Vol 4. Chapter 160: The Mask of Family

"Hey, hey! Wh-what the hell are these books?!"

After briefly imagining the rather provocative scenes that might appear in those books, Lady Yumo's cheeks couldn't help turning slightly pink. With a somewhat irritated expression, she glared indignantly at the fox lady standing before her.

At that moment, the respectable image Noya had only just established in Yumo's mind instantly collapsed, replaced by the impression of someone thoroughly unreliable...

What kind of reliable person would suddenly give erotic books to a customer they'd only just met?!

A reclusive expert? More like a reclusive old pervert!

What the hell was she thinking?!

Wait...

...

Could it be?

In an instant, a strange thought flashed through Yumo's mind.

In this fox shopkeeper's eyes, am I the sort of person who would be interested in books like these?! Or rather, was her first impression of me that I'd enjoy this kind of naughty literature?

Is that why she recommended them to me?

At that thought, a conflicted expression appeared on Yumo's face, and her eyebrows began twitching uncontrollably.

Considering how people frequently described her as looking like a dangerous woman—beautiful, but with the perilous allure of a rose covered in thorns—Yumo couldn't help feeling that her speculation might actually be correct.

Umu...

It's not like I deliberately chose to have this cold, unsettling aura with a hint of wickedness...

The black-haired girl couldn't resist complaining inwardly.

After calming herself down and glancing twice at the books Noya had offered, Yumo bit her pink lower lip.

But...

These books... actually seem...

Although she outwardly displayed considerable resistance to preserve her dignity, Yumo's little hands had already unconsciously accepted the two 18+ books Noya was offering.

"Forget it. Since they're a thoughtful gift from the shopkeeper, it would be rather rude of me not to accept them."

"Oho~"

Seeing this, the smile on Noya's face grew increasingly mischievous.

As though she'd thought of something particularly amusing, the fox lady even leaned closer to Yumo.

"Miss Yu is such a beautiful girl~ If you feel like putting what you've learned into practice after reading these books, you're always welcome to come and have some fun with me~ I'd be more than happy to oblige~"

As she spoke, Noya seductively tugged down her neckline, partially revealing the two enticing, snowy-white mounds of her chest before Lady Yumo.

At the same time, the fox lady's other hand secretly lifted the hem of her long skirt, fully exposing her flawless, fair, beautifully rounded, and slender legs.

One could even faintly glimpse the black panties farther up beneath her skirt.

It had to be said that the fox lady's actions were extraordinarily bold and seductively provocative.

"Don't let my appearance fool you. I actually have quite a bit of experience in this area. If Miss Yu would like, I could even offer you some personal guidance~ Or perhaps, Miss Yu, would you like me to give you a practical demonstration right here and now~?"

"..."

Hearing those words and witnessing Noya's bewitching, seductive movements, Yumo's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

At that moment, Yumo realized that the silver-haired girl who had recently developed a habit of striking seductive poses in front of her was practically an innocent beginner compared to this fox lady...

After a moment of stunned silence, Yumo noticed the woman's little hand reaching toward her face.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold crimson gleam unconsciously emerged within them.

Her gaze instantly became as sharp as a sword, cutting mercilessly toward Noya.

"That's enough fooling around, Shopkeeper."

Under Yumo's glare, Noya immediately froze.

For some reason, she had the distinct feeling that if she actually touched the girl's face, her hand might be crushed into pieces on the spot...

Oh my.

Looks like she isn't quite as easy to tease as I imagined~

Sensing Yumo's growing displeasure, Noya wisely abandoned her flirtation.

She slowly withdrew her hand and let her skirt fall back into place, concealing those long, snow-white legs that had been stirring the imagination.

Then the fox lady waved her hand playfully.

"Oh, come now. I was only joking. There's no need to take it so seriously, Miss Yu."

While apologizing, a meaningful glimmer slowly passed through Noya's platinum-colored eyes.

After concealing that fleeting emotion, she once again adopted her trademark business smile.

However...

There was also a subtle, hidden meaning within that smile.

"Oh, right, Miss Yu. There's one more book I'd like to give you."

"Th-there's more?!"

"That's right. But this one isn't an adults-only book. It's a perfectly respectable one."

"A respectable book?"

"Mhm. It's a rather obscure novel. Still, I found it quite interesting, so I thought I'd recommend it to you."

With that, Noya slowly raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

The next instant, surrounded by a cluster of platinum-colored magical energy, a red-and-black book floated down from a bookshelf over a hundred meters away and landed in Noya's hand.

"This is the one. Although it's rather obscure, my instincts as a bookstore owner tell me that Miss Yu will enjoy it."

"Hm? What's this...?"

Yumo accepted the book from Noya with some suspicion.

However, the instant she saw its title, her pupils abruptly contracted.

"【The Mask of Family】..."

It certainly didn't seem to be an erotic novel.

But...

That title...

Why does it make me feel so uncomfortable?

For some inexplicable reason, the moment the title entered her eyes, Yumo's heart suddenly trembled.

"What's this book about?"

"Well, the first half of the story is roughly about a male protagonist who works tirelessly toward his ideals. However, the harder he tries, the farther away those ideals seem to become. Eventually, through a coincidence, he discovers that the reason he has repeatedly failed to achieve his goals is that the family members who appear to support him are actually~"

"Actually?"

"Actually, those very family members he loves so dearly are the true culprits behind his repeated failures~ Ah, how pitiful~"

"..."

...

——

Several minutes quickly passed.

After storing all the rare materials she needed inside her spatial ring, Yumo wasted no more time and hurriedly left the somewhat peculiar magical bookstore.

Meanwhile, only after watching the black-haired girl leave did Linxi's tightly wound nerves finally relax.

After taking several long breaths of relief, the blue-haired girl cast a somewhat dissatisfied glance at the fox lady beside her, who was still striking flirtatious poses, and spoke reproachfully.

"Mom, that was far too reckless! It's not like you don't know how easily your aura can provoke her! And you still dared to tease her like that... Even if you're incredibly strong, there's no way you could stand against an existence like that, is there?! She's a monster on the same level as the Goddess..."

"Ah."

Hearing her daughter's concerns, Noya gave her a somewhat apologetic smile and gently rubbed the little girl's cheeks.

"Sorry, Linxi. I made you worry. But really, there's no need to be so nervous. Even if she got angry, she wouldn't do anything too terrible to me."

At most, she'd give me a comminuted fracture of the arm~

Noya silently added.

Hearing this, Linxi frowned in confusion.

"B-but Mom, how do you know she wouldn't do anything to you? She's... a monster who surpasses the Eighth Tier!"

"The Goddess told me, of course~"

"Her Ladyship the Goddess?"

"That's right. The Goddess said that although this Lady Yumo might appear somewhat wicked, she's actually a very good girl~ There's no need to be overly afraid when interacting with her. As long as I don't openly display hostility toward her, she won't attack me."

"Enmmm... Well, if Her Ladyship the Goddess said so, then I suppose it's fine."

Linxi nodded helplessly.

However, immediately afterward, a suspicious look appeared in her eyes.

"But Mom... why did you give her that book? As an Observer... aren't you forbidden from interfering with the Trial...?"

"Oh, don't worry about such trivial details. It's just one little book~"

Noya raised her hand to cover her mouth, speaking with an expression brimming with excitement.

"Besides, doing things this way~"

"Is what makes it interesting~"

--

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

While Noya and her daughter were talking, Yumo was walking along a secluded street outside the bookstore.

"【The Mask of Family】, huh..."

As she strolled along the nearly deserted road, Yumo gazed thoughtfully at the novel's title.

At that moment, a strange feeling gradually began taking root in her heart.

"Why... did she recommend this book to me...?"

Yumo couldn't help muttering inwardly.

However, just then, an eruption of powerful magical energy suddenly entered Lady Yumo's perception.

The black-haired girl's pupils contracted, and she turned her head in surprise toward a nearby district.

"Hm?"

The next instant...

"BOOOOM~!"

Accompanied by a deafening explosion, a column of flames suddenly erupted into the sky.

Countless fragments of shattered stone scattered through the air, while crimson fire-attributed magical energy surged violently in every direction alongside the raging flames.

Unsurprisingly, Lady Yumo was also engulfed by the spreading inferno.

"Is this... someone fighting?"

Enmmm...

An expression of distaste appeared on Yumo's face.

Clearly, Lady Yumo had absolutely no desire to meddle in other people's affairs.

Since arriving in the Crimson Leaf Empire, she had already witnessed humans fighting among themselves dozens of times.

She genuinely had no interest in getting involved again.

After all, she wasn't some excessively kindhearted saint who went around helping everyone.

More importantly, there were no children among those involved in the battle.

Sigh.

If they want to fight, let them fight.

I'd better head back to Yexinlian Academy and prepare the medicines needed for the breakthrough. Besides... I still need to help Mengxi make some preparations before the tournament.

With those thoughts in mind, Lady Yumo continued walking toward the location of the Black Rose Family's carriage without even looking back.

However, just then, thanks to her extraordinary hearing, a hoarse, somewhat vicious voice suddenly reached Lady Yumo's ears, causing the black-haired girl to stop in her tracks.

"Hahahaha!! Lingluo, I don't care how lucky you are! This time, let's see how you survive!!!"

Upon hearing those words, Yumo slowly turned her head toward the explosion site, where thick smoke was billowing into the sky.

Hm?

Lingluo...

That name sounds somewhat familiar...