Oh crap—she'd messed up.
Hel realized she'd been completely played by that cunning old fox Fate.
And Lust, that terrifyingly twisted woman—
if Hel slipped up now, would she end up captured and "trained" into some kind of velvet pet doll?
On the outside, Hel radiated dominance and composure, her aura overwhelming.
But inside, she was panicking hard.
Still, the "World-End Enchantress" trait she carried came with such an intense killing intent
that even a veteran witch like Lust couldn't help but feel a tremor of fear.
After all, that title carried the screams of over three million victims.
"W–Whoa now, little Death… I was just joking!"
Lust instinctively took several steps back, forcing a nervous laugh.
"I mean, I'm not part of the Death Pantheon anyway. We don't have any conflict of interest, right?"
As she spoke, she quietly retreated to her chair,
putting on a pitiful expression as she glanced at Hel—
as if to say, Please forgive me, or I might just cry right here.
But Hel didn't even look at her.
Instead, she turned a calm, cold gaze toward Fate, who still wore that unruffled, composed smile.
Pretending as though nothing had happened, Hel shifted her attention back to Magic,
continuing their earlier discussion.
"This array doesn't require you to pay anything," Hel said casually.
"But I'd like to receive your research results as soon as possible.
I'm rather interested in your theory about Primal Energy."
"Ah—of course, no problem!" Magic brightened immediately.
"Actually, I know a bit about alchemy. If I just rearrange a few of these runes—"
"No need for all that."
Before Magic could finish, Hel smoothly retrieved the copper plate from her hands.
Under Magic's longing gaze, Hel infused her spiritual energy into it, erasing a few runes here, redrawing several others.
"By changing the arrangement of these sigils," she explained calmly,
"you can greatly increase the efficiency of the array.
There's a high chance it'll produce the results you're hoping for.
As for how to extract and observe the separated Primal Energy—
that's what you'll need to figure out, Miss Magic."
Watching Hel's practiced movements, Magic was momentarily stunned.
"I didn't expect the Death Witch to be so skilled in alchemy!
If it weren't for your youthful face, I'd think you were some reclusive sage living in the mountains."
"Who knows?" Hel smiled faintly.
"Perhaps I'm very young… or perhaps I'm very old."
As she spoke, Hel glanced meaningfully toward Fate once more, then added softly,
"Forcing the appearance to match the soul's age…
Honestly, that kind of trick is rather pointless in front of a Death Witch—one who holds dominion over souls themselves.
After all, manipulating souls is what I do best."
Hel deliberately muddled her own background again.
Whether or not the witches believed her—or how much they believed—didn't matter.
Her goal was to mislead them,
to make them think she cared about hiding her age.
That way, no matter how much they tried to analyze her,
they'd instinctively rule out the real truth—
because who would ever guess that she wasn't originally a girl?
And by acting more mature and composed,
she could avoid unnecessary suspicion and probing.
As the conversation went on, Hel continued to demonstrate her "profound knowledge."
Her exchanges with Magic grew increasingly deep and technical—
touching on topics so advanced that even Star, the young witch beside them,
eventually grew drowsy, completely lost in their jargon.
Meanwhile, Fate simply sat there with a knowing smile,
never once joining in, as though quietly observing the entire time.
Hel had no idea how long they talked,
only that Magic seemed inexhaustible—
like a walking encyclopedia that never ran out of things to say.
Eventually, Hel realized that if she didn't stop now,
even her red-tier Researcher traits wouldn't be enough to keep up.
So she decisively cut the conversation short.
"All right, Miss Magic, let's add each other as friends.
We can continue later."
"Oh! Right, of course!"
Magic quickly pulled out her Fate Card,
tapping it gently against Hel's own.
A small notification window appeared on both cards.
"Is this you—'Little West King'?"
"Yes," Hel nodded.
She glanced at Magic's contact name—'Magical Girl Luna-chan'—
and silently changed the note to Magic Witch.
Wow, Hel thought, who would've guessed?
You look so serious and old-fashioned, yet in private, you're a total chuuni.
Still, wait a second… there are magical girls in this world too?
"Little West King? You mean the one who collects corpses on the forums?"
A brash, slightly mocking voice suddenly interrupted.
Hel turned toward the sound—
at some point during her talk with Magic, a new witch had arrived.
The newcomer had gray twin-tails, was rather short,
but her chest was… surprisingly well-developed.
If Hel used her past life's terms, she'd call her a "small potato."
Her outfit was unlike the other witches'—
a simple white tube top barely covered her generous curves,
while a beastskin skirt hung loosely around her hips.
"A witch who collects corpses and has enough status to be here…"
The girl tilted her head, a mischievous grin forming.
"I can think of only two—Netherwitch and Death.
The Netherwitch is busy fighting the Church right now,
so she couldn't possibly come here."
Her grin widened, sharp and teasing.
"So let me guess—
this tiny little one here…"
She leaned forward, eyes glinting with amusement.
"...You're Death, aren't you?"