Chapter 188 …
Olivia carefully cast enhancement magic directly onto Lillieta’s body. Compared to the rapid buffs Rita applied herself or the ones Grace cast in her place, this spell lasted much longer and performed far better.
The backlash after battle would be just as severe, but when fighting alone without an enhancement-type contractor, nothing was more helpful. It was also the method she was most accustomed to.
“Still, don’t overdo it, my friend. And don’t forget your unusual constitution… Actually, Grace, I’m counting on you, okay? Take good care of her.”
Even while hurrying away, Oli didn’t forget to worry.
“I won’t push myself. It’s not like this is my first time getting enhancement magic.”
After reassuring her, Lillieta climbed along the arena stands, kicked off her shoes, and roughly wrapped her feet with the hem of her dress and the lace ribbons.
Shoes would only get in the way of running, and with the body-enhancement magic, this much fabric would be enough to protect her bare feet.
Preparation complete, she leapt from the top of the arena toward the roof of a nearby building.
[Casting: Activating fall-prevention magic on the user’s body.]
The artificial spirit automatically invoked a wind spell. It was the same magic Rita had used before when jumping after the duchess headed for the birch forest.
The rushing wind billowed her torn skirt. Her single-tied blonde hair, pale violet fabric, and ripped lace fluttered wildly.
Landing lightly from the dizzying height, she immediately broke into a run, flying from rooftop to rooftop. As she moved, she briefly surveyed the situation below.
People fled in confusion, running in every direction, diving into whatever buildings they could find and slamming the doors shut while screaming.
Card soldiers—and new beasts corrupted by them—raced through the alleys chasing those people, smashing doors and windows.
Blue summons and black-uniformed special agents pursued or intercepted them, battles breaking out throughout the city.
The capital guard struggled to contain the chaos, guiding civilians to safety. Judging by the direction they were herding them…
Toward the plaza.
Isaiah was probably using the plaza as a temporary headquarters and defensive line, directing monster suppression and rescue efforts.
It’s turned into full urban warfare.
Even as Rita sprinted across rooftops, she occasionally aimed Silver Grace downward and fired magic bullets.
Each time—
A beast about to bite a fallen old man…
A card soldier locked in a power struggle with a young man wielding a flagpole like a spear…
A beast chasing a small child…
A card soldier about to clash with a woman swinging an aura-wrapped sword…
—their heads burst one after another.
The survivors looked around frantically for the owner of the bullet that had saved them like lightning from the sky, but Lillieta, firing on the run, was already gone.
To suppress the maddening emotions constantly spreading in the corner of her heart, she forced herself to focus even harder on the situation and her objective.
Don’t think. Deal with what’s in front of you.
Empty your mind. Eliminate whatever catches your eye.
She couldn’t join the battlefield in the city since she had somewhere urgent to go, but anyone she spotted along the way—she saved if she could.
If I ignore monsters I’ve already seen, I might be punished by the Oath.
An oath was ultimately a matter of self-perception. If she didn’t think of it as letting a monster escape or running from one—and instead focused on eliminating other target monsters—she could avoid punishment.
Even so, blatantly ignoring a monster attacking someone right before her eyes would obviously cause backlash. The only option was to deal with them as quickly as possible.
In that regard, shooting was her optimal skill. She could execute monsters instantly from long range without stopping her movement.
Before she knew it, the imperial palace was close.
Rita fired a grappling round and, relying on the Od tether, scaled the palace wall.
The palace’s protective magic, which had remained quiet when she left earlier, began to activate against the intruder—then faded after reacting to the key-shaped pendant in her dress pocket.
She remembered Gide handing it to her while they prepared the operation.
“It’s basically a free-entry pass to the imperial palace. With this, you can come in without going through the guards.”
“Okay. I’ll keep it.”
“That’s it?”
“What?”
“I just gave you the key to my house, Rita. Something that lets you come anytime. And you have zero thoughts about it? Aren’t we a man and a woman?”
“Don’t try anything funny while we’re prepping for an operation. Ethan got one too, remember?”
“…Why does that guy tell you everything?”
His grumbling, playful smile overlapped with the expression she’d seen on his face just moments ago.
Dizzy, Lillieta bit the inside of her cheek hard and forced her focus back. She ran along the wall toward the royal guard training grounds she had memorized in advance.
Then suddenly—
A scene below the wall caught her eye.
Near the palace’s side gate.
“W-what’s wrong with you? What happened? Why—why do you suddenly look like that…?”
A beautifully dressed woman stood there, as if she had come out to enjoy the festival. A basket she must have dropped lay nearby, wine bottles and sandwiches scattered across the ground.
In front of her stood a beast—its back hunched, arms as long as its legs, standing on all fours. A guard uniform stretched and bulged grotesquely over its swollen body.
Probably the guard who had been stationed at the side gate.
Probably someone who had tried to stop monsters entering the palace—
—and had become one himself.
And the woman, likely his wife or lover.
She screamed.
“No… right? You’re just sick for a moment, aren’t you? I-I’ll bring a priest! Then you’ll go back to normal, right? Right?!”
Lillieta, who had mechanically aimed her gun at the beast, froze.
Is there… a way to turn someone back after they become a monster?
Is there… a way to return Gide to normal?
If so… shouldn’t monsters not be killed recklessly?
Could he be saved instead of subjugated?
Her thoughts tangled in an instant.
She didn’t want to execute that monster.
She wanted to let it go.
Her stomach twisted violently.
“Ugh.”
[Warning: User, do not hesitate! Oath punishment may be triggered!]
Covering her mouth, Lillieta looked down.
The transformed guard was lunging at the wailing woman, its mouth splitting into three.
She fell backward.
The massive beast’s shadow swallowed her.
The monster pinned her down and bit toward her neck—
At that instant—
Rita pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
With a thunderous crack, the magic bullet shot forth and precisely blew the monster’s head apart.
The woman, drenched in grotesque purple fluid, survived and collapsed into sobs. She traced the stitching on the clothes the monster still wore and clutched the headless corpse, wailing.
Lillieta turned her gaze away.
Clutching her chest, she forced her ragged breathing to steady.
As she felt the boiling Od slowly settle, the artificial spirit spoke cautiously.
[Opinion: User, Gnyug is young and inexperienced and may make mistakes or errors. Nevertheless, there is something I would like to question about your current judgment. Will you hear it?]
Wiping the cold sweat from her brow, she resumed moving along the wall and answered:
“…Say it.”
[Question: The human you call ‘Gide’… has he truly become a monster?]
For a moment, Lillieta almost wanted to throw Silver Grace away.
Remembering that the artificial spirit had called itself young and immature, she forced herself to calm down.
Her voice trembled.
“…Then… what would you call what he turned into?”
[Question: However, there are behavioral differences between that entity and other monsters. You yourself did not judge him to be a monster, did you?]
“…Me?”
[Fact: It fled before your eyes, and you failed to pursue it. Nevertheless, no Oath punishment was triggered against you, despite your vow ‘to eliminate every monster you see.’]
[Analysis: This means you did not recognize that entity as a monster.]
“…!”
[Fact: Furthermore, even after transforming, it did not attack you. Rather, it bit and killed the monster ‘Red Queen.’ This is behavior that diverges from typical monsters.]
She stopped walking.
In that brief moment, countless thoughts, deep despair, and faint hope flashed through her mind.
It felt like being thrown into a stormy open sea, choking on seawater—then suddenly seeing the beam of a lighthouse.
Maybe…
Yes… maybe…
The reason she hadn’t been punished even after watching him leave wasn’t just a matter of perception…
Maybe—
No, fundamentally she simply didn’t want to acknowledge him as a monster—
—but still, maybe—
Hope.
A possibility.
