Hide under the bed and don’t cry, okay?

Lily knew her own limits well.

Forget slimes—she couldn’t even win against a wild chicken.

Fighting bravely against villains to protect her daughter? That was nothing but a foolish dream!

So, the best thing she could do was hide her daughter.

Frantically glancing around, Lily looked for a place.

The room had only a bed and a wardrobe.

The wardrobe was empty—open it once, and her daughter would be found immediately.

Only under the bed was safe.

If she piled clothes beneath it, Emi shouldn’t be discovered.

Holding Emi close, she pressed her cheek against hers to soothe her.

“Emi, hide under the bed, okay? Don’t cry.”

Emi was smart. Surely she could understand her words?

Either way, Lily believed in her daughter.

She trusted Emi wouldn’t burst into tears when enemies searched the room.

Boom!—

Another violent crash shook the entire cave.

The cave wasn’t a fortress and had no gates.

But Letia had great powers—she might have set up a barrier.

The noise must have been the enemy’s attack on it.

There was no more time.

Lily hurriedly hid Emi under the bed.

Emi looked at her anxiously, reaching out with her chubby hand.

Lily pressed a finger to her lips and sternly whispered, “Shh.”

It seemed Emi understood.

She thought for a moment, then nodded.

With Emi calm, Lily stuffed old clothes under the bed, covering any trace.

As long as Emi didn’t cry out, no one would find her.

But the crib was too suspicious.

It was made of stone, far too heavy for Lily to move easily.

Still, she bit down hard, gathering all her strength, and managed to drag it into Letia’s room.

That way it would look like Emi wasn’t hidden under the bed.

After finishing, Lily took a deep breath.

She would face the intruders alone.

She smoothed her clothes.

Thanks to Letia’s better mood recently, Lily had been allowed underwear and panties—so she wouldn’t be exposed at the slightest breeze.

Heart racing, she ran toward the cave entrance.

Though she wanted to look back at her daughter, she bit her lip and resisted.

If she showed such worry before the enemy, they would suspect, and then Emi would be taken away.

This wasn’t paranoia.

Her reasoning was sound.

She remembered overhearing maids’ whispers back when she was reborn:

“Now the Empire is saved.”

“With this, the evil dragon can be destroyed.”

The nobles of the Empire wanted to use Lily to bring down Letia.

Truthfully, whether Letia lived or died wasn’t Lily’s concern.

She even hoped the Empire’s heroes would defeat her and make her pay for her crimes.

But Emilia was Letia’s daughter.

She was born from a dragon egg—not human at all.

She might even be like Letia herself, a dragon… and if so, adventurers might try to kill her.

Only Letia could protect Emi.

Lily absolutely couldn’t risk overestimating herself.

That was why she prayed Letia would survive—at least until Emi had the strength to protect herself.

The cave wasn’t large, only about thirty meters deep.

Passing through its winding passage, Lily reached the entrance.

As expected, a barrier stood there: a pale blue, translucent film that shielded her and Emi.

Through it, Lily saw the outside world.

Three figures stood there, looking like adventurers—all young women.

The leader was a silver-armored swordswoman, but she stayed a bit behind, giving orders.

In front were two black-robed mages, tall pointed hats on their heads and long staves in hand.

They hurled fireballs one after another at the pale blue barrier.

When they noticed Lily, all three showed startled expressions.

They glanced at each other, then nodded, as if silently agreeing on some plan.

Lily braced herself.

“Are you the human s*ave captured by the dragon?”

At the swordswoman’s question, Lily first shook her head—then nodded.

She shook her head to reject their “rescue,” then nodded to buy time.

“I was taken by the dragon… Are you adventurers?”

“That’s right. We’re adventurers from a nearby city.”

The swordswoman proudly struck her chestplate.

The sound of metal rang out as she boasted:

“To slay the dragon, we formed a subjugation team.

The main force is fighting it now—

we came here to rescue captives.”

So it was true.

Letia was fighting at the mountain’s base, all to protect her daughter.

“Rescue?” Lily asked, though she already knew the answer—stalling for time.

“Of course.”

The swordswoman’s voice was shameless.

“Witnesses saw the dragon abduct human girls. That’s why we came this way.”

“Are you really here to save people?” Lily asked warily.

“When you first saw me, you seemed surprised. Didn’t look like you came specifically for me.”

“We were surprised there was a survivor at all.

That dragon is cruel—any s*ave girls it catches would surely be toyed with to death.”

“If you thought I was already dead, why make a detour to come here?”

“You—!”

The swordswoman looked furious, but forced herself to calm.

“Fine. We’re here for the dragon’s treasure. It must have plenty hidden.”

“This cave is empty. Only a few stone tables and stools.”

Lily’s voice was steady.

“Letia stores everything in another space. If you wanted her treasure, why not join the main force instead of wasting time here?”

“Chattering…”

“What?”

“Chattering, annoying little thing! Come out already and make it quick!

If you won’t, then when we break the barrier, we’ll search every corner of this cave anyway!”

The swordswoman shouted, making Lily stumble back in fright.

She looked pitifully at the girl, tears welling in her eyes.

But it was only an act.

Lily wasn’t truly crying—she was just stalling.

If she could hold out until Letia returned, she would win.

At that moment, one of the mages stopped the hot-headed swordswoman.

Smiling sweetly, she stepped toward Lily.

“Sorry. Our leader’s a bit impatient. We need to hurry back and help.”

Her big eyes sparkled mischievously.

Then she shifted aside, letting Lily see the scenery outside.

“We just don’t want to waste time. The barrier is almost broken now. You should be able to come out soon.”

Through the gap, Lily saw a field of flowers outside, stretching endlessly.

A gentle breeze carried waves of fragrance to her.

She remembered how recently Letia had gathered wild blossoms to decorate Emi’s crib.

So this beautiful meadow had always been waiting just outside the cave.