This once again conflicted with Qingshamu’s principles and mission.
If she wanted to complete her undercover mission to save the Human Race, she had to kill Feini.
Feini was a thorn in the side of the Human Race; her existence gave Demonkind a brain.
But now I even have a child—how could I possibly bring myself to do it?
So Qingshamu once again sank into her usual depression and inner turmoil, sitting silently by the window with her mask on.
But then, who knows how many times she’s wrestled with herself like this?
It had become so common that no one was surprised anymore.
Everyone was used to her acting cold like this: being depressed, shutting herself off, questioning her very existence.
“What now that we’ve snuck in? Feini, what’s our next step?” Ten-Step Hall smiled as she asked Feini.
She probably didn’t even realize herself just how much she relied on Feini for everything.
Without Feini, this squad would likely get nowhere at all.
“With just this money, we’ll probably go broke and have to crawl back to the Academy after only a few days.”
Feini fiddled with the bounty the Lord of the City had given us.
According to her understanding of money in this game world, this little bit wasn’t nearly enough to support seven people.
But that’s not a problem for me, Feini. I don’t know much, but if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s working hard for money.
With a group of tough, tireless Demonkind beast girls like us, making a living for ourselves is a piece of cake.
“Don’t worry, I have a way for everyone to experience all the Human Race facilities. I promise, every one of us will get a turn before we return to the Academy. This will be an unforgettable memory for our squad.”
Feini grinned with full confidence.
“With you in charge, I’m relieved.” Ten-Step Hall now completely trusted Feini—maybe even depended on her a little.
It was a peculiar thing. The Crimson Dragon would never easily trust anyone else, only herself. Even Xueyuedai and Lianjian were only “plastic besties.”
But now, Ten-Step Hall trusted Feini.
Maybe she’d never met someone so tough yet so helpless? Or perhaps it was due to a bond and tacit understanding once forged in blood?
Whatever the case, she trusted her, and didn’t even realize anything was strange about it.
“……”
So Xueyuedai frowned, sensing something was off with Ten-Step Hall.
She had no choice; her recent mission was to watch Ten-Step Hall from the shadows.
And with her experience working with Fox Fox, she knew Ten-Step Hall was not the kind of boss to casually hand over authority. What on earth was she thinking?
“Let’s all go back to our rooms and rest. I’ll call everyone when it’s time to eat.” Feini, for her part, wasn’t thinking about it that much.
The Lost Beast squad had taken four rooms at a mid-range inn: one for the Tooth Beast Sisters, one for Fox Fox and the boss, one for Fat Nini and Baicheng, and Qingshamu had one to herself—which was just perfect, she could go wild in peace.
“Let’s have a chat.” After Ten-Step Hall left, Xueyuedai approached Feini and spoke in a low voice.
“Oh.” Feini followed Fox Fox out to a dim corner in the hallway, a spot perfect for secret conversations.
“Be careful of Simon. She’s letting you take charge, but she might be setting a trap for you.” Xueyuedai crossed her arms, actually coming over to offer a warning.
It seemed Fox Fox’s mental state had recovered quite a bit lately—no longer full of defeat CGs.
She’d realized that as long as she cared about Fat Nini, that spiritual taint would fade away. Though it was probably a different kind of mind control.
As long as she was friendly to the caster, the mind technique’s effects would lessen, making her gradually become the caster’s slave.
But I, Fox Fox, am no fool. I see right through your Fat Nini’s tricks. I absolutely won’t become your mind puppet.
Right now, I’m only pretending to be friendly to her to reduce the mind pollution’s effect, it’s definitely not because I actually care for her!
“Simon’s really good at shifting the blame.” Xueyuedai said flatly, “That’s how she sent me down the ranks.”
“Got it. Thanks for the heads up.” Feini had no idea about Fox Fox’s tangled inner world; she just said she understood, but in her heart she was half-convinced at best.
After all, Fat Nini knew way better than Fox Fox what kind of person Ten-Step Hall was—she’d known from the start that Ten-Step Hall was a hypocrite.
Besides, Xueyuedai seemed to have an ulterior motive to sow discord; Feini had no real friendship with her, so she wouldn’t trust Fox Fox so easily.
But Xueyuedai truly did have Feini’s interests at heart, and was offering her sincere advice.
Unfortunately, all her advice was wrong. Ten-Step Hall really was just enamored with Feini’s motherly charm and had no intention of setting her up.
Now Feini didn’t just have the aura of a young widow that evoked a hero’s sympathy; she also had a mysterious “motherly charm” that could seduce a Demon King—truly a perfect medicine for all.
But in the end, everyone’s guesses were dead wrong! Utterly, completely wrong!
Everyone thought they understood each other, but no one could actually guess the truth about anyone else’s heart.
“I’ll go back to my room now.”
With that short, fruitless chat, Feini offered Xueyuedai a bottle of Human Race Beverage, then left.
Xueyuedai held the drink and stared at it in a daze, reluctant to take even a sip.
“So many people… It’s so uncomfortable.”
Feini returned to her own room and instantly collapsed onto the bed.
She almost forgot she had a totally useless hidden trait.
She was a gloomy girl who was bad at socializing; whenever she was in a crowd, she’d get dizzy, and just the presence of more people around her would give her a headache.
“Mother, are you all right?”
White Feather Dove had already been sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating for a while, and asked out of concern.
She was still seizing every moment to cultivate, truly a diligent child—my precious girl.
“I’m fine, just missing Little Black a bit.”
Feini found herself missing Little Black Dragon. She spent so much more time with Baicheng than with Little Black; her time with her two daughters was quite unbalanced.
Hopefully Little Black wouldn’t grow distant from her mother because of it.
—————
The scene shifts—let’s see what Little Black is up to at the God and Demon Academy.
Kurosaki’s independence and adaptability far exceeded what Feini had expected.
After all, many of the Dragon Tribe were natural loners. But unlike Feini, whose introversion came from the pressures of her environment, Kurosaki liked solitude—she savored it.
She quickly adjusted to campus life, spending every day at Orange Sea Dream’s side. Her job was simple.
Whenever Orange Sea Dream went to negotiate with others, all Little Black had to do was stand beside her, glaring menacingly at the other side.
No need to speak. No need to think.
Her looks were intimidating enough, and with her innate violent aura, a single glance was enough to terrify most Demonkind students.
With such a powerful subordinate, Orange Sea Dream became even more authoritative by the day.
Unfortunately, her rival was exploiting a loophole in the school rules.
Ten-Step Hall, leading a group of top first-years, had left the God and Demon Academy to form an adventurer party outside.
That meant Orange Sea Dream couldn’t suppress the Tea Ceremony Society.
Because the Witch Society was protecting the Tea Ceremony Society, at least until Ten-Step Hall returned.
“You sneaky fake dragon, abusing loopholes in the school rules.”
Orange Sea Dream knew Ten-Step Hall was up to something. She was avoiding a club war, instead planning to settle big disputes with small team duels.