"Damn you... humans!"
Fear, when allowed to swell, naturally gives birth to rage.
Seeing the one responsible for her plight step closer and closer, even though terror gripped her heart, she forced herself into the most intimidating posture she could manage.
"You dare come even closer!"
Sprawled on the ground with her maw agape, she looked somewhat ridiculous, but it was the best show of menace she could muster.
"You're... a child?"
Upon hearing this voice, the spear-wielding Theresa faltered for a moment.
"What of it?! A human like you, I could kill you easily if you just come near me!"
Ilulu assumed her age was being looked down upon, that she was being underestimated.
That would usually be an element of surprise, but this situation was different.
She could see the other party was also barely holding on.
In that case, she needed to maximize her threat, to make the other hesitate to attack. Then it would become a contest of will.
Ilulu didn't believe she would lose to a human.
What she feared was the other attacking without a second thought. In her current state, that would truly mean her end.
"Why did you attack the town? What good does that do you?"
Theresa didn't engage, instead asking a different question.
"Good?"
Ilulu hadn't expected such a question. She answered without thinking. "We are dragons of the Chaos Faction. Widespread destruction is only natural!"
This made Theresa frown. "How can such a thing be natural? All this you've done... the lives taken, that's not something that can just be brushed aside as 'natural'."
"...It is our fate! Aren't humans the same?! Humans killed my parents, so what's wrong with me killing humans?!"
Ilulu glared furiously at the white-haired girl standing before her, who wore a disapproving expression. A torrent of raw emotion surged in her eyes.
That emotion wasn't just hatred.
Though... that large red dragon earlier wasn't her parents, then?
It wasn't uncommon for dragons to move in groups, most of which were related, so looking similar wasn't strange.
As for humans capable of slaying dragons... in this town, and in the priest's view, such beings didn't exist.
But according to the intelligence Theresa's clones had gathered in this world, they did exist, just not in this country.
In fact, this nation could be considered rather remote and weak. From Theresa's gathered information, this world had many countries, and some of the more powerful ones harbored 'Heroes.'
A Hero's power stemmed almost entirely from a deity's blessing.
They were less human and more a new species born from humans.
Their primary purpose wasn't to fight some demon king, but to serve as a symbol, helping their patron deity garner faith.
Nations with a Hero believed they had gained divine favor, worshiping that deity with fervent devotion.
However... based on what she knew, even a divinely-blessed Hero shouldn't, in theory, be able to slay two dragons single-handedly.
After all, even the deities themselves were only on par with dragons in combat.
Of course, individual variation was unavoidable. Being on par didn't mean every individual was equal.
Perhaps Ilulu's parents were just exceptionally weak dragons?
Though her thoughts had reached this point, Theresa had no intention of voicing them.
She held no particular ill-will towards Ilulu, but no goodwill either.
This wasn't simply because Ilulu shared some blame for her current predicament.
More so, Theresa held little positive feelings towards anyone at all. But... for someone like Theresa, this situation made it genuinely difficult to strike.
Whether facing other clones during experiments or confronting Sirin later, one could see Theresa wasn't the type with a strong killer instinct.
This was especially true when the other party was a child.
Of course, that didn't mean she wouldn't kill an opponent. When words failed and mutual understanding was impossible, no matter how much she might pity them, Theresa would act.
In that case...
After a brief contemplation, Theresa decided on a use for the dragon before her.
"You cannot generalize the actions of individuals to an entire group. Resorting only to violence will never yield anything good."
As if to prove her words, Theresa threw the spear in her hand to the ground. The golden gears in the sky gradually ground to a halt, then slowly crumbled and fell away.
Simultaneously, Ilulu felt the agony wracking her body continuously lessen.
"...What... does this mean?"
Ilulu couldn't understand why her opponent was suddenly letting her go.
Theresa extended a hand. Several chains shot out from the nearby woods, coiling around her wrist to form the shape of a cross pendant.
Before Ilulu could question further, Theresa tossed the pendant aside. The sound of clinking chains continued unabated.
Before the pendant even hit the ground, the cross—having reclaimed all its mass—had already restored its two-meter stature, standing silently beside Theresa.
"I won't kill you. But... I cannot let you go free either."
Theresa stated.
"Hah! Who needs your permission?!"
With some strength returned, Ilulu immediately tried to take flight.
Acknowledging that the other hadn't tried to take advantage of her weakness, Ilulu wouldn't continue the attack. But expecting her to stay was impossible.
The response to her defiance wasn't Theresa's voice, but chains shooting forth from the cross.
Golden chains bound Ilulu's limbs and wings in an instant, yanking her off-balance and sending her crashing powerless to the ground.
The red, somewhat plump body combined with this posture gave an odd impression of a roast suckling pig.
"You treacherous human! Tricking me with a sneak attack?!"
Ilulu felt towering rage churn in her chest, but another emotion matched it stride for stride—fear.
From her perspective, Theresa's actions were clear: after deploying the barrier and exhausting herself, she feigned trust to lure Ilulu into lowering her guard the moment the barrier fell, then launched a surprise attack.
The motive was even easier to guess.
A dead dragon was far less valuable than a captured one.
'Every part of a dragon is a treasure'—even common folk knew that saying.
Even dragon saliva held great worth. The thought of being turned into a mindless puppet, a source of materials to be harvested at will, filled Ilulu with horror.
"I told you, I will not harm you further. But until your hatred for humans completely vanishes, I cannot set you free. If you went and hurt others, that sin would be on me."
Theresa reached out, stroking the chains shot from the Oath of Judah, her tone grave.
"You are too powerful. I must place restrictions on you."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.