Iris didn’t fall asleep until the dawn of the second day.
All night long, she had huddled in her room, listening to the movements outside.
“…”
Iris sat with her knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly at a spiderweb on the ceiling.
‘That terrifying witch not only possesses unfathomable power, but she also has such vigorous and perverted energy.’
‘That man is probably gone by now, isn’t he?’
‘Even if he isn’t dead, he’s likely been drained of his last drop of essence, reduced to a withered skeleton.’
Iris shuddered at the thought.
‘No, I can’t just sit here and wait for death.’
In the Demon Realm, the only fate for a useless piece of trash was to become fertilizer.
If she didn’t want to follow in that man’s footsteps, she had to prove her worth.
This was especially true under the witch’s command.
Steeling her resolve, Iris tremulously pushed open her bedroom door.
The center of the originally tidy hall was now scattered with large patches of semi-dried, transparent slime.
Iris covered her mouth, barely suppressing a scream.
‘How tragic… are these the ruins of a battlefield?’
‘To produce this much slime, an adult male would have to be completely melted down, right?’
Iris swallowed hard, her eyes scanning the surroundings in terror, half-expecting a man’s severed head to roll out from some corner.
There was no corpse.
‘That makes sense. A witch of that caliber wouldn’t leave scraps after a meal.’
“Whew…”
Iris forced herself to calm down.
Now was not the time for fear. Since the man had already been sacrificed, it meant she was the only “reserve food” the witch had left.
She had to show the witch that keeping her around was more cost-effective than eating her!
Iris looked around and found a rag and a bucket in the corner.
‘I’ll start by cleaning the windows.’
Iris grabbed the bucket, ran to the Backyard to fetch some water, and then brought over a stool. She stood on it and began wiping the glass windows of the hall.
However, the oily stains didn’t budge. In fact, they were so sticky they caught the rag.
“What is this stuff?”
As a Former Demon Lord Candidate, Iris had never dealt with such stubborn stains.
She scrubbed again.
Still nothing.
Iris started to panic. If she couldn’t even handle a small task like this, the witch would surely throw her into a pile of Slime when she woke up and saw the dirty windows!
In her desperation, Iris channeled the meager amount of magic left in her body.
A faint black mist covered the rag.
This was a type of Shadow Magic capable of decomposing matter. Theoretically, it should work against grease.
Iris wiped the glass. Along with a slight corroding sound, the resistance vanished.
“I did it!”
Iris felt a surge of joy. It seemed housework wasn’t that difficult after all!
But when Iris moved the rag to admire the fruit of her labor, she froze.
The grease on the glass was gone, but so was the glass itself.
More accurately, the glass had transformed into an opaque material.
The originally transparent window now looked like a black hole, allowing not even a sliver of light to pass through.
“…”
‘It’s over. I messed up.’
Not only had she failed to clean the window, but she had also “sealed” it.
‘The witch is going to eat me!’
“Who’s burning charcoal first thing in the morning?”
A lethargic voice came from behind her.
Iris felt every hair on her body stand on end. She tremulously turned her head to look at the witch.
Celia was standing at her bedroom door, one hand supporting the small of her back.
In Iris’s eyes, that weakened posture was ironclad proof of overindulgence.
Celia squinted, her gaze passing over Iris to land on the window.
“What happened to my window?” Celia pointed at the black hole.
“It… it’s…” Iris stuttered in fear.
“How did you do that?”
“I… I just wanted to wipe it clean…” Iris’s mind went blank as she desperately searched for an excuse. “Maybe… maybe I used too much strength?”
That excuse was so bad even a Goblin wouldn’t believe it.
But Celia just yawned, not appearing particularly bothered.
In another world, it was perfectly normal for a Demi-human to have a strange constitution. If a mere piece of glass was broken, she could just use magic to restore it.
As long as the Church wasn’t blown up, Celia couldn’t be bothered to care.
“Fine, don’t bother explaining. It seems you aren’t suited for delicate work.”
“No, please give me another chance!” Iris collapsed to her knees, clutching the rag as she trembled. “I can wash dishes! I can do laundry! Please don’t throw me away!”
Celia rubbed her aching back and looked at the new employee, feeling a headache coming on.
‘Is there something wrong with her head?’
‘Wash dishes? With her ability to turn glass into charcoal, there probably wouldn’t be anything left of the plates but the rims.’
“Fine. It looks like you’ll just have to be eye candy.”
Celia sighed, her gaze lingering for two seconds on Iris’s terrified yet exquisite and lovely face.
Even if she couldn’t work, her looks were definitely top-tier.
If she were packaged correctly, even just standing at the door as a mascot would elevate the Church’s style. It would be easy on the eyes, too.
“Lynn.”
Celia called out.
“Here!”
Lynn poked her head out from the Kitchen, where she was preparing breakfast.
“Go to my room, grab that black bag, and then take this girl to change.”
“The bag?” Lynn blinked, and then seemed to remember something. “Is it those clothes Miss Yuna sent over last time?”
“Yes.”
“Understood!”
Lynn put down her spatula, a bright smile spreading across her face.
As Iris watched the two of them exchange cryptic words, a sense of foreboding washed over her.
‘A black bag? From the back of the closet?’
‘Something hidden away like that definitely isn’t normal clothing!’
‘Could it be a restrictive suit covered in cursed runes? Or a torture device used to extract magic?’
“Come on, little Iris.”
Lynn pulled the kneeling Iris to her feet.
“Lady Celia is so good to you. That’s a limited edition set! Usually, she won’t even let me have a peek at it.”
Lynn’s enthusiasm made Iris feel suffocated.
“Li… limited edition?”
Iris was half-dragged by Lynn into the room.
A moment later, Iris’s frantic screams echoed from inside.
“How… how am I supposed to wear something like this?!”
“Why is the skirt so short? It doesn’t even cover my thighs!”
“Isn’t this strap for the neck? Why does it go on the leg?”
“No! Absolutely not! I won’t wear such shameless clothes!”
“Be a good girl…”
“Wait, where are you touching?!”
“No—!”
……
Listening to the commotion inside, Celia expressionlessly took a sip of Happy Water.
Finally, there was a second person to experience the feeling of being forced into a costume.
It was a past she’d rather not remember.
“Priestess.”
Elent, who had just returned from his morning training, pushed open the door and happened to hear the screaming.
“Is this special training?”
Elent glanced at the tightly shut door, then at the black window, asking with confusion.
“You could say that,” Celia said, taking another sip of Happy Water. “It’s a pre-job orientation to build professional character.”
“By the way, Hero, mop the floor. That puddle of Slime water is too slippery.”
“Alright.”
Elent picked up the mop and started working.
A few moments later, the bedroom door opened.
Lynn walked out with a look of pure satisfaction, as if displaying her most prized masterpiece.
“Ta-da! Lady Celia, please look!”
Behind Lynn, Iris emerged sheepishly.
She was wearing a classic black-and-white maid outfit.
However, it was clearly not a standard one. This was a modified version designed by Yuna under the “Dreamy Desire” theme.
The hem of the skirt was dangerously short, barely covering the tops of her thighs.
The white apron cinched her waist, accentuating the girl’s slender curves.
The fabric at the chest featured a cutout design. Although Iris didn’t have much to show, the glimpse of snowy-white skin was still dazzling.
The most excessive part was the lace-trimmed garter belt tightly fastened around Iris’s thigh, pinching the flesh slightly.
There was also a cat-ear headband that quivered slightly with her every move.
Iris gripped the edges of her skirt with both hands, her face so red it looked like it might bleed.
Her eyes were brimming with tears, the very picture of someone who had suffered deep humiliation.
“This… these clothes…”
Iris felt like dying.
‘Is this the witch’s punishment?’
‘Stripping away my dignity as a Demon Lord and forcing me into clothes designed specifically to please males, turning me into a total plaything!’
‘The witch is truly terrifying!’
Celia looked her up and down.
She had to admit that while Yuna’s aesthetic was a bit too “forward,” her eye was sharp.
While these clothes might look provocative on someone with a more voluptuous figure, on a petite frame like Iris’s, it instead radiated a sense of cuteness that made one want to tease her.
“Spin around so I can see.”
“I…” Iris bit her lip, wanting to refuse.
“Hmm?” Celia raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want your salary?”
In Iris’s ears, the word “salary” was automatically translated as “life.”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant!”
The girl turned around in humiliation, completing a full circle.
“Cute, just like a doll!” Lynn commented.
“Yes, it’s quite good,” Celia agreed, then looked at Elent, who was mopping the floor. “Stop mopping for a second and give us an evaluation.”
Elent stopped his movements and gave Iris a serious look.
“The fabric is thin, so the breathability should be good.”
Elent gave his critique.
“Also, the short skirt design means she won’t trip while running or crouching, so it’s very suitable for cleaning work. That leg ring seems a bit redundant, but if it’s used to hang a rag, it should be quite convenient.”
“…”
Iris stared blankly at Elent.
‘He’s not dead?! He actually survived the witch?!’
Hearing Elent’s evaluation, the corner of Celia’s mouth twitched, and she nearly spat out her Happy Water.
‘Hang a rag? He actually thought of that. Sigh, what a dense man.’
“That’s enough.”
Celia put down her cup and pointed at the window Iris had blackened.
“Since you’re in your uniform, get to work. First, find a way to clean that window. If you can’t get it clean…”
“I’ll have to remove it, and you’ll stand in that hole to block the wind from now on.”
Celia gave Iris a “kind” smile.
“Yes! I’ll wipe it! I’ll do it right away!”
Looking at the energetic back of the new employee, Celia felt satisfied.
She was one step closer to her dream life of doing nothing.
Eh, Maybe she is a witch.