Chapter 155 - 81: Return to Navia

Chapter 155: Chapter 81: Return to Navia

Lilia didn’t dodge, nor could she.

Mages generally have poor constitutions, and reloading resets their stats. At this moment, her Constitution was only 50, and she hadn’t undergone any training. Even if her mind could react, her body couldn’t keep up.

She almost instantly gave up the idea of resisting and prepared to reload!

The thought hadn’t even fully formed.

BANG!!

A deafening crash rang out, seeming to shake the entire house.

Immediately after, heavy panting sounded by Lilia’s ear.

Lilia raised her eyes.

Victor’s face was just inches away.

His body was practically pressing down on hers, his chest heaving with every breath.

He clenched his jaw, desperately suppressing the crimson glint in his eyes.

The second before he touched Lilia, his senses briefly returned. He forcefully altered his trajectory and smashed his fist into the wall beside them.

The wall dented, bricks shattering, and fresh blood trickled down the white surface.

Lilia’s eyelashes fluttered. "...Victor...?"

"Stay away from me."

He lowered his head, the words squeezed from his throat barely forming a coherent tone, "Don’t come near me again..."

...

’Just like the last loop.’

Lilia walked along a path in the Royal Court, her brow furrowed in thought.

In fact, perhaps because she was present, the situation was even worse than the last loop.

Something was very wrong with Victor’s condition. Staying there could have been dangerous for both of them, so she had no choice but to leave for the time being.

Lilia couldn’t understand.

This time, the two of them had been together the entire time. Why was only Victor affected, while everything was normal for her?

In fact, strictly speaking, Lilia had actually come into contact with the manuscript more than Victor had.

After all, she was the one who had personally activated the Magic Circles. Even if that Demon Lord was looking for a host to "parasitize," it should have chosen her.

’...Could it be that it discriminates based on power, thinking I’m too weak?’

Also.

Counting the dozens of reloads in between, Lilia had already experienced the descent event countless times.

But every time, she could only hear the name "Lili" and get no other information.

She had assumed it was because she interrupted the descent halfway through by reloading every time, but that proved not to be the case.

This time she didn’t reload, yet the situation hadn’t changed much.

’Strange...’

Everything about this felt bizarre.

’Assuming that voice has its own consciousness, did it not tell me about Navia because it felt I wasn’t worthy of knowing? Or... was there some hidden reason? For example, maybe the secret can only be told to one person...’

All sorts of theories rose in Lilia’s mind, but none provided a definitive answer.

Of course, there was another possibility.

That "the secret is hidden in Navia" was just a lie Victor had made up on the spot, and his real goal was just to go somewhere as far away as possible to avoid seeing her.

The truth of this theory would be easy to verify.

For the next few days, just as Victor wished, Lilia rarely appeared before him.

But she paid attention to Victor’s movements every day.

The previous "Descent Ceremony" had a great impact on him. He rested in his quarters for several days before venturing out again.

The first thing he did was find the King of Light, resign from his position, and, despite the King’s protests, state his intention to leave Hillflan.

The King asked him where he was going, but Victor didn’t say specifically, only stating that he was going to travel abroad.

He was keeping his plans close to his chest, but that didn’t matter.

Lilia had her ways and means.

With Veronica’s help, Lilia contacted the Lords in various regions.

Because of his past legendary experiences and his status as a Great Mage, the name Victor Rockwell was known by almost everyone in the Light Kingdom.

As long as he entered a city, he would be questioned by the guards.

Once they learned his name, the guards would certainly report it to the Lord.

To display their hospitality and leave a good impression on the powerful Great Mage, the Lord would definitely receive him personally.

In this way, Victor’s movements would be completely transparent.

Soon, several letters from various regions arrived in Lilia’s hands.

Among them was one with incredibly familiar handwriting, penned by none other than the Lord of Navia, Viscount Belmont.

The letter stated that Victor had arrived in Navia not long ago and was preparing for a long-term stay at the Lord Mansion.

’So, it seems Victor wasn’t lying in the last loop after all...’

Having confirmed this, Lilia used the same trick again.

She asked the King for the position of Lord of Navia, and the King agreed without a second thought.

「In just half a month.」

Lilia arrived in Navia County, bringing along the entourage Veronica had given her.

Everything was exactly the same as the last loop, except this time, Lilia’s purpose for coming here had changed.

This time, she didn’t want to be a wise and brilliant Lord. Instead, she was prepared to accept the role Viscount Belmont had assigned her and relax as a Little Princess here for tourism and fun.

Jennifer observed her for a while and found that the Little Princess had no intention of developing her own power base. She felt relieved on Veronica’s behalf, while also feeling frustrated by her lack of ambition.

’Damn...’

’I had originally held a small sliver of hope that I could achieve something great by following this Little Princess.’

’I guess I expected too much.’

Jennifer began to do her own research in Navia. Lilia had told her she could do whatever she wanted.

As for Lilia...

She turned down the welcome banquet Belmont had prepared and focused on dealing with Victor.

First, she had someone inquire about Victor’s movements over the past few days.

He had arrived nearly a month before her.

During these thirty-odd days, besides his residence, the only place he would go was the Valgipps Mountain Range.

Lilia had a very deep impression of this place.

In the last loop, Victor had also seemed particularly fond of it.

Besides that, it was also here that the Knights of Navia first discovered traces of Demons.

Due to the butterfly effect, this time, the Knight named Damian did not discover the passing Demon Army.

Without Lilia’s intervention, they should be about to reach Siterind County by now.

Sitrind’s military forces were not abundant; they stood no chance of victory against a Demon Army.

Once the city falls and news of the Demon attack spreads from all over... Light will once again be swept into the storm of war.

When that happened, Lilia certainly wouldn’t be able to sit back and do nothing.

After all, she was now the Lord of Navia. Even a hands-off boss is still the boss. As a sort of figurehead for this place, she would have to shoulder the responsibility then.

Therefore, she didn’t have much time left for her investigation...

She had to find the truth of the matter within half a month.

The only clue Lilia had right now was Victor himself.

’Why does he go to the Valgipps Mountain Range every day?’

’And why does he suddenly lose control when facing me?’

’And...’

’Is the force influencing him really that Demon Lord?’

’If so, my retinue includes members of the Holy Order from the Church. Can I borrow the power of a God to purify it?’

These questions could only be answered by investigating Victor.