Chapter 56: It’s All to Save the World

“Tina?”

The moment Gabriella saw the two of them, her mind went BUZZ.

Especially when she saw Tina.

Gabriella still clearly remembered: back then, in order to show Tina her “fallen” side, she had accidentally awakened the Evil God’s memories.

Far from having the intended effect, it had instead caused Tina to accept the power of shadow!!

Gabriella found it a little hard to stomach; this had seriously disrupted her plans.

Now, extracting the shadow from Tina’s body was practically impossible.

Tina had originally been a “human-shaped weapon” remade by the Holy Queen and fused with a divine artifact. 

On top of that, the Adjudicator had always been her weapon, containing much of her own power. 

Since Gabriella had now accepted shadow, Tina would accept it too.

At this moment, Elsa was also standing beside her, gazing at Gabriella with eyes full of expectation.

“Big sister… just now, were you…?” 

Elsa’s sense of smell was sharp; she seemed to have already caught the scent of the Demon King on her!

Seeing Elsa in her current state, Gabriella still felt a pang of heartache.

If she, as the elder sister, hadn’t been so negligent toward her little sister, Elsa would never have had to endure the pain of the curse.

Now she had accepted the demons’ 【Gift】, grown horns, and gained demonic eyes just like Gabriella.

All she could do was pray they would obtain a curse-purifying item next time.

Yet that guilt toward her little sister vanished in an instant!

“Big sister… what does it feel like to be caressed by the Demon King?”

“There was no such thing!” 

Gabriella’s face turned crimson in a flash. What on earth was this idiot little sister saying?!

Could it be that her stupid sister had already been corrupted by the demons and now fully obeyed them?!

It was certainly possible.

After all, not everyone could endure countless caresses and still retain their human nature like she could.

“I see.” 

A mischievous glint flickered in Elsa’s eyes. 

She tilted her head and gave a gentle, utterly adorable smile—just like any other little demon maid.

Gabriella was utterly helpless.

As for Tina, she truly didn’t know what to do with her.

The good news was that Tina didn’t seem to have realized what she and the Demon King had just done…?

But this idiot Tina had actually dared to step forward and block her when the Evil God was in control. 

Did she not understand the enormous gap between herself and the Evil God?

There was already a considerable difference between Tina and Gabriella herself—yet she had charged straight at both a controlled Gabriella and the Evil God at the same time?

“Haa…”

Gabriella pinched the bridge of her nose.

Tina, meanwhile, was timidly watching her, Elsa’s earlier words echoing in her mind.

Lady Gabriella will help me?

She had always believed Lady Gabriella was being controlled, yet the reaction just now felt exactly like the old days. 

The expression and rationality in her eyes had clearly not vanished. 

And Grand Commander Elsa had even greeted her proactively?!

Did that mean the current Lady Gabriella was not under control?

A shadow passed through Tina’s eyes. 

She knew about the Evil Tree; a war between demons and humans was imminent.

She no longer had time to keep waiting.

“Lady Gabriella… I—I have a request.”

“Nn?”

“Let’s talk in the tea room first.” 

Tina lowered her head as she spoke, as though she had some unspeakable trouble.

Of course Gabriella understood Tina’s predicament. 

She had acted on impulse and been tainted by the Evil God’s power; now she was surely being influenced by the Evil God to some degree, right?

But then Gabriella suddenly remembered: the Adjudicator used to be an enormous bow.

And that enormous bow required charging.

With that question in mind, Gabriella walked to the tea room.

The so-called tea room was actually a lounge built specifically for Isabella inside the residential palace.

However…

The current Isabella rarely rested in the tea room.

She usually rested directly in the bedroom, with Gabriella accompanying her.

As a result, the tea room had become a three-story lounge exclusive to the maids. 

Because the space was large, many tables and chairs had been set up. 

A magical kettle could be heated by fire-attribute magic crystals hidden beneath the counter, making it as convenient as an electric kettle from another world.

After pouring some tea leaves, Gabriella filled both their cups and began discussing the issue on their minds.

“Um… Lady Gabriella, it’s just that…”

Tina’s voice faltered. 

Elsa watched her with an amused expression. 

The two of them seemed to have reached some kind of mutual understanding and were actually getting along rather well?

“Soon, the demons and humans will go to war, won’t they?”

“Mm.”

“What does Lady Gabriella think?”

Gabriella nodded, sipping her tea as she listened. 

It didn’t sound like a particularly heartwarming topic.

She looked straight into Tina’s eyes and said earnestly, “Actually, I don’t really want the war to continue.”

“Really?”

A gleam appeared in Tina’s eyes; her expression went slightly blank. 

It was an innate flaw—she could be ice-cold and unapproachable one moment, then look clumsy and slow the next.

But it seemed she had just confirmed something.

Yet Gabriella quickly realized Tina had definitely misunderstood!

“Lady Gabriella, you’re alright! I thought you were being controlled.”

Well, it was only natural for her to think that.

After all, Gabriella was only pretending to have fallen. 

At this point, Tina had already been tainted by darkness. 

If the issue wasn’t resolved, her maid contract might turn into a “permanent contract”!

Gabriella really wanted to take the chance to send both her and her little sister away.

But then she remembered what Isabella had said about the Evil Tree.

Which meant war was coming.

Yet both Elsa and Tina, these two “great generals,” had defected like idiots. 

That touched a sensitive nerve for both demons and humans, so Gabriella most likely wouldn’t let them onto the battlefield.

At this point, Gabriella decided to lay her cards on the table.

“Tina, I’m still perfectly clear-headed.”

“But then… why is Lady Gabriella serving the demons? Even if you’ve broken free of control, right now…”

Gabriella was speechless. 

So she did know what she and the Demon King had just done?!

But Gabriella already had the perfect answer prepared in her heart.

“Tina~ Actually, the reason I’m staying here isn’t because I’ve truly submitted to the Demon King. I’m not under her control at all.”

“Mm!” 

Tina clenched her fists, leaned forward, and looked at her with eyes full of expectation.

“The Evil God is about to awaken… and the Evil God… has fallen in love.” 

Gabriella deliberately put on an expression of great difficulty.

“I originally wanted to resist Master Evil God too, but~ in the end I realized that if I don’t stay, if I make her angry, the world will be destroyed.”

“Save… the world?”

Tina lowered her head. Combining what Lady Gabriella had just said with everything, she recalled her own suspicions and doubts.

Only now did she understand how shallow she had been.

Running away blindly would only create more and more problems.

Only by facing fear head-on like Lady Gabriella could difficulties truly be resolved!

“I understand now. So this is what Lady Gabriella has been carrying all along… I get it.”

Tina looked at Gabriella with resolute eyes.

“Then… I won’t leave either.”

“I’ll stay with Lady Gabriella and save the world together!”