Chapter 70
Of course that was...
"Ah...! Big Sister... that hurts."
"So you do know pain? Hmph, even if it hurts, you’ll have to endure it!"
She had leaned her head close to her face on her own, so she couldn’t blame her for smacking her with the righteous hand chop hard enough to make stars dance before her eyes!
The sound that echoed back from hitting Belith’s head was different from when she hit Xiarette. Belith’s head seemed solid, and intelligent.
Holding her head, a helpless look of "this is only natural" flashed through Belith’s eyes. She was just about to straighten up and awkwardly back away...
But at that moment.
A soft, boneless little hand suddenly entered her field of vision.
Before she could even look up, that little hand was already stroking the top of her head with a rather clumsy technique.
This merciless motion was like raking through a pile of straw.
"Big Sister...?"
Belith opened her small mouth slightly and looked forward in surprise, only to see that her sister was indeed reaching out to stroke the top of her head.
Sheffy stood on tiptoe, turning her head reluctantly to the side, her hand stroking unceremoniously and a bit forcefully.
Yet even so...
This was enough for Belith to quickly bend forward again, nudging closer toward her.
The little kitten instantly evolved into an excited little puppy.
"Uwah...! Don’t push toward me, that’s enough already...!"
"Hehe... I’m just too happy right now. Big Sister is still willing to look at me... Big Sister... Big Sister... give me a hug."
"Don’t get carried away...! I only patted your head because you’re being a nuisance! Don’t go assuming things on your ow... huh?!"
The mountain stream murmured, night insects chirped, stars turned in the sky, and the wind was light and gentle.
Sheffy’s feet stepped on the grass, disturbing a few fireflies.
The fireflies, carrying moonlight and starlight, flew past the side of the girl’s face, illuminating her utterly shocked expression.
Seeing the girl so flustered and dazed, the little bugs promptly flew away into the distance, choosing not to quarrel about her stepping on the lawn.
Or rather... perhaps even the fireflies could recognize the situation and knew that this scene should not be disturbed, so they hurriedly flew away.
After all...
Belith suddenly stepped forward without hesitation, pressing both hands against Sheffy’s flat chest, and without any unnecessary movement, sealed her cherry lips with her own. Heavy breaths muffled many sounds, leaving Sheffy no chance to stammer or protest.
"Mmm... mmm...?!"
Belith’s kiss was quite clumsy. She had no idea that when kissing, one had to tilt their head at a slight angle to avoid bumping foreheads and noses.
But even now that they were bumping, so what.
Belith wished for even more contact with Big Sister... to feel her heartbeat, while also engraving into her memory how her own heart was racing so fiercely that it might stop from the intense excitement.
Sheffy was completely dumbfounded by her.
She had never expected Belith to be so bold!
But no matter how dumbfounded one was, there was always a moment to regain awareness.
When she sensed that Belith was actually trying to take it further, gently tapping her teeth with the softness of her little mouth in an attempt to break through the defenses, Sheffy instantly snapped back to her senses.
Her sharp, deep purple gaze flashed. She pressed her hands against Belith’s shoulders and shoved her out with great force!
The immense strength sent Belith flying several meters away.
Such a distance was nothing to a Five-Winged Demon, but Belith was completely lost in her daze and indulgence. Her five wings didn’t even have time to react. The powerful girl, at this moment, was like an extremely fragile little maiden, falling straight down and rolling several times on the ground before barely coming to a stop.
She stopped.
But she didn’t get up.
Instead, she quietly lay on her back, gazing up at the starry sky, clasping her hands in front of her chest, savoring the moment, completely still.
The faint blush and soft smile on her face—who knew if it was self-mocking regret for her impulsive act.
Sheffy, on the other hand, was far from feeling as calm.
She frantically wiped her lips with the back of her hand, her shocked expression not fading for even a second.
"Ah, ptoo...! Ptoo ptoo ptoo! Hiss... Belith!! Do you even know what you’ve done...! Ptoo! Do you have any idea what you were doing?! You damn... kissed me?!"
It was rare for Sheffy to even curse. Her face flushed red as she stomped her feet in panic, but she couldn’t do anything to her little sister Belith. In this world, there was likely no one else with such nerve except Belith.
As for Big Sister’s scolding and questioning, Belith accepted it all with joy.
She dissolved the five wings behind her into shimmering dots of magic, then supported herself up with her weakened hand, turning sideways, paying no attention to the thorns in the grass that might prick her tender skin.
In fact, there was some pain, but thorns were far from capable of harming a Five-Winged Demon.
After rising, her blue dress was stained with the dirt from rolling on the ground, yet she once again clasped her hands in front of her and smiled, nodding slightly and elegantly to her furious Big Sister, as if nothing had happened just moments ago.
Except for the part where she quietly licked her lips.
"Thank you, Big Sister, for indulging Belith’s willfulness. Really, I... thought I could suppress these feelings, but the moment Big Sister patted my head, I knew I couldn’t resist Big Sister’s charm. This was a reaction of my body’s instinct. Though I apologize, I can only say I am powerless."
"So now you think you’re in the right, do you?! You...!"
Sheffy raised her small hand and quickly stepped in front of Belith, swinging a slap that could easily send Belith flying, directly toward her cheek.
Yet just before it touched her calm face, it halted abruptly.
The fierce wind swept Belith’s silver hair, whipping it toward the waterfall, then gradually settled.
This only made Sheffy even angrier!
This feeling was exactly like smashing a brick against cotton!
"Why didn’t you dodge?!"
"If Big Sister wants to hit me, then I just need to endure it. If Big Sister wants to kill me, I’ll offer my neck willingly. I’d rather become the soul beneath Big Sister’s blade and atone with my life, as long as Big Sister can feel satisfied and vent her anger. So there’s no need to dodge."
"You’re completely insane... Even if you’ve changed your mind and want to get along with me, do you really have to go about it in such an extreme way?"
"Extreme...?"
Belith dazedly pondered over this sentence.
Yet even while lost in thought, her breathtakingly beautiful little face didn’t look foolish in the slightest; instead, there was a clarity even purer than the bright moon.
After a moment, she moved.
She gently pressed her face against the palm of Big Sister’s hand that was meant to slap her, and slowly rubbed her cheek along the small palm, carefully cherishing the warmth she felt.
"I don’t think it’s extreme at all... When you love someone, even if it means giving up your life, resorting to any means without considering the consequences, you just want to be loved by her. Isn’t that perfectly natural?"
"......"
Belith... you really are insane...
Watching Belith rub against her hand in a show of submission while tilting her head and smiling softly at such close distance, Sheffy couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
In the depths of Belith’s deep purple eyes, a swirling chaos was surging. The emotion of possessiveness was fully exposed, completely unrestrained, making Sheffy feel a chill.
Hiss... Little sister, all I ever wanted was for you to be a decent Demon Clan member, be a bit more normal, not so cold-blooded, just have a little warmth.
But aren’t you going a bit overboard on your path of progress?!
At this moment, Sheffy suddenly suspected there was something deeply wrong with their family’s upbringing.
There were so many things she wanted to complain about.
Sheffy pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked:
"So it really is because of that matter... you already know?"
"Of course. Ah... but that’s at most just a trigger. The more I think about it now, the more I realize how little I cherished Big Sister before, how shallow my understanding of love was. Ah, Big Sister... if you can come home, Belith will use everything she has to make it up to you... whether it’s body or mind, let’s never, ever be separated again, okay? Okay? Okay...?"
"Hiss... could you please get some mental treatment before talking?!"
Sheffy really felt like giving her a good slap right now!
However...
It seemed there was no need for her to act.
The ahoge on Sheffy’s head and Belith’s gaze both swung toward the west of the waterfall, to the depths of the forest.
Oh ho, it seemed Xiarette had arrived at just the right time and finally caught up.
In Belith’s eyes as she looked in that direction, there was an indescribable disgust and loathing, even to the point of hatred.
But she hid these emotions well. Even Sheffy, with her sharp eyes, only caught a glimpse before Belith’s expression returned to its natural and gentle state.
What use was gentleness? Sheffy lowered her hand, gave a sly little smile, shrugged her shoulders, and casually waved the back of her hand at Belith.
"I’ll give you a chance—hurry up and leave~ You can’t beat Xiarette. As your elder sister, I’m advising you to run now, so you don’t end up black and blue and need me to comfort you afterward."
"Big Sister’s comfort...? Ha... that actually sounds nice."
"?!"
"Pfft... just kidding, just kidding~ I don’t plan to embarrass myself in front of Big Sister. As long as I can’t yet defeat my opponent, I won’t choose to confront her." As she spoke, Belith’s tone suddenly grew a little heavy. "Speaking of which... about how we address each other... you call her Xiarette, and she calls you Sheffy..."
"Yes, so what?"
"I’ll take Big Sister’s advice. I wish you all the best during your stay in the Royal Capital."
Belith unfolded her five black wings again, sensing the surging magic power weaving through the forest, drawing closer and closer.
But she wasn’t particularly anxious.
"If not today... then another day. Big Sister, I’ve always been on the path of seeking power... but now, the reason I desire strength has changed. I will reach Six Wings soon... I will become very, very strong. Strong enough not to lose to that woman."
"You really don’t get it at all." Sheffy spread her hands, shook her head, and flashed a mischievous grin with her small tiger teeth showing. "The reason I get along with Xiarette isn’t because of how strong she is. If you really do reach Six Wings one day, I’ll congratulate you as your sister. As for everything else~ it’s none of your business. Wherever I want to be is up to me. No need to listen to you~ You’d better get that straight."
"Of course."
From deep within the forest, a burst of brilliant golden light suddenly flared, streaking like a meteor straight toward Belith’s back.
Belith lightly flapped her wings, lifting off the ground on her toes.
Hovering slightly forward in midair, she seemed about to cup Sheffy’s cheeks with her hands.
Knowing that Big Sister would dodge, Belith didn’t complete the motion.
Instead, she put both hands behind her back, facing the direction of the approaching golden light, and turned her head to smile at Sheffy.
"That’s why... when I say Six Wings, it’s not just six wings on my back. I want to become a true Six Wings in Big Sister’s heart as well. I know you won’t say it out loud... but Big Sister, you’re the one who most hopes to see Belith grow stronger in this whole world."
"So..."
"Thank you. I love you."
"......"
"Sheffy!!" "Lady Sheffy!!"
Boom!!
In that instant, the golden streak of light brushed past the afterimage left by Belith’s sudden disappearance using 【Super Acceleration】.
Xiarette, who had rushed over at full speed while panting heavily, was moving too fast to stop immediately. Seeing Sheffy’s figure, she drove the Holy Sword deep into the ground to brake with all her might. Together, she and the sword worked to slow down, sliding a long distance before barely stopping against a large tree, leaving a rather exaggerated curved crack on the ground.
The tree: I was terrified at that moment, really, I almost got snapped in half.
After coming to a halt, Xiarette and Sylatrella, who separated from the Holy Sword at the same time, quickly gathered around Sheffy.
Sheffy stood up to greet Xiarette, who ran toward her full of worry.
Under the moonlight, her golden hair shone even brighter because of her anxious expression.
"Sheffy, are you okay...! Ah... you scared me to death! You suddenly ran off without saying anything! I sensed your magic power getting closer and closer to the Demon Domain... I thought...!"
"Thought the Demon Clan was inviting me home? Or worried that Belith had some kind of plot? Hehe... Or maybe you were afraid I was feeling homesick, and took the chance to sneak back to the Demon Domain without returning?"
"No..."