“Next, all I have to do is blend in with their group, and then I can take my time playing.” Dorothy thought smugly to herself.
Just as Dorothy was secretly gloating—
Primrose had already walked over to them; she had recovered somewhat.
Primrose said nothing, but stared at the little girl hiding in her mother’s arms.
‘That Demon King… have I seen her somewhere before?’ Primrose furrowed her brow, trying to remember.
Dorothy was still rubbing against Lin Naiyue’s chest, putting on a pitiful act.
“Big sisters, my name is Dorothy. I’m a demon.”
“I don’t have a home anymore. That bad woman wanted to catch me and take me back as a slave.”
“Can you please not chase me away?”
Dorothy looked up, her ruby-like eyes fixed on Lin Naiyue and Primrose, tears still glistening in them.
Primrose frowned slightly. ‘Big sister?’
‘That title sounds familiar… but where have I…?’
Beside her, Lin Naiyue’s heart instantly melted.
She hugged Dorothy tightly and gently patted her back. “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, be good, Dorothy. But I’m not your sister—I’m your mom. Mom will protect you; I won’t let any bad guys take you away.”
Lin Naiyue looked up at Primrose, her eyes full of pleading.
“Prim, look how small she is, and she’s an orphan. How pitiful! Can we keep her with us?”
Primrose heard this and nearly choked.
‘Keep the Demon King by our side?’
‘Mom, do you even know what you’re saying?’
‘You’re hugging a nuclear bomb that could go off at any moment!’
Primrose was about to refuse, but the words caught in her throat.
Her mind raced.
‘The situation is delicate right now.’
‘Since the Demon King personally came to put on this act, she must have a goal.’
‘If I expose her identity now, with Dorothy’s stats, once she turns hostile, the only one who can block her is Mom’s Earthly Bedrock. Everyone else would be instantly killed.’
‘We’re out in the outskirts, no cover at all.’
‘A direct confrontation means certain death.’
‘Calm down. I have to stay calm.’ Primrose warned herself internally.
‘Since she wants to act, I’ll play along.’
‘As long as she doesn’t reveal herself, I’ll pretend not to know.’
‘Keeping her close, under my watch, is better than letting her cause trouble in the shadows.’
‘And…’
‘This is a golden opportunity to get close to the final boss.’
‘If I can figure out her weaknesses through daily contact, future strategies will be twice as effective with half the effort.’
With that thought, Primrose’s expression changed.
She put on a gentle smile, walked over to Lin Naiyue, and reached out to pat Dorothy’s head.
“Alright, let her come with us.”
Dorothy felt Primrose’s hand on her head and an inexplicable irritation rose in her heart.
‘A thousand years, and this woman still treats people like children!’ Dorothy sneered inwardly.
But on the surface, she acted grateful and moved.
“Thank you, Mommy. Thank you, Big-Sis-Ter. Dorothy will be a good girl!”
Cecilia and Yuna, watching from the side, grew anxious.
“Goddess! You mustn’t!”
Cecilia stepped forward, urgently trying to dissuade her. “She’s a demon. Demons are cunning and cruel by nature. Keeping her close is far too dangerous!”
Yuna chimed in, “The Saintess is absolutely right. Even if she’s a child now, she’ll become an enemy of humanity when she grows up. Please allow me to cut her down here and eliminate the threat!”
As she spoke, Yuna raised her sword again, the tip pointed straight at Dorothy.
Dorothy shrank back into Lin Naiyue’s arms and burst into loud sobs.
Lin Naiyue immediately shielded Dorothy and glared at Yuna.
“Yuna, put down your sword.”
Lin Naiyue’s voice wasn’t harsh, but her tone was firm. “She’s just a child. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“We can’t judge her guilty just because of her race. If we can’t even tolerate a weak little girl, then we don’t deserve to be called heroes.”
Yuna was taken aback by Lin Naiyue’s words.
She looked at Lin Naiyue’s resolute gaze and loosened her grip on the sword.
“Lord Hero… Goddess?”
Just then, Dorothy blinked through her tears. “Mommy and Big Sister are the natural enemies of demons?”
At that—
Yuna’s hand tightened on the sword again.
Cecilia wanted to argue further, but Primrose raised a hand to stop her.
“Enough, Cecilia. Yuna. The Lord Hero’s decision is my decision.”
Primrose put on her divine authority, her tone leaving no room for argument. “With me here, she can’t cause any trouble. If she really has ill intentions, I’ll deal with her personally.”
Since the Goddess herself had spoken, Cecilia and Yuna dared not object further.
They could only reluctantly sheathe their weapons.
“Yes, Goddess.” They answered in unison.
Lin Naiyue happily lifted Dorothy and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“Great, Dorothy! From now on, you’ll stay with us.”
Dorothy was stunned by the kiss.
She had lived for who knows how many millennia, yet no one had ever kissed her like that.
A strange feeling spread through her heart.
Primrose watched the scene and sighed inwardly.
‘Mom, oh Mom, you’re something else.’
‘Not only did you take in the Demon King, you even kissed her.’
‘If this ever gets out, the entire Kingdom of Aezera will go mad.’
‘But…’
Primrose looked at Dorothy’s somewhat dazed expression and found it a little amusing.
‘What’s the Demon King thinking now?’
Primrose turned and looked toward Tattle Town.
“Alright, that’s enough for today’s field training. Let’s head back to town.”
The group started walking back to Tattle Town.
Lin Naiyue held Dorothy’s hand as she led the way, chatting and laughing.
Primrose walked behind, her gaze never leaving Dorothy’s back.
Cecilia and Yuna flanked them, keeping watch.
By the time they returned to the Golden Rose Inn, dusk had fallen.
Mei Fei, the cat-eared girl at the front desk, saw them return and immediately rushed over.
When she saw Lin Naiyue holding the hand of a little girl with demon horns, her tail fluffed up in shock.
“Th-this…” Mei Fei stammered, at a loss for words.
“Don’t worry, Mei Fei. This is a child we’ve taken in. Her name is Dorothy.” Lin Naiyue explained with a smile.
Mei Fei glanced at Primrose, and seeing that the Goddess had no objection, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She quickly hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Dinner was arranged in a private room on the second floor of the inn.
The long table was laden with a lavish spread:
Roast meat, thick soup, fresh bread, and fruit.
Lin Naiyue seated Dorothy beside her and kept piling food onto her plate.
“Dorothy, eat more. Look how thin you are. You must have suffered a lot.”
Lin Naiyue placed a golden-brown cutlet on Dorothy’s plate.