Vol 4. Chapter 27: A Question She Doesn’t Know How to Answer

“Stay by your side?”

Yumo was somewhat puzzled by Mengxi's request.

She voiced the question in her heart.

At first, considering Mengxi's unusually seductive expression today, Lady Yumo had even thought that after this bad girl agreed to keep her secret, she would make some R18 requests that ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) could never pass censorship...

Even if she didn't make that sort of request, Yumo had assumed she would at least demand that she make some kind of vow, such as promising not to threaten the lives of the continent's inhabitants. After all, this girl was also the Child of Destiny, so she should more or less care about this world, right?

However,

Mengxi's request was merely for her to stay by her side?

Seriously...

“Why... would that be your request?”

“Well, that's a little complicated to explain.”

As the silver-haired girl spoke, she somewhat reluctantly pulled away from Lady Yumo and put the Asumos nun's robe that had been scattered on the floor back on. No matter what, if she intended to discuss something serious with Sister Yumo, remaining half-naked was ultimately rather inappropriate.

Of course,

more importantly, little Mengxi's achievements today had already far exceeded her original expectations, so it was time to quit while she was ahead. If she provoked her dear Sister Yumo any further, it might end up having the opposite effect~

After getting dressed and completely returning to her usual appearance as the Asumos Church's prospective Saintess, filled with a holy and elegant aura, Lady Mengxi smiled and stood before Yumo.

“I already said it before. I like Sister Yumo. Since I like Sister Yumo, of course I want Sister Yumo to continue staying by my side~”

“...”

Seeing Mengxi repeatedly mention the word ‘like,’ Yumo looked away like a bashful young wife. At this moment, the black-haired girl's entire body exuded an air of delicate shyness.

Silently taking in this sight, Mengxi's little mouth curved upward slightly, her pale-purple eyes filled with smug delight.

Wow,

my Sister really is adorable~

Hehe~

If she had an image-recording magic stone in hand, Lady Mengxi would undoubtedly have recorded the scene before her without hesitation and preserved it as a precious memory. After all, if she could save an image like this, it would surely have unexpected uses when teasing Sister Yumo in the future~

But fantasies were fantasies.

After feeling smug for a moment, Mengxi quickly suppressed her triumphant emotions and continued speaking seriously to Lady Yumo:

“Besides, Sister Yumo, don't you also hope that I can become stronger? Strong enough to save the world and repel the hordes of Abyss Demons?”

?!

The moment those words were spoken,

Lady Yumo froze and raised her head in astonishment, meeting the silver-haired girl's serious eyes.

“You? How... How do you know about that?”

She...

had never mentioned that to Mengxi, had she?

Whether when she was ‘Xiaomo,’ when she was ‘Miss Yu,’ or when they were inside the Winter Forest, she had never told Mengxi anything about that!

Why... Why would this girl know?

Faced with Lady Yumo's confusion, Mengxi did not keep her in suspense this time. Instead, she smiled somewhat guiltily:

“Sister Yumo, I heard it when you were talking to the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church before.”

“With... with the Cult Leader of Heavenly Punishment? Eh?! Back then, weren't... weren't you?!”

Hadn't she passed out?!

Recalling Mengxi's pitiful, blood-soaked appearance back then, Yumo couldn't help feeling her heart tremble. Even the finger she pointed at the silver-haired girl began trembling.

Mengxi did not answer.

Instead, she merely revealed a meaningful expression.

Seeing that, no matter how naive Lady Yumo might be, she realized what had truly happened at the time.

“You little brat... You were actually pretending to be unconscious back then?! You!!”

...

“Sigh, forget it...”

This time, Yumo did not lose her temper. Instead, she helplessly slumped her shoulders.

Although she realized that this bad girl had thoroughly fooled her yet again when she'd rescued Mengxi back then, Lady Yumo, having already resigned herself to everything she'd learned earlier, had developed a certain amount of tolerance for it.

This girl had fooled her for so long already,

felt her up every day without her noticing a thing,

and had even managed to deal with Shuoyue's memory overwrite.

Pretending to faint in front of her didn't seem particularly surprising anymore.

Who told her to be such an idiot before, actually trusting this rotten girl so completely...

Thinking of this, Lady Yumo sighed in resignation.

“Even... even so, what does that have to do with making me stay by your side?”

Seeing that Sister Yumo did not continue to ‘cry and make a fuss’ while putting on an utterly pitiful expression, Mengxi couldn't help smiling.

“How could it have nothing to do with it? If Sister Yumo is willing to stay by my side, my cultivation progress will become much faster!”

“Hm? Faster? Why?”

Mengxi's words left Lady Yumo even more confused.

Having her around? What did that have to do with becoming stronger?

If anything,

in a certain sense, after everything indescribable that had happened today, Yumo was actually worried that staying beside Mengxi would cause this rotten girl to become addicted to feminine charms and neglect her cultivation...

Enmmmm, wait?

Wait, addicted to feminine charms?

Why does that sound so strange when I say it?

Yumo couldn't help furrowing her brows.

Meanwhile, how could Lady Yumo's inner thoughts possibly escape Lady Mengxi's eyes? The moment she saw the black-haired girl furrow her brows, Mengxi hurriedly explained:

“Okay, okay, Sister Yumo. You don't need to worry about that kind of thing. I have self-control~”

“Enmmm, even so... Why would having me beside you make your cultivation so much faster?”

“Well... that's a little difficult to explain right now. It's somewhat embarrassing to say~”

As she spoke, the silver-haired girl shyly raised her hands to cover her face, leaving only her bright eyes exposed as she blinked repeatedly at Lady Yumo.

“Don't worry, Sister Yumo. When the time comes, I'll prove it to you. Anyway, please trust me.”

Lowering the hands covering her cheeks, Mengxi confidently patted her chest.

“If it doesn't work when the time comes, it won't be too late for Sister Yumo to leave then~”

“This...”

Seeing the silver-haired girl make such a confident promise, Yumo still felt suspicious, but ultimately abandoned the idea of questioning her until she got to the bottom of it.

It wasn't merely because of Mengxi's assurance,

but also because of certain emotions buried deep within Yumo's heart.

“All right, I understand.”

“So? Does that mean Sister Yumo agrees?”

“No! I... I still need to think about it!”

Faced with Mengxi's sparkling eyes as she eagerly pressed for an answer, Lady Yumo's heart trembled, and she hurriedly turned her head away in a rather tsundere manner.

“I never said I'd definitely agree...”

Hearing this, the silver-haired girl covered her mouth and smiled teasingly:

“All right, all right, I understand~ Then Sister Yumo can take your time and think it over very, very carefully~”

She would agree sooner or later anyway, so Mengxi wasn't in any hurry.

However,

there was still one matter that weighed heavily on the silver-haired girl's mind.

Recalling the terrifyingly vast fluctuations of Shadow of Silence Power every time Yumo had taken action before, as well as that overwhelming pressure powerful enough to easily tear souls apart, a solemn look unconsciously emerged within Mengxi's pale-purple eyes.

“Sister Yumo, can I ask you something?”

“W-What... do you want to do now?”

Seeing Mengxi suddenly become so serious, Lady Yumo couldn't help growing nervous as well. She began staring warily at the girl before her. After being tricked by Mengxi so many times, Yumo was genuinely afraid that the girl might suddenly do something outrageously bold again.

However,

this time, Lady Yumo truly was overthinking things.

Mengxi did not make any strange moves. She simply stood quietly in place, meeting Yumo's gaze with sincere and slightly solemn eyes.

“I won't do anything, Sister Yumo. I just hope... you'll answer one question honestly...”

As she spoke, Mengxi slowly bent down and crouched before Lady Yumo, taking the black-haired girl's small, jade-white hand in her own.

“Sister Yumo, you... what kind of existence are you, exactly?... You aren't simply Demon King-class, are you?”

“...”

The instant she heard those words, Lady Yumo's delicate body trembled, and she looked at the silver-haired girl before her with complicated emotions.

“This...”