Chapter 57: A Future Full of Hope

Lilith gently caressed Melorin’s face, and seeing her anxious yet innocent expression, couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m not some evil demon, you know.
I wanted to help you from the very beginning.”

Hearing Lilith say this, Melorin didn’t even bother to consider whether there might be a trap hidden behind her words.

Perhaps it was because she longed too desperately for hope, or perhaps because she truly saw Lilith as her only support.

She suddenly lunged forward and tightly hugged Lilith around the waist, like a kitten that had finally found its home.

She rubbed against Lilith’s soft waist, acting spoiled as she pleaded.

“Please, Lilith—tell me already.
I don’t want to keep living like this.
I want to save them, and I also want to find myself again.
Please, tell me what I should do.”

Her voice was soft and urgent, filled with childlike dependence and begging.

Seeing Melorin nestle against her like an adorable little cat, Lilith felt her heart soften.

She raised her hand and gently rubbed Melorin’s hair with her fingertips, smiling as she said.

“Actually… I don’t know the exact method either.”

“Huh?!”

Melorin abruptly lifted her head.

She froze for a few seconds, then immediately put on a sulky expression and glared fiercely at Lilith.

“You awful Lilith.
I knew you were just teasing me.
You clearly don’t know anything, yet you pretended to be all mysterious and got me excited for nothing.
You’re the worst.”

Though she spoke angrily, she still refused to get up from Lilith’s embrace.

She just turned her face to the side, pretending to ignore her.

Lilith was amused by her obvious contradiction between words and actions, and laughed out loud.

She reached out and pinched Melorin’s puffed-up cheek, smiling as she soothed her.

“Alright, alright.
I won’t tease you anymore.”

Her tone became more serious, and her gaze sharpened slightly.

“Although I don’t know how to solve it, I do know—who can.”

Melorin’s heart jolted.

She immediately turned her face back, light rekindling in her eyes.

Still, she forced herself to suppress her excitement and said coolly.

“You’re not talking about the Demon King, are you?”

“Pfft—”

Lilith covered her mouth and laughed.

She raised her hand and lightly tapped Melorin on the head, as if scolding a disobedient child.

“Of course not the Demon King.
How could it possibly be her?”

Only then did Melorin truly become interested.

Curiosity sparkled in her eyes, yet out of pride from earlier, she awkwardly turned her head away and muttered softly.

“If it’s not the Demon King… then I suppose I’ll reluctantly listen.
Go on, tell me.”

Seeing her transparent attempt at saving face, Lilith’s smile deepened.

“Go to the Lich Clan.
There’s someone there who can help you.”

“The Lich Clan?”

Melorin repeated softly, joy surging in her heart at first, as if she had seen a ray of light in the darkness.

But very quickly, that joy was extinguished by reality.

She lowered her head, her shoulders drooping, her voice subdued.

“Sigh… even if I know that, what good does it do.
How could I possibly reach the Lich Clan’s territory.
The Demon King has me tightly restricted—I can’t even leave the Demon King’s castle, let alone go somewhere that far…”

As she spoke, her tone was filled with powerlessness and self-mockery.

Hearing this, the minister sighed softly and reached out to lift Melorin’s chin, forcing her to look at her.

“Honestly, why are you so hopeless about life?”

Her voice was gentle, yet firm.

“You’re restricted right now, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be like this forever.
As long as someone is alive, they should leave themselves a bit of hope, shouldn’t they?”

Looking into Lilith’s deep eyes and hearing these words, Melorin’s heart trembled slightly.

That was right.

If she gave up now, then she truly wouldn’t be able to do anything.

She slowly nodded, a smile returning to her lips.

“That’s true.
How could I give up now.
At the very least, I already know the direction.”

Seeing Melorin regain her vitality, Lilith also smiled with relief.

“Alright, alright.
Now that you understand the situation, what do you plan to do next?”

Hearing Lilith ask this, Melorin couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

She leaned against Lilith, her gaze unfocused, asking herself again and again.

“What should I do?”

“Continue living numbingly like this, as a compliant dependent?”

“Or pretend to hate the Demon King, secretly gathering strength and waiting for an opportunity?”

“Or maintain outward obedience while quietly laying plans for the future?”

She thought for a long time.

Images flashed through her mind—Servia’s worry, Louise’s trust, Cassie’s dependence, and Lilith’s current gentleness.

Yet the answer about the future remained vague, like a road shrouded in fog, with no end in sight.

Seeing Melorin frown deeply in troubled thought, Lilith couldn’t help but laugh.

She raised her hand and lightly knocked Melorin on the head.

“Silly girl.
How can you already not know what to do now.
Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t give up?”

“Ow!”

Melorin cried out, clutching the spot that had been tapped, pouting as she complained.

“That’s because you knocked me silly.
I had things figured out, and now it’s all a mess.”

Seeing her aggrieved yet adorable expression, Lilith couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes full of affection.

“Melorin, you’re really getting cuter and cuter.
You didn’t used to act this spoiled.”

Hearing this, Melorin immediately became alert.

She narrowed her eyes, staring at Lilith’s mischievous smile, then suddenly puffed a breath toward her.

It was half dissatisfaction, half testing.

“Hmph.
I bet you already had an idea all along, didn’t you.
Stop beating around the bush and tell me already.”

Lilith laughed at her childish behavior, deliberately drawing out her tone.

“Melorin-chan, why are you in such a hurry.
Good things take time~”

“That’s because you, Lilith, always like to tease me.”

Melorin puffed out her cheeks, her voice full of accusation.

“You always say half of it and hide the other half, making my heart go up and down.”

Only then did Lilith put away her teasing expression and look at her seriously.

She lightly tapped Melorin’s forehead with her fingertip.

“Alright, no more teasing.
What you should be doing now isn’t thinking about some grand plan, but first strengthening your relationships with the people around you—Servia and Cassie.”

Melorin froze, her eyes widening as she listened.

Lilith continued.

“In the future, if there’s a chance to go to the Lich Clan’s territory, you can act together.
That’s far better than you sneaking away alone and leaving them behind.
And bringing the two of them with you is also a form of protection for yourself.”

She paused, her gaze gentle.

“With your current physical condition—weak, sensitive, and completely lacking combat ability—you simply can’t travel alone.
But with them accompanying you, at least your safety can be ensured.”

After hearing this, Melorin first froze, then her eyes lit up.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Servia had once been a saint, proficient in healing and support magic.

Cassie had once been a weapons master—despite the modifications, her combat instincts still remained.

If she could truly gain their full support, even just their companionship would be a tremendous help.

She immediately beamed with joy and hugged Lilith’s arm tightly, praising her repeatedly.

“Lilith, you’re amazing.
I’ve been thinking for so long without any clue, and you woke me up with just one sentence.”

Lilith waved her hand with a smile, feigning modesty.

“Alright, alright.
Enough flattery.
We should leave this place now.”

She looked toward the far end of the pure-white space, her tone slightly solemn.

“If we stay too long, the Demon King will notice something is wrong.”

Hearing this, Melorin immediately looked frightened.

“Huh.
Has it already been that long?”

She subconsciously looked around, as if afraid the Demon King might appear at any moment.

Seeing this, Lilith couldn’t help but laugh.

“No need to worry.”

She gently caressed Melorin’s cheek, her voice soft.

“The flow of time here is different from the outside world.
This is the mental realm, where time moves faster.
We may have spent a long time inside, but in reality, only an instant may have passed.”

Only then did Melorin let out a sigh of relief.

She patted her chest and glared at Lilith with lingering fear.

“You scared me to death… you should’ve said that earlier.”

Seeing her like this, Lilith laughed again and raised her hand, lightly knocking her head.

“Remember it.
Don’t panic so much next time.”

Before her words had fully faded, a gentle force surged in from all directions.

Melorin felt her vision darken, her consciousness receding like a tide.

She suddenly opened her eyes and found herself still lying on the bed.

The night outside the window had not yet faded, and the room was silent and still.

Lilith was nowhere to be seen, as if she had never appeared at all.

But the faint lingering fragrance on the pillow, and the clear memories in her heart, told her—

That was not a dream.

It was all real.

She slowly raised her hand and touched her cheek, as if she could still sense Lilith’s presence.

“Servia… Cassie…”

She murmured softly, her eyes igniting with a clear sense of direction for the first time.

“So the answer was always right beside me.”