Even If I'm Reborn as a Cute Dragon Girl, I Will Still Make a Harem-Chapter 21Book 6: : Choice

“Run away, Lilith…” The familiar voice suddenly rang in Lilith’s ears again.

She looked up blankly, just in time to meet the gaze of that familiar figure. Her eyes were filled with exhaustion… and despair.

“Who in the world are you?” After a long silence, that was the only random question Lilith could utter.

A soft chuckle reached Lilith’s ears before that figure replied, “I am Ciel Hesse. Hesse as in cereal, and Ciel that starts with a ‘C’, like Cape Jasmine.”

Ciel Hesse? Hesse as in cereal? Siel? Ciel?

For some reason, the lady’s name sparked a sense of familiarity in Lilith. Despite racking her brain, she couldn’t recall where she had heard of these two words. Lilith felt like an amnesiac, staring at something familiar, yet her mind was drawing a complete blank.

However, Lilith was certain of one thing—her memory was intact. From the reincarnation of her birth to the present, not a single detail was missing, and she could recall every memory clearly.

So, then, where did this sense of familiarity come from?

“Lilith, run away. I can’t ascend to the Divine Realm, and I’m no match for her. I’ll hold her back; take this chance to escape,” Ciel urged again.

“Escape? But where can we go? With her power, she could easily catch up to us.”

“Don’t worry, I can teleport you randomly to another part of this small world. Even if she’s a demigod, it won’t be easy for her to find you.” Ciel paused, then added, “Moreover, the Dragon Queen is still alive. She won’t allow these outsiders to act as they pleased.”

The Dragon Queen… Mom…

Lilith lowered her head, concealing her expression. This was the first time she had ever felt so insecure after hearing those words.

“No, no, Mom must have been caught up in something and couldn’t make it here in time!” Lilith clenched her fists, steeling her resolve.

To doubt the actions of her mother, who had always been so kind, based purely on unfounded assumptions, was one of the worst things a daughter could do.

A helpless sigh reached her ears, and once again, Ciel urged, “Lilith… hurry…” A black spatial channel opened behind her, through which Lilith could faintly smell the salty sea breeze.

This leads to the sea?

That was indeed a good place to escape. The sea was vast, vast enough that even if Three pursued her, tracing Lilith across the expansive ocean would be nearly impossible.

Even if a demigod’s powers allowed her to do so, she wouldn’t have that much time.

Even if her mother couldn’t make it, Lilith refused to believe they could hold Cornelia off forever. In truth, this whole ordeal was a race against time to see who was faster.

“Let’s go.” Lilith grabbed Erica’s wrist.

“E-Eh? Where to?”

“Out of here.” Lilith pointed to the spatial passage.

Erica, who hadn’t received Ciel’s voice transmission, was unaware of the passage’s purpose. Startled by its sudden appearance, she had been hiding behind a nearby boulder, peeking out cautiously.

“Can… it lead us out of here?”

“Definitely.”

Erica looked at Lilith’s determined face and nodded vigorously.

“I trust you.”

“Let’s go then.”

Lilith took Erica’s hand, and they walked toward the spatial passage. As soon as they reached the other end, this long ordeal would finally be over. She would have escaped from those strange people with numerical names, and both Luna and Erica would have been safe. It seemed like the perfect outcome.

However…

Lilith felt discomfort in her eyes and wondered if it was because she had been looking up at the sky for too long. She closed her eyes, but as soon as her eyelids met, images surged uncontrollably.

The strange serpent… the longing in that creature’s eyes when she kissed Lilith softly. The familiar figure named Ciel Hesse… the sadness in her eyes every time Lilith looked puzzled. Her smile, her anger, her wails, her… despair.

Like old monochromatic photos, they appeared in Lilith’s mind’s eye over and over again.

Strange. Something’s really strange. I don’t even know them… But why do I feel so sad at the thought of abandoning them?

“Lilith, are you crying?” Erica’s voice rang out, snapping Lilith back to reality.

She opened her eyes, only to realize that she was, indeed, in tears.

“Strange…” Lilith wiped her tears with her hands, but they wouldn’t stop. She hadn’t shed a single tear even when her limbs were severed.

“Dammit! How dare you let them escape!” Three’s angry roar echoed from behind.

“Don’t even think about it!” And then there was Ciel’s strained voice as she exerted herself.

Without ascending, she could not possibly be a match for Three. If Lilith left just like this, then she would… surely die. But even if she didn’t leave, what could she do? She was so pitifully weak, and the Dragon’s bloodline that she was proud of couldn’t even play any role at such a critical moment.

Unless… Unless…

“Hehe.” Out of nowhere, Lilith thought she heard the Dragon Eater’s piercing sneer.

“Lilith? You’ve been acting strange.” Erica cocked her head, looking puzzled.

“It’s nothing.” Lilith forced a smile as she dried the last of her tears. “Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Erica didn’t question further and headed for the spatial passage.

But just as she was about to step through, Lilith suddenly halted. She looked expressionlessly at Erica, who was half a step ahead, then slowly released the hand that had been pulling her. Placing her hand gently on Erica’s back, she gave a firm push.

Erica turned back, her face a mix of confusion and disbelief, but it was too late to stop herself from falling toward the spatial passage.

“I’m sorry, I can’t leave yet,” Lilith said softly, her voice firm with resolution.

◆◇◆◇◆

I often see the same dream. It’s about the distant past, about the darkest years of my life, about despair and hope. It’s also a dream about her.

Back then, humans were not as strong as they are now. Dominated by many powerful demon beasts and terrifying monsters, most humans were nothing more than livestock.

In those times, humans were numb, resigned to their fate as livestock reared by the demon beasts. They never thought of rebelling, and most didn’t even bother to look up at the beautiful blue sky beyond their iron cages.