Vol 4. Chapter 3: Uncharacteristic Tenderness

To tell the truth,

right now,

if it weren't for the coercive nature of the Goddess's power and those unknown consequences, Yumo really would have felt the urge to give up on the trial. If she continued and eventually succeeded in the trial, returning to her original world, wouldn't that mean she would have to part with these children who had accompanied her day and night?

Speaking of which,

it might sound somewhat cruel,

but after living in this world for more than five hundred years, everything here had already come to mean more to Miss Yumo than everything in her original world. Not to mention that more than five hundred years had passed. Even if time flowed more slowly in this world, whether her family and companions from her original world were still alive...

was completely unknown.

Yumo had no idea what her original world was like now. But there was one thing she did know: if she truly left, the children would be heartbroken...

In a certain sense, Yumo didn't actually want the trial to succeed. Therefore, after unconsciously killing Xue Tianao, although Yumo appeared incredibly dejected and depressed, deep down in her heart, there was secretly a tiny hint of delight...

Unfortunately,

she didn't have the right to choose.

She could only keep going like this...

--

As she helplessly sighed inwardly, Miss Yumo also finished thoroughly washing the two sisters. The dirt and bloody smell on her own body had likewise disappeared without a trace. Looking at her clean, soft, fair body, Miss Yumo revealed a satisfied smile.

After drying off the remaining water and putting on a nightgown, Yumo looked dotingly at the two adorable little creatures beside her.

“Limo, Liyu, now that you're clean, dry yourselves off first. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Obviously,

as Demon King-class existences, Limo and Liyu possessed terrifyingly high resistance, so there was naturally no chance of them catching a cold so easily. Still, Miss Yumo habitually reminded them anyway. After all, back when she had cared for children in the Great Winter Forest, most of them hadn't possessed such extraordinary resistance to the cold.

There had been plenty of children who caught colds if she wasn't careful.

However,

rather than growing impatient at their mother's 'unnecessary' reminder, Limo and Liyu habitually responded in obedient little voices:

“Mewooo!” (Got it!)

“Chirp, chirp~” (Yes, Mother.)

As she responded,

Limo instinctively began wagging her tail before furiously shaking her entire body, instantly flinging all the water droplets from her fur in every direction. This rather wild method directly transformed her into a little white wolf with an enormous afro while leaving everything around her soaking wet. Miss Yumo stared at her speechlessly and couldn't help raising a hand to her forehead.

At that moment,

she felt that all her previous efforts at educating Limo had been completely wasted...

Compared to human habits, this child apparently still preferred following her instincts...

Compared to her older sister's silly behavior,

Liyu was much more civilized, which naturally left Miss Yumo far more satisfied.

“Whoosh~”

Accompanied by a gentle breeze and a surge of emerald-green Shadow of Silence Power, a tiny portion of the power within Liyu's body was released. Wrapped in emerald-green Shadow of Silence Power, the little gray bird fluttering in midair abruptly transformed into a delicate gray-haired little girl without a stitch of clothing on her body.

Having transformed into human form,

Liyu familiarly picked up the towel Qiu Mingtong had prepared earlier and began wiping the water from her body.

Seeing such a stark contrast between Liyu and Limo, Miss Yumo couldn't help revealing a gratified smile. Then the girl even picked up another towel and slowly walked behind Liyu...

??

“Hmm? Mother? What's wrong?”

Seeing Yumo come up behind her, Liyu curiously asked.

In response, Yumo tilted her head and chuckled.

“Nothing. I'll help dry your hair and comb it while I'm at it.”

As she spoke, Yumo carefully used the towel to dry the girl's smooth gray hair.

“Mm-hmm! Okay!”

Hearing this, Liyu immediately revealed an excited little expression and nodded repeatedly. Afterward, little Liyu put on her familiar white-and-green dress, picked up her silly older sister, and held her in her arms before obediently sitting down on a tall chair.

Swinging her two fair, delicate little feet back and forth, she happily enjoyed Miss Yumo's attentive care.

Having Mother comb my hair...

It's been so long since I last experienced this~

Hehe~

At the thought, little Liyu's face overflowed with happiness. Even the slight jealousy she had previously felt toward her older sister instantly vanished without a trace. For a time, an intensely warm and cozy atmosphere filled the tent.

...

...

However,

as the combing continued,

little Liyu, who should have been quietly enjoying this precious mother-daughter time, gradually furrowed her brows. At that moment, the little girl seemed to sense that something wasn't quite right.

Enmmm,

'Something feels... a little strange...'

Although Mother was normally gentle and considerate, wasn't she being considerably more gentle than usual today? Sister Limo had shaken the water off herself like that and even splashed Mother, yet Mother hadn't gotten angry? Normally, shouldn't she have grabbed Sister Limo by the ear and given her a thorough lecture?

Besides, Mother had always emphasized that children needed to learn independence. It was already extremely rare for her to personally help them bathe.

So why had she suddenly done all this today?

Although being scrubbed clean by Mother was an extremely comfortable and pleasant experience, an ominous premonition still began sprouting in Liyu's mind.

Something just felt strange.

Or rather,

this situation somehow felt familiar?

Closing her eyes slightly and carefully searching through her memories, little Liyu suddenly raised her brows!

?!!

Wait?!

Back when Second Brother returned after bombing the imperial capital of the Sadik Empire, hadn't Mother's attitude also become uncharacteristically gentle?!

She remembered that Second Brother's old habits had acted up again back then. After being provoked by a few nobles from the Sadik Empire, his fiery temper had exploded, and he directly transformed into his Demon King-class form, charged into the capital of the Sadik Empire, and blew that noble's mansion to pieces along with a quarter of the entire city.

Due to their failure to properly suppress the information, coupled with Sister Karina being a little too 'honest,'

Mother eventually learned about the incident.

Yet after discovering that Second Brother had once again gone and done whatever he pleased, Mother surprisingly didn't lose her temper. Instead, she formed a hand out of energy and incomparably gently stroked Second Brother's head. She even personally cooked an exceptionally lavish dinner for him.

Liyu could still vividly remember just how extravagant that dinner had been. After all, back then, forget her silly Sister Limo—even Liyu herself, who had been secretly peeking from the sidelines, couldn't stop helpless 'tears' from flowing out of the corner of her mouth.

However,

after Second Brother happily finished enjoying the dinner Mother personally fed him...

Mother took out the feather duster.

Liyu could still vividly remember Second Brother's screams that night...

Enmmm,

somehow,

didn't the situation she and Sister Limo were in right now seem almost exactly the same as what Second Brother had experienced back then?

Mother was being unusually gentle, practically pampering them like little children. She had personally bathed them, dried them off, helped them change clothes, and even combed their hair...

'Uh...'

As this conjecture surfaced in her mind, little Liyu's entire body abruptly stiffened. Unease and panic surged through her heart like floodwaters bursting through a dam, instantly sweeping away all the happiness she had felt moments earlier.

Under the influence of that anxiety, Liyu took a deep breath before cautiously glancing from the corner of her eye at the breathtakingly beautiful black-haired girl standing behind her.

As though sensing her daughter's gaze,

Miss Yumo tilted her head and met Liyu's clear emerald-green eyes before revealing a loving smile with just a hint of playfulness.

“What's wrong? Is there a problem, Liyu?”

Her smile was as beautiful as ever. Yet at that moment, there seemed to be a hidden meaning within that smile...

along with a faint chill.

“N-No, Mother...”

Sensing that chill, Liyu stammered.

“Oh, is that so? But even if Liyu doesn't have any questions, Mommy has a few questions she'd like to ask Liyu~”

“Eh?”

Hearing those words, little Liyu immediately trembled all over and revealed an awkward smile filled with apprehension.

“Um, Mother, what would you like to ask?”

“Well, it's like this. I'm just a little curious. Didn't I tell you not to run around recklessly? Why did you and Limo disobey me again and leave the Great Winter Forest without permission? And why did you run all the way to the imperial capital of the Snow Night Empire? You even attacked the Child of Destiny, didn't you?”

As she continued speaking,

the smile on Miss Yumo's beautiful face gradually disappeared, replaced by a stern expression. Even a faint trace of 'anger' surfaced within her crimson eyes.

“Can you give me a proper explanation, Little Liyu?”

“...”

The instant those words fell, Liyu's delicate body froze completely.

A bead of cold sweat silently trickled down the gray-haired girl's forehead.

Looks like...

'What had to come has finally come...'

Meanwhile,

a certain little white wolf, sensing the abrupt change in the atmosphere inside the tent, curiously poked her little head out from Liyu's embrace and began looking around in confusion.

“Mewoooo?” (What's wrong? What's wrong?)