The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 25

Episode 25

"Monae?"

"Cu, cute...!"

At the adorable sight, Monae clutched her heart again and had to force a smile to maintain her social composure.

"I like Monae."

Of course, that didn't last long.

Crumbled by Flora's bright smile, Monae covered her cheeks with her hands and let out internal screams of joy to her heart's content.

"Then... now Monae, goodbye for real."

She needed to secure as much alone time as possible.

Tired of waiting for Monae to leave, Flora raised her hand in a farewell gesture, issuing her dismissal order.

Monae retreated out of the library with eyes full of regret.

"You must call me if you need any help at all?"

Seeing her not give up her duty even at the last moment before leaving showed she had a strong work ethic.

'Or maybe she's already fallen for my cuteness.'

Flora sighed at the persistent gaze that followed her until the door closed.

'Humans really show weakness towards little ones.'

It's a fact that hasn't changed from the past until now.

Flora wiped the bright, sparkling look from her eyes and turned her back on the door with a cold gaze.

'Now, shall I gather some information?'

It would be really nice to have some helpers at a time like this.

Flora thought of the Great Demon's castle, which she could no longer visit, and the demons who always guarded her side there.

The demons born from Mors's hand served her as their master.

Their loyalty was blind.

Born by borrowing Mors's demonic energy, they shared her sense of purpose, despised humans, and were more like her extensions than beings with their own egos, differing only in appearance.

Even they began to change after the hero Lucifer came to the castle.

Seeing Mors develop a curiosity about humans because of Lucifer, some demons kidnapped humans, saying it was for Lucifer's sake, while others learned cooking from humans to make food for her when she expressed a desire to try human cuisine.

When she said she was curious about human knowledge, some demons created a study and filled it with books from around the world, and when she said she wanted to feel the passage of time, they found scenic spots where one could best experience the four seasons and took her there.

'Hmm, they weren't just extensions; they were like guardians.'

Of course, all their efforts were thwarted because of Etar Lucifer.

Unlike them, who had to study humans, Etar was a human himself.

Mors began keeping Etar by her side, and through Etar, she was introduced to the four other heroes.

Ractasia Philinwood, Babylon Hermannus, Opera Bellasia, Gzette Deshimo, and Etar Lucifer.

Through the five heroes, she learned about the world and began to understand humans.

And in the end, she thought that perhaps humans might have value despite Beshart's words, that the 'hope' Lucifer spoke of might exist.

'Come to think of it, that's when the demons started disliking the heroes.'

The demons who had studied humans for her began, at some point, to urge her to kill humans, claiming they were evil beings as per Beshart's will, but Mors, who no longer saw the need, spared them.

'In the end, it led to betrayal. Maybe I should have listened to the demons a bit.'

The demons, who had always complied with Mors's opinions, had their reasons for opposing her for the first time. Why hadn't she realized that?

If Mors had listened to the demons instead of the heroes, the world might have been destroyed long ago.

Flora shook off a faint sense of regret.

"Teacher Lian said making mistakes is part of growing up."

What Flora learned from this incident was that there was no harm in listening to the Chief God Beshart.

Wasn't the Great Demon Mors killed by the heroes as punishment for daring to doubt the Chief God Beshart?

Thinking this life was a gift, she was born in the body of a young, weak human child; perhaps this is the punishment for not listening to the god.

'Should I stop with these pointless thoughts?'

If Beshart truly hated Mors, he would have annihilated her soul.

'This isn't punishment.'

It's more like giving a new opportunity.

Thinking whatever she pleased, Flora began to slowly levitate her body using demonic energy.

Although Flora received an education at the orphanage that was quite sufficient, almost mismatched for an orphan, what she truly wanted to learn was something she couldn't.

Flora wanted to know about the Demon Forest and find the existence of demons within it.

But only the Temple and the Executor Bureau could intervene in the Demon Forest.

People still feared the Demon Forest, the trace of the Great Demon, and the more demons and monsters ran rampant, the more they狂热ly supported the Temple and the Executor Bureau.

People showed faith, trust, and awe towards the Executors who protected them from the threat of demons.

Unless permission was granted by the respected institutions, no one could investigate the Demon Forest.

Those who questioned this were branded as heretics and punished by the Inquisitors.

'That's why people looked at me strangely when I asked detailed questions about the Great Demon or the Demon Forest.'

When Flora asked such questions, the teachers visiting the orphanage would all scold her, saying she shouldn't be curious about such things.

It was fortunate they considered it a child's curiosity and didn't make a bigger issue out of it; if Flora were an adult, she might have been taken by the Inquisitors right then.

"Heretical ideological education!"

Remembering how the teachers scared her with stories of the Inquisitors made her angry again.

'They're such fools, not realizing the Temple and Executor Bureau are doing this to maintain their power.'

And the Lucifers are probably the prime example of fools who couldn't get into such power groups.

After that, Flora gave up on obtaining information about the Demon Forest at the orphanage.

But now that she's entered a legitimate family with access to the Demon Forest, should she still give up?

'At the very least, the Lucifers must have some stories about the Great Demon left.'

What Flora was curious about wasn't the heroes' deeds after the Great Demon's death, but the birth of the Demon Forest and the demons inhabiting it.

No matter how poor they were, the library of a ducal house passed down through generations was vast beyond compare, and it was clear finding the desired information would take a long time.

But Flora didn't need to worry.

She never intended to search this entire place anyway.

Flora used her demonic energy to lift her body high, almost reaching the ceiling.

Then she began scanning the tops of the numerous bookshelves.

"Ah, found it!"

After looking for a while, she spotted an old book placed on the top of the farthest bookshelf.

Though it was covered in a thick layer of dust from lack of meticulous care, she didn't mind and brushed it off with her hand.

'There's only one volume.'

Flora frowned deeply at the meager harvest.

Etar was tall and large in build.

He was outstanding even among the other heroes, and no demon could match his height.

He had one peculiar habit: despite his huge build, he recorded his daily life in a diary.

If Mors hadn't witnessed him hiding his diary on the top shelf, it could have remained a secret hobby known to no one.

Remembering the face he made, winking and calling it a secret after being caught by Mors, made her feel displeased again.

"Anyway, you were just as foolish then as you are now."

Mors wouldn't have written a diary in the first place, but if she had, she would have burned it all before dying so it wouldn't be passed down to future generations.

"Sigh, this is tiring."

Perhaps her ability to manipulate demonic energy was still lacking, as using it for long made her body feel this tired.

Fortunately, there was a long ladder next to the bookshelf, so Flora gently perched herself on the highest step of the ladder.

It was an action only possible because she was confident she wouldn't fall.

"Blame your stupid habit, Etar!"

Once comfortable, Flora opened the diary without hesitation.

And the writing inside was in a familiar script.

It was the script from the era when Lucifer first introduced it as the continent's common language, but it was the same as the Empire's current common language, so she had no trouble reading it.

"Etar Lucifer."

Flora brushed her hand over the name written large on the first page of the diary, then slowly turned the page.

And then she couldn't help but wipe the sneer from her lips and put on a serious expression.

To my friend Mors…

It was as if he had written it expecting Mors to find and read the diary.

'That can't be.'

It must be a letter Etar couldn't deliver to Mors in the past.

Flora shook her head, dismissing the absurd thought.

And just as she was about to turn to the next page.

"Flora?"

A voice she shouldn't have heard reached her.

Startled by Athanas's voice, Flora stood up from her spot.

'Gasp, did I withdraw my demonic energy?'

She had.

Forgetting that she had withdrawn it immediately after sitting on the ladder to conserve a bit of stamina, Flora thought, "Oh no!", and remembered belatedly just as her body pitched forward.

She was falling.

"Flora!"

With Athanas right there, she couldn't use demonic energy. She couldn't risk getting caught by the Executor Bureau for using it unnecessarily.

Flora squeezed her eyes shut.

Even while falling, Flora remembered being taught to cover her head if falling from a high place, so she diligently covered her head with her small hands.

But what awaited Flora wasn't the pain of hitting the floor, but arms that were somewhat firm yet stable.

"A-Are you okay?"

A trembling voice came from above her head.

Flora looked up towards the voice and saw Athanas, his face as pale as his hair, looking down at her with a shocked expression.