Meanwhile—
Deep within the Great Winter Forest...
With Yumo's departure, peace gradually returned to the eastern forest region.
The Abyss Demons that had been crowding around Yumo and acting cute all returned to their respective territories to resume their daily patrols.
As for Shuoyue—
She returned to the Central Great Lake, the region under her command.
In this world—
Mana, battle aura, Holy Aura, and Shadow of Silence Power were divided into thirteen elemental attributes.
Each restrained and complemented the others, each possessing its own unique characteristics.
Shuoyue's Shadow of Silence Power possessed dual Water and Mind attributes.
Naturally, she preferred staying near water.
Normally, the reason she liked hanging around the eastern forest was simply because she could stay close to her beloved Mommy.
Now that Mommy had gone out—
Shuoyue naturally returned to her own territory surrounding Ice Soul Lake.
At this moment—
The little girl sat quietly by the lakeshore, soaking her small feet in the freezing water.
"Sigh... what a pity..."
She couldn't help letting out a sigh.
It was obvious that her plan to investigate the central continent had completely fallen through.
No matter how adorably she acted, Mommy still hadn't agreed.
Not only that—
Her plan to accompany Mommy on the trip had also failed.
'Sob... honestly...'
Shuoyue couldn't help complaining about her older brothers and sisters.
If even one of them had stayed behind to guard the forest...
Wouldn't she have been able to go out and play with Mommy?
So annoying!
However—
After grumbling for only a moment, the displeasure disappeared from Shuoyue's face.
In its place appeared a meaningful smile.
Hehe...
Didn't Mommy once say—
A blessing in disguise.
Although she couldn't travel with Mother...
And couldn't go see her little sister...
Now that she was the only Demon left in the Great Winter Forest...
She could finally do whatever she wanted~
With Mother gone, she no longer had to hide her plans so carefully~
Hehehe~
Thinking of that—
Shuoyue couldn't help letting out a clear, bell-like laugh.
After laughing with perfect ladylike elegance, she slowly spoke.
"It's been a while, Saiboke~"
As she spoke, she slowly turned around.
Not far behind her—
A white-haired middle-aged man dressed in an elegant black butler's uniform, wearing a monocle and exuding refined dignity, emerged from the forest under the escort of two Abyss Demons before walking to the lakeshore.
The newcomer was none other than their former playmate—
The old butler of the Black Rose Family—
Saiboke-Baniya.
"It's been a long time, Lady Shuoyue."
Saiboke-Baniya greeted respectfully.
"Oh, come on, we're old acquaintances. You don't have to be so formal."
"Did you come looking for Mommy? Too bad—Mommy just left."
"I see. It's unfortunate that I missed Lady Yumo. But that's fine. I'll be able to find Lady Yumo once she reaches Wind Facing City anyway."
Saiboke-Baniya replied casually.
Deep down, however—
He felt somewhat guilty.
After all, because of Mengxi's sudden revival before...
Lady Yumo was probably still keeping that incident in mind.
Until Lady Yumo completely forgot about it—
Saiboke-Baniya truly didn't dare appear before her.
Otherwise...
His backside would probably suffer terribly...
His old body simply couldn't endure that.
After quietly grumbling to himself for a moment, Saiboke-Baniya turned his attention back to Shuoyue.
"Actually, I didn't come to see Lady Yumo."
"Oh?"
Shuoyue immediately revealed an amused smile.
"So you came to see me instead, Teacher Saiboke~"
"Yes."
Saiboke-Baniya nodded.
"The Duke learned that you successfully captured one of the Braves and became curious about the progress of your experiment."
"After all, the plan is about to begin."
"If possible, we'd still like everything to be ready in time."
"That~"
As she spoke—
A sinister smile slowly spread across Shuoyue's face.
Her icy gaze shifted toward the center of Ice Soul Lake.
Beneath the calm waters—
Inside an enormous barrier—
Lay Shuoyue's laboratory.
At its center—
A woman who was almost completely naked sat with lifeless eyes.
Around her—
Countless grotesque Abyss Demons with writhing tentacles surrounded her.
The area was also filled with innumerable strange black spheres.
Packed so densely together that the sight alone was deeply unsettling.
After briefly sensing the situation below—
Shuoyue smiled proudly before looking smugly at Saiboke-Baniya.
"Don't worry."
"That female Brave has an excellent physique."
"She's an extremely high-quality breeding host."
"So the quality of the eggs is also very good."
"Once they hatch..."
"We should obtain Abyss Demons with extremely strong resistance against Holy Aura."
"Hehe~"
"I see."
Saiboke-Baniya nodded with satisfaction.
"I certainly hope so."
Although the Asumos Church had become increasingly corrupt over recent years—
It still remained humanity's strongest force against the Abyss Demons.
The reason was simple.
Holy Aura possessed extraordinarily powerful lethality against Abyss Demons—
Far greater than ordinary mana or battle aura.
A powerful individual blessed with abundant Holy Aura could indeed cause tremendous trouble for hordes of Abyss Demons.
Therefore—
To counter the followers of the Asumos Church—
Shuoyue and the Black Rose Family had begun cultivating Abyss Demons resistant to Holy Aura.
Shuoyue captured the subjects—
Provided the laboratory—
And supplied suitable Abyss Demons for experimentation.
Meanwhile—
The Black Rose Family supplied the necessary technology.
Judging from the current results—
Their cooperation had been remarkably successful.
The smile on Saiboke-Baniya's aged face became even warmer.
Then—
The old butler once again looked into Shuoyue's pale golden eyes.
"Lady Shuoyue."
"Could you give me a few eggs?"
"I believe the Duke would also like to see the finished product."
"Oh, that's easy~"
"And besides..."
"We're friends."
"You don't have to call me 'Lady.'~"
...
Elsewhere—
While Saiboke-Baniya and Shuoyue stood beside Ice Soul Lake discussing their sinister plans and laughing with the unmistakable delight of true villains—
Miss Yumo quietly returned to the Duke's residence.
A ripple of crimson light passed over her.
She once again transformed into the appearance of a pink-haired little girl.
After changing into her maid outfit—
She headed toward the temporary kitchen inside the manor.
The moment the chefs saw her arrive—
They all greeted her with respectful and affectionate expressions, immediately surrounding her and asking whether she needed any assistance.
In response—
Yumo smiled gently and politely declined.
Cooking was one of her specialties.
She didn't need anyone else's help.
It was only three dishes.
She would finish them quickly.
Looking at the fresh ingredients she had brought back from the Great Winter Forest—
Yumo smiled in satisfaction.
'Not bad.
Not bad at all~'
However—
When her eyes fell upon the enormous Camel Dragon tail—
She couldn't help recalling what had happened earlier that day.
Today's luck...
Had really been incredible~
The most delicious part of a Camel Dragon was its tail.
And today—
The moment she arrived—
She just happened to learn that the Camel Dragon King had fractured its tail and required an amputation.
As a result—
By sheer coincidence—
She obtained the freshest and most succulent tail meat imaginable.
'Mengxi is in for a treat~'
With that—
Under the anxious gazes of every chef—
Yumo raised an enormous kitchen cleaver—
And brought it crashing down onto the Camel Dragon's tail.
After nearly an hour of work—
The three exquisite dishes were finally complete.
Pushing a serving cart carrying the meals—
Miss Yumo left the kitchen.
Under the watchful eyes of the chefs and maids—
She headed toward the small cottage where Mengxi was staying.
...
Watching the little girl's retreating figure—
The chefs and maids who had observed the entire cooking process collectively let out long sighs of relief.
Soon afterward—
Expressions of disbelief filled their faces.
Duo'er, Xia'er's personal maid, couldn't help exclaiming,
"My goodness! Miss is actually such an amazing cook! I thought she could only make porridge. I never imagined she could prepare dishes this complicated."
"Well, think about how Miss has lived these past few years."
"She's had to survive entirely on her own."
"Knowing how to cook isn't surprising."
"Exactly."
"Miss must have suffered so much."
"Think about it."
"What ordinary noble girl her age—without cultivation—could even lift that black iron kitchen cleaver?"
"But Miss swung it so effortlessly."
"She must have done a tremendous amount of hard labor over the years."
"Waaah..."
"Our poor Miss..."
Duo'er covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.
Standing nearby—
The head chef was equally emotional.
After letting out a deep sigh, he solemnly looked at everyone present.
"No matter what..."
"Miss has finally come home."
"We must make it up to her."
"We absolutely cannot let her suffer anymore."
"Understood?!"
"Understood!"
Everyone answered in perfect unison while tearfully watching Yumo disappear into the distance.
...
...
"But Miss is not only gentle, adorable, considerate, and caring..."
"She's also such an incredible cook."
"She's the very image of a perfect wife and mother."
"Seriously."
"I wonder who'll be lucky enough to marry Miss someday."
"Well, that'll depend on fate."
"Come to think of it..."
"Miss actually made these dishes specifically for someone."
"Who are they for?"
"That area's..."
"Wait..."
"Could it be..."
"Miss has taken a liking to one of the knights?!"
"No way."
"What are you thinking?"
"Miss is delivering food to the Child of Destiny."
"They're both girls. There's nothing strange about it."
"..."
"I wouldn't be so sure..."
"Huh?"
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