"So, am I qualified now?"
"Who… who exactly are you?"
The three beastmen spoke in terror. That overwhelming aura—such pure killing intent—was something even Lady Nikki herself had never made them feel.
Only the beings known as the Seven Kings or the Seven Calamities could possibly release such a dreadful presence.
"A witch…? You're one of the Witches?"
"Witch?"
Hel shook her head slightly.
"Not yet. But Nikki once shared part of her authority with me."
As she raised her hand, a pure and condensed Breath of War materialized above her palm.
To be able to so easily condense the essence of war—on this continent—only the War Witch Nikki, her superior the Calamity Witch, or the Calamity Witch's superior, the Death Witch, could do that.
But they had seen portraits of the Death Witch from the Church—she was a pure-blooded human.
And the Calamity Witch? She had vanished without a trace for twenty years.
The girl before them was far too young.
That left only one explanation—Lady Nikki must have transplanted part of her own flesh and blood into this girl.
"Dare I ask, my lady," the female mage spoke cautiously, "was it the Greater Holy Remains or the Lesser Holy Remains that were transplanted?"
Hel raised an eyebrow.
The Lesser Holy Remains were usually pieces of flesh implanted near the surface of the body—something quite easy to notice.
She glanced again at the two female beastmen whose faces now radiated fanatical devotion.
If she claimed she had a Lesser Remains, those two idiots would probably beg to inspect where it was implanted—even if she said it was somewhere private.
Having no better choice, Hel replied coldly:
"The Greater Holy Remains."
"What?! The Greater Holy Remains?!" The female mage's eyes widened.
"It's said that without a year of preparation, no one can successfully withstand such a transplant. That would mean… my lady, you must indeed be the secret confidant whom Lady Nikki personally trained!"
It seemed that among the three, only the mage still had her wits about her. The other two beastmen looked completely lost.
The mage, used to their dull reactions, simply shook her head and turned back to Hel.
"My lady, may I know how we should address you?"
"Nico."
"Nico?" The mage blinked. "Even your name sounds so similar to Lady Nikki's. It seems you must truly be her most trusted confidant.
May I ask, then—are the things mentioned in her letter… true?"
"Of course," Hel replied solemnly, though inwardly she was grinning from ear to ear.
These beastmen were far too easy to fool.
If this mage had been as brainless as those two hotheaded warriors, Hel wouldn't even have needed to spin this much of a story.
Still, having a clever beastman wasn't a bad thing—judging from how the other two deferred to her, winning the mage's trust would mean gaining control over the entire Aira Royal Court.
Clearing her throat, Hel adopted a righteously grave tone:
"There's a traitor in the Church. Nikki was ambushed within human territory.
In the end, someone leaked information about her personally leading troops into battle—information that reached a human Saint-rank powerhouse.
"My mission now is to uncover the traitor behind it.
If necessary, I will lead you all in war against the Church itself.
If anyone here feels afraid, you may leave now. Neither I nor Lady Nikki will hold it against you."
"Lady Nico, you overestimate us," the mage said firmly, her beautiful face now solemn.
"Since Lady Nikki placed her trust in us, we would never abandon her in her time of need. Only cowards would do such a thing—"
But before she could finish, the male beastman blurted out loudly,
"Our Silvermoon Clan has never bred cowards who would abandon their ruler! Even if it costs us our lives, we'll drag those Church traitors out by their throats!"
"That's right! The Silvermoon Clan fears neither war nor death!"
Hel looked at the two roaring beastmen, full of blind fervor, and couldn't help doubting the "purity" of Nikki's bloodline.
Other wolf beastmen she'd encountered were the same—reckless, hot-blooded, charging headfirst into fights without hesitation.
But Nikki?
That little wolf-girl was an entirely different creature.
After Hel had defeated her, she'd ended up living as a maid in Heim Territory—so obedient that she was practically like a pet.
Give her a small piece of cake, and she'd cling to Hel's leg, wagging her tail and purring with delight.
The contrast between those wolves and this one was almost comical.
"Could this be," Hel mused silently, "the difference between wild wolves and domesticated dogs?"
But clearly, now wasn't the time to entertain that thought.
She lifted her hand slightly, motioning for the two hotheads to quiet down.
"I'll personally investigate the details. For now, you all maintain your usual duties. If I require anything, I'll give the orders."
Hel tapped her chin thoughtfully, then turned toward the mage.
"You—come with me. We're going to meet the old Aira King and the remaining elder.
Our enemies' power far exceeds ours, so we must strengthen our side as much as possible."
"Understood."
The mage nodded and followed behind Hel, leaving the two wolf beastmen behind, still grumbling in anger on Nikki's behalf.
The two walked through corridors and passageways until they reached the central palace—the residence of the Old Aira King.
But before they could even step inside, a series of indecent noises drifted out from within.
Upon hearing them, the mage's face turned green.
She bowed slightly to Hel, her voice full of apology.
"Forgive me, Lady Nico. Please allow me to drag that old fool out."
Without waiting for Hel's response, she stormed inside.
Moments later, Hel heard furious shouting echoing from within the palace:
"Fifth Brother's corpse isn't even cold yet, and you dare touch his woman?!"
"His woman you took—fine, whatever—but now you go after your own nephew's widow?!"
"That's your granddaughter, you beast! Even if she's from a side branch, she's still of the Silvermoon bloodline! How could you—how dare you?!"
Outside the hall, Hel listened to the string of scandalous accusations and suddenly felt the urge to grab some sunflower seeds and a little stool to sit and enjoy the show.
"So… the old Aira King was this depraved before?"
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
From what Nikki had told her, the old king had been an extremely disciplined man—rarely indulging in women, always balancing governance and cultivation with austere precision.
"So… now that Nikki's authority no longer restrains him," Hel mused dryly,
"he's finally letting himself go completely?"