"There's no need to be confused. That is you, a brand-new you, a you filled with boundless charm." Panatiya walked to the girl's back, picked up the comb from the dressing table, and began to tidy her slightly messy hair.
With a gentle touch, the strands felt smooth. With just a little care, the black hair returned to a neat, uniformly soft sheen.
"She isn't me. She's the me you all expect, not the me I want to become." The girl clenched her fists, her voice sharp and filled with anger.
"It's all the same. You don't need to resist. Just learn to accept it silently. Many things in this world don't revolve around you alone. Learning to accept is always happier and more pleasant than resisting."
"Heh. Do you think I'd believe you?"
"And do you think I care whether you believe me?"
"...." The girl stopped speaking, but a hint of sorrow appeared between her brows.
Panatiya bent down, resting her chin on the girl's right shoulder. After lightly inhaling the fragrance in her hair, she slowly said, "You said before that you wanted to make friends. Germani and her elder sister will be coming to visit shortly. You can chat with them, they'll let you know how to be a proper witch."
Half an hour later, the girl finally met Germani and her sister.
Compared to the confident, proud elder sister, the girl preferred talking with Germani, who was still a little reserved.
"How do you think one should be a proper witch?" This topic was raised by Panatiya, who stood to the side.
Molaka sneered. "That really is a good question. It's not just something we should answer, you should be thinking about it yourselves. Who exactly is it that made the path of witches so full of suffering!"
Panatiya's expression remained calm as she said lightly, "We are all children of the Primordial Demoness. Naturally, we should draw close to the Primordial Demoness."
"Another one of those lines. Utterly boring!" Molaka was very disdainful and had no intention of answering further.
"The reason I wanted to become a witch was simply to please one person." Germani's words shocked the girl greatly. She asked with a trace of anticipation, "Can witches truly fall in love with someone?"
"Of course. First, we are women, only then are we witches. Since we weren't born as witches, we naturally have the right to like and resent, just like ordinary women."
"Your way of thinking is very different."
"Is it?"
"Of course. Just look at the two of them, clearly scoffing at what you say, yet unable to resist wanting to hear something interesting from you."
Germani merely smiled. "I don't think liking someone is something that deserves ridicule."
"That's why you're different from them." The girl had Panatiya and Molaka leave, remaining alone in the room with Germani.
"Could you satisfy my curiosity?"
"I never intended to hide it." Germani then told the girl about how she became a witch.
"Baron Hastur Campbell?"
"Yes. He's a very unusual person." A complicated expression appeared on Germani's face, carrying a hint of reminiscence. "At first, I couldn't even tell when I started liking him. Maybe I fell for him without realizing it."
"Or perhaps it was the desire to conquer, born from being rejected again and again, a kind of rebellious mindset."
"Later, I gradually figured it out. I didn't need to understand all of that. As long as I knew that I truly liked him in my heart, that was enough."
The girl listened quietly. After a while, she sighed and said, "That's really a pity for you. Since he doesn't want to see you, I'll help you arrange a meeting with him. I'm sure he won't be able to refuse a prince's authority."
"No, he will refuse."
"Then I want to see it even more."
Germani said nothing. She had great confidence in Baron Hastur Campbell.
....
"An invitation to a banquet from Prince Edessak Augustus?" Hastur was enjoying life at home when Butler Neil suddenly brought him an invitation.
Hastur had no desire whatsoever to ingratiate himself with Prince Edessak.
This was the man who had fallen for Trissy, the focal point of the recent major events.
Hastur had no interest in getting involved in his romance with a witch. It was better to let them resolve it themselves.
"I don't have time lately. Help me decline this invitation." Hastur directly instructed Butler Neil to handle it. He didn't even want to write a reply.
Better to keep one's distance and avoid trouble. He still had another matter to pay attention to and had no mind to waste on other things.
The day the Twilight Hermits planned to assassinate Duke Negan was drawing near. As the butterfly effect unfolded, Hastur was no longer sure when the Twilight Hermits would make their move.
He was thinking of a better reason to tell Greg, to remind Duke Negan to be prepared.
After thinking it over, it seemed best to dump the blame on Qilangos' accomplices.
Having decided on a reason, Hastur went to meet Greg that very night and subtly mentioned that remnants of Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos might attempt another assassination on Duke Negan.
Greg's expression turned grave, and he said he would take responsibility for handling the matter.
At the same time, he told Hastur some inside information: Count Hall and Duke Negan had jointly recommended him to the King to go to Southville County to assist the Grand Duke of Southville in guarding the coastal defense line.
The king's intention was to first restore his hereditary title as Count Campbell, then send him to Southville County. Hastur was not particularly surprised by this news. He had already made various preparations to head to Southville County.
After returning home, Butler Neil brought another letter, saying that Prince Edessak was very angry that he hadn't attended the banquet.
Hastur took the letter and read it. The entire message boiled down to one meaning: I'm being merciful and giving you another chance. If you still don't come to Sunday's banquet, the consequences will be severe.
"On Sunday morning, help me decline Prince Edessak's invitation again."
"....Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Butler Neil looked troubled. No matter what, the other party was a prince, a true member of the royal family. Rejecting him twice in a row really did seem unreasonable.
"Just say that I already have an appointment with Greg that night." With no other choice, Butler Neil could only follow Hastur's instructions.
Going up to the second floor, Hastur teased Ariella with some dried fish, then took a bath and lay down on the bed to sleep.
In the Hall of Stars, Hastur sat high in the seat of honor, gazing at the stars overhead that were now not far away.
It had been more than two months since the last Gathering of Stars. Today was a date Hastur had deliberately chosen.
December 1st, once every two months from then on, exactly six times a year.
That way, it was easier to remember. Otherwise, he really might forget the exact dates sometimes.
After thinking for a moment, Hastur summoned the Mother Tree of Desire, the Supernova Dominator, and the Son of Chaos.
As for the newly emerged Ring of Fate and the Outer God suspected to be the Primordial Hunger, he intended to observe them for a while longer.
"Damn it, I actually feel like this time passed unbearably slowly!" Just from the content of what was said, Hastur knew this was the Son of Chaos speaking.
The Supernova Dominator was in a good mood and habitually mocked, "Having a rare chance to leave prison and temporarily regain freedom, of course you feel time dragging on."
"Heh. You're cut off outside the barrier, aren't you also stuck in a prison of your own?"
That line was delivered with real finesse. The Son of Chaos had clearly been practicing his sarcasm over these two months.
"Still better than being sealed inside a wish-granting magic lamp forever like you."
"What, are you envious of that kind of treatment? Too bad, when the Mysteries chose his opponents back then, he didn't even think you were worth it."
The Son of Chaos and the Supernova Dominator started bickering the moment they met. Only the Mother Tree of Desire, who had remained silent, noticed the subtle changes in the Hall of Stars.
"You've recovered part of your power and authority." The Mother Tree of Desire's words interrupted their quarrel.
The Son of Chaos sensed for a moment, looked up at the starry sky, and murmured, "The stars seem to be closer than ever."
The Supernova Dominator and the Mother Tree of Desire felt the same. Being here, they faintly sensed a suppression.
That hadn't been the case during the last Gathering of the Stars. They all turned their gazes toward Hastur, who sat in the seat of honor.
"The apocalypse descends. The stars return to their places." Hastur had already prepared this explanation, so he wouldn't need to improvise on the spot.
In fact, to avoid the Mother Tree of Desire and the other Outer Gods noticing changes too easily, each time he summoned them for a meeting, he deliberately suppressed the strength of their avatars so they wouldn't sense the shift in power.
Otherwise, starting at Sequence 9, then Sequence 8, and now Sequence 6, the changes would have been far too obvious.
This time, it was the Hall of Stars itself advancing a great step toward returning to the starry sky that allowed the Mother Tree of Desire to sense something subtle.
The Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator exchanged a glance and said nothing more. Only the Son of Chaos felt heavy-hearted.
The apocalypse descends, the stars return to their places, but he still couldn't see any hope of regaining his freedom.
Did he really have to bow his head to this one who heralded the return of the stars in order to gain a chance at freedom?
Heh. Bow his head? Impossible!
The Son of Chaos quickly cast aside such a weak thought. Back then, not even the Mysteries could make him bow his head!
He still had one last hope, the High-Dimensional Overseer, even though that being's actions seemed rather unreliable.