And then, in the very next moment.
The curtain in the backyard was slowly pulled aside.
And there, emerging from the backyard, was a baby with an entirely rosy complexion, yawning and half-asleep.
(っ ? -?)
Its fuzzy little ears hung limply, looking drowsy and vague.
Soft pink, fuzzy, utterly adorable.
The female ghost’s expression froze instantly—like a statue, completely immobile.
"……"
An eerie silence spread unchecked all around.
"Who is she?" the female ghost asked blankly.
Lynn coughed and replied seriously, "She's the baby that the Pig-Head Demon spawned yesterday. Isn’t she just adorable?"
Bzzz—
The female ghost’s gaze went vacant.
Almost on instinct, she extended a long, sinewy tendril from her body, slowly reaching toward the little girl. Once it got close enough, she swiftly severed the tip of the tendril.
With a soft thud as it hit the ground, the tendril, like a tiny snake, slithered up the little girl's leg and almost effortlessly merged into her.
A perfect fusion.
Not a hint of rejection.
The female ghost shuddered, her eyes glazing over further. Because this meant that the adorable, beast-eared little cutie before her was nothing but a fragment that had once fallen out of her own body a month ago.
In other words,
she was her own daughter.
But what a joke that was!
She trembled.
Because under normal circumstances, the malicious fragment that fell from her would, even if it reformed, have twisted into a grotesque monster—a chaotic, ruinous evil spirit born of malevolence and malice!
Slaughter! Malice! Resentment! Evil!
Yet, somehow, this little child seemed completely divorced from any sense of wicked corruption!
Lynn glanced at the expressionless, nearly unresponsive female ghost and quietly asked,
"System, explain."
[Ding! The Evil Spirit Blood Infant has completed its preliminary formation. In accordance with the host’s previous settings, it has adjusted to a proper outlook on life and values. The Evil Spirit Blood Infant is now in its infancy.]
Before Lynn’s eyes, an introduction for the Evil Spirit Blood Infant appeared:
[Evil Spirit Blood Infant (Infancy)]
[Level: 10]
[Attribute: Chaotically Kind]
[Description: Originally, an infantile evil spirit born of malice and hatred, but due to someone’s interference, its development has taken a turn, and it now seems not nearly as twisted and depraved as one might expect…]
[Current Taming Level: 351]
[Current Fear Level: 591]
Lynn: "……"
"Attention!"
In an instant, the little girl who had been ambling about drowsily snapped to attention as if by reflex.
Tap-tap—
Her two little feet came together, her body straightened, and she fixed her wide, innocent eyes straight ahead—standing at perfect attention.
"Turn left!"
Immediately, the baby turned, standing upright and facing Lynn with a bewildered expression that screamed, "⊙﹏⊙."
Even her little tail behind her was wagging furiously.
Clearly, the pre-formation psychological imprint and taming level had been indelibly imprinted.
Lynn: "……"
[So... so obedient…]
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[It seems the taming level is maxed out.]
[This is not good…]
The female ghost stared blankly at the scene, feeling as though her entire worldview was collapsing.
Lynn walked over, scooped up the little girl, and held her before the female ghost, saying earnestly,
"Ma'am, she really is a very healthy daughter. If you’re sure that this is your child, you can adopt her from me at any time."
Then, Lynn gently pinched the baby’s soft, glutinous cheek and said,
"Little one, call me Mommy."
"Mommy."
The little girl blinked, as if she too sensed that strange, inexplicable connection between her and the female ghost before her.
She leaned in.
Slurp—
She stuck out her tongue and gave the ghost a little lick on the cheek, leaving behind a small wet patch.
Female Ghost: "!!!"
[SAN -10]
[SAN -10]
"Impossible! She can’t possibly be my daughter…"
She murmured hollowly, feeling as though her entire worldview and outlook on life were being utterly upended.
Because she was an aggregation of evil spirits—a deformed entity twisted from countless shards of malice and hatred!
A daughter reformed from a fragment of her own essence should, by all logic, be even more twisted and monstrous!
She shook, coming back to herself, and stared into the baby’s eyes.
Crack—
She felt something within her shatter.
Purity…
She could see purity reflected in those eyes!
Purity in the eyes of an evil spirit—this was a quality that no normal denizen of darkness should possess!
"It must be just a disguise!"
She muttered to herself, rationalizing, "Just like I can often transform into a very beautiful woman to lure in my prey—yes, it has to be like that!
Beneath this pure exterior, there must be an evil, twisted soul lurking!"
She reasoned desperately with herself.
Slurp—
The little girl, tiptoeing, left another wet mark on her face, her eyes filled with sweetness.
Clearly, she too had sensed the intimate bond between herself and the ghost before her.
The little girl raised her head and pressed her forehead affectionately against the ghost’s, as if saying, "Yada—"
Bzzz—
The female ghost went blank; all the recognition she’d painstakingly built up earlier shattered into pieces with a crisp snap.
[SAN -10]
[SAN -10]
"This can’t be..."
The female ghost stuttered,
"Under normal circumstances, a fragment of evil that falls from me should reform into something twisted. How… how could it possibly..."
Suddenly, she whirled around, her venomous, furious gaze locking onto Lynn.
Countless tendrils lashed out, pointing directly at him.
"Did you do this?!"
[Ding! Crisis Level 91]
Just as she was about to strike,
Lynn glared and decisively lifted the adorable ghost baby he held close.
In an instant, the female ghost’s eyes were once again completely fixated on that adorable, wobbling cutie.
Slurp—
The ghost baby stuck out its tongue and licked the tip of one of her tendrils.
"Yada~~"
[Ding! Crisis Level 71]
[Ding! Crisis Level 61]
[Ding! Crisis Level 51]
"Ah—ah—"
The female ghost let out a shriek, clutching her head, on the verge of complete collapse.
"Impossible! She cannot be my daughter! Absolutely not!"
This overwhelming sense of collapse was something beyond the comprehension of ordinary beings.
It was as if a soul, which considered itself hideously ugly and filthy, bore a child endowed with pure, kind, and beautiful qualities—a notion utterly unacceptable for a grotesque evil spirit!
[Ding! Host Triggered Quest: Evil Spirit Mother]
[Quest Description: Convince the target to accept the fact that the Blood Infant is their daughter, while simultaneously eliminating the target’s malice toward the host.]
[Quest Rewards: Skeleton Coins x300, Base EXP +100, Blood-clad Evil Spirit Affinity +50]
Lynn: "???"
This system really has a knack for shoving all sorts of bizarre quests in your path!
But if there was any way to make this evil spirit relinquish her malice toward him, it had to start with the child.
Clearing his throat and adjusting his monocle, Lynn said in a measured tone,
"Miss, please calm down. Since you've come to me looking for your child, it’s clear you care deeply about her. In that case…"
Lynn cradled the little one in his arms.
"Seeing such a cute and healthy daughter, shouldn’t you feel happy?"
Lynn hesitated.
The female ghost let out a bitter, angry laugh and, forcing down her rage, retorted,
"Heh, then tell me, if you saw your own child grow up into something ghost-like, would you be happy?"
Lynn paused, "Shouldn’t I be?"
"……"
"……"