Chapter 64
When Cheshion opened the door to the room where “Ham” was kept—
“…What the?”
He immediately realized that Iris’s vision wasn’t just a nightmare. Last time, Ham had lost its light after saying strange words. But now, it was glowing again, in blue and white. It bounced gently like pudding, welcoming him.
Cheshion placed his hand on Ham.
Suddenly, the chaotic voices and emotions echoing in his mind became clearer. It felt like someone’s memories were showing.
“A child chosen as a sacrifice from birth… What should we name her?”
“Gremory. It’s the name of the plague that nearly wiped out all humans on the Eastern Continent thousands of years ago.”
“That’s a terrible name! But perfect. Just don’t tell me you’re planning to raise her outside? We must build a cage for her right away.”
Cheshion realized these were Gremory’s childhood memories—memories seen through her own eyes.
The scenes continued.
Gremory was raised like livestock, only waiting for the day she would be sacrificed. Then, one day—
“Kyaa! The Demon God is enraged again! Who angered Him?!”
“How would I know? He always acts like this!”
“This time it’s worse. People are injured, and the demon energy is fading. At this rate, we’ll all die from hunger or sickness!”
“I’m so hungry… I need the soul of someone who’s in pain…”
“We have no choice. Let’s release Gremory to spread the plague. That will create many suffering souls to feed on.”
So Gremory, without her will, was used to spread the deadly plague in the Southern Continent.
After that, the witches treated her a bit better. They let her live outside the cage, taught her things, and gave her a high-ranking position. But that was it. They were never truly kind to someone who was just a sacrifice.
One day, Gremory was summoned to the human world by a lonely girl named Rania, who desperately wanted a friend.
Meeting Rania changed Gremory. She slowly learned to feel emotions. She smiled for the first time, became curious about the beauty of the human world, and later experienced deep pain and sorrow when Rania died—even though she didn’t understand what those feelings were at the time.
The memories continued.
She was later summoned again by the resentment of Belita, a woman murdered in a mountain village—and that’s when Cheshion rescued her.
From that moment on, her memories were filled with one person: Cheshion Edel.
“…Mori, you were always looking at me, weren’t you?”
Cheshion gave a small, bitter smile. In Gremory’s memories, he was always smiling. Like a magnet, his eyes always found her. Sometimes, he looked like a fool, happily staring at her.
And Gremory had remembered every moment. Clearly. Soft emotions came through Ham, letting Cheshion feel what she had felt.
He also learned the truth about the Witch Hunters. The fear, guilt, and pressure Gremory felt because of them. And even an extra detail—Alice was also a witch.
The memories reached the day of the recent events. Gremory had carried the wounded Cheshion to the Forest of Verdure, flying with her giant witch wings.
Once she confirmed he was safe, she flew off—and was chased by Lais.
A short fight broke out in the air, but Gremory won. She destroyed Lais’s black orb (a magic item for hiding) and disappeared into the far distance.
She flew east—into the Forbidden Zone, filled with terrifying monsters.
Then, Cheshion’s vision returned to normal.
“I have to go to Mori.”
He wanted to run to her right away. To hold her, trembling and alone in that dangerous place.
He had to tell her: “It’s okay. This isn’t your fault. If you’re struggling with your strange hunger, don’t suffer alone. Let’s find a way together.”
Just as he tried to take his hand off Ham, an unfamiliar middle-aged man’s voice echoed.
“Please… Save us.”
After that, Ham lost its light and turned gray again.
When Kurhen heard that Cheshion planned to go to the Forbidden Zone, he laughed in disbelief.
“Seriously? You think Belita went there? I appreciate your help as a friend, but even if you’re sad, you’ve got to let go at some point.”
“I’m not letting go. Mori’s still alive.”
“I’d like to believe that too. Anyway, good luck. Something urgent came up in my territory, so I’ll be heading back.”
“Thanks for all your help.”
“Oh right, take this.”
Kurhen pulled out a small blue velvet pouch from his pocket.
“It’s a scent pouch that gets stronger when evil things get close. Could be useful.”
“I’ll take it, thanks.”
“I hope you find her—your Mori, not Belita.”
Kurhen waved and left.
Afterward, Cheshion looked at a large map to find a path to the Forbidden Zone—but it was pointless. That place was unexplored, full of unknowns. If he went in without a plan, he could die without a trace.
“I have no choice. I’ll have to bring Seara.”
Seara had a special ability—she could sense living beings nearby. It wasn’t fully awakened yet, but in a small area, it still worked. She could be a big help.
“But it’s dangerous there. What if she ends up traumatized?”
Just as he worried, a strange smell came from the pouch Kurhen gave him.
“What the…?”
He turned quickly—and saw Alice, looking scary, holding Seara’s hand.
“Your Grace, you know Mori is a witch now, right?”
“W-What? Alice?!”
“Iris told me everything. She followed you to the hunting grounds and saw everything. I wanted to tell you earlier, but it took time to track you down.”
“…Yeah. I know you’re a witch too. I saw it in Ham’s memories.”
“Then this’ll be quick. Let’s go find Mori together! I can cook food to help calm her strange hunger. And I know a way to bring her back even if she refuses.”
Seara ran to her brother and begged him.
“Big brother, you know I have tracking powers! Take me! I can help find her much faster!”
“I know. I just didn’t want to drag you to a monster-infested place.”
“Come on! I’m royalty too! I’m not afraid of monsters!”
Her voice was strong, but her hand was sweaty. Cheshion smiled and gently held it.
“All right, Seara. I’m counting on you.”
She nodded with confidence.
“Yay! Then are we leaving now?”
“Not yet. There’s something I need to do first.”
He folded the map and tossed this year’s budget documents into the fireplace.
Alice blinked in shock.
“…So, you’re telling me to rewrite the entire budget I stayed up for days working on?”
Isolen twitched as she realized what was happening.
“You look more shocked about the budget than about Mori being a witch.”
“Of course! Do you know how hard I worked on that?! Ugh. But to be honest, I’m not that surprised Mori’s a witch. She never seemed normal.”
Now that he knew where Gremory was, Cheshion’s mind was clear. He remembered her request—to buy over 100 holy relics.
To do that, the budget had to be rewritten.
“So, you want me to buy all the relics we can find?”
“Yes. Sell everything—the dragon loot, the black magic stones—everything. We’ll use them to build a barrier around the territory.”
“How many do we need?”
“At least 100. More is better. Try to get 120 if possible.”
“This is crazy. The people will be starving for years…”
