Vol 4. Chapter 62: A Housewarming Celebration

Karina was in an exceptionally good mood.

Yesterday,

When Mother, several of her younger sisters, and the members of the Black Rose Family, including Xiao, returned to the eastern part of the Great Winter Forest, where the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons had previously stood, they couldn't help being stunned by the sight before them.

On the originally flat, empty snowfield, which had contained nothing but a tranquil lake,

A beautiful, classical villa had risen from the ground.

Its overall design was European in style.

Romantic yet dignified, the villa featured a towering entrance hall and magnificent mahogany doors. Its arched windows, inlaid with platinum stones, exuded elegance and luxury. Whitewashed walls and pale-blue roof tiles complemented a series of archways, corridors, and a living room with tall windows, creating a refreshing and unconventional atmosphere that lifted the spirits.

Elegant and exquisite, yet comfortable.

Beyond its exquisite appearance, the entire villa also possessed an imposing grandeur. The two magnificent stone dragon statues standing before the main entrance, each emanating powerful magical energy, were the clearest examples of this.

And when the enormous mahogany doors slowly opened, the interior proved equally impressive.

Floors paved with silver Soul Essence Stones; tiles as bright as mirrors; magnificent white diamond crystal chandeliers with dangling ornaments; exquisite glass decorated with snowflake patterns; sofas and carpets made from the hides of unknown beasts; sculptures carved from the bones of unidentified magical beasts; and much more...

The entire interior was filled with an atmosphere of romance and grandeur.

Even Xiao, who was accustomed to luxurious surroundings, couldn't help showing her approval upon seeing the brand-new mansion.

The two adorable little girls, Limo and Yuan'er, were even more excited. They immediately began jumping and playing throughout their new home, having the time of their lives.

Clearly, the two little ones were extremely satisfied with their new home.

And Mother Yumo, whom Karina respected and adored above all else, had stars sparkling in her eyes as she immediately raised her hand and patted Karina's little head.

“Very well done, Little Na. The new house is beautiful. I really like it!”

With that,

Miss Yumo eagerly stepped into the mansion and joined Liyu and the others on their tour.

Seeing this, Karina, the mansion's chief designer, felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

“I'm so glad Mother and my little sisters like the new house.”

Karina rejoiced inwardly.

All that time she'd spent studying for an architecture degree while working as a mercenary in the human world hadn't gone to waste.

Drawing on the knowledge she'd acquired and her understanding of Mother's tastes, she had designed a building in precisely this style.

Besides,

Karina had gone to considerable lengths to finish the villa before Mother returned~

Considering that most Abyss Demons were enormous, brainless brutes incapable of participating in delicate construction work such as building a house,

And with the members of the Black Rose Family absent from the forest, Karina had no choice but to seek assistance from the other intelligent magical beast races living in the Great Winter Forest.

However, thanks to Mother's policy of cultivating potential “traitors,” those magical beast races, especially the ones with new leaders who seemed to have gotten rather full of themselves, weren't particularly friendly toward her, despite her status as a Demon King-class existence.

They rejected Karina's invitation without a second thought.

Of course,

Karina, who had always been remarkably good-tempered, wasn't particularly bothered by the younger generation's rudeness.

She remained perfectly calm.

“Those fucking bastards...”

I've been away for a few decades, and now you think you can rebel?!

Afterward, Karina simply armed herself to the teeth, took up her longsword, and entered the magical beasts' strongholds all by herself.

There, she appealed to their emotions and reasoned with them, helping the members of those races understand exactly who was in charge of the Great Winter Forest...

As an added bonus, she reminded the other races of the delightful experiences they'd had when Karina had disciplined them in the past.

Ultimately, thanks to Karina's tireless efforts, the various magical beast races very happily accepted her invitation.

They dispatched every high-ranking expert in their respective clans who was capable of assuming human form to the area within the barrier, where they helped Karina construct the new villa.

Naturally, to apologize for their earlier behavior, these races even took the initiative to bring large quantities of raw materials for the new house.

It had to be said,

Karina was quite touched by her neighbors' actions.

And so, after Karina and the members of these races worked tirelessly for several weeks, an exquisite, flawless villa finally appeared within the barrier.

Although the process had been extremely exhausting, Karina couldn't help smiling excitedly when she saw how much Mother and her younger sisters loved the new house.

However,

Taking advantage of the opportunity, she asked Mother to sleep with her that night as a reward~

Mother, who was in an excellent mood, agreed to her request without hesitation.

Hehe~

And then,

After taking a nice bath together with Mother, Karina comfortably snuggled into her arms and enjoyed a cozy, delightful night.

“Mmm~ As expected, nothing feels better than being with Mother...”

Of course,

After learning that Karina would be sleeping with Mother, Liyu and the other younger sisters wanted to join them too.

However, Karina had anticipated this and quickly distracted her younger sisters with all kinds of new delicacies and entertainment.

Although, as a proper knight, she ought to learn to share,

Last night,

Karina had wanted to be a little selfish.

It was a rare opportunity, and she wanted to enjoy Mother's warmth all to herself, to savor the comfort of being held in Mother's arms~

--

At this moment,

Inside the elegant and luxurious dining room,

Karina, dressed in an elegant red gown and seated at the dining table, wore a blissful smile.

Her mind was constantly replaying the scenes of bathing and sleeping together with Mother the previous night.

Whenever she recalled Mother's gentle words and tender caresses, her orange-red eyes filled with delight.

“What an unforgettable night~”

Karina was in an exceptionally good mood.

So much so that, completely immersed in her memories of the previous night, she failed to notice several little ones taking their seats at the table one after another...

It wasn't until a certain little girl's clear, sweet voice reached her ears that Karina suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Good morning, Big Sister Karina!”

Hmm?

“Good morning, Yuan'er.”

Looking at the adorable pink-haired girl sitting beside her, Karina affectionately patted her little sister's head.

“Did you sleep well last night, little one?”

“Mm-hmm! Very well!”

Yuan'er nodded repeatedly with a smile before asking in her sweet voice,

“What about you, Big Sister Karina?”

“I slept very well too.”

Karina replied gently.

As she spoke, the red-haired woman raised her head and looked across the table at her other two younger sisters.

However, just as Karina was about to greet them, she frowned upon seeing Limo and Liyu's appearances.

The words she'd been about to say were immediately swallowed back down.

“What happened to you two...?”

Faced with Big Sister Karina's question, Limo and Liyu simultaneously lowered their heads.

Neither chose to answer.

However,

Even without their explanations, Karina could roughly piece together what had happened from her younger sisters' slightly disheveled appearances, their aggrieved little expressions, and the small bumps on their heads.

These two little troublemakers...

They'd probably gotten too carried away making a racket this morning,

And only settled down after Mother gave each of them a good knock on the head, right?

Sigh, honestly~

Thinking this, Karina couldn't help looking at her two younger sisters with a hint of sympathy.

Meanwhile, little Liyu, sitting opposite her, lowered her head in embarrassment when she noticed Karina's gaze.

She had always wanted to maintain the mature image of a little adult, so she really didn't want anyone else to know that Mother had scolded her.

Even if that person was her big sister...

Besides,

Whenever she remembered how Mother had given her a thorough scolding right in front of little sister Yuan'er, Liyu felt another wave of humiliation wash over her.

Wuwuwu,

How embarrassing!

It's all your fault, you stupid big sister!

Thinking this, Liyu couldn't help casting an accusing glance at the wolf girl beside her.

The wolf girl responded with an utterly confused and bewildered expression.

However,

Despite her frustration, Liyu also felt a surge of relief.

After all, when Mother was disciplining her and Big Sister Limo, she hadn't paid much attention to Liyu's little cabinet.

Otherwise, if Mother had seen what was inside, Liyu's punishment would have been far worse than a single knock on the head.

Her entire butt might have ended up...

Thinking this, Liyu couldn't help shuddering.

Just as Liyu was feeling relieved, a rich crimson glow suddenly rippled through the dining room.

The next instant, accompanied by waves of crimson Shadow of Silence Power and dozens of fluttering blood-colored butterflies, an incomparably beautiful black-haired girl appeared in the seat at the head of the dining table.

“Good morning, Mommy!”

Seeing her mother appear, Yuan'er immediately waved at her excitedly.

“Morning, Yuan'er.”

Miss Yumo responded affectionately.

After saying this, however, the girl's expression suddenly changed, becoming extremely stern.

She slowly turned her head and glanced to her left, where the two sisters were sitting nervously.

“You two, have you remembered what I told you? You're not allowed to fight and make such a racket again. You're sisters! If something happens, talk it out properly. And... you actually behaved like that in front of Yuan'er! What if you set a bad example for your little sister?!”

“Sorry, we were wrong.” X2

The two little girls lowered their heads pitifully.

Looking at her two troublesome children, Miss Yumo shook her head helplessly.

Then she glanced around the room in confusion.

“Speaking of which, where's that girl Shuoyue? Didn't I tell her to come have breakfast with us? Why isn't she here yet? Is... is she sleeping in again?”

“Mother, Little Sister Shuoyue seems to have gone out with Xiao early this morning.”

Karina spoke slowly after taking an elegant sip of tea.

“Shuoyue went out with Xiao?”

“Yes. Judging by how anxious that girl looked, I imagine something urgent must have come up.”

“Hmm?”

Hearing this, Miss Yumo frowned and looked out the window with some concern.

“Come to think of it, Shuoyue seemed to have something on her mind since last night. Did something happen?”