Chapter 117
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 117
I was engulfed entirely by the cascading darkness.
It wasn't that I'd thrown myself into it deliberately.
I simply couldn't react.
My mind had gone blank.
A viscous fragment of the demon struck my cheek and passed through.
Yet I felt no pain.
I merely stood there in a daze, allowing the encroaching darkness to consume me.
The delicate floral fragrance that had emanated from my dress vanished.
It had been overwhelmed by the demon's potent miasma.
Just before the black darkness swallowed me completely.
A cool chain coiled around my body.
The chain wrapped around me firmly and forcibly extracted me from the darkness.
"...!"
I gasped deeply.
The tingling holy power transmitted through the chain of condemnation awakened my senses.
Had Hailon not pulled me free, I would have been buried by the demon.
Barely regaining my wits, I looked around belatedly.
I had somehow emerged from the Underground Cavern that served as the Wine Cellar.
The cold night air touched my skin, raising faint goosebumps.
I drew in a deep breath and exhaled.
Looking down from where I floated in the night sky.
Demons were pouring endlessly from the entrance to the Wine Cellar.
The white marble floor that had gleamed softly as it reflected moonlight was now covered entirely in black demons.
The sight of the Holy Empire Hilderd—which should have been the most sacred place on earth—being stained black was surreal.
And before the demons flooding forth like a raging river.
A man with silver hair stood resolute.
"Hailon...!"
I hastily attempted to draw upon the Fairy's power.
But I stopped when Hailon looked up at me with precision.
His gaze carried a warning.
It meant I was not to use my power within the Holy Empire.
Hailon drew his holy sword.
A strange resonance rang out from the holy sword as he channeled holy power to its limit.
The holy sword carved a massive horizontal arc through the air.
White light shot forth in a crescent trajectory.
The formidable holy power tore the demons asunder.
The demons shrieked horribly as they split apart, then were purified and vanished.
Yet the void left by the demon's disappearance was immediately filled by another.
The endless stream of demons seemed ready to engulf the entire Holy Empire Hilderd in darkness at any moment.
'Wait. What about Kieran and the children?'
They would all be caught off guard, unaware of the monster attack.
Of course, the Basilian would handle it skillfully—they knew monsters better than anyone.
'But it's still dangerous.'
If Kieran made even a single mistake while fighting the monsters and used dark magic, it would be catastrophic.
Worry cascaded through me, draining the color from my face.
Suddenly, a strange sensation stirred within.
That precarious feeling, like the onset of a sneeze—I knew it all too well.
'No, not now...!'
Of all moments, my body was beginning to transform into that of a child.
Clink—the chains shifted.
I, suspended in mid-air, was suddenly brought face to face with Hailon.
The chains binding my body came undone.
In the same instant, they reshaped themselves into a massive net, constraining the surge of monsters' movements.
The creatures shrieked in horror, thrashing desperately to escape the net the chains had woven.
Turning his back on that grotesque spectacle, Hailon fixed his gaze upon me.
Then he glanced past me, looking behind.
He was gauging the presence of Holy Knights and Holy Priests rushing toward the commotion.
Hailon's eyes narrowed slightly as he extended his hand toward me.
He plucked a single small flower from my dress.
The flower, taken by his leather-gloved hand, disappeared into his uniform.
Hailon, casually securing the flower, looked down at me and spoke.
"Flee."
I blinked, unable to believe what he'd said.
"It's not yet time for me to confine you."
If the people of the Holy Empire witnessed a fairy, everything would become complicated.
The moment I was seen by others, Hailon would have no choice but to detain me as a Heresy Inquisitor.
In the past, that would have been exactly what Hailon desired.
But not now—not since he'd lost faith in the Holy Empire.
"This is the first and last moment I release you with my own hands."
His blue eyes held me tenderly.
In that gaze, I realized how much he had truly indulged me.
Because even now, Hailon....
Wanted to bind me in chains of condemnation and keep me bound to him.
The sensation writhing within my body grew more intense.
I had to flee the moment Hailon released me.
I summoned my strength.
Flowers and butterflies bloomed, enveloping me.
Just before I disappeared among the petals.
"Lichesia."
Hailon warned me in a low voice.
"Don't let yourself be caught by anyone but me."
With that hushed whisper, my vision was completely engulfed by flowers.
***
"Oof!"
Thump.
I materialized in mid-air amid a cascade of falling petals, tumbling onto the bed.
My small body settled into the plush pillows.
I quickly checked my hands first.
My tiny hands trembled slightly.
My body had transformed back into that of a baby right at the moment of my precarious transition.
Fortunately, the strange dress had also reverted to my original clothes.
'Back to a baby's body again....'
It was certain that the crown had restored my adult form, but I couldn't fathom why I'd suddenly reverted to my baby body.
Perhaps I'd only been transformed into an adult for a limited time.
My mind was clouded with confusion, but this wasn't the moment to unravel such complicated matters.
I scrambled to my feet immediately.
I needed to inform the Basilian of this situation.
But there was no need.
A brilliant white light suddenly blazed outside.
It was an abrupt brightness like a lightning strike.
Followed by an immense wave of holy power crashing down.
Hailon was beginning to exert his power in earnest.
With this much commotion, not just the Basilian but the entire Holy Empire would know of the situation now.
"Lichesia!"
Hata, who had been sleeping as if unconscious, jolted awake and rushed over.
The small dog bounded toward me and nestled into my arms.
The moment I embraced the dog, the door burst open with a bang.
Karha and Ishuel crossed the room in a single stride and approached.
Ishuel scooped me up as if snatching me away.
A chill ran down my spine at the thought of how close I'd come to being caught in an empty bedroom.
"You woke up from the fright."
Unlike their frantic rush, Ishuel spoke to me in a calm voice.
Karha, confirming my safety, gestured to Ishuel with a nod.
"Let's go quickly. They'll be here soon."
"Right."
The Twins moved without hesitation.
The hallway outside was silent.
A few knights had been stationed there originally, but they all seemed to have followed Kieran.
Kieran must have gone to hold back the monsters alongside Belzeon.
"What about Father and Belzeon?"
Chesa asked the question even though she already understood the situation.
"Something seemed to have happened, so Father and my brother went to check on it."
"They didn't go alone—the Holy Knights went with them too, and they'll handle it just fine, so we just need to stay somewhere safe."
The Twins answered smoothly, as if they'd coordinated their response beforehand.
Then they flashed a reassuring smile as if it were nothing serious.
Looking at that face alone, anyone who didn't know better would be completely fooled into thinking it really was nothing.
'How am I supposed to convince these two?'
I was caught in deliberation over what to do.
"There you are!"
Theo came rushing over breathlessly.
"The monsters from the Black Forest are now in the Holy Empire...!"
He clamped his mouth shut with a gasp.
It was because the Twins were glaring at him as if they wanted to kill him.
Thanks to the tactless bear cub, I was able to naturally urge the Twins forward.
"I want to go to Father and Belzeon."
"It's dangerous, little sister."
"Right. A baby shouldn't go to a place like that."
"But..."
I had to go.
I'd followed the Fairy's traces, and then the monster had appeared.
It wasn't intentional, but ultimately, it was I who had released the monster to rampage throughout the Holy Empire.
Kieran, Belzeon, and Hailon were cleaning up my mess.
'What if one of them gets hurt?'
I needed to investigate what connection existed between the monsters and the Fairy.
But if they were injured because of my mistake, I didn't think I could bear it.
At the very least, I wanted to see with my own eyes that all three of them were safe.
Even knowing they were among the continent's strongest, people who had no reason to worry.
I drooped the corners of my mouth and muttered.
"How do we keep messing things up on our own...? I'm Basilian too..."
The Twins, who had been moving their feet busily, came to a complete stop.
I looked up at them with my chin trembling, then delivered the final blow.
"We're family, aren't we..."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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