Book 5: Chapter 78: Interrogation
âIn teams of five you sayâ¦â Lilith waved her useless fist with frustration and continued indignantly, âWho the hell decided on this stupid rule? Youâre telling me that all my efforts were for nothing? They should consider the feelings of those who can only be a lone wolf due to certain circumstances.â
âWho cares about that?â Diana shrugged, then threw a glance at Lilith. âThereâs a rumor that the famous guardian of the Holy Dragon Empire was the one who decided on that rule.â
âThe Guardian?â Lilith froze for a moment then said, âYou mean Taylor the Aurora Dragon?â
âUh-huh, the one and only. It was rumored he once remarked during a match that watching an individual fight was not as entertaining as a group fight. In an effort to please the guardian, the imperial family made changes to the format, from one-on-one to the current arrangement of five-on-five. The Guardian eventually lost interest in what he referred to as childrenâs banters and stopped watching altogether, yet the rule remained intact.â
Lilithâs cheek twitched as she realized she had once again been screwed over by her own clan and not only that, it was by someone she had never even seen before.
Come to think of it, he was the only one who dared not to attend her banquet last time.
âHeh. An individual fight isnât entertaining to watch, huh?â
Lilith swore that she would make sure he experienced the true essence of an individual fight next time. It would not be a battle between two evenly matched opponents, but rather a battle where a weaker person would put their life on the line against a stronger opponent. They would fight until their very last breath. Surely, such an individual fight would be incredibly thrilling.
As for who the stronger opponent was⦠Wasnât it obvious enough?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âBut then again, that means I will have to start all over again with the preparation.â Looking at her feet, Lilith stroked her chin and absentmindedly paced around.
If she were the only one participating in this so-called game according to her original plan, it would not be a major issue. Even if she encountered great danger, she would still have a way out. However, if other people were forced to participate as well, it would be a completely different storyâthey were not as resilient as her.
Considering Nineâs terrifying strength, the mastermind behind the game was not weak either. If ordinary individuals like Lesiah were to get caught up in this dangerous situation, they could really die.
âI canât afford to act recklessly. I must be well prepared.â Lilith glanced at the unconscious Elder White and frowned. âWe can no longer find any information about curses, what other intel can we use?â
Intel⦠It has to be someone related to the mastermind⦠Someone like Nine, the guy with a sheet of paper stuck on his face. He seemed to know something about the mastermind⦠Hm, wait a minute. Am I forgetting something?
âOopsie, look how forgetful I am.â Lilith slapped her forehead. âHow could I forget that?â
Lilith wiped her storage ring, and Cornelia, who was peacefully sleeping, materialized in her arms.
Skarst, standing behind Lilith, was suddenly blinded by a powerful burst of light, as if he were staring directly into the blazing midday sun. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, the child in Lilithâs arms appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary little girl.
âWeird, were my eyes playing a trick on me?â Skarst mused, then shook his head and dismissed his thought. It was as if an unknown force was subtly influencing his thoughts, discouraging him from delving too deeply into the peculiarities of the situation.
Diana stared at the scene before her in disbelief. âYou actually stuffed Cornelia into your storage ring? Donât you realize that you canât store living things in your storage ring?â
Lilith pouted and said nonchalantly, âWhatâs the problem with that? Itâs not like Cornelia will suffocate to death.â
A god suffocated to death? The thought itself made her want to chuckle.
âBut Cornelia is technically your daughterâ¦â Diana gave her a judgemental look, as if she were looking at a criminal who had been mistreating her own child.
âYou said âtechnicallyâ⦠Iâm still young⦠Iâm not even supposed to have a daughter, neither ethically nor morally.â
Lilith grabbed Corneliaâs legs, shaking her while she was hanging upside down. âWakey, wakey, rise and shine!â she exclaimed with a mischievous grin.
âEeyah?â
Despite Lilithâs persistent shaking, the white floral dress Cornelia had on seemed to defy gravity. It clung to her thighs tightly, just like Lilithâs dress. Because of this, Lilith was not worried about Corneliaâs panties being exposed either.
âWhereâs that ugly doll? Hurry up and take it out.â
âDoll?â Cornelia murmured innocently, sucking her finger as she stared at Lilith in confusion.
âIâm talking about that ugly rag doll you were holding. The one that could run and jump around.â
âEeyah!â Cornelia immediately understood Lilith and stuck her tiny hand into the empty void in front of her.
The space rippled like water and she began stirring her hand around as if she were playing in a pool.
âStrange.â Skarst frowned once again, amazed by how an ordinary child could open up a space in the void at will. However, before he could delve further into his thoughts, a strange power abruptly diverted his attention.
He gazed upward and admired the moon shining brightly in the night sky.
Cornelia rummaged through the space for a while and eventually found what Lilith was seeking.
Cornelia pulled Lacey out by his legs, holding him up like Lilith was holding her up. Writhing his soft body, he coughed and yelled, âYou have a lot of guts to leave me in such a dark room! Iâll have you know that the person whoâs got my back isâ¦â
When his eyes met with Corneliaâs sparkly big eyes, he instantly froze and lost his voice.
He knew that Cornelia was not someone to be messed with.
Lilith brought her face closer to Lacey and turned him around, forcing him to look at herself. With a smirk, she said, âWhoâs that? Can you tell me more?â
âW-Whoâ¦? What who? You mean this stupid little⦠I mean⦠this cute little angel behind me. Who else could it possibly be?â Lacey nervously turned back to the other side.
âBy the way, itâs such a lovely day outside. Why donât you two go out and enjoy the sunshine? Donât worry, I assure you I wonât escape. My body is made of fabric and cotton, mold grows easily on it if I donât sunbathe regularly.â
âBut itâs night now.â
âI-Is⦠that so? Haha⦠Well, a moonbathe isnât bad eitherâ¦â
âThereâs no moon tonight.â
âUmm⦠I guess air dry is fine too?â
âOf course⦠not.â Her smile fading as she turned Lacey around to face her once again. Her tone turned cold as she spoke, âAre you absolutely certain that you want to continue making jokes at the risk of your own life?â
âHaâ¦ha⦠Come on, donât be mad. Weâre all civilized individuals, letâs not always talk about life and death.â
âIâm sorry, if you continue playing dumb, death is all Iâm going to talk about with you.â
Lilith reached out and cupped Laceyâs face, her expression gradually turning more sinister as she rubbed his cheeks. âDo you believe you have a way to escape death or from my grasp?â
âO-Of course not⦠I am completely at your mercy right now⦠How can Iâ¦â
âSo, you do have a way.â
âN-Noâ¦â
âLet me guess⦠You have friends nearby? Or are you confident that I wonât be able to hurt you in your current state?â
The hostility in Lilithâs eyes was already overflowing, but a slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
âForget it, thereâs no point in dwelling on it. It seems Iâll just have to ask Cornelia to show you some love~â