Volume 2, Chapter 30-3 – Mom or President, That Is the Question

“No, wait a second…”

“…Um.”

Stella became flustered and paused briefly.

“Dorothy, what exactly did you mean just now…”

“Oh~”

Remedios raised an eyebrow, drawing out the final note at just the right moment with profound meaning.

“Stella, isn’t the way you play… a little too advanced?”

Miss Book Demon crossed her arms, her eyes gleaming with delight.

“I originally just wanted to ask you to help catch that troublesome ghost… I never imagined you’d actually adopt a daughter right at the scene of the crime.”

Remedios stepped forward and circled the two of them once, sincerely marveling.

“The way you win people over… Hmm… is quite unique.”

“No, listen to me explain…”

“Shh, give me a moment. I still have some questions.”

Remedios raised a finger to her lips, then crouched down in front of Dorothy.

“So… it seems our Miss Ghost was you?”

She squeezed out a kindly smile at Dorothy, struggling to suppress the way its curve threatened to twist from her anticipation at finally satisfying her thirst for knowledge.

“Nice to meet you, little cutie. I’m quite curious about that Girl in the Mirror of yours that can use holy fire. After all, it is an ancient sacred relic of the Holy See. Being able to pull off so many tricks with that thing makes you quite the talent.”

“Since you’ve already taken Stella as your Mom, I’m sure you’ll do your best to cooperate with your older sister here on some fun things from now on, right?”

“Like slicing you open… Ah, no, I mean things like analyzing your magical circuits.”

Dorothy instinctively trembled and subconsciously shrank deeper into Stella’s arms.

“Put away your schemes, Book Demon.” Cheryl dusted off her skirt and staggered over.

“If that’s how you’re putting it. Then she’s my…”

Cheryl gritted her teeth. After some difficult mental preparation, she finally declared with complete confidence.

“…Niece.”

“Although she was pretty ruthless with me just now, if she’s Elder Sister’s… Since she’s a child Stella has acknowledged…”

Cheryl raised her chin and glared at Remedios with an unfriendly look.

“Then I can’t let an outsider mess around with her however she pleases.”

Although Cheryl herself still had no idea what exactly was going on.

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But considering the heartwarming atmosphere between the two of them just now, she tentatively assumed that Stella had done this of her own accord.

She was quite unhappy with Stella’s decision, but as the nominal aunt, how could she let an outsider casually mess around with a child from her own family?

“Oh? So you want a share too?” Remedios narrowed her eyes. “Please. I discovered this research subject first.”

“This is Stella’s family business. Why are you butting in?”

Cheryl refused to yield an inch.

And so, the situation became even more chaotic.

Remedios and Cheryl each argued their own case. One used the guise of being Stella’s best friend to try to research the Girl in the Mirror, while the other used her status as an aunt to stop the former from doing whatever she pleased.

The two of them had somehow accepted with perfect naturalness that Dorothy was Stella’s newly adopted daughter.

After all, in the Abyss, this sort of development was perfectly normal.

Demons lived far too long and were far too bored. Because of that, there was practically nothing they would not do.

Just last week, for example, one student who had been held back a year transformed herself into a slime just to get a diploma, then planted herself outside the Principal’s office and refused to leave, claiming she was Principal Gehenna’s long-lost illegitimate pet.

In the Abyss, morality was like modeling clay. You could knead it into whatever shape you wanted.

Stella, on the other hand, had been completely thrown for a loop.

In the end, she could only turn her pleading gaze toward Dorothy, the culprit who had caused all of this.

“…What did you mean when you called me ‘Mom’ just now?”

“I’m sorry.”

Dorothy’s cheeks flushed slightly.

“Because… you felt kind of like a mom, so I subconsciously… said it out loud… I’m sorry…”

Her voice grew so quiet toward the end that no one could even make out what she was saying.

“…”

Stella opened her mouth, only to discover that she had absolutely nothing to say.

She released Dorothy and tried to explain herself in defense of her innocence.

“I’m not, I didn’t, don’t talk nonsense. Dorothy was just babbling earlier, so don’t take it seriously.”

But the other two were not listening at all.

Remedios had already begun planning out her research schedule on her own, even pulling out a notebook and jotting down her ideas.

Cheryl, meanwhile, was like a mother hen guarding her chick, constantly watching Remedios’ every move while already considering how she ought to teach this bargain-bin niece proper noble etiquette.

The two of them had arranged Stella’s situation perfectly clearly without consulting her at all.

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But Stella refused to accept it. No matter what, she had to straighten this matter out.

She let go of Dorothy, stood up, and prepared to join their argument.

Just then, Stella heard an angry shout from far away.

“Let me see who exactly is tearing down buildings inside the school!”

That voice sounded a little familiar.

It seemed like…

‘Professor Katerina?’

The enormous magical fluctuations, coupled with the holy fire explosion that had nearly blown apart the entire lecture hall, had finally attracted the last person they wanted to see.

“What are all of you doing here?!”

Along with a stern rebuke, Professor Katerina appeared in the doorway.

Several succubus professors followed behind her.

Professor Novina, who taught Spellcraft, Professor Shanoti, who taught Divination, School Administrator Phil… A whole group of faculty members entered the room.

Every one of them had an offensive spell prepared in hand, clearly ready to suppress a riot.

However, the instant the professors saw the state of the lecture hall, they all froze.

Was this… still a classroom?

The floor was covered in pits and dents, the walls looked as though some gigantic beast had gnawed on them, and fixtures still hung precariously from the ceiling…

“Stella!!!”

Katerina’s expression visibly darkened.

As though having a courtyard demolished yesterday by the Blackthorn Guard had not been enough, Gehenna’s supposedly good student had managed to demolish another lecture hall with a hundred years of history after being out of sight for only a short while?

‘The Pale Daughter really knew how to cause trouble for me!’

Why was it always her?

Katerina took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over everyone present like a blade.

“Can someone explain to me what is going on here?”

“We were patrolling the school and trying to capture the ghost that has been attacking students when we noticed the commotion here.” Katerina pointed at the wreckage covering the floor. “Did a ghost attack you? Where is it?”

Dorothy moved.

She released Stella’s clothes, which she had been clutching, and tried to stand up.

If she had done something wrong, then she should take responsibility.

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“It was—”

“There was no such thing.”

Stella suddenly spoke, cutting Dorothy off.

She pressed down on Dorothy’s shoulder and pushed her back behind herself.

Although this child really had done a few bad things recently, if they handed her over now, then given the severity of the ghost incidents, she would definitely be expelled on the spot and might even be sent to that terrifying correctional facility.

After all, Stella herself had planted the cause of all this. She could hardly stand by and watch Dorothy’s entire life be ruined.

Stella decided to hide the matter for now.

She pursed her lips into a smile.

“What ghost could there possibly be…? We were just…”

She got stuck.

Just what?

No matter what excuse she made up, it seemed very difficult to explain why they had needed to blow up the classroom like this.

Dorothy looked at Stella in confusion.

She did not understand why Stella was covering for her.

“If there was no ghost,” Katerina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Then what were you doing here? And why did you cause such a huge commotion?”

Just as Stella was about to run out of things to make up.

“Ahem.”

Remedios suddenly cleared her throat.

As Stella’s good sister, she immediately understood that Stella wanted to protect Dorothy.

Pulling off a deception of this level was nothing difficult for a Book Demon.

Half a truth often made the greatest lie.

Remedios brushed back her long hair and stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Stella.

“Actually… it’s something worth celebrating, Professor,” Remedios said with a smile. “Stella is here… taking Dorothy as her daughter.”

“???”

Katerina was dumbfounded. She was stunned, bewildered, and utterly speechless.

“What?”

‘Taking a daughter? Here?’

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‘What the hell were they doing?!’

“But…” Katerina pointed at the pits and cracks covering the floor, speaking in disbelief. “How do you explain all this destruction? Do you need to demolish a classroom to adopt a daughter?”

“Oh, that…”

Cheryl joined in too.

The eldest daughter of the Valentine family also began spouting nonsense with a perfectly serious expression.

“Dorothy was a little rebellious at first and refused to submit. So…”

Cheryl glanced at Stella, her brows lifting slightly.

“So Stella pinned her to the ground and gave her a vicious beating. As they say, a filial daughter is raised under the rod. It’s a kind of… Mm, education filled with love.”

“Once she was beaten into submission, she accepted it.”

“…”

Professor Katerina became even more confused.

They demolished a classroom just to adopt a daughter?

She hesitantly looked toward Dorothy, who was hiding behind Stella.

“Is… is that what happened?” Katerina asked tentatively.

Dorothy froze for a moment.

She looked at Stella standing protectively in front of her, then at Remedios and Cheryl, who were both lying with perfectly serious expressions.

Although she did not understand why they had to tell this sort of lie, if everyone was trying to protect her…

Dorothy hesitantly nodded.

“Mhm… Yes… Presi… Mom… educated me.”

Katerina: “…”

The assembled professors: “…”

Stella: “…”

Translator Note

Now the adopted daughter become official lmaoo xD