Chapter 86: Meeting Lilia Again

Chapter 86: Meeting Lilya Again

Li Wei stared in silence at the figure behind him.

He raised his staff, a blazing fireball roaring at its tip, and fixed his gaze upon the intruder.

"Who are you? Why did you steal my eggs?"

Wrapped entirely in a black cloak, Lilya trembled with guilt—she hadn’t expected to be caught red-handed.

Under Li Wei’s piercing stare and the searing glow of the fireball, she stammered urgently,

"I’m not a bad person! I was just… hungry. Looking for something to eat."

Li Wei studied her. Had he not seen her stealing bird eggs, he would’ve already hurled the fireball straight at her.

His spiritual sense extended outward, piercing through the shadows beneath her hood.

For a moment, he froze—then recognition flickered in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected to meet Lilya here.

"Lilya, why are you here?" he asked directly.

At the sound of her name, Lilya’s heart jolted. "You… know me?"

She stared at him, but no memory surfaced—Li Wei was a complete stranger to her.

Whoosh!

The fireball swelled, its scorching heat pressing against her skin. She swallowed hard, glancing nervously at the flame dancing atop his staff, feeling the terrifying power within.

One direct hit, and she would be ash.

Frantically, she explained, "I fled from Hansha City… haven’t eaten in three days. When I saw those eggs on the ground, I couldn’t resist…"

"I didn’t mean any harm. I’m sorry!"

"I saw them lying there, thought you’d abandoned them—that’s why I took them."

Li Wei let out a cold chuckle. "Hmph. A peak first-rank assassin like you can’t find food?"

Lilya stiffened. "How do you know that too?"

Then, bitterly laughing, she said, "I escaped disguised among the orc captives. They’ve been starving for five nights and five days—there’s nothing left to eat. That’s why I sneaked out to search."

"The orcs in the camp have started chewing bark and wild grass."

Hearing this, Li Wei believed her.

He extinguished the fireball, withdrawing his magic.

Shadow Servant had returned—now standing silently behind Lilya. There was no need for threats anymore.

Yet Li Wei remained curious about that night in Hansha City’s lord’s mansion.

He looked at Lilya and asked, "What really happened during your assassination attempt on the lord?"

Lilya gazed back, stunned. "How do you know everything?"

In an instant, Li Wei became shrouded in mystery in her mind.

*Of course,* she thought, *mages are always so enigmatic, so powerful.*

She answered, "We infiltrated the mansion, aiming to kill both lords."

"But when we struck, one of them turned out to be far stronger than imagined. In an instant, every assassin who moved was slaughtered."

"I only saw a sword beam flying toward me—then suddenly blacked out. When I woke, I was in the grass outside Hansha City."

"Before I lost consciousness… I think I saw him kill Tolias."

She told Li Wei everything she knew, hoping he would spare her.

Li Wei pondered deeply.

The formidable figure Lilya spoke of must be Ots.

Tolias—the lord of Hansha City—had fallen beneath Ots’ blade.

He looked at Lilya again. "How did you survive?"

Lilya gave a bitter smile. "I don’t know."

"This has happened before—whenever danger came, I’d suddenly faint. When I wake up, I’m safe."

Li Wei gazed at her intently, sensing the secret hidden within her body.

If even Ots—with his strength—had failed to kill her, then harming Lilya now was out of the question.

He had no desire to test himself against whatever mysterious force lay inside her.

If it could save her from Ots’ grasp, it was undoubtedly formidable.

From all known information, Ots’ power was certainly no lower than fourth rank.

Gurgle… gurgle…

Lilya’s stomach growled.

Li Wei glanced at her, then waved his hand. "Go."

Tears welled in Lilya’s eyes. "Thank you."

And in a flash, she vanished into the distance.

"Still fast on her feet, huh," Li Wei murmured, watching the spot where she disappeared.

He turned, ready to resume blasting the rocks—when Shadow Servant sent a warning.

"Someone else coming?"

Li Wei spun around—and saw Lilya returning.

Looking down at her, he asked coldly, "What now?"

Lilya fidgeted nervously. "Um… could you… light a fire for me? My flint is gone."

Li Wei: "...”

Snap.

A spark flickered at his fingertip.

Biu!

A slender flame shot toward her. Instinctively, Lilya flinched—but seeing it was only a tiny spark, she forced herself to stand still.

Sizzle… crackle… pop!

Flames ignited the bird's nest in Lilia’s hands, and white smoke began to rise.

Seeing this, Lilia quickly searched for a place to set down the burning nest.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, she vanished again.

Levi glanced at the smoldering nest lying on the ground where Lilia had dropped it, paid it no mind, and turned back to resume bombing the rocks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out once more, echoing through the valley,

mingled with the crashing sound of falling stone.

When his magical energy was depleted by more than half, Levi stopped and began meditating to restore his power.

He sought to avoid exhausting himself completely—lest danger arise when he had no strength left to face it.

Once his mana was fully replenished, he ended his meditation.

“Hsss… hsss…”

Levi twitched his nose, catching a whiff of fragrance drifting through the air.

He opened his eyes and turned his head. There sat Lilia, hugging a cracked-open roasted egg, gnawing at it contentedly.

Beside her, a small bonfire made of stacked branches crackled with flame.

So that was where she’d gone—off gathering firewood.

Watching how deeply satisfied she looked as she chewed, Levi couldn’t help but feel curious.

"Is it really that delicious?"

It did smell good—but smelling and tasting were two different things.

Lilia quickly picked up another freshly roasted egg nearby and offered it to Levi.

"It's delicious—so delicious!"

The Shadow Servant took the roasted egg, tapped one end to crack it open, and held it out toward Levi.

Levi broke off a piece of shell; charred egg white clung to it.

He tasted it, then frowned, tossing the fragment aside.

Terrible. It tasted fishy, bland—almost repulsive.

Only the aroma was enticing; the flavor itself was unbearable.

"Shadow Servant, give it back to her."

The Shadow Servant silently returned the egg to Lilia.

She must have been so starved she'd lost her senses to find this palatable.

Then again, recalling what he knew of her past, Levi’s thoughts softened slightly.

He had glimpsed fragments of Lilia’s memories—her history.

For some reason, though she worked tirelessly, she never had money.

She lived frugally, always cutting corners, denying herself even basic comforts.

Perhaps, for Lilia, these few roasted eggs truly were a feast fit for kings.

Taking back the egg the Shadow Servant offered, Lilia murmured instinctively, “Thank you.”

The Shadow Servant remained unmoved.

(End of Chapter)