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I had to admit: Ferti’nier was a dastardly she-devil. And even though I couldn’t see her face physically, I could definitely picture that devilish smile she had on right now as she said, “you know what, let’s just take it all.”

‘All of it?! Are you sure it’s okay… it is her own treasure room after all…’

Unlike my reticence however, Ferti’nier was even more assertive than ever as she immediately cut me off, “you’re the godson of Lolthe, their entire race’s master. If there’s anything you want, you can just take it, none of them would dare say a word.”

So what she’s saying is that it’s their honor to be robbed by me then…

‘Well, you do make sense and all… but… how about this, taking it all sounds a little crass, I’ll just take half of it…’

My conversation with Ferti’nier was completely shut off from the outside world. Naturally, that also meant that Paliseth had no way of knowing that we were currently discussing how to rob her blind. Yet just as I was mulling over how much to rob her of, Paliseth suddenly said something that I would have never expected to come out of her mouth, at least not in that order anyway. “Jez, if there’s anything you want, you can just take it. Once you take over the Shadowhunter Clan, it’s all going to be yours anyway.”

Is this her way of leaving a will behind? But wait… according to their Dark Elf lifespan, she should still be in her prime.

So those words were meant for me then…

Paliseth’s casual appointment of her successor came as an even greater shock to Jezsere who was hungrily eyeing a particularly elegant mage robe. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect her mother, Paliseth, to ever say that to her. After all, her personality wasn’t suited to Dark Elf society, let alone leadership. By handing over the reins to someone timid like her, Paliseth was basically pushing their entire clan down the proverbial spider cliff.

“Err? Ummm? Huh?”

Besides this news was too much of a shock for the poor girl, her brain short circuited itself to protect her from any further harm. No matter how much she tried to express herself, anything that came out right now was a garbled mess. Her recently recovered legs promptly slumped to the floor as well, and back into my embrace once more… I guess she can’t even speak anymore. Hold on, she’s fainted?! Did the excitement of becoming Matriarch get to her? Or maybe she’s just scared…

“I think she’s out cold?”

Just like that, Jezsere was knocked out for the time being. Honestly, I could totally understand her anxiety, given how timid she usually was. At this point, I didn’t even have any words left for that timidness of hers. Yet it was that very personality that made me want to protect her even more.

The problem now was that she couldn’t protect herself. Should she ever become a Matriarch, those in her clan would undoubtedly try to drag her off that throne because of that meek personality of hers.

For an Occultist that gets bullied even by the Imps she summons to suddenly become the head of the Shadowhunter Clan… now that’s just wrong…

“Sigh… Jezsere’s personality is just too…” Paliseth’s eyes had a mix of affection and disappointment as she stared at her unconscious daughter. However, this bit of tenderness would be forever lost on the poor girl.

I could tell that the affection in her eyes wasn’t false. As a Devil, deception was like second nature to us, that meant trying to deceive us was basically impossible as well. Especially when the other party wasn’t guarding against me.

“You seem to love her, but I also heard that you wanted to send her off to Arachne Cavern as well…” I pulled up a nearby treasure chest to sit on then laid Jezsere on my lap in a more comfortable position. “Honestly, I don’t get you.”

Rather than saying that Paliseth really loved her, I was more inclined to believe that she changed her attitude because of the affection I showed towards Jezsere first. The love she showed right now was probably real, but it was also laced with a tinge of materialism.

At least… that was how I interpreted the situation.

“Your holiness, I see my children enjoy a good relationship with your esteemed self. I’m sure your holiness would know of my past then…” Paliseth first nodded at me then proceeded to explain.

“I had always intended to transfer the seat of Matriarch to Jezsere. Reyage and her are the two children I love the most after all. But I also know that Jezsere’s personality isn’t suited to living in Dark Elf Society. Reyage isn’t a bad choice, but customs dictate that a male can’t take over the position of clan leader. In that case, there’s only Jezsere left since she’s…”

She cut off at that point. I could see the maelstrom of emotions swirling about in her eyes right now. There was that pure love you would expect from a young girl experiencing her first love, but that uncharacteristic emotion quickly faded. For most part, there was only hatred and resentment swirling about now.

She smiled, but it wasn’t the usual alluring smile she had on. Instead, it was a serene smile that wouldn’t feel out of place at all within a barren white room with nothing but a table and a glass of water inside it. It was a desolate but unforgettable sight.

“I don’t know what you have in mind, but have you thought about the consequences once she takes up that position?”

Even I didn’t dare consider that scenario right now. The Dark Elves were a cruel race that would much rather grind up your bones and feed the mushrooms than let any part of your corpse go to waste. Letting Jezsere take up leadership of such a clan was akin to throwing a little white bunny into a den of starving wolves.

A timid girl like her would immediately get torn to shreds… even before she could summon up an Imp to bully her… exactly what was she even capable of on her own? A girl like her was more suited to lying in my protective embrace. All that nonsense about being clan leader was unnecessary. Unless, of course, we were talking about being the clan leader of the Wood Elves. That might be possible.

“I’m not sure where you got this idea from but I need to remind you of something, she isn’t suited for it. I’m even considering whether or not to take her away.” When it came to her safety, I spared no effort at all. “It’s just too dangerous for her to stay here.”

Even though Paliseth was still her mother, but when had this mother of hers ever done anything good for her? For her sake, I had to stop this madness.

“Your holiness, please let me explain…” Paliseth had seen the determination in my eyes and was anxious to explain her decision. “I am serious about letting her succeed me – this isn’t a joke or an attempt at harming her…”

“Then explain the Arachne Cavern…” A mother who was callous enough to throw her own daughter into that depravity definitely didn’t sound like a person who knew the meaning of motherly love.

Hmph, I still think you have some ulterior motives here.

“I was just trying to scare her a little…” Paliseth sighed and gave me a resigned look as if the entire world didn’t understand her brand of concern at all. “Why would I ever truly consider throwing my own daughter into Arachne Cavern… I had them spread that rumor on purpose.”

“Alright. Where’s your proof? What’s your motive?” To be honest, there was a part of me that really believed what she was saying, but there was always that possibility that she was just buttering me up.

“I’m sure you already know what kind of personality Jezsere has. In order to fix that, I had the other Dark Elves spread the rumor that she was going to be thrown into Arachne Cavern. At the same time as that, I had already prepared a trial for her to complete. It was a really simple trial that even she could complete. Unfortunately, that plan never came to fruition…”

“You mean when she ended up running away from home because of your rumors?”

“That’s right. It wasn’t just her who ran away as well. My son, Reyage, did as well…” Having said that, I saw her smile slightly. “Jezsere’s decision came as a surprise to me. That was a level of initiative I had never seen in her before…”

You have to be the first mom in the world who would feel happy about her children running away from her… I swear, this world is abnormal. However, I guess this series of actions really suited her personality. For a timid to the extreme girl like her, she was more likely to run away when pushed to her limits than try and resist. I bet Reyage had a lot to do with her making this decision as well.

“Hmm… but that doesn’t sound like Jezsere at all. Are you sure it wasn’t her brother who made her do this?”

“No. Reyage definitely wanted to take her away, but it was Jezsere who first brought up this idea.” At that point, she gave me the ‘I know my own daughter better than you’ look.

“When Reyage went to find her, he never even got the chance to speak before she suddenly asked him to help her escape. When I heard that, I was truly shocked. I had never seen this assertive side of her before… I still remember every word of that exchange till this day.”

“Hold on, how do you even know what they said?”

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If you liked my work translating Devil’s Evolution Catalog, feel free to check out Song of Adolescence. Also, every comment is appreciated even though I might not reply. I do read them.