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“Ugh… My head hurts,” Kieran groaned as he attempted to sit up, clutching his throbbing head. It felt as though his skull had been repeatedly kicked like a ball. As he opened his eyes, the world was blurry and filled with golden stars.

“Yo, you’re awake.” Lilith smiled. She had been sitting at the side, waiting for Kieran to wake up. She was feeling bored, so she replenished her energy by taking a few bites.

“Did you know you were controlled by Lacey? Your throbbing head is the side effects of mind control. You better thank me, if I hadn’t rescued you…”

Kieran interrupted Lilith angrily and roared, “Don’t go thinking I don’t know you’re the cause of this pain in my head! Although my body was being controlled, I was still conscious. I watched you headbutting me as if your skull is a sacred artifact!”

“Tch.” Lilith clicked her tongue and took another bite of meat before muttering, “So, you were conscious, huh? I thought I could rely on this to blackmail you into pledging your absolute obedience to me.”

“……”

Kieran’s cheek twitched as he fought the urge to tear the little devil’s offensive mouth. However, he remembered something and hesitated for a moment before speaking in a barely audible voice. “In any case, I still have to thank you for saving me.”

The experience that Kieran had just gone through left an unforgettable psychological scar on him. Putting aside the fact that he had to hear a love confession from a pervert like Lacey, the horror of becoming a puppet to be manipulated while still conscious was something he feared he would never forget in his entire life.

It felt like experiencing sleep paralysis, where the body was unable to move, causing an intense feeling of terror. However, being manipulated by Lacey was even more horrifying than that.

Kieran could not imagine the despair of those who had been under Lacey’s control for a long time, with their consciousness trapped in their physical bodies. He was just grateful to have been rescued.

Lilith perked up her ears and exclaimed dramatically, “Huh? Did you say something? I didn’t catch that. You speak too softly, are you turning into a girl for real?”

Kieran’s face flushed as he clenched his teeth briefly before averting his gaze and speaking a little louder this time. “I said thank you.”

“Thank who?”
“Lilith.”
“Who thanked Lilith?”
“Me.”
“Who did you thank?”
“WHO ELSE? DID YOU THINK I WAS GOING TO THANK YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY?!” Kieran snarled.

“Sheesh, what a tsundere.” Lilith covered her smirk as she looked Kieran up and down in his spotless maid dress. “It’s a shame you’re not a real girl, otherwise you would be highly sought after in the market.”
“Oh, f̲u̲c̲k̲ off!” Kieran glared at her and continued, “Let me warn you, you better not be scheming against me, or else…”
“Or else…?”
“O-Or else… I’ll make sure you go down with me too!” Kieran finished fiercely.
“Oh no, I’m so scared.” Despite saying that, Lilith was unfazed by Kieran’s glare and roar. She simply offered him some food with a smile. “Want some to regain your strength?”

Kieran cast a glance at it and gulped. “No, I’m still dizzy.”
“That’s a shame.” Under Kieran’s hungry gaze, Lilith quickly finished all the food. With her mouth full, she said, “You seem to be in a bad shape. Why don’t you wait for me here?”
“Wait for you? Where are you going?”
“To chase after that sadistic doll, of course. Since the smoke hasn’t cleared yet, he should still be on board.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Kieran furrowed his brow and scanned his surroundings. The smoke was getting so thick that it resembled a white iron curtain, maybe because Lacey was trying to cover his tracks.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” Lilith said while pointing to the tip of her nose with her thumb. “That guy probably didn’t even notice he got blood on him. I’m going to track him down by following the scent of blood.”

“But the scent is probably…” As the smoke thickened, the pungent smell grew stronger.

“Don’t worry. Although the smell was a bit unsettling at first, I have become accustomed to it and it no longer affects me.”

Lilith patted her chest and flashed a confident smile.

The adaptability of a dragon should not be underestimated. Given enough time, they could even detect the scent of virginity amidst a sea of rotten eggs from five hundred miles away. It was thanks to this ability that the Eclipse Dragon managed to locate the chamber of the Demon King’s daughter during the infiltration of the Demon King’s city through the sewer system.

Kieran pondered for a moment, then nodded. “…Fine. Now that Lacey is just a defenseless doll, it is indeed the best opportunity to capture him. Otherwise, it will be a problem if he takes control of someone else again.”

Kieran was starting to worry about the others on the boat. They were still completely unaware of Lacey’s abilities and the current situation. If Lacey were to take advantage of this and catch them off guard, it could be extremely dangerous.

For some reason, Lilith did not seem to share this worry. Although Kieran was not as important to Lilith as the others, she still stayed around to guard the area when he was unconscious.

“Alright, I’m heading out now. Make sure you stay safe,” Lilith reminded, bouncing in place a few times to warm up. As she lifted her foot to leave, she suddenly froze for a moment.

“W-What’s… wrong?” Kieran asked nervously, wondering if there was another enemy attack.

“Don’t worry, we’re safe.” Lilith turned around and faced Kieran with a serious expression. “The smoke is dissipating though.”

“What?” Kieran was stunned, as he had only just realized that the troublesome smoke around him was starting to thin out. Although it had been so thick just a moment ago, they could now pretty much see the room they were in.

“That Lacey… gave up and ran away without seeking revenge?” Kieran frowned, a little unconvinced that the pervert would give up so easily. However, with the smoke clearing, it appeared to be the only plausible explanation.

“Perhaps…” Lilith stroked her smooth chin thoughtfully as another suspicion came to her mind.

The smoke had dissipated too suddenly. Could Lacey have made a mistake by attempting to ambush a dragon or deity that looked like an elementary school student and only to be defeated within a second?

“What do we do now?”

Kieran looked at Lilith. Since Lacey had already left, there was no reason for her to go after him.

“What else? We’ll go meet up with Lesiah and the others.” Lilith shrugged and playfully said, “We can’t just sit here all day and pray for Lacey to fall from the sky.”

Kieran struggled to stand up, finding it difficult to remain still with his dizzy and foggy head. “If daydreams like those could come true, I wouldn’t mind cross-dressing for the rest of my life.”

Lilith crossed her arms and huffed, “Is there any point in saying something that will never happen? I think you should be more realistic with that, it would make it more exciting. For example, we can play rock-paper-scissors. If you lose, you must wear that kawaii maid dress for the rest of your life.”

Kieran sneered. “Nice try. Rather than convincing me to say something absurd like that, your efforts would be better spent on praying. The chances of it happening might be better.”

“Well, you were the one who started it.”

“It is as you have said, it doesn’t count because it will never happen.”

Kieran bent down and focused on channeling his battle qi through the meridians in his body to accelerate the healing of his wounds, enabling him to move better as soon as possible. In doing so, he failed to notice that Lilith had suddenly lifted her head and was staring at something that left her small mouth gaping open in disbelief.

“What if it does happen?”

“What if? Impossible! If Lacey truly fell from the sky, directly plummeting down, I, Kieran, swear on the spot that I will wear this maid dress for the rest of my life, until the day I die!”

Kieran straightened up and kicked his legs before smiling confidently. “I’ll swear it in the name of the Dragon God.”