Vol 3. Chapter 55: Youlan
While Xue Tianao was enthusiastically gathering materials and preparing to manufacture his drug,
far away, within the Kingdom of Modor, atop a mountain peak, a world-shaking explosion suddenly echoed through the heavens!
BOOOOOOM—
Accompanied by the deafening blast came an incomparably terrifying pressure of the Power of Shadow of Silence descending upon the earth.
The ground trembled.
The sky began to crack.
The thick storm clouds blanketing the mountaintop were instantly obliterated by a surge of violent black radiance...
Even the mountain itself had over half its mass erased in an instant under the corrosion of a strange black liquid.
The terrifying black Power of Shadow of Silence began raging throughout the entire area.
Fortunately, a powerful barrier protected the surroundings, preventing the Shadow of Silence Power from leaking outside.
Otherwise, the Kingdom of Modor would have been swallowed by terror within minutes, and countless powerful figures across the continent would have focused their attention on this previously insignificant nation.
Because here,
a terrifying Demon King-class existence had appeared.
However,
if any human experts had been present, they would have been astonished to discover that the source of the Shadow of Silence Power ravaging this place was not some hideous monster,
but an exquisitely adorable pink-haired little girl.
“Hehehe! I did it! I did it! I finally did it! I've finally learned how to control elementalization~!”
Standing atop the flattened mountain, the pink-haired girl in a white dress, whose face seemed to embody the very definition of cuteness, excitedly waved both hands and hopped around in celebration of her success.
This little girl was none other than Yuan'er,
who had only recently become a Demon King-class existence.
After several days of grueling special training,
Yuan'er had finally gained a partial grasp of her own power.
She could now transform parts of her body into black light and had acquired a general understanding of how to control the Power of Shadow of Silence.
Although what she had learned was only the bare basics compared to her older brothers and sisters, who had fully mastered their abilities,
her progress over the past few days had been astonishing.
Recalling the suffocating scene several days earlier when she had knocked herself unconscious simply by raising one hand,
Yuan'er's heart was now filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
More than anything, however, she was happy.
Because, in Yuan'er's eyes, as long as she could completely master the violent power inside her and suppress the savage instincts of an Abyss Demon,
one day,
she would be able to return to her grandfather and grandmother.
And when that day came,
they would surely accept her again.
For that,
'I have to keep working hard!'
Clenching her tiny fists, Yuan'er continuously encouraged herself in her heart.
Even so,
her excitement was impossible to hide.
After happily jumping around for a while, Yuan'er turned toward another mountain in the distance.
Like most children, she couldn't wait to share her achievement with her "teacher."
“Big Sister Youlan! I did it! I really did it!!...”
The pink-haired girl excitedly waved toward the distant mountain.
...
At that moment,
on another mountain in the distance—
the core support point of the barrier—
a beautiful woman around twenty years old sat quietly atop a massive boulder, gazing in Yuan'er's direction.
She possessed a graceful figure and long, slightly wavy honey-colored hair that anyone would envy.
Her fair face was completely expressionless.
Her slender willow-like eyebrows had been painted a deep violet.
Beneath dark eye shadow, her icy blue eyes, partially concealed behind long eyelashes, emitted a cold light, while hiding a sorrow so subtle that it was almost impossible to notice.
She buried it beneath an icy exterior.
Her high, narrow nose carried both elegance and aloofness.
Her nearly colorless lips were gently pressed together, and her snow-white face was tinged with a faint pallor.
Her entire appearance radiated exhaustion,
along with a sickly yet breathtaking beauty,
as though she no longer cared about anything in the passage of time.
Yet,
at this moment,
a rare smile of satisfaction appeared on the woman's face.
She genuinely seemed happy about Yuan'er's achievement.
When she saw Yuan'er waving at her, the honey-haired woman slowly raised her own hand and waved back at the excited little girl.
Her beautiful blue eyes unconsciously narrowed.
A flood of emotions quietly welled up inside her.
That little girl...
learns quickly...
Meanwhile,
seeing the honey-haired woman wave back,
Yuan'er understood that today's practice had come to an end.
She immediately gathered the black Power of Shadow of Silence around herself.
Whoosh!
She transformed into a streak of black light, instantly cutting across the sky, sweeping over the forest, and rushing toward the mountain where the honey-haired woman stood.
As the black light dissipated,
the beaming Yuan'er skipped up to the woman and, without another word, affectionately wrapped both arms around one of her arms.
“Big Sister Youlan, I did it! I can use elementalization properly now! Hehehe~”
The little girl looked up at the older woman with a face that practically begged for praise.
Toward this beautiful older sister, who had cared for her, given her food, and taught her how to control her powers,
Yuan'er had long since lost the wariness she initially felt.
Instead, she felt incredibly safe beside her.
Being with Youlan also helped her forget the painful memories of Wind Facing City.
Aside from occasionally seeming a little extreme and frightening,
Big Sister Youlan was genuinely wonderful.
In short,
Yuan'er liked the woman before her very, very much.
That was why,
the moment her training succeeded,
she had immediately rushed over to Youlan,
acting spoiled and seeking affection.
The woman named Youlan cooperatively raised her hand and gently rubbed Yuan'er's little head.
Speaking in her calm, tranquil voice, she slowly said,
“You did well. Continue working hard next time.”
“Mhm!”
Enjoying the woman's gentle affection,
Yuan'er happily nodded.
In front of Youlan,
she was no longer the willful young lady she used to be,
but simply a lively and cheerful little girl.
And that cheerful energy was precisely what the somewhat lifeless Youlan found so endearing.
“Oh, right, Big Sister Youlan!”
“Yes?”
“Didn't you say before that if I mastered the basics of elementalization within three days, you'd take me to the hot springs?”
“Yes, I remember. I'll take you there now.”
“Mhm! Big Sister Youlan is the best... Ah, right! Big Sister, will you soak with me too? The pool is so huge... soaking there all by myself would be kind of lonely~”
“...All right...”
After a brief silence,
Youlan gave a slight nod and agreed to Yuan'er's request.
Hearing that,
an incomparably radiant smile immediately bloomed across Yuan'er's face.
Without another word, she buried herself against Youlan's chest.
It had to be said—
Youlan was extremely well-endowed,
making Yuan'er's enthusiastic cuddling exceptionally comfortable.
“Then let's go now, Big Sister Youlan!”
“All right.”
Youlan nodded once again.
However,
at that very moment,
the emergency communication magic stone beside Youlan suddenly emitted a pale blue glow.
Clearly,
someone urgently needed to speak with her.
Youlan couldn't help frowning.
The next moment,
a rough voice filled with urgency rang out from the communication stone.
“Tower Master! We've obtained confirmed information! Xue Tianao plans to begin the trial of Marquis Xiumu-Duke and his wife immediately after the coronation ceremony concludes! Judging from the current public sentiment, the Marquis and Marchioness, accused of colluding with Abyss Demons, have an extremely high chance of receiving the death penalty...”
Hearing this sudden report,
Youlan fell silent.
Meanwhile,
Yuan'er, who was in her embrace, began trembling uncontrollably.
After standing there in a daze for a moment,
Yuan'er slowly lifted her head from Youlan's embrace and stared at the glowing communication magic stone in disbelief.
Her mismatched red-and-blue eyes were filled with shock and worry.
The black Power of Shadow of Silence surrounding her, which she had only just managed to stabilize, once again began showing signs of losing control.
Then,
she looked at the honey-haired woman before her with pleading eyes.
“Big Sister Youlan, what's going on? Why were Grandpa and Grandma taken to Skyvault?! And... what's this trial they're talking about?! Are Grandpa and Grandma in danger?!”
Youlan: ...