I'm a Super Cool Butterfly!

Oh.

I haven't changed at all?

After feeling the sensation of my evolution completing, I stood in front of the mirror to check my appearance.

The result? I hadn't changed much from before.

I've only gotten a tiny bit bigger, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and my wing patterns are just a lot flashier.

Still, it was supposed to be a unique evolution, so I had expected a bigger transformation.

I was still just a white butterfly with a faint blue tint.

Usually, a butterfly's appearance is defined by its color, but since I'm a mutant, my color must be permanent.

Even when I was a Blood Butterfly, my wings remained that same bluish-white.

Normally, shouldn't a Butterfly of Despair be black or deep purple?

Well, at least my skills have changed significantly, so that's good.

I gained a whopping six new skills after evolving.

And except for one, they were all offensive skills.

I like how the names are starting to sound completely abnormal.

They aren't exactly the kind of skill names you'd shout out loud in public, but it's not like I can make anything other than insect screeches anyway.

Since I'm the only one who knows them, the cooler they sound, the better.

Emotion Devour, Despair Bloom, Chaotic Wing Flutter, Whisper of Despair, Chaotic Butterfly Swarm, and Flowerpot of Despair.

Awesome. The effects are all pretty good too.

True to their names, the skills weren't just decent—they were actually fantastic.

Emotion Devour seemed to let me consume emotions and convert them into demonic energy to store. Despair Bloom was an ultimate skill, but practically a self-destructive one.

It consumed all the emotions I had gathered so far to inflict intense despair on every entity within range, including the caster.

The detailed description stated that unless one possessed an incredibly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠resilient soul, escape was absolutely impossible.

It really was a self-destruct move.

I must make sure I never have to use this skill. Well, a situation might arise where I have to eventually, but I'll hold back as much as possible.

Chaotic Wing Flutter was a debuff that scattered wing powder to distort the perception and vision of anyone who touched or inhaled it. I could chain it with Blood Scale Powder.

Whisper of Despair seemed to be a brainwashing-like skill that shattered a single target's mind, while Chaotic Butterfly Swarm was an area-of-effect crowd control skill.

The description said it created and controlled a swarm of butterflies made of demonic energy, amplifying the emotions of anyone they touched and drawing them into the swarm.

And Flowerpot of Despair is a deployable debuff.

It created a flower bud that absorbed the emotions, health, mana, and demonic energy of every entity within range—except the caster—to make the flower bloom.

Once the flower fully bloomed, it exploded.

I liked the explosion part.

But wait, I got six new skills, and this is the only one that deals direct damage?

And even then, the direct attack is conditional.

Overall, they were skills designed to break minds and shatter senses rather than deal direct physical damage.

I should have known the moment the unlock condition was 'inflict despair' instead of 'defeat enemies.'

Of course, even if I had known the skills beforehand, I still would have chosen the Butterfly of Despair.

It was a unique evolution, and "Despair" just sounded cool.

Besides, I didn't actually have any complaints about the skills.

I already had powerful attacks like my venomous and acidic blood, but getting close to enemies was always the hard part.

Just getting skills that didn't require me to get up close and personal made me happy.

From a fairy perspective, this direction aligns much better with my idea of what a fairy should be.

In fairy tales, fairies are usually described as creatures that feed on good emotions.

I might be doing the opposite by feeding on and inducing bad emotions like despair, but I still shared that fairy-like keyword of "emotions."

I'm sure I'll be able to evolve into something like a Dark Fairy eventually!

I wonder when Alina will wake up. I want to go outside.

Aren't there any bad guys around that I can test my skills on?

I really want to try them out!

Suppressing my urge to fly out the open window, I quietly landed next to Alina.

Alina was still fast asleep.

She probably wouldn't wake up until after sunset.

No matter how much I want to test my new skills after just evolving, I can't just leave a kid like her behind.

I can't become a rotten adult!

As a magical beast, I was still far from even turning one year old, but mentally, I still had about a quarter of a mature adult's soul left in me.

Once I become a fairy, I'll act completely like one, so for now, I need to behave as maturely as possible.

What if Alina doesn't recognize me?

If so, I can't wait to see her reaction when I reveal who I am!

No, keep thinking like a mature adult for now.

It feels like the more I evolve, the more my mind matches my physical age.

How is it that I seemed the most mature when I was a caterpillar?

Still, I'm in a great mood!

I feel so happy!

Alina, Alina. Please wake up. I'm bored.

Wishing for Alina to wake up soon, I kept watch by her side.

I waited until the sun set and the moon hung high in the center of the sky before Alina finally stirred from her sleep.

"What time is it...?"

Since you asked, it's two in the morning. Not that you'd understand me, though!

"Screeech."

Having slept for nearly nine hours, Alina sat up but was still nodding off.

Normally, she barely slept, with four hours being a luxury.

Because she was used to that, sleeping for a full nine hours left her completely groggy.

Of course, watching her rub her eyes and doze off like a normal kid was adorable.

Drink some water. If you want to sleep more, you can.

Relying on my slightly enhanced physical strength, I brought her a water bottle and then a pillow.

"Thank you..."

Alina emptied the water bottle in one go and hugged the pillow, leaning against it.

She seemed somewhat awake, but her body was still heavy with sleep.

I could tell because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even though her eyes looked clear, her eyelids kept fluttering shut.

Well, going out right now is out of the question anyway.

Besides, there's no need to sneak around in the dead of night anymore.

The bastards who might have ambushed us are all either dead or subjugated.

Now, all that's left is to bring down Count Zeno. How should we go about it?

For starters, my brain couldn't come up with a way to take down Count Zeno.

I didn't know enough about Count Zeno or this city to know where to strike.

The best I could think of was terrorizing Count Zeno's mansion and rescuing the tree.

Wait, actually, wouldn't that work? Alina can handle the aftermath.

Alina had enough evidence to prove beyond a doubt that Count Zeno was the one behind Cafe Rina's downfall.

If I went in first and caused absolute chaos, Alina could step up, present the evidence, declare Count Zeno a villain, and take control of the city.

That's actually not a bad plan, considering I came up with it.

I'd rescue the tree, and Alina would restore Cafe Rina's fallen reputation.

"Ugh. I need to get up. I'm awake."

Alina managed to force herself awake.

She resorted to the brutal method of pressing the freezing cold water bottle against her warm, sleepy neck to snap herself out of it.

She really didn't need to force herself.

She could have just slept a bit more and moved after sunrise.

"You look a bit flashier?"

You noticed? How do I look?

"Screeech?"

How did I look to others?

Maybe it only seemed like a minor change to me because it was my own body?

I looked at Alina with anticipation, but she got up without saying anything else.

I guess she didn't realize I was asking a question.

I really need to become a fairy soon.

I want to speak too!

"I think we can move a bit more freely starting tomorrow. The people we're meeting next are my mother's people, and they aren't hostile to me."

It seemed our Alina had a plan.

Meanwhile, all I could think about was raiding the mansion and causing a scene.

If I had to guess, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was probably planning to persuade Cafe Rina's former allies, who had been forced to stay silent to survive because they lacked clear evidence.

But now, they had both clear evidence and a justification.

Count Zeno held the noble title of Count, but since this wasn't a monarchy anymore, it was just an empty title.

In this day and age, unless you were a Duke, a noble title just meant you came from a prestigious family.

If anything, the fact that he committed such dirty deeds while holding the title of Count would only accelerate his downfall.

This way is much cleaner. We can keep physical force as a last resort.

I didn't rule it out entirely, though.

There was no telling what a cornered Count might do.

The moment I sensed anything suspicious, I'd have to use force.

After all, it's always best to take them out before they can transform or cast their ultimate skills.

"My target is Count Zeno. He did something absolutely unforgivable. Will you help me?"

Of course I will.

Count Zeno was my enemy from the very beginning anyway.

Let's go bring him down!

"Let's move when the sun rises. I'm going back to sleep, so you should get some rest too."

You're sleeping?

We're not going right now...?