Vol 4. Chapter 77: Family Gathering

When Mother Yumo first started educating her children, the method she adopted was basically free-range parenting.

However,

the results of raising children that way did not seem particularly good.

Aside from Eldest Sister, who had been difficult to educate from the very beginning, Second Brother, after growing up under that free-range approach, directly turned into the number one old hooligan and number one mobile natural disaster in the Great Winter Forest.

He spent every day stirring up trouble and bullying the neighbors, giving Mother endless headaches.

Therefore,

after Brother Piere had nearly angered her to death, Mother changed her educational policy.

She gave up on free-range parenting and chose to raise the children personally.

And then, like that, Mother raised Big Sister Karina.

Big Sister Karina was beautiful, obedient, sensible, and considerate. She was completely Mother’s little padded jacket.

Not only did she never cause trouble every day like Second Brother Piere, she was also considerate of Mother’s work, helping Mother manage the Abyss Demons in the Great Winter Forest as well as the nearby magical beast populations.

(Enmm, though for some reason, the more obedient Big Sister Karina became, the more bad things Second Brother seemed to do instead?... Yet the magical beasts nearby that came to Mother to lodge complaints somehow became fewer and fewer? What a strange phenomenon...)

In any case, honest and serious Big Sister Karina made Mother extremely satisfied, and Mother’s heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

After that, Mother firmly decided that she would personally raise the children.

Whether it was Big Sister Limo afterward, herself, little sister Shuoyue, or the human children Mother had rescued, Mother began educating them personally.

In any case, by that point, after many years of reorganization and with Big Sister Karina managing things, the Great Winter Forest had already become orderly and no longer required Mother to worry too much about it.

And so Mother began her full-force child-rearing journey.

Food, clothing, housing, studies, and many other things—Mother handled them all personally.

Under Mother’s painstaking care, countless “good children,” herself included, grandly stepped onto the stage of history.

The children’s obedience, cuteness, and filial devotion filled even this snow-covered Great Winter Forest with a warm current.

Was Mother’s education successful?

Enmm,

at least from Mother’s point of view, it was basically very successful.

Most of the children were considerate little padded jackets.

However,

there were still a small number of children who gave Mother enormous headaches.

The most typical example was her own Big Sister Limo.

No matter how Mother educated her, Big Sister Limo stubbornly refused to accept the “human lifestyle” Mother tried to teach her and continued living an extremely wild life however she pleased.

She normally maintained her giant wolf form, and even when she transformed into human form, she disliked wearing clothes...

She was practically turning into something like a fanservice girl...

And not only did she refuse to wear clothes, Big Sister Limo’s diet was also completely beast-like.

Eating raw meat and drinking blood was one thing, but she also liked gnawing on humans all day long, often leaving Mother Yumo’s scalp tingling.

Even more helplessly,

Big Sister Limo was extremely disobedient and often went around destroying things and causing trouble.

Not only did she give the magical beast races in the forest the grand gift of “moving house,” she would also frequently send one warm shot after another toward human defensive lines or settlements near the forest (Nihility Cannon)...

Mother had told her that she was not allowed to attack Braves.

Big Sister Limo nodded repeatedly when she heard it.

Then the moment she left Mother’s side, she immediately threw the matter out of her mind and happily ran off to slaughter a bunch of Braves from the Asumos Church.

(Enmm, though they themselves had done that too...)

In short, Big Sister Limo simply could not remember anything Mother told her.

Even getting beaten with the feather duster did not help much.

Big Sister Limo was completely the type who forgot the pain once the wound healed.

Once her injuries recovered, she would simply go back to doing whatever she had been doing before.

As a result, Big Sister Limo had, without any suspense, become the person in the family who had been beaten with the feather duster the second-most times after Second Brother.

Recently, she even vaguely seemed to be on the verge of surpassing Second Brother.

(Mainly because Second Brother wasn’t home...)

Over time,

Mother seemed to have given up on educating Big Sister Limo as well.

Her only remaining hope was that Big Sister would at least do a few more human-like things...

...

Mother had clearly not brought up the topic of educating Big Sister Limo for a very long time.

Why had she suddenly...

“Could it be? She still has hope?”

While thinking, little Liyu, who had already gotten to her feet, looked in confusion toward the black-haired girl sitting elegantly on the sofa nearby.

At this moment,

as though they were discussing some major matter, almost all of the important figures within the Great Winter Forest had gathered inside the mansion’s somewhat battered hall.

At the center of the living room, Miss Yumo, wearing a black gauze dress and barefoot, sat quietly on the main sofa, elegantly savoring the tea Xiao had brought.

Big Sister Karina, dressed in red-and-white knightly skirt armor, stood beside Yumo with both hands behind her back like a guard.

And sitting opposite Mother Yumo were several important members of the Black Rose Family, including Xiao, Saiboke, Qiu Mingtong, and the others...

Liyu silently stood beside the wall, while her older sister Limo lay sprawled on a nearby sofa with a completely confused expression.

As for the youngest, Yuan’er, she and Shuoyue were leaning over the railing on the second floor, curiously watching the scene below with expressions that clearly said they were here to watch the show and eat melon.

The atmosphere in the hall was faintly serious and oppressive.

...

After setting down the teacup in her hand, Miss Yumo looked at Xiao rather solemnly.

“Your Black Rose Family is very good at education. Those children who went back with you basically all became accomplished in the end. So, Xiao, could I trouble you to help educate Limo?”

“...”

The moment those words came out, Xiao fell into a brief silence, occasionally casting a grave glance toward the wolf girl nearby, who still looked utterly bewildered.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao respectfully met Yumo’s crimson eyes.

“Lady Yumo, may I ask first... what level do you hope Lady Limo can be educated to?”

“Enmm, as for that...”

“It’s fine. Please just say it directly.”

“I just hope you can get this child to understand basic common sense and stop living like some half-wild beast every single day. And in the end, train her to be a little more ladylike~. Anyway, as long as she can blend into human society while maintaining human form, that’ll be enough!”

Miss Yumo answered honestly.

For Yumo, after what had happened today, the issue of Limo’s education had once again been placed before her.

In Yumo’s view, although she was reluctant to think about it, she very likely really would leave this world one day...

At that time, her children would only be able to follow Xiao and live with the Black Rose Family.

Being able to blend into human society was an indispensable skill.

And Limo clearly lacked that skill.

Therefore, Limo really did need to learn.

However, considering how badly Yumo’s previous attempts to educate Limo had failed, Yumo gave up on trying personally and instead entrusted the task to Xiao.

After all, Xiao’s Black Rose Family had cultivated countless powerful individuals, scholars, and successful merchants.

If it was Xiao, he should have some way to properly teach this troublesome child Limo...

Right?

Meanwhile,

after hearing Yumo’s request,

for a moment, Xiao, the battle-hardened head of the Black Rose Family, felt the corner of his brow twitch slightly.

Behind him, Qiu Mingtong and Saiboke also immediately revealed complicated expressions.

The three important figures of the Black Rose Family all turned their gazes toward little Limo in perfect unison.

??!

Educate her?

A lady?

Blend into human society?

...

Xiao fell silent once again.

Looking at the foolish-looking wolf girl and recalling all the various “genius” things she had done when they had spent time together in the past, Xiao immediately sucked in a cold breath.

Damn it,

asking him to properly educate Limo?

He would rather directly raise an army, show his hand, and fight the entire continent!

After succeeding, they could just have Lady Limo forcibly “integrate” into society.

That somehow seemed easier.

Xiao could not help thinking this inwardly.

Therefore, the first thought that appeared in the Black Rose Duke’s mind was to find some way to decline the task Lady Yumo had given him.

However,

just as Xiao looked toward Yumo and prepared to speak, Yumo slowly opened her mouth before he could.

“Um, Xiao, can I ask you to do it?”

There was a trace of pleading in Miss Yumo’s voice.

The girl even clasped her hands together and put on an expectant expression.

Her crimson eyes were filled with tenderness, innocence, trust...

Under a gaze like that, Xiao forcibly swallowed the words that had already reached his mouth.

Faced with Miss Yumo like this, how could Xiao possibly bear to refuse her?

He could only bite the bullet and give a slight nod.

“I-I’ll do my best...”