"W-Who are you?!"
Faced with the hooded woman who had suddenly appeared, Yuan'er immediately stood up, her face full of vigilance.
Black Shadow of Silence Power began to swirl around her body, ready to erupt into an attack at any moment.
However—
The overwhelming pressure of the surging Shadow of Silence Power seemed to have no effect whatsoever on the mysterious woman.
After calmly glancing at the gruesome carnage surrounding them, the woman spoke in an emotionless, almost mechanical voice.
"I have no hostile intentions."
As she spoke—
She slowly raised a hand and removed her hood.
The next moment—
Long, silky hair cascaded down like a waterfall, draping over her shoulders.
Her honey-colored hair fell in gentle waves, giving her a lazy yet rebellious air.
There was almost no expression on her fair face.
Her long willow-like brows had been painted a deep violet.
Beneath dark eye shadow, icy blue eyes hidden behind long eyelashes glowed with a cold light, though beneath that chill lay sorrow so deeply buried that it was almost impossible to notice.
Her high, slender nose carried an elegant yet indifferent beauty.
Her nearly colorless lips were lightly pressed together, making her snow-pale complexion appear even more fragile.
She possessed a hauntingly beautiful appearance—
Like the cold, luminous moon hanging above a dark forest.
Beautiful...
Yet enough to send chills down one's spine.
Her figure was concealed beneath her long coat, making it difficult to judge.
Still—
With a face this flawless...
Yuan'er naturally assumed her figure could not possibly be lacking.
But...
Why had such a woman suddenly appeared here?
She claimed she bore no hostility...
Nor any disgust toward her.
She didn't look like a bad person.
And besides...
What exactly had she meant just now?
"What... what do you mean I can't change back? What does that mean?"
"The Shadow of Silence Power has already fused with your soul. You can never become human again. That's simply reality. Learn to accept it."
"N-No... that's impossible..."
"Then have you ever seen an Abyss Demon become human again?"
"..."
Hearing that, Yuan'er fell silent.
An indescribably conflicted expression appeared on her face.
At that very moment—
The overwhelming hunger surged through her once again.
Her heterochromatic eyes flickered violently.
A savage consciousness gradually began devouring her sanity.
?!
No...
No...
As the unbearable hunger intensified, the Shadow of Silence Power surrounding Yuan'er erupted once again.
The entire stronghold seemed on the verge of being swallowed and crushed by endless black light.
"N-No...
Y-You should leave...
I...
I'm very...
Very dangerous right now..."
Even in this state—
Yuan'er still urged the woman to leave.
She didn't want to hurt...
This older sister who looked like a good person.
However—
To the mysterious woman—
The raging black light posed no threat whatsoever.
Nor did Yuan'er's increasingly violent aura cause even the slightest change in her expression.
At most—
A trace of complicated emotion briefly flashed through her icy blue eyes.
It disappeared almost instantly.
The next moment—
With a casual wave, she dispersed the black liquid rushing toward her before tossing something resembling a baguette toward Yuan'er.
"Eat it. Once you do, you won't feel so hungry."
"Huh?!"
Catching the long loaf of bread, Yuan'er blinked in surprise.
She had already emptied the bandits' entire granary.
She simply couldn't believe that such a small piece of bread could suppress the hunger tormenting her.
Still...
She didn't have many choices.
Eating bread was certainly better than...
Eating human flesh.
Although...
For some reason...
The attraction of human flesh seemed to be growing stronger.
In the end—
Under the woman's calm gaze—
Yuan'er took bite after bite, quickly stuffing the entire loaf into her tiny cherry-like mouth.
Despite having eaten so much—
Her flat stomach showed not the slightest bulge.
Then—
The moment the bread settled in her stomach—
Yuan'er's eyebrows shot upward.
"I-I'm...
I'm not hungry anymore?!
I'm really not hungry?!"
She stared in disbelief.
The unbearable hunger that had tormented her for so long...
Had actually disappeared.
"H-How...?"
"It was just ordinary bread..."
"I already ate plenty of bread before..."
Unable to understand what had happened, Yuan'er looked curiously toward the mysterious woman standing above her.
"What exactly did you give me? Why did I suddenly stop feeling hungry?"
"Nothing more than bread infused with concentrated mana," the woman replied calmly.
"Mana?"
"A newly born Demon King-class being requires an enormous amount of energy to stabilize itself. Yet not only did you fail to replenish that energy, you immediately went on a rampage after awakening. Naturally, you became hungry."
"If you want to suppress that hunger, ordinary food is useless."
"What you need is mana, battle aura, or Shadow of Silence Power."
"You must consume those forms of energy to recover."
"So..."
"The bread contained a large amount of mana?"
"Yes."
"Then..."
Looking at the crumbs remaining in her hand, Yuan'er hesitated for a long moment before slowly raising her head.
Meeting the woman's icy blue eyes with some apprehension, she quietly asked,
"Why...
Why are you helping me?"
"No particular reason."
"I simply felt like it."
The woman answered indifferently.
"And not only that."
"From now on, I'll teach you how to control your power."
"I'll teach you how to suppress the impulses inside you."
"I'll teach you how to conceal your identity..."
"And how to live among humans."
?!!
"Y-You'll...
Teach me?"
Yuan'er looked at her suspiciously.
Her heterochromatic eyes were filled with doubt.
"W-Why would you help me this much?"
"We've never even met before."
"Do you have some kind of..."
"If you don't believe me, then forget it."
"You can stay here by yourself."
The woman interrupted her without the slightest politeness.
Then—
She stood up.
With a single leap—
She departed from the blood-soaked stronghold.
'Huh?!'
Seeing the woman leave without any hesitation, Yuan'er panicked.
After standing frozen for several seconds—
She hurriedly summoned black light and chased after her.
The moment the Shadow of Silence Power erupted—
The entire stronghold was reduced to nothing.
Accelerated by the black energy—
Yuan'er quickly caught up with the honey-haired woman.
"I'm sorry!
I...
I was wrong!
I believe you!
I believe you!!
Please...
Please teach me how to control this power!"
Becoming an Abyss Demon...
Was something Yuan'er still found impossible to accept.
But...
If she could learn to control this power...
Perhaps she could one day return to a normal life.
Grandpa...
Everyone back home...
Maybe...
Maybe they would accept her again.
She never wanted to see her own family pointing their swords at her ever again.
The woman before her clearly knew an incredible amount about Abyss Demons.
She had even produced bread capable of suppressing her hunger.
Perhaps...
She truly could help.
Besides...
For reasons Yuan'er herself couldn't explain—
She instinctively felt this woman could be trusted.
"Please!
Wait!"
At Yuan'er's desperate cry—
The woman finally stopped walking.
She turned around indifferently and looked at the little girl behind her.
"Then come with me."
"Y-Yes!"
"Oh, right."
Before taking more than a few steps, the honey-haired woman suddenly seemed to remember something.
She turned back toward Yuan'er once again.
Seeing the woman's expression suddenly become unusually serious, Yuan'er unconsciously took a deep breath.
"W-What is it...?"
"The girl who turned you into an Abyss Demon..."
"What did you call her before?"
"I...
I don't know her name..."
"I just...
Called her Big Sister."
"Why?"
"You can't call her that anymore."
"Huh? Why not?"
"It would mess up the family hierarchy."
Yuan'er tilted her head in complete confusion.
"Huh?
W-What does that mean?
Then...
What should I call her?"
In response—
The honey-haired woman slowly turned around and walked over to Yuan'er.
She gently pressed a finger against the little girl's forehead.
Then, speaking with absolute seriousness, she enunciated every word.
"You should call her..."
"Mother."
"Huh???"
Comments