Chapter 30: Coco is sick!

Chaldea Academy was located at the southernmost part of the Star Continent, in the middle of the boundary dividing the East and West Continents, with an endless ocean behind it, existing independently and belonging to no faction.

Even Chaldea City, which now had a population of over fifty thousand, developed gradually because of the academy and became an independent city under its administration.

Yiluo walked with her hands behind her back, her steps light, looking left and right as if she were on a pleasant outing, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Her maid Coco followed behind her with a small backpack. As a silver-haired cat-eared girl with an innocent, pretty face and a graceful figure, she attracted even more attention than Yiluo.

If not for the fact that she carried a golden, dazzling greatsword almost as tall as she was, she would have been approached countless times already.

“Miss Yiluo, this place really is just like you said. Not only demi-humans, but even demons and magical beasts are here!”

“Miss Yiluo, have you been to this place before?”

Yiluo looked around at the buildings—Western-style structures typical of the Western Continent, small wooden houses similar to those in the East, and the rough spherical dwellings of demi-humans.

Vendors sold all kinds of strange items.

Within a short while, Yiluo had already seen three beings who were neither human nor demi-human: a tall elf with deep blue long hair and pointed ears, a magical beast with three snake heads wearing red robes, and a large demon with two horns on his head.

Yiluo felt genuine amazement, though she exaggerated her reactions on purpose, acting like a young lady who had never left home.

She glanced at Coco’s head—her two cat ears twitched, clearly showing she was genuinely happy.

Yiluo’s gaze stopped at where two small demon horns once were, puzzled.

Coco was a half-demon, but after Yiluo’s First Embrace, the small sharp horns on her head disappeared.

Technically speaking, Yiluo was now a high-rank demon.

After Coco underwent the First Embrace and her bloodline was purified, her demon heritage should have been activated, not regressed.

Could it be that Coco’s demon bloodline was too low-grade before, causing the horns to regress after the First Embrace?

Hmm… possible.

“Master, is something strange about me?”

Coco asked, confused as Yiluo kept staring at the top of her head.

After thinking for a moment, her expression gradually turned shy.

Could it be… Master wants to touch my ears again?

Uu…! That’s the most sensitive part of a cat-eared tribe girl!

But… outside… in public! What should I do?!

If it were night… in a private room… then… uu… so embarrassing…

Yiluo’s gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally across Coco’s little cat ears.

Coco obviously understood what she thought, but it was the first time Master stared so openly and for so long.

Yiluo was still thinking about the differences between demons and demi-humans when she noticed Coco’s increasingly red face.

She tilted her head, confused, as question marks appeared over her head.

They had been together for nearly twenty days since leaving the Sealed Demon Mountain Range. Was Coco sick because of the First Embrace? Why did her face turn red so easily?

Realizing this, Yiluo became even more worried.

She decided that once they entered Chaldea Academy, she would visit the continent’s largest library and research everything thoroughly so Coco could be treated early if something was wrong.

It was normal for Yiluo not to understand Coco’s feelings—she saw Coco purely as a daughter, never imagining that Coco only wanted… her.

“Coco isn’t strange at all, just too cute.” Yiluo blinked, deciding not to tell Coco her concerns in case it worried her.

But the moment she finished speaking, Coco’s face turned even redder.

She lowered her head shyly and quickly took a few steps to follow closely beside Yiluo, not daring to look at her.

???

As expected, something really is wrong, right?

Her face is even redder, and she won’t look at me—she must be afraid I’ll notice she’s suffering!

Coco is such a strong child. She must be trying to hide her discomfort!

It must be a complication from the First Embrace!

The more Yiluo watched, the more she felt Coco’s current symptoms resembled those during the First Embrace.

She regretted being a negligent parent and looked at Coco with even more distress.

She stretched out her small hand, reached up with effort, and gently stroked the cat ears on Coco’s head.

“Meow!…”

Coco felt Yiluo’s slender, slightly cool fingers brush over her sensitive cat ears.

Her whole body shivered, and she let out a small involuntary sound before quickly suppressing it.

Her heart pounded wildly as waves of tingling and ticklish sensations spread through her entire body from her ears.

She lowered her head even further, pressing her lips together as she struggled to hold back the sounds of pleasure.

Master! Master is actually doing something so shameful! In public! With so many people around!

Uu…!

What do I do?! Master seems to be enjoying touching them!

It feels so good, and I really want her to continue!

But if this keeps going… meow…!

Uu… what should I do!

The more Yiluo saw Coco’s strange reactions, the more convinced she became that something was wrong.

Feeling guilty and distressed, she deliberately didn’t expose Coco for hiding her supposed “illness.”

She planned to talk to her privately tonight and comfort her properly. Her hand stroked even more diligently.

Uuu… Master is getting even more excessive!

What do I do! What do I do! What do I do?!

My legs… I can’t walk properly anymore… my vision is getting blurry…

Meowuu…

Coco’s rationality was melting away.

She was torn apart by conflicting emotions.

She wanted Yiluo to keep going, but doing this in the middle of the street filled her with shame.

Finally, at the brink of disaster, Coco suddenly jumped forward two steps, pointed randomly at a shop, and shouted:

“Meow!!! Master!! I’m hungry! I want to eat!”

Coco already drew a lot of attention.

Her sudden loud shout made every passerby look over.

“Wow, such a cute demi-human! Her face is so red! I’ve never seen a silver-haired cat-eared girl before!”

“Which academy branch is she from? I must find out!”

“Hey hey, that’s not a demi-human, that’s a demon. Didn’t you see which store she’s going into?”

“Huh? Don’t talk nonsense. Even humans and demi-humans visit those kinds of stores.”

“That’s impossible. The Holy Doctrine clearly states that only demons and heretics eat that stuff!”

And then, a person from the Eastern Continent gave him a disdainful look. “Ignorant.”

“You Easterners have no faith! Selfish and godless!”

Yiluo ignored the arguing pedestrians.

She carefully read the shop sign, and a bright red gleam flashed in her eyes.

She couldn’t suppress her excitement and followed Coco inside.