesn’t perform as well as the calculator artificial spirits. But it should be adequate for your use.”

[Re-request: Please tell me your name.]

“It keeps asking for my name?”

“Unlike calculators that anyone can use, I made this for exclusive use by one person. It’s the process of recognizing and setting its owner, so just answer what it asks.”

Rita looked down at the glowing butterfly with its antennae raised straight up in bewilderment, then stated her name.

“Lillieta del Nisa Raskail.”

[Confirmation: I have recognized the user’s name.]

[Request: Please decide what to call this artificial spirit.]

[Reference: The currently used designation is ‘Rita’s Bullshit Preventer,’ abbreviated as ‘Bullshit Preventer.’]

“…”

Lillieta stared down at the sparkling pretty butterfly, then looked at Olivia. She raised her eyebrows and asked.

“What, is it broken? Can’t it understand you? By the way, when it’s connected to you like now, it can understand just your thoughts. You don’t have to speak out loud.”

“Oli, it says its name is Rita’s Bullshit Preventer. You’ve been calling it Bullshit Preventer this whole time…?”

“The artificial spirit’s name is Bullshit Preventer? Pahaha, even if it’s artificial, Oli Pascal’s naming sense is fucking terrible.”

Ethan, who had been watching while sitting on the sofa’s backrest, clutched his stomach and laughed. Oli subtly avoided eye contact and made excuses.

“…I just called it that casually while making it. You were going to give it a real name anyway.”

[Reminder: The creator answered my complaints about the designation by saying to wait for the user.]

[Opinion: This artificial spirit is extremely dissatisfied with the current designation.]

[Request: User, please decide on a new designation.]

Despite the artificial spirit’s stiff tone, its words sounded earnest. Rita let out something between a hollow laugh and a sigh, then looked down at the silver-sparkling Silvergrass and opal-colored butterfly.

Her deliberation was brief.

“Let’s go with Grace.”

[Recognition: I have recognized the new designation.]

[Confirmation: From now on, ‘Bullshit Preventer’ is ‘Grace.’]

[Opinion: This artificial spirit is extremely satisfied with the new designation.]

The butterfly perched on her fingertip flapped its wings rapidly. It looked pleased, which was oddly cute, so Rita chuckled and turned back to Olivia.

“So, what functions does it have?”

“It’s a long explanation, but there are three main functions.”

She extended her fingers one by one as she continued.

“First, rapid magic proxy casting. When you’re in a hurry and busy trying to imitate Enhancement types despite being a Processing type, it will cast enhancement magic on you instead.”

“…”

“Second, combat skill assistance for the user. When you’re being reckless saying you can handle recoil and whatnot, it will assist to reduce the recoil. It’ll also help with impact point calculations, so I won’t have to see that damn Rita Pascal getting nosebleeds from bizarre trajectory calculations anymore.”

“…”

“Third, real-time monitoring of the user’s physical condition. You understand this one without more explanation, right? When you act up, the bullshit preventer will act up too, so be careful.”

“…Yeah.”

It was an item made with very clear and definite purpose. It felt somewhat like a safety leash, but Rita, who was guilty as charged, couldn’t argue against it.

When she nodded obediently, Olivia rolled her eyes and added.

“You’ll gradually get used to the specific usage methods as you use it. It will grow customized based on the magic and techniques you use, so teach it various things when you have time. It will learn on its own even if you don’t teach it, but it grows faster the more you talk to it. Since it’s an artificial spirit that runs on your Oath as power, charge it regularly.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and if you put your thumb on the magic circle and cut off the Oath flow, it stops working and goes to sleep, but if you leave it off too long, it automatically turns on and absorbs your Oath to check your physical condition, so don’t be surprised. I set it up to automatically send me a communication if there are problems with the results.”

“…You know, somehow this seems more for surveillance purposes than Mage Gunner assistance. That’s just my imagination, right Oli?”

“Of course it’s not your imagination, friend. It is for surveillance. I told you it’s a part to prevent your bullshit, didn’t I?”

“Right, that’s true…”

“That’s why you shouldn’t do things like self-destructing. Thanks to you, my motivation burned so bright I ended up making something like this. Before I really lock you up somewhere, behave yourself and carry around the bullshit preventer—I mean, Grace, got it?”

“…Yeah.”

[Agreement: This artificial spirit operates with the user’s safety and health as top priority.]

[Warning: If neglected for extended periods, this artificial spirit will activate itself to check the user’s condition and transmit results to the creator.]

[Recommendation: The user should summon Grace at least once daily for charging and survival reports.]

The artificial spirit’s voice faithfully implemented its creator’s intentions. Rita accepted her friend’s gift with mixed feelings about whether to laugh or cry.

Ethan, sitting on the sofa in an impudent posture unbefitting a footman, spoke up.

“The swelling on your cheek has finally gone down. From how you’re talking, your mouth seems fine too.”

“Yeah, I’m okay now.”

“Then let’s talk. What the fuck is wrong with you that you returned so strangely?”

“I…”

Rita briefly explained what happened that night ten years ago, and how she had regained her memories by destroying the underwater coffin after returning.

“…So I thought everyone would return in different bodies like me. I was surprised that wasn’t the case.”

The expressions of Ethan and Oli after hearing her story were strange. Ethan frowned deeply while muttering curses, and Oli fell into thought. Rita waited a moment, then spoke.

“Come to think of it, how did you two return? Gid said that dying doesn’t just make you return. Pascal’s experiments all failed, and you succeeded by doing something.”

“That’s…”

“Wait a moment.”

Oli interrupted Ethan’s words and asked with a serious expression.

“Pascal called you an ‘exception’?”

“A couple times? When first implanting memories, he said I was an exceptional case… When deciding my Oath, he called me an exception too.”

“Your Oath was ‘eliminate all monsters that catch your eye.’ That was a bit strange.”

“Why is that?”

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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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