Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 252 : Missing Memories

"Bebe, come down quickly!!"

"Mmm... why do I need to come down?"

"It's very dangerous!!"

Elsa was exasperated. This child was so carefree, instantly forgetting how she had nearly been knocked flying just moments ago.

"It's fine, it's also a 'mama' after all~~"

In this child's limited understanding, 'mama' was synonymous with gentleness and safety.

Elsa was pleased that she could leave such an impression on her daughter.

But humans and dragons are different!!

"It's not your mother!!"

Humans are born from human mothers, dragons from dragon mothers!

Elsa began to feel a headache. It seems she'll need to strengthen her child's common sense knowledge in the future.

"—"

Sphinx, its horns being held, turned its head and met eyes with Bebe riding on its back. Its sharp golden pupils contracted slightly, its attitude not particularly friendly towards this small uninvited guest suddenly climbing onto it.

"Wait?! Sphinx!!"

She saw it move closer to Bebe, then open its mouth full of sharp teeth.

"Wahahaha~~~ It tickles~~ It smells of saliva—"

"...Eh?"

The rough tongue licked the little face that was giggling uncontrollably. This heartwarming scene left Elsa, who had raised her hand ready to intervene, dumbfounded.

Completely different from its frenzied, ferocious demeanor earlier, it had become much more docile.

But then again, the Sphinx she knew was originally a very gentle and obedient dragon. It seems it only became so aggressive because its child had encountered danger.

Seeing the harmonious scene before her, Elsa finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However...

If Sphinx is willing to let this child ride on its back... perhaps she could too?

Thinking this, Elsa rubbed her hands together, quietly approaching from behind, wanting to try mounting.

Whoosh—

"Wah!!!"

Sensing the ill-intentioned approach from behind, Sphinx swung its tail, directly sweeping Elsa several meters away to fall on her backside.

"Ow ow ow..."

"Is Mama okay?"

Lying on the dragon's back, Bebe stretched out her head, looking worriedly at Elsa sitting on the ground.

"Sigh... If only Yvonne were here, at least you'd listen to her, right?"

Patting the dust off herself, Elsa looked at Sphinx before her with a complex gaze, trying to read something she hoped to see in those golden pupils.

"Forget it... I must be a bit abnormal too..."

Murmuring in a voice only she could hear, Elsa lowered her head.

What exactly was she expecting?

At this point, how could a magical beast that can't speak retain memories of Yvonne?

"Come over here when you're done playing, Bebe—Don't disturb their rest, we need to find a place to sleep too."

"Okay!"

Elsa waved her hand, gesturing for her daughter to come to her side. Bebe slid down Sphinx's tail as if on a slide.

"Are we camping here tonight?"

"Camping... I suppose you could call it that."

Holding her daughter's hand, Elsa smiled.

If she treated this journey as a parent-child activity, perhaps it could be more relaxing.

"Then Bebe will find a suitable place to sleep~~"

"Slow down... Don't leave my sight, okay."

"Okay—"

Since entering the forest, Bebe had been exceptionally excited.

Running ahead of her, her little tail was swishing back and forth as if equipped with an engine.

But it's understandable. She had mostly lived in the castle before, rarely having the chance to experience such an environment.

For a beastfolk child, this kind of place probably makes her feel more free and at ease.

"This place should be good, there's a tree hollow~!"

Her little hand pointed towards a large tree not far away.

"Hmm... indeed it's not bad, we can use this to block the wind."

But come to think of it... this tree is really big...

Elsa walked around the thick trunk.

Its width would probably require four or five adults holding hands to encircle it.

Elsa had seen this type of plant in guidebooks. It's a type of multi-cotton tree. These trees have a special root structure that absorbs elements from the surrounding soil to accelerate the growth of the main body. Low-growing plants can't survive around such trees, but because of this characteristic, the ends of the tree roots are often used as alchemical materials.

However, growing quickly has its drawbacks. The wood quality of multi-cotton trees is relatively fragile compared to other tree species, more easily corroded and cracked, becoming hollow in the middle like this. So it's not suitable as a building material, but is generally used to fill the bottom of ships during construction.

After choosing the spot, Elsa placed her hand against the bark's texture and began to silently recite a spell.

Soon, catalyzed by magical power, the lateral branches rapidly grew around the tree hollow, blocking the gaps behind and building a small treehouse that could serve as temporary shelter based on the hollow.

Elsa laid out relatively soft dry moss collected from the surroundings at the very back, sprinkled some insect repellent powder, and finally padded it with prepared thick cloth. It would suffice as a bed for sleeping.

"Ah, it's Radiance!"

The little dragon named Radiance had followed them from somewhere, its mouth carrying an uprooted plant with plump red oval tubers attached to the fresh soil-covered roots and stems.

"...Could this be for us?"

"Chiu~~~"

Taking the food from its mouth, Little Radiance made a sound as if in response, quite different from its mother, truly intelligent and understanding of humans.

Elsa reached out to stroke the soft, smooth scales of the young dragon.

It seems there would be an extra treat for dinner tonight.

"Is it~ roasted~ yet~?"

By now, the unique honey fragrance could be smelled wafting through the air.

"Wait a little longer, we need to cook the inside thoroughly too."

"Ugh... can't you control it and turn up the fire a bit?"

The little one pouted, clearly impatient.

"Don't rush, this temperature is just right—If the fire were even slightly hotter, the outer layer where the honey juice forms would burn—That's the most delicious part, you know."

They often bought mountain-dug honey fruit for the children at the monastery before, so Elsa was very skilled at roasting them.

If there were professional rankings for roasting honey fruit, she could be considered a master-level.

Honey fruit doesn't have high yields, and its growth cycle is long, making it unsuitable for cultivation as a crop—However, when the season comes, many farmers would go up the mountain to collect these gifts from the forest god, then carry them to the market to sell.

Freshly dug honey fruit roasted directly in the fire like this is best, requiring no additional seasoning. In about half an hour, you can peel out a fragrant roasted honey fruit oozing with sweet juice.

"Be careful not to burn yourself."

The freshly roasted honey fruit, after peeling off the outer layer of skin covered in black ash, revealed its soft, fibrous interior steaming in the firelight.

The aroma wafting up was already making one's mouth water with appetite.

Taking the food from Elsa's hand, after blowing on it several times, she carefully opened her little fangs to take a bite, then made an indistinct mumbling sound:

"Thish ish sho good—"

So delicious that her ears perked up, her eating manner became exaggerated.

"Slow down... There's more, but don't eat too much at once. Eating too much late at night can cause indigestion."

Seeing her daughter eating so happily, Elsa smiled contentedly.

However, staring at the burning campfire, her expression began to flicker with the dancing flames.

This scene reminded her of the past.

"You might not remember, Bebe... but before, Yvonne and I would sit around the fireplace with you like this, eating delicious food."

Hearing this name, Bebe's chewing slowed down.

Every time she heard this name, she felt a kind of itchy feeling in her heart.

What exactly was this feeling?

"Mama—"

She voluntarily ran to sit beside Elsa.

"What is it?"

"Can you tell me more? I really want to know about the things I've forgotten!"

Hearing her daughter's request, Elsa was taken aback for a moment, then her expression showed more comfort and joy.

"Of course. What would you like to hear about?"

"Hmm..."

Face smeared with fruit pulp, Bebe licked her lips, falling into deep thought.

"What kind of person was my other mama?"

"How to describe her..."

Elsa looked at the roasted honey fruit in her hand and began to recount a small incident from the past.

"She was a very attentive person."