Even If I'm Reborn as a Cute Dragon Girl, I Will Still Make a Harem-Chapter 113Book 6: : The Deal

Countless fragments converged into a surging river, flowing endlessly before Lilith’s eyes.

Within those fragments, images surfaced. Some were like fleeting glimpses of a galloping horse, flashing past in an instant, slipping away the moment one failed to grasp them, vanishing forever from reach.

Others, however, were like marks engraved into steel, stubbornly resisting the torrent, refusing to be swept along toward some distant, unknown end.

These were all records drawn from the soul of the girl who had called herself Ember, bearing witness to the countless joys and sufferings she had once experienced.

But why was Lilith able to see memories that belonged to someone else?

Was it because she… had already died?

“Damn it…” Lilith collapsed to her knees by the riverbank, loathing her own helplessness as tears fell with the breeze, dripping into the shimmering water.

Then she saw it. A fragment of record that stood out unmistakably, as though it had been waiting all along to reveal itself to her.

It was from a very, very long time ago. Seizing upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Dragon Queen had evaded Gerald’s scrutiny and appeared before the imprisoned girl. The Dragon Queen said, “I want to make a deal with you.”

The girl stared at her, stunned and confused. “I have nothing left. What could I possibly trade with Your Majesty?”

“No. You still have your life.” The Dragon Queen looked her straight in the eyes and said coldly, “The life you have already grown weary of.”

The girl froze for a moment, then asked in return, “My life has long since ceased to matter. But what can the Queen possibly offer in exchange?”

“Another life.” The Dragon Queen paused briefly. “Gerald’s life. I will kill him. I will kill the one you despise, grind his bones to dust, and annihilate his soul.”

At merely hearing the Dragon Queen’s terms, the soul that had already despaired countless times within endless darkness and desolation, that had sought release over and over without success, instantly ignited with raging flames of vengeance.

For her, nothing could bring greater joy than witnessing Gerald’s death. And so, without the slightest hesitation, she agreed to the Dragon Queen’s proposal.

“What do you intend to use my life for?”

“I want you to turn your soul into fire and use it to temper Lilith’s soul,” the Dragon Queen said.

“You mean…”

“This is something only you can do. Use the soul-fire of the Dragon Eater to refine Lilith’s soul and the Dragon Eater’s body, allowing them to fuse perfectly into one. From that moment on, soul and flesh will never be separate again.”

“Soul and flesh… never separate.” The girl gazed into the Dragon Queen’s eyes, confirming again and again. “Are you truly prepared to do this? You understand the consequences of such an act better than anyone.”

“The consequences… of course I understand them.” If the Dragon Eater’s soul and body were to fully merge, it meant that the Dragon Eater would no longer possess any weakness.

Once a Dragon Eater wielding world-ending power no longer had even the soul as a vulnerability, she could do anything she wished to this world.

The supreme artifact painstakingly created by the Great World to defeat the Dragon Eater, the soul-targeting nemesis known as “Nether Passage,” would from then on be reduced to nothing more than a toy.

Unrestrained. Unstoppable. In other words, if one day Lilith were to grow bored and decide to destroy the world… then the world truly would be destroyed.

“But what does any of that have to do with me?” The Dragon Queen said coldly, “I am nothing more than a stray hound who has lost nearly everything. I have long since ceased to have anything worth clinging to.”

“Now, this stray hound wishes to pave the only possible path of survival for the one person she truly cares about. After that, whether the world is destroyed or not has nothing to do with me. Even if the world truly ends, as long as she can live well, that alone is enough for me.”

“…How selfish, Dragon Queen,” the girl finally said after a long silence.

“But isn’t that precisely what a mother is?” She would give her everything her daughter desired and kill everything she feared. Even if the world were destroyed and all things withered away, as long as she could still smile… Then everything would be fine.

A rare gentleness surfaced on the Dragon Queen’s face as she spoke softly. “If sacrificing myself could bring her salvation, I would not hesitate. Unfortunately, I cannot save her. The only one who can… is you.”

“How wonderful. I never imagined that, in the end, my death would still have meaning.” The girl seemed to sigh with emotion as she extended her hand, clasping the Dragon Queen’s palm that had already been waiting before her. “Pleasant cooperation, Dragon Queen… no, I should say—Lilith’s mother.”

***

When the record finished playing, it dissolved once more into flowing water and merged back into the great river.

Lilith hugged her knees and sat by the riverbank, staring blankly at the endlessly flowing surface, speechless.

“Who asked you to redeem me, you b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲.”

“You already said you’ve grown up, so why are you still acting like a child now, Lilith.” A faint, illusory voice sounded beside her. The girl who called herself Ember had also come to Lilith’s side, sitting down shoulder to shoulder with her.

Propping her chin on her hand, she let her gaze sweep across the great river formed from countless records, watching those fragments of past memories. At times she laughed softly in delight, and at others she lowered her brows in quiet sadness.

Yet most of her life had actually been nothing but dull, desolate darkness. During the time she was trapped in that cage, there had been nothing to see at all.

So she quickly skimmed past those parts, letting her eyes linger on a small, recent fragment instead.

It was the moment when she went to eat beef noodles and secretly petted a cat. The record was very short, so short that she could finish it in an instant, yet she watched it again and again, never growing tired of it.

“I am just… unwilling to accept it.” Lilith buried her face between her knees and spoke in a low voice. “It is too unbearable. I struggled with everything I had and exhausted myself just to reach this point, yet in the end I still couldn’t change anything.”

“Isn’t that precisely the world of adults? Helplessness, unwillingness, resignation. Only after experiencing all of that can one truly be considered grown up.” The girl mimicked Lilith’s posture, burying her face between her knees as well, but she peeked at Lilith through the gaps between her arms.

“But happiness still exists, doesn’t it? Lilith, try to think of the good things. You’re about to gain true freedom.”

“But this kind of freedom isn’t something I want,” Lilith muttered irritably. “I’m not a beggar. I don’t need your charity.”

“This isn’t charity.” The girl looked at Lilith with solemn intensity. “This is a trust. Lilith, from now on, you will carry all of my hopes for happiness and live joyfully in this world!”

“Why don’t you experience that kind of thing yourself?”

“I’m already satisfied, Lilith.” The girl smiled gently. “Being able to reach such an ending has long surpassed anything I ever imagined. I’m completely content.”

“What kind of happy ending is that supposed to be? You just haven’t seen what real happiness looks like.”

“No, I have. I’ve seen it, and I once possessed it.”

Lilith froze, then followed the girl’s line of sight. On the other side of the river, there were vague silhouettes, waving at the girl and calling out to her.

“Precisely because I’ve seen it, I treasure it all the more. So Lilith, you must treasure what you have too, while everything is still in time.” With that, the girl stood up and once again gave Lilith a big, tight hug.

“I should go now, Lilith. They’re waiting for me. Your journey is still long ahead. I hope that along the way, you’ll find happiness that truly belongs to you.”