Leave a comment

“Mmm~ That was a good nap.” Lilith rose from the sun-warmed grass, stretching her back.

Judging by the color of the sky, she must have slept for several hours. The scarlet hues of the sunset now illuminated her black lolita dress, accentuating her slender but flat figure.

Lilith dusted her clothes to get rid of the petals, leaves, and grass from her body, then squinted at the setting sun with a puzzled expression.

“Do they even have sunsets in this world?”

It seemed that while the laws of this small world mimicked those of the outside world, there were subtle differences, which was why the magic power here was difficult to absorb.

Lilith wondered if the time span between the rising and setting of the sun here mirrored that of the outside world.

Rather than pondering how to use the sun’s position to determine time, Lilith trusted her stomach more.

“Hmm… it’s definitely mealtime.” Lilith patted her growling stomach, contemplating the most important decision in her life with a serious expression. “I’ve grown tired of that magic cow… it’s time for something new.”

But what? Lilith chewed her finger, furrowing her brow. Though she had packed at least ten days’ worth of rations in her storage ring, as a (self-proclaimed) gourmet, she felt compelled to sample the local cuisine first. After all, experiencing a place meant indulging in its culinary delights.

Recalling all the rules that had appeared in her mind before the tournament began, which mentioned the existence of natives in this small world, Lilith had her plan.

Mm… Very well, I know what to do next.

With a decisive clap, Lilith set her course. First, she would seek out the locals and inquire about the finest cuisine this world had to offer. And if communication proved challenging, she would resort to her tried-and-true method of universal interracial communication.

Finally, if the natives’ spiritual intelligence or level of civilization had not reached the point where they could appreciate culinary delights… then Lilith would have to apologize in advance to them.

However, Lilith pondered, the last possibility was much higher. Because the owner of this small world had died too early, the small world was likely to be stagnant in its development. Without external interference, the emergence of high spiritual intelligence creatures might be measured in millions or even longer.

All in all, this small world was still too young.

“Oh well, never mind. At least this has saved me from having to spend time communicating with them,” Lilith concluded.

Having determined the general direction, Lilith plucked another flower from the side that seemed to have quite a large number of petals.

“Front, back, left, right, front, back…” she mumbled as she counted them.

After mumbling for half a day, the petals fluttered in all directions, and the poor flower was finally down to a single bare stem.

“Left! Aha, I’ll go left,” Lilith exclaimed, tossing the flower stem aside and preparing to head in the indicated direction.

At that moment, the wind picked up, carrying a hint of floral scent along with coolness.

Sniffing the air, Lilith’s eyes lit up. “There’s moisture in the wind!”

She turned to the right confidently. “There’s water, lots of water, and with a hint of salty flavor… It’s the sea! This small world actually has a sea!”

If there’s sea… then there’s… Seafood! Seafood! Seafood! One must repeat important things three times!

Facing the direction where the wind was blowing, Lilith took a deep breath before her figure slowly floated up. Thanks to the innate ability of the dragon race, Lilith could fly even without wings, but she rarely used them.

Rather than flying, it felt more like levitating to Lilith, because she could walk faster. However, after developing new moves recently, flying felt different for Lilith.

“Light the fire and let’s go!”

Intensely burning flames erupted from the palm of her hand, and Lilith shot forward, turning into a blur as she crossed an unknown distance in a flash, parting the long grass in her wake.

Waves of flame stirred up turbulent air currents, sending grass leaves and flowers swirling in the air. But soon everything returned to calm.

Only a bare flower stem remained floating in the air as if reluctant to touch the ground and silently lamenting the disturbance until a hand reached out and grabbed it.

The tall, blonde man crumpled the flower stem in one smooth motion, his gaze fixed on the tiny dot on the horizon where Lilith had disappeared.

“Found you… Estelle’s little stumbling block,” he muttered with a cruel smile. “According to the agreement between the royal consort and I, once I finish you off, Estelle will be mine forever.”

Greed flickered across his rather handsome face as memories of Estelle’s allure flooded his mind. He could not wait to throw her on the bed and run his hand all over her beautiful body.

“Don’t blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for standing in the way of someone you shouldn’t have,” he muttered, suppressing the flames of desire in his belly before hurrying after Lilith.

◆◇◆◇◆

“It’s really… a sea!” Lilith exclaimed in excitement as she beheld the boundless azure blue expanse before her.

Without hesitation, she leaped into the sea, moving with the grace of a mermaid and startling small fish she could not identify in the sea. Emerging from the water, Lilith spat out a mouthful of salty seawater and gleefully slapped the waves.

“Oh sea, why are you so salty? Does that mean I don’t have to put any salt in you if I turn you into a pot of soup?” she laughed.

During her time on Dragon Island, Lilith found joy in the boundless sea. At least she did not have to worry about accidentally stepping on the other idiots on the island who would bask in the sun for no reason.

The giants lurking in the depths of the sea became her cherished playmates. Despite her uncertainty about why those giants later migrated, the sea always held a special place in Lilith’s heart.

Upon arriving in the human nation, Lilith did not find any opportunity to visit it. The biggest body of water she encountered was the lake near St. Caroline Academy, which had sadly dried up over time.

That was why she was so excited right now.

And the most important thing was always…

“SEAFOOD! HERE I COME!”

Lilith plunged into the water. Although she couldn’t be certain what lay beneath the surface in this unfamiliar small world, the abundance of small fish she had just startled indicated a promising bounty.

Disregarding any concerns about water pressure differences, Lilith wasted no time in swimming down to explore the depths of the sea.