Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 405 - 406: The Selection Issue [2/4]

"A friend? Kalina, do you really know someone at that academy?"

"Yes Mom, I happened to meet them when I was a mercenary."

"Wow, that’s so reliable, Little NA!" Yumo exclaimed.

At this moment, Shuoyue, floating beside Yumo, anxiously came to the black-haired girl and affectionately wrapped her arms around her neck, nestling her little face against her mother’s cheek.

"Mommy, Mommy, if you’re going to Red Leaf Empire, can you take me with you?"

"You want to go too?"

"Yes! I’m curious about what the south is like! And... I want to continue staying by Mommy’s side. Mommy hasn’t been with me for long. You came back this time and are leaving again so soon..."

As she spoke, Shuoyue pouted her little mouth, making a displeased expression.

This caused Yumo to pause slightly, scratching her cheek in a touch of embarrassment.

"Well..."

Yumo felt somewhat guilty.

After all, as Shuoyue said, she hadn’t spent much time with her children after coming back this time, and she was leaving again already...

It was indeed inappropriate.

But thinking of her promise with Mengxi, Yumo showed a troubled expression.

She didn’t want to break her promise to Mengxi.

In that case...

After a helpless sigh, Yumo reached up and patted Shuoyue’s little head, saying with indulgent affection:

"Alright then, you can come with me..."

"Yaaaay!!"

Shuoyue, receiving Yumo’s affirmative answer, immediately began to dance with excitement, forming a stark contrast with Limo, who was lying on Liyu’s lap.

However,

Shuoyue’s happiness was short-lived as she was quickly doused with cold water by Kalina:

"I don’t think it’s appropriate for little sister Shuoyue to go to the Luminous Royal Academy with Mom"

As soon as this was said,

Before Yumo could react, Shuoyue puffed up her cheeks, floated angrily to Kalina’s face, and vehemently questioned her sister, who had ruined her plans:

"Why can’t I go?! What’s inappropriate about it?!"

In Shuoyue’s view,

Kalina’s refusal was definitely aimed at monopolizing her time with Mommy! The "inappropriateness" was surely an excuse!

Even though the sisters usually got along well and Shuoyue liked her reliable and steady sister Kalina, when it came to their mother, they had to be clear!

’I won’t let you monopolize the chance to be with Mommy!’ Shuoyue roared in her heart,

At that moment,

Shuoyue, floating in mid-air, was like an enraged kitten, eyeing the red-haired girl in front of her with "hostility."

Kalina, guessing Shuoyue’s thoughts, could only shake her head helplessly:

"You are indeed not suitable. And... not only are you unsuitable, but Limo, Liyu, and the rest of us are also not suitable. We can’t accompany Mom to Luminous Academy."

"Eh?"

Upon hearing this answer, the hostility in Shuoyue’s blue-gold eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a look of confusion.

"Why... why is that?" she asked.

"The reason is quite simple," Kalina explained, drawing her crimson long sword from her waist and pointing it at the continent’s map on the wall beside her. The tip of her sword pointed right at the location of the Luminous Royal Academy.

"The academy Mom is going to is no ordinary school. This school is located near the capital of the Red Leaf Empire, the strongest of the four great empires in terms of overall strength. The area around the capital is teeming with powerful individuals. And... the headquarters of Asumos Church is also in the capital city "

"This..." Shuoyue began to say, her voice trailing off.

"The Pope of Asumos Church, the Apostles of Heaven, they are all there. With so many strong people and a large number of the Church members who are highly sensitive to Shadow Force, it’s extremely dangerous for us abyssal demons, especially us at the Demon King level, to casually enter that area. We could easily be detected at any moment. Even I don’t dare to tread there casually; usually, I send my team members to handle affairs there," Kalina continued.

As she finished speaking, she looked earnestly at her younger sister, who resembled a ghost as she floated in mid-air:

"Do you understand now Shuoyue? If we follow, we might expose Mom."

"This... um..." Shuoyue pouted in disappointment.

"But... if that’s the case, isn’t it dangerous for Mommy to go to that academy? Aren’t you afraid she’ll be discovered?" she asked.

"In Mother’s case, she can better compress the Shadow Force within her body. Coupled with the Deception Veil artifact ’borrowed’ from the Elf tribe, concealing her identity is not a difficult task," Kalina explained.

"De... Deception Veil?" Shuoyue mumbled to herself a few times before her face brightened with understanding:

"That’s right! I’ll get a Deception Veil too! Then I can go with Mommy!" she exclaimed. Although her control over the Shadow Force was nowhere near as good as her mother’s, the amount within her was not high! So, with the Deception Veil, she could certainly hide her identity.

Thus,

Shuoyue, grasping the main point, flitted over to Xiao without hesitation:

"Xiao, I remember that there are two Deception Veils! Is the other one with you?" she asked.

Xiao shook her head: "It’s not with me. I only ’borrowed’ one from the Elf tribe."

"Eh? Then... then hurry up and go to the Elves and ’borrow’ the other one! I’m really worried about Mommy going to the Academy all by herself!" Shuoyue insisted.

"??!"

Yumo: ’Huh? What do you mean you’re worried about me?’

At that moment, after hearing Shuoyue’s words, Yumo wore a slightly baffled expression.

Unfortunately,

No one in the room offered her an answer.

Faced with Shuoyue’s proposal, Xiao could only shake her head once more:

"The other ’Deception Veil’ is no longer with the Elf tribe."

"Gone?!"

Shuoyue’s face revealed a confused expression in response to the answer.

"Besides you, who else would take... ah, no... what I mean is... who else besides you could ’borrow’ this treasure from the Elves?"

"It’s not a matter of borrowing. The other Deception Veil has been lost for a long time," Xiao explained.

"Lost? What happened? The Elves didn’t deceive you, did they?"

"That’s not the case,"

Xiao firmly denied Shuoyue’s suspicion. Relying on her many years of dealing with the Elves, she was confident that the weeping Elf King at the time hadn’t deceived her; after all, that person was not an elf willing to risk his life to protect the artifact.

"it’s said that the previous Elf Princess took the Deception Veil with her on her travels across the continent in search of love. After that... she vanished, never to return, and the Deception Veil was lost with her. Now it can’t be found, and no one knows exactly where it was lost."

"Ah, is this... true or false?"

"That’s what I heard."

"Sigh, all right."

Realizing that Xiao had no reason to deceive her, Shuoyue sighed a bit resignedly. Knowing she might not be able to go with her beloved Mommy, Shuoyue naturally felt disappointed. But more than disappointment, her inner anxiety grew even stronger.

After a moment of contemplation, Shuoyue turned her pleading eyes towards Kalina: "So, Sister Kalina, what should we do? If Mommy goes alone, it doesn’t seem right, does it?"

"Mmm... that’s true." Kalina responded, nodding slightly but noncommittally.

"Mom going alone to the capital of Red Leaf is worrisome. We must find someone reliable to accompany her, or I fear she might be deceived."

"Yes, we need to find someone. But who should it be?"

"How about Xiao?"

"Sorry, Shuoyue, I must return to Black Rose family territory soon, and besides... I have to instruct Limo. Also, the Red Leaf is on guard against me now. ...I’m not suitable for this mission."

"That’s true..."

...

...

Thus, the Demon Kings children and the members of the Black Rose family’s discussion topic strangely shifted from Limo’s education problem to Yumo’s ’safety’ issue. Even this debate intensified further.

Watching the children, who left her behind and were passionately discussing, and hearing their words filled with concern, Yumo felt a complex emotion within her.

...

"..."

’Doesn’t this feel so wrong?’

It might be Yumo’s illusion, but she felt as if she, as a mother, was being treated like a little child going on her first trip away from home by her children. It made Yumo feel more and more strange.

’What are they worrying about?’

’What did they mean, Who can deceive me?’

’I’m so capable, what could possibly go wrong?’

----

----

Two days later,

Outside the mansion,

Guarded by five terrifying level 7 abyssal demons, a grand convoy composed of four exquisite carriages and dozens of Black Knights passed through the barrier, arriving at the mansion’s entrance.

As the convoy halted, an elder gentleman wearing a monocle, dressed in a black suit, and leaning on a gentlemanly cane, gracefully leaped down from a carriage. He respectfully approached the mansion’s entrance and elegantly bowed to the black-haired girl on the stairs:

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Lady Yumo."

At this moment,

A bewitchingly beautiful black-haired girl stood with her hands before her, holding a black handbag. Yumo was no longer dressed in her usual thin black gauze dress but wore an elegant and splendid black winter coat, adorned with an expensive white fur coat.

Her once bare feet were now protected by long boots.

Yumo’s attire now matched the surrounding environment.

For Yumo,

Heat and cold held no meaning. Her unusual choice of winter clothing was mainly to blend seamlessly into human society. After all, she was about to embark on a journey to the Red Leaf Empire.