After that, Hel went from one office to another across the hall until she finally found the person Pestis had mentioned — Polina. Polina was the personnel secretary here. Her strength wasn't particularly impressive — only fifth-rank — but she wielded quite a bit of bureaucratic authority.
The moment Hel entered, Polina scolded her harshly for the ridiculous reason of stepping in with her left foot first. Even after Hel mentioned Pestis's name, Polina's expression didn't soften much.
"Follow the proper procedures," she said stiffly. "It'll take ten days. Leave your old identity token here, then you can go."
"Uh…"
Hel awkwardly rubbed her pockets. How could she possibly have such a thing? She did have the noble seal of the Sacrifice Kingdom, but an identity token from the Beastman domain? Not a chance.
With no other choice, Hel quietly moved behind Polina, seized her, and in an instant drew out her soul. After inserting a few "special modifications" into it, she released her again.
When Polina came to, her attitude toward Hel had changed dramatically.
"Lady Nico, correct? A branch member of the Silver Wolf Clan — a new recruit in our church. I didn't expect Lady Pestis herself to take an interest in you at such a young age. Truly impressive. Here's your new identity token."
She respectfully handed Hel a palm-sized piece of carved beast bone. It was inscribed with runes in the Beastman language, recording Hel's basic identity and her position within the church.
As Hel was about to leave, Polina reminded her politely,
"Oh, and Lady Nico, if your token ever gets lost, you'll need to visit the palace and find the elder who oversees the royal registry. He'll inscribe the royal sigil onto your new token."
"I understand."
Hel nodded and left.
When she stepped out of the church with her token in hand, she felt a strange, dreamlike sense of ease. Her quest to find the Beast Witch was going much smoother than she'd expected. Once her new identity was fully established, she'd be able to stay close to Pestis and quietly search for clues.
So Hel made another trip — this time to Aira Palace, where she found the royal elder Polina had mentioned.
Whether it was because Beastmen generally had bad tempers or simply because she'd interrupted his leisure time, the elder's expression was anything but friendly when she arrived. Still, his strength was only at the peak of fifth-rank.
After Hel "reasoned" with him a little — using her delicate little hands, of course — he quickly caved in. He politely processed all the necessary paperwork and personally escorted Hel to the door.
But when he returned to his study, something nagged at him. His memory felt… off.
"Could it be I'm getting old? Losing my mind already?"
He muttered to himself, never suspecting that his soul had already been tampered with.
Meanwhile, as Hel exited the palace, she frowned slightly.
It seemed… she didn't have much to do now.
"My current identity still isn't completely stable. Should I do some cleanup work just in case?"
She stood at the gates of the palace, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"If my identity is supposed to be that of a Silvermoon royal branch, it'd be strange if no one from the Silvermoon clan recognized me. Maybe I should… modify their memories too?"
Just as she was thinking that, a sharp female voice snapped from behind her:
"Out of the way, trash. Don't block my path."
Hel turned and saw a tall, athletic female wolf Beastman striding out of the palace, a long spear in her hand still slick with blood.
Hel's eyes brightened. Well, what a coincidence — a sixth-rank powerhouse.
"Excuse me, elder sister," Hel said sweetly. "Lady Pestis sent me to gather a few sixth-rank elites from the royal clan."
The female Beastman took Hel's token and examined it carefully. Her expression softened slightly.
"You'd better not be lying to me, little brat. If you are, I'll feed you to my war-wolf."
"How could I ever lie to you, sister?" Hel smiled innocently.
But her harmless act didn't seem to work on this particular woman.
"Wipe that disgusting smile off your face," the Beastwoman snarled. "You remind me of those weak two-legged sheep from the west. Didn't your elders teach you how a wolf should act? You've got no wildness left at all."
With a glare, she motioned for Hel to follow her back into the palace.
"After the last great war, half of our sixth-rank elites in the Aira Royal Court were lost. Only about a dozen remain in the capital now. Among the Silvermoon Clan's sixth-ranks, besides myself, there are four others. The old patriarch must guard the clan's sacred lands and can't leave, and the Aira King is tied up with court affairs. That leaves only two who can move freely — both are still in the capital, if they haven't gone out yet."
The woman led Hel through several winding corridors. Eventually, in a side hall belonging to another sixth-rank powerhouse, they found the other two — one male, one female. Both looked middle-aged, the woman notably being one of the rare spellcasters among Beastmen.
"Alright, brat," the wolf woman grunted. "I've rounded them up for you. What orders does the church have for us this time?"
"Are you sure you want me to say it here?" Hel's gaze flicked toward the attendants scattered around the hall.
The wolf woman frowned, then looked to the female spellcaster — after all, this was her residence, and she didn't want to overstep.
The mage, being far calmer than the hot-headed warrior, turned to her servants and said gently,
"You may all leave."
Moments later, the palace hall emptied, leaving only the four of them.
"Now you can talk," the wolf woman said impatiently, glaring at Hel.
But Hel didn't answer. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and looked meaningfully up at the ceiling.
Her senses had already picked up several hidden Beastman guards lurking above.
She said nothing — only smiled.
And the next instant, several shadows silently crawled out from the darkness behind each person in the room…