NOVPUBThe next day.
Demon World Royal Capital Necaris.
As the first ray of morning sunlight slanted through the glass curtain wall of the great hall, one man and one cat slowly descended the staircase.
"Today marks your arrival in this Shadow World for the..."
"Twenty-ninth day."
Lanci had already learned to answer promptly.
"Meow."
The Little Black Cat was somewhat choked up; it hadn’t finished reporting before Lanci interrupted.
In the dining room of the McCarthy palace, the table next to the floor-to-ceiling windows was laid with white linen and neat cutlery as if waiting for the master to take a seat.
However, on one side of the sofa, there was already a figure seated.
Hyperion looked towards Lanci and smiled at him.
Today she was not dressed as formally as a Demon World princess, but in a more casual dress that she wore on ordinary days.
"You woke up quite early."
Lanci took a seat on the sofa opposite Hyperion, glanced outside the window, and estimated the time without needing to check the clock—the dawn’s glow gradually dispersing the deep purple night sky, the sea no longer dull, and the whole Demon King Castle Necaris being awakened.
"After all, I was dreaming all day yesterday."
Hyperion’s room was on the top floor, and when she woke up this morning and passed by the third floor where Lanci and Cat Boss were, she was very cautious for fear of disturbing them.
But she felt like there were also guests on the fourth floor.
Because there were signs of life.
As the two waited for breakfast, they chatted idly.
"Good morning."
Before the attendants started serving the meal, the sound of light footsteps caught their attention.
A small figure was seen coming down the stairs.
Hyperion looked at the little Wolf Demon in the distance, then glanced at Lanci.
"She is the guide who led me through the Land of Perpetual Night to the Demon World, Siegler, and now she is our companion."
Lanci introduced Hyperion.
He had been with Hyperion all of yesterday until they parted ways after dinner and had no chance to introduce Siegler.
"I see."
Hyperion immediately understood that this little girl was transformed into a member of the Demon Race using Transformation Magic.
In fact, she must also be from the Palante Empire.
Hyperion instantly didn’t find the little girl scary anymore; it was rare to see a human in the Demon World.
Siegler ran over to Lanci’s side with no intention of stopping and pounced on the sofa.
"This kid is so cute."
Hyperion stated, observing Siegler’s expressionless yet lively demeanor.
Although her clothes were more boyish, her face was that of a beauty, and her light-colored long hair was woven like a ribbon.
"Rocky braided my hair."
Siegler said.
She had only ever carelessly tied her hair up and stuffed it into a hat; it was later on that Rocky would help her braid her hair every morning like a mother.
After arriving in the Demon World and changing her clothes, she hadn’t looked in a mirror for a long time and now realized she had transformed completely.
"Can you do this too?"
Hyperion looked towards Lanci.
She knew Lanci could draw, sculpt, and do many things, but she had not expected him to be able to braid a girl’s hair like Duke Migaya.
"Do you want me to help you tomorrow?"
Lanci asked with a slight smile.
"No, no thanks."
Hyperion waved her hand; she was no longer the little girl who needed an adult to help her with her hair.
Although it wasn’t out of the question, she didn’t need it for the time being.
"Are you a princess?"
Siegler inquired curiously, looking at Hyperion.
She had heard from the butler and the attendants in the restaurant that Lanci brought back a Demon World princess yesterday; if she hadn’t guessed wrong, it could only be this young lady.
Siegler had never seen such a sparkling young miss before.
"Er, I don’t really want to be a princess..."
Hyperion shifted her gaze away awkwardly.
She didn’t want to deny her current responsibilities, nor did she want to deceive the child; she was simply worried about frightening her.
"Damn, that’s so cool."
Siegler suddenly widened her eyes in admiration.
Hyperion was stunned for a moment.
"She’s currently learning to read and write and practicing etiquette; I’m still teaching her, so please excuse us," Lanci said with a helpless smile.
But there was no blame meant for Siegler, more self-reproach.
Compared to how Siegler used to talk, she had already become much more restrained.
When Lanci first heard Siegler speak, his reaction wasn’t much different from Hyperion’s.
It would take some time to educate Siegler into a lady befitting the heritage of a prime minister’s family, but Lanci felt there was no need for her to change in that way, she was born with a hint of wildness that shouldn’t be tamed by anyone. If anything, she was more like an emperor by nature, disliking any form of rigid restraint.
"Do you need any help?"
Hyperion asked.
Although Lanci was Siegler’s teacher, she always felt that he resembled a single father bringing up a child.
It was just like how Duke Migaya had raised her when she was young.
Hyperion felt a pang of compassion and wanted to lend a hand to Lanci, while also taking care of Siegler, the little girl who shared a similar shadow with herself as much as possible.
"That would be a great help."
Lanci let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile.
For a child of Siegler’s age, what she needed wasn’t just the company of one person.
"When I’m not around, you can have Hyperion teach you. She’s a genuine young lady from a prestigious family, and she may be even better than me at things like letter writing from before."
Lanci introduced Siegler to the idea.
"Okay."
Siegler nodded.
Then she fell silent.
It seemed that she was somewhat reserved around Hyperion, whom she had just met. Compared to Hyperion, Siegler would rather stick close to Lanci.
"Just so you know, Hyperion also hates the Blood Clan a lot."
Lanci whispered in Siegler’s ear.
"How much does she hate them?"
Siegler’s eyes suddenly flashed with surprise.
"You should ask her."
Lanci patted Siegler’s head.
After thinking for a bit, Siegler trotted over and sat down beside Hyperion.
"Hyperion, do you hate the Blood Clan?"
Siegler looked up and asked.
"Of course, I hate them. If it weren’t for the Blood Clan, my father would not have..."
Hyperion’s eyes filled with hatred, her voice gradually weakening until she could no longer speak.
Siegler looked at Hyperion and didn’t say anything for a long time.
It was as though she had found a kindred spirit and hugged Hyperion’s slender waist.
"Siegler, are you saying that your father also because of the Blood Clan?"
Hyperion looked at Siegler in surprise, thinking for a moment, and finally understood the reaction behind her response.
"Mhm."
Siegler buried her head in Hyperion’s embrace and replied in a soft voice.
It was as if she were consoling Hyperion and seeking her comfort at the same time.
"Don’t worry, Siegler, the Blood Clan will be defeated. The Demon World has now decided to declare war on the Blood Clan."
Hyperion gently stroked Siegler’s long hair and told her.
Hyperion knew that Siegler’s closeness was all because of the topic Lanci had opened up with his words.
How come Lanci acted so normal around children?
Hyperion thought to herself, puzzled.
This was one of the rare times that Lanci seemed like a normal person and actually was one.
"Really?"
Siegler looked up at Hyperion, her voice filled with incredulous excitement.
She used to look at the newspaper every day, trying to understand it even though she couldn’t.
She hoped that one day the seemingly unstoppable Blood Clan and the Huo Ning Empire would be driven back.
Now, to her excitement, she finally heard such revolutionary news.
"Would the Demon World princess lie to you?"
Hyperion asked her with a smile,
"Come on, Siegler, let me explain it to you slowly."
Hyperion made Siegler comfortable by her side and directed the attendant to bring a copy of the Necaris Morning Post, starting to explain the current situation in the Demon World to Siegler.
She thought Siegler was just too adorable, practically like her own younger self.
Hyperion was now certain that the four points of the Blood Moon Bad World were connected, each Shadow World being continuous. As long as an advantage was secured in the previous Shadow World, it could influence the next Shadow World.
The maps and temporal constraints of the first two Shadow Worlds were too limiting, offering limited interference to subsequent Shadow Worlds.
But the current Shadow World of the Dark Solar Eclipse Demon Realm was an entirely open map with a much longer timeline, where any action could cause a significant shift in the story line of the last Blood Moon Bad World Shadow World.
The next Shadow World might be a decade or more after this era.
When she and Lanci returned to the Shadow World from the real world, Siegler would have grown up.
By then, Siegler would become a very reliable teammate for them.
Even the thought of what an adult Siegler would be like filled Hyperion with anticipation.
It would be nice to take her back to the real world as a younger sister, but unfortunately, that was impossible.
