Chapter 89
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Chapter 89: In The End, We Still Inevitably Recognized Each Other
On the streets of Gerris City.
Iris and Naya held Illya’s hands on either side, while Naya still hadn’t recovered from the shock just now.
“Illya, are you really sure it was her?”
“Mmm! She looked exactly the same, just, her hair color was different, but, I’m certain, it was her!”
With this, all the beautiful notions in her heart were completely shattered.
Naya looked back at that cathedral, feeling a lump in her throat.
Why did Linneivia fall and become a succubus, why did she target Illya?
Could it be that she had already guessed that I was Monet, but seeing that I had a child with a former enemy, she was resentful about it and wanted to destroy Illya?
“Alright, Illya, let’s quickly go back to the City Lord’s house to eat Osmanthus cake!”
“Yay! Osmanthus cake!”
Illya swung the hand holding her right hand,
“Mama, can we stay here for a few more days? The Osmanthus cake here is delicious, I want to eat it for a few more days.”
“Mmm…”
Naya nodded with a bitter smile.
Back at the City Lord’s house, Flanna and Bella were already waiting for Naya and the others to return, each holding five boxes of Osmanthus cakes.
The City Lord came forward to welcome Naya and her group, now having learned to be benevolent and kindly towards dragons.
“Esteemed dragon guests, when do you plan to leave Gerris City? Once you’ve decided on a time, we can see you off properly.”
Since these dragons said they would leave Gerris City today, he might as well urge them to leave quickly. As for whether there were any other remnants in the city, the City Lord thought he would investigate slowly later.
But these few dragons before him were absolutely not to be trifled with.
“We plan to stay here for a few more days.”
“Ah, this?”
“Unless you tell us where the Saintess has gone.”
“You didn’t see the Saintess?”
“No.”
Iris stared at the City Lord, using her gaze to probe whether this City Lord had already colluded with Linneivia, but the City Lord’s eyes showed genuine confusion, seemingly without any hint of pretense.
“Well, since the esteemed dragon guests still wish to stay for a few more days, why not settle down here? Now that rumors of dragons in the city are spreading wildly outside, it’s not very convenient for you to move about. During your stay in Gerris City, please reside here for now. We will also arrange appropriate guides to show you around the famous sights of Gerris City.”
The City Lord wanted to serve this group of dragons well, also to better monitor them.
Wait for reinforcements from other cities to arrive, then drive these dragons out of Gerris City.
“That’s fine.”
Iris agreed without much hesitation.
If the City Lord was trying to conspire with Linneivia to trap them, she would welcome it anytime. If Linneivia dared to provoke her then, she wouldn’t miss again.
“Please return to the living room to rest for a while, we’ll arrange rooms for you right away.”
The City Lord invited Iris and her group into the living room with a gesture.
After instructing his subordinates to arrange accommodation for these five dragons, the City Lord still stayed with Iris, watching them closely without leaving a step.
Illya sat by the dining table, opening one of the boxes of Osmanthus cakes.
She rolled her eyes.
Looking up at Naya, at this moment, her Mama’s brows were still tightly furrowed.
Mama seems to know that succubus from the dream? And they seem to be very familiar with each other.
Mama must be very upset now, suddenly betrayed by a good friend.
Illya knew that feeling, just like when she was sold by Parnis and the others last time. She raised her hand and held the first piece of Osmanthus cake to Naya’s mouth.
“Mama, here, the Osmanthus cake is very sweet, after eating it your heart won’t be bitter anymore.”
Naya’s eyes met Illya’s pink pupils, and suddenly she smiled.
She opened her mouth and took a bite of the Osmanthus cake.
Illya put the remaining half in her mouth, smiling sweetly.
Iris watched her wife and daughter interact from the side, feeling an inexplicable warmth in her heart. She turned her head to look at the City Lord who was staring at them intently.
“City Lord, may I ask, what kind of person is the Saintess?”
“The Saintess?”
“Yes.”
“She is a Saintess. The Saintess came to Gerris City three years ago. At that time, she joined the Gerris Cathedral and trained with the other nuns. Because of her outstanding ability to heal the sick and save people, she quickly rose to the position of Saintess. All these years, she has been treating patients who had nowhere else to seek medical help, and guiding lost believers.”
“Have there been any rumors of succubi here?”
“There have been. However, as long as one goes to pray to the Saintess, the succubus will no longer invade the victim’s dreams.”
“Has the Saintess never done anything bad?”
“Bad things?”
The City Lord chuckled,
“The only bad thing is probably taking away the business of the city hospitals. When she treats commoners, she doesn’t charge money, but for nobles she charges expensive medical fees. But the Saintess is truly omnipotent, no one in the city can shake her position. Why? Are you so curious about the Saintess? Do you intend to do something to her? The Saintess exposed your dragon identities to protect the citizens of Gerris, please do not harbor ill intentions towards her.”
As the City Lord spoke, he realized something was amiss. Ever since he told these dragons that it was the Saintess who exposed their dragon identities, these dragons had been relentless on the topic of the Saintess.
“No, my daughter was invaded by a succubus last night, so we wanted to see the Saintess and hope she could help remove the succubus’s curse.”
“I see, I didn’t expect dragons would also be invaded by succubi.”
The City Lord nodded slightly, secretly rejoicing a little.
It seems you dragons are not truly invincible after all.
“The Saintess is good in every way, it’s just that she’s too kind to those poor people, which isn’t so good. It made the nobles unwilling to go pray at the Gerris Cathedral.”
“In the three years the Saintess has been in office, has anyone lost their life due to succubi?”
“No, didn’t I say? Those who encounter succubi just need to go pray to the Saintess, and afterwards they’ll be free from succubus invasions. It’s just that in these three years, most of those invaded by succubi have been women, which is strange. Before the Saintess came to Gerris City, the reported cases of succubus invasions were mostly men.”
The City Lord stroked his chin.
According to the victims, the succubus didn’t seem to do anything to them, they just felt unable to muster energy during the day. If the succubus invaded their dreams too many times, they might sleep for twenty hours a day and still feel tired.
Hearing that this succubus targeted the same sex, Iris became interested.
“Oh? Mostly women? What characteristics did these women have in common?”
“What characteristics… In terms of the women’s appearances and identities, there aren’t really many common features. But if you’re asking about the common features of their dreams, it’s that the method the succubus used to extract their spirit energy in the dream was… going on dates with the succubus? How to put it… It felt like being with the succubus allowed them to instantly… ahem…”
The City Lord started to laugh as he spoke, but he quickly realized that the person beside him wasn’t a man he could casually joke about yellow stories with, but a female dragon, and there were children present!
Illya stared at the City Lord with curious big eyes, as if saying, hurry up and continue the story.
“Ahem… I’m sorry, I got carried away for a moment.”
“It’s fine.”
Iris also found it quite amusing after hearing this.
However, she still needed to see what Naya’s reaction was.
Naya’s expression at this moment actually didn’t show much fluctuation, changing from her previous worried frown to a vacant, thoughtful look.
“Are there any more stories about the Saintess?”
“Uh…”
The City Lord looked at Ilith helplessly, so you dragons are treating me as a storyteller!
However, after Saintess Linneivia came to Gerris City, there were indeed quite a few interesting incidents.
“Like, some lost souls who received guidance from the Saintess afterwards fell in love with her, kneeling in front of the church saying they wanted to marry the Saintess, only to be kicked away. The Saint is soft-hearted towards those who need help, but ruthless towards those who deliberately occupy public resources or cause trouble.”
After hearing most of the story, rooms were prepared for Iris and her companions at the city lord’s residence. Servants came to invite them to inspect the rooms, saying they could be further arranged if unsatisfactory.
After a general inspection and confirming there was nothing suspicious about the rooms,
Iris felt at ease moving in.
The area around the rooms was heavily guarded.
But that didn’t matter much to Iris, as long as no one suddenly burst into her room at night shouting “Open up, Gerris city guard!” everything would be fine.
After moving their luggage to the new rooms, while Naya was putting Illya down for a nap in the inner room, Iris finally had a chance to ask Naya privately about her thoughts on this matter when she came out to the outer room.
“Naya, what if it really is Linnevia, what will you do?”
“What to do? Once we find her, we’ll ask for details.”
Naya sat down on Iris’s lap, put her arms around Iris’s neck, and sighed.
Could it be that Linnevia became like this because of her?
Linnevia had clearly said before that she would let go of the past and face the future with a better attitude. Is becoming a succubus really a better way to face the future?
In her memories, Lina was so kind and pure.
For now, there’s no need to worry too much.
They would wait for dawn the next day, and once again go to the church to look for Saintess Linnevia.
The result was another disappointment.
To pass the time, today Naya joined a tour group organized by the city lord’s personal guard, which took Naya’s family of three on a free tour of Gerris City’s attractions.
As night fell, Naya went to the church once more to inquire with the nun on duty, but still received no news of Linnevia’s return.
They decided to go back and rest.
They would come ask again in the morning.
If they still couldn’t find her tomorrow, they would give up. They’d leave a letter and just depart.
“Mama, the moon is red tonight!”
Illya leaned on the windowsill, curiously gazing at the night sky.
Above the dome, a crimson blood moon bloomed with terrifying red light.
“I have an ominous feeling about this.”
Naya walked up behind Illya, placing her hands on Illya’s shoulders.
“Quick! Don’t guard them anymore! Hurry to the front lines!”
“What’s the situation?”
“A nine-tailed fox spirit has appeared at the church! We need reinforcements!”
The soldiers outside the door were suddenly called away by other soldiers, leaving the area around Naya’s room suddenly empty.
Did they just say nine-tailed fox?
Two nights ago, they had also encountered a fox. Could it be that one didn’t die?
Naya turned her head to look at Iris.
“Let’s have Illya stay next door with Flanna and the others for now, and we’ll go see what’s happening.”
Naya nodded, taking Illya to the room next door where Flanna and Bella were staying.
“Be good and stay with Flanna and Bella, don’t wander off, okay?”
“Okay.”
Illya obediently agreed.
It wasn’t that Naya didn’t want to bring Illya along, but if they were to encounter Linnevia there, some things were better not said in front of Illya.
Jumping over the high wall of the city lord’s residence with Iris,
They saw many people on the streets gradually walking in the same direction, with others crying and shouting, holding onto these people and begging them not to go forward.
“Wife, what’s wrong with you? Wife, wake up!”
“Winnie, don’t go, Winnie! Don’t go! Winnie… how can I live without you, Winnie!”
“Husband! Say something! Look at me, wake up quickly!”
Those walking towards the church seemed bewitched, not responding no matter how their loved ones called out to them.
Naya and Iris followed the crowd to near the church, where they saw a huge red nine-tailed fox spirit standing in front of the building.
The fur on its neck moved like flames in the wind, its eyes seemed to burst with fire, and its nine tails fanned out behind it like a peacock’s display.
Compared to the fox Iris encountered before, this fox’s flames were brighter and seemed to be growing stronger.
The bewitched people all appeared to be walking towards the fox, but surrounding it was a blue magical barrier several times wider than its body.
The crowd was packed outside the barrier, with faint green light emanating from their bodies, seeping into the barrier and flowing towards the nine-tailed fox – this green light was the soul energy of the people.
Inside the barrier, only soldiers and a few mages were fighting the nine-tailed fox. These scattered human soldiers looked so small yet great in front of the huge spirit beast.
Without a word, Iris led Naya into the church.
Inside, nuns were rescuing people who had fainted after crashing into the barrier. Seeing Iris and Naya, they asked with puzzled looks:
“What are you doing here?”
Iris didn’t answer the nun’s question, but asked in return:
“Where is the Saintess?”
“The Saintess is praying inside. Are you here to help?”
“No, we’re looking for the Saintess.”
Hearing they were here for the Saintess, the nun’s expression turned impatient.
“She’s very busy now. Please leave quickly and don’t interfere with our work.”
With that, she turned back to rescuing victims.
Iris and Naya stood at the entrance, watching the nuns go back and forth treating people lying all over the church floor.
Iris used her ability to sense life energy and felt that the victims’ soul energy was extremely weak.
But inside the church, she didn’t sense any isolated human energy.
After pondering for a few seconds, Iris decided to act quickly. She turned and walked towards the nine-tailed fox.
“Naya, hold onto my shoulders.”
Naya was confused but did as told.
In an instant, dazzling red light poured from Iris’s body. She transformed into a giant dragon and took flight, carrying Naya. They broke through the blue barrier, swooped past the nine-tailed fox like a falcon, grabbed it, and flew off into the distance.
The soldiers blown away by the gust were left utterly bewildered.
Flying out of Gerris City, they landed on a sparsely populated plain outside.
Iris’s claws firmly pinned down the nine-tailed fox. No matter how great its abilities, it couldn’t escape from Iris’s grasp.
The nine-tailed fox kept struggling, astonished by the powerful restraining force of the dragon behind it. All its strength was rendered useless.
It also couldn’t release any magic. It was pressed against the grass like a chicken about to be slaughtered.
“Stop!”
Finally, a familiar voice rang out.
From the shadowy ground, a pool of black liquid-like shadow rose up, eventually converging into a human form – a black-haired woman in a long black dress.
“Release Akatsukimaru!”
Linnevia glared at Iris in dragon form, her eyes full of anger.
This red dragon seemed to shine in harmony with the blood moon above, while she and her Akatsukimaru were mere foils.
Naya sat atop Iris’s tall dragon back, looking down at the comparatively small Linnevia on the ground.
“Lina, have you recognized me?”
Hearing someone call her by this name, Linnevia looked up at the silver dragon woman on the red dragon’s back in terror.
“Don’t you recognize me? Lina, why did you become a succubus? Tell me, why? The you from before was so…”
Naya feared hearing that answer.
To say it was to avenge her, to become stronger, and thus abandon everything from before.
From seeing the red moon, to witnessing the uncontrolled pedestrians along the way, she had pretty much figured out what Linnevia was trying to do.
Legend has it that the blood moon makes people’s souls more active, their dark sides stirring. Under the blood moon’s illumination, people often become uncontrollable, and their souls’ defenses become especially weak.
Linnevia had been the Saintess in Gerris City for three years.
During this period, countless people had been helped.
All the good deeds she had done in the past were laying the groundwork for tonight. When the blood moon descended, the group would control these victims and offer their souls to “Wolf King” Akatsukimaru.
And only a dream demon could accomplish this feat, absorbing the soul energy of others.
This would strengthen their own power.
Countless faces flashed through Linnevia’s mind, and finally, one silver-white figure stood still in her memory.
“You are…”
“Monet.”
Naya admitted it directly.
In that instant, Linnevia felt her world crumble.
She collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
Her eyes widened, so wide that it seemed like they were about to fall out in shock.
So, the recent surge of dragons coming to find her wasn’t because her plan had been discovered, but… because Monet had been greeting her?
This… This was too absurd.
And yet, she had been scared for days because of it.
“You really are… him?”
“Yes, the change stays constant.”
“The symbols, look at the quadrants…”
Linnevia raised her hand, covering her tear-blurred eyes, but she couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
“Why… why… why does fate have to toy with us like this…”
Naya jumped down from Iris’s back and slowly walked towards Linnevia.
“Why are you only coming to see me now? If you had come a bit earlier, told me sooner that you were alive, I wouldn’t have chosen this path!”
“That’s because…”
Should she tell Linnevia that she had lost her memory? That reason would likely make Linnevia feel even worse, wouldn’t it?
“That’s because I became part of the dragon race and even became pregnant with a dragon’s child. I felt too ashamed to face you all.”
Linnevia raised her head.
“Then why are you here to see me now?”
“Because not long ago, I killed Leo with my own hands. I finally put an end to everything between him and me.”
A flash of panic crossed Linnevia’s black eyes again.
“You killed Leo?”
“Yes.” Naya sighed, “Do you know what happened six years ago?”
“What happened? Could it be that Leo turned you into a dragon?”
“I became a dragon to survive. Six years ago, Leo took advantage of your absence, tricked me into challenging the Dragon Queen, and then sold me out. I almost died at the Dragon Queen’s hands. After I turned into a dragon, she spared me. So, I killed Leo to take revenge.”
Naya spoke the truth, without any defense.
Linnevia still seemed to be processing her words in shock, while Naya looked down at her with a cold expression.
“And you? Lina, what happened between you and him afterward?”
“I… He… He wanted to… but nothing happened. Later, I wanted to avenge you, but Leo refused to let me take the risk, so we parted ways.”
“So, it was for revenge for me?”
“Yes…”
Linnevia’s emotions gradually stabilized, and she began to recount her own experiences.
“That day, while on an adventure, I encountered Akatsukimaru, who was gravely injured. I saved her, and then we met her enemy, a dream demon. She said Akatsukimaru was an excellent vessel for soul energy. To protect her, I fought the dream demon alongside Akatsukimaru, and… we lost.”
“You lost?”
“Yes. After our defeat, I begged the dream demon to spare Akatsukimaru, saying I would do anything for her. The dream demon agreed. She said I had excellent dream demon potential and turned me into one, teaching me how to control Akatsukimaru… how to use her…”
“Ah!”
Akatsukimaru whimpered under Iris’s feet.
A faint smile appeared on Linnevia’s lips.
“But I never treated you like she did, right? Akatsukimaru… I’m sorry for placing so many of my hopes on you. I watched as you grew, bit by bit, into a giant beast capable of rivaling the dragons. Meanwhile, my race changed, and I transcended the limits of a human body, becoming immortal like you. My heart was rekindled with the hope of revenge. I believed that after tonight’s evolution, Akatsukimaru would become strong enough to defeat the Dragon King.”
Linnevia took a deep breath.
“That’s been my story these past years. What about you, Monet? How did you end up like this?”
Linnevia looked up, gazing at the fierce waves in front of Naya, her silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, her face stunningly beautiful.
The changes in her old friend were astounding.
Shino
Thanks for the chapter..
The wizard Of SILVER
Hmm… Yeah… A chaotic and complicated relationship… But at the same time is also interesting