"So that means… you'll have to walk the Path of Apotheosis and keep evolving your bloodline before it meets the requirements for fusion?"
Niv nodded, agreeing with Hel's deduction as she patiently explained:
"Until my own bloodline reaches that threshold, it won't merge with the Witch bloodline — nor will there be any conflict between them."
"That so? Then that's good news." Hel smiled slightly.
"In that case, I'll transfer the rest of the Witch of Wisdom's Word Fragments to you. Her power reached Tier Six, so her fragments are of gold quality. But unlike naturally awakened witches, we don't get forcibly converted into her specialization — so you'll need to study Chronomancy on your own."
"Understood, Master."
Niv nodded softly and accepted Hel's adjustments without complaint.
Moments later, she felt a strange current of energy surging into her body — an energy she had never sensed before.
"This… feels like Temporal Mana?"
Tracing its source, Niv's gaze turned toward the coffin of blood and flesh nearby.
"Master, it seems the Witch of Wisdom's elemental crystal was shattered. There's a massive amount of Temporal Mana pooling inside that coffin. May I absorb it?"
"Go ahead," Hel said, waving her hand casually.
"No need to waste it."
As Niv began absorbing the energy, Hel turned her attention to another coffin beside it.
This one was relatively intact, though silent — no sign of whether the witch inside was alive or dead.
Either way, Hel was certain it wouldn't be as gruesome as the last one.
Using the same process, she dismantled the coffin's alchemical formation and slowly pushed the lid open.
Inside lay a red-haired girl, sound asleep.
She was small and delicately built — curvy in the right places but still retaining a touch of youthful softness. Somewhere between a young woman and a loli — what people called a "teen-loli."
"Hey, wake up. It's morning," Hel said dryly, leaning in and poking the girl's slightly chubby cheek with her fingertip.
The girl mumbled something incoherent and promptly rolled over, going right back to sleep.
"…Seriously? This one's got nerves of steel."
Hel sighed, exasperated, then flicked her mental energy. A massive invisible hand materialized and grabbed the girl by the ankles, hoisting her upside down.
"Still sleeping? Guess I'll have to collect you."
"Mmm—huh?"
The girl blinked groggily, her eyes fluttering open as she took in the situation.
But instead of panicking, she simply yawned deeply and said sleepily:
"Hey, little sister~ are you here to drink with Maia too? You can~ come on, let's drink till we drop~"
As she spoke, she flicked her fingers — and a perfectly clear sphere of liquor appeared at her fingertips, floating lazily in front of Hel.
One look at the rosy flush on her face, and Hel immediately understood what kind of person she'd just found —
"A total drunkard."
After a short and somewhat physical exchange of understanding (read: Hel's fist meeting the girl's head), the redhead finally sobered up.
"Name?"
"Maia."
"Gender?"
"...Female bud."
"...What?"
Hel blinked, tilting her head slightly. Something about this girl didn't feel quite right, though she couldn't place what it was.
But she brushed it off — not important for now.
"Your Authority — what is it?"
"Authority?" The girl tilted her head.
"I mean — what kind of witch are you?"
Hel felt a twinge of guilt. Talking to this airheaded girl made her feel like she was bullying someone innocent.
"Ohhh~ I'm Maia, the Witch of Fine Wine!" she said brightly, sticking out her tongue and flashing a V-sign with her fingers.
"...The Witch of Fine Wine. Great."
Hel sighed, rubbing her temples. "Guess that makes a good pair with the Witch of Gourmet Food."
Rolling her eyes, she connected mentally to Anna through the soul network.
A short while later, Anna arrived and took Maia away for safekeeping.
Hel then looked back toward Niv.
"Niv, if I recall correctly — the domains of Wine and Food should both fall under Wisdom's subordinates, right?"
"Yes, meow," came the reply — this time from Catgirl Niv, since Niv's main body was still busy absorbing temporal mana.
The catgirl jumped lightly into Hel's arms, tilting her head.
"Is Master planning to turn those two witches into plush familiars?"
"That's right. Visti's easy enough — she's a newly awakened witch and has no family or backing.
But Maia… she's already Tier Four. She's been awakened for quite some time, and I know nothing about her.
So the safest method is to mark her with a Divine Slave Seal."
"Got it, meow~"
Catgirl Niv nodded obediently, then used her spiritual link to direct Elf Niv to locate Maia and Vestie.
It didn't take long before Catgirl Niv opened her eyes again.
"Mission complete, Master~"
"Good."
Hel nodded — not the least bit surprised.
After all, the two witches Niv subdued were hardly a challenge — both rookies, and both saved by Hel herself.
They already had a natural sense of gratitude toward her; a few kind words from Niv were more than enough to win them over.
"I remember the Church of the Supreme once reported that the Witch of Storms was transporting seven witches.
But here, we've only found two.
And according to my agents at the border, the Witch of Storms only carried a single coffin with her...
So where did the remaining four go?"
Hel pondered for a while, rummaging through the spoils from the captured beastmen — and soon, she found two metal canisters.
Her eyes narrowed.
They were eerily familiar — the exact same design and runes as the ones used in the Heim City auction, during that infamous trade involving witch remains.
The buyer back then — a royal from Selphis Kingdom — had used containers exactly like these.
"So… these two witches came from the Judgment Church?"
The realization hit her hard.
And that led to another — the beastmen had mentioned seven witches, but maybe… not all of them were alive.
"All that's left are… a brain, a spine, a heart, kidneys, and digestive organs, huh…"
Hel stared at the remains within the canisters and suddenly recalled a term she'd once heard whispered in the Witch Court —
The Holy Grail.
If the Judgment Church's "Sacred Bodies" were actually made from witches' organs…
Then the question became — how to maximize their value.
And now, the answer was laid bare before her eyes.