"Underground in that manor?!" The woman's face changed. Did this mean she had missed something crucial?
"Mm, it's normal you didn't know. He recorded this information using secret arts unique to our demon race. Without magic power, you naturally couldn't see it clearly." The short-haired woman closed the three books and returned them to the woman. "After all, your task at that time was only to raise that girl. Other matters had nothing to do with you."
"Then let's hurry and retrieve those things!"
"Wait, don't be so hasty. In your current physical condition, what if you encounter enemies there?" The short-haired woman quickly tried to dissuade her. Demon King Castle was currently full of the Demon King's subordinates. Although that manor wasn't in Demon King Castle, it was still near Demon King Castle.
Plus, given the special identity of that place's former owner, the suspicious Demon King might have stationed guards there.
With this woman's current flickering-candle physical state, if she encountered formidable opponents and got held up, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The divine artifact they'd just obtained couldn't be handed over to the Demon King's side like this.
"Rest for a few days first. I'll cast some healing spells on you. Once your body recovers somewhat, we'll go there to find things."
"What if the Demon King's people get there first?" the woman asked.
"Heh, don't worry. Besides you and me, no one else knows about that place's existence." The short-haired woman answered very confidently. "Even I only learned about this from the books that person left. How could the Demon King possibly know that manor's underground still hides such a thing?"
"So listen to me. First recover your health. Once your combat ability is mostly restored, then go explore that manor. That way, even if you're ambushed, you can escape."
"Where there's life, there's hope—isn't that an old human saying?"
......
"Sister, you finally came back~"
"Quick, quick, let our sisters see what our most perfect sister looks like~"
"Eh, is this our most perfect one? Doesn't look particularly special."
Chaotic voices echoed in her ears. Mo Zili covered her ears, her face showing only terror.
Was this a dream?
She only remembered feeling drowsy after finishing dinner. Since Leticia hadn't returned today, she'd gone to bed early to rest.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, she arrived at this strange place.
"Tell sister, what's your name?" A hand suddenly rested on Mo Zili's shoulder.
Mo Zili shuddered like a startled rabbit. She quickly walked forward several steps, then looked back.
This look nearly scared her three souls and seven spirits out of her body.
Behind her had somehow appeared a highly decomposed corpse—no, calling it a corpse was inappropriate, since there were no moving, smiling corpses in this world.
Though this made the corpse even more terrifying.
"Oh my, did I scare sister?" The corpse touched its bone-exposed cheek and forced what should have been a smile. "I thought sister's psychological quality would be much better."
"Who are you?" Mo Zili asked in a trembling voice.
"We're your sisters."
"We?"
"What appears here is the fusion of all our wills. Only this way can we talk with the most perfect one among us." The rotting humanoid calling itself Mo Zili's sister tilted its head. "It's just that no matter how we look, you don't seem like the most perfect one."
"What do you mean, what do you mean by 'the most perfect one'?" Mo Zili suppressed her inner panic and asked.
But that terrible monster didn't answer Mo Zili's question. It just smiled while walking toward Mo Zili step by step.
Mo Zili instinctively wanted to retreat, but before she could act, several pale arms emerged from the bottomless darkness, fixing Mo Zili's body in place.
"What are these things?!" Mo Zili struggled, but her struggles only made that hideous monster giggle.
"These are all your sisters. This is our resentment." The monster pressed its ruined face against Mo Zili's face. "Share your body with everyone. Everyone wants to live in sunlight like you."
"I refuse! This is my body!" Mo Zili found courage from somewhere and actually headbutted the monster back several steps.
Her reaction seemed to anger the monster. The hands gripping Mo Zili also applied force, making the already weak girl feel pain.
"Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Looks like there's nothing to discuss." The monster said coldly. "In that case, let's shatter your consciousness here. Then your body will belong to us."
Saying this, the monster's humanoid form could no longer be maintained. Clumps of strange flesh surged from its body. In just a few breaths, the monster had completely transformed into a monster.
"You're the monster that was trapped in that gemstone?!" Mo Zili immediately recognized this monster. The black gemstone she had touched—the monster released from it was this very one.
But hadn't this monster been killed by Leticia? Why would it appear in this place?
"We merely recreated the image of the most lethal enemy in your memory. But you're not wrong either—this monster is indeed your sister, just a complete failure." The monster's voice became a multi-part harmony, making Mo Zili feel dizzy.
"Enough chatter, our dear sister. Here, farewell forever!"
The monster swung its bloated arm, viciously smashing down toward Mo Zili, who was controlled by several hands.
If this blow landed, Mo Zili really would become Mo Zili sauce... come to think of it, both times she nearly became sauce seemed to be because of this monster.
Last time Bai Ling saved her. This time, would someone come to save her?
The answer was, of course, yes.
Brilliant, dazzling golden light gushed from within Mo Zili's body, silently erasing the arms controlling Mo Zili and the monster's swinging giant hand.
"What?!" The monster stared blankly at its disappeared arm, unable to comprehend what had happened.
A phantom figure appeared before Mo Zili—a petite black-haired girl.
The moment she saw the girl, Mo Zili felt the weight in her heart lift.
She was safe.
......
"Had a nightmare? And forgot everything from the dream?"
Sensing that the insurance she'd left on Mo Zili had been triggered, Leticia rushed to Mo Zili's room within minutes.
At that time, Mo Zili was still babbling in the dream.
Mercilessly shaking Mo Zili awake, Leticia asked: "What just happened?"
Mo Zili's answer was rather useless. When people wake from dreams, all dream memories fade at extreme speed. Mo Zili's recent dream faded even faster than ordinary dreams.
Now Mo Zili couldn't clearly remember what happened in the dream.
"I think I was being chased by a terrible monster, but why it was chasing me, I don't know." Mo Zili clutched her blanket and said quietly.
"What happened... Leticia?" Bai Ling opened the bedroom door and walked in. Seeing Leticia standing by Mo Zili's bed, she felt she might be at risk of being cuckolded.
Wasn't Leticia staying at the Demon King Palace? Why would she appear in Mo Zili's room at midnight?
Bai Ling had come to check after hearing strange noises from the next room. She'd originally thought Mo Zili had woken up in the middle of the night for a bathroom visit or something, but hadn't expected to see Leticia here.
"Your reaction is too slow. I've been standing here for two minutes before you appeared. If enemies had infiltrated like me, two minutes would be enough time to take Little Mo Mo away." Leticia struck first, severely criticizing Bai Ling's lax work attitude.
Regarding this, Bai Ling expressed innocence. Who told Leticia's house to have such good soundproofing? Before opening the door, Bai Ling had heard absolutely nothing from this room.
Besides, Mo Zili's bedside, doorside, and windowside all had warning magic arranged by Leticia. Magic cast by the Demon King—even Bai Ling wasn't confident she could enter the room without triggering them.
"I can't exactly live in here, can I?"
"You could sleep on the floor." Leticia snorted. "The magic I left on Little Mo was triggered. Someone launched a mental attack on Little Mo."
"Mental?" Bai Ling tilted her head. As a physical-class professional, she didn't understand these mystical things deeply. However, judging from Leticia's expression, this should be a very serious matter.
"Yes. Although it's unclear why someone would target Little Mo's mind, one thing is certain—those people definitely have the ability to cast spells on Little Mo from a distance." Leticia said with a grave expression.
Because the warning magic she'd set in the room hadn't been triggered at all, meaning no one had entered this room.
But Mo Zili, who was alone resting in the room, had been subjected to mental attack. This could only mean those people had long-distance spellcasting abilities.
To accomplish this required a medium.
"Your teacher has quite a few of your personal belongings, right?" Leticia stated the obvious.
Just think about it—that woman definitely had many items related to Mo Zili: worn clothes, used tissues, fallen hair, possibly even blood.
With these items, as long as her teacher joined up with those demon accomplices, they could cast curses on Mo Zili from a distance.
Fortunately, Leticia had placed protective magic on Mo Zili in advance. Otherwise, our Little Mo Mo would have suffered tonight.
"You mean this was my teacher's doing?"
"Can't say it's absolute, but the possibility is over ninety percent." Leticia nodded. "Now, how many people do you know who have your personal belongings and connections to demons?"
"My teacher, and... you." Mo Zili was silent for a moment before answering.
Her teacher definitely had her personal belongings, like unwashed clothes from before leaving.
"That settles it. Without your personal belongings, it's impossible to cast long-distance magic attacks on your mind." Leticia said very confidently.
"If not for the backup I left, your mind might have been destroyed while our dear Miss Bai still hadn't noticed anything unusual."
Suddenly criticized by Leticia, Bai Ling was somewhat dumbfounded. She was someone who'd put all skill points into attack—who understood these mystical magical things?
When others cast magic on her, she could sense and counter it, but when others cast magic on someone in the room next to hers—who could detect that?
"I can only protect her on a physical level. I don't understand magic." Bai Ling said somewhat unhappily.
"I never expected you to help me in this regard. You should just go back to your room and sleep obediently." Leticia crossed her arms and huffed twice. "I'll add some protective magic to Little Mo then go back to rest."
"You're going back?"
"Otherwise?"
"Just stay here directly. This is your home too, right?" Bai Ling pointed at the floor. "And if you stay here, wouldn't you be able to protect her safety even better?"
Bai Ling protecting Mo Zili physically, Leticia protecting Mo Zili magically—with both of them present, who could harm Mo Zili under their noses?
But Leticia had chosen to stay at the Demon King Palace precisely because she didn't want to encounter Bai Ling.
If she stayed here, they'd definitely have to meet once in the morning, and spend several hours together when she returned in the evening.
Wouldn't that be no different from their previous life in the Human World? Leticia had returned to the Demon Realm specifically to avoid too much entanglement with Bai Ling.
Now, when she had no choice but to ask Bai Ling for help, she still didn't want too many meetings with Bai Ling.
"I think I'm better off living alone." Leticia said quietly. "Just stay here obediently and don't worry about what I'm doing, okay?"
"Eh, but I was invited here by you to help. You're not giving me any compensation and are so coldly driving me away—isn't that a bit unreasonable?" Bai Ling stepped forward, resting her head on Leticia's shoulder and whispering in the girl's ear.
"You still owe me three days!"
"That time was that time, this time is this time. I keep my accounts very clearly."