Chapter 41
“Where the hell is that damn Gremory?!”
In the banquet hall of the Demon Realm, Etna, a noble witch of the highest rank, slammed the table.
At once, the low-level witches seated at the far end of the table flinched. The slave-class witches scrubbing the floors held their breath and quietly fled the hall.
Among witches, the hierarchy was clear. Noble witches indulged in banquets and acted on every whim, while lower-ranked witches were often whipped for the smallest mistakes. Especially on days like today, when the nobles were in a foul mood, it was worse.
“There’s barely a month left until the Demon God’s Offering Ritual! How many pursuit squads have we sent to the human world, and still no word?!”
“Etna, calm down. There’s still time. And we still have something we can use as a sacrifice.”
Laes, seated beside Etna, tried to calm her friend as she sliced her steak.
“You mean Gremory’s mother? Do you really think the Demon God will be satisfied with that? What if He isn’t and ends up devouring your soul or mine instead? We’re next strongest after her, so we’d be the next sacrifices.”
“That can’t happen. We can’t let it.”
Laes gently caressed her slightly swollen belly. Just as Gremory’s mother had once tried to escape her fate as a sacrifice by giving birth to a more powerful child, Laes too had seduced a strong demon and become pregnant—secretly evading the Demon God’s notice. Until this child was born, she couldn’t afford to become a sacrifice.
Etna popped a cherry into her mouth and frowned.
“Laes, the pursuit squads must’ve been too weak. Gremory’s probably just wiping them out.”
“It’s because no high-ranking witches have been summoned to the human realm. Damn it, it’s all that cursed Grand Duke’s fault.”
The witches had once plotted to manipulate public belief by halting their activity—if no witches were seen, humans would eventually believe witches no longer existed. That was around five years ago.
At the time, all mid- and high-rank witches returned to the Demon Realm with plans to resume operations ten years later, confident that humans would’ve dismissed the idea of witches by then.
But now, five years later, the plan was falling apart. With the Gremory situation spiraling, they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
Even so, none of the higher witches had been summoned to the human realm.
Laes sighed and tapped her belly.
“Why aren’t the higher witches being summoned? Are humans today just too weak?”
The stronger a human’s desire, the stronger the witch they could summon. But lately, no one had enough willpower, so only weak witches had been summoned—and they were no match for Gremory.
Just then, one of the high-ranking witches at the table, Alice, began to glow with a dark aura.
“Uh, Lady Etna! Lady Laes! I think I’m being summoned!”
“What?! A high-ranking witch—finally! Go, Alice! You’re a war-crazed lunatic, so if anyone can handle this, it’s you!”
“Oh-ho-ho! The moment I arrive, I’ll start a war—and I’ll publicly declare that Gremory is the cause of it! That way, the humans will hunt her down too!”
“That’s brilliant! Go, Alice!”
Cheers erupted through the hall.
Alice—known as the War Maniac—had once rivaled the Demon God himself in strength.
Surely, she could take Gremory down.
Imperial Banquet Morning
Gremory woke earlier than usual.
“What’s this feeling…?”
She slowly sat up and stared blankly out the window. A chilling sensation had gripped her. Like a high-level witch had just descended nearby…
Was she just imagining it due to recent anxiety? No. It was real. She could feel it.
She rolled in her bed to untangle herself from the blankets.
“A high-ranking witch is definitely in the human world. I can feel their power.”
Gremory possessed nearly every ability a witch could have—mental curses, potion crafting, combat skills, elemental control, transformation, tracking, and disaster-casting. All except stealth.
Her ability to sense magical presence was exceptional. Unless the witch had top-tier stealth, she could see right through them—even beyond the Grand Duke’s estate.
Her pupils reddened and black wings unfolded from her back, ready to counterattack if she was attacked.
But just then… the ominous power vanished. The murderous aura and foul energy typical of witches dissipated—as if purified.
“…What?”
She blinked in confusion, wings slowly retreating. Just then, Anna knocked on her bedroom door.
“Lady Mori! You haven’t forgotten we need to start early today, right? I’m coming in!”
“…”
“You’re sleeping, aren’t you? I swear, what would you do without me… Huh? Why are you sitting on the windowsill?”
Anna, bursting in, froze at the sight of Gremory perched awkwardly on the ledge.
Gremory, who had instinctively hidden her wings, responded dryly.
“…The view’s nice today.”
“Well… sure, the view is nice. Between the volcano that spouts monsters every spring and the glowing forest at night, there’s plenty to see—but it’s morning. Anyway, no time to dawdle. You need to get ready for the Imperial Banquet.”
“It starts in the evening. Why now?”
“We have to consider travel time. Come on—let’s eat first! Most noble ladies skip meals to avoid bloating, but you wouldn’t listen to me without food, right?”
“Yeah.”
As if it were obvious, Gremory went to the dining hall and ate the meal Anna had prepared. Today’s breakfast was fresh raw meat.
Even as she ate, Gremory couldn’t stop thinking about the witch’s aura from that morning.
What was that sudden appearance and disappearance?
Did the summoner die the moment they summoned her?
How else could she explain it?
“Lady Mori, what are you thinking about so deeply?”
In the afternoon sunlight, Anna was applying Gremory’s makeup in the powder room.
“Imagining this entire mansion going up in flames.”
“…You do think of the strangest things. Please focus on today’s operation. We have to finish everything by the end of the pre-banquet.”
“I know. While Cession and Isolene stage their lovers’ quarrel, I go to the tower and confirm Seaira’s safety. Right?”
Anna had a talent for artistry. Her touch made Gremory’s—well, Velita’s—face glow.
“Oh my, Lady Mori, you’re going to turn heads today. So many handsome men will be bewitched.”
“What does it mean to ‘turn heads’?”
“To seduce, I mean.”
Anna didn’t scold her for not knowing. She figured Mori was just linguistically behind after living secluded in the mountains.
“‘Seduce,’ huh. Makes sense.”
In the Demon Realm, seduction was a vital tool. Witches and demons used it constantly to tempt souls.
‘So in the human world, they use ‘turn heads’ instead of seduction. Got it.’
While she filed away this important vocabulary, Anna finished her makeup.
“Full of confidence today, aren’t we? All done—let’s go!”
Wearing a white dress, Gremory rose from the vanity. Anna escorted her to the garden.
Waiting by the carriage, Cession’s eyes widened.
“Mori?”
“What?”
“…Nothing.”
He coached himself—there were too many eyes watching. He must not openly compliment her.
Thankfully, Isolene did the job for him. Wearing a beautiful green dress, she exclaimed,
“Wow, Mori! You look amazing! You should dress up more often!”
“There was no one in this house worth seducing.”
“Ahaha! So you dressed up now because there’ll be plenty of targets at the banquet?”
Cession felt a sharp pang in his chest. No one here worth seducing? And now she was hinting at seducing men at the banquet?
It stung.
