At the end of the day, the water basilisk, which gave Lillian its neck, slowly fell to its side. Its only one remaining eye glared bloodily at Lillian. His eyes were intense, with a bitter intuition about its impending death.

‘It’s so realistic,’

Lillian thought as she brushed off the blood from her blade. Then she looked down at the monster to see the consequence of the attacks she had inflicted. At that moment, Lillian’s eyes grew wide.

‘These wounds.....’

The fallen water basilisk had small wounds all over its body. Lillian could recall most of them because she had caused those traces.

‘What’s going on?’

No matter how realistic an illusion was, was it possible to accurately document all those small cuts? Was Saleos such a meticulous and attentive demon to begin with? Even so, is it possible to reflect all these imprints that he didn’t remember?

Troubled, Lillian lowered her sword and studied the monster that lay in front of her. A teardrop slowly flowed out from its bloodshot eye as it exhaled its last breath. The hatred and fear of a soul-bound being upon approaching death—something that couldn’t be replicated by magic—were all directed at Lillian.

“Well, good work. You finally did it.”

At this time, Saleos moved his hands to cast a spell to remove the water basilisk. There was nothing left where the dying monster lay down. Lillian stared blankly at the empty spot and blinked. Saleos reached out to her and twirled her around.

“I’m proud of you, Soyeon! You did well. You should be confident facing the Salamander tomorrow.”

“Oh, I’m dizzy! Mr. Saléos! Stop it, please!”

Lillian tapped him on the shoulder. Now that her grip was quite powerful, Saleos let her go, pretending to be injured. He kissed her cheek as if she was pleased with her growth.

Lillian received the kiss with a smile. But one corner of her head was still cold. Somehow Saleos’s friendly act seemed to attempt to hide something from her. But before Lillian could clear her mind and organize her thoughts, Saleos pushed her back.

“Now, why don’t you go to bed? Maintaining your condition is the most important thing you need to do for tomorrow’s competition.”

Lillian, who lay on the bed, blinked, half hugged him. She didn’t want to fall asleep yet. There was something that was nagging for her attention.

I think..have to think about it a little bit more...

Strangely enough, my eyes.. Kept—blink— Again and again..

“Sweet dreams.”

May you be protected in your dreams, Saleos muttered as he slowly closed her eyes. The relaxed smile that had always hung on his face disappeared as if the mask had been taken off. Saleos reached out and caressed Lillian’s white cheeks.

Today, he had taken advantage of her stupor, distracted her, and quickly put her concerns aside. He had even used his ability to put her to sleep. But this tactic wouldn’t succeed in the future. She hadn’t adapted to this world yet, but she’s never been stupid.

Silently Saleos removed his hand from Lillian’s cheek.

* * *

She must be crazy. Lillian was so nervous that she kept opening and clenching her cold sweaty palms. Her hands felt stiff even though she had done ample stretching. Perhaps the tension from the upcoming battle manifested in her rigid body.

But the audience thought differently. Ecstatic, Darkness approached Lillian while clapping his hands.

“You look great, Lily..No, Black Rose! You’re the most popular newbie in the arena! Everyone will kneel under your feet and beg you to give them a whipping.”

....Why should I hit people with a whip?

Lillian was dumbfounded as she shot Darkness a look that she thought he was being absurd over her mask.

Then his expression became even more ecstatic. Like a person who got a reward.

“Yes, that’s it! A little more ferocious! Please stare at me with contempt!!”

Oh, my God, he’s an idiot.

Lillian gritted her teeth and looked away from Darkness and instead observed her own reflection in the mirror. Fortunately, she looked much better than last time.

Her black tight bodysuit was the same but unlike before she was also donning the armour that Lillian had designed. From leg-protective gaiters to arm guards to a chest plate and side-protective shield. This much was enough to avoid embarrassing exposure. Not to mention, of course, her survival rate would be much higher. Oh, of course, she was wearing flame-resistant gloves that she had borrowed from Enrique!

Despite wearing armor, her figure honed by her training could not be hidden. She had a tiny waist, voluminous buttocks, and the robust line of her thighs stood out. It was a curve that was very attractive.