When Amber finished speaking, to prevent Avira from making any mistakes in her actions, the Holy Sword reminded her:
“Saintess, please argue with Amber or clash with her in ideals.”
Avira nodded lightly and looked at Amber’s enthusiastic yet ashamed expression. She pretended to sneer coldly:
“Mom, I’m not going to end up as a puppet of the Demon Race like you. Don’t even dream about it.”
The next second, the Holy Sword warned: “Saintess, your behavior has deviated, which might affect the illusion’s outcome.”
Avira asked strangely, “Did I say something wrong?”
But before the Holy Sword could respond, Avira got her answer. It seemed that because she had called her “mom,” the shame on Amber’s face became even more obvious!
It was the first time she had heard her daughter call her “mom,” and without any accusations at that. After all, after laying the egg, she had hidden it in a safe place, and later even she herself couldn’t find it. So this was probably the first meeting between mother and daughter.
Avira asked helplessly, “Holy Sword, give me a tip.”
“Keep it up, Saintess. This alone won’t affect the outcome, but please don’t get too close to Amber, lest it impacts the grand plan ahead. That’s extremely important to us—it’s the history you need to understand.”
The Holy Sword rarely spoke so much.
Avira knew that talking too much would lead to mistakes, so she changed her approach.
“Amber, Aina and I are doing just fine. We don’t need you anymore.”
“Aina… I carved your and Aina’s names on the eggshell. So you both know, Avira, my daughter.”
“…”
Avira felt a bit reluctant to say the next words, but remembering this was an illusion, she steeled herself and said them:
“It was just a random name from some stranger that we happened to use.”
As expected, after Avira said that, Amber lowered her head sadly.
At that moment, the Holy Sword surprisingly reminded her again: “Saintess, your actions have shifted somewhat.”
“Huh? I clearly made her upset!”
“You need to build her confidence.”
“Are you treating me like a babysitter…?”
Avira suddenly felt like tossing the Holy Sword down from the sky again.
Until she thought of a good idea.
She just needed to imitate what protagonists in stories typically did—simple mimicry would suffice. Avira was confident in her acting skills; at least, she believed Amber would fall for it.
Avira furrowed her brows and pursed her lips, pretending to be very tense, then spoke again:
“Mom, I’ll definitely bring you back from the Demon King’s side. Wait for me!”
With that, Avira turned and left, ascending the stairs out of the Royal Palace and flying straight up into the sky.
“Holy Sword, how did I do this time?”
“If ten is full marks, I’d give you a nine. You didn’t make Amber lose heart and even ignited her fighting spirit. She’ll definitely demand from the Demon King to snatch you from the angel camp and resolve to turn you into a demon.”
“…Does this fit the historical events? Then why deduct a point?” Avira asked half-jokingly.
“Because history has still shifted. Your words might make Amber’s motives more obvious, which may not be a good thing.”
Avira nodded.
However, before she could fully process the information in her mind, the Holy Sword warned: “The Demon King is coming. Please be careful.”
“Should I avoid her?”
“Saintess, this is a necessary interaction. Please stop.”
Avira stopped flapping her wings and hovered in the air. By now, she had flown above the clouds, where an endless white plain stretched out, forming fantastical shapes in the sky.
The Demon King pierced through the clouds and caught up a few minutes later, panting heavily as she hovered in front of Avira.
“Her Majesty the Demon King, what do you want with me?”
“Huff… huff…”
“Do you need my help?” Avira saw that the Demon King looked fatigued, as if she hadn’t flown at full speed. There was no fear in her heart.
Avira thought the Demon King’s judgment was correct—high risk, high reward, showing courage.
Avira had already been pleased, but now she smiled warmly, almost forgetting her identity as someone traversing the illusion.
“You, don’t go!”
“Take your time, Her Majesty the Demon King. I’m not leaving now.”
“Huff…”
Only then did Ophitia catch her breath.
“Tell me, Avira. What’s your goal? You’ve come to find me time and again—what do you want?”
Avira touched her chin. She realized Ophitia might be even smarter than she had imagined.
There was no killing intent; instead, she had chased after her with an attitude of recruiting talent and forming an alliance. She no longer carried the Demon King’s arrogance. Flames of ambition burned in her eyes—this was what a Demon King should do.
Avira wanted Ophitia to become a legitimate Demon King. At least, if she were in Ophitia’s position now, she would support her cause without hesitation.
What further fueled Avira’s thoughts were the Holy Sword’s words:
“Saintess, do what you want to do.”
So Avira said, “Her Majesty the Demon King, you should immediately take the town to the west. Humans are about to discover your ambitions, so you need bargaining chips for negotiations. Continue to strengthen the Demon Race’s forces.”
“Why do you say that?”
Ophitia’s voice was full of doubt. “If you stayed by my side and ruled together with me, wouldn’t that save a lot of trouble?”
“You have Amber. She can handle it well.”
“…”
At this point, Ophitia’s expression grew complicated, a mix of anger and sadness—ultimately, she felt wronged. Avira was certain she had misunderstood something.
“These were all my doing! I’m not the kind of king who completely relies on others!”
She had been quite angry, but in front of Avira, she seemed… a bit meek?
“Her Majesty the Demon King, I’m willing to help you. Please don’t be angry.”
Ophitia’s eyes widened. “If that’s true, that would be great. So, what do you need me to do for you?”
Avira trembled in shock.
Ophitia was even sharper than she had imagined.
She had not only picked up on the subtext but also seen through Avira’s attitude toward Amber as fake. That was why she hadn’t interfered in their mother-daughter relationship—she had her own plan from the start.
“I’ll come find you every day.” Avira took a deep breath. “But I won’t live in the Demon King Palace. There’s someone very important to me who needs my care.”
Though Ophitia agreed on the surface, she still looked somewhat disappointed.
Yes, though she seemed much smarter, at her core, she was still the same Ophitia from reality. They were one and the same.
She always wanted to tightly grasp what she needed, but now, as the weaker one, she couldn’t control the stronger Avira.
Thinking of this, Avira smiled gently. “Don’t worry, Tia. I won’t let you down this time.”
But unexpectedly, light flickered in Ophitia’s eyes. She carefully observed Avira’s eyes, her pair of wings, and the scent emanating from her body.
Something felt off.
