Chapter: 69. Purpose? (Five Thousand Words)
Above the clouds at the beginning of autumn, the night is extremely cold, and the sound of the wind is loud.
The girl with Eight Wings and silver hair cuts through the stars; the low temperature and air pressure at high altitude cannot hinder her progress even a bit. Even the cold magic birds, which have lived in high-altitude areas all year round and soar in the sky, must show respect and call her ancestor when they see the black flash rushing past.
The process of Miss Sephira tracking Princess Belis has actually not been difficult; on the contrary, it could be said to be extremely smooth.
One reason is simply that she flies faster, leaving no chance for Belis to escape.
The other reason… is even more important.
— The magical traces left by Belis in the air are very obvious.
It’s as if she is intentionally leaving signals and markers for Sephira, helping her not to lose her way in the sky and to quickly lock onto her position.
This is too deliberate; it’s probably clearly a trap…
But it doesn’t matter!
Whether it’s a trap or not, that’s secondary. The most important thing right now is to get back the gold coins!
Xue Fei has already tacitly accepted that the rewards that Xial should take are hers.
Flying over a barren land, ahead is a snowy plain with snow-capped mountains.
From the height where she is, looking down, there is a vast, boundless forest of high mountains.
Sephira squints her eyes to perceive that this place should be close to the border of the Demon Territory and the Aulus Kingdom.
If she goes further, it would be like crossing the border back into the Demon Territory.
So where is Belis right now…?
Sephira slowly opens her enchanting purple eyes, surrounded by magical power.
She has already made her decision in her heart.
Belis is right below her; she has already landed first.
Is it that she stopped running because she was caught up by me?
Or is she deliberately waiting for me to come over?
No need to guess mindlessly.
Rather than guessing, it’s more efficient to just go and ask her directly.
【Advanced Domain Perception】
With Sephira in the air as the center, in an instant, an invisible magical flow rapidly spreads in all directions, enveloping the entire forest in just a few seconds.
【Domain Perception】 allows her to sense all living beings within its magical coverage and grasp the situation.
Hmm… In this forest below, there is no one else besides Belis.
Normal, the peace hasn’t come for long, and the situation is still unstable.
This area is close to the border, and it is a forest; the human race that used to live here has long since migrated to the towns deeper in the kingdom.
Sephira changes her flying posture and begins to descend vertically.
Since no one is here, she doesn’t need to waste time changing back to Shaya’s appearance; she can maintain her original form.
With her eight black wings completely ignoring air resistance, the ground gets closer in her line of sight.
Sephira flips her body in the air, and as she is just an inch away from the ground, her falling speed suddenly becomes slow and graceful.
The girl lightly taps her toes on the ground, her black wings unfurling to the sides, and she stabilizes herself firmly, elegant like a princess.
Oh, it seems I am originally a demon princess, so that’s fine!
This landing technique is something Sephira has contemplated for a long time and intended to practice; compared to a clumsy, heavy landing, this one looks so cool!
The cool little Sephira is lost in her own world, humming a little tune, taking graceful and cool steps forward.
However…
The sky has no shortage of unexpected changes.
Coolness always comes too late to avoid surprises.
“Whoa!!”
Boom!
The elegant Miss Sephira trips over a small rock sticking up from the forest floor, stretching out her hands and falling flat on the ground.
The most frightening thing is the strange sound that comes from the contact between her flat chest and the flat ground, a crisp and melodious one!
Unlucky… extremely unlucky!!
Sephira exclaims and gets up while covering the back of her head, which isn’t actually hurt from the fall, brushing off the dust from her skirt as if nothing had happened.
Phew… Luckily, no one is here; otherwise, this moment would have led to eternal embarrassment.
“Pfft…”
Hmm?
Who is laughing here?!
Actually, who else could it be? It’s someone I’ve already sensed.
A fierce look suddenly appears in the depths of Sephira’s eyes, like a “kill and silence” expression.
At the same time, she turns and casts her gaze, filled with intimidation but resembling a little animal staring at you, towards the back.
In that fleeting moment of turning and looking back.
It’s a beautiful combination.
Waterfalls, mountain streams, springs, and stones.
This spot happens to be an open area at the edge of the forest.
The person in the black robe, holding their belly with one hand, initially tries to stifle their laughter.
Then they can’t hold it back any longer, bursting out in laughter that shakes the figure.
The laughter loosens the black robe, and a gust of wind blows — sweeping the robe completely away to the waterfall, flowing away with the water.
Thus, without the black robe, the blue dress, which is as colorless as ice crystals, is no longer covered.
With an exceptionally beautiful face wearing an enchanting smile, it is as if a larger version of Sephira herself stands before the sparkling waterfall.
Amidst the mountains and waters, starry reflections shine, her Five Wings reaching for the sky, an unmatched beauty.
In contrast to Sephira, Belis possesses a natural princess aura; simply standing there with a smile brings out a stunning beauty as if she is dancing gracefully.
Unfortunately, Sephira cannot appreciate the feeling when beauty and scenery appear together; she finds it hard to admire.
She is a worldly person, and what she is focused on right now is the bag of gold coins held by Belis!
For now, there’s no need to rush.
What is most important and urgent… is something else.
“Hiss… Is this that funny?”
“Haha… Sorry, Queen Sister, if you don’t like me laughing, I won’t laugh. It’s just that… haha, you were just too cute earlier, I couldn’t help it, pfft…”
You say you can stop laughing, but you clearly haven’t stopped at all!
Sephira shows no mercy.
In a swift motion, she gathers a sphere of deep blue flame in her palm, illuminating her serious and imposing face, the terrifying flames seemingly burning and distorting the air.
— Completely unlike someone who just experienced a fall and was witnessed.
“Belis, I give you two choices. The first is to keep laughing, and I will eliminate you here, so you won’t be able to speak anymore. The second is to vow to keep what you just saw a secret, and don’t tell anyone, and I wouldn’t have to act against my own kin.”
“……”
The deep blue flames continue to burn.
However, the atmosphere is not progressing as smoothly as Sephira expects.
She originally thought Belis would at least be scared for a moment, and then simply make a promise to let the matter pass.
But instead… Belis indeed stops laughing.
Only a faint bad smile remains on her face.
She rests her finger on her chin, slowly opening her wings and arms, speaking with an air of fearlessness!
“Queen Sister, feel free~ To die at your hands would make Belis very happy~”
“You…! Have you been taking the wrong medicine these past few days?”
“Hehe… So it seems the Queen Sister doesn’t intend to ‘go against her kin’ after all.”
“Do you think I wouldn’t dare?!”
With that cute voice as a command, the deep blue flames suddenly surge.
But Belis looks up; such a fervent flame touches the leaves yet does not burn them.
Fireflies naturally flit within without any impact, the brilliant light does not obscure the faint glow of the fireflies.
This is the mix of the Queen Sister’s dominance and gentleness…
Belis slowly spreads her arms.
Facing the vibrant magic, she gracefully steps forward toward Sephira.
Though this half-grown loli is only half a head taller, she exudes the aura of a tall person!
Ugh… Sephira truly hates it!
“Queen Sister, why remind me of such an obvious thing? The way you fell just now, I would only cherish it myself and keep it in my mind, how could I tell others about this beauty? Having shared memories with the Queen Sister is an honor for Belis.”
“Hey, hey… Don’t come any closer, I warn you, stop right there!”
Her steps do not pause because of Sephira’s “warning.”
“And there’s no need for you to dwell on such small matters. When you were in the Demon King’s Castle, you’d sleep with your feet in the air sometimes, drooling and exposing your belly, yelling goodnight at the night sky before bed, and even singing nursery rhymes while bathing. I know all about those!”
“Wha… You’ve been spying on me?!”
“This isn’t spying… this is caring.”
Pat.
Belis is not afraid of the deep blue flames.
She walks right in front of Sephira, smiling gently, and without any hesitation, extends her palm towards the flames’ range.
— Gently grabbing that delicate wrist.
The flames gradually disappear.
Hmm… Not hot at all.
“This shows that Queen Sister, you don’t dislike me to the core yet…”
“What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Sephira forcefully shakes off Belis’s hand, revealing her small fangs pointing at that face which makes her uncomfortable while accusing!
“Tsk, what else? You’re my sister; I wouldn’t really kill you here, would I?! Think with that foolish brain of yours, but that doesn’t mean I don’t dislike you. I told you yesterday that I’m doing well here. Why did you come back here again without a moment’s rest?!”
“Because I miss you.”
“Enough of that!”
It’s really not Sephira’s fault that she can’t stand Belis’s attitude, even feeling a bit nauseated.
Look at how she used to be!
【Can Queen Sister please stay far away? Honestly, it bothers me when you keep interfering.】
【Don’t bring your lazy habits to others; if you want to play, find a spot to bury yourself and play. Otherwise, it annoys me.】
【Or Queen Sister, you can just leave. I’ve packed your luggage; I see it’s too cramped for you in the Demon King’s Castle. Don’t worry, I won’t miss you; please walk as far away as you can, no, crawl as far as you can, thanks.】
For a sister who has spoken to her this way since childhood, Sephira is determined to no longer show her kindness.
Yet now she is getting all fired up?!
Sorry, but it’s too late for you to say all this now.
Let me leave, I’m leaving, let me roll back, I’m already far away!
Well, that’s what I said.
But Sephira is no longer a child.
As the First Princess of the Demon Race, although she carries no affection for Belis anymore, it doesn’t mean she can’t spare some time to speak.
Sephira crosses her arms over her flat chest, her eight wings folding together, the tips aiming at Belis’s face.
Before Sephira speaks, Belis’s complexion has already paled to a certain extent.
She smiles bitterly, tilting her head while covering her small mouth, proposing an idea.
“Haha… I know my request is a bit unreasonable, but Queen Sister… could you perhaps retract your wings a bit? I’m feeling… a bit uncomfortable, to put it simply, I feel like I might throw up.”
“Oh, this request is indeed reasonable.”
After all, I wouldn’t want my family to see me and start vomiting.
The eight wings flicker with black light, merging into the night sky as they disappear.
Only then does Belis’s complexion finally ease a little, no longer as pale and powerless as before.
Actually, Sephira has been suppressing her magical power from the start.
But even when suppressing her magical power to the lowest level, the oppressive feeling brought by her eight wings can cause dizziness even to Xiya, let alone to Belis.
The five-winged Belis silently endured for so long, only until her endurance peaked did she suggest it; that shows her willpower is quite strong.
As Belis recovers, confirming she wouldn’t throw up, Sephira frowns slightly and murmurs softly.
“Seeking self-inflicted suffering… So what do you want to do? If you have something to say, can’t you just say it to my face? You even grabbed my gold coins and ran this far; are you planning to sightsee at night?”
Belis lightly shakes the bag of gold coins in her hand.
The sound of coins colliding within gives off a rich sound, Sephira naturally reaches out to grab it, but Belis, taking advantage of her height, tips on her toes and makes Sephira grab empty air.
Now do you understand why I dislike her?!
Is there a sister who treats her older sister like this! It’s really annoying!
Belis smiles sweetly and lets her toes down, raising a finger and saying:
“I originally intended to lead the Queen Sister to chase me like this and then in one go bring you back to the Demon King’s Castle, let Father King and Mother Queen persuade you. Who knows, maybe the Queen Sister would change her mind and come home? Unfortunately, I… used all my magic on the enhancement of [Flying Acceleration] and ended up getting caught up by you so quickly. Not to mention reaching the Demon King’s Castle; I didn’t even make it to the Demon Territory. Total failure~”
“Ridiculous, do you think I wouldn’t leave even if I reached the Demon King’s Castle? I just came out of there.”
“Of course… I certainly know the Demon King’s Castle can’t confine the Queen Sister. It’s not just the Demon King’s Castle… The world needs to be vast for the Queen Sister.”
Belis suddenly leans forward slightly, bringing her head close to Sephira’s ear.
As this action is completed, two strands of the same-colored silver hair overlap on Sephira’s shoulder, shining with a wonderful hue that only sisters could share.
With a soft and sweet voice, it rings in Sephira’s ear.
“Since it can’t confine you… then this action is meaningless, so obviously, what I just said was all a deception~”
“Ha, would I not know? Did you forget, my eyes can see through lies? So, what’s your true plan?”
“The true plan is, I simply want to tell Queen Sister that I no longer have thoughts of wanting to drive you out of the Demon King’s Castle as before. On the contrary, what I hope for now is to turn that place into a home exclusive to the two of us… a place for us to live together forever, loving and missing each other.”
“…?!”
Ha…?
The more Sephira contemplates this statement, the more it feels off.
Realizing this, her expression gradually turns to shock, and her pupils seem to have experienced an earthquake.
You you you… Are you that rebellious traitor?! Do you know what you just said?!
Longing and love…?! Do you know what that term means?
Is it your lack of culture, or is there something wrong with my comprehension?!
Sephira immediately engages her eyes that see through the falsehood, wanting to ascertain what she just said, but then she realizes that the calm and smiling Belis before her is indeed speaking the truth; these are her sincere feelings.
She isn’t lying, which makes it even more strange…
Insane… This girl must be insane!
What kind of stimulation have you received to render your brain completely shattered?!
Belis’s smile is clearly somewhat pathological.
Sephira has always felt that her sister’s mental state is unstable, but now she’s completely dropped the act!
Belis knows exactly what state she is in; she is very clear, very clear.
Queen Sister~ I haven’t been stimulated by anything; it’s just that some things you did for me secretly when we were young, I recently learned about them unintentionally…?
Hehe, I don’t know if you remember, but I have deeply fallen into your gentle arms and can’t extricate myself!
She says nothing — merely extends the bag of gold coins in her hand towards Sephira.
“Here, Queen Sister, this is for you.”
“Ha…?”
“Huh? What’s wrong? Isn’t this the gold coins you came after? Take it; not only are there the rewards from the competition, but I also added some more; there should be around three hundred gold coins from the competition rewards and ten white gold coins I added. You can take it and use it; don’t be short on money while living outside. If you run out, I can always go get money from Father King and Mother Queen for you.”
“…?!”
How can you be so accommodating… cough, not that, how can you be so considerate?!
Sephira stands there, dumbfounded, as she takes the bag of gold coins.
She weighs it for a moment, then her eyes glimmer with golden light!
To take or not to take, that doesn’t require much thought.
“Well…! Under such circumstances, I shouldn’t logically be accepting it; I’m not living in dire straits. But since it’s your good intentions, I wouldn’t go so far as to reject it. Otherwise, bringing money over just to take it back would be quite embarrassing, and it would just worry Father King and Mother Queen. So for the sake of family harmony, I’ll reluctantly accept it for now!”
“Yay! The Queen Sister can accept it; we’re so happy! So… Queen Sister, can I make a willful request before I leave?”
“Damn it.”
Taking someone’s hand is short, and eating someone’s mouth is short.
Surely, she has a request!
But since I accepted the money, it would be too rude not to listen to at least one request.
Sephira takes the bag into her Storage Magic space and reluctantly nods, signaling Belis to make her request briefly.
“Let me hear what it is; if it’s not too much, I can consider it.”
“Okay, then I’ll say it?”
“Say it.”
“Queen Sister.”
“Hmm?”
“You see, I helped you get the gold coins… and flew so far, so I’m tired. So… so…”
Belis’s shy and twisted, even blushing demeanor is something Sephira has never seen before, but she hopes it’s the last time she sees it!
However.
Belis’s “request” leaves Sephira stunned.
She said it almost in a spoiled manner.
“So, Queen Sister… as a reward… could you… touch my head…?”
“Ah?”
