Even if I transform, I will never be captured.

Nodding in satisfaction, Crusch wanted to say something, but her eyes suddenly turned to the side.

—There, Natsuki Subaru, covered in sweat, was slowly climbing up from under the tree.

Is this guy like a piece of chewing gum?

Satella, who had climbed a tree to avoid Subaru Natsuki, pressed her forehead, about to say something—when suddenly, the surrounding light dimmed.

No, it's not that it's gotten darker, but rather that the moonlight is being blocked by something.

Everyone instinctively looked up at the sky—except for Subaru Natsuki.

Having climbed several dozen meters high, Natsuki Subaru, feeling a sense of accomplishment, was about to strike up a conversation with the girl he admired when he noticed Satella staring blankly at the sky.

Subconsciously, he also raised his gaze, as if a fish-shaped monster swimming in the ocean was imprinted in Natsuki Subaru's pupils.

As if sensing Subaru Natsuki's gaze, a pair of huge golden pupils turned and looked over.

It was filled with violence.

"Wa ...

A roar like ocean waves echoed across the plains of Legius.

Author's Note:

P.S. 1. Thank you to Kunsmai for the blades and the reward; this book finally has its first patron! Also, thank you to Kui Ximei for the 200 blades, and to Emperor Chen Jun of a certain empire, Bambi Tan, and Hanhen Yin Sanlu for the 10,000-yuan reward. And thank you to all the readers for the monthly tickets, rewards, and blades!

To be honest, this book is on a downward spiral, and perhaps the recent plot has become rather boring... But seeing so many readers still supporting it makes Honglian very happy.

P.S. 2. This chapter has 4,000 words, so it counts as two updates.

PS3. Don't underestimate Emilia's strength. According to official settings, she had magic power far exceeding Roswaal's at the age of 7. In terms of pure combat power, she is even above the Witch of Illusion (based on the current situation, she is very likely to be the final boss).

Please take one day off.

Firstly, because I'm taking a long-distance bus back to my hometown for the Chinese New Year.

Secondly, it's because she wanted to adjust her state. As you can see from her recent update schedule, Honglian has been cultivating until 5 a.m. every day lately.

This is not good. Hopefully, when I go home this time, I can change under my parents' pressure.

In addition, I also allow more time to think about the plot. Since it was published, I have been writing too hastily, trying to tell more in one chapter, which has turned it into a rambling account.

The chapters, including "The Fall of the Angels," will be revised. Of course, this will be done without affecting the updates of the main text, and there will be no extra charge. Honglian will strive to write better stories for everyone.

I am very grateful for everyone's support and donations. I will be updating more frequently starting tomorrow.

Chapter 95 The Battle Between Satella and Emilia

Emilia stepped onto the soft lawn, just like she remembered... no, the lawn in her memory should have been even softer.

The forest in my memory—was it clear enough to see the pebbles at the bottom of the stream, with evergreen trees, blooming flowers, and grassy fields where you could walk barefoot without feeling prickly? And of course, the people in the forest, and Mother Furtona.

Foltona is not Emilia's biological mother, but her father's sister. However, compared to her biological mother whom she has never met, the woman with the fierce look in her eyes, who would get angry at her when she made a mistake, and who would cry for her when she was hurt, is undoubtedly Emilia's one and only mother.

Her situation when she was a child was completely different from now. Although the villagers were not very willing to approach her, they were very kind to her. Even when they played pranks on her, they would be considerate of little Emilia.

If there's anything to complain about, it's that every now and then, something important happens in the village, and whenever that happens, little Emilia is strictly required by her mother, Flöthona, to stay in a treehouse called the 'Princess Room'.

But little Emilia will not give in!

Because back then, little Emilia was a rare little devil who would scribble on walls, raid other people's houses for snacks, and steal fruit from trees and then pretend to have a stomachache to get away with it.

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However, the treehouse was locked from the outside, so even with Emilia's excessive energy for causing trouble, she was at a loss.

It was at this moment, as if sensing Emilia's distress, that the micro-sprites approached her.

It must be said that Emilia is truly a mage and elven sorcerer with unparalleled talent. While others have to work hard to communicate with the micro-elves, little Emilia doesn't understand any elven magic at all, yet micro-elves take the initiative to come to her.

With the help of the micro fairies and filled with the excitement of breaking taboos, little Emilia broke her promise to her mother, Flöttona, that she was "absolutely not allowed to leave the Princess Chamber" and ventured outside.

Secretly embarking on her grand adventure, Emilia eventually met her mother, Flöttona, and the villagers in the village center. They seemed to be making a deal with a group of people dressed in black robes.

The distance was too far to hear clearly, but that didn't stop little Emilia. Being a mischievous child, she quickly climbed up a big tree and sneaked up from the tree, hiding among the leaves to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Foltona's mother, representing everyone in the village, was talking to the man in black robes opposite her. The man she was talking to was a tall, handsome middle-aged man with short green hair.

From their conversation, Emilia learned that the man in black robes had come to trade supplies with everyone. Her mother, Flthona, and the middle-aged man seemed very close, which gave little Emilia a sense of crisis that her mother might be taken away from her.

While eavesdropping on their conversation, little Emilia also learned that there was a place in the forest called the Sealed Land.

To vent her dissatisfaction and satisfy her curiosity, little Emilia, with the help of the micro-sprites, successfully found the sealed place they spoke of. The so-called seal was nothing more than an empty 'door' surrounded by a large tree.

What would be considered bizarre by an adult was utterly boring to little Emilia, who simply wandered around for a bit before leaving out of boredom.

This was the beginning of misfortune.

Because she broke the promise and suffered the consequences, Emilia was extremely angry about breaking the promise.

On her way back from the sealed land, Emilia, once again guided by the micro-sprites, saw the middle-aged man on a forest path.

—This is truly a terrible situation. Little Emilia, who never expected to encounter her imagined enemy in this condition, quickly covered her head and crouched down in the grass. However, because her back and buttocks were completely exposed, she was still discovered.

Little Emilia, emerging listlessly from the bushes, met the middle-aged man face-to-face for the first time.

Upon seeing Emilia's face clearly, his reaction was—

"Ahhh—my brain is trembling! What a wonderful encounter…to actually come to accept the trial in person, what diligence! Welcome, my beloved and lovely one! I am the Cult of Witches, the Archbishop of the Great Sin [Sloth]—my name is Petelgeus Romaniconti…desu!"

Before she knew it, she had entered the cave, and the man who appeared before her was Emilia's main purpose for this trip.

Hollow eye sockets were sunken into a haggard face, and dark green hair and dry skin revealed an unhealthy color. The hands that stretched out from the black robe were as thin as withered wood, and the facial features were distorted. This man, who looked like a demon, was drooling and giving Emilia a maniacal smile.

"No, your name is Hughes!"

Emilia, in her current situation, firmly rejected the words of the madman who introduced himself.

Although the other person's face was no longer as handsome as it once was, Emilia recognized him at a glance.

The Hughes I remember was a gentle person, someone who was in love with Foltona's mother, someone who would do his best to forgive his mistakes... and also someone who cried easily.

When she first saw little Emilia, she cried as if she had been walking in the dark and suddenly discovered the light.

While little Emilia was playing with her mother Flöttona, she would squat in a corner and cry, covering her face with a handkerchief.

Just seeing little Emilia's healthy and growing face brought him immense happiness and supreme salvation, so he shed tears of joy. These are Hughes's exact words.

Because she felt that Hughes would steal her mother, Flöttona, little Emilia initially disliked him and even regarded him as her biggest imaginary enemy.

When we meet him, we'll have the elves pounce on his face and smear him with filth! While Hughes is in a panic, we'll stomp on his feet. And not just either, but his heels too…that seems too painful, so let's just stomp on his toes.

—This was Emilia's initial plan.

However, when the man named Hughes knelt before her and wept bitterly, little Emilia forgave him.

The two went from enemies to friends.

In the days that followed, little Emilia would still sneak out of the princess room to play with Hughes, only to be severely scolded by her mother, Flöttona, who would come looking for her. However, after the scolding, Flöttona would forgive little Emilia, and the three of them would then play in the forest like a happy family.

As for why Hughes was so friendly to her, Emilia still doesn't understand. She only knows that Hughes seems to know her parents and that they are from the same generation.

However, this peace was shattered one day.

Perhaps they were betrayed, a group of people learned of the existence of little Emilia and the sealed land, and then some of them came to the forest.

—Pandora, the illusory witch.

——The Archbishop of Sin, Regulus Conias.

And the witch cultists they brought with them, along with one of the three great magical beasts—the Black Serpent!

The black snake's venom corroded the forest, turning it into ruins. Foltona's mother and Hughes joined forces to attack the enemy, but it was no use; the enemy was too strong.

The witch didn't even have to make a move; she was merely a Bishop of Greed, yet she overwhelmingly suppressed Mother Flöthona and Hughes.

In order to protect the most important person in his heart, Hughes forcibly fused with the 'witch factor' that was incompatible with his constitution. Although he gained the power of sloth [the invisible hand] as a result, his body was almost completely destroyed.

Even so, he still couldn't even get the Bishop of Greed's clothes dirty.

Emilia had no idea what the battle was like afterward, because she was protected and taken away from the battlefield.

The next time I see Mother Foltona and Hughes is near the sealed land.

Bewitched by the micro-spirits, little Emilia arrives at the sealed land, only to find the illusory witch already waiting there.

Only three people in this world, including Emilia, can break that seal—these are the words of the Witch of Deception.

In exchange for retreat, the Witch of Deception tricked little Emilia into opening the seal.

Just as little Emilia was wavering, her mother, Foltona, covered in wounds, and Hughes appeared.

The two joined forces to launch a combined attack on the Witch of Deception. However, the Witch of Deception altered Hughes's perception of reality, causing him to mistake Flöttona's mother for the Witch of Deception.

—An invisible hand pierced through Flöttona's mother's abdomen. Hughes, completely unaware of the situation, thought he had killed a powerful enemy and held Flöttona's mother's corpse in the air, laughing triumphantly.

—That was a scene straight out of hell. Even now, whenever Emilia hears that image, she still feels a sharp pain in her heart and is about to cry.

Having killed the person he was supposed to protect with his own hands, Hughes broke down upon learning the truth. His memories, which had been tampered with by the Witch of Pretense, were also taken away by her.

Emilia, who witnessed the death of her mother Flöttona, also went berserk. The immense magical power that she could not yet control froze the entire forest, turning the once spring-like forest into a frozen wasteland.

Emilia, whose memories had also been tampered with, was also frozen due to the backlash of the immense magical power.

This is the story of Emilia and Hughes' past.

"Now that we've made up our minds, let's begin the trial. All of this is for love—desu!!!"

Hughes, whose memories had been rewritten, roared at his former most beloved adopted daughter, and countless unseen "invisible hands" tore through the air, hurtling towards Emilia.

—With the aim of killing Emilia.

but.

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even so.

"I will definitely save you!"

Emilia gripped her staff tightly. This was something only she could do, and something she had to do.

……