Ella had a truly beautiful sleep.
It was really beautiful—the lovely Saintess was held tightly in her arms, her chest soft and ample, carrying a sweet fragrance, and an aura of sunshine, cleanliness, and warmth.
So comfortable was this feeling that Ella thought, even if she were to be () right now, she could accept it.
…Wait! No!
That won’t do!
Ella suddenly opened her eyes wide, forcefully shaking off all the weak thoughts from her mind.
She was the Demon King, bearing the future of the demon race on her shoulders—how could she lose herself in such a small… well, large, land of tenderness?
No matter how soft or big it was, it was still a small mindset!
By this time, she found herself alone at the bedside.
Leah always got up early to watch the sunrise; the only exception had been the day she’d been tricked by the Incense.
“Huu~wah~”
Ella yawned and searched for her clothes at the corner of the bed for a long while, but couldn’t find them.
Turning around, she finally spotted them folded neatly on the bedside table.
There was even a Blessing cast on them—dry and fresh.
So virtuous…
Ella almost went soft again, but suddenly snapped herself out of it, straightening her back and shaking her little head hard.
No, no, that was close—almost got her will corroded by that land of tenderness.
She dressed, washed up, and headed out.
When Ella stepped outside, she happened to see the ice-blue-haired girl coming out as well.
“Celes, good morning… Why are you dressed like that?”
Silvery Knight Armor clung to the girl’s perfect figure, outlining her curves beautifully.
But it looked a bit fierce and battle-ready.
“It’s nothing, just staying alert.”
Celes hesitated for a moment.
“Ella, did you have a Nightmare last night?”
“Nope.”
Not only didn’t she have a Nightmare, she’d had a string of beautiful dreams—those kind of dreams.
Ella blinked, then seemed to realize something: “Did you have a Nightmare last night?”
“I’m not sure, maybe it doesn’t count as a Nightmare… No.”
Celes’s expression showed a hint of pain.
“It was a Nightmare. Just a very strange one.”
Ah, wait—could it be because Leah and I slept naked, hugging each other?
No, definitely not. It wasn’t the first time, nor the second.
It’s happened before and there were no Nightmares, so it can’t be because of her.
Thinking of this, Ella relaxed and stepped forward to take the girl’s hand, speaking gently: “It’s alright, dreams are the opposite of reality—today will definitely go smoothly~”
“Mm.”
With the encouragement of the pink-haired thunder girl, Celes’s face brightened.
“Do you have any plans for today?” she asked.
Before Ella could reply, the Saintess’s voice chimed in from the side—
“She’s coming to the city with me today to preach and help me brainstorm.”
Leah walked over lightly, a sacred smile on her face.
“We already agreed yesterday.”
She stood close to Celes, and judging from their delicate feet, the two of them and Ella were all standing on the same level.
But since Leah’s chest was a bit larger, her body seemed even closer.
Just a bit closer and their arms would be touching.
“Good luck, you two. May everything go smoothly.”
Celes finished her greeting with a smile, then walked out in her armor, casually strapping on her Sword.
Ella blinked and watched her leave.
So serious! All geared up—what kind of Nightmare did she have last night to leave her with such a shadow?
“Still staring!”
Leah bumped Ella’s arm with righteous indignation.
“If I’d come a moment later, would you have gone off with her?”
“No, no.”
Ella hurriedly replied.
“I promised you yesterday, so I definitely won’t change today.”
Darn it, she actually hit me like that.
The Demon King also wants to give her a thunderbolt.
But good girls shouldn’t do that.
“Really?”
“Really! Look, the day before yesterday I promised Vina, so I didn’t go with you yesterday.”
Ella had only meant to give an example to prove her credibility, but unexpectedly, Leah became unhappy, snorted coldly, and pulled her out the door.
Why though?
She won’t say. Seriously…
By the way, where’s Vina today?
At this moment, in the room two doors down, the Little Witch struggled to open her eyes, looked at the ceiling, and then closed them again.
She’d gone mountain climbing yesterday, tiring her body out.
Last night, she’d had a Nightmare, leaving her heart exhausted.
So, she decided not to get up today.
Just sleep some more.
Zzzz
From the endless darkness, she awoke—as if a drowning soul had finally surfaced, accompanied by waves of dull pain and desolation in her head.
The girl struggled to open her eyes.
Her memories were resurfacing, but she couldn’t believe them, as if they were a dream.
Was that gaze that pierced through the void real?
Were those mad whispers truly something that could exist in this world?
And at the end…
“You’re awake.”
Zero opened her eyes and found herself lying on a small bed in a private home.
At the bedside sat a young woman in her twenties, wringing out a hot towel.
Shifting her gaze again, she saw a gray cloak hanging on the wall and instantly became alert.
“Don’t be nervous,” the young woman with the towel said.
“We’re not bad people.”
Zero hesitated as the woman handed her the hot towel.
“I saw you kill someone at the Workshop entrance.”
“Not a person.”
The young woman placed the towel in her hand.
“A Fishman—a Siren.”
Zero thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, “Did that Fishman deserve to die?”
The young woman didn’t answer directly, but said, “All these years, we’ve been trying to disrupt the Sirens’ Rituals. We’ve never succeeded, but at least we’ve made things difficult for them. The strange phenomenon that started at midnight today has us a bit uneasy.”
Midnight today—so the strange events happened deep into the night.
That meant what she’d seen and heard last night was real?
Her teammates, and Ella…
Zero anxiously threw off the blanket and tried to get up, but the young woman quickly said, “Don’t rush. That gaze last night was only peering in. As long as you don’t confront it, nothing will happen. Most people can’t even sense it.”
Hearing this, the girl finally paused.
“Peering in?”
“Yes. We don’t know its purpose.”
The young woman fell silent for a moment, as if weighing whether to speak, but finally continued, “In previous years, phenomena of this level only occurred on the night of the Ritual and ended quickly. But this year, it’s come so early—this is very unusual.”
Hearing this, Zero grew anxious again.
“I have to tell my companions about this.”
“No! Your companions were also seen by it. If they can’t sever the gaze like you, they’ll remain under its watch. Telling them would only alert the enemy and could even bring danger.”
The young woman stopped Zero again, but this only left her more confused.
She felt as though she’d stumbled upon something incredible, but was powerless to act.
“What exactly is it?
What should I do?”
The young woman smiled and opened the back door of the house.
“Since you have doubts in your heart, why not come get answers? Come with me. Granny wants to see you.”
Gr…Granny?