"You're that little one from the Silvermoon Clan, aren't you?" Pestis regarded Hel, who stood before her timidly, and frowned faintly.
"Let's hope you perform better than your sister did."
"Lord Pestis refers to Lady Nikki?" Hel bowed respectfully.
Pestis gave a small, noncommittal nod but clearly had no interest in continuing the topic.
"Come with me. Once you pass this trial, then — and only then — will you have the right to be compared to her."
With that, Pestis turned and led Hel into the depths of her palace.
The interior was nothing like what Hel had imagined. There were no grand furnishings, no attendants or maids — only a vast, empty hall. At its far end stood a single metal bed, small and cold.
"Go lie down there."
Pestis gestured toward the bed, then moved to a corner of the hall. With a few metallic clinks, she pried open a stone tile in the floor, revealing a hidden compartment.
From within, she retrieved a small metal box. Opening it, she took out a crystal vial filled with crimson liquid.
Walking back, she handed it to Hel.
"Drink this, then lie on the bed."
Hel accepted the vial with hesitation. Seeing that, Pestis added almost casually:
"You might want to find something to bite down on. Otherwise, you could bite off your tongue."
"Bite off my tongue…?"
Hel glanced at the liquid in the vial. According to the Tag System, this was Nikki's blood essence.
So Pestis had indeed summoned her here for something related to Nikki. But it seemed there was no way out of it now — hiding her identity any longer would be impossible.
After a moment's hesitation, Hel gritted her teeth, uncorked the bottle, and downed it in one go.
The instant the blood entered her stomach, a blazing heat surged up inside her, as though her very insides were aflame.
Then — almost instinctively — the Authority of Death within her soul awakened, attempting to suppress the violent blood.
"Not good!"
Hel's heart clenched in alarm. She quickly forced the Death Authority back down and severed her spiritual link with Niko.
"Niv, take over for me."
Hearing her call, Niv immediately understood. Through the soul network, she seized control of Niko's body in Hel's stead.
Meanwhile, Pestis, watching the small figure trembling on the metal bed, frowned again.
Something about this girl felt… different from before.
But after a brief moment of thought, Pestis dismissed the notion. After all, witch blood essence was far more corrosive than ordinary witch blood — it wasn't strange for its lingering Authority to disturb the mind.
Time passed slowly. When Hel's body finally absorbed the essence completely, she opened her eyes.
Her vision swam in the blinding light. Her body was soaked with sweat; her clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin.
"Congratulations. You've passed the first trial," Pestis said calmly. "If you wish to continue, come here each day to drink another dose. Oh, and… take this."
She reached back into the metal box and drew out a bracelet woven from white wolf fur.
"Wear it. And don't remove it unless I give permission."
Hel took the bracelet, running her fingers over the soft, finely maintained fur. The system immediately confirmed her suspicion — it was woven from Nikki's tail fur.
"Her blood… her fur…Does this Witch of Disease want me to impersonate Nikki ?Or… is she trying to make me steal Nikki's Authority? But Nikki isn't dead — what's the point?"
Hel's thoughts raced.
"Should I ask now?"
She hesitated. It would be suspicious to question Pestis too soon. Better to wait until the witch lowered her guard.
But unexpectedly, Pestis herself brought up Nikki's name again.
"For the next few days, you may try calling yourself Nikki. It might increase your chance of being recognized."
"Calling myself Nikki…?"
Hel's confusion deepened.
"Does Lord Pestis want me to disguise myself as Lady Nikki?"
"Not disguise," Pestis replied flatly. "You don't need to pretend to be her. You only need to play her — to make something else believe that you are Nikki."
"Something else…?"
Hel had a faint guess, but to gather more information, she continued to feign ignorance.
She hadn't expected Pestis to answer, but after a moment of contemplation, the witch spoke again:
"I — or rather, we — need you to attract the War Divinity Fragment. By letting its power corrode you, we can obtain the strength of a witch.
The chance of success is low, and the risk is great. If you fail, the divine backlash will reduce you to dust. But if you succeed — you'll inherit Nikki's position and become the Demon King of Aira's Royal Court."
"Whether you proceed or not is your choice. You've merely earned the qualification to join the plan — nothing more."
Hel's eyes flickered.
"She's showing all her cards already?"
She thought silently, but outwardly maintained her meek tone.
"Lord Pestis, surely you didn't need to tell me all this."
Pestis nodded slightly, her gaze steady.
"True. But every being has the right to survive. You, too, have that right — to live quietly, or to gamble your life for power and glory.
If you succeed, I don't want you to resent me in the future for hiding the truth now."
"I understand, Lord Pestis."
Hel nodded.
She couldn't shake the strange impression that this so-called Witch of Disease wasn't as insane as the Witch Forum claimed. Everything she did seemed deliberate — methodical, even cautious.
But then again, that made sense. Anyone standing a step away from godhood had to be cautious. If she weren't, she'd have long since been turned into a Holy Grail specimen.
Indeed — according to the system, Pestis hadn't yet become a demigod, but she was far beyond any mortal Saint-tier being.
She was only one step away from ascending — but something unknown held her back, a mysterious constraint that kept her forever on the brink of transcendence.