Chapter 1175: 162. At Least Eat Something

“Goddess...”

Before Priscilla could carefully feel it, she suddenly returned to her senses.

The radiance rapidly withdrew in an instant. The warmth that had made even her soul soften also seemed to have been nothing more than an illusion.

The scene before her once again returned to its previous appearance. The statue of the Goddess of Light stood in the deepest part of the hall, gently and compassionately gazing upon all her children.

Yes, gently and compassionately, as though that love were sinking deep into their hearts...

Even though the statue of the Goddess had no face, Priscilla still felt this way.

“Do you understand now? All of this was arranged by the Goddess.”

Clarence walked back to Priscilla’s side, extended a hand, and said with a smile, “We did indeed have a few minor conflicts in the past, but in the end, we are all family. We are the last embers of Tars. How could we fight among ourselves?”

“Let us abandon our former disputes and continue along the road that has now been decided. The light that belongs to us will certainly be waiting for us upon the road ahead that the Goddess has shown us.”

“...You are still as good as ever at saying pleasant things.”

Priscilla hesitated for a moment, but still took Clarence’s hand.

That hand was somewhat cold, yet for some reason, it gave her a sense of reassurance.

—Since this was the Goddess’s arrangement, she naturally had to let go of the resentment in her heart as well.

Clarence was right. They were ultimately the last embers of Tars. They could not simply be extinguished in meaningless internal conflict.

“That dragon is coming.”

“We know.”

“She now has a way to find us within the gap between timelines.”

“We know that as well.”

“You do not look nervous at all.”

“With the Goddess leading us, how could we possibly be nervous?”

Avik beside them once again pushed up his monocle and continued, “Putting the power of time aside for now, Priscilla, there is currently the scent of the dragon upon your body.”

“What?”

Priscilla’s pupils contracted.

When had that happened?

She had not noticed it at all.

“It was probably casually placed upon you when she crushed your previous body. That dragon is very skilled in the current system of magic. Do not forget that.”

“Damn it, I was schemed against!”

Her expression abruptly darkened.

“Avik, quickly help me remove this scent. It should still be possible if we deal with it now.”

“No, it cannot be removed,” Avik said.

“Hmm?”

“Avik is right. We cannot remove it.”

“Why? Have all of you gone mad? Do you not know that if we allow this scent to remain, that evil dragon will soon find her way here? Faster than we imagined!”

“We intended to let her come here in the first place, did we not?”

Clarence was still smiling kindly. He interrupted the anxious Priscilla.

“I already said it just now, Priscilla. That plan of yours from before was correct. The Goddess also acknowledged your analysis of that evil dragon. Therefore, during the time you were gone, we already made the corresponding arrangements.”

“Arrangements...?”

Priscilla froze.

“Yes. Everything is exactly as you once imagined. However... we also made improvements to some of the details in order to make this plan even more perfect.”

“But was it not determined from the very beginning that the complete version of that plan was impossible? We do not have that many resources... I never had any intention of completing the entire plan. That was far too naive and childish. What I wanted before was merely to complete the first stage...”

Priscilla lowered her eyes.

“I admit that what I did before was, to a great extent, self-deception. I could not accomplish that final theoretical step. In the end... I only wanted that poison to torment that dragon forever, to make her experience the pain that we have always experienced. That was all.”

“That was before.”

Avik said, “Dear Priscilla, what you are speaking of was the past. Now, we already possess the ability to complete that entire plan. Furthermore, none of it was naive or childish. It is a blow filled with the fury of us, of Tars, and of the innocent people who were mercilessly killed by that dragon over the past thousand years. I believe it will achieve the effect it deserves.”

“Could it be...”

Priscilla thought of the milk, honey, and bread from earlier.

Could it be that these people had not merely obtained supplies, but also...

“Do not worry.”

Clarence said, “Under the Goddess’s grace, we no longer lack any resources. During the time you were absent, the preparations for the plan were basically completed. Even the stage has already been fully constructed. Next... all that remains is to invite our guest into the trap.”

Their opponent was a calamity, the most terrifying existence in this world.

But at this moment, neither Clarence nor the others had the slightest trace of fear upon their faces.

They even carried faint anticipation.

In their eyes, no matter how strong she was, no matter how she had once destroyed all of Tars, no matter how many people she had killed over the past thousand years...

This time... she was the prey!

—The Goddess had said so.

......

......

“The target has stopped moving.”

Hamreign opened her eyes. Her golden pupils were even more intimidating in the darkness of night.

“It seems the little friend has successfully returned home.”

“Then shall we set out now?”

Muen immediately shuddered with excitement.

“Take them by surprise and strike straight at the heart?”

“No, we still need to wait a little.”

“Wait?”

“Wait until the night passes.”

Hamreign raised her head.

“Without the ‘sun,’ this region becomes even more dangerous at night. Some fellows who hide very deeply during the day will emerge. To prevent any accidents, it is better to wait. We are not lacking this little bit of time.”

“So even Miss Dragon can be this cautious?”

Muen was extremely surprised.

He had thought that this woman was not afraid of any accidents at all, and that no matter what situation she encountered, she would simply crush everything with absolute violence.

“Do you think I am considering myself?”

Hamreign suddenly turned her head. Her cold gaze was like a sharp sword, stabbing Muen until his heart turned completely cold.

“O-Okay, I understand.”

Muen quickly bowed his head in submission.

In the end, it was still because he was “too weak.” If danger appeared, he truly might become a burden.

“Not only are you weak, your luck is also terrible,” Hamreign added. “I do not want to cause too great a commotion in advance and frighten all the little friends into running away. Leaving everything else aside, even I must praise their skill at hide-and-seek.”

“......”

I am truly sorry for being so useless...

Muen felt extremely ashamed and wished he could hug Miss Dragon’s thigh and beg for forgiveness.

Fortunately, he was an upright gentleman, a famously good man of Belrand. He had never even thought about doing such a thing, much less putting it into practice.

“Then... shall I go find something to eat first?”

After thinking for a moment, Muen suggested it.

After all, the night was so long. They could not simply go to sleep now.

Furthermore, he had to demonstrate at least a little of his usefulness. Otherwise, he truly would be no different from a pretty boy clinging to a rich woman’s thigh.

“Go.”

Miss Dragon did not show whether she was hungry or not. She was still standing in the river. It had been the same at the Tars ruins before. She seemed especially fond of staying in water.

Muen kept his eyes straight ahead.

It was only that the range encompassed by human vision was too broad. His peripheral vision always accidentally caught sight of those jade-like feet immersed in the clear river water.

The sky gradually darkened.

He accidentally glanced at the surface of the lake. There was neither a moon nor stars in the night sky here. Only an occasional bit of firelight appeared in the distance.

The reflection of that firelight flowed across the river’s surface, interweaving with the faint light reflected from the scales upon Miss Dragon’s ankles.

More beautiful than the moon.

More captivating than the stars.

“Hmm?”

A dangerous gaze swept over him.

“I will be back soon!”

Muen rolled up his sleeves, preparing to work hard.

“How much does Miss Dragon want to eat?”

“I will not eat.”

“At least eat something?”

“I have no appetite.”

“You need to eat something to have the strength to work, do you not?”

“...That is true.”

Miss Dragon seemed to think about it seriously.

“Then I will eat a little. Just a little.”

“How much do you want? We are eating wild game tonight. No matter how much you want, I will catch it for you!”

Muen patted his chest, overflowing with heroic confidence.

“Two tons.”

“Ha, a mere two tons of wild game. Just watch me... How much?”

His breath failed to come out properly, and Muen nearly slapped himself into the river.

“Two tons.”

There was not the slightest fluctuation in Hamreign’s tone. Only her slender willow-like eyebrows gradually rose.

“Is there a problem?”

“No!”

Muen shook his head with a serious expression.

“I merely feel that Miss Dragon’s appetite seems a little small... It would not be good if you became thin from hunger!”

“...That is true.”

After hearing this, Hamreign nodded seriously.

“It seems I was being too reserved. Then make it three tons. That is my normal appetite.”

“......”