Egrette held her scythe high, looking every bit the executioner about to perform a decapitation. At this moment, her killing intent had reached its absolute peak.
“In the end, I really couldn’t dodge it…”
Bululu looked at Egrette and muttered helplessly under her breath. Her thoughts seemed to drift back to a time long ago…
“Wait a minute.”
“!”
Just then, a voice that was incredibly familiar to everyone present rang out.
Ai Yue stood firmly between Egrette and Bululu. She looked up at Egrette, who was half a head taller than her, with an indifferent expression. She appeared completely fearless in the face of the scythe that was about to swing down.
Of course, the truth was that she was scared out of her wits. Fortunately, her body was naturally incapable of making any extreme facial expressions. Otherwise, she would have definitely pulled a face worthy of becoming a viral meme.
As for why she stood up despite being so terrified, who was she supposed to ask?
She did not know why she had rushed out either. A voice deep inside her heart simply told her that she had to do it, so she did.
However, she truly did not want to see Bululu killed by Egrette like this.
“You…”
Looking at Ai Yue, who was staring directly at her, Egrette froze in place. She had not expected Ai Yue to jump in at this moment.
However, once Bululu entered her field of vision again behind Ai Yue, her killing intent spiked once more.
“For her sake, you would actually stand in my way?”
In Egrette’s eyes, Ai Yue looked like someone shielding a beloved partner from a blade. What made it worse was that she was the one being blocked—the one who was supposed to be the former flame!
What kind of ability did that woman have to make Ai Yue willing to go this far?
“No, it is not just for her. It is for you, too.”
Ai Yue spoke as if she had seen through Egrette’s thoughts, though in reality, she was simply applying all the knowledge she had gained from playing galgames.
“For me?”
The moment she heard those words, the tension in Egrette’s heart loosened slightly, but it tightened again immediately after.
“…Heh! You really have some nerve to say that.”
That was right. The person in front of her had ignored her feelings and refused to even give her a proper rejection to help her move on. In the end, this woman had not only forgotten their promise but had even found a new lover!
For her? Don’t make her laugh!
“It is too late to say that now. If it were really for my sake, you would let me cut her down. Then, we could act as if nothing ever happened.”
‘Act as if nothing happened?’
Ai Yue thought to herself after hearing Egrette’s words.
Normally, shouldn’t someone say something else here? It sounded as if Egrette and her shared some incredibly deep connection.
Oh, right. The setting was indeed like that. But it was *only* a setting. At the very least, when Ai Yue had written it, she had only included a single line: “Had a fairly good relationship with Great Demon King Ai Yue.” She had not written down any details.
Could it be the work of that strange Automatic Element Generation System again?
Fine, fine. She knew her world-building was a bit sloppy, but couldn’t the system at least give her a hint?
Regardless, she had to try and fish for more information now.
“Do you really want to go back to how things were?”
“The past… No! Who would ever want to go back to that!”
?
Didn’t she just say that everything would go back to the way it was if she killed Bululu?
Before Ai Yue could ask for clarification, Egrette provided the answer herself.
“Those agonizing days of constantly hoping for an answer and never getting a response… I do not want to live through that again. I especially do not want to wait until the very end, only for it to be for nothing…”
As she spoke, Egrette seemed to be overcome by fear and sadness. Her previously aggressive posture gradually softened.
Compared to her usual image as the Blood Queen, she currently looked more like a young girl who had been hurt in a relationship—at least, that was how it looked to Ai Yue, whose only experience came from galgames.
Based on the information gathered so far, she could guess the general situation.
It was likely that the original Great Demon King Ai Yue had been pursued by Egrette but never gave her a direct answer. The matter was dragged out until the 10 years of slumber began.
As for why she hated Bululu so much that she wanted to kill her, it was probably jealousy.
After all, the Personal Guard Maid was the person closest to her. It wouldn’t be strange for something to happen. Combined with how Egrette had exploded in anger when she heard Kurimu call her “Mama,” she was likely assuming the worst.
‘Sigh, being a mother really isn’t easy.’
Now that she had found a lead, she could move to the next step while Egrette’s attitude was still soft!
“There is no need to go back to how things were.”
“…What?”
Egrette looked up at Ai Yue, who merely offered a gentle smile.
This was an expression only Bululu and Kurimu had seen before. Seeing it for the first time, Egrette dazed out for a moment. It was as if her soul was being sucked in, and an unknown impulse began to surge in her heart.
“Or rather, there was never a need for an answer to begin with.”
“What do you mean — “
Ai Yue smiled and reached out to pat Egrette’s head, pressing down slightly. Their faces were brought very close, to the point where they could feel each other’s breath.
“Aren’t we already in that kind of relationship?”
“!”
Gazing at the stunningly beautiful face so close to her own while listening to that wonderful voice that felt as if it could melt her bones, Egrette felt her face growing hotter. It was becoming so hot she could probably boil an egg on it.
“Wh… When did we… What kind of… relationship…?”
Because her thoughts were in such disarray, Egrette’s words became incoherent.
Looking at her like this, Ai Yue felt as if her mouth was moving on its own. Subconsciously, she spoke:
“After all, ‘accomplices’ are the closest relationship in the world.”
“…”
Egrette stared at Ai Yue, completely stunned. The hand gripping the scythe involuntarily relaxed.
The scythe hit the ground with a loud *clang*. The killing intent radiating from her body vanished without a trace, and the blood-red sky cleared to reveal its original form. The silver moonlight shone down on the two of them, and it seemed as if Egrette’s Magic Power had undergone a transformation, turning silver as well.
“…Hmph! Si… Since you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice…”
The proud Blood Queen had suddenly transformed into a tsundere girl. To Ai Yue, she actually looked quite cute.
“Let’s head back for now. So much has happened; the cleanup work is going to keep us very busy.”
“Yes, you’re right…”
Egrette nodded in agreement.
However, at that very moment, when everyone had finally lowered their guard, a sudden change occurred.
Egrette’s eyes widened as she looked in a certain direction. Before Ai Yue could react, Egrette violently pushed her aside.