The next day, Aeaea.
"Are you sure you're not coming?"
On the beach, Samael, fully prepared to depart, frowned at the harpy who had suddenly changed her mind.
"Yeah, I'm used to staying here anyway. There's nothing fun on the mainland."
Harpy nodded earnestly, then nudged her playmate forward.
"But Circe's barely ever set foot on land since she was born. She doesn't even know what beef or mutton tastes like. Can't you take her with you?"
The Feast Witch pursed her lips, her eyes filled with both longing and hesitation. She lowered her head, only daring to sneak glances at the ancient serpent.
Samael was silent for a moment before stepping forward to gently stroke the feathers atop Harpy's head. A faint, satisfied smile curved his lips.
"Hmm, you've grown up.
Alright then. When I come back, I'll bring you some dried meat as a treat."
The harpy, who had been wearing a stiff, somewhat forlorn expression, instantly brightened. Her feathers lifted, and she beamed as she nodded enthusiastically.
Then, the ancient serpent's gaze met those brilliant cross-shaped star pupils. Each reflected traces of last night's lingering tenderness. Both averted their eyes and exchanged a quiet nod of farewell.
Samael, being the thicker-skinned of the two, quickly dispelled the awkwardness. He stole a glance at the Goddess of Beginning's slightly flushed cheeks and felt a warm surge of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Before he could indulge in the sight for long, Tina, her composure mostly restored, looked up, lips pressed together as a faint reproach flickered in her eyes.
"Enough teasing. Go on already."
Reluctantly, Samael turned away, his gaze falling on the figure standing at the very back.
"Father..."
"No need for that. Just call me Teacher."
"Teacher, I don't want you to go..."
The silver-haired elf ran forward, clutching at Samael's arm with delicate hands. She bit her lower lip, her ruby-like eyes glistening with tears.
The ancient serpent sighed softly and brushed his hand over her head, murmuring.
"Me neither..."
"Really? Then..."
Pandora's face lit up with joy, barely able to contain her excitement.
"Then write my name a thousand times a day—to make sure you don't forget it."
The silver-haired elf's bright smile froze in an instant, her lips twitching.
"What? You said you'd miss me, and now you're teasing me again?"
Samael narrowed his eyes, his voice low and calm.
"Of course I mean it, I—"
"Alright, alright, I get it. No need to say more. A thousand times—don't slack off."
Samael raised his right index finger, waving it before Pandora with an amused grin.
Then, he turned to glance at the idling harpy.
"Harpy, keep an eye on her. If she skips even once, have Tina hang her up for the night. I've heard that method works wonders for memory retention."
"Don't worry, Teacher. I won't slack off. I'll pour my thoughts and blessings into every word I write. So please, return safe and soon."
Pandora pressed her lips into a faint smile, her tone serious, her eyes soft and full of warmth.
Hmph. She actually managed to hold back?
Not bad—she's improving fast.
Samael rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming with approval. He patted the Calamity's Daughter gently on the shoulder, his tone patient and steady.
"Daydreaming during writing practice is unacceptable. Add another thousand lines to prove how much you miss me."
You son of a—!
Can't you understand human speech?!
A vein throbbed on Pandora's forehead as she nearly lost control of her expression. Inside, she was furiously cursing that inhuman bastard.
"Leaving already? Won't you see me off?"
At parting, Samael asked softly. The Daughter of Calamity, burning with anger, had been ready to turn away with a cold face.
But when her gaze met the ancient serpent's eyes, where that teasing, half-smiling expression lingered, her heart skipped a beat. Forcing a sweet yet fake smile onto her pretty face, she stepped forward to bid him a reluctant farewell.
Seeing how obedient Pandora was, Samael decided to spare her any further torment.
This sort of training was like taming a hawk—push too hard, and it backfired. Patience was key.
As the ancient serpent mused, the silver-haired elf suddenly stepped forward and hugged him with bold, heartfelt fervor. It took him a long moment to recover from the surprise.
"Teacher, I want to change my name..."
"Hmm? You don't like the name Pandora?"
"If Teacher doesn't like it, then I don't like it either."
The ancient serpent looked deeply at her earnest yet faintly bashful face and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In just a few days, her acting skills had improved astonishingly fast. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he couldn't tell which of her words were genuine and which were performance.
Still, even knowing this embodiment of evil was trying to flatter him, her words sounded so pleasant that he almost fell for them.
"I've thought of two names, but I can't decide which to choose."
"Go on, I'm listening."
"One is Justeaze, the other is Irisviel. Which one do you prefer, Teacher?"
Samael's gaze lifted in a daze. For a brief, dreamlike moment, it was as if he had crossed time and space, seeing two gentle, silver-haired women—pure and angelic—reaching their arms out toward him.
After a long silence, the ancient serpent returned to himself and spoke calmly.
"Forget it. Neither suits you. If you really want to change your name, just call yourself by your codename—'This World's Evil.'"
Pandora shook her head firmly, clearly uninterested.
The ancient serpent shrugged indifferently, then narrowed his eyes, a bright grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, by the way—those two names you mentioned? Their full names are Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern and Irisviel von Einzbern. You understand what I mean?"
"What?"
Pandora blinked, confused, instinctively asking for clarification.
Samael slowly raised two fingers, his smile turning cold and sinister.
"Two thousand times."
Since you're so interested in those names, you might as well make sure you remember them well.
Pandora's breath caught. Her delicate face darkened, and in her heart, she cursed the serpent again from head to tail.
On the shore, she watched as Samael transformed into a flying Magical Beast and disappeared into the sky with the Feast Witch Circe. Only then did the frustration fade from the silver-haired elf's face. Her ruby eyes shimmered faintly with amusement.
Well, it seems those two names really mean something special to him.
Two thousand lines to uncover such a valuable weakness? Definitely worth it.
But still...
Pandora unrolled the parchment in her hand, her silver teeth grinding audibly.
What kind of ridiculous names are these?! And why are they so long?!
...
Days later, two figures burst through the thick sea mist—one above, one below. The moment Samael, in wyvern form, spotted the outline of land, he folded his wings and went into a dive.
"Achoo!"
Clutched in his claws, Circe's wings folded tightly against the biting wind, but she still couldn't resist letting out a heavy sneeze.
At the same time, the Feast Witch shot an indignant look upward at Samael, muttering under her breath.
"What are you even sulking about? You were the one who insisted on plucking my dragon scales out of curiosity, poking and tapping all over. If I hadn't been generous, you'd have been fish food by now."
Samael rolled his eyes and snorted, gaining a whole new understanding of the witches' boundless curiosity and obsession with research.
He was certain that if he were any weaker, this woman would have paralyzed him, strapped him to a lab table, and dissected him just to satisfy her curiosity.
Buzz—
Just as the dragon and the witch broke through the cloud layer and began descending, a strange vibration filled the air. Samael's pupils contracted sharply, and he folded his wings, retreating fast.
Whoosh!
A silver-glinting arrow shot past, narrowly grazing his wing membrane before vanishing into the sky.
An ambush!
Samael's expression darkened. With a chilling glare, he grabbed Circe and dove toward the direction of the attacker's hiding spot.