Making a Stupid Move

Gazing at the figure descending before her—a form she, as a player, could recognize with utmost familiarity—Vivian froze for a moment, her thoughts seemingly grinding to a complete halt.

Silver-white hair cascading like moonlight, a face exquisitely crafted as if by divine hands, bearing a faint, familiar smile, and that light, casual tone, as natural as reuniting with an old friend after years apart…

Everything matched the Saintess of Light, Lucia, from her memories without the slightest discrepancy.

“…Lucia? Is it really you?”

Vivian stared at the angel who had descended before her, first falling into a state of stunned rigidity, then almost instinctively asking the question in a trembling voice laced with disbelief.

The immense shock made her momentarily forget where she was, forget their respective positions and identities, leaving only an instinctive surge of emotions—mingled joy and nostalgia—churning in her chest.

However, this brief lapse lasted less than a breath.

Reason rang like an alarm bell in Vivian’s mind, sounding frantically!

She was an 【Angel】!

Summoned through blasphemous means by that damned Holy Son Charles, stripped of all emotions and memories, reduced to a war weapon with nothing but pure purification instincts!

A killing tool belonging to the Rhine Holy Church, harboring absolute hostility toward the Demon Clan!

In the next instant, an even more terrifying thought flashed through Vivian’s mind:

…Will she cut me down with a single strike?!

This was the instinctive notion that popped into Vivian’s head.

But in the very next moment—outside the tent, within Evernight City—an earth-shattering commotion erupted.

“What is that!?”

“Light, light?!”

“Have the Heroes come?!”

“That’s in the direction of the Demon Lord!”

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

“Protect the Demon Lord! Protect the Demon Lord!”

Due to the massive disturbance caused by Lucia’s descent, in the blink of an eye,

the once-calm Evernight City exploded into chaos!

Spreading like a plague, countless demon warriors, after a brief moment of shock,

immediately seized their weapons and surged like a tide toward Vivian’s tent!

The sounds of footsteps, shouts, and clashing armor merged into a cacophony, plunging the entire Evernight City into the highest state of alert in an instant!

“Oh no! This is bad!”

Vivian, hearing the uproar outside and sensing many rushing hurriedly toward her location, immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

Then—she placed her hand on the ring.

“Wait, what are you doing!?”

Lucia cried out in alarm, but before she could say more,

Vivian removed the ring she was wearing.

“Bang—”

In the next moment, the angel Lucia before Vivian burst like a pricked bubble of light.

Her angelic form abruptly disintegrated, turning into countless fine golden particles of light that flickered like fireflies in the air for a brief instant before vanishing completely without a trace.

As if she had never appeared at all.

And mere seconds after Lucia disappeared, Aria, Luna,

and Lucia burst into the tent, leading a large group of panicked, fully armed demon warriors—

“D-Demon Lord! Are you alright?!”

Upon rushing in, everyone frantically asked in unison. The little succubus Luna was even clutching a black frying pan tightly in her hands

—then they all exchanged bewildered glances with Vivian, who was feigning composure.

“Waa—wah!”

Luna, who had been sleeping soundly, was unsurprisingly awakened by the sudden clamor—

the tiny Luna, having never suffered such grievance, wore a frightened and wronged expression, tears glistening on her little face. Her mouth quivered in distress and fear, and in an instant, earth-shaking cries filled the entire tent.

“Ahem… It’s nothing, just a small experiment of mine. I disturbed everyone.”

Vivian gave a light cough to mask her embarrassment, then turned to pick up Luna, coaxing her back to sleep while addressing the crowd. “Alright, there’s nothing to worry about. Go back to your duties—Luna, stay behind. Everyone else may leave.”

“Yes, Demon Lord.”

The group that had rushed in exchanged glances, looking at the empty tent and the Demon Lord, who showed no abnormalities aside from the crying Luna.

Though filled with doubts, seeing that Vivian seemed unwilling to elaborate, they could only let out skeptical sighs of relief, sheathe their weapons, cancel the combat alert, and disperse one by one, leaving only Luna behind—and upon seeing the situation, the little succubus hurriedly stowed away her frying pan.

“So… it was just an experiment…”

“You scared me to death…”

“Good thing it’s nothing, good thing it’s nothing…”

As the crowd departed, the tent soon contained only Vivian and the other two.

‘I was careless. How could I make such a stupid mistake?’

Once everyone had left, Vivian, while soothing her daughter, silently sighed in her heart.

How could she still be so foolish? No matter how she thought about it, this was not something to do here.

‘I must have been possessed.’

Vivian muttered, and only after a long while did she finally coax Luna back to sleep.

“Um… Demon Lord?”

After Vivian had settled her daughter back to sleep, the little succubus Luna tilted her head curiously, looking at Vivian and cautiously asking,

“May I ask why you wanted me to stay…?”

“…Please watch Luna for a bit. I need to step out. I’ll be back soon.”

Vivian paused, then instructed Luna.

“I-I understand!”

Luna nodded, and with that, Vivian took the ornament and ring,

leaving the tent, leaving Evernight City, and arriving at a remote wilderness.

With no one around and a considerable distance from Evernight City, Vivian finally exhaled a turbid breath and took out the ring and ornament once more.

After pondering for a moment and recalling Lucia’s behavior when she appeared, she took a deep breath.

Vivian felt that it truly was the Lucia she knew, not merely a simple war weapon—and earlier, when wearing the ring, aside from a slight loss of mana, there seemed to be no other side effects.

After a moment of hesitation, Vivian steeled her resolve and put on the ring again.

“Whoosh—”

As if a gentle breeze had passed, with white feathers materializing in the void and drifting to the ground, the 【Angel】 Lucia appeared before Vivian once more—only this time, without the dazzling beam of light, it was much calmer.

“What are you doing! Taking off the ring so suddenly!”

The reappearing Lucia was clearly full of grievances. She landed in front of Vivian, frowning slightly, looking at her with a hint of dissatisfaction as she asked.

“…The environment wasn’t suitable back then.”

Vivian gazed at the Lucia before her, unable to help feeling astonished—

She was really alive? Just in a different form!