Brain bloom

She looked at Mori with affection, then turned to Yuan and asked earnestly, "Do you still keep it? It was a gift I gave you back then."

"...Back then?" Yuan's dreamy eyes sank into the depths of her thoughts, but in less than a second, precious memories were unearthed, and she was both surprised and delighted, "Those...flowers?"

"Ok.

Volume 1, #399 - One Item

They mentioned flowers.

Although she was in a dazed state, the Ancient Demon Queen's mind gradually became sharper because of this word. Yes, flowers, it knew about them. Before getting involved in the battle with Hodge, the Ancient Demon Queen had heard Wish say that she had received a bouquet of Casablanca flowers from the Four Seasons.

Therefore, the ancient Demon King even left his lair and found that nearly omniscient tattered book to consult the Four Seasons Master about the meaning of these words—unfortunately, the meaning was not ominous.

Dandelion smiled and said to Slaughter, "You are so evil, and you have a pure soul structure, which is very similar to the souls of us Four Seasons People."

"That...is that okay?"

"The Four Seasons, who have temporarily departed, await the day of their awakening in the boundless dream. But in the dream, they remain in that lush, traditional, and divinely powerful courtyard. Although it is a dream, our magic can materialize it, and that is the Casablanca flower that grants wishes."

"Me... I'll have to grow something like this on my head too?"

"How rude of you! You only know how comfortable plants are when they grow on your head." The dandelion mocked the other party with the unique look of a creature that lives through all four seasons. "Don't believe me? Ask the coffin bearer."

“…Hmm, it’s quite comfortable.” Mori immediately fanned the flames from the side, racking his brains to persuade Shalu and avoid making a fool of himself. So, he accidentally went a bit too far with his words, “Especially when the branches and leaves need to be pruned, that feeling is probably more comfortable than sleeping with a hundred beautiful girls.”

"Huh? Wait a minute, when did you sleep with a hundred beautiful girls?"

"This...this is just a metaphor."

Some of the demons and monsters who were nearby and overheard the coffin bearer's speech were also discussing among themselves, seemingly surprised that the coffin bearer liked women. Since that's the case, in the future, to build a good relationship, they wouldn't be considering handsome young men, but rather beautiful young women.

Perhaps influenced by these discussions, the Ancient Demon King was also recalling his treasure trove, unable to remember if he possessed any beautiful girls. He wished she were, but… he still couldn't bear to give them away. Thinking this, the Ancient Demon King moved closer to her, seemingly unwilling to tear his gaze from her vibrant face.

After discussing the topic of beautiful girls for a short while, Dandelion and Mori turned the conversation back to something more serious.

“Miss Curse, you either die and leave your newly recognized father and sister, or you obediently let me adorn you with flowers, turning you into a feather in the Winged Cloud waiting to be purified and incorporated into our cycle of reincarnation.”

"Just like you, if my head explodes... I'll survive?"

"can."

"And...without harming the world?"

"Like us, you will have bodies born from flowers. Your body and flowers will firmly seal away your evil. After all, this is a race created by the Rose Queen, which can be considered a law."

At this point, Dandelion poked Senshi's cheek with her fingertips, demonstrating her body's softness.

"See, isn't this great? If you also have a heart that pursues beauty, then quickly agree."

“Well… I… alright, I agree. I also want to be like you Four Seasons People, once incredibly terrifying, yet with a kind heart, and blessed by nature. Yes, this is the ending I deserve! I… I want to become their true family.”

"Great! I wonder—is the flower still there?" Dandelion suddenly remembered that the most crucial thing hadn't been confirmed yet. "Could it be that you threw it away after I gave it to you?"

Yuan immediately shook her head, a little aggrieved: "Although the night was quite terrifying, it was a gift from a good friend, a symbol of closeness and friendship, how could I bear to throw it away... I kept it carefully, um, with a vase and water—that should be right, right?"

"As long as it wasn't lost."

"But... I don't know how long I slept, and I don't know if that bouquet of flowers has already... withered." She was quite worried, afraid that she might have done something wrong and lost her most familiar sister.

"Probably not."

"Then I'll take you to my room—wait! I'm a little nervous, the room might be a bit messy, I need to tidy it up first." After saying that, she forced herself to stay upright, her face flushed, and tried to quickly cover up her embarrassing state.

Although it was the room where the girl always lived, it was by no means a sacred place.

Not only was the bed not made, but the snacks didn't seem to have been cleaned up! If those devilish specialties like the fried-eye demon jerky and the crispy, grotesque demon jerky were discovered, Dandelion and Mori might not want to be her friends anymore.

In the human world, their food is so abundant and wonderful... they would certainly laugh at these strange snacks from the backwaters.

Not only that, there were also several novels that were secretly purchased from the human world by the devil and secretly delivered by Melia, which were extremely shameful to be seen by others.

She also used to pretend to be asleep in her room, secretly hiding under the covers from her father. Surrounded by strange snacks, she used light magic to read lines of text, dreaming the sweet dreams unique to young girls—hoping that one day, she too could be saved by a hero.

Now that the hero has appeared, let's just throw all these novels away.

Thinking of all this, she broke free from everyone's restraints and attempts to stop her, disappearing like a shooting star. Watching her fleeting figure, everyone suddenly realized that without the curse, she would likely become ridiculously powerful.

"They're running so fast, there must be a secret! Mori! Let's go after them!"

"Why should I go? I still need to hunt for treasures in the treasure vault."

"We need to take Miss Curse to do flower arranging. If you, the true god, aren't there to keep things in order, hehe, the world will be destroyed, but what does that have to do with me?"

"...Let's go, damn it, where's my vehicle? Can some devil open the door and bring my little thundercloud worm in?"

"Arranging flowers for me? That sounds... a little scary."

Their voices infused the entire atmosphere, bringing an unprecedented joy to the air of the demon realm. There was also a touch of tenderness within them, a feeling that even the wicked demons could sense.

Everyone wore genuine smiles, a rare sight indeed, exchanging opinions and sharing their joy with others. They didn't mind making a wasted trip, because they had had the best day yet.

Once Yuan recovers his health and takes over the throne, everything will be alright.

Compared to the ancient Demon King who slept all day and did nothing, yet forcibly stipulated the performance targets for each demon while humanity was cracking down on demonic transactions, it would be much more comfortable for this gentle Dawn Princess to become queen.

They didn't care at all that the ancient demon king was right next to them, and began exchanging their visions for the future.

At this time-

"So, when can I go back and open my shop?" The true god who led the demon army to this place slowly walked to the side of the ancient demon king, and together with its golden pupils, gazed into the distance.

Even though his daughter's silhouette was no longer visible on the horizon, the ancient demon king still gazed in that direction. Of course, he heard the old acquaintance speaking to him, and so he calmly replied.

“I thought it would be difficult to get you to relinquish your power, Ray Noel, the astrologer who extinguishes the sunlight.”

“I don’t care about this kind of royal power.”

"That's good... Is it because the deity who controls fate allowed you to foresee all of this? Or do you still hate me?"

"Ever since that coffin bearer stepped into this world, ever since that night of rushing stars 120 years ago, I have found it increasingly difficult to divine anything accurately. For someone like me who can always foresee the future, or rather, who can always control my own destiny, it's quite terrifying."

She laughed for a while, but then her tone became unusually flat.

"Rather than shouldering the world you entrusted to me, yet knowing nothing about the future... I would rather lay down my responsibilities and open a small, deserted shop in the human world with my child. Unfortunately, the human I loved so deeply is dead."

"What if—there isn't?" The ancient demon king finally withdrew his lingering gaze, but instead of returning it to her, he looked at a spot further to the side.

What are you saying?

"That's another story."

Right beside her stood the old man who was skilled at predicting the future, looking worried.

He is always referred to with awe as "the full stop of the myth," but the ancient Demon King would prefer that the full stop be changed so that this somewhat old deal can be completed.

There was once a silly story—two people who could see the future saw that their destinies, symbolizing "love," would intersect at some point in the future. But after that, their destinies would part ways and each go their own way.

Astrologers arrive with intercourse, carrying the infant child of destiny and love, letting fate flow freely.

The fortune teller, however, sought out the greatest devil, hoping the deal would bring their destinies together once more…

"Does this complete your deal with me? Old man, you're on the same side now."

"What do you think?"

"……Feel sorry."

"Ancient Demon King, who are you speaking to?"

"Alright, Ron Stolt, I can feel your joy. At least for today, our mess won't bother you."

The myth's period ended, and the murky eyes softened, as did the tone of voice.

"Go and celebrate with your people, and tell them to stop speaking ill of you. Also, tell Yuan that after you have rested, I still have things to teach him."

“I will. She must hurry and become stronger—uh, no, no, no, I can't let Yuan suffer under your tutelage. Your educational methods are too harsh! We've forgotten, Yuan's life is much longer… We don't need to rush.” —Ancient Demon King

"...Wait, is someone here? Why are you talking to someone else?" The astrologer was completely bewildered. Could it be that his daughter's healing had completely ruined his brain?

"Haha, that's true." The period of mythology looked tenderly at the woman beside him, basking in the joy of the ancient demon king, trying to make himself happy as well.

Then—"Alas." The ancient demon king sighed in frustration, bringing to a close the matter that had troubled him for over a decade.

And what marked the beginning was a deafening laugh: "Hahahaha, if you criticize me again, I'll have Princess Dawn double your performance targets! Anyone who dares to criticize me again, I won't give them any more alcohol!"

"drink wine?"

The ancient demon king, seemingly out of nowhere, gleefully produced a cup of utterly filthy and malevolent black wine, so potent it seemed to dissolve even the surrounding air. But to the vast majority present, it was something exquisitely wonderful.

"Come on! Praise me, praise Yuan! Whoever praises me the best will get an extra drop!"

The atmosphere became extremely lively.

"What a fine wine! I'll go get some snacks to go with it, you all go ahead and praise it!"

"I'm going too. It's time to bring out the treasured rotten cheese. Hopefully, the maggots inside will be plump."

“Hey, I’m going home to get ‘The Art of Praising Leaders.’ You can keep praising me, I’ll definitely catch up.”

"I'm going to the human world to catch a smooth-talking nobleman. You guys wait for me."

"...What happened to the promised opening of the treasure vault? I want that heart."

"Hehe, I'm going to find Yuan and praise him in person, and I also have to praise my lovely dad."

"Damn it—something's not right. These devils and demons have gone mad. Why has the true God left us?"

……

After finishing her business, an unknown amount of time had passed. Simply placing flowers on a soul was not enough to give birth to a being of the Four Seasons. She did not achieve this through normal cultivation, nor through the Winged Clouds.

So when the Casablanca flower was placed on the head of that cursed lady, it was infected by the nature of the Four Seasons and turned into nothing more than a single black feather.

Dandelion would take care of everything, so no one else asked any questions.

To become a Four Seasons Being, one must await the summons of the Winged Clouds—but that won't be too far off. Dandelion could even confidently assure the Wish and the Ancient Demon King that once the Winged Clouds subsided, he would hand over a beautiful Four Seasons Being girl to them.

Whether they want to be daughters or sisters fighting is their own business.

Perhaps the ancient Demon King would be very happy, not only because he suddenly has a child with his beloved woman, but also because he might say, "The Demon Realm now has a terrifying Seasonal Being in charge." But in any case, it means that the Flower Kingdom has gained another powerful kin, something that Dandelion would be delighted to see.

Yuan's room was very clean, but unfortunately, Mori and the others didn't see anything interesting.

Melia, who arrived later, quietly pulled Mori aside and revealed some of Yuan's personal matters, but unfortunately, she was overheard and almost got beaten up. Mori always wanted to discuss certain "cooperative projects" with Melia, but Dandelion kept interrupting, causing progress to be slow.

"Yuan, why are there always feathers in the cracks of your house?"