TFLCM - Chapter 165

The dragon lowered his gaze. The restraints were reflected in his eyes.

"Dais, what do you mean? A heart?!"

At the King's question, a fleeting look of annoyance crossed Dais's face before disappearing.

"Your Majesty, please consider this." 

He whispered to the King.

"We are humans. No matter how hard we try, we cannot defeat a dragon. Besides, since they are desperate to reclaim their mates, their magical power must be immense."

He looked at the restraints he had thrown to the floor and spoke.

"However, if you fill this up and even receive the heart, you will be able to defeat even a dragon."

"Dais, how could you even think of such a thing..."

The King's voice was mixed with pride and surprise.

Dais shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'Why are you surprised by something like this?' and looked straight ahead again.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"..."

The dragon lowered its gaze and took in the restraints buried in the snow

There was no reason to refuse.

Rather, it was a good thing.

The dragon's heart was filled with powerful magic. If the heart were to be ripped out while it was still alive, a magical power surge might occur. If that happened, Lily could get hurt because of the surge.

However, if he put on restraints, he could suppress the magical power.

Then he would be able to safely hand over his heart to humans and save Lily as well.

As the dragon nodded, Dais moved his hand with a bitter smile.

The restraint device buried in the snow rose into the air. It was just as the Red Dragon reached out to grab the device that had flown right in front of it.

"Leader! No way!"

Just then, a sharp voice rang out. The restraint that had risen into the air fell to the ground.

It was the other dragons that stopped the Red Dragon. The dragons, scrambling to land on the ground, began to restrain their leader.

"What were you trying to do, Leader!"

"Are you trying to save that wolf? That cunning wolf might have joined forces with the humans! You must not believe their words!"

The dragons, who had been trying to stop their master, glared at the humans and shouted.

"How dare a mere human covet whose things!"

"You bastards, even burning your limbs wouldn't be enough!"

The dragons aimed their intense rage at the humans. Blue flames surrounded the humans. The knights and the King looked at Dais with terrified faces.

"D-Dais, did you foresee this situation as well?"

"..." 

“Dais!”

The King, unable to overcome his impatience, urged his son.

However, Dais's composure had long since vanished as well.

'I was almost there...!'

Dais bit his lip.

It was possible to threaten the Southern Chieftain with this wolf. But not the other dragons.

If the Red Dragon regains his sanity and finds out that this woman is another wolf...

Dais recalled the red dragon that had glared at him as if to tear him to pieces.

His eternal life, which had been so vivid before his eyes, seemed to be fading.

As Dais's commanding attitude softened, the knights whispered in flustered voices.

"Ugh. What's going to happen to us now?"

"Are we going to die like this? In a place that isn't even our land?"

Dais's face contorted even more at the sound of them whispering amongst themselves.

Kyle watched the scene with confused eyes.

Something was strange.

If she were really the Southern Leader's consort, the other dragons wouldn't have spoken like that.

Rather, it seemed as though they were not only wary of the wolf but also loathed it.

Kyle lowered his confused gaze.

He saw Lily kneeling and trembling.

The cloth covering her eyes was slightly damp, as if crying.

'For a moment.'

Kyle froze for a moment.

'Why did you cover your eyes?'

Wouldn't it be better to reveal your face to really provoke the dragon?

Kyle looked at his brother with eyes full of questions.

A look of disappointment hung over Dais's face.

Kyle clenched his fist tightly. Blue veins popped out on the back of his hand.

He felt like he finally understood.

How ridiculous his older brother's actions were.

Kyle's gaze slid down once again. Lily's image was reflected in his blue eyes.

"..." 

Kyle took a stealthy step and approached Lily's side. He was overwhelmed by fear as he faced the dragon.

The people who signed did not notice Kyle's movements.

A strange sensation settled on her bound hands. Lily shuddered and let out a hurried breath.

 “Shhh.”

Then Kyle whispered in a quiet voice.

"...I am trying to set you free. Please don't be too scared." 

As Kyle spoke soothingly, Lily slightly lowered the guard she had set up.

Meanwhile, Dais was struggling to endure the stares pouring down on him.

Dais let out a rough breath mixed with confusion.

There must be a way. Just like always, a way to get out...

Dais adjusted his grip on the dagger he was holding and shouted loudly.

"This woman! Do you mean you don't care if she dies?"

A voice filled with madness mingled with the cold wind.

The red dragon's eyes trembled in confusion.

In that moment, a terrible scene popped into his head.

The scene of Lily, held in his arms, slowly fading away.

The red dragon's eyes grew cloudy. It felt as if the reason he had been desperately clinging to was being buried.

He picked up the fallen restraint.

“Leader!”

The other dragons lunged at the leader to stop him. 

"Stop."

However, they had no choice but to stop moving at the leader's single word.

"Stop."

"Leader..." 

"Don't touch me." 

The red eyes gleamed eerily.

The leader's spreading flames engulfed the dragons' blue flames. As their fire died down in an instant, the dragons' spirits were dampened.

The red pupils clouded over like the moon during a total solar eclipse.

We could not repeat the same tragedy as before.

Hadn't I already told her that? That I would give her my heart. So, wearing these restraints was nothing at all.

The red dragon picked up the fallen restraint. The restraint was wrapped around his neck.

'That's it!'

It was when a flushed smile formed on Dais's lips.

"No!"

Someone's scream tore through the cold winter air.

Just before the restraints were fully tightened, the red dragon stopped moving.

Everyone's eyes turned toward the source of the sound.

The wolf that had been tied up just moments ago shouted at the dragon.

Her golden eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

The red dragon's eyes, which had become cloudy, slowly regained their original color.

"...!" 

Dais looked at Lily with surprised eyes.

Kyle was standing next to her.

Finally, finally, Kyle, possessed by the wolf, released her.

“You...!”

Dais muttered in a suppressed voice. However, Kyle merely looked at him with an indifferent expression.

"She is..."

Then, the red dragon muttered in a suppressed voice.

“Where is she?”

The cold voice felt like a slap to the cheek. Dais stammered, unable to answer

His vision blurred with the surging heat.

Lily wasn't there.

That person deceived him.

With the moonlight behind him, his red eyes gleamed ferociously in the shadows of his face.

“It’s dangerous!”

The dragons, noticing the intensifying magical power, shouted in hurried rage.

Upon hearing the shout, Kyle threw himself toward Lily.

Bang!

At the same time, a tremendous fire surrounded them.

***

The view was thick with smoke. Lily slowly opened her eyes.

Something big and heavy was pressing down heavily on her.

When he looked up, he saw Kyle's face. He didn't move even the slightest, as if he had fainted.

Moreover, it seemed like quite a long time had passed. The blood starting from the forehead had hardened.

'This is...'

Lily's golden eyes scanned the surroundings. It was a blazing inferno all around. Suffocating heat enveloped them.

'...How did I survive?'

Lily slowly lowered her gaze. The blue light that had been faintly shining in her hand slowly faded away. Eve's Blank Slate magic had saved her.

And that blanking magic seemed to have protected Kyle as well, who had thrown himself in front of Lily to save her.

Lily, coughing from the suffocating heat, carefully laid Kyle down beside her and stood up.

The flames did not grow larger, but they did not disappear either.

It meant that the red dragon was still alive.

Lily swallowed hard and walked forward. Rustle. The ashes remaining from the burnt-out scattered weakly under her footsteps.

As she took a step forward, intense heat enveloped Lily's body. Frowning, she raised her hand to block her view ahead.

She saw a figure of someone in the distance.

Amidst the ruins where everything was burning, someone was sitting. No, it would be more accurate to say that they had collapsed.

Lily approached the master of the flames.

"...Why did you come?"

At that moment, a low bass voice grabbed her ankles. Within the voice filled with anger lay a deep sense of emptiness.

Lily, having sorted out the words swirling in her mouth, cautiously parted her lips.

"...I came because I wanted to help you." 

“Help me?”

Then, ridicule immediately followed.

"What do you expect to do by helping me, you wolf? Are you trying to pity me? I'm as good as dead already. Stop your useless nonsense and get lost."

The sharp voice was hostile, but it also revealed a sadness that could not be fully concealed

"...That can't be happening."

Lily spoke again.

"Because I want to help you." 

“Why?”

However, the memory continued. Noelier sharply questioned the woman back.

"You want to do something good, at least. Is that it?"

"Yes."

"Mom always used to say this... that if you do good deeds, you will receive blessings."

One day, something Eve had said lingered in my ears like tinnitus.

Lily spoke in a much clearer voice.

"Because we have to help people in danger."

The red dragon's eyes trembled slightly.

The image of that wolf overlapped with hers.

Then, the magical power surrounding them weakened. It meant that the dragon's wariness had eased slightly.

It was when Lily was approaching the dragon.

"Mom!"

A familiar voice caught her ear.

Lily looked up.

Eve was looking at her with surprised eyes.

"... Eve?"

Lily's eyes also opened wide.

"Mom!"

Eve reached out her hand toward Lily. However, just like the day she disappeared, Eve's body was gradually fading away.

The figure of Eve, who had hurriedly reached out her hand, completely vanished. Lily stared blankly at the spot where Eve had disappeared.

'Mom.'

The moment she ruminated on those words, the conversation she had with Eve began to come to mind.

"Just the fact that Lily is holding out against that piece of trash... no, that bastard is amazing."

"If you ever feel that way, please pat yourself on the back. Tell yourself that you are doing very well right now. Tell yourself that you are holding on well."

"I remember my mom often doing this for me. Then all the pain would disappear."

Lily raised her hand and covered her mouth.

Only then did everything make sense.

The fact that they were so alike that she thought they were the same person, that she kept being drawn to Eve. 

And... that she threw her whole body to save me, everything...

"We will meet someday. Of course, Lily won't remember, though."

" Goodbye, Mom."

Lily's eyes glided toward the fallen dragon. 

She was staring into the void with empty eyes, as if she had not heard Eve's voice.

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