Xuefei suddenly widened her eyes and carefully scrutinized the pink-haired little girl standing in the main doorway. She racked her brain, convinced she’d seen this child somewhere before.
“Leia?”
At a complete loss, she turned to the Leia who’d also come from the First Playthrough, but her companion merely smiled and said nothing. Xuefei already harbored her suspicions, yet the chain of logic that could explain everything struck her as too outlandish. In the end, she mentally checked out, resigned to waiting for the truth to unfold.
Mira noticed Xuefei’s stare from across the room but merely huffed and turned her head away, the picture of tsundere cuteness.
By the way, was this the academy’s gold medalist?
Ephise Academy was the Demon Race’s most renowned public institution—the finest of them all. There, the vast majority of ambitious young Demons toiled daily to surpass their former selves.
Naturally, this included not only academic quizzes and athletic contests but also straightforward, no-holds-barred duels, which cropped up with regularity. Duel rankings were the most prized of all, comprising seventy percent of final grades. A medal could boost scores even further, virtually guaranteeing a spot in the top ten.
But a gold medal from Ephise Academy? That marked her as one of the absolute standouts in her cohort.
Could her own child grow to be this strong someday?
Xuefei sank deep into contemplation.
Leia and her child would undoubtedly be Evil Dragons as well. Leia was clever, and she herself was even cleverer, so their offspring was bound to be twice as brilliant!
Snagging a gold medal would be child’s play. First in her grade? Effortless. Her child would assuredly be the very best!
After all, it was her child!
“Hand over that menu to this young lady!”
Mira’s voice yanked Xuefei’s wandering mind back to reality. There she was, plopped at the adjacent table, swinging her white-stocking-clad legs with aggressive flair as she snatched the menu from the butler’s grasp. The butler—shoulder-length gray hair tied in a neat little braid, her tall frame lending her suit an air of striking handsomeness—didn’t miss a beat.
“Right away, Miss Mira.”
The butler flashed an apologetic smile, her expression a mask of helpless indulgence as she watched the little girl tick off items on the menu with fervor. She tilted her head and offered a conciliatory nod to the thoroughly flustered waiter nearby.
Surely, Xuefei wouldn’t end up like this with her own child someday, would she?
For a fleeting moment, she wished the girl took after Leia instead…
Leia had always been the picture of propriety as a child. Xuefei, on the other hand… She hated to admit her own mischievous streak, but between the cross-dressing escapade to rescue Leia and the spur-of-the-moment sleight-of-hand that saved her life, Xuefei’s unorthodox mindset shone through. No one could’ve pictured her as the obedient sort back then.
If the child ended up like Leia, great things awaited—no doubt about it. And she’d be wonderfully sensible to boot!
Who wouldn’t crave a daughter who was sensible, adorable, playfully affectionate, and outstandingly gifted?
She hoped the genes from Leia’s “love injection” ran strong. No… that probably had nothing to do with it!
“She looks so familiar…”
“Hm?”
Xuefei snapped back to the present once more, only to find Mira eyeing her with profound intrigue.
If only Mira knew the feeling was mutual…
The girl’s earlier haughtiness evaporated, replaced by boundless curiosity. Her cheeks flushed crimson, as though grappling with some inconceivable revelation.
All the while, Leia observed Xuefei’s reactions with quiet caution.
“Miss Mira, you can’t possibly eat all this~ I’ve crossed off the unnecessary bits.”
“No!”
“Careful, or your mother might get upset. She’s all about frugality—wouldn’t want a spanking, would you?”
“Mother? Hmph, as if she’d dare. Think she could even take me?”
“Well, er… I suspect she could.”
“Ugh, whatever! Fine!”
The butler’s prodding diverted Mira’s focus just enough. Besieged by one question after another, the red-haired little Demon girl finally abandoned all pretense and blurted out to Xuefei:
“Who… who are you two?”
Tough question. Xuefei rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“Passing Demons?”
“No way you’re ordinary Demons. I can smell something extraordinary on you!”
Xuefei blinked in astonishment.
The girl had a sharp nose for such things. A waitress might’ve overlooked it, but this child had pierced right through the Pressure cloaking her?
Hmph hmph, it had to be my personal charm working its magic~
What to do? Suddenly, I really wanted to trick this little girl… No, openly recruit her into Xuefei’s fan club. Not that I knew if such a club even existed, but still… it was a small step toward establishing my authority, but a giant leap for Xuefei!
“Giggle…”
“Leia, what are you laughing at?”
Xuefei shot Leia a gentle glare, assuming she was mocking the Dragon King’s pressure in its quantum superposition state again.
“Nothing. I just think Xuefei is even cuter in front of Mira~”
“How could I possibly be cuter than a little kid!”
Before Xuefei could thump Leia’s chest with her tiny fist, Mira beat her to it.
“Hmph! I can tell, but even though you two are strong, I’m definitely the strongest! No one can beat Miss Mira!”
“Miss…” At that instant, the butler turned her head. She adjusted the glasses perched on her nose and bowed toward Xuefei in apology, her gesture saying as plain as day: “Any damages are on me. I’m powerless against this bundle of hyperactivity.”
“My strength is at Soul Tier, Layer 3! How about that—pretty impressive, right~? Hmph hmph~, Mom’s definitely going to praise me.”
“Soul Tier, huh? That’s quite strong indeed,” Leia nodded, but Xuefei was left dumbfounded.
This seemed to be some kind of cultivation ranking system on the lower end, yet she—a veteran who’d been grinding through the First Playthrough for ages—had been completely oblivious to it. Back then, the world’s combat power had been reduced to nothing but a string of cold letters.
“Leia, what is it?”
“Soul Tier: the second tier out of the four major tiers of powerhouses. And Xuefei doesn’t even know about it?”
“Uh…”
“Let me give you a quick rundown, then.” Leia’s voice, laced with illusion magic so only Xuefei could hear, launched into an explanation:
“In the world as we know it, living beings with souls are divided into four tiers based on their personal abilities…”
“From highest to lowest in strength: Mortal Tier, Soul Tier, Super Tier, and Source Tier.”
“Mortal Tier has eight layers, Soul Tier six layers, Super Tier four layers, and Source Tier just the one… The higher you go, the wider the gaps between layers become.”
“For example, advancing from Layer 1 to Layer 3 in Mortal Tier is straightforward for human adventurers—just pick up some battle techniques through martial training. But crossing from Soul Tier Layer 1 to Layer 3? That’s a chasm few on the entire Camiran Continent can bridge. As for Source Tier… that’s power beyond imagining.”
