Elent opened the window.
A wild gust of wind rushed into the room, scattering the steam from the hot pot, and the red-eyed crow used the momentum to charge inside.
Its target was neither Elent nor Celia, but Iris, who was trembling in the corner.
A third claw extended from its body, aiming straight for Iris’s throat.
“Ah!!”
Iris’s pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks.
She couldn’t dodge it.
In that moment, Iris could even smell the sulfur on the crow’s feathers.
Her body was as stiff as iron, and she could only watch as the Grim Reaper approached.
‘It’s over, I’m going to die.’
Iris closed her eyes, preparing for her end.
“…”
“Eh?”
the imagined death never came. Iris heard the sound of a heavy object slamming against the wall.
She peeked with one eye and saw the red-eyed crow smashed against the wall two meters away.
The crow twitched twice and then went still.
Its head had been reduced to a blur of bloody flesh, and embedded within that mess were several shards of broken white porcelain.
Iris stared blankly at the pile of unidentifiable feathers and porcelain in the corner.
‘What just happened? Did the Lady Witch throw a plate and knock an Executioner out of the sky?!’
‘The Lady Witch’s power is truly terrifying!’
“Do I really need to teach you how to behave?”
Celia withdrew her hand and wiped it with a napkin.
“This bird was not only noisy and shedding feathers, but now it wanted to come in here and relieve itself wherever it pleased.”
Celia pointed at the crow’s carcass on the floor.
“Elent, throw it out. Remember to wash your hands. What a waste of my plate.”
Elent also recovered from his shock.
‘That strike didn’t use any magical fluctuations at all. Was it pure physical strength?’
‘No, it was likely technique — a throwing technique that perfectly concentrated power into a single point.’
‘The Lady Priestess is truly unfathomable.’
Elent stepped forward to examine the crow. However, as soon as his fingers neared the corpse, a cloud of black smoke rose from it, carrying a thick, putrid stench.
“Something is wrong. This is Abyssal Demonic Qi.”
Elent’s expression turned solemn.
“From what I know, this seems to be a scout from the Abyss.”
“And its target just now was you. Iris, what exactly is going on?” Elent questioned, looking toward Iris, who was still huddled in the corner.
Although Celia wasn’t interested in fighting and killing, she understood the word “Abyss.”
It usually meant trouble — and big trouble at that.
“Explain yourself.”
Celia leaned back against her chair and crossed her arms, her emerald eyes staring coldly at Iris.
“Why would an exploding crow fly in here specifically to kill a cleaner?”
“Uu…”
‘Oh no, I’ve been found out! That man noticed, and the Lady Witch is suspicious too.’
‘If I tell the truth — that I’m a Demon Lord Candidate being hunted by my sister — what will happen?’
‘Will I be cut down with a sword? Or will this trouble-averse Witch just pack me up and hand me over to my sister for a reward?’
‘Either way, it’s a dead end.’
‘I have to make up a reason they can accept, one that won’t result in my immediate execution.’
Iris’s brain worked at high speed. Cold sweat rolled down her forehead and dripped onto her maid outfit’s apron.
“I…”
Iris opened her mouth, her voice trembling.
“I… actually, I am…”
Celia and Elent watched her intently.
“I am… a runaway bride from the Dark Moon Clan!” Iris closed her eyes and shouted.
The room fell silent for a moment.
“Huh? A runaway bride?”
“Y-yes!”
Iris didn’t know why she had made up such a story, but she forced herself to act, tears welling up in her eyes.
“My family, the Dark Moon Clan, is a reclusive Demi-human tribe. They worship dark powers and their methods are… rather extreme.”
Iris sobbed, clutching her apron with both hands.
“The Clan Head, my cruel father, wanted to marry me off to an 80-year-old Black Mage in exchange for power!”
“I was unwilling, so I ran away.”
Iris pointed at the crow’s corpse, her voice cracking with emotion.
“That was a Tracking Familiar from the clan. They… they won’t let me go! They want to drag me back to complete that evil marriage ritual!”
“That’s too much!”
Elent slammed his fist onto the table, splashing the hot pot broth.
“To sell out his own daughter for power! And to force her to marry an evil old man!”
“No wonder you know those strange magic circles, and no wonder you make that kind of black cuisine. You were forced to learn those survival skills in such an oppressive environment!”
“Iris, you’ve suffered so much!”
Iris froze for a second.
‘He believed it?’
‘This man actually believed such a ridiculous excuse?’
Iris stole a glance at Celia.
The Lady Witch was resting her chin on her hand, looking at her thoughtfully.
Celia was indeed thinking.
‘A Demi-human tribe? A runaway bride? A Black Mage?’
It sounded very melodramatic, like a third-rate novel.
Celia didn’t believe all of it.
However, it seemed somewhat logical.
This girl’s aura — looking impressive but actually being quite useless — did seem like that of a spoiled young lady who had suddenly fallen on hard times.
Besides, if she were truly some extremely dangerous person, she wouldn’t be stupid enough to turn a window black while trying to clean it.
She might be lying, but perhaps only half-lying.
“So,” Celia spoke, “this crow came to drag you back to get married?”
“Y-yes!” Iris nodded frantically. “If I’m caught, I’m dead! Lady Witch… no, Lady Celia, I beg you, please don’t kick me out!”
“I’m very hard-working! I don’t even need a salary! Just let me stay here…”
Iris slid out of her chair and hugged Celia’s leg, crying piteously.
Celia looked down at the girl clinging to her.
While she was a source of trouble, this “trouble” could do laundry, act as a mascot to make money, and occasionally provide some emotional value.
Most importantly, Iris still owed her 100 gold coins.
“Elent.”
Celia pulled her leg away and wiped the tear-stained hem of her clothes with a look of distaste.
“Present!”
“Is this Dark Moon Clan very wealthy?”
“Uh?” Elent paused. “They should have a lot of resources, right? After all, they can maintain a familiar of this level.”
“As long as they’re rich.”
Celia nodded and looked Iris over again.
Since this girl appeared to come from a wealthy family, she decided to believe her for now.
“Since you are a young lady from a rich family, the cost of the plate destroyed to protect you, the dirty floor, and the mental distress compensation I require for being startled…”
“All of these debts will be billed to your cruel father in the future.”
“Furthermore, since this is a runaway marriage situation, there will definitely be more than just this one crow.”
“If anyone dares to cause trouble at the Church or tries to kidnap my employee…”
Celia picked up a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth.
“Then we will handle it according to the Church Security Regulations.”
“Damage to public property warrants tenfold compensation. Mental distress fees will be calculated separately.”
Upon hearing this, Elent immediately straightened his back and replied.
“Yes! I will protect the Church and never let those evil-doers take Lady Iris away!”
Iris sat paralyzed on the floor, watching the two of them go back and forth.
Even though something felt off…
Was she safe for now?
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