Since being appointed as my royal guard knight, Senior Feyn had been assigned quarters on the same palace floor as mine—right across the hall in a suite at the far end.

This space had originally been reserved for the Princess’s Head Guard. It had simply remained vacant all this time.

I returned to my room, showered, and collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained.

So much had happened these past few days. Yet now, in the sudden quiet, an emptiness settled over me.

I’d already followed Senior Feyn’s orders: purged the Undercity’s spy networks and set every underworld channel searching for Xueno. But the Undercity was vast. Who knew when news would come? And Senior Feyn… she’d just locked herself in her room and abandoned me! Hmph. I’d thought she’d at least keep tightening her control over me daily. Just toss me aside after getting what she wanted?

Hah! As if I’d even *care*! Good riddance! Now I can finally—get a good night’s sleep!

…Though, if Elder Sister really came for me now, this frail frame of mine might not even have the strength to cope. My thoughts blurred as drowsiness pulled me under.

*Save us… please save us…*

A small, sorrowful girl’s voice drifted through my dreams, broken and faint.

A dream?

No. Wrong. This felt too real. And fragments of memory within me began to stir.

This wasn’t an ordinary dream. It was a Dark Covenant—a ritual summoning meant to call forth a high-tier demon!

I slowly opened my eyes. Someone was willing to pay a steep price to bring me forth.

Whether my power was restored or not, as Sovereign of the entire Undercity, my tier was exceptionally high. The fact I could sense this summoning meant the girl calling me possessed a sacrifice worthy of my attention.

Of course, I could choose to answer—or ignore it.

Naturally, as the noble Dark Princess guarding this Undercity, I’d never appear in person. Not even as a spectral projection. If it were a trap, revealing my face to enemies would be troublesome. With a flick of my wrist, I summoned Bessdaitiel.

“Your Highness.”

“I sense a summoning from the mortal realm. Take this sigil—” I conjured a glowing mark bearing my Dark Princess insignia in my palm, sending it floating toward Bessdaitiel. “—embed it into the demon imprisoned in the deepest breeding pit. Let *it* answer the call. Discover what this is about.”

I sent Bessdaitiel to implant the sigil. I had no desire to descend into those filthy, stinking demon pens myself.

Moments later, a strange ripple pulsed through me. I now controlled that demon.

“Summon Seth, Sulia, and Senior Feyn to the War Council Chamber,” I ordered Bessdaitiel.

Summoning a demon’s physical form was complex and perilous. But summoning only its will? Far simpler. And this call was of the latter kind.

Minutes later, we gathered in the War Council Chamber. Senior Feyn’s hair was still damp—fresh from her shower.

I channeled the sigil’s feedback into a crystal orb. Its surface swirled with darkness: the demon hovering within a dimensional tear.

“I’ve located the summoning frequency.” I willed the demon toward the signal.

BOOM—! The projection erupted with black smoke and sparks. A girl’s coughing echoed nearby.

A cluttered basement. The view was high—the demon’s spectral form, only half-emerged from the ground, loomed massive.

Before the magic circle lay a girl in crimson armor, frozen in shock by the demon’s appearance.

Bessdaitiel brought a black stone tablet. I poured dark mana into it. Arcane glyphs and symbols flared across its surface.

Recognizing the script, memories surged back. This was the ancient, noble script of my Aryan Demons.

My fingers danced across the tablet. The demon’s voice boomed, deep and hollow, echoing my words:

***“I am Kurorti Lombein Aryan the Sixteenth, Sovereign of the Abyssal Undercity. Mortal creature—who dares summon Me?”***

Through the demon’s eyes, I saw a petite girl of fifteen or sixteen. Her armor marked her as a swordswoman. Fear contorted her face, yet she stood her ground, reckless with desperation.

***“It is I, Leona Xialian, Swordswoman of Redfang Castle! I summon the great Kurorti Lombein Aryan the Sixteenth, Ruler of the Undercity!”***

Sulia crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. “So, Princess—you dragged us here in the dead of night just to play summoning games?”

“Sulia!” I kept typing on the tablet, the demon’s voice resonating. “As Sovereign of the Undercity, only those who understand the price can make me *feel* their call. What drives this child to sacrifice so much to summon humanity’s greatest enemy? Only absolute resolve could fuel such a ritual. This… feels significant.”

***“Leona. Do you grasp the price of summoning Me? It must be paid—whether I aid you or not. You may gain nothing.”***

“I know.” Leona’s face was pale with fear, but her eyes held a resolve far too old for her years.

***“Speak your wish. And remember: demons honor no oaths. Whether I help you or not, I *will* claim your maiden soul at the end.”***

“I know demons are oathbreakers,” the girl whispered, tears welling. “But at least you never lie about it.”

***“Hmph. Speak your wish!”***

“I want you… to save my beloved!”

***“Leona. Do you mistake what We are? Saving lives? Have you prayed to the wrong god?”***

“I… I know! I know demons don’t save anyone! But… but I have nowhere else to turn! The gods ignore my prayers. The Emperor won’t hear my plea. I… I have *nowhere left to go*!” Tears slipped down her cheeks before she knew it.

***“Oh? Cast aside by gods and kin alike? Intriguing. Tell Me—this one you wish to save. Who is she?”***

“The only love I have in this world. She is the kindest, purest, most noble and sincere soul alive—her name is Esther. She is a witch.”