Hel was still thinking when a sudden explosion thundered from the distant palace. Moments later, she watched as the once-grand structure began to collapse piece by piece toward her. With a thunderous crash and clouds of dust rising into the sky, the royal hall — a symbol of the Beastmen's long legacy — turned into a heap of rubble.
"Beastmen architecture really is crude... bones, hides, and mostly rammed earth walls. Are Beastmen really this poor?"
Hel muttered to herself as she stared at the wreckage. When the dust finally cleared, she saw the female mage and a bunch of pale bodies exposed to the crowd. At their head stood none other than the old King of Aila.
As a veteran sixth-tier powerhouse, he had managed to grab a piece of clothing the moment the mage burst in — sparing himself from running out completely naked like the women behind him. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side.
In his panic, he had grabbed the wrong piece — the only woman's outfit in the pile. And so, the mighty Aila King stood before them in a pink, frilly gown.
Hel's eyes nearly went blind from the sight. The combination of that wrinkled old face and the delicate dress was truly something no one should ever have to see. Still, deep down, she was thoroughly amused. She even pulled out a memory stone, grinning wickedly.
"Didn't expect the old Ayla King to be into crossdressing. That's huge news."
Just as she was about to move closer to record a clearer image, the old king suddenly lashed out at the female mage, striking her hard in the chest. Blood spurted from her mouth as she was sent flying straight toward Hel.
Without hesitation, Hel waved her hand — a surge of death magic caught the mage midair. Then, with another casual flick, she smashed the old king into the ground, leaving a crater beneath him.
The blow didn't seriously wound him, but it made him look even more pathetic. Hel smiled cruelly, holding up her memory stone as she crouched near the pit. The old king tried to crawl out, but Hel's mental strength completely overpowered his, and with all death energy drained from the area, he had no way to resist. Hel's aura pressed down on him until he gave up, glaring in humiliation.
But just as Hel was about to keep recording, her real body — safe in Heim City — suddenly froze. Her pupils shrank sharply as cold sweat trickled down her face.
"Something's wrong. Very wrong. With my personality, I'd never waste time on something this childish. Niv, take me to the Bio-City. I need a full-body scan right now—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
"No. Wait. The source of this problem might be the Bio-City. Take me straight to the underground shelter instead. We'll use the scanners there."
"Master, what's happening?"
Niv gestured quickly, calling over the angelic Niv, as if to have her perform healing. But Hel waved her off immediately.
"Don't come near me. I might be suffering from a psychic curse. Just get me to the diagnostic machines."
While speaking, she quickly summoned her Trait Panel, scanning for anomalies. To her surprise, her black traits were still the same three from when she'd first transmigrated — no new negative traits had appeared.
"No new traits? Then maybe the contamination isn't inside me. Could it be Nikki? Or the Elven Mother Tree? Or someone's infiltrated the Soul Network and spread a psychic curse?"
Her brows furrowed deeply. Soon, she and Niv arrived at the underground shelter. After a series of comprehensive scans, Hel's face grew even darker.
"Nothing at all? Impossible. Am I seriously just… turning into some kind of clown for fun?Me, acting that flamboyant? Absolutely not!"
"Perhaps the master's been under too much stress," Niv said thoughtfully. "According to the Reincarnation Core's S-Class records, the goblins have never developed tech capable of subtly changing someone's personality. Besides, you're the Death Witch — you have absolute control over your soul. No one should be able to tamper with it."
"That… makes sense," Hel admitted with a nod. Since neither the traits nor the machines found anything, maybe it really was a false alarm.
"After I disconnected from Niko's soul link, what's happening on that end?"
"Don't worry," Niv replied. "The moment you disconnected, I took control of Niko's body and handled everything there."
"Good." Hel exhaled in relief. If a false alarm had caused her to ruin her plans to seize the Beast Witch's faction, it would've been disastrous.
"You did well, Niv."
"It's what I'm here for," Niv said with a mischievous smile. "But if you really want to thank me, how about rewarding me… by letting me serve you tonight?"
The elf Niv giggled, wrapping her arms around Hel's arm, her soft chest pressing against it. Her body was bonelessly pliant, clinging like warm silk.
Normally, Hel would've pushed her away with a cold snort — maybe ruffled her hair afterward. But this time… perhaps because Niv's earlier words seemed reasonable, or maybe because Hel genuinely felt grateful for her constant support — she didn't push her away.
Instead, she pulled Niv into her arms, whispering teasingly into her ear:
"Since my little Niv's so cute, I'll grant your wish tonight."
Hel's lips were just about to touch Niv's when the elf suddenly slipped free, eyes full of alarm.
"Gender recognition error. Severe personality deviation. Preferences inconsistent with previous psychological profile. Master — there's a 51.98% chance you are suffering from psychic contamination."