NOVEL WEB Book 6: Chapter 36: Confusion
"What… did you just say?"
Lilith stared at Ciel in horror. At that moment, it was as if she no longer recognized the girl who had once been willing to sacrifice her own life for her.
"What you just said… Say it again…"
"Lilith, what exactly are these dragons you keep talking about?" Ciel searched her memories, going back tens of thousands of years. Much of it was hazy because her focus had always been on Lilith.
However, Lilith didn't look like she was joking with her, so Ciel dug deeper, turning over every scrap of memory she could reach. Even so, she could only say, "Whether it's this human-inhabited continent or the land of the demons, I'm certain there's never been a race called the dragons."
"What…?"
Lilith stared blankly at Ciel. Her expression was serious—and more importantly, she had no reason to deceive her. She was telling the truth. At least… what she believed to be true.
"How can that be?!" Lilith's voice cracked into a scream. She pointed at herself and continued, "If dragons don't exist—then what am I? Who am I supposed to be? Tell me!"
"You're Lilith," Ciel replied without hesitation. "Princess Lilith, the last survivors of the Ancestra!"
"Then what about my mother, the one you hate the most? Who is she?" She pointed at Ciel's nose, her anger mounting as she pressed, "You said you fought her countless times. You should know her better than anyone!"
Ciel's expression hardened and said, "Of course I do. I know her all too well."
The mention of that woman always stirred something bitter in her.
"She's the Ancestra Queen, yet she has the audacity to abandon her people and live on shamelessly. Even now she's planning to use you, Lilith. She's truly a vile woman."
"So, Lilith… there are no dragons in this world." Ciel paused, then looked Lilith in the eyes and suggested, "Maybe you should try recalling more carefully. Could it be that you've misremembered the name or maybe mispronounced it? Perhaps… it's all just a little misunderstanding?"
Misremembered? Misunderstanding? How could that be possible?
Memories might be unreliable at times. They were vulnerable to distortion, perspectives and the passage of time… Two people might remember the same event in completely different ways.
But the word "dragons"…. It was the one thing Lilith could never misremember… Because she was born as one. She grew up with them. She studied with them. She learned the meaning of friends and family there.
Yes, those brainless idiots often got on her nerves—but…
She remembered the day she was born. Those 205 idiots sang and danced around her at the festival with joy. From that moment on, she had considered them family.
And more than anyone else—there was her. That fiery red figure, cloaked in majesty from the moment she drew breath. She seemed born to rule, to look down on all things from above…and yet, she had always shown nothing but warmth and tenderness toward her own daughter.
Even now, with mounting evidence suggesting she had been orchestrating something in the shadows… Even with Ciel's repeated, furious accusations that she was the reason why Lilith's existence was part of some endless cycle of reincarnation…
Lilith felt no anger toward her. Not even a trace of resentment. The most Lilith had ever wanted… was simply to look her in the eye and ask her the truth.
Deep down, she still couldn't believe that the woman who always smiled so gently and called her "my good daughter" could ever truly mean her harm. But more than that, she remembered that moment from a few years ago on Dragon Island…
When she cracked open the cramped dragon egg that had held her, it was as if divine light had pierced the darkness.
Thick mists of radiance parted the heavy clouds above. From beyond those clouds, she gazed down upon her—not with the blinding blaze of the sun, but with a warmth far gentler, far deeper… and far more unforgettable.
She hugged her gently and said in a soft, tender voice, "Welcome to this world, my good daughter."
Her words felt like a spring breeze, sweeping away all shadows. She was like a mother. No—she was her mother.
"Ha… ha…"
Lilith let out two dry laughs, and took a few steps back, putting distance between herself and everyone else.
"I get it now. All of you… there's something wrong with all of you." She tilted her head, as if thinking deeply, then straightened and said with sudden clarity, "Oh, I get it now. This must be one of their tricks… another scheme by those outsiders."
"That's right. This has to be a trap. You've all been fooled—every last one of you! How else could you not know what dragons are?" Lilith's gaze grew wary. If everyone had been deceived… then they could no longer be trusted.
Who knew how many outsiders were hiding among them?!
"Lilith? What are you talking about?" Concern was written all over Ciel's face.
"Stay back! I can't be sure if you're really Ciel Hesse right now—stay where you are!"
"What? Are you serious? Of course I'm real! Lilith… you're not acting like yourself."
Ciel vanished in a flash, reappearing beside her and grabbing her arm tightly.
"Did that woman rewrite your memories again?" she asked anxiously.
"Rewriting memories?! You're the ones who are acting weird!"
A burst of black flame erupted. In the blink of an eye, Lilith freed herself from Ciel's grasp and reappeared several paces away, keeping her distance.
"I remember very well! I know the dragons exist in this world! And I… I'm the Dragon Princess! I'm Dragon Princess Lilith!"
"You remember… very well…?" Ciel's expression twisted, her voice rising with sudden anger. She stepped forward, glaring at Lilith as she snapped, "You say you remember very well, but after all these years, haven't you forgotten many things?"
"That's…"
"Then tell me this, what color was my dress when we first met? What's my favorite food? Do you remember my birthday?"
"Those kinds of things…"
"You can't remember them, can you?"
Ciel stared at the girl who was still acting tough, her anger turning into sadness.
"Don't you see how much you've forgotten over these years? How many important people you've hurt by forgetting them?"
"But I… don't have…"
"You do… You've just forgotten about them already."
Ciel took a breath and slowly calmed herself down.
She gazed at Lilith and continued pleadingly, "Lilith… even if my words sound harsh, you have to understand… memories are extremely unreliable. I don't know why yours has changed so suddenly, but please… listen to me. Let's calm down and face this together. I'll examine your body and do everything I can to figure out what's going on. But you have to trust me. I would never hurt you."
"And that black flame—please don't use it again. It makes me really uncomfortable. Maybe it's part of what's causing your memory issue," she added.
She took a step closer and extended her hand toward Lilith.
"Can you do that, Lilith?" she asked in a gentle voice.