Chapter 22: Goodbye, Beatrice

By the time Aurora returned, dawn had already broken.

Dragged in for no reason and kicked out just as suddenly, she couldn’t help but feel like everything she had just experienced was nothing more than a dream.

But the movement on her shoulder told her otherwise.

“Gula!”

A pair of pink eyes peeked out from between the petals resting on her shoulder.

It was that pink little spirit.

Seeing the cheerful little creature, Aurora gave a helpless smile.

“Since your mother entrusted you to me, I’ll take you around for the day. But you have to go home tonight, alright?”

The little spirit seemed to understand.

It flew in front of Aurora and rubbed against her nose affectionately.

In truth, she needed someone to accompany her on this final journey—and this innocent little spirit was the perfect companion.

But she had forgotten something important…

“Wait, I haven’t gotten my leaf back yet!”

“Gulu.”

The little spirit plucked a pink petal from a flower and placed it gently in Aurora’s palm.

“A gift for me?”

“Well… since it’s from you, it’s surely more precious than that old leaf.”

She placed the petal in her mouth, drawing energy from it for the last time.

When the petal withered, she tucked it carefully into her pocket and whispered, “Whether it’s heaven or hell… I hope I can bring this with me.”

“Alright, little one. Where do you want to go next?”

*****

Meanwhile..

Lorabelle had followed the trail all the way to the forest, only to find that Aurora’s scent had been completely masked by an overwhelming floral fragrance.

The scent was so strong, it was clear someone had deliberately left it.

As soon as she inhaled it, her head began to feel light, and drowsiness crept in.

“I can’t sleep yet… I haven’t found Sister…”

Lorabelle peeled back the armor on her arm, revealing pale, firm skin beneath.

Then, she dragged a fingernail across her forearm, leaving a long, bleeding gash.

Blood spilled out in crimson streams.

This extreme method of staying awake startled a nearby spirit hiding in the flower bushes.

It gasped and covered its mouth, trying not to make a sound.

(Below is a Level 10 Translation of Spirit Languge)

“This human woman… she’s definitely bad news!” the little spirit said angrily.

“That’s right, that’s right! She’s carrying such a heavy, heavy resentment,” said the gentle little spirit.

“And she also carries a divine aura. Could she be a man-made monster created by humans?” added the clever little spirit.

Their queen had already noticed the strange human trailing behind Aurora—someone shrouded in resentment.

Coupled with Aurora’s disheveled appearance when she arrived, it wasn’t hard for the queen to guess that this human was likely searching for her.

And a human so consumed by negative energy surely couldn’t be a good person.

So, she ordered the spirits to delay her as much as possible.

“Our sleep magic doesn’t work on this woman. What should we do, big sis?”

“Emmm… let me think…”

“We could give her false information and lead her the wrong way!”

“Don’t interrupt my thinking, little sis. Oh wait—I’ve got it! We can give her false information and lead her in the opposite direction!”

“……”

“As expected of me. No time to waste, let’s move!”

The three little ones glanced at each other, then immediately sprang into action.

They still had some scraps of fabric from Aurora’s clothes—leftovers from when they’d helped mend her outfit.

The cloth carried her unique, delicate scent.

They plucked two flower petals and stuck them to the fabric scraps.

Whispering softly to the petals, the flower pieces suddenly fluttered like wings.

“Go now! Fly fast!”

They released the scented scrap into the air and quickly ducked back into hiding.

Sniff sniff…

“Sister’s scent…”

Lorabelle twitched her nose.

Catching Aurora’s scent in the wind, she immediately darted off in that direction.

“Hehe, what a dummy.”

Meanwhile, Aurora…

She was leisurely wandering through the forest with the little creature in tow.

The newly born spirit seemed fascinated by everything around them.

Even when it encountered a group of bees playing a riddle game, it wasn’t afraid.

Instead, it approached and asked curiously,

“What kind of spirit are you?”

Naturally, what followed was a wild chase, as the bees swarmed after it, their sharp stingers—deadly weapons at the spirit’s size—pointed right at it.

But when it saw a human the size of Aurora, the little creature still got scared and hid in her palm.

A dragon-drawn carriage rolled by.

The crunching sound of its wheels grinding over gravel startled the little one badly.

It dove into Aurora’s palm and didn’t dare poke its head out until the sound of the wheels faded away.

“No need to be scared. I’m right here.”

Aurora offered a gentle smile and softly stroked the little spirit’s head with her fingertip, comforting it in a tender voice.

The little thing purred contentedly, clearly enjoying her touch.

Then suddenly, it seemed to smell something. Its tiny nose twitched as it sniffed at the air.

“What is it?”

“Guda gura!”

The creature flew out of Aurora’s hand, pointing toward the direction the dragon carriage had gone, chattering excitedly.

Aurora sniffed the air as well…

There was a pleasant floral scent.

This fragrance didn’t come from the forest, nor from her own clothes.

It must’ve come from the dragon carriage that had just passed.

That carriage probably carried a load of flowers.

Judging by its direction, it seemed to be heading to the royal capital.

Perhaps it was delivering flowers to a shop there?

The little creature seemed really interested in the flowers inside that carriage—but should she really take it to the capital?

It was terribly afraid of humans, after all.

“Do you want to go to the royal capital? But you know, there are a lot of humans there.”

“Wuga!”

The little one nodded vigorously, its eyes filled with excitement.

Aurora smiled warmly.

“You mustn’t run off, okay?”

“Wuga!”

It nodded hard again.

Following the carriage tracks for a while, a city wall gradually appeared before them.

This was the capital of the First Kingdom—the most prosperous place in the entire realm.

Crowds of people bustled in and out of the city gates.

Giant black turtles and dragon-beasts hauled cargo into the city alongside them.

Above the gate, there was a smaller entrance reserved for witches.

Few witches actually used it, though—most of them simply flew over the city walls on their brooms.

Aurora placed the little one gently atop her head, reminding it once again not to run off.

As they approached the city gate, many gazes turned toward Aurora.

Some were lewd, some merely curious—some were directed at the little spirit perched atop her head.

But Aurora was used to such attention.

Worried about the tiny creature, she gently returned it to the safety of her palm.

Maybe it was her brightly colored clothing—once inside the city, the stares grew even more frequent.

“Wula…”

Once past the gate, the little creature pointed to its throat, seeming a bit parched.

“Are you thirsty?”

“Wuga!”

“Alright then, let’s get you something to drink.”

Though Aurora didn’t know what spirits usually drank, she figured anything connected to flowers was probably a safe bet!

She brought the little one to a café and ordered a specialty—nectar lemon juice. But just as she reached for her money…

She realized something awkward: she didn’t have any.

She had rushed out in such a panic that she hadn’t brought her suitcase.

Even the clothes she was wearing were gifted by the spirits—she didn’t have a single coin on her.

“Oh ho, missy, don’t tell me… you forgot your money?”

The bearded shopkeeper noticed her hesitation and quickly guessed the reason.

But he didn’t believe someone so elegant and beautiful could possibly be poor.

The clothes she wore alone looked expensive—surely she was some noble lady who had simply gone out without her purse.

“Well, actually…”

“No worries! This one’s on the house. Please do come again.”

Ever since this lady had walked in, the restaurant had suddenly become much more crowded.

Most of the people, no doubt, were just here to catch a glimpse of her.

“Thank you.

Aurora offered an embarrassed smile.

Her face really was too eye-catching.

If only she had a mask to cover it.

She found a seat and waited patiently for the drink to be prepared.

“Boss! One fresh-squeezed lemon juice, please!”

A bright, energetic voice rang out from the entrance.

Aurora immediately recognized it—it was Avila!

“Avila…”

She turned around with joy, wanting to call out—but the words froze on her lips.

Because standing behind Avila was a figure all too familiar…

“Beatrice…”