Vol 3. Chapter 72: A Child Who Wants to Be Spoiled
"Mother, can you stay with me tonight? It's so dark here... I'm scared..."
Pale-faced and looking extremely 'weak,' Karina spoke pitifully while gazing at Lady Yumo with tearful, puppy-like eyes.
That single look instantly shattered Yumo's already fragile defenses whenever it came to her children.
"Stay with you..."
Murmuring to herself, Yumo looked toward Saiboke-Baniya.
In response, Saiboke-Baniya's eyebrows twitched slightly, and the look he gave Karina became somewhat strange.
Lady Karina,
are you trying to take this opportunity to get intimate with Lady Yumo...
Sigh, forget it.
It's not like I can do anything about it anyway...
Feeling somewhat helpless, Saiboke-Baniya nodded slightly, indicating that Yumo could remain here tonight.
However, upon seeing Saiboke-Baniya nod, before Yumo could even speak, one of the Black Rose Knights behind him couldn't help leaning over and whispering:
"Lord Saiboke-Baniya, wouldn't it be somewhat inappropriate for Lady Yumo to remain here tonight? What about Xue Tianao..."
Saiboke-Baniya understood his subordinate's concerns, but he still shook his head indifferently.
"It doesn't matter. Have Nightingale deal with the people coming back to change shifts. As for Xue Tianao, he won't have time to concern himself with this place tonight..."
Losing his balls on the eve of his coronation ceremony—
how could that eunuch emperor possibly have the energy to worry about the imperial prison?
"Then... what about those guards and researchers?"
"Hm? Them?"
Saiboke-Baniya disdainfully glanced toward the area where Gafei and the other researchers were lying before speaking coldly:
"If they wake up, just knock them unconscious again. As for their regular communications and reports, have a few Nightingale members skilled in disguise handle them."
"Yes, Lord Saiboke-Baniya."
...
Meanwhile, after receiving Saiboke-Baniya's approval, Yumo smiled faintly, raised her hand, gently brushed aside Karina's crimson-red hair, and stroked her daughter's head.
"All right. I'll stay here with you tonight. Just rest peacefully."
"Mm-hmm. Thank you, Mother..."
After smiling contentedly, Karina slowly closed her eyes.
At the same time,
just like when she used to soothe her children to sleep in the Great Winter Forest,
a layer of crimson light gradually rippled around Lady Yumo.
Unlike the usual crimson glow filled with oppressive pressure and icy killing intent, the red light at this moment was warm and soothing, giving both the members of the Black Rose Family nearby and Karina, who was resting her head on Yumo's lap, an indescribably peaceful and comfortable feeling.
As countless blood-red butterflies fluttered through the air, Lady Yumo slowly closed her eyes as well.
While gently stroking Karina's head, she hummed a beautiful and melodious lullaby.
And as her mother's song drifted through the air, Karina finally calmed down completely. Silently sensing her mother's presence, she enjoyed her mother's gentle care.
'Mother~'
The corners of Karina's lips curled upward almost imperceptibly.
She was extremely satisfied with the current situation.
Karina had grown up in the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons ever since she was little, so she was particularly dependent on Yumo's presence.
Karina's favorite thing had always been curling up in the center of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, surrounded by countless Blood Butterflies, and drifting off to sleep beneath Yumo's loving care.
However,
after those two girls, Limo and Liyu, were born, Karina had no choice but to restrain her desire to act spoiled around her mother. After all, Mother wanted her to set a good example as an older sister.
Because of that, Karina had fewer and fewer opportunities to act spoiled with Yumo. And after she left the Great Winter Forest and ventured out onto the continent, it had been an incredibly long time since she had gotten to snuggle up against Mother...
Whenever Karina thought about it before, she couldn't help making a gloomy little face.
But now,
Mother had finally come right to her, and none of her younger sisters were around to watch!
She could finally snuggle against Mother as much as she wanted!
Just thinking about it made Karina inwardly cheer with joy.
As for Saiboke-Baniya and the others nearby, all she had to do was glare at them once, and they wouldn't dare say anything...
Besides,
Mother had actually transformed into human form?
This really was...
'Wonderful~'
Pressing herself tightly against Yumo's soft, fair thighs and breathing in the unique jasmine fragrance coming from her mother, a blissful smile gradually appeared on Karina's little face.
'Hehehe, Mother, mmm~'
That Xiao really had done something good by obtaining transformation magic!
Although Karina didn't dislike the hard environment inside the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons at all, sure enough, soft and cuddly Mother felt much more comfortable to snuggle against, hehehe~
...
Meanwhile, noticing Karina's little movements as she pressed herself closer, Lady Yumo couldn't help revealing an indulgent smile.
'It's been a long time since this child acted spoiled with me like this.'
So cute.
Smiling softly, Yumo couldn't resist gently pinching Karina's cheek.
And just like that,
under Yumo's tender caresses, Karina, whose heart was brimming with happiness, finally drifted into a peaceful sleep for the first time in a long while.
For a moment,
this imperial prison, which should have been filled with a grim and murderous atmosphere, somehow became rather warm and cozy.
Of course, that was assuming one ignored the terrifying-looking golden longsword still sticking out of Karina's chest, which in reality was basically useless...
--
While this heartwarming scene unfolded inside the imperial prison, thousands of miles away, along the Snow Night Empire's border defense line, a completely different and terrifying scene was unfolding.
Under the moonlight at Garos Fortress,
Aishiman, one of the generals of the Snow Night Empire's Fourth Army and a loyal subordinate of Xue Tianao, was leisurely strolling along the fortress walls. As he inspected his subordinates' work, he also surveyed the situation along the border.
Although Garos Fortress stood along the frontier bordering the Great Winter Forest, Aishiman felt not the slightest trace of unease.
Like the other generals stationed along the border, he felt almost no fear whatsoever toward Abyss Demons.
On one hand, having been born in the empire's interior, he had barely ever come into contact with Abyss Demons.
On the other hand—and more importantly—it was because of his overwhelming confidence.
Garos Fortress had previously been breached by Abyss Demons, but after its reconstruction, a huge number of weapons prepared by His Majesty Xue Tianao had been deployed here, drastically increasing the fortress's defensive capabilities!
And the army currently defending the fortress was completely different from the feeble northern defenders of the past.
They were His Majesty Xue Tianao's troops!
They were an army equipped with countless pieces of powerful equipment, all kinds of high-tier magic scrolls, and advanced weapons.
The northerners feared Abyss Demons, but Aishiman and the others were far stronger than those northerners and had received enormous amounts of equipment and support from His Majesty. Naturally, they had no reason to fear Abyss Demons.
In fact, after being assigned to guard the northern frontier, they had even begun to feel eager for battle.
They wanted to fight the Abyss Demons!
They wanted to distinguish themselves and achieve glory!
It was precisely because he harbored such thoughts that Aishiman wasn't afraid of Abyss Demons in the slightest.
He had even begun to feel disappointed because they had barely encountered any Abyss Demons recently.
"Sigh, this is boring as hell..."
Gazing at the silent plains in the distance, Aishiman complained in boredom.
The soldiers of the Fourth Army around him felt much the same.
After all, when they first arrived here, they had also eagerly anticipated an Abyss Demon invasion. That way, they would finally have an opportunity to demonstrate their strength and the might of their weapons!
As long as they could repel an Abyss Demon invasion, their standing ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) in His Majesty's eyes would skyrocket, and their futures would become infinitely brighter.
In order to distinguish themselves and earn achievements as soon as possible, some of these soldiers had even begun praying for a massive Abyss Demon invasion...
Unfortunately, their prayers hadn't done jack shit.
The northern frontier had been terrifyingly quiet lately...
However,
today,
it seemed that heaven had finally heard their prayers...
At this moment,
just as Aishiman sat idly atop the city wall as usual, chatting with his subordinates and complaining about the boring daily routine of guarding the border, his brows suddenly furrowed.
Because at that instant, he noticed that the red wine in the glass beside him had suddenly begun rippling...
And those ripples were growing more and more intense...??
At the same time, a series of horrifying roars suddenly came from the distance, instantly shattering the nighttime silence of Garos Fortress.
Hm?
This... this is?
An Abyss Demon invasion?!!
"Hahahahahaha!! Finally! They're finally here! I can finally show what I'm capable of!!"
At that moment, Aishiman immediately revealed an incomparably excited smile. Grabbing the heavy firearm beside him, he abruptly stood up and stared eagerly toward the distant plains with undisguised delight.
At the same time, countless soldiers around him seemed to notice the disturbance in the distance as well.
Although no one knew why the sentries had suddenly stopped reporting back, the moment everyone realized that this was an Abyss Demon invasion, they immediately began cheering as though they had been injected with stimulants. With overwhelming excitement, they grabbed their weapons and activated the fortress's defensive installations.
They were preparing to annihilate every last Abyss Demon approaching from ahead and use that victory to earn His Majesty Xue Tianao's recognition and rewards.
The Abyss Demons that had once made people tremble merely at the mention of their name seemed, in the eyes of these soldiers, to have transformed into military achievements that could be exchanged for fame, wealth, and status.
Everyone was practically beside themselves with excitement.
Under Aishiman's leadership, they armed themselves from head to toe, made every preparation for battle, and eagerly awaited the arrival of the Abyss Demon horde.
However,
as the silhouettes of the Abyss Demons gradually emerged over the horizon, and as their hateful presence reached the defenders' senses, the expressions of every soldier stationed at Garos Fortress—including Aishiman—changed drastically in an instant...
The excited smiles froze directly on their faces...
The next instant,
an eerie purple-black radiance in the distance drove away the darkness of the night.
Before the Abyss Demon horde had even entered the firing range of their weapons, tens of thousands of Nihility Cannons carrying overwhelming destructive force rapidly expanded in Aishiman and the others' vision...
...
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
After several deafening explosions, towering flames erupted from the ground.
Countless living beings were reduced to ashes in an instant...