While unconscious, Gremory had a dream of bad times.
In the huge castle, the witches were enjoying a splendid dessert. The dessert looked no different from the one in the human world.
Since ordinary witches have been exposed to human food since they were young, they have no problem eating desserts. It may not fill a witch's stomach, but it is still delicious.
However, Gremory only ate raw meat dripping with blood. Her mother, who always ate with her, was the same.
"Mom, why did the witches imprison me for ten years?"
"It's because your magical power is the strongest after the demon god. In the demon world, once every 24 years, the strongest witch is sacrificed to the demon god. You were raised as a sacrifice."
"If I'm that strong, then my mother, who gave birth to me, must be strong like me?"
"..."
"Then my mother was locked up too?"
"...Yes."
"But how did you manage to come out and get me?"
"I tempted the devil who came to see me and got you."
At that time, her mother's expression looked like she was both crying and laughing.
"Because you were born stronger than I, I was able to be free. I didn't want to be a sacrifice. I wanted to escape the solitary confinement where I had to eat mice, so I gave birth to you as a sacrifice in my place."
"Yes?"
"But suddenly, a crisis struck the Demon World, and I needed your strength. That's why I took you out of solitary confinement. I wanted to spread a plague in the human world and use it to fill the stomachs of hungry witches."
Gremory didn't feel anything special even after hearing such harsh words. After all, she had never learned or felt emotions before.
However, things changed after meeting her human friend, Lenia.
"How could that be...! Gremory, you must have had a really hard time...!"
"Not really."
Lenia cried, and Gremory had a hard time understanding her tears.
"How could it not be hard? Come here. I'll hug you."
Lenia hugged Gremory and stroked her head. Gremory just remained silently in her arms, wondering what the feeling rising in her chest was.
"Everyone in this world deserves to be loved. Gremory, you too. I hope you don't have to go to a dark cell or eat raw meat to survive anymore."
"Dark and narrow places are comfortable and good. I'm used to raw meat, so it tastes good. And I'm not a human."
"Anyway, I like the bright and spacious outside. You can go anywhere. You don't have to lock yourself up in a cell. Come on, let's go for a walk together!"
Lenia showed Gremory around the town she lived in. The green fields, clean water, and clear skies brought peace to a corner of her heart..
And then night came. The two lay in the field and observed the constellations.
"How is it? Isn't it pretty? There's nothing like this in the Demon World, right?"
"Yeah. The sky in the Demon World is always cloudy and dark red. During the day and at night."
"Hehe, Gremory. I wish you would never go to the Demon World and live by my side for the rest of your life."
"I told you that kind of contract won't work. Hurry up and tell me what you want. It's already been three months since you summoned me and didn't tell me what you wanted."
"Why don't you keep telling me? If I don't deal with you, I won't lose anything. Then we can continue to be friends. Right?"
"...Use your brain."
Gremory smiled faintly. It felt like the emotions buried deep in the tomb were sprouting up one by one.
"Hey, Gremory."
"Ehy."
"Starting tomorrow, I'll let you eat delicious food. And... I'll make a wish."
Lenia, who had promised that, died. While Gremory was temporarily in the Demon World, a witch possessed by a demon ate Lenia's soul. To isolate Gremory and completely tie her to the Demon World.
***
While Gremory was unconscious, there was chaos at Grand Duke Ethel's residence. In particular, Isolene, who had personally made the tea, collapsed while sobbing from guilt.
Chession examined all the tea leaves that Isolene had used. However, they were all clean. There was no trace of any poisonous substance that would cause blood to be vomited immediately after drinking.
Gremory's bedroom.
Chession asked Anna, who was at the scene, for more details.
"So, you're saying that Mori, smiling brightly in a way that's not typical of her, asked for more tea? The flower tea with the legend that it's supposed to charm witches into death?"
"Yes! Shr asked for it like she was possessed."
"And then she immediately started vomiting blood."
"There's no way Miss Mori is a witch. Is it just that her body doesn't match the ingredients of Rilke or the flowers? I've heard that sometimes that happens."
"Probably so. Just step back for a moment.
"Yes."
After Anna left.
Chession turned his gaze to the healer.
"What is the condition?"
"I don't know much about it, other than the fact that her body is too cold. And giving her life force doesn't help either."
"You incompetent bastard. Get out now."
After the healer was driven out, Chession placed a ball of warmth magic into Gremory's hand.
Chession furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.
'Could this girl really be a witch?'
The gloomy atmosphere in this room, the fact that she can't eat human food and only eats raw meat, and the way she reacted to the tea that was said to kill witches are also sus picious.
It was also strange that the Grand Duke's residence became peaceful after he fed her the black goat. Black goats were widely known to be animals favored by witches and demons and used as sacrifices. Could it be that Mori was able to keep the peace in the mansion because he offered her the black goat?
'Ha. That's funny. Where in the world are there witches? If you think about how witch reports disappeared as soon as witch hunts were banned, it's clear that witches are fantasy creatures that don't actually exist. Let's not make assumptions so easily.'
But just in case, just in case. If you make tea with the flowers that make witches stronger, wouldn't the effects of Rilke or the tea be neutralized?
Black tea leaves were needed. Leaves of the ofen flower, which were said to make witches stronger.
Chession hurried to the maids' lounge, where the detox specialists were observing the tea leaves that Isolene had placed on the table.
Chession, who had entered the room, grabbed a handful of black tea leaves.
'Thank goodness.'
***
A while later, Anna, who had been drinking open tea at Chession's command, entered Gremory's room.
"Does this black tea really work?"
"Constitution doesn't seem to match RiIke or the ingredients of flowers at all. So let's try making tea with the opposite ingredients. Give me the tea."
"Yes, here it is!"
Anna, who had handed over the tea on a tray, quickly stepped aside. Chession put the tray down on the table and scooped up a spoonful of black liquid. He poured it into Gremory's mouth.
Yes then.
"...Cough."
Gremory, who had not moved an inch until now, began to twist her body in pain.
"It's working! Anna, hurry up!"
"Yes!"
Chession sat Gremory up. Anna immediately fed Gremory some black tea.
Gremory, holding the teacup, drank the tea like a person crazy with thirst. Anna quickly picked up the kettle and poured more tea. Gremory returned to her usual self after drinking three cups of tea.
"Mori, are you okay now?"
Chesion's expression as he examined Gremory's face was extremely serious.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Ha, thank goodness..."
Chession let out a sigh of relief, but also an inexplicable sense of pain.
'Why on earth is she becoming normal? Why is she actually waking up?'
What should I do with you now? Are you a real witch? Or, as Anna says, are you just a person who doesn't get along with Rilke or tea?
'If you're a real witch, why are you keeping the Grand Duke's residence so comfortable? Shouldn't a witch eat the people around her?'
All sorts of speculations swirled around in Chession's head, but he ultimately came to only one conclusion: he was overly obsessed with coincidences.
Where in the world would there be a witch?
***
Meanwhile, Gremory was relieved to have woken up from her nightmare. Honestly, she was scared. Was the nightmare real?
It was fortunate that shr was still here, in the palace of Grand Duke Ethel. Well, if she thinks about it, nightmares are also reality, but isn't the present important?
And the fact that there was someone who cared so much for her made her heart flutter. It was a feeling she knew from experiencing it once with Lenia.
When someone cares about her. That makes her feel good.
Gremory chuckled as she looked at the Chession.
"Are you really surprised?"
"A lot."
"It's okay. I won't die from a tea or anything. It will have detoxified itself after a while."
"You were so cold. Like a corpse."
"Body temperature isn't that important to a witch."
"What are you talking about? Body temperature is important to beauties too."
"...?"
Gremory glanced at Chession's ear for no reason. His earring was clearly wide open.
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