NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17 - Lilia 3
Chapter 17 – Lilia 3
The blonde woman slowly sat up, pressed her temples as if suffering from a hangover, and looked around.
“Wh… where am I…?”
“Are you feeling a bit better?”
Karen approached the bed and asked, and the blonde woman frowned and nodded.
“Yes… but where in the world… Kyaa!”
The woman suddenly screamed, her face filled with terror, flailed her arms, and fell out of bed.
But she didn’t seem to be in pain, or perhaps her fear was greater than the pain, as she covered her head with her hands and shouted,
“H… help me! Help me!”
Startled by her obvious distress, Karen and Max quickly looked at the man—Luther—standing across from her.
“[They are looking at you as if asking what in the world happened.]”
Luther felt rather wronged.
He had genuinely rescued the woman, only for her to faint from shock.
It was highly likely she was now panicking, remembering what had happened before she fainted.
“No, you see…”
As Luther recounted the events with the blonde woman, Karen nodded in understanding, approached the woman, and said,
“Um… you heard what he just said, right?”
Luther’s story.
The blonde woman, huddled under the bed, flinched at Karen’s question and then nodded slightly.
Karen smiled gently, as if soothing a child, and said,
“Well… I understand how you feel.”
The guards she had trusted had suddenly turned into robbers and tried to assault her. It was only natural that she was terrified.
“But as you just heard, Luther… sir actually saved you. If it weren’t for him… you know what would have happened, right?”
If Luther hadn’t intervened.
If the situation had continued.
The blonde woman squeezed her eyes shut and nodded at Karen’s words.
It was something she didn’t even want to imagine, but she knew exactly what would have happened.
“Good. Then I think you know what you should do now.”
Having said that, Karen stepped back from the bed and crossed her arms.
The blonde woman gulped at Karen’s action and then stood up, bowing deeply to Luther.
“Th… thank you for saving me. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
The blonde woman breathed a sigh of relief as Luther readily accepted her gratitude.
Luther looked at the blonde woman for a moment and then gestured to Karen.
He felt it would be better for Karen to lead the conversation.
Karen nodded and asked the woman,
“So… what’s your name? I’m Karen. This is Max. And the person who saved you is, as I said, Luther… sir.”
“L… Lilia.”
The woman replied in a small voice, stood up awkwardly, and fidgeted with her fingers as she continued,
“I’m an enchanter… and I was on my way to Venus City.”
She rambled on, unprompted, in a rather clumsy manner.
Judging by her profession as an enchanter, she seemed like the type who spent all her time cooped up in a laboratory, conducting research.
‘Wait, an enchanter?’
Mages specialized in enchanting and crafting equipment.
And the name Lilia.
‘Could she be *that* Lilia?’
The item descriptions in Dragon Hunter Origins and Dragon Hunter 3 often included various lore details, and Lilia was a name that frequently appeared in both games.
‘Something like… “the works of a tragically deceased genius enchanter”… right?’
He couldn’t remember exactly.
He wasn’t enough of a lore enthusiast to pay close attention to item descriptions.
But if the woman in front of him was indeed *that* Lilia.
‘Was she originally destined to die here?’
Of course, even if he hadn’t intervened, she might have survived.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that she wouldn’t have.
‘If she really is Lilia, and she was destined to die here… then have I changed the future?’
Lilia, who should have died, was alive.
What consequences would this event have?
The “butterfly effect,” where a small event could lead to unimaginable consequences, briefly crossed Luther’s mind, but he quickly regained his composure.
‘Well… it can’t hurt to have saved her.’
His goal was to overturn the story of Dragon Hunter Origins anyway.
Moreover, it was more beneficial for humanity for a genius enchanter to live and contribute to research and development than to die prematurely.
“[Master, what are you thinking so deeply about?]”
“About you.”
“[M… Master?]”
Luther wanted to tease Integra further when she asked back in a flustered voice, but now wasn’t the time.
He turned his gaze forward, and Karen and Lilia, now sitting side by side on the bed, were chatting, mostly Lilia talking.
“[To summarize, she was on her way to Venus City, and it was her first time traveling alone. She got lost, ended up in the borderlands, and hired adventurers as guides and escorts because she felt lost.]”
“[She chose the red-haired adventurer group because they were the most handsome among the adventurers in the village.]”
“[As expected, she seems to be unfamiliar with the ways of the world.]”
Luther agreed.
Karen also seemed to think so, as she made a dumbfounded expression when she heard that Lilia had chosen the red-haired adventurers because they were handsome.
But Karen quickly composed herself, thought for a moment, and then turned to Luther and asked,
“Luther… sir, since Venus City is also our destination, would it be alright if we traveled with Lilia?”
It seemed she couldn’t leave Lilia alone, as she felt like a child left unattended by the water.
At Karen’s words, Lilia looked up abruptly and looked at Luther with a pleading expression. Luther, receiving the gazes of two beautiful women, nodded readily.
“Alright.”
“[Master, shouldn’t you at least pretend to consider it?]”
“Believe it or not, this is the result of careful consideration.”
Since they weren’t going out of their way and their destinations were the same, there was no reason to refuse.
Moreover, since he had saved her life, it would be better to travel together until she was safe.
In any case, Lilia breathed a sigh of relief when Luther agreed.
Her eyes were even slightly teary, showing how relieved she was.
Karen squeezed Lilia’s hand and said,
“Then please rest. We’ll go out and buy some things.”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Alright. And… and…”
Lilia trailed off, looked at Luther, and bowed her head again.
“I’m sorry for misunderstanding you. And thank you again for saving me.”
“You’re welcome.”
As Luther readily replied, Lilia bit her lip and fidgeted with her fingers, saying,
“And… and…”
“And?”
“Y… you’re handsome.”
Lilia muttered, her face flushed, and covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Luther was flustered.
Or rather—
“[Master, the corners of your mouth are raised too high.]”
“[Your heart rate is unnecessarily elevated.]”
“[She’s a strange woman, suddenly saying you’re handsome.]”
Luther couldn’t help but smile at Integra’s less-than-gentle remarks.
Not only was Integra’s reaction amusing, but Lilia’s words were also pleasant.
A beautiful woman, a shy beauty at that, telling him he was handsome—how could he not feel good?
Luther managed to compose his expression, but his face still looked pleased.
Karen, who had been quietly watching the whole scene, pursed her lips and then said with a small smile,
“Luther… sir.”
“Yes?”
“I… also think you’re handsome.”
Although she wasn’t as flustered as Lilia, her slightly flushed cheeks showed she was quite embarrassed.
“[Master, don’t smile like an idiot.]”
“[I was the first one to say you were handsome.]”
“[You shouldn’t be fooled by such obvious flattery.]”
“[Master?]”
Luther covered his mouth and nodded at Integra’s rapid-fire comments.
It was a sudden change in mood, and although he was embarrassed, he couldn’t deny that he felt good.
“Ahem.”
He had to calm down.
Lilia, with her eccentric personality, probably just said it without thinking, and Karen was saying that because she thought he was an angel.
And Integra was… Integra.
‘Yes, let’s calm down.’
Luther took a deep breath to compose himself and, instead of looking at Lilia, who was still covering her face with her hands, or Karen, who was blushing shyly, he looked at Max.
Max flinched and said with a very awkward expression,
“I… I also think Luther… sir…”
“That’s enough. Let’s stop there.”
He didn’t want this good mood to turn sour.
As Max quickly closed his mouth at Luther’s interruption, Karen burst out laughing.
“Anyway, now that it’s decided, let’s go quickly. I’ll wait outside.”
Karen chuckled again and left the room first. Luther and Max quickly gathered their belongings and left a message for Lilia, who was still embarrassed on the bed.
“We’ll be back soon.”
“Get some rest.”
“Yes…”
After hearing Lilia’s quiet reply, Luther and Max left before the atmosphere became awkward again.
–CROW–
The Pioneer Village was larger than he expected.
As a village bustling with adventurers who hunted monsters and small dragonkin in the Forest of Ancient Trees, it had not only a tannery that processed dragonkin byproducts, but also specialty shops where various equipment could be purchased, and even a large blacksmith.
“[Master, the reactions of the people who saw the Jogress byproducts are interesting.]”
“[They are displaying various emotions towards Master, such as respect, envy, and fear.]”
Luther smiled faintly at Integra’s words.
The Jogress, the powerful dragon.
It was one of the strongest dragonkin found in the Forest of Ancient Trees.
‘It wasn’t called an early-game wall for nothing.’
Even if dozens of adventurers like the red-haired or bald ones he had encountered on the way gathered, they wouldn’t be able to defeat a Jogress.
‘Someone like Balian, whom I saw at the village chief’s house, could probably hunt it with a party.’
But that was only possible with proper preparation and a large number of people.
Luther’s group, however, consisted of only three people.
And that included Karen, who looked like a delicate girl.
It was only natural that everyone was surprised to see such a small group carrying a large amount of Jogress byproducts.
“[Someone is saying you probably just scavenged it from a corpse.]”
“[I will remember their face and voice.]”
Luther chuckled at Integra’s angrily delivered words in a gentle voice, stroked the drone on his wrist as if to say it was alright, and headed back to their lodging.
And that night,
After finishing dinner with the group, consisting of food bought from the market, Luther lay down in the room presumably used by the bald man – there wasn’t a single hair on the floor or the bed.
The bed didn’t have springs, but it was filled with straw, making it a reasonably comfortable place to sleep.
“[Master, I have compiled a summary of our journey so far in the Forest of Ancient Trees.]”
“[Our current destination is Venus City.]”
“[Displaying augmented reality video on the HUD.]”
As soon as Integra finished speaking, a large three-dimensional map appeared before Luther’s eyes.
It was a 3D representation of the map he had bought at the market, combined with the information gathered so far.
Integra, in her usual palm-sized maid form, drew a red line on the route from the Forest of Ancient Trees to Venus City and stood on Luther’s chest.
“[If we continue on foot like this, it will take about six days to reach Venus City.]”
“[It will take about two days to reach Anus Village, our first destination.]”
Luther nodded at Integra’s explanation, closed his eyes, and thought for a moment.
What he would do after arriving in Venus City and obtaining the fragment.
Not knowing why he was suddenly brought into the world of Dragon Hunter Origins, the most realistic goal he could set was to stop the Hecatoncheires, the secret society composed of Helkanes’s minions, who would bring about the predetermined destruction.
‘I should tell Integra about it someday.’
After arriving in Venus City and obtaining the fragment.
He would have to discuss his next course of action with Integra.
‘I have a rough idea, though.’
He would actively intervene in the main story and twist the narrative of Dragon Hunter Origins from the beginning.
Fortunately, the western region where he currently was, was the setting for the first part of Dragon Hunter Origins, the ‘Western Arc.’
If he didn’t delay too much, he should be able to reach the ‘Glaston Estate,’ the starting point of the Western Arc, before the main story began.
“[Master, are you thinking of going to sleep now?]”
Luther stopped his train of thought and opened his eyes at Integra’s voice.
“No, not yet.”
“[Then I would like to talk about other information we gathered today.]”
“You mean the bandit group?”
“[Yes.]”
The ones responsible for the chaos in the area, including the Forest of Ancient Trees.
“[Based on the information gathered at the market, they seem to be a kind of mounted bandit group riding small dragonkin.]”
They attacked villages, plundered their valuables, and set them on fire.
Despite their considerable numbers, they were so elusive, operating only in remote areas beyond the reach of the army, that more than five villages had already fallen victim to them.
“[The leader of the bandit group seems to be quite powerful. Rumors about the bandit group always mention the leader’s monstrous strength and fighting skills.]”
Fast and incredibly strong.
Not only could he rip off limbs with his bare hands, but he could also crush skulls with his fists.
Integra, having swung her small hands around as if mimicking a bear, said with her characteristic alluring smile,
“[The protagonists arrive at a remote village plagued by bandits.]”
“[According to the cliché, it’s time for the bandits to attack the village.]”
“I guess so.”
The moment Luther nodded absentmindedly,
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Sharp bells rang from outside the window, followed by screams.
“Kyaa!”
“Bandits! Bandits!”
“H… help me!”
It wasn’t just screams.
The scenery outside the window suddenly turned red.
A fire had definitely broken out somewhere.
“[M… Master. Have you heard of the saying, ‘speak of the devil’?]”
Integra said with a rare flustered expression, and Luther, instead of replying, jumped to his feet.
–CROW–