"I'm glad that you seem to have a temper and a desire to live, unlike my sister. My sister always wanted to die. She begged me to cut her throat with a single sword."
As Chession chattered, Gremory's gaze fell behind him. For some reason, before he could start talking about his sister, the spirits who had been wandering around the mansion gathered here.
"I was just going to hit her throat at that time. If I had, I wouldn't have been burned at the stake."
"..."
"When you are burned at the stake, your soul won't go to heaven and will wander in this world, but that keeps bothering me. Maybe Iris is wandering around this world with a grudge against me, right?"
Apart from. Gremory held back.
The spirits behind Chession's back were all black-haired women. Some of them looked like Chession. The woman, presumably Iris, wriggled in tears. She seemed to have something she wanted to say, but she didn't like Gremory because she was a witch.
However, a question arose. Iris is wandering around here. What are the identities of the other women who gathered in a hurry?
The answer was immediately apparent.
"If Iris is wandering in this world. I want her to be in this mansion. Iris is lonely alone, so bring the other victims with you. I hope that the women who died unjustly can rest safely here."
In other words, all the souls of the women who were victims of the witch hunt in this land were gathered here. With Chession's permission, Iris brought her in.
In other words, those spirits can't eat. Chession wants the souls to be safe and restful.
'Damn.'
Gremory, who was hungry for no reason, squirmed under the covers. Knowing Gremory's upset, Chession began to shove the potato soup that Anna had left behind.
"Sorry, were you bored? I was talking too much about myself. Hey, eat something. Did you lose the will to live and choose to starve? I saved you. You have a new life, so cheer up. I will give you a name according to tradition."
"!"
"What is good? Hmm. Lilian? This is too common. Carmilla? This is also common."
Gremory, who had goosebumps down her spine, tossed the blanket and stood up. A witch has been given a new name by a human. It was like declaring that she would never use the power of witches. Of course, if the witch herself doesn't accept it, there's nothing wrong with it, but she's very reluctant anyway. Like writing someone else's name in red ink.
"Oh, you woke up. Do you want to eat it?"
Gremory smashed the potato soup bowl with his hand. With a loud noise, the bowl rolled on the floor. The soup in the bowl fell onto the carpet and became a mess.
But Chession didn't seem to have any interest in the soup that had been spilled, and he was worried about the name.
"You won't eat it. So what is your name..."
"...!!!"
Gremory made an impulsive decision. She just revealed her true identity and said she would go on a rampage and run away.
Here, there are no souls that can be eaten, and there are no humans who can be bullied and eaten. If you eat the black energy that fills the mansion, you can survive, but that is like filling your stomach with water. It would be much better to find another home if you were to go through the unlucky thing of starving and getting a new name. She couldn't stand the daily torture and confession.
Gremory chewed the tip of her index finger with her sharp teeth. With red drops of blood, she wrote her name on the sheets.
"Gremory."
There is no human being who does not know this terrible and famous name. It's the name of the plague that killed millions of people on the southern continent eight years ago.
Gremory deliberately opened her mouth wide and laughed. It was cut in half, revealing its dangling tongue and sharp fangs.
Yes, human. Do you now understand who you brought with you? Seeing how bad your expression is, I guess you knew your fate. Since you dared to touch my feelings, you're in trouble now....
"Oh my God. Did the villagers give you such a horrible name?"
"..."
"Damn. You don't need to be called by such an ominous name anymore! I'll give you a new name right away. Alexandra? Yuris? Or Serena? What do you like?"
"!"
Gremory pointed to her name with a very annoyed face. Chession pressed his forehead and sighed heavily.
"There are many tools in the world that can write other than blood. If you want to write something in the future, ask for a pen and paper. But do you know how to write? I guess you don't know the language, even if you can't speak."
"!"
"And you're smiling so broadly at me, I'm touched. Thank you for opening your heart."
Chession was so caring, and Gremory was almost distraught.
"So, your name is Yurisu. It means that a woman with a beautiful smile... Ouch."
Gremory slapped the back of Chession's hand. Then she pointed to her name on the bed sheet again.
"You want to do it with this name? No, it's too ominous. How important is a name to a person?"
"!"
"Okay. Then let's call you 'Mori."
"!!"
"Mori, are you okay with this?"
Chession grinned and got up from his chair.
"I will call you. Be sure to get your fingers treated."
Then he smiled at Gremory and left the room.
Gremory sat still in bed for a while.
"!!!"
She screamed and wriggled silently.
***
Gremory, who returned to reason, was liberated.
He decided to regard all these trials as just a price to be paid. Chession was the price for giving her a human body.
She also gave up on the escape that she had impulsively thought about. She was already a fugitive who had run away from the Demon Realm, and her goal was to hide for as long as possible. Considering that, there was no place safer than the Grand Duke's residence. Other than that, there was nowhere else to go.
Gremory took a bite of the damn potato soup. It was a hardship that she had to endure to stay quietly here.
“Woo Woo..."
"Good job. Miss Mori! It is good! Just one more spoonful!"
Anna added a strange noise every time Gremory swallowed a spoonful of soup.
In the end, the meal ended with five spoons. Anna laughed and danced like an oblivious person.
Afterwards, Anna sat down next to Gremory and chattered. Anna liked Miss Mori. Miss Mori listened to what she had to say as a maid. She didn't ignore her.
Therefore, Anna even talked about her heart.
"Miss, actually. It is rumored that this Grand Duke is cursed. So, it is said that His Highness the Grand Duke's sister was a real witch, so her death had an ominous effect.
Today. His Highness the Crown Prince went on a rampage again. Oh, the young lady must have been in the room and didn't know it, but every time he came, he hit the board. You are overly jealous of our capable Grand Marshal.
His Highness is very popular. He banned witch hunts and saved countless innocent women. Now, nobles don't have to be overly careful about their behavior, and commoners can sleep on their feet. Because of this, His Highness is the most popular in the Empire."
No matter what Anna was talking about, Gremory had only one idea.
'I'm hungry.'
She tried it just in case, but potato soup couldn't fill the witch's stomach. She was eating the black energy that filled the mansion, but it wasn't enough for a long time. Finally, Gremory pointed to the pen and notebook that Chession had left neatly on the table.
"Oh, Miss Mori? Do you want something? Wow! This is the first thing Miss Mori says to me!"
Excited, Anna took the pen and notebook to Gremory. Gremory demanded something clear.
[Give me raw meat.]
Anna's expression was full of anticipation. For a moment, she nodded her head in understanding and blushed.
"Oh my God, Miss Mori survived by eating field mice like other young ladies... You must have been very hungry."
"..."
"I'll clean it as much as I can! However, no matter how clean you are, you can get sick, so I'll give you a little."
"!"
Gremory nervously wrote the next thing.
[Make the blood dripping]
"Oh, sure! You must have quenched your thirst with blood. I don't understand. And I heard that the residents of the northern snowy areas supplement their salt with the blood of freshly caught animals. So you can eat the blood of a freshly slaughtered animal. Wait a bit!"
Anna soon returned with cow's blood and raw chicken.
When Gremory was munching on raw chicken, Chession entered her room.
He was stunned to see Gremory sipping blood. Gremory asks, 'What do you see?'
She scowled at him with a look that seemed to say.
Chession flinched for a moment, and then smiled brightly.
"Seeing that you eat raw meat well, it seems that you are from the northern snowfields. Somehow, your skin was white and your face was beautiful."
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