Lilith flinched in fear the moment Slyvif finished speaking. She tried to pull her arm back from Slyvif's grasp, but it was no use. Slyvif simply looked down at her, smiled, and then let go of her arm. However, before Lilith or Hari could do anything, Slyvif swiftly moved into the room, using her large lower spider body to block the doorway, preventing both of them from leaving. To ensure they couldn’t escape, Slyvif kicked the door shut with her hind leg. As soon as Slyvif released her, Lilith immediately ran to grab the Dragon Candle.

  “Hmph… Sylvif, it’s not very polite to barge into someone’s bedroom in the middle of the night,” Hari said, trying to draw Slyvif’s attention to herself.

  “You think so? And where’s Muriel? Did she go outside or something, Sheria?” Slyvif glanced around the room before locking her gaze on Hari.

  “Well, you know how dragons are. They don’t like cramped spaces. She probably went out for a flight and will be back soon,” Hari replied, slowly moving sideways toward Lilith, careful not to make any sudden movements.

  “That’s too bad. Leon wanted to talk to Muriel. But, Sheria, I’d rather talk to Lilith, so could you step aside for a moment?”

  “That’s a bit hurtful, you know. That stubborn dragon also told me to keep an eye on the kid.”

  Hari responded as she continued to walk toward Lilith, but Slyvif wasn’t about to let that happen. In an instant, Slyvif lunged at Hari with incredible speed, using her front legs to pin her down. Despite being knocked to the ground, Hari managed to grab hold of Slyvif’s front legs, preventing her from reaching her neck. Lilith, trembling with fear, quickly turned toward Slyvif. Her hands shook so much that the wand in her grip nearly fell, and sweat dripped from every part of her body, soaking her clothes.

  “Hey, Lilith, why is your collar missing? The boss will be sad if he finds out you’ve thrown away his affection like that,” Slyvif said, turning her gaze to the trembling Lilith.

  “Lady M-Muriel… Lady Muriel released me,” Lilith stammered.

  “Muriel? Released you? How is that even possible? The key is with the boss. You know he’ll punish you if he finds out you’ve betrayed him, right?” Slyvif said, reaching out toward Lilith, trying to coax her closer.

  “No… No more! I won’t wear it again!” Lilith shouted in defiance, pointing the Dragon Candle directly at Slyvif.

  “What happened to that obedient little girl? Has spending a few days with that short dragon turned you into this?” Slyvif pressed down harder on Hari, feeling her resistance, but she didn’t look away from Lilith.

  “The dragon you’re talking about is Lady Muriel! The Dragon of Freedom and the one true Demon Lord of the Western Continent! Even you, Lady Slyvif, I won’t let you speak of Lady Muriel that way!”

  With those words, all of Lilith’s fear turned into burning anger. The one who had granted her freedom would not be insulted by those who sought to chain her again. Suddenly, black flames erupted from the head of the Dragon Candle, causing Slyvif to flinch and scramble back in surprise. In that moment of imbalance, Hari used all her strength to push Slyvif off her, sending the arachne tumbling backward. Hari quickly scanned the room for any weapon or tool she could use against Slyvif. Not far from Lilith, she spotted Freeflame leaning against the wall. She rushed to grab it and unsheathed it, but as soon as the blade was exposed, Hari’s hand was cut as if the sword itself had slashed her.

  “Ouch! The fu—? It’s still choosing its master at a time like this? Fine, take the whole thing then!” Startled by the sudden cut from Freeflame, Hari gave up on unsheathing it and instead grabbed the scabbard with her other hand, hurling the entire sword at Slyvif’s massive body.

  “You traitors! Betraying our boss like this— I won’t let you get away with— Aah!”

  The sword, thrown by Hari, slipped out of its scabbard mid-air. The blade sliced into one of Slyvif’s legs, causing a deep wound that began to bleed profusely. The left side of Slyvif’s body could no longer support her weight. Lilith, regaining her composure, stared at Slyvif, who was struggling to flip herself over and get back up. However, her legs couldn’t bear the weight of her large body. Fear began to creep into Slyvif’s mind. The more she thrashed, the more exhausted she became, and the more blood she lost, with no sign of her being able to rise again.

  “Come on, Lilith, we need to get out of here now!” Hari said, grabbing Lilith’s arm to pull her toward the door. But Lilith pulled her arm back.

  “I— I can’t leave Lady Slyvif in this state.”

  “Huh!? She was just trying to kill us a moment ago!”

  “It’s only because she’s too devoted to Lord Samwell. If Lady Muriel gave me a chance, I would want to help others just like she helped me.”

  “Lilith, what are you even talking about?”

  Hari was confused and couldn’t understand Lilith’s words. But when Lilith raised the Dragon Candle again, Hari began to step back. Lilith thought about using magic to heal Slyvif and close the wound, but she didn’t know any healing spells—only elemental transmutation. However, if she could transform the flowing blood into solid metal, she might be able to seal Slyvif’s wound.

  “Skill activation [Metal Transmutation].”

  In that split second, Lilith focused her thoughts and imagined her magic transforming into metal to seal Slyvif’s wound. For a moment, it seemed to work. But almost immediately, Slyvif let out a blood curdling scream of agony. The metal that had formed from her blood to close the wound began to melt and drip like molten lead. When the molten lead hit the wooden floor, it ignited, setting the room ablaze. To make matters worse, Slyvif’s spider-like legs began to catch fire, slowly burning her alive.

  “Lilith! Lilith! Why are you doing this to me?!” Slyvif screamed, thrashing her lower body violently in an attempt to extinguish the flames, but it was no use.

  “I— I didn’t— It wasn’t supposed to be like this!” Lilith stood frozen in shock, unable to move or act. The mistake before her was writhing in pain, screaming in agony. She thought about trying again, this time focusing her mind to make it all stop, to silence the screams of pain.

  “Sk— Skill Activation [Metal Transmutation]!” Lilith shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing the Dragon Candle at Slyvif with one hand while raising her other hand toward her and closing her eyes. Slyvif’s screams of pain ceased momentarily as the agony in her leg disappeared, but another sound replaced it—a scream of pure terror. Lilith opened her eyes to see a part of Slyvif’s leg had been transmuted into solid gold, rendering it immobile. The transformation was creeping further up her body.

  “Lilith! I’m sorry! Make it stop! I don’t want to die!!” Slyvif’s voice was clear, filled with desperation. Tears streamed from all four of her eyes, her voice trembling with unimaginable fear. Lilith stood frozen, too afraid to move or even speak. She couldn’t bring herself to look Slyvif in the eyes, nor did she know how to stop what she had started. Slyvif’s hand slowly reached out toward Lilith, pleading for her to stop, but Lilith couldn’t even muster the courage to meet her gaze.

  “Lilith! Please, stop it! Sto—”

  And then, the room fell silent. The only sound was the crackling of flames slowly spreading across the room. Slyvif’s hand was now just a meter away from Lilith, her entire body frozen into a golden statue. Her face, twisted in fear, was forever captured in a silent plea for mercy. In a twisted and cruel way, it had indeed stopped. Hari, who had been standing frozen since Lilith first transmuted Slyvif’s blood into molten lead, finally snapped back to reality as the flames began to creep closer to her.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Li… Lilith, we need to get out of here now.”

  She shook Lilith’s arm, trying to snap her out of her trance, but Lilith remained unresponsive. Without hesitation, Hari scooped Lilith into her arms, unlocked the door, and ran out of the room as fast as she could, leaving Freeflame behind in the slowly burning room.

  At the same time, in another part of the palace, Leon sat by the window of his study, staring out into the night. He had been sitting in his chair since midday, lost in thought. When he began to hear faint noises coming from the town, he felt a pang of unease. He distinctly remembered ordering Muriel not to cause any trouble in the town. Another thing that bothered him was Slyvif’s absence. She had left the room earlier to retrieve Lilith, a task he thought would be simple, but she still hadn’t returned. He started to feel a twinge of worry for her but quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

  “It’s so late. What could she possibly be doing with that kid? She’s taking too long,” he muttered to himself, turning his chair back to face the desk. His eyes lingered on the wooden door, waiting for Slyvif to return—to come back to him.

  But as he sat there waiting, Muriel burst through the window behind him, crashing onto the table in front of his desk. She stood up slowly, a wide grin stretching from ear to ear, her sharp fangs glinting in the dim light. She brushed off the shards of glass clinging to her clothes as if they were mere leaves. Her wings, still unfurled, loomed behind her. Leon’s heart nearly stopped from the shock, his breathing loud and ragged even to his own ears. He stared at the monster standing before him.

  “I’m back. Just finished freeing all the slaves in town. It was fun,” Muriel said, standing perfectly still, her eyes locked on Leon, ready to pounce at any moment.

  “Are—are you out of your mind? Betraying us like this?” Leon tried to steady himself. He had no weapons on him, not even in the room. He never imagined he’d be facing something like this.

  “Betrayal? Haha, don’t be ridiculous. I never considered myself one of you from the start.”

  “I’ll give you one chance. I’ve seen your potential. Kneel before me, and I’ll show you mercy,” Muriel’s grin vanished in an instant, her golden eyes gleaming as they locked onto Leon.

  “Wha…??” Leon wanted nothing more than to duck under the desk rather than kneel before Muriel, but his fear was screaming at him to obey.

  “No—no way! The boss would never let me live if I joined you! And what makes you think you can even hope to defeat him?” Leon pointed at Muriel, his voice trembling but defiant. Muriel fell silent for a moment, then let out a short, soft sigh.

  “Then die.”

  In an instant, Muriel spread her wings and lunged at Leon. He ducked just in time, causing her to crash into his chair and tumble to the floor. Seizing the opportunity, he bolted from behind the desk, sprinting toward the door with all his might. Muriel quickly recovered and launched herself toward the door, landing just behind him. For Leon, the door was within arm’s reach. He stretched out his hand to grab the handle, but his body froze in agony as Muriel’s tail pierced through his back, impaling his spine.

  “Honestly, even if you managed to run out of this room, it wouldn’t save you from me. I had high hopes for you, but it seems I’ll have to find someone else to take your place.”

  “Sly…vif…”

  “Ah, I’ll extend my offer of mercy to that spider too. But she’d be even less likely to obey me now, especially once she finds out your blood is on my tail.”

  Muriel lowered her tail, letting Leon’s lifeless body slump to the floor in front of her. Just before he died, she had caught the scent of his fear—so potent that it made her want to devour him right then and there. But she didn’t have time for that now. She could smell Slyvif’s presence somewhere in the palace, and it was too close to Hari and Lilith for comfort. She used her tail to push Leon’s body aside, clearing her path, and then opened the door to step out of the room. The hallway outside was almost pitch black, with only the faint glow of candles lining the walls and the distant light from the town illuminating the way. But darkness was no obstacle for Muriel. She shifted her vision to night sight and continued walking, indifferent to the shadows around her.

  It didn’t take long for her to notice something strange. The scent of Slyvif had suddenly vanished, replaced by the smell of burning wood. Muriel didn’t dwell on it too much and kept walking. But as she moved, she felt a distinct sensation—something, or someone, was watching her. She took a slow, measured breath and turned to look behind her. Standing there was the baron’s wife, whom she had seen earlier that day. Blood trickled from both sides of the woman’s mouth, and the tips of her fingernails were stained red. Muriel glanced down at the woman’s feet and confirmed her suspicion—there was no shadow.

  “So, you turned that baron into dinner, huh?” Muriel said, her eyes narrowing as she studied the vampire before her. Her wings spread slightly, ready for another confrontation. But instead of attacking, the woman bowed deeply.

  “Demon Lord Muriel, I apologize for not greeting you properly earlier today,” the vampire said, her voice as cold as ice as she straightened up.

  “What do you want, vampire?” Muriel cut straight to the point. She had no desire to spend more time than necessary with this bloodsucking parasite.

  “You and Lady Reyona share the same goals. I came to this town to ensure that no subjects from her territory were being taken here. But after seeing you liberate the slaves here, I thought it would be appropriate to extend an invitation to you.”

  “An invitation?”

  “Yes. Now that the Dragon of Freedom is here, we will withdraw our influence from Veridia. You are invited by Lady Reyona to visit her domain once you’ve dealt with Samwell Baker.”

  “Is that so?” Muriel stood still, her expression unreadable. She didn’t fully trust the woman’s words, but if the invitation was genuine, it would make it easier for her to deal with Reyona quickly.

  “Fine. I’ll go to your ball party after I’m done with this mess. Oh, and tell your queen that I’m coming. Tell her that I am the true Demon Lord of the Western Continent and that she should kneel before me and pledge her allegiance,” Muriel said, a smirk spreading across her face. She couldn’t help herself.

  “I’ll take my leave now, Demon Lord Muriel. Skill Activation [Shapeshift].” As she finished speaking, bat wings sprouted from her back. They enveloped her for a moment before her body transformed into a small bat, which then flew out through a nearby window. Muriel watched as the bat disappeared into the night before turning back to continue following the scent of Lilith.

  As Muriel walked further into the palace, she began to see servants running out in panic. The air grew hotter, and the smell of burning wood filled her nostrils. It didn’t take long for her to realize that a fire had broken out. She ran toward the source and saw parts of the hallway engulfed in flames that showed no signs of stopping. Muriel had no intention of helping anyone trapped in the fire. Instead, she followed the fleeing servants toward the front of the palace. When she arrived, she saw Hari holding Lilith in her arms.

  “Hey, what’s going on here?” Muriel approached the two.

  “Muriel? Ah… Lilith, she, turned Slyvif into… a statue,” Hari stammered, startled by Muriel’s sudden appearance. She hadn’t expected her to return so soon. Slowly, she explained what had happened.

  “A statue? With transmutation magic? How is that possible? Slyvif’s a living being,” Muriel said, her voice tinged with disbelief.

  “I don’t know, but Lilith, she’s not responding to anything right now,” Hari replied, gently setting Lilith down on the ground. Lilith’s hands clutched the Dragon Candle tightly, her eyes staring blankly ahead. The usual vibrant rust-orange of her irises had dulled, as if all color had drained from her world. Muriel spread her wings slightly, wrapping them around Lilith as she sat down on the ground. The servants, seeing Muriel’s wings, quickly fled the scene.

  “A child like you shouldn’t have to kill anyone at this age. Sit here,” Muriel said softly. Lilith sat down beside her, resting her head on Muriel’s arm. She didn’t know what to do. The screams of Slyvif still echoed in her mind. Muriel gently stroked Lilith’s head, watching as the palace slowly burned. Truthfully, she had wanted to burn it down herself, but the outcome was the same, so she didn’t mind too much.

  “I’m sorry…” Lilith whispered.

  “It’s okay. You’re safe now, and that’s all that matters,” Muriel said, her right arm wrapping around Lilith in a light embrace. She wasn’t sure how to comfort someone in this state. All she remembered was that when she had killed for the first time, her father had held her like this until she fell asleep. She decided to do the same. After nearly an hour, Lilith finally drifted off to sleep in her arms.

  “Hari, I need to ask you for a favor.”

  “What is it, Muriel?” Hari crouched down to look at Muriel.

  “Take Lilith back to Lumina in the morning and introduce her to Melania. Tell her the kid’s under my care,” Muriel said, looking up at Hari with a faint smile.

  “You sure about that? She might feel worse when she wakes up.”

  “She won’t agree to go if we send her while she’s awake. Do this for me, Hari.”

  “Don’t say it like that. I can hear your father in your voice when you talk like that,” Hari sighed, glancing at the burning palace.

  “Heh, well, I guess I’m papa’s little princess,” Muriel said, lowering her head and turning back to the fire. For some reason, it brought her a strange sense of peace.

  The three of them stayed there until morning. Just before Lilith woke up, Muriel walked into the smoldering ruins of the palace. She wanted to see the statue Hari had mentioned with her own eyes. She didn’t have to walk far, but what she found was more shocking than she had expected. Instead of a statue, she saw only a large, melted puddle of gold, as if it had been liquefied by the fire. She didn’t want Lilith to see this. But something else caught her eye—a sword embedded in the ground, as if it had fallen from above. Not far from it was an undamaged scabbard. Muriel walked over and confirmed it was Freeflame. She sheathed the sword and returned to Lilith and Hari.

  When she arrived, she handed the sword to Hari. As she did, Muriel noticed a scar on Hari’s hand that she didn’t remember seeing before. Moreover, the scar looked freshly healed, as if treated with healing magic not long ago. Muriel realized Hari must have tried to draw Freeflame and been cut by it. She wanted to laugh at Hari but settled for a sly smile instead. Hari slowly picked up Lilith after taking the sword, slinging Dragon Candle over her back and attaching Freeflame to her waist.

  “Hurry up and go. If Lilith wakes up, tell her I’ll visit her at the stupid magic school in Lumina in a few days, after I’ve dealt with Satoru.”

  “What about you? What are you going to do now?”

  “I’m going to kill him, of course.”