Her crimson, dead-fish eyes showed three parts grievance, three parts fragility, and four parts perfectly calculated terror.
“Morona is just a newborn magical beast whose combat strength is only at the Novice Rank, but Big Sister is not only a powerful vassal, but also the First Lieutenant whom Master highly values... Sob, how could Morona ever dare to threaten you? Could it be... because Morona is too stupid that Big Sister hated me the moment I was born?”
“Huh?! F-First Lieutenant...”
Xiaomi, who had been on the verge of flying into a rage, instantly lost all her anger the moment she heard those words.
Wait.
What did this girl... just call me?
First Lieutenant? Highly valued?!
“Hmph, hehe...”
Xiaomi's cute face flushed red, and her small hands twisted together, unsure of where to put themselves. Even the Bee Needle she had just manifested honestly went soft and limp.
“O-Of course! I am the very first vassal to follow Master! Who else could possibly hold the position of First Lieutenant besides me? I suppose you have a decent eye for a newcomer... But! That still doesn't excuse your disrespect from earlier!”
This idiot's tail went straight into the air after just a single compliment!
Watching quietly from the side, Qimeng facepalmed and sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Morona, who was still clinging to Qimeng's leg, let slip a hidden, devilish smirk.
She took the bait. This winged, single-celled microorganism is so incredibly stupid she doesn't even deserve to be my rival.
“In that case, Big Sister surely won't mind if Morona stays to serve Master in the future, right?”
Morona struck while the iron was hot, putting on a sweet, high-pitched voice to deliver the killing blow.
“All the heavy lifting and menial chores in the territory can be left to Morona. Big Sister is so noble; you only need to supervise Morona every day and drink tea with Master, right? After all, Morona loves seeing Big Sister looking so majestic and imposing~”
“Eh? R-Really?”
Xiaomi's eyes lit up. She began to fantasize about wearing a supervisor's hat, crossing her legs, sipping honey water, and majestically ordering Morona around.
“Hmph, since you've put it that way, I'm not an unreasonable bee. As long as you behave yourself from now on, I might consider putting in a good word for you in front of Master...”
“Alright, that's enough, you two.”
Seeing her initial vassal get so thoroughly brainwashed by the newcomer green tea mushroom that she couldn't even tell north from south, Qimeng reached out and pressed down on both of their heads.
“Xiaomi, wipe that stupid grin off your face. And Morona, if you use that nauseatingly fake, flattering tone again, I will cut off all your mana nutrients. Understood?”
“Ugh!” both of them whined simultaneously.
The two lolis let out a pitiful cry at the same time.
Morona smacked her lips, while Xiaomi only realized after the fact—had she just been played by this manipulative newcomer mushroom again?!
After shooing away the two bickering troublemakers, Qimeng finally got her wish and collapsed onto her throne inside the Tree Court pavilion.
She called over Dameng and Xiaomeng.
Xiaomeng thoughtfully handed her a glass of iced cola, then set up a barbecue grill nearby, sprinkling various secret seasonings over the food.
Dameng climbed onto her shoulders, massaging her neck and shoulders with just the right amount of pressure.
“Ah... as expected, there's nothing like your own territory. I wouldn't trade this comfortable life even for an imperial throne!”
However, before she could enjoy it for long, the two troublemakers started bickering again.
Through her underground root perception network, the bizarre, competitive bickering of her two vassals drifted in from outside.
“Hmph. A microorganism is just a microorganism; you don't understand that blood is thicker than water.”
Morona's dead-fish eyes squinted at Xiaomi, brimming with arrogance.
“This deity evolved by drinking Master's Demon Tree blood. In other words, there is an incredibly close blood bond between Master and me. It wouldn't be an exaggeration at all to call Master 'Mother'!”
“Huh?! Stop flattering yourself!”
Xiaomi jumped up and down in anger. She yanked up her sleeve, revealing a glowing green mark on the back of her hand.
“I am the truly contracted initial vassal! See this? The 【one-leaf spirit rune】 personally bestowed by Master! This is ironclad proof of my honor! Do you even understand that, you unofficial outsider mushroom?!”
A spirit rune?
A flash of obvious jealousy crossed Morona's dead-fish eyes.
But the stubborn Demon Mushroom refused to back down, immediately snorting with a venomous tongue.
“Oh? Is that so? But why do I only hear Master call you 'Xiaomi'? How could Master possibly value you with a name that sounds like a stray dog on the street? A truly valued vassal should have an elegant name like mine, Morona. You're just a nameless small fry~”
“Ahhh! You're lying! My name doesn't sound like a stray dog's!!”
Xiaomi lost all rationality in her rage. The two of them shoved and grappled with each other all the way from the outside into the Tree Court.
“Master! She's bullying this bee!”
“Master, the microorganism is attempting to eradicate this deity with brute force.”
Looking at the two little troublemakers standing before her again with their hair in complete disarray, a few black lines slid down Qimeng's forehead.
Smack! Smack!
A literal double-cap smack.
“Ouch...” both of them whimpered.
The two lolis squatted down, clutching their heads at the same time.
“If you have this much energy, how about you go till all of the Wood Elves' farmland? Hmm?”
Qimeng gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
However, she also noticed the way Morona kept staring at the spirit rune on the back of Xiaomi's hand.
House rules still had to be established. Since they were both her vassals, she couldn't show too much favoritism.
“Come here, Morona.”
“Yes...”
The Demon Mushroom loli shuffled over.
Qimeng took her slender hand and tapped gently on the back of it.
A bright emerald light flared, branding a 【one-leaf spirit rune】 onto the back of her hand.
“This is the spirit rune I bestow upon you. It connects to a personal pocket dimension, so you'll have a place to store any good things you collect in the future.”
“A p-pocket dimension?!”
Morona caressed the back of her hand, feeling that private domain. Her proud top hat instantly began to quiver with excitement.
“Hehe, as expected of Mother... No, as expected of Master! This is a miraculous armaments that involves the laws of space, far superior to that big-headed bee's!”
“Who are you calling a big-headed bee?!”
Xiaomi was about to explode again.
Qimeng looked at the aggrieved Xiaomi.
It was true that Xiaomi sounded like a temporary nickname. Since Morona had brought it up, it was indeed time to give this silly bee girl a formal vassal name.
As for the name, it would be best if it started with "Mi" (Honey).
Dozens of famous names flashed through Qimeng's mind, before finally settling on a sweet name known throughout her previous world.
Got it.
“Alright, Xiaomi, don't be sad anymore.”
Qimeng chuckled softly, her expression turning serious.
“Today, I formally bestow upon you your true vassal name. From this day forth, your true name shall be 【Honey Snow Ice Orange】.”
“Huh?” Xiaomi was dumbfounded.
Rate on N.U.
