Chapter 128: She seems like a good unni.

“She seems like a good unni.”

Luella, who had been listening by the door, murmured briefly.

A faint sense of guilt flashed through the eyes of the young girl who had overheard their entire conversation. She hadn’t expected her to say something like that for a complete stranger.

[Naïve pushover.]

She corrected Luella’s words in her mind. The voice that echoed inside her head was certainly not human.

“Yeah, she does seem unnecessarily kind.”

A faint sense of guilt. But that was all.

[Do you know how much I suffered because of that damn personality?]

As the girl hesitated, the voice whispered to her gently.

[But it’s okay now. You’re going to help me, aren’t you?]

“Yeah.”

She had known for a long time that this being was far from good, but Luella had no regrets.

It had saved her from barely clinging to life by eating nothing but insects. It had given her the taste of real food once again. It had gifted her a life where she no longer needed to run.

Most importantly, it had given her power for revenge. She had learned that her missing mother’s death had been a murder, and it had given her the strength to punish the killer with her own hands.

***

Even if she could turn back time, Luella would have made the same choice.

“I’ll do whatever you ask.”

At the girl’s response, the demon smiled so wide it looked like its mouth would tear open.

“From now on, you’re going to sleep here with me.”

The girl, who had introduced herself as Luella, widened her eyes in surprise as she looked around the room.

It was the room she had lived in all this time. It wasn’t spacious, but it was sufficient for two people to share.

Honestly, she had wanted to give Luella a proper room where she could rest comfortably, but with no spare rooms available, there was no other choice.

Grandma Miranda’s room was a little bigger, but she didn’t want to impose on her any further, so in the end, they decided to share her own room.

After all, there was no way she could let a young child sleep in the kitchen.

“Unni… we’re going to sleep together?”

Luella asked cautiously, gauging her reaction. Internally, she might have been uncomfortable with it.

She was a child who had wandered outside alone all her life. It must have been difficult to suddenly share a room with a stranger.

“Yeah. It might be a little cramped, but don’t worry too much. The bed is all yours, Luella.”

She smiled softly to reassure her and gently patted her head.

She hadn’t expected all those hours practicing smiles in front of the mirror to come in handy like this.

“Then… what about unni?”

That term—unni. It felt unfamiliar.

She had never been called that before in her entire life, so it felt even more awkward.

Somehow, it made her feel like she had truly become a woman.

Of course, she had long since accepted that she was now female…

But even so, there were still remnants of her past self as a man lingering in her mind. Being called unni made it feel as if even those last traces were fading away.

Still, if Luella wanted to call her that, there was nothing she could do about it.

“Unni will sleep on the floor. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable, so don’t worry.”

Since they didn’t have an extra blanket, she made a mental note to stop by the marketplace after finishing her errands tomorrow.

“A-Ah, no…!”

For the first time since entering the house, Luella raised her voice.

“Hm?”

“I—I don’t want unni to be uncomfortable because of me. Unni should sleep in the bed!”

“No, it’s fine. I can sleep on the floor.”

In her past life, she had slept on the floor every day. Sometimes, she even found it more comfortable.

“No! If unni sleeps on the floor… then I will too!”

But the child’s determination was firm.

Luella’s voice carried an unshakable resolve—she absolutely would not allow her to sleep on the floor.

She was such a kind child.

What had this child done to deserve such a cruel fate from the heavens?

If only she could bear some of this child’s burdens in her place.

“Then… Luella, shall we sleep in the bed together?”

The bed wasn’t very large, but with Luella’s small frame, sharing it shouldn’t be too difficult.

It might be an issue once she grew a little bigger, but who knew if she would still be here by then? That was a problem for another time.

“Okay.”

Thankfully, Luella accepted her proposal.

Seeing her shyly nodding her head, I couldn’t help but think she was adorable.

“Alright, shall we go wash up first?”

Following Grandma Miranda’s advice, I decided to wash off the dampness from Luella’s body first.

“Um… Can’t I wash by myself?”

“No.”

There were still many places she wouldn’t be able to reach. She might be able to do it alone later, but for now, it would be better if I carefully washed her myself.

“You saw that scary grandma earlier, right? If you don’t wash properly, that witch-like grandma might come and take you away.”

I decided to use Grandma Miranda to my advantage.

With her large frame and stern expression, she was the perfect figure to scare a child. It seemed to be quite effective, as Luella turned pale and trembled at the mention of her name.

“O-okay…”

I immediately took her hand and led her to the bathroom.

Thanks to her small, frail frame, it didn’t take long to wash her.

Every time I noticed the tiny scars etched across her body, my chest tightened with pain. I tried my best not to show it as I carefully lathered her body with soap.

“See? Doesn’t it smell nice, Luella?”

Since there were no spare clothes for a child, I had her wear my white shirt instead.

Luella curiously buried her nose in the fabric and sniffed, seemingly fascinated by the fragrance now lingering on her.

That sight was rather endearing.

Now clean and fresh, Luella looked quite lovely.

Before, her dirtied and exhausted appearance had obscured her features, but now I could see that she was a girl with distinct and delicate features.

Her clear face was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but think she would attract many admiring gazes once she grew a little older.

“…Haaahm.”

Luella let out a small yawn, showing signs of fatigue. Having eaten and taken a bath, it was only natural that she felt drowsy.

“Tomorrow, we have somewhere to go together, so let’s get to bed early tonight.”

“Where are we going…?”

A flicker of unease passed through Luella’s eyes. Was she afraid she was going to be sold off somewhere?

“I have someone I need to meet.”

Grandma Miranda had told me to get my mother’s permission. Since it was already late, I planned to visit her first thing in the morning.

My kind mother would surely allow it.

Besides, Luella was such a lovable child—there was no way my mother wouldn’t take a liking to her.

“I’ll only… follow you.”

Luella clung tightly to the hem of my clothes.

It was a timid but desperate gesture.

I didn’t expect a child with a painful past to recover overnight. But a hope had taken root in me—that with time, she would gradually heal.

***

“I’m sleepy…”

“Fufu, let’s sleep then.”

With a faint expectation and hope that happiness would find its way to this child, I gently held Luella’s small fingers and closed my eyes.

In the deep darkness of the room, only the quiet sound of a woman’s breathing could be heard.

“…Sister, are you asleep?”

Luella cautiously called out to the woman lying before her.

There was no response.

Someone who had shown her boundless kindness despite having just met her today. A truly foolishly kind person.

“Being too kind isn’t always a good thing, Sister.”

The world wasn’t a place where one could survive on goodwill alone.

Her years as a war orphan had made that truth painfully clear.

[Hehe, you’re completely asleep now, Tina.]

A familiar voice whispered in her mind. At those words, Luella blankly stared at the sleeping Tina.

The long, delicate eyelashes of the woman in deep slumber cast soft shadows over her eyes.

Her white and delicate skin was so pure and pristine that it seemed as if even a fairy from a distant land couldn’t look any more ethereal.

[Luella.]

Luella reached out into the surrounding darkness that swayed and flickered around her. Her body trembled softly a few times, and soon, a faint image of a small cross appeared over her clear eyes.

She exuded an atmosphere entirely different from before. With a deep smile playing at her lips, Luella gently brushed aside Tina’s hair.

“I told you. You can never escape from me.”

Her fingertips lightly grazed Tina’s face, tickling her skin before pressing gently against her cheek. Then, they slowly traced down along the curve of her neck.

At the point where her fingers touched, a necklace adorned with a white gemstone rested.

But the moment her fingertips made contact with the necklace—

A burst of pure white light exploded outward, surging violently toward Luella.

“Tch.”

Just before the light engulfed her, black smoke rose from Luella’s body and scattered. In the next instant, her eyes returned to their original warm brown hue.

The sacred light clashed against her, but nothing happened.

“Huh?”

As the girl blinked in confusion, the demon spoke once more.

[Sorry, but could you give my body back?]

“Ugh.”

Like flipping a switch, the girl’s expression shifted again. The timid and hesitant demeanor vanished entirely, replaced by a look steeped in irritation.

“Hah, you just won’t stop being a nuisance, will you?”

Luella slowly lowered her gaze to the collar around Tina’s neck. It was excessively infused with divine energy—inefficient and crude to the extreme.

But because of the sheer, brute-force way the holy power had been imbued, it wouldn’t be easy to remove.

“I could break it if I really wanted to…”

But she couldn’t afford to waste her power recklessly.

She had to save enough strength to take Tina’s soul back to hell—there was no telling what kind of obstacles might arise.

Luella hesitated for a moment, gazing down at Tina’s sleeping face.

Even just the sight of her, breathing so softly as she lay there, felt like an invitation—a temptation.

To bring Tina to hell, her soul had to be drenched in darkness.

She had confirmed its corruption before, but now… she wasn’t so sure.

“How should I make her mine again…?”

That wretched collar made it impossible to use her full power. And yet, she didn’t want to resort to causing pain.

In her past life, it had been easy—Tina’s so-called ‘mother’ had abused her, making the corruption effortless. But now, the people around Tina were nothing like that.

“…But corruption doesn’t have to come from sin alone, does it?”

With a chilling smile on her lips,

The girl slowly reached out toward Tina.