Chapter 114 - Chapter 111: Episode 109 - Ye-na's Concern
Once again, Yu-ra left early in the morning and returned a few hours later, her expression dark.
Seeing Yu-ra grow more haggard with each passing day, Yena felt a pang of pity.
She was deeply grateful to Yu-ra, who had accepted her as family and gifted her this happiness.
That was the same affection she held for both Yu-ra and Yu-rin, who had filled the void left by her father.
She found herself wondering if there was anything she could do to help Yu-ra, who was struggling more every day.
It was a thought born of confidence; she knew that if the problem could be solved with raw strength, she could handle it.
The vast amount of magic power she possessed was already comparable to her mother's.
Under normal circumstances, this was power she should have saved to face her mother, who would come chasing after her father once he returned, but she didn't regret using it for these people.
Because her body possessed high-purity magic, she could replenish what she spent over time, even on Earth where mana was scarce.
It would have been unthinkable for a body with low-purity magic, but she believed it was entirely possible for her.
And so, Yena decided to follow Yu-ra as she left the house early that morning.
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Early in the morning, Yu-ra stood at the front door, ready to head out.
Before leaving, she offered a haggard smile to Yena and Yu-rin.
"Yena-ya, Yu-rin-ah, I'm heading out now. Please get along while I'm gone."
"Have a safe trip."
Yu-rin and Yena saw her off at the door.
A little while after Yu-ra left, Yu-rin turned to Yena.
"Yena-ya... where would you like to go today?"
Since they often visited movie theaters, kids' cafes, amusement parks, and zoos together after Yu-ra left, she expected today to be the same.
However, Yena gave her an unexpected answer.
"Um... excuse me, but I was thinking of playing at the playground with the other kids today..."
"Then let's go to the playground together. Mom just wants to watch you play."
Yu-rin wasn't disappointed in the slightest.
Even if her suggestion was rejected, just seeing Yena playing energetically was enough for her.
"Um... the kids keep teasing me, calling me a 'mama's girl' who can't leave her mom's side... so just for today... could I go by myself?"
Yena refused again, her tone cautious and filled with apology.
"I... I'm sorry... Mom didn't think about that... Mom just... thinks you're so precious, my daughter... I'm sorry... Then go ahead and go by yourself as you wish... It's the playground in front of that apartment complex, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Yu-rin wore a sad expression, blaming herself for her child's inability to mingle with others.
"It's not that... Then I'll go by myself."
It pained her heart to deceive Yu-rin, but Yena had no choice.
She vowed to play with Yu-rin again once she resolved Yu-ra's worries, then opened the door and stepped outside.
The way she skipped out energetically looked just like any other child her age.
Sensing the magic power she had attached to Yu-ra earlier, she began to move quickly, wrapping her body in mana.
She even cast Stealth Magic, just in case someone was watching.
She had no idea what kind of looks she would get if someone saw a young child moving this fast without any ability, so she had no choice but to do this, even if it meant using more magic.
Unlike Yu-ra, who knew her true identity to some extent, if Yu-rin were to discover who she really was, this happy life might come to an end.
Moving as fast as she had planned, she continued to head in the direction where Yu-ra was.
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She arrived at a detached house.
Watching Yu-ra from a hidden vantage point, she saw her loitering in front of the house, talking to herself.
"Is it okay to ring the doorbell now... They're still sleeping, what if they get annoyed because I woke them up... Will they come out today..."
Anxiety radiated from her desperate appearance, as if she were wandering while waiting for someone.
'Who is she waiting for?...'
Only after a long time had passed did Yu-ra press the doorbell, as if she had finally made up her mind.
It felt like over an hour had passed.
It wasn't hard to guess that Yu-ra, who must have arrived much earlier, had hesitated because she was afraid of displeasing the person inside.
Not long after she rang the bell, loud, thumping footsteps echoed from inside; it was clearly the person coming to greet her.
As the door swung open, Yu-ra offered a greeting.
"Hello..."
However, the person who opened the door poured out a stream of resentment, as if Yu-ra's greeting wasn't even worth her attention.
"Can't you see I'm doing this so you won't come looking for me? I don't even want to show my face, so I don't even come out of the house! Yet why do you keep coming here every day to harass me! Do you know what happened to me... because of you? It's your fault... I feel like I'm going to die at any moment... I'm suffocating! Get lost already!"
'That... that bitch dares to...'
She was spewing harsh words at a precious person she considered family.
For a moment, Yena even thought about killing that woman.
After hearing those words and looking properly at the woman's face, she realized something.
Though she had hidden them as if they were part of her hat, those were clearly horns.
She could even feel magic power radiating from her body.
A woman who was clearly a Demon.
She remembered seeing that magic power somewhere before.
'Where did I see it?'
As she pondered, it clicked.
The mercenary woman who had been staring blankly at her father and herself before they entered the Gate.
It was her.
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Yena learned that there were other beings from the Demon World in the human world besides herself.
It was a bit of a shock.
While remaining frozen, she continued to watch what was happening between that woman and Yu-ra.
Yu-ra bowed her head, apologized, and turned around, saying she wouldn't come looking for her anymore.
'That... Demon bitch... how dare she... do such a thing... to someone I consider family...'
Once the shock faded, she suddenly started to get angry.
'Should I kill her...'
However, she had to correct that thought immediately.
If she killed that woman right now, she would feel relieved, but if she was acting for Yu-ra's sake, it was something she absolutely must not do.
Yu-ra seemed to want to buy that house, so if that person died, there would be no one left to sell it.
In that case, she thought it wouldn't be too late to get rid of her after letting things flow in the direction Yu-ra wanted.
Therefore, Yena thought of a way to subdue that Demon with force.
She began to prepare slowly, intending to break that woman's pride by engraving the Demon World's law of survival of the fittest into her body.
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When the next day came, Yu-ra didn't leave the house.
With a hollow expression, she was drinking alcohol from the morning as if she were in pain.
"Huhu-huk... Seon-ah... I'm sorry... I have no other way... Seon-ah..."
Seeing her in such pain while drunk broke her heart.
"Um... Mom, Auntie... I'm going out for a bit..."
"Huh?... Are you going to the playground again today?... Mom feels a bit sad..."
Yu-rin said, sounding sad after hearing Yena's words.
"I only promised to go out until today. I'll be back a little early."
Yena tried to hide her whereabouts with a lie again.
"Then... I'll be going."
For Yu-ra's sake, she visited that house once again.
Yesterday, she couldn't carry out her plan because Yu-ra had wandered around the house for a long time before returning home, but today was different.
Because it would be a place where only she and the Demon would be, she thought she would be able to resolve the matter comfortably.
Yena felt good at the thought of reminding her of the law of survival of the fittest, which only applied in the Demon World.
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Even after pressing the doorbell, no one came out.
It seemed the owner of the house had gone out.
Yena waited endlessly in front of the house until the Demon returned.
As time passed and the Demon didn't show even a shadow, she began to feel anxious.
As the sun began to set, she felt sorry for Yu-rin and Yu-ra, who would be looking for her.
'Once this is resolved... it will be fine... To let Auntie Yu-ra get what she wants... just today, just this once will be enough...'
Some time after she had that thought, she finally heard the sound of someone walking toward the house.
An immense sense of pressure was felt.
When she first heard the footsteps, she thought it was that Demon, but it was an enormous amount of magic power that didn't fall short even when compared to her own.
Even the purity of the magic power was equal to her own, so her surprise was doubled.
Yena couldn't help but be shocked as she looked in that direction.
"I never imagined... I would meet you here..."
The owner of that voice, who seemed to be saying what Yena was about to say, was.
None other than her mother.
Sophia.