Vol 3. Chapter 48: Protection
After listening to Mengxi's words, Sakura no longer knew what to say.
She simply stood there blankly on the bed, and for some reason even found herself vaguely worrying about that Demon King-class girl.
Once Sakura fell silent, Mengxi lowered her head and looked at her delicate body, clad in nothing but two thin pieces of underwear. A playful smile curled across her lips.
Sister Yumo really isn't that hard to read~
In truth...
Mengxi had anticipated what Yumo was thinking from the very beginning.
The moment she saw Yumo glance toward the wine, she had already more or less guessed her plan.
A drunk tongue speaks a sober heart, right?
Indeed.
If she got drunk, she might truly blurt out everything hidden in her heart. That way, Sister Yumo could determine whether she had recognized her identity.
Since that was the case...
She simply decided to play along~
Sister Sakura was the support companion bestowed upon her by the Goddess. While Sakura possessed little combat ability, her spiritual power was unparalleled.
By using that spiritual power to implant a psychological suggestion, Sakura temporarily concealed part of Mengxi's memories, replacing "Sister Yumo" in her mind with "Sister Yu" while also suppressing a number of other habitual expressions.
That alone...
...was enough to fool Sister Yumo completely.
Actually...
Mengxi had once considered revealing everything to Sister Yumo.
But after thinking it over again and again, she ultimately abandoned the idea for the time being.
Judging from the current situation, Sister Yumo clearly had no intention of revealing her true identity.
Since that was what she wanted...
Mengxi decided to respect her wishes.
Sister Yumo was thin-skinned. If she exposed her now, she would probably become so embarrassed that she'd hide herself away.
Rather than letting Sister Yumo disappear...
It was much better to keep her somewhere she could always see.
Once she was certain that Sister Yumo would never leave her...
Then it wouldn't be too late to reveal the truth.
After all...
There was still an unpredictable factor lurking within Skyvault.
Besides...
Watching Sister Yumo pretend so earnestly...
...was honestly very entertaining.
Thinking of that, Mengxi couldn't help covering her mouth as an amused smile spread across her face.
At the same time, as Sakura released the seal on her memories, the hazy recollections from the previous night's drunkenness became increasingly clear.
As those memories resurfaced, surprise briefly appeared on Mengxi's face.
She was indeed rather shocked by how bold she had become after getting drunk.
But...
Only shocked.
She didn't regret it in the slightest.
Instead, she even found herself savoring the memory.
"Sister Yumo's lips..."
"...were pretty sweet."
Touching her own soft lips with a fingertip, Mengxi smiled sweetly before lightly licking them with the tip of her tongue.
Thank you for the meal~
Still...
What a pity...
A trace of regret crossed Mengxi's face.
If Sister Yumo hadn't resisted last night...
If she'd allowed her to continue...
What a wonderful memory that would have become.
...Wait.
Am I thinking something a little too perverted?
Enmm...
Forget it.
If it's directed at Sister Yumo...
Then it's perfectly fine.
Recalling the black-haired girl who constantly cared for her, protected her time and again, and always watched over her so attentively, a blissful smile blossomed across Mengxi's beautiful face.
At the same time...
She found herself with yet another reason to become stronger.
The reason things had ended with only a kiss last night...
...was simply because Sister Yumo was too powerful.
Far stronger than she was now.
But once she became strong enough...
Wouldn't Sister Yumo be unable to resist anymore...?
So...
I need to train harder.
For now...
My first goal is to break through to the Seventh Tier as soon as possible!
Besides...
...
...
I wonder when I'll get to kiss her again...
Kissing her while I was drunk somehow didn't feel quite right.
Next time...
As various thoughts unsuitable for children surfaced in her mind, Mengxi hugged the pillow tightly and began rolling back and forth across the bed in embarrassment.
Watching Mengxi squirm around like that, Sakura found herself utterly speechless.
She could only sigh in resignation, grateful that no one else was around to witness it.
Otherwise...
The holy image of Saint Mengxi would have shattered on the spot.
"Sigh... Miss Mengxi."
Taking a deep breath, Sakura slowly spoke.
"Do you truly believe that this Abyss Demon girl harbors no malicious intentions?"
"Hm?"
Hearing the question again, Mengxi let go of the pillow and looked at Sakura with faint displeasure.
"Sister Sakura, I've already told you."
"She won't hurt me."
"I'm certain."
"There's no need to bring this up again."
"..."
Hearing that, Sakura could only nod helplessly.
Mengxi had always been stubborn.
Once she decided something...
Changing her mind was almost impossible.
"Then... Miss Mengxi, what are you planning to do from now on? Continue pretending not to know anything and work together with her to save the world?"
"For now, I'll continue pretending I don't know."
"As for when I'll reveal everything..."
"I'll decide that myself."
"And as for saving the world..."
"We'll just work together."
"After all, Sister Yumo's goal is also to destroy the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons."
"Then... what about Miss Yumo's identity? Most people could never accept an Abyss Demon. No one would believe she has no ill intentions."
Hearing those words, Mengxi looked toward the azure sky with a complicated expression.
"I'll help Sister Yumo hide it."
"But hiding the identity of an Abyss Demon isn't that easy. If it's ever exposed, every major power on the continent—especially those people from the Church—will never tolerate her! And when that happens, Miss Mengxi, you..."
"If she's exposed..."
Mengxi quietly repeated those words.
Her violet eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous glimmer flickered within them.
"If that day really comes..."
"I'll protect Sister Yumo."
"No one..."
"...will be allowed to hurt her."
...
However...
After thinking about it more carefully...
A solemn expression gradually appeared in Mengxi's eyes.
Sakura wasn't wrong.
On the Anqieka Continent, hostility toward Abyss Demons existed everywhere.
Even if those old fossils learned that Sister Yumo had betrayed the Demon God...
There was no guarantee they would accept her.
By then...
Sister Yumo would become an enemy of both sides.
She would be in tremendous danger.
If she truly wanted to protect her...
Words alone would never be enough.
She needed not only greater personal strength...
But also enough influence and power.
Saintess of the Asumos Church...
Looks like...
...I'll have to participate in that damned Saintess Selection after all...
Also...
Now that I think about it...
"Where did Sister Yumo go?"
After giving it some thought, Mengxi realized that after waking up, the first thing she wanted to do was find Sister Yumo again.
After everything that had happened last night...
What kind of expression would Sister Yumo have when she saw her again?
Of course...
Mengxi wasn't worried that Yumo would dislike her.
After Sakura restored her drunken memories...
She could clearly remember every adorable expression Yumo had made the previous night.
That expression of wanting to continue...
Yet not daring to...
Hehe~
After glancing around for a while, Mengxi turned toward Sakura in confusion.
"Sister Sakura, do you know where Sister Yumo went?"
The little QB-like creature could only roll her eyes helplessly before letting out a long sigh.
"Please, Miss Mengxi. To avoid being discovered by that Demon King-class girl, I've been hiding inside your consciousness the entire time, okay? I have absolutely no idea what's been happening outside, okay?"
"Mm, that's true."
Mengxi nodded without objection.
Wrapping the blanket around herself, she slowly climbed out of bed before picking up her clothes from the floor.
"Forget it."
"I'll go find her myself."
—
Meanwhile...
Inside the main hall of White Star Manor...
Having received Xue Tianao's orders to visit the Black Rose Family's eldest young lady, Toma suddenly felt an overwhelming chill run through his body.
Slowly raising his head, he looked toward the black-haired girl quietly sipping tea on the sofa before him.
This breathtakingly beautiful girl...
...was the very person he had come to meet.
Yumo Black Rose.
Although Toma had already seen her during the banquet...
Meeting her face-to-face now left him captivated all over again by her beauty and elegant bearing.
For a brief moment...
He stood there completely stunned.
However, he quickly came back to °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° his senses.
The daze was immediately replaced by overwhelming tension.
Looking at the two women standing beside the girl—both of whom were clearly no weaker than himself...
And then at the enormous black knight standing motionless in the corner of the hall like a pillar supporting the heavens...
Toma unconsciously discarded every trace of the contempt he had originally harbored.
He had assumed that the Black Rose Family was merely an upstart noble house from the Sadik Empire.
But after carefully observing the members of this diplomatic delegation...
He realized just how horribly mistaken he had been.
Every single member of this household possessed strength and presence that could not be underestimated.
In fact...
They were in no way inferior to the Imperial Royal Knights, whom His Majesty held in such high esteem.
Especially...
...the young lady seated in the center.
She appeared completely harmless.
Yet somehow...
She radiated an invisible pressure that made it difficult for him to breathe.
Without realizing it, a bead of cold sweat slowly rolled down Toma's forehead.
At that moment...
The black-haired girl opposite him gracefully set her teacup back onto the table.
Then, in an indifferent, emotionless voice, she slowly spoke.
"So..."
"His Majesty Xue Tianao is inviting me to dine with him... two days from now?"