Chapter 19: Witch of Temperance
Author: Geraint
Flying in the sky was Naamah with Hecate carrying Hannya, while they watched the harsh battle between humans and beastmen. After the humans of the Zendaria Empire launched their offensive, they pushed through and captured the demon fortress. The beastmen tried to reclaim it, but the closer they got to the gate, the more men they lost—eventually ending up completely wiped out.
Naamah frowned at the bloody scene below, watching helpless beastmen warriors die without even reaching their enemies with their swords.
"Just as Seir-sama predicted. This is the reason why he decided to stay longer and not move forward."
At the captured fortress, a line of soldiers held strange weapons, aiming at the approaching beastmen.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, the warriors fell to the ground. Their leader, an old man with black wolf ears and a tail, stumbled after being shot in the leg. He watched all his comrades perish. As the last beastman alive, he roared in fury and picked up his weapon—
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out. He was struck in the chest and fell dead.
The soldiers all held firearms, laughing at how helpless their enemies were against the new weapon.
Naamah's face twisted with rage.
"To think they could mass-produce firearms this quickly... They used them to conquer the Elven Kingdom. No wonder it fell so easily!" she spat in frustration.
"What do we do now? Should we return to camp and tell Seir?" Hecate asked.
"Hecate, please drop me down," Hannya suddenly requested.
"What?!" Naamah and Hecate were shocked.
"Boss Seir told me he needs to replenish his stock of human flesh right away. He'll use it to revive those guys."
"I see," Hecate smiled.
"It's been a while since we fought together," Naamah said, excitement stirring in her chest—though she forgot the traumatic battle against Seir's little sister, where they had nearly been slaughtered.
"It would be more fun if Eisheth, Lamia, and Marah were here," Hecate added, recalling the same battle but wisely choosing not to bring it up.
"Hey! If they were here, nothing would be left for us to do! Everything would be turned to dust!" Hannya complained, completely forgetting the trauma.
"Well, both Eisheth and Lamia are massive monsters, while Marah has the same ability as Seir-sama," Naamah explained.
"Alright! Let's kick those humans back to their territory!" Hannya announced.
"Yeah!"
The three descended. Hecate dropped Hannya onto the fortress wall. Then her whole body glowed as her eyes opened wide—her outfit transforming into a full set of white armor with gauntlets and greaves. She stood beside Naamah and Hannya, gripping her dark crescent scythe as they faced the army of soldiers with firearms aimed directly at them.
But just as they were about to attack—
The soldiers froze. Blood suddenly gushed from their necks as one after another fell lifelessly, twitching.
"Eh?"
The three stared in shock, jaws dropping, their excitement instantly fading. All the soldiers around the fortress had already been taken care of in an instant.
A young lady in a maid outfit, with long silvery-white hair and glowing red eyes, unveiled herself from a black mist. She held two bloodstained daggers in her hands.
"Why are you taking so long? Seir-sama is waiting."
"Lilith!"
They often forgot Lilith was also one of the Disaster Witches, since she was always by Seir's side.
"Gather the corpses. Seir needs all of them."
"At least leave something for us—" Hannya began to complain, when suddenly a spear shot toward Lilith. She dodged it with ease.
From the dim hallway of the fortress emerged a half-naked man with red markings across his muscular body. He had brown hair, amber eyes, and a cocky smile.
"What do we have here? Some cute demon ladies? I want to taste one."
The four frowned.
"Sorry, not interested," Hannya cracked her fist.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that. I'm sure you'll enjoy it after a little tease," he said in a lewd tone.
"Shut up!"
Hannya leapt forward and launched a powerful punch.
"Huh?"
Feeling something off, she immediately retreated to keep her distance.
The others jumped down beside her, watching as the man remained unscratched.
"Haha! Don't be so rough. I'm a gentleman. I'll treat you girls with care," he mocked.
"We're being underestimated," Hannya growled—then noticed Lilith already cleaning her daggers with a cloth, walking away.
"Lilith, where are you going?"
"Collecting the corpses while they're still fresh. Leave him to Naamah," Lilith replied.
"Eh..." Hannya's shoulders slumped.
"Hurry, or Seir-sama will get angry," Lilith reminded.
"Fine! You're really such a spoilsport as always."
"It is my pleasure to serve Seir-sama."
"Well, expected from the Disaster Witch of Diligence," Hannya sighed.
"You guys have just been spoiled by him."
"Yes..."
Hannya followed Lilith.
Afterward, Naamah and Hecate exchanged glances.
"I think you should go with them," Naamah said.
"Will you be okay?" Hecate asked.
"I'll be fine. They need you more than I do here."
"Alright. Be careful."
Hecate flapped her black wings and flew after the others.
The half-naked man groaned.
"Eh? Where are they going? I wanted to have fun with them too."
Naamah smiled, removing her glasses. "No, I'm already more than you can handle. Don't ask for too much, or you'll get burned."
Her disguise vanished. She revealed her demonic form: a succubus with horns, fangs, pointy ears, an arrow-tipped tail, and bat-like wings. Her silky pink hair grew longer, flowing past her waist. She stripped off her witch's dress and dropped it to the ground, exposing her voluptuous body in only a provocative outfit.
"A succubus!?" the man gasped.
Naamah smirked, pointing at him.
"Now, how will you handle—"
"Disgusting!"
The word cut her off. The man looked genuinely revolted.
Naamah froze.
The man clutched his stomach, gagged, and vomited on the ground.
"I feel sick just looking at you. Put your clothes back on."
Naamah trembled, teary-eyed.
"Not again... He's just like my past fiancés who broke off their engagements..." she pouted.
"Please, just get away from me! I don't want to see you!" the man begged as he turned and walked off, wounding her heart even more.
Fury boiled within Naamah. Dark hands of energy gathered in her palm, condensing into a black sphere crackling with purple lightning. Anything it touched was annihilated.
"Die!"
She hurled it.
"Dark Magic: Orb of Annihilation!"
The man turned, eyes widening at the sphere expanding toward him.
"No! AAAHHH—"
His scream was cut short as he was erased from existence.
The black sphere devoured more than half of the fortress before dispersing into nothingness.
---------
Somewhere in demon territory, there was a small, old castle covered in vines, surrounded by a vast vegetable garden tended by beastmen farmers. Among them, different from the rest, was a noble-looking young girl with short crimson-red hair picking tomatoes. She had red eyes, pointy ears, and small fangs, giving her the appearance of a vampire. Her outfit was that of a farmer girl—consisting of a long-sleeved white shirt with buttons and a long brown skirt that reached beyond her knees. She hummed while picking the good-quality tomatoes.
"Pheew~"
She wiped the sweat off her forehead with her wrist, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight.
"Hm?"
Turning to her side, she found a large ripe tomato and picked it up. Happy with her find, she took a bite to see how it tasted.
"Mhm~ Yummy!"
Suddenly, she sensed something in the distance, facing southeast. She took another bite of the tomato and munched thoughtfully.
"That vast amount of demonic power... Isn't that Naamah? What is she doing? Did she get another broken engagement? Poor her."
She glanced down at the tomato in her hand.
"Unlike her, all I need is a tomato, and I love it. Hehehe." She giggled.
"It seems Hecate is also with her. I can sense the power of a Valkyrie she possesses. Lilith is there too. Several days ago, it was Hannya. She's been rampaging around lately."
Something came to her mind, then she turned and called someone.
"Sebastian!"
"Yes, Lady Marah!"
An old man in a butler suit with a white beard appeared before her in an instant and bowed on one knee, looking very gentlemanly. He was a beastman with the physical features of a cheetah—spotted orange hair, ears, and a tail.
"Sorry, but I need to go somewhere for the time being. Please look after my castle and tomato farm while I'm away."
"Yes, but before that..."
The butler glanced at her outfit.
"Please wear something appropriate. You're a noble of a house."
"That was a long time ago. It's such a pain to change right now. Besides, I love this outfit. It's very comfortable, unlike those gloomy dresses." She spun around in front of him, showing how much she liked her dress.
"Lady Marah..."
"Hehehe."
She just giggled at him.
"Don't worry. If it's him, he won't mind. I want to confirm if he's really there and see how he's doing."
The butler was surprised.
"You mean Prince Seir?"
"Yes. It's been more than four years since we stormed the Demon King's castle together and he defeated his father. I want to see how he's grown up now." Marah smiled at her butler, then her body slowly transformed into small bats, dispersing and flying into the sky.
"Alright, take care! I'll be back soon!" she disappeared with the bats.
Meanwhile,
BAM!
Lilith launched a powerful kick and destroyed the large door.
She entered with Hannya and Hecate, walking along the dark hallway while looking into prison cells filled with the corpses of tortured beastmen still bound in chains.
"This is awful," Hannya frowned.
"After Seir defeated his father, the Demon King, and the two of you disappeared, the world should have been peaceful—but things only got worse. Some human nations started attacking other races, calling them demons as well. With the sudden disappearance of the last Demon King two years ago, the demon realm was divided into different factions. If this continues, the whole demon realm will be under humanity's control in a few years with their overwhelming forces of heroes." Hecate explained with an anxious tone.
They both glanced at Lilith, who seemed unconcerned and indifferent despite the horrific sight of corpses in each cell.
"Nothing worth taking here. All the corpses are already starting to rot."
Just as they were about to leave, Lilith spotted a person in the last cell lying on the floor with chained limbs. Her eyes widened at the sight of a familiar uniform. She rushed to the cell and forced it open, breaking the door apart.
"What's going on?"
Both Hannya and Hecate were surprised by Lilith's sudden change in expression and followed her.
Inside was an abused young woman in a torn uniform. Her body showed signs of assault—her clothes disheveled, bleeding between her legs, her chest exposed and swollen, and injuries across her arms and legs.
"Rei-senpai..."
Lilith trembled as she muttered.
The lady weakly glanced at her, tears falling from her eyes.
"You are..."
She grabbed Lilith's hand.
"Rei-senpai! It's me, Lilith!"
"Lilith-chan? Oh... I remember now... I-I thought... I would die alone... here..."
"Don't speak! You'll be fine! Seir-sama will save you!"
The two behind were shocked to see Lilith display so much emotion.
"Lilith... did you have fun in school?"
"Of course! Thanks to you!"
The lady touched her cheek and smiled.
"I was so scared... I thought this nightmare would never end... but I'm glad... I was able to see you at the very last minute. Thank you, Lilith-chan."
Her arm fell limply, and Lilith saw her eyes slowly close as she became lifeless before her.
"Good night, President..."
She gently closed the lady's eyelids, then wiped her own tears.
Sniff.
After that, she covered the corpse with a cloth and stored it in her dimensional storage to preserve it.
"Let's go. We have to collect more corpses for Seir-sama."
The next day.
"What happened to you guys?" Seir looked at them with squinted eyes after they returned.
Naamah sat on the sideline, dejected and depressed, while Lilith looked melancholic.
Hannya came close to Seir and whispered something in his ear.
"Oh, I see." He nodded. "Well, Naamah was a normal succubus girl with great passion for magic. But due to her vast amount of demonic mana that can even rival the Demon King's, the negative energy she produces overrides the effects of her alluring charm whenever she uses her power. She's one of the most powerful demonesses in the demon realm, but unfortunately, that makes it impossible for her to find a suitable partner. Most are overwhelmed by her power, and weaker demons even feel sick just by being in her presence in her real form."
After Seir's explanation, Naamah became even more depressed.
"Uuuuuu~"
"Alright, gather everyone! We will now begin the—"
"SEIR-SAMA!!!"
Seir was interrupted when he heard someone calling from above. A young lady dropped down, and he instinctively caught her in his arms.
"Huh?"
It was a vampire girl dressed as a farmer, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Seir-sama! It's really you! You're back! You've grown up and become so handsome now!" she hugged him tightly.
"Marah?!"
The other Disaster Witches were shocked.
"Marah, the Disaster Witch of Temperance, is joining back the party!" she winked and struck a pose.
---------
At the camp, Yuuka and Ayaka had just returned after washing themselves in the river when a group of girls blocked their path.
"What?" Yuuka frowned, stepping in front of Ayaka.
"Yuuka, we know what you really are!"
A girl with curly black hair stepped forward and pointed at her, looking a little anxious. They were scared, since she was someone very close to Seir.
"Okay, but what do you want from me? Oh, I remember now. You girls are from another group." Yuuka sighed, then narrowed her eyes at them.
The group of girls looked back at her with frustration.
"It's because of you that we decided to join those crazy bastards!"
"I see. You want to blame me for your bad decisions? I spoke with you girls, and Saeko-sensei begged you to stay, but still... you all decided to leave the group. Am I really the one to blame for that? Where's the justice?"
They all trembled at her words.
"I know you all hate me, but I don't care! You all made your own choices—don't blame me if things go wrong!" Yuuka snapped angrily.
She grabbed Ayaka by the arm and tried to walk past the group, but one girl grabbed her shoulder and shoved her down. Yuuka fell to the ground along with Ayaka.
"Ouch!"
When Yuuka looked up at the girl who had pushed her, she saw her crying. Suddenly, the girl grabbed Yuuka's hair and yanked it.
"Damn you, bitch! Stop acting almighty in front of us! You'll never understand how we feel!"
Yuuka tried to retaliate, but more girls joined in to attack her.
"If this is what you want, then bring it on, you bitch!"
Ayaka had no choice but to join in to help her.
"Please, let go of her!"
Kaho and Riko noticed the commotion and immediately rushed in.
"Hey, stop that!"
They tried to separate Yuuka from the other girls, but the fighters clung to each other stubbornly.
"Let go!"
"My boyfriend died because of you! If it weren't for you being here, we would never have followed those bastards!" the girl screamed at Yuuka.
Yuuka gritted her teeth and fought back as three girls ganged up on her.
Their teacher, Saeko, finally arrived with the other students who had gathered to watch.
"Hey! Stop this immediately!" She rushed between them, managing to separate them. Her expression hardened. "What do you think you're doing, fighting in a situation like this?!"
The scuffle had left their hair disheveled, especially Yuuka's, and she was still glaring at the girls who had attacked her.
"Why does someone like you even exist? It's like the world favors you more! You have everything—beauty, fame, wealth—while girls like us struggle! I tried everything to stop my boyfriend from looking at you by joining the other group, but we ended up in a disaster! Now he's dead and I was raped! I lost everything and I keep suffering like this! Why am I so unlucky? What did I do to deserve this?!"
The girl collapsed to her knees, sobbing in despair.
Seeing her condition, Yuuka could no longer argue. Memories of her own past surfaced—her accident with her mother, the pain of nearly losing her, and the scars that remained on her body. If not for Seir's help, she would have lost her mother entirely and been left with a ruined life. She understood the girl's pain, but didn't know what to say.
Then, suddenly, someone patted her head. Yuuka froze—only her parents ever touched her head like that. Glancing to the side, she realized who it was. Seir stood behind her, with Lilith and the other demon girls by his side.
"Onii-sama?"
"What's going on here while I was away?"
The girls who had fought with Yuuka turned pale as they noticed him.
The uninvolved students quickly backed away, leaving only the culprits and Saeko, who stayed with them.
"Wait, Seir! Please let me handle this. These girls are just depressed. I'd like to apologize to Yuuka on their behalf," Saeko said, covering for them.
"Listen. I don't know exactly what happened here, but I can guess. I don't have time for this, especially with everything going on outside this forest. I've got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"
"Umm..." Hiroto raised his hand nervously.
"Yes?"
"Can we hear the bad news first?"
"Sure. The bad news is... we're not the only ones who got transferred to this world," Seir replied.
"You mean?"
"Yeah. Your friends, parents, families, classmates... maybe your entire neighborhood was summoned here too."
"Is that really bad news?"
"It means our parents..."
The students' faces lit up with hope, until Seir dropped a bomb.
"Most of them will probably die."
They froze at his words.
"WHAT?!"
Shock spread through the group.
"That's what will happen if you keep holding me back and making things difficult. My plan is to bring everyone to my friend's territory and create a safe haven for the summoned. The longer we delay, the more people from your world will suffer and die. You've already seen how the humans of this world treat you."
Silence fell.
"Seir... what's the good news then?" Hiroto asked cautiously.
"Oh, the good news? I'll show you later. I need to finish preparations first—and I'll need everyone's help."
Later, at the center of the camp, Seir and his demon companions brought out the corpses of students who had been killed in the other group. They laid them out on the ground, covered in cloth, but the foul smell unsettled everyone. Some mourned, including the girl who had fought Yuuka—she broke down wailing over the body of her murdered boyfriend.
"Alright, that's enough. Take her away. Everyone else, move aside!" Seir commanded. Hannya and Hecate dragged the grieving girl away while the others reluctantly stepped back.
The students whispered anxiously, confused about what Seir was doing.
"Yuuka-sama, is Seir-kun really going to do it?" Ayaka asked worriedly.
Yuuka bit her lip, sharing the same concern.
"Yeah."
Kaho and Riko rushed over.
"What is Seir doing?" Kaho asked.
"There are so many dead bodies... what's going on?!" Riko panicked.
Eleven corpses were lined up in front of Seir, with a pile of other bodies set aside nearby.
Some students were horrified and turned away, unable to watch.
Yuuka glanced at Kaho and Riko with a serious expression.
"Seir is..."
Marah stood beside Seir with a smile. They nodded at each other and began chanting a spell.
"He has the power to revive the dead."
As Yuuka spoke, blood surged out from beneath Seir and Marah's feet, flowing toward the corpses. The pile of bodies sank into the blood, which then streamed into the lined-up corpses. Finally, the blood returned to Seir and Marah's feet.
The students watched in shock. A moment later, their eyes widened further when one of the corpses suddenly moved, making several of them scream in fear.
(To be continued.)