This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

At this moment, after flying around with Maple Burn in her arms, Maple Syrup gently set Maple Burn down and walked over to Maple Mu, who had a jealous look on her face. Maple Syrup turned her back to Maple Mu, placed her hands on her knees, and sweetly said, "Come on up."

Rita expected Maple Mu, who had clearly seen many battles, to be a bit awkward. But to her surprise, Maple Mu smiled and jumped up, wrapping her arms around Maple Syrup from behind and resting her head against her. She softly called out, "Mother."

How shameless! How could she be fighting over affection with a little kid?!

Rita tried to think, but couldn't come up with anyone from Eclipse Vanguard who could match this dynamic. As she was lost in thought, she suddenly felt herself being picked up by someone—it was Maple Cang.

Maple Cang gently bumped her forehead against Rita's and smiled, saying, "Is it okay if I carry you?"@@novelbin@@

Of course, it was fine. Rita always kept in mind the identity she was currently inhabiting. She settled into Maple Cang's arms, listening to the song of the Forest Sea as Maple Cang hummed it to her. When the song ended, Rita asked, "Don't you want mother to carry you while flying?"

Maple Cang shook her head decisively. "No. Before you were born, mother carried me while flying for four years. My hairline has receded quite a bit because of the wind."

Rita: !!!

She was shocked and touched her forehead. Her small hand couldn't quite reach it all, and she had to move her hand further back to feel the entire forehead. Oh my gosh! It really was. Her original form didn't have such a hairline. She was only four years old!

Maple Syrup and Maple Mu, who had just landed, exchanged looks, and then Maple Syrup reached up to touch her own forehead. "It's not too bad... doesn't everyone fly this way?"

Seeing the small owl cover her forehead with such a serious expression was just too adorable. Maple Mu, who was clearly a bit annoyed, stepped over, took Maple Burn from Maple Cang's arms, and flew a few high-speed circles in the air, making sure Maple Burn's forehead was facing the wind. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Rita, ever the professional, began to play her part, sniffling and quietly sobbing, "Mother, sister, save me!"

Maple Mu clicked her tongue disapprovingly, roughly ruffling Rita's small, orange-red curls before laughing softly in her ear. She carried Rita back to the ground, handling her gently as she set her down.

Rita immediately ran over to find Maple Cang.

Maple Syrup usually didn't interfere much with her daughters' playful antics, but Rita had begun to realize that Maple Cang was much more reserved and gentle than she had first imagined. Despite being only eight years old, she carried herself with a maturity that made her seem more like an older sister than Maple Mu. She would comfort Maple Mu, make Maple Burn happy, and even care for Maple Syrup.

Maple Mu, on the other hand, felt more like a leader. Her voice had a firmness and authority, one that already carried a sense of the pressure associated with leadership, though she suppressed this when around family. Maple Mu was 14 years old, and already seemed to possess all the traits of an exceptional leader: strength, ambition, confidence, decisiveness, and charisma. She resembled Maple Syrup in some ways, but Rita couldn't help but notice that Maple Mu even exuded more of a commanding presence than the now rising Maple Syrup.

Could this really be the same Maple Mu?!

Rita still couldn't figure out the full extent of Maple Mu's character, but she continued to conceal her identity deeper and deeper. She was trying her best to mimic and embody the Maple Burn from the historical records.

While Rita didn't know everything about Maple Burn's personality and preferences, she had learned a few key traits from the books. Maple Syrup's records mentioned her daughters: Maple Mu loved sewing, Maple Cang adored jewelry, and Maple Burn was an expert at cooking.

For example, Maple Syrup had said she and her elder daughters loved to eat peach melons, but Maple Burn didn't like them.

Also, Maple Cang had once mentioned that Maple Burn was like a sensitive plant, meaning she was afraid of conflict and noise. These traits were enough for Rita to establish a solid foundation for her character—after all, Maple Burn was only four years old.

For a child this age, being perfect in every way was the biggest flaw and mistake.

Much like Nivalis, Rita sometimes found herself saying illogical and silly things, or mimicking the speech of adults. She wouldn't think much about whether something was right or wrong—she would just think it was amusing. This kind of behavior was what a child would do.

She didn't need to overperform, because Maple Burn might be clever, but she wasn't a genius.

The historical records mentioned that both Maple Syrup and Maple Cang had an equal amount of fondness and nostalgia for Maple Mu and Maple Burn, but when it came to Maple Mu, there was an added mention of her exceptional talent. They spoke of her achievements during the invasion of Forest Sea by Lania Kaia.

As Rita continued to reflect on these records, she began to question whether Maple Mu was a hero spirit or a tower ascender herself. But then something even more unsettling happened. One day, Rita woke up and noticed something was off with "Maple Cang." Her expression and demeanor were noticeably different from the day before.

Not only did Rita notice, but Maple Syrup clearly realized it too. Even Maple Mu's gaze toward "Maple Cang" had changed, becoming colder and more calculating.

Maple Syrup comforted Rita, reassuring her that everything was fine, before taking Maple Cang inside. When they returned, Maple Cang was back to her usual self.

This event terrified Rita. She couldn't understand why this had happened. It was clear that a tower ascender had somehow taken over Maple Cang's body, but if Maple Syrup and Maple Mu had noticed the change, surely they could also notice her? Why hadn't they killed her? Could it be that she had done such a good job of impersonating Maple Burn that they hadn't noticed?

But despite her fear, Rita continued to keep herself hidden even deeper. Every day, she followed Maple Cang around like a shadow. As long as Maple Syrup and Maple Cang said something, Rita would follow it. Slowly, she began to realize that Maple Mu was very busy, but she relied more on this family than Maple Syrup did.

Once or twice a week, when Maple Syrup, now level 19, went off to challenge more advanced dungeons, the three sisters had to fend for themselves. They would either play through dungeons or rest at home.

Maple Cang worried about leaving Maple Burn unprotected, so when Maple Syrup was out, she would stay home to keep her company.

Rita suspected that Maple Cang was just using this as an excuse to stay in bed—she could never get up in the morning without being called multiple times by Maple Mu and Rita. Maple Mu couldn't tolerate wasting time like this and would often go off alone to challenge dungeons.

Unlike Maple Syrup, who would quickly collect fruit in Forest Sea to deal with her needs, Maple Mu would sometimes return with a load of fruit or a handmade grass cloak. After returning home, she would always find where Maple Burn was hiding and cover her with the "ugly cloak," laughing at the sight of the little owl angrily clenching her tiny fists.

Maple Cang couldn't really stop this, because Maple Mu would never let her escape either.