Ch. 27
Chapter 27
"Lord Luo En is here." Moruna walked across the snow, following her instincts to search for Luo En.
Lilian, meanwhile, kept her eyelids lowered, walking gracefully behind her and maintaining about half a meter of distance from Moruna at all times.
If the path got slippery, Lilian would pull a carpet from who-knows-where and lay it down for Moruna to step on.
"I can sense his presence. It's close." Moruna murmured expressionlessly.
Moruna had been a bit dazed that morning, but now her mind was fully clear.
The speed of her recovery left even Lilian amazed—there had never been a case like this before.
However, as they approached the town center, the usually silent Lilian spoke up. "Miss Moruna, please slow down."
"This place might be more dangerous than either of us imagined." Lilian could sense traces of magic lingering in the area.
Magic—the favorite tool of those who worshipped the Moon.
And from the magical traces in the heart of Winterless Town, Lilian could tell that this magic was of a very high level.
"At least tenth-rank magic." Lilian's draconic eyes narrowed to pinpricks. "Why would a small town have tenth-rank magic?"
In the Bicolor Realm, the power of all things was evaluated in "ranks."
For professions, tenth rank was already the pinnacle of mastery in a field, while anything above fifteenth rank was the stuff of legends.
As a dragon, Lilian was currently at most ninth rank herself.
The key point was that outside Winterless Town, Lilian hadn't sensed any trace of this magic at all.
In that instant, Lilian realized the situation in Winterless Town was far more complicated than she'd imagined.
Luo En, this otherworlder, had only just arrived in the Bicolor Realm and didn't even have first-rank strength yet—making him truly vulnerable in Winterless Town.
No wonder Moruna had said Luo En was in danger and was so desperate to find him.
That said, even though Luo En was Moruna's lifesaver, Lilian thought Moruna was being a bit too worked up.
"The smell of blood?" Lilian tried to sense Luo En's location, but she didn't pick up on him—instead, she detected the scent of blood.
The smell was so thick it was as if a massacre had just taken place in Winterless Town not long ago.
"Miss Moruna, from here on, please let me walk in front of you." Lilian lifted her skirt and stepped up beside Moruna, saying so.
But Moruna's face was stern as she shook her head furiously, refusing Lilian's request.
"Please tell me—where exactly is Lord Luo En right now?" She clasped her hands together, and suddenly a handful of clear water gathered in her palms.
Lilian froze. This ability to control water was somewhat similar to that of the White Dragons.
There had to be differences between the two, but Lilian couldn't quite put her finger on them at the moment.
Moruna tilted her head as if listening intently, like the water was actually telling her something.
After a long moment, she let go, allowing the clear water to spill onto the ground. "This way."
Moruna felt like she was moving too slowly, so she hiked up her skirt and broke into a jog.
Under Moruna's lead, Lilian passed through the center of Winterless Town and saw corpses strewn everywhere.
"Corpses? And Evil Gods?" Lilian now understood what the bloody scent she'd sensed earlier was all about.
It wouldn't be strange for ordinary people to be killed.
But the fact that the Evil Gods embedded in their chests had been killed along with them—that was what shocked her the most.
Who could have slain so many people implanted with Evil Gods? The otherworlder? That guy named Luo En?
Yet the system of the Ten Sages could help an otherworlder grow stronger bit by bit, but it couldn't elevate them instantly to the point of taking down this many Evil Gods.
"Over here!" But before Lilian could think further, Moruna had already hurried ahead.
Lilian glanced at the bodies littering the ground, then followed with light steps, catching up in just a second.
Along the path Moruna took, two trails of blood stood out starkly, extending forward until they vanished in front of a small wooden house.
In front of the wooden house, Luo En sat on a wooden chair that had been patched up many times, with nothing covering him.
He was still wearing the same clothes he'd set out in, but now those clothes were soaked in blood.
Luo En had his eyes closed, resting lightly, and the cold wind blowing nearby felt just right to him.
He was just like the old mayor, stroking the fur of the squirrel in his lap.
But the squirrel in his arms had already lost all signs of life.
Luo En hadn't actively dispelled the magic. Soon after the townsfolk implanted with Evil Gods had all died, it had undone itself.
The mana crystal inside the squirrel had shattered, no longer supplying it with mana—which meant the squirrel that had accompanied the mayor for a century had finally "died of old age."
Luo En's body was covered in wounds now, like a warrior who'd crawled out of a battlefield.
Yet his serene expression left people puzzled.
All the same, Lilian was certain now—the Evil Gods had all been killed by Luo En.
She had no idea how he'd accomplished such a feat, but even the proud White Dragon was willing to offer him a measure of respect.
"Mr. Luo En, Miss Moruna and I have come to take you back." Lilian curtsied, saying respectfully.
"Lord Luo En." Moruna's face showed no expression, but ripples stirred in her eyes.
This was the first time she'd seen her savior since regaining her senses.
No matter how she'd cried out for help in the black slime, no one had come to save her.
Despair, resentment, anger—endless negative emotions had enveloped her.
Even after turning into a puddle of black slime, she'd instinctively cursed her identity as a witch.
She even hated everything in the Bicolor Realm, because every person and every place had been filled with hostility toward her.
Even her parents, upon learning she was a witch, had abandoned her without hesitation.
It was in that state that Lord Luo En had cut through the filthy mud and reached out a hand to pull her free.
Though she'd been in a daze ever since breaking free from the black slime.
Her senses had been fine, though—she knew someone had pulled her out of hell.
Moruna knew his name was Luo En, and she remembered every little detail from those past few days.
Luo En slowly opened his eyes, pausing in his gentle stroking of the squirrel. "Eh? You two?"
The sudden appearance of Lilian and Moruna caught him off guard—he'd been planning to goof off here just a bit longer.
Moruna looked so normal now that Luo En wondered if he was still dreaming.
"What time is it?" Luo En stretched lazily and asked.
"Mr. Luo En, it's seven p.m.," Lilian said softly. "Whatever you need, I'm here to serve you anytime."
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