A wave approaches.
Demonic beasts swarm in.
A hellscape covered by black demonic beasts endlessly flooding in.
I blackened that hell with the soot of the beasts I burned.
But no matter how much I burned, the hell did not end.
How much more do I need to burn to end this hell?
How much more do I need to layer to put an end to this hell?
Lost in those thoughts as I burned the demonic beasts, I often felt eyes gazing at me.
Every time I felt those gazes, I shouted inwardly.
It’s nothing, so ignore it and don’t worry.
But whenever I inadvertently turned my eyes to where the gazes were coming from…
I’d catch sight of something burning alongside the demons, gazing at me.
Another something in human form crumpled and fell, burning.
No matter how much they were lifeless lumps of meat moved by the Witch of Lust, dominated by her will,
I couldn’t help but bestow meaning to the pained looks they shot my way.
It was my doing.
I burned them.
I killed them.
With each gaze I set aflame, my heart darkened just like the soot that tainted this hell.
And still, there were countless demonic beasts left.
Many gazes remained among them.
Therefore, I had no choice but to burn the beasts and those gazes again.
While gnawing at my heart.
Until this hell ends.
Continuously.
…
As I opened my eyes, I felt a strange buoyancy.
Once I focused, the sunlight piercing through the window and the feel of the blanket covering me came into view.
After glancing around, I realized this was my room in Sylvia’s mansion and that I’d been dreaming just a moment ago.
…Right, thinking back on it, the Witch of Lust had escaped.
It seemed I had a nightmare, probably due to the arduous battle that day.
I sat up in bed to shake off the uncomfortable feeling and opened the window to get some fresh air.
“Eek?!”
– Flap!
At that moment, a small bird unexpectedly flew in through the open window and landed on my shoulder.
“What… what is it! Get away!”
– Flap! Squeak!
Startled by the bird’s sudden action, I tried to shake it off my shoulder, but it clung tightly to me as if it were its rightful place.
Dumbfounded, I stared at it for a moment and finally realized that this wasn’t an ordinary bird.
I mean, this creature wasn’t just an ordinary bird; its body was made of flames.
Anyone could see that it was the Fury Beast.
Moreover, it looked like a miniature version of that giant phoenix that led the Fury Beasts to help me.
Cautiously, I asked the bird.
“Are you, by chance, that child’s little one?”
– Flap!
When I called it a little one, it shook its head as if to say, “What are you talking about?” and stared at me intensely.
“Oh, you’re not a little one, but you? …”
– Squeak!
“Got it……”
This time, the bird nodded as if to confirm it.
It seemed it had the ability to adjust its body size at will.
Well, given that its body is made of flames, that may very well be possible.
Anyway, seeing this creature on my shoulder made me chuckle.
The gap between its majestic form and this adorable appearance was quite significant.
Well, if it’s cute, then that’s fine.
While I was pondering this, the door swung open, and Sylvia walked in.
“Scarlet! You’re awake… What’s that bird?”
Having heard my voice, Sylvia entered with a bright smile, only to show a startled expression when she saw the bird on my shoulder.
She must have been shocked to suddenly find a bird in the house, I thought, and replied.
“Oh, you remember, right? That huge phoenix that came to help us by leading the Fury Beasts. This is it. It seems to have changed into a smaller size for now.”
– Flap!
Upon my explanation, the phoenix proudly spread its wings on my shoulder, signaling it was indeed “the one.”
Seeing that cute behavior, I couldn’t help but affectionately ruffle its head with my finger. It brushed its head against my hand, acting like it was enjoying the attention.
Sylvia, who was watching us, asked with a bewildered expression.
“Excuse me, but… so that’s the… Phoenix of Doom?”
“The Phoenix of Doom? I’m not sure about that name, but it’s right enough.”
“Oh, I see…”
Sylvia mumbled in confusion, “Oh my, to see such a terrifying monster act cute…” and then, as if suddenly realizing it wasn’t important, her expression brightened as she spoke.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re awake, Scarlet. It’s been days since the last battle, and you’re finally back to your senses.”
“Really? Was I asleep for that long?”
“Yes. Do you know how worried I’ve been?”
I was taken aback; had I truly been in a stupor for days? Could it be that the exhaustion accumulated from the battle with the Witch of Gluttony had hit me all at once?
Seeing Sylvia with slightly teary eyes from her worry made me feel an odd sense of guilt.
With the matter concerning Yoon Si-woo, I could imagine it must have felt even scarier watching over me while I remained unconscious.
Yet, maybe thanks to that deep sleep, my body did feel much refreshed.
I likely recovered a significant amount of the energy I had expended.
Perhaps the assistance from the Fury Beasts helped a bit too.
“Oh right. You woke up after several days; aren’t you hungry? I was just about to have a meal, so you can join me.”
“Umm… should I?”
While I was checking my physical condition, Sylvia invited me to eat as though it were perfect timing.
A meal… I hadn’t particularly thought about it, but I didn’t want to decline Sylvia’s cheerful offer, so I nodded.
As we headed to the dining table together, a delicious-looking feast was laid out.
The dishes, crafted by Astra’s head chef, emitted aromas that stimulated one’s appetite.
“Eat up, Scarlet!”
With a bright smile, Sylvia urged me to eat more, and I couldn’t help but grin.
After sharing delightful conversations with her during the meal, I saw Sylvia’s face turn into a questioning expression once she inspected the table.
“Hmm… Scarlet, may I ask, was the food not to your liking?”
Hearing her, I could only smile wryly.
So she caught onto how little I had eaten.
Well, it would be strange if she didn’t notice that while we were eating facing each other.
Just as I was pondering this, I slowly shook my head and spoke.
“No, it’s not like that or anything. I just don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Not having an appetite… Is there something wrong with your health…?”
Did she take my lack of appetite as a sign that something was off since I used to eat a lot?
Seeing her expression instantly become worried, I urgently shook my head.
“No, it’s not like that at all. I’ve become a witch, you see. Since I’ve become a witch, I haven’t been needing to consume food for energy like I used to.”
“Is that so…? I’m not a witch, so I don’t know, but is it really okay not to eat that much?”
Sylvia looked at me with concern, likely due to my almost not eating at all.
I took a moment to think about how to relieve her worries and then came up with a good idea.
“Well, if you’re really worried, I can substitute a meal with something else.”
“Something else?”
“Like that rice dumpling thing we had when we returned to the city together. What do they call it, combat rations?”
“Eek…”
Upon mentioning the combat rations, Sylvia looked at me as if I had said something horrifying.
“Are you saying you’ll substitute your meals with that?”
“Yeah. That one can substitute a whole day’s worth of meals, right?”
“Well, it can… but the taste…”
“I think it’s tolerable? Anyway, if there are any left, please bring some to me. I’ll be using that for my meals for a while.”
Sylvia gave me a very doubtful look as she asked.
“Are you serious…?”
“I’m serious.”
“Ugh. Alright. If you’re okay with that, I’ll get it for you…”
With a confused expression, Sylvia fetched the pouch containing the combat rations.
After I took a piece of the combat ration from the pouch and swallowed it whole, Sylvia gasped.
“How can you eat that without a care?”
“Why, I’m telling you it’s really bearable! Hey, do you want to try one too?”
Shrugging off with a nonchalant response, I took another combat ration from the pouch and offered it to the bird on my shoulder.
– Peck!
It seemingly didn’t want it and pushed my hand away with its wing.
Seeing the bird look at me as if it were angrily rejecting it made Sylvia giggle.
“Look at that. It’s mad at you for offering it something so tasteless.”
“Hmmm… Is that so? Is it mad because I offered it something bad?”
I asked, turning to the bird based on what Sylvia said.
It just stared at me and let out a soft peep.
As if to say it was not mad for that reason.
Somehow, I could understand its reason.
Glancing at Sylvia, who was giggling at us, I leaned in closer and whispered.
“Shh, please keep that a secret if possible.”
I raised my finger to my lips, and the bird, looking disgruntled, seemed to acknowledge my request with a slow nod.
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