“You're the Goddess Sister!!”
“G-Goddess?”
Miss Yumo frowned slightly at once.
At most, she could be considered a Demon Goddess.
She had absolutely nothing to do with a goddess...
However...
Yumo's little expression went completely unnoticed by Yuan'er.
The pink-haired girl had already fallen into a state of excitement and exhilaration! She was so thrilled that she had completely forgotten the burning pain the feather duster had left on her backside.
All of her attention was focused entirely on Miss Yumo's breathtakingly beautiful face.
Although she had been on the verge of death back then, leaving her vision terribly blurred, Yuan'er still vividly remembered those beautiful yet eerie crimson eyes, along with that graceful silhouette. Now that she had met Yumo again and heard that familiar voice, the image of her savior in her memories instantly overlapped with the black-haired girl's figure.
In that instant, admiration and reverence surged from the depths of Yuan'er's heart.
After all, when she had stood at death's door, it was this very woman before her who had saved her life.
“Were you the Goddess Sister who saved me back then?!”
With sparkling anticipation, Yuan'er looked at Yumo.
Her heterochromatic red-and-blue eyes overflowed with excitement. The pitiful grievance she had felt moments ago, as well as the violent bloodlust that had consumed her, seemed to vanish completely. If one ignored the terrifying black energy swirling around her body, she looked no different from an innocent and adorable little girl.
However...
Faced with Yuan'er's expectant gaze, Miss Yumo could only rub her forehead helplessly.
“Emm... How should I put this? I'm not really any kind of goddess. And... don't call me 'Sister.' That'll make the family hierarchy a complete mess...”
“Hm?”
Hearing that, Yuan'er tilted her head with an adorably puzzled expression.
“If I don't call you Sister, then what should I call you?”
“That's...”
Yumo found herself momentarily speechless.
Resting her chin in her hand, she silently gazed at the girl before her.
Strictly speaking, since Yuan'er had been reborn through her original essence blood, she could also be considered one of her children. Logically, just like Limo and Liyu, she ought to call her "Mother."
But unlike those "wild" children, Yuan'er was human. She had her own parents and human values. If she suddenly told the girl to call her "Mother," would she reject it?
Taking the child's feelings into consideration, Yumo decided to explain everything to her first.
Thus...
She slowly floated over to Yuan'er and gently pinched her soft little cheeks.
In response...
Yuan'er happily closed her eyes.
Ordinarily, as the daughter of a marquis, Yuan'er hated being touched by strangers.
Yet when Yumo kneaded her cheeks, she didn't feel the slightest bit of disgust. On the contrary, an indescribable sense of comfort welled up from deep within her heart.
Just staying close to her felt unbelievably warm and reassuring.
Before she realized it, a blissful smile spread across Yuan'er's adorable face.
Seeing this, Yumo smiled gently.
“Forget about what you should call me. I'll explain that later.”
As she spoke, she pointed toward the black energy surrounding Yuan'er, as well as the countless Blood Butterflies encircling them.
“So first... do you know what's happening right now? Do you know what's happened to you?”
A trace of uneasiness crept into Yumo's voice.
To humans, Abyss Demons were the enemies of all living things—the source of chaos in the world.
And Yuan'er herself had been born into the Duke Family, a family that had spent generations fighting Abyss Demons. A child like her should naturally hate them with every fiber of her being.
If she learned that she herself had become the very creature she despised the most...
How would she react?
After hearing Yumo's question...
Yuan'er blinked blankly.
Then she followed Yumo's finger, looking toward the surrounding scenery and the black aura enveloping her body.
The next instant...
The little girl, who had been overflowing with excitement only moments ago, instantly froze in shock and horror.
“Huh?! Why are there so many butterflies?!”
“W-What's this black energy all over me?! It's so gross!”
“Wait?! M-I'm... I'm flying?!”
“But I can't fly!!”
The moment she realized that, confusion completely filled her mismatched eyes.
Once she became aware that she was floating despite having no idea how to fly, the girl immediately panicked and began wildly struggling in midair.
The black Shadow of Silence Power surrounding her instantly dispersed.
The floating Yuan'er...
Went, whoosh~, straight into free fall.
“Ahhhhhhh!! Goddess Sister, save me!!!!”
Yumo: ...
At that moment, Miss Yumo couldn't help twitching her eyebrow as she covered her forehead.
This child...
Somehow...
Was a little airheaded...
While sighing inwardly, Yumo glanced downward.
Below her, Yuan'er continued screaming miserably as she plummeted in a perfectly straight line, showing absolutely no signs of stopping herself.
'Forget it...'
Yumo shook her head helplessly.
With a Demon King-class body, even falling from this height wouldn't hurt Yuan'er in the slightest. The only unfortunate victim would be Mother Earth.
But Yuan'er obviously didn't know that.
Letting her continue falling wasn't exactly appropriate.
Honestly...
She had fought so fiercely just moments ago.
How had she completely forgotten how to fly after coming back to her senses?
Helplessly, Yumo waved her hand.
Dozens of Blood Butterflies instantly flew beside Yuan'er, gently lifting the girl—who was still shrieking at the top of her lungs—back into the air.
“Ahhhhhhh!! Goddess Sister! S-So... so scary!! W-Why... why am I in the sky?! Waaaaah!”
“There, there. Calm down already... You're the one who flew up here.”
“Me? But I'm only Third Tier! There's no way I can fly! Isn't flying something only Seventh Tier experts can do?”
Yuan'er's little face was filled with confusion.
“So I told you. You've been reborn. You're completely different now. The current you... can fly.”
“N-No, that's impossible! How could I—”
“Stop arguing. Just do as I say. Try moving the black light around you with your will.”
“The black light?”
“That's right. It's your power—part of your own body. Close your eyes. Carefully sense its presence. Try establishing a connection with it. Then let those lights wrap around your body and lift you into the air...”
...
...
Under Miss Yumo's patient guidance...
Yuan'er actually managed to float awkwardly in midair, supported by the black light.
Seeing that, Yumo smiled with satisfaction.
“See? You're flying now.”
“I really am! I-I can fly now!! That's amazing!!”
At once, Yuan'er revealed an innocent, adorable smile.
She happily waved her arms and danced through the sky like a child who had just received a brand-new toy.
The brilliant smile on her face couldn't help but warm even Yumo's heart.
“Goddess Sister! D-Does this mean I've become a Saint-Class expert?! This is incredible! I can actually fly!”
“Saint-Class? Well... it's actually more than that.”
“Huh? But... what exactly is this black light?”
Still playing in the air, Yuan'er curiously looked at the black energy constantly rippling around her.
“And this black light feels... really strange. It feels comfortable, but it doesn't seem like mana. Also, Goddess Sister, what do you mean by 'more than Saint-Class'?”
“Well... that's a rather long story. You should prepare yourself mentally first. Because, strictly speaking... you're no longer human... Hm?”
“Human?”
However...
Just as Miss Yumo was about to properly explain everything...
A peculiar wave of energy, along with information transmitted by the Blood Butterflies, suddenly entered her mind.
Her brows furrowed as an expression of displeasure appeared on her face.
“What's wrong, Goddess Sister?”
Noticing the sudden change in the black-haired girl's expression, Yuan'er asked in confusion.
Hearing the anxiety in the girl's voice...
Yumo smiled softly and gently patted Yuan'er's little head.
“It's nothing. Don't worry. Just use the method I taught you to fly back to the ground. Then find somewhere to hide and don't run around.”
She narrowed her crimson eyes slightly.
“I need to deal with someone first.”
“Then I'll come find you afterward.”
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