Leia didn’t answer. She planned to leave that question for Xuefei to handle herself.
After much deliberation, Little Dragon Girl decided not to hide anything from Mitrice. Not only had she laid the egg, but she had already formed an unbreakable bond with it. Even now, she wanted nothing more than to cradle the dragon egg and curl up for a nap in the dragon nest.
“Mm,” Xuefei nodded.
“Really?” Mitrice covered her mouth with a laugh. “Can I take a peek? What’s a dragon egg look like, anyway?”
“No way!”
“So stingy! By the way, you look absolutely adorable as a girl. Ah~ The little troublemaker finally got what was coming to him. You have no idea how much jealousy Leia swallowed for your sake back in the day.”
Xuefei had truly transformed into a girl!
At the wedding, Mitrice had almost failed to recognize her. But once she saw the depth of affection in Leia’s eyes, she knew this woman, consumed by obsession, would never stray. That was when she pieced it together: Xuefei was the hero from their past.
“Still not letting you see!”
Xuefei clutched her necklace tight, determined not to expose the dragon egg. If she could, she’d stuff the whole thing in her mouth—but her dragon stomach burned like the surface of the sun. What if it melted and put the egg in danger?
At the same time, she shot Leia a pleading glance. Leia caught on and smoothly changed the subject.
“By the way, how old is little Mira?”
“Twelve…”
Mitrice replied, a touch embarrassed. It was as if talking about her child brought out her shy side.
The name finally clicked for Xuefei. Something was off.
Hadn’t Mitrice arrived in the Second Playthrough a bit too early?
She saw no reason to hide her suspicions. Sure, their bond from the First Playthrough had been the kind between rough-around-the-edges friends, but it was solid all the same—especially as comrades who’d fought shoulder to shoulder. That was a connection deeper than most.
“Mitrice, when exactly did you arrive in the Second Playthrough?”
The fox Demon King herself cleared up the mystery.
“Everyone sent to the Second Playthrough—except you—had to start over from birth. That’s how it was for me. Leia’s probably the same as you… But she was lucky enough to keep our memories intact. And with the gods’ intervention, certain threads of causality were rewoven, letting me embrace life as a Demon Race without a second thought. It’s just a shame Laer never made it here.”
“So it seems you’ve found your true love.”
“That guy…”
Mitrice’s cheeks flushed as her gaze drifted off into the distance.
Mira piped up in agreement. “See? That’s Mom for you. Don’t let her bashful act fool you—she’s ruthless! She wipes out cute humans left and right! Hey, wait—”
“You little brat! Keep it up, and I’ll strip you bare and toss you in the blood pool!” Mitrice scooped Mira up with both hands, plopped her on her lap, and went to town ruffling the little girl’s hair. Mira put up a fierce front at first, but it crumbled in seconds. She huddled up, clutching her head and whimpering away—a textbook case of bravado lasting all of three seconds.
Watching the pair’s playful mother-daughter tussle stirred something in Xuefei. She gripped her necklace, silently blessing the egg and wishing it would hurry up and grow into a big, independent daughter. Sure, raising a dragon sounded like a handful, but deep down, she just knew a daughter would be the absolute best.
Unbeknownst to her, the moment she got home, she’d be risking another pregnancy.
“What about the rest of the Hero Party?”
The question slipped out of Xuefei before she knew it.
Back in the Royal Palace of the Snake Demon Kingdom, she’d come that close to crossing paths with them.
But courage had won out in the end. So what fate awaited those reborn souls from the First Playthrough? What perils would they face on the road ahead?
She claimed not to care for the Hero Party, but worry gnawed at her all the same.
If Leia had called upon her power to grant them all a second chance at life…
“I was hoping to ask you the same thing.” Mitrice gently stroked Mira’s head—battered from all the earlier thumps—then set her down on the adjacent table, piled high with tempting treats, while the girl watched in confusion.
With her daughter safely distracted by the feast, Mitrice lowered her gaze and let out a sigh.
“I’m not entirely sure about their situations. Dragon King-sama mentioned three separate Hero Parties, but the details were fuzzy for me too. Leia must have filled you in by now, though—they’re three distinct teams. Only one matches the group we knew.”
Xuefei nodded. She’d heard the story plenty of times already, usually over Leia’s afternoon grumbles.
“What we can confirm is that the one the gods pin their greatest hopes on is also the formidable enemy you need to deal with—Orman.”
“The other one is far more capricious. We can’t predict her movements at all right now. But the Hero Party’s goal is to slay the Evil Dragon and save this world, isn’t it?”
Mitrice curled the corner of her mouth, gazing at Xuefei with keen interest. Her intoxicatingly seductive expression was indistinguishable from that of a true demon, a constant reminder that she was one of the Demon Race’s terrifying Seven Demon Kings.
She was deeply curious. Just where had Xuefei changed?
Her heart? Her personality? Or was it simply her appearance?
When faced with Leia—the woman who had saved her life and loved her deeply—and all the comrades she had fought beside, those pure and noble souls… which side would they ultimately choose?
“If anyone dares to threaten even a single hair on Leia’s head, he will die without fail.”
“Oh ho? It’s already come to this, has it? Looks like I don’t need to spell it out for you~”
Mitrice laughed merrily, sucking on her finger with a carefree air.
Xuefei confirmed it too—this fox’s personality hadn’t changed much from the First Playthrough. If anything, she had only grown even more playful and mischievous, and her Demon Race identity suited her surprisingly well.
“Hmph. Aren’t you the one who ends up pinned underneath others?”
“Ah…”
“See? That reaction says it all. And I’ve long since figured out that Demon King Mitrice is a cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside little fox. I hope you can contribute even more offspring to the Dark Filth~”
“You little Xuefei!”
Mitrice knew she was caught red-handed and didn’t bother arguing further.
But no matter what, she would be the one bearing the children.
And…
With her personality, she’d probably be the pitiful one taunting, “Can you even manage it, you scrub?” all while getting pumped full of love genes. But hey, it was the punishment a naughty little fox like her deserved!
Mitrice shrugged, rose to her feet, and gently patted the head of little Mira, who was sitting beside her.
“Well… in any case, congratulations. I never imagined Xuefei would have a moment like that—completely devoured and clinging like a little bird.”
