Irish finally returned to her dorm room. The door clicked shut behind her, and the quietness inside felt heavy after the noisy arena. She walked straight to her bed, took the sword from her waist, and laid it gently on the blanket. Then she went to the small washstand in the corner, scooped some water in her hands, and rinsed her mouth.
When she looked up at the mirror, her reflection stared back—her hair and eyes were much darker than before, so dark they looked almost black.
"My hair and eyes… they're even darker now. Is it because my connection with the dark element is getting stronger?" she thought, tilting her head.
She reached for the knife lying nearby. Her fingers wrapped around the handle, and she slowly poured her mana into it, making the blade hum and grow sharper. Without any hesitation, she swung it down in one clean motion—cutting her own wrist.
But before a single drop of blood could fall, her skin shimmered faintly, and her hand regenerated completely in just a few seconds.
"It's… much faster than before," she murmured.
She remembered when she first gained her unique skill—Idle Transfiguration. Back then, her regeneration was decent, but now it was astonishing. And it wasn't just her healing—she could now go without breathing for ten to twenty days straight without losing any battle strength.
Her lips curved into a faint smile. Getting stronger meant she was one step closer to Scarlett. But the moment Scarlett's name entered her mind, a strange, warm feeling spread through her body.
Her heart thudded once, hard. She immediately closed her eyes, focusing on the sensation, then opened them again.
"Is honey here?" she whispered.
---
Meanwhile, a few kilometers away from the academy, there was an open-roof theater. The seats formed a wide circle, and in the center stage, actors were performing a traditional play.
The story was one well-known to all—the tale of Aoto, Chiyoko, and Scarlett defeating the Fifth Demon King, Noir.
One actor, dressed in black and red robes, played the role of Demon King Noir, while three others portrayed the heroes.
"Go, heroes! With my blessings, you will defeat this demon and bring salvation to the world!" the actress playing Scarlett cried, kneeling to the ground, her voice soft yet filled with holy power.
The crowd watched as the actors playing Aoto and Chiyoko fought and finally brought down the demon king. The "demon" collapsed dramatically, and the audience clapped quietly at first, waiting to see the ending.
After the victory, the Scarlett actress turned toward Aoto's actor. Her eyes shone, and she asked in a deep, emotional tone, "Oh great hero… will you marry me?"
But the Aoto actor turned away with a heavy, solemn face. "No, my lady. You are the incarnation of the goddess herself. Until all demon kings are defeated and humanity is saved, we cannot bind ourselves with such a relationship."
The moment he finished, the theater erupted into sound.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Everyone applauded loudly, whistles and cheers echoing in the air. Some spectators shouted praise, while others simply grinned
in excitement, enjoying the performance.
In the very back of the crowd, away from the cheering crowd below, two people sat quietly. Both wore long gray robes with deep hoods that covered their faces, hiding their identities completely.
Under those robes were none other than Scarlett and Aoto.
Scarlett's lips twitched twice as she stared at the stage. "When," she asked slowly, "did that happen? Care to explain it to me?"
Aoto froze, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead. He looked away, avoiding her sharp gaze. "H-how would I know? They just made it up! I didn't do anything this time, I swear!"
Scarlett narrowed her eyes behind blindfold but didn't push further. She sighed instead. "Whatever the case… after killing the demon king, our reputation has shot up to the seven heavens."
Aoto nodded quickly. "Especially yours. You claimed to be the Goddess's incarnation, and we actually killed a demon king. That hasn't happened in over ten thousand years! Right now, we're practically the most famous people in the world!"
Before Scarlett could reply, Aoto grinned slyly and added, "I can already feel it—the throne of Darwitz is coming to me. I'll make sure every single Goddess statue is replaced with yours."
Scarlett blinked at him, then fell silent, her mind turning. After a pause, she asked, "Do you think the Holy Knights have any problem with that?"
"I doubt it," Aoto shrugged. "Captain Vesilisa and Vice-Captain Arthur have blessings from the True Dragons, so maybe they worship dragons instead."
Scarlett's brow furrowed. "But doesn't that seem strange to you? The Holy Knights call themselves the Goddess's attendants, sworn defenders of humanity. Why would they worship True Dragons—creatures who have never cared about humans? And both Vesilisa and Arthur are from Almeida, where everyone worships the Goddess of Love."
Aoto let out a short sigh. "Who knows? In the end, they live their lives, we live ours. That's what matters."
Scarlett nodded slowly. "That's true…"
But then Aoto casually dropped a piece of news that would have made anyone else happy—yet felt like a disaster to Scarlett.
"Oh, by the way, next week the Queen of the Kingdom of Victoria, Victoria Cecilia, is throwing a grand party. It's both to celebrate our victory over the Fifth Demon King and to announce her engagement."
Scarlett tilted her head slightly, thinking it was harmless enough—until Aoto continued, "Since we're the three main heroes, of course we'll be invited. I already got my letter. You'll probably get yours soon too—maybe even delivered personally by one of her attendants."
Scarlett's face instantly twisted as if she'd bitten into something sour. Her shoulders slumped. She felt like dropping to the floor and whining like a child.
"Nooo… not a party," she groaned. "Urgh! Who's going to make me wear some cringe, overly frilly, feminine outfit and then have to endure everyone's dirty stares?"
Scarlett had never liked gatherings or banquets to begin with. Now, being a woman—an unbelievably peerlessly beautiful one at that—made it even worse. No matter where she went or what she wore, eyes followed her.
Sometimes she could shrug it off, knowing it wasn't really their fault—her natural allure was simply too overwhelming. But she also had bad memories of party in the human kingdom.
The last time she'd attended one, Irish had proposed to her and she'd accepted. It was going well… until she was accused of being a spy from the demon realm. And nearly got her killed.
Ever since then, her opinion of noble gatherings had dropped straight to the bottom.
Even though Scarlett wanted nothing more than to crumple up that royal invitation and toss it into a fire, she knew she couldn't.
She had declared herself the Goddess's incarnation. She had fought and helped defeat the Fifth Demon King for the sake of humanity.
Skipping a party held to honor that victory would be like slapping everyone who believed in her. No matter how much she hated it, she had no choice—it was a must.
Just as she was about to throw herself dramatically onto the ground and whine like a child, her sixth sense suddenly sent a sharp, uneasy signal through her body.
Her eyes, hidden behind her purple blindfold, widened. "Irish is coming. I'm leaving," she said quickly.
"Why?" Aoto asked. "Just meet her and then go."
Scarlett shook her head firmly. "Her patience is already wearing thin. If she sees me now, she'll insist on going with me."
But in her mind, the real reason was much more dangerous. "If she smells even the faintest trace of Lunatic or Reiza on me again… I'm afraid I'm dead!"
A cold shiver ran down her spine. Without another word, she vanished, teleporting away in an instant.
A few seconds later, Irish appeared out of nowhere, landing beside Aoto like a hunting predator. Without hesitation, she grabbed him by the collar.
"What are you doing here? And where's honey?" she demanded sharply.
Aoto blinked rapidly, playing dumb. "Scarlett's here? Where? When? I just came to see the performance!"
Irish narrowed her eyes, staring into his soul as if she could see through every lie. "Are you sure?"
"Of course!" Aoto replied, trying his best to sound convincing. "Why would I lie to you?"
———
Meanwhile, Scarlett had already arrived back at DreadHaven.
The city was as lively as ever. Monsters of all shapes and sizes walked through the streets, living like normal citizens. Here and there, humans moved among them without fear—some talking with merchants, others carrying goods, a few even laughing with demonkin like old friends.
She had barely taken two steps before a familiar figure appeared in front of her—Lunatic.
Her long black hair flowed behind her, and her ruby-blue eyes glimmered in the dim light.
She was dressed in… well, something that could barely be called clothing. A sleeveless hoodie-like top that exposed her toned stomach completely, paired with tiny denim shorts that barely reached mid-thigh. The curves of her waist and hips were impossible to miss. On her lower belly, clearly visible, was the symbol of their heart pact—an ancient, heart-shaped mark that seemed to shimmer faintly.
Scarlett stared at her in disbelief. "What are you even wearing? Your whole body is practically on display!"
Lunatic simply rolled her eyes, her expression saying she didn't see the problem. "So what?" she replied casually.
Scarlett was taken aback for a moment… then it hit her. "Oh, right. My bad. Why would a succubus feel embarrassed about showing skin?"
She glanced down at herself and sighed. She was wearing a loose white T-shirt and gym shorts—not exactly the most modest outfit either.
"And who am I to tell her what to wear?" she thought, shaking her head with a wry smile.
Scarlett turned her head toward Lunatic and asked, "Why are you here?"
Lunatic's lips curved into a sly smirk. "A human came to deliver an invitation letter. He said it was from Victoria Cecilia, inviting you to a party. Since you weren't here, as your wife, I took it and bid him farewell!"
Scarlett's face instantly turned red. "We are not married yet!" she almost shouted, her voice echoing slightly. She could already imagine what embarrassing things Lunatic might have said or done in front of the messenger.
Taking a deep breath, Scarlett asked, "Lunatic… you didn't say or do anything weird, did you?"
Lunatic puffed out her cheeks and looked away, acting innocent. "I'm a succubus queen. And of course my mother taught me manners. I just introduced myself and took the invitation with proper behavior!" Her eyes lit up suddenly as she added with excitement, "Oh! And he even told me to come with you. Yay! A party! I can't even remember the last one I attended… maybe on Lunaria's birthday!"
Scarlett's mouth twitched. "Yeah, your mother taught you everything… except shame," she thought, but wisely kept it to herself.
With a sigh, Scarlett asked, "What about Miss Lilith? Is she here yet?"
Lunatic blinked, her mind going blank for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. She slapped her forehead with a silly grin. "Oops! I actually came here to tell you she's already here. And everyone's gathered, waiting for you!"
"Let's go then," Scarlett said, chuckling. "Avion told me she's strict. If I'm late, she might make me stand with my hands raised like a schoolkid."
The two of them walked together toward the palace garden.
When they arrived, Scarlett saw all the important figures already gathered. Even Seiira was there, sitting cross-legged like she was meditating.
At the front stood Lilith. Her short silver hair glinted in the light, and wearing glasses that gave her the sharp, intellectual air of a tutor.
Scarlett took a seat right in front, curious about what Lilith would teach today.
Lilith paced back and forth, her brows furrowed as if she were trying to solve a great mystery. After a few moments, she stopped, turned, and pointed at Li Feng.
"You!"
Then she pointed at Xao.
"You!"
Then at Reiza.
"You!"
Then Semiath.
"You!"
Then Lunatic.
"You!"
Then Cryptus… and more.
"You! You! You! And you… You're all idiots!" she said sharply, her voice cutting like a blade.
Scarlett couldn't help it—she let out a small chuckle, quickly covering her mouth to hide her amusement.
But then Lilith's eyes locked on her.
"And especially you, Scarlett…" she said, pointing directly at her. "You're the biggest idiot I've ever seen!"