Hel stretched lazily as she got up from bed, then pulled the Sealing Box out of her necromantic space.
Sending her clone to silence witnesses had been one part of her plan—the other was to retrieve Brenda's corpse.
After all, Brenda had never been a true witch. The reason she had dared to frame Hel before was partly due to ignorance, and partly because Hel's downfall suited the Church's interests.
But Hel was different.
Vivian's position within the Church was still unstable; if this incident brought her trouble, that would not be good.
Even though the Church likely had no means to detect whether a corpse had once belonged to a witch, Hel never liked to gamble.
However, when she opened the Sealing Box—
She froze.
Because instead of a corpse, she found a small, purple-haired girl curled up inside.
Hel blinked, confusion flickering in her crimson eyes."…What the hell? Where did this little girl come from?"
Behind her, Niv, the spirit familiar, was lounging on Hel's head. After sending a teasing psychic pulse, she couldn't resist poking fun:
"Master, where did you pick up this little loli? Don't tell me you're tired of Niv's company and want to try a loli-raising route instead?"
Hel gave her familiar a deadpan look and smacked her lightly on the rear. "Watch your mouth, you're going to scare the kid."
Then she turned back to the small figure before her—a girl who barely reached Hel's shoulders.
"Name: Visti Cinnamon…?"
Hel murmured, reading the name that floated above the girl.
At the sound of her voice, the girl looked up timidly. Hel saw deep fear reflected in her soft, pinkish-purple eyes—like a lamb about to be slaughtered. Hel's chest tightened.
Helpless… numb… she's already given up on living, she thought.
"A second-tier mage, and a legendary bloodline too. Seems you come from quite the family," Hel noted, scanning further—and then paused, her expression subtly changing.
Though she had suspected as much, seeing confirmation made her sigh softly. "So, you are a witch… and those bodies in the castle—they were your family, weren't they?"
She didn't speak the words aloud. The child didn't need her wounds reopened.
But when Hel saw the girl's witch title, her brows twitched oddly.
"'Gourmet Witch'? …A god of cuisine? There's really such a deity in this world? And what kind of divine power is food, anyway? Do you defeat enemies with… cooking?"
She shook her head, exhaling. "Alright, don't be afraid. You're safe now."
Hel reached out and gently patted the girl's fluffy hair.
The child flinched instinctively at first—then froze, eyes squeezed shut as though bracing for a slap.
But instead of pain, she felt warmth.
She blinked, confused, and looked up to see Hel's calm face above her. Hel's hand continued to stroke her head softly.
Seeing how the girl's body automatically tensed, Hel's heart clenched again. She must've been beaten often…
Then came a gurgle.
The girl's stomach growled loudly.
Hel chuckled. "Hungry, huh? Come on, let's get you something to eat."
She took the small girl's hand and led her toward the castle kitchen.
But just as they arrived, Anna came running toward them in a panic.
"My lord! A messenger from the Imperial Capital is here to see you!"
"An imperial messenger? So the Empire's investiture has arrived," Hel murmured.
She glanced at the little girl beside her, then at Niv.
Niv immediately smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, Master. Leave this little one to me. You go meet your guest."
"Thanks, Niv."
"No need to thank me—just don't complain about my methods later."
Hel rolled her eyes at the familiar's usual lewd teasing. Anna, however, went bright red.
Her gaze darted rapidly between Hel and Niv, and as something dawned on her, her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson—Hel could've sworn she saw faint wisps of steam rising from the poor girl's head.
"Alright, enough out of you, Niv. Look, you've broken Anna again."
"Oh? So little Anna did understand what I said. Looks like she's all grown up now~"
Rather than backing down, Niv leaned in closer, whispering something into Anna's ear. Whatever it was, it made Anna's face glow a brilliant scarlet.
"Alright, I'm leaving you two to it."
Hel sighed, shaking her head helplessly, and headed for the audience chamber alone.
Inside, a well-dressed middle-aged nobleman was waiting patiently.
"Greetings, Count Hel," he said with a courteous bow. "I am Bennett Knight, here on behalf of the Imperial Family of the Knight Empire to deliver your official ennoblement documents."
Hel nodded.
Bennett picked up a small ornate box from the table beside him, then added, "Before I present the decree, I must make one request—Would the Count please produce Lord Roland's relics for verification?"
Without a word, Hel retrieved a broken sword from her spatial ring and set it before him.
At the sight of the blade, Bennett's expression grew solemn.
He donned a pair of pristine white gloves and handled the weapon as reverently as a priest holding a holy relic. After several layers of inspection and confirmation, he finally exhaled in relief and carefully placed it back.
"In that case," he said gravely, "since Count Hel is indeed Lord Roland's successor, let us proceed."
He opened the box, revealing two scrolls within.
"Our imperial council has prepared two options for your investiture."
He raised a finger.
"First, you may travel to the Imperial Capital. There, estates and holdings near the city will be granted to you, and you will receive the title of Honorary Marquis. However, according to imperial law, you will be unable to inherit or control the Heim Territory."
He raised another finger.
"Second, you may remain in Heim. The Empire will negotiate with the Selphis Kingdom to officially transfer the Mandrake Territory under your management. However, in this case, you will only be granted the title of Honorary Count."
Hel fell silent in thought.
Had this been before the beastmen invasion—before she'd learned the truth about the Cycle Authority and that one of its shards was held by the Beast Witch in the Beastmen Empire—she might've considered the first option.
But now, her path was clear.
After a brief pause, she replied calmly,
"I'll remain in Heim Territory."