Chapter 181

"That’s definitely something I can’t talk about, right?!"

"Ahaha... true, true. Sorry, sorry~ That’s a little secret between the two of you."

Just look at that face, thoroughly enjoying the drama… she really did resemble Sheffy.

Should one say it’s expected of a mother and daughter bound by blood? In some ways, their resemblance was unmistakably inherited.

"In that case, I suppose I have no further need to say anything."

Herilet bent down, plucked a small blue flower from the garden bed, and handed it to Xiarette.

Xiarette reached out with both hands to receive it carefully.

Staring at the flower in her hands that shimmered with magical particles, she tilted her head to attentively listen to Herilet’s clear and deliberate words of entrustment.

"Then… I’ll leave Sheffy in your care for the time being, alright? Miss Xiarette."

Xiarette, not the quickest on the uptake, didn’t immediately grasp the deeper meaning behind those words.

But when the wind rose again, lifting the deep-blue petals of the flower in her hand—sweeping them past her golden hair and into the sunset-painted sky—her eyes widened in a flash.

A wave of joy, as if she had gained the whole world, surged uncontrollably in her chest!

"Thank you…! I promise I will definitely…!"

"Ara, though I said that, Miss Xiarette, I do have to throw a bit of cold water on you. Don’t get too excited just yet, okay?"

"...?"

What kind of psychological rollercoaster was this?

You just said you’re entrusting her to me, and now you're telling me not to get too happy...

Ugh, this was definitely the toughest battle of Xiarette’s entire life.

Herilet closed one eye and waved her slender fingers toward the side, her gaze seemingly guiding Xiarette’s eyes toward a stone platform a hundred meters behind her.

Sitting up there were two little cuties, after all.

"You passed my trial~ But that’s all there is to it. Unfortunately, whether you can truly stay by Sheffy’s side long-term… that’s not up to me, you know? Haha… Honestly, Belith quite likes her sister. She used to like her a lot, and lately… I don’t know why, but things have completely spiraled out of control? Mmm… I won’t say more. As their mother, I’m really not in the position to judge where their relationship is heading, right?"

"Could I trouble you to maybe rein things in a little…? I feel like the way things are going, it’s kind of dangerous."

"I won’t step in~"

"Could you, as their mother, guide your daughters down the right path…? Maybe give it a try?"

"Can’t do it~? That’s already beyond the scope of my abilities."

Your range of maternal responsibilities is unbelievably narrow, isn’t it?!

Sigh… but Xiarette didn’t plan to complain.

With Queen Herilet not interfering, Sheffy could remain the free bird soaring across the skies.

Just being acknowledged and praised by the Queen today—Xiarette was already more than content.

Belith, little sister… please reflect on yourself, read more books about familial bonds, and don’t stray down the wrong path!

Just as Xiarette was lost in her own delight and caught up in planning for the future—

Herilet finally seemed to remember the Demon King’s presence.

She leaned crookedly against the throne with a cheerful smile, gave the still-unconscious Demon King a few pats on the shoulder.

"Dielzner? Still asleep? Time to get up, we’ve finished talking with Miss Xiarette—aren’t you going to say something?"

"...

...."

His Majesty the Demon King did not appear to be in any condition to regain consciousness anytime soon.

Or so it seemed.

Herilet gave a soft, amused hum, then leaned down close to his ear. Her lovely voice carried a kind of transcendent allure and piercing charm.

"You know... our little Sheffy is about to be snatched away~?"

Now hold on, the Demon King was clearly knocked out—there’s no way he could possibly—

"Which brat is it?! Hah?! Tired of living, is he, daring to covet my daughter?!"

His Majesty the Demon King, fully resurrected!

Just a second ago, he had looked completely unconscious and helpless.

But now, with that one line, he leapt up, clenching his fists, a storm of red demonic energy swirling madly around him, forming a vortex of suffocating pressure around his blood-colored battle armor!

Xiarette instinctively gripped the holy sword in her hand, her body tensing in response to the presence of overwhelming power.

But Herilet simply smiled with narrowed eyes and raised a calming hand, signaling her not to be alarmed.

That lowered hand suddenly lifted—and smacked Dielzner squarely on the back of the head!

The terrifying blood-red storm… actually scattered from just that smack.

"Ow, ow, ow!! Herilet... don’t stop me from destroying the enemy!"

"Tsk, must you make such a fuss? I woke you up so you could say a few words to Miss Xiarette. As Sheffy’s father, and head of the household, isn’t it only proper to say something in a moment like this?"

"Huh? A moment like this? What moment—wait, this isn’t the time for chit-chat! Just now you said someone was trying to snatch Sheffy away? Who? Where?! I’ll tear him limb from limb—uh… isn’t Sheffy sitting right over there?"

After waking up, the Demon King could only feel—everything had changed.

Herilet naturally explained the current situation to him with patience, and then introduced Xiarette with a radiant smile.

"This is Miss Xiarette. She might very well become our new daughter."

"Oh, oh, you mean this one’s the one trying to snatch away Sheffy. Whew… as long as it’s not some brat, that’s… wait—hold on, that’s still not right!"

"They’ve already done everything that needs to be done, haven’t they? You no longer have any room to object. Well, not that you ever did from the beginning~"

"How can this be! Herilet, you agreed to this?!"

"Why wouldn’t I?"

"But they…! I absolutely cannot accept this! My daughter bears the blood of the Demon Clan—how can she be with a mere Hero… He… Herilet?"

And now you’ve snapped off the solid armrest of the throne again—what are you planning to do with that?

Xiarette blankly watched the Demon King couple’s back-and-forth.

And couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

That little laugh immediately drew the Demon King couple’s attention toward her.

Seeing this, Xiarette quickly wiped the smile off her face and waved her hands in apology.

"I’m sorry…! I just… thought that Sheffy is really lucky to have parents like you two… I wasn’t laughing at anything else, please don’t take it the wrong way!"

“Lucky…? You mean this guy?”

Herilet cast a conflicted glance at her own foolish husband.

She truly couldn’t understand what part of having this man as a father made Sheffy lucky.

However…

Watching Dielzner still muttering threats even now—saying things like how he’d never let Sheffy go so easily, how he wouldn’t allow a Hero to take her away—Herilet began to understand Xiarette’s words a little more.

In truth, Dielzner had been awake the whole time.

He had just been pretending to be unconscious on the throne, silently listening in on the entire conversation—one that determined the fate of his daughter.

Think about it—a solid wood plank knocking out a Six-Winged Demon for that long? As if.

Not to mention… among the Six-Winged Demons, Dielzner’s power stood out even more.

He knew well that he had a short temper.

If he hadn’t faked unconsciousness, he would’ve undoubtedly stirred up all kinds of chaos during the conversation just now—and even he didn’t want that to happen.

Though he was always bickering with Sheffy, father and daughter seemingly unable to go a day without arguing as if they were mortal enemies, the truth was—during those days when Sheffy locked herself in her room as a child, Dielzner had been the most anxious one.

He’d spent his days pacing around the palace in panic, throwing all his official duties aside, running around asking people, "How can I help my daughter recover?"

He might not have been the most composed Demon King.

But he was, without question, a qualified father.

All that "absolutely not allowed" talk—he only said it because he couldn’t bear to part with his little girl. It was just a way to vent.

If he really didn’t allow it, with his temper, would he be wasting his breath right now?

He probably would’ve thrown hands long ago.

So, in a way—

Sheffy was indeed unlucky. And yet, she was also a child blessed by the heavens.

Because she was so deeply loved by so many people…

…Hm?

"Aaah, so noisy! How’s anyone supposed to sleep like this?! Can’t sleep anymore! I’m going to help Lady Sheffy fish!"

“?!”

A sudden burst of abnormal magical energy, brief as it was, made even the Demon King couple pause for a moment.

The magical disturbance quickly settled.

And then, the voice behind that complaint stepped out before Xiarette—a little girl with slightly curled blue hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a flowing gold-trimmed dress, barefoot on the flowerbed, and—

The Holy Sword Loli.

The loli appeared out of thin air!

"Hey…! What are you doing out here?!" Xiarette panicked, wanting to shove her back into the sword, but the Little Holy Sword wasn’t the type you could just stuff back in.

"Huh? Why are you pawing at me? Can’t I come out? …Uwah! Who are these people?! Such chaotic magic! But it’s fine, I’m not scared."

Herilet remembered her, of course—after all, they had met before at the arena.

But Dielzner’s memory? A masterclass in cluelessness. Anything unimportant was always forgotten the moment it happened.

He studied the girl for a moment, utterly perplexed.

"And what’s this supposed to be... You said you're going to find Sheffy? What’s your relationship with her?"

Even though Xiarette knew nothing good could come from Sylatrella popping out and had already tried to predict and cover her mouth—

Who would’ve thought the Little Holy Sword would speak even faster?

"Why are you so rude? I’m not a thing, thank you very much. But I can answer your question—I’m Lady Sheffy’s daughter! Lady Sheffy is my mother!"

The blood-red light in the Demon King’s eyes instantly faded.

He stiffened like a wooden puppet, fists clenched, eyes wide in confusion as he glanced back and forth between Sylatrella and Xiarette.

"You damned animal… You beast! How long have you even known Sheffy—and you already have a child together?! Just how did you manage that?! Did you use some kind of forbidden spell?!"

"I did not!!"

"Exactly! The Hero isn’t my mother—only Lady Sheffy is!" Sylatrella even puffed up proudly. "She and I are connected in heart and soul, we absolutely—mmf mmf mmf...!"

Xiarette quickly slapped her hand over the girl's babbling mouth.

Please shut up already!!

Dielzner remained stunned for a long while, and this time his gaze shifted toward Herilet.

"Wait… does this mean I suddenly became a grandfather? Is she really my granddaughter?"

"You are not a grandfather! Don’t flatter yourself!" Sylatrella chomped lightly on Xiarette’s finger to break free, then placed her hands on her hips with a grand, heroic air. "You look like you’re only a few hundred years old. Age-wise, boy, I’m from your grandmother’s generation!"

"What did you say?! You insolent little creature!"

"You wanna fight?! I’m not afraid of you!"

Chaos.

The family hierarchy was officially in shambles.

In the short time that followed, Xiarette and Herilet worked together to clear up the misunderstanding completely.

Dielzner let out a breath of relief—looked like he hadn’t become a grandfather after all.

But even after confirming this little brat had no blood relation to Sheffy, he still wanted to pick a fight with her!

Sylatrella was no different—her hair bristled with fury, and if Xiarette hadn’t been holding her back, her little fists would’ve already flown.