I Thought I Was the Monster Duke's Fake Tranquilizer - Chapter 23
Of course, there had been other children’s purification power involved in the past, but that wasn’t important right now.
Edward seemed utterly dumbfounded by Lucy’s words, as if his mind had gone blank.
Before he could recover his senses, Lucy squeezed his hand tightly and whispered,
“I am a purifier who has only ever known you, Your Grace, and will only ever know you.”
“…”
“So, as promised…”
“His Grace, Duke Edward Le Thesseron!”
Soon, a booming voice rang out from beyond the thicket.
“We have words to speak with you!”
It was the shout of a temple holy knight.
“…I said let’s go, you damned Master!”
Overcome with frustration, Lucy grabbed for Edward’s collar, only to freeze in bewilderment.
Because armor, unlike clothing, had no collar to grab.
Still, the determination to hold onto the duke remained unwavering.
Clasp!
In the end, what Lucy chose was to throw both arms around Edward’s neck.
‘He won’t suddenly throw me off, will he?’
But as always, once a mess had been made, pulling back only made things stranger.
Rather than retreating hastily, Lucy clung to Edward’s embrace outright.
“…Very well.”
Immediately after, along with a quietly whispered voice—
“Huh?”
Whoosh.
Lucy’s feet dangled in the air.
Edward had abruptly scooped her up as if carrying a princess.
“How bothersome. I shall go on ahead.”
“Certainly, Your Grace.”
“We shall handle the aftermath.”
As if unsurprised by Edward’s actions, Tepe and Gorgo drew their swords.
‘They aren’t actually going to fight the temple holy knights, are they?’
Even for a dragon incarnation, this was— if they did, wouldn’t things only escalate further?
Lucy was staring with bewildered eyes, wondering what on earth was happening, when—
Swirl.
Golden particles gathered behind Edward’s back, weaving an illusion like a mirage.
It was the vision of enormous golden wings settling upon Edward’s back.
A sturdy frame of bone, with membranes resembling a bat’s wings.
Those were…
‘A dragon’s…?’
She had barely registered the thought, let alone marveled at it.
“H-Hyaaah!”
Whoosh.
Edward, holding Lucy, shot upward as if launching a rocket.
With a scream, Lucy rose into the sky.
And then, very briefly, she fainted.
* * *
Whooosh.
A strange pressure swept over her entire body between her closed eyelids.
The sensation of air rushing past at high speed, of defying gravity.
It felt almost like riding a roller coaster at an amusement park.
Ah.
In the darkness of her mind, a past life from some forgotten time surfaced without warning.
‘…I really wanted to ride one.’
“Big sis. Next time, let’s ride the roller coaster too!”
“Sure thing. Our youngest, try on the headband too! I’ll take a picture.”
“After we get off this one, let’s go get churros over there next…”
“Wait. What’s that?”
“Get out of the way!”
Before the transmigration.
The first Gate incident had broken out on Lucy’s twentieth birthday.
She had been at an amusement park with her sisters, standing in the queue for the famous roller coaster, when the Ferris wheel had overturned and a Gate had opened, spewing out monsters.
Naturally, in the frantic rush to escape, they never got to ride anything.
After that, the amusement park was closed.
Still, her bright, outgoing sisters had shouted without a care,
“Once this is all over, let’s go back to the amusement park for sure.”
“Next time, we’ll go first thing in the morning and stay until the evening parade!”
…That promise was never kept.
Her sisters, who had gone off to join the volunteer militia, never returned either.
Why did you do it?
Why did you leave me behind?
Because I was too weak?
Because I was dead weight? Because I was a nuisance?
Don’t do that. I studied hard too. Take me with you.
No—if you were worried because I was weak, then don’t go at all. Just stay with me…
Look. In the end, I’m riding a roller coaster all alone.
I hate this…
“Coming to your senses?”
Her frayed thread of consciousness was yanked abruptly back to reality by a single, impassive voice.
“Huh?”
Lucy let out a dazed sound and opened her eyes.
Everything around her was vivid blue.
Blue over there, blue over here. And over there — white.
‘What is that? It looks just like a cloud…’
“Kyaaah!”
The moment she realized that it really was a cloud, and that she was suspended in midair, held in Edward’s arms with nothing but her bare body, Lucy screamed.
“Don’t drop me!”
And threw her arms tightly around Edward’s head.
