The next morning, Hel woke up early.
Niv, sensing Hel open her eyes, opened hers at the same moment.
"Good morning, Master. Would you like breakfast first, a bath, or me first?"
"Stop being silly."
Hel helplessly ruffled Niv's little head and got out of bed. She walked slowly to the window, opened the transparent glass, and stepped onto the castle balcony.
Watching the sun slowly rise in the distance, she lazily stretched.
"Another busy day ahead. I hope the War Witch isn't, as you said, foolish, Niv… otherwise I'll have my hands full again."
"That's uncertain," Niv replied. She pulled her delicate little foot from the warm blankets and slid it into her fuzzy slippers. Feeling the slight chill, she shivered, adjusted carefully, and finally put on both slippers. She walked slowly behind Hel, stood on her tiptoes, and hugged Hel's head. Her two large slime forms pressed against the back of Hel's head.
"Master, don't you want to see the power of the ultimate move you painstakingly prepared?"
"To be honest, I'd rather not. Using that thing will only bring a bunch of trouble. I'm not afraid of trouble, but why make more for myself? I'm not truly invincible yet, so revealing my power too early carries some risk."
"But Master, you also said that showing power occasionally can intimidate the petty folks around you."
"That's true." Hel nodded, sighing helplessly.
"Well, let things happen naturally. Maybe the Beastmen won't even show up."
"If that happens, I'll control Morrigan, capture the War Witch for Master, and let you… train her into a plush ball."
"So…"
Hel spun around, pinching Niv's soft little face and rubbing it repeatedly.
"Stop playing with that perverted Lily. Otherwise, sooner or later, you'll end up trained into her likeness."
"Master, are you jealous? But Niv already has your form. Maybe Niv can train Lily to take your shape too?"
"Better not."
Hel shivered at the thought—turning Lily into her likeness? That would satisfy that pervert way too much. Revealing her true gender could lead to unimaginable chaos. She quickly changed the subject:
"By the way, Niv, where is Morrigan now?"
"She's flying at full speed under my control. She's reached the Mandrake Pass and should arrive near the Beastmen army by noon. Do you want me to capture the War Witch?"
"Not yet. Let her recover her magic. The remaining journey isn't urgent. Keep her in top form, ready for battle at any moment."
"Understood, Master. I'll get busy now."
"Go ahead."
Hel watched as Niv lay back down on the bed. Then she turned her gaze toward the distant cityscape. Using her thoughts, she contacted Black.
"Black, how's the evacuation in the city? We need to move all residents and supplies to the underground shelters before noon."
After a moment, Black's slightly tired voice replied:
"Lord, all residents have been relocated. We are moving the city's supplies, and everything will be transferred by noon."
"Good. Thank you. Once this crisis passes, everyone will get paid leave."
"Thank you, Lord."
After ending the communication with Black, Hel contacted Arwin to confirm Heim Castle's defenses. Once all instructions were given, she realized there was nothing left for her to do.
She looked at Niv resting by the bed and decided not to disturb her.
Leaping from the balcony, Hel descended slowly to the castle square. Nearby, Heim's knights were organizing civilians to transport city supplies.
Hel didn't want to disturb them. She leaped over the city walls, flying above Heim Castle. Passing through the inner city, she reached the empty outer city.
To be honest, Hel had never seriously explored Heim Castle. In just a few months, the city had undergone drastic changes. The previously ruined buildings and filth were gone, and the city was remarkably clean.
If the old Heim had the wild look of a medieval town, now it had the retro style of the Industrial Revolution.
"Seems like Sebas and the team did a good job."
Hel nodded, wandering aimlessly while carefully observing the city's changes.
As she approached her cake shop, she noticed two figures—a large one and a small one. The smaller figure was leaning on the shop window, drooling at the cakes inside, while the larger figure gazed at the smaller one with evident affection.
A father and daughter?
Hel studied them, wondering why, with the entire city evacuated, this carefree pair was still wandering around.
"Hey, the war is about to start. You should head to the shelters."
Hel stepped closer to the pair. Looking closely, their height difference was remarkable. The father was nearly three meters tall, making Hel appear petite in comparison. The daughter seemed close in age to Hel but much smaller, about 1.3 meters tall.
"Hello, we're travelers passing through and didn't know about the evacuation. Please forgive us…"
The knight accompanying them turned to Hel. Seeing her the same size as the daughter, he hesitated, unsure how to address her.
"I am the lord here, Hel Heim."
"We apologize for disturbing you, Lord Hel. We'll leave immediately. However, before we go, we have a small request.
Do you know if the descending Angel is still within your territory?"