Clearly, Jessie’s answer hit Shiren and Ise like a thunderbolt.

One reeled from the suspicion that her magically oblivious roommate might harbor ill intentions. The other drowned in sorrow for being too dense to notice Jessie’s special feelings until now.

“Ah… I see. Well, you two carry on.”

Shiren pushed back her chair, her heart heavy. She had no intention of staying.

Meeting them had been incidental; Albert’s estate was her true destination.

A mere baron, yes—but still a noble with substantial assets. Though Shiren valued human resources far more. From her perspective, Albert’s manor was pitifully barren.

“What brings you here?”

“Curious where the master had gone. I’m from the capital. Heard this was Baron Albert’s domain and thought to pay my respects.”

She’d barely stood at the gate when a steward spotted the golden-haired woman radiating nobility.

“The capital… Please, come in. The baron isn’t at the manor presently.”

Panic flickered across the steward’s face. *The capital*—that word alone carried weight. Shiren swept her gaze over the dilapidated estate and chuckled dryly.

“No need. Since Master Albert’s absent, I won’t impose. Doubt there’s anyone else here worth visiting anyway. Seems I’ll have to find him in Tata Town after all. This manor… heh. Quite something.”

With that cryptic smile, Shiren left the flustered steward behind, summoned an ornate carriage, and departed.

“Great Lord, what game are you playing this time?”

The carriage hadn’t even cleared Chica Town when the driver sighed.

“Liz, this isn’t a game. Tell me—can a sheep abandoned by its flock survive?”

Shiren lounged against the window, her eyes tracing the impoverished town’s every corner. Honestly, she hadn’t visited beyond Tata Town in ages. She never imagined a town could look worse than an ordinary village.

“The lead sheep makes clear judgments. Like those you exiled—they all fell to Blood Demon Hunters, didn’t they?”

“And if the lead sheep itself is abandoned?”

“…”

Liz fell silent, focusing on the reins. Shiren continued:

“I’ve often wondered—was the Demonic Beings’ defeat, the Blood Demons’ decline… caused by leaders growing too powerful?”

“A leader rises from the flock. One individual can’t dictate the fate of all.”

“But one individual can rot the whole. I’ve heard tales of that.”

Shiren tore her gaze from the town Albert had bled dry, turning instead to the ledger in her hands. “The elders resent me. After all, I wasn’t the *proper* successor.”

“You are the Great Lord of Blood Demons. A few insects won’t change that.”

“I’m rather curious how they’d taste.”

At the mention of the elders, Shiren’s lips curled.

“Great Lord, I worry you’ll die someday from eating random things.”

Liz—the steward who’d served Shiren even before she became Great Lord—felt his exasperation deepen.

Who would’ve thought the Blood Demons’ leader would be like this?

“I’m not that trash-scavenging idiot anymore.”

“Yes, yes. You’re no idiot. So… this ‘abandoned lead sheep’ you mentioned—is he here?”

“If no one wants them, claiming them isn’t wasteful, is it? I heard the nation’s Inspector for nobles is coming for Albert. His manor’s staff… they’ll make fine acquisitions.”

Indeed, Shiren’s elaborate trip to Chica Town was solely to salvage unwanted “ingredients.”

“Aren’t you still scavenging trash?”

“How is that the same? Heh…”

“Just hope this doesn’t spiral out of control. Wait—you’re not the type to cause chaos, Great Lord.”

Liz, knowing Shiren well, sensed trouble immediately. Shiren merely smiled:

“Since the Goddess won’t protect them, I—as their ‘Guardian’—must seek justice for my faithful, suffering believers.”

Her fingers stilled on the ledger. She tapped a business card lightly, then drew out three. The top one read:

*Albert Dilda*

*Title: Baron*

*Race: Human*

*Meat Quality: Revolting*

*Troubles Caused: Preying on the locals, abusing power*

Lady Shiren never disappointed those who dropped pleas into her qiyuan box.

In truth, qiyuan boxes weren’t limited to Tata Town. Otherwise, she—someone who rarely killed natives—couldn’t have amassed such a thick stack of “ingredient” cards.

***

The next noon.

Chica Town’s wheat harvesters spotted a carriage wrecked by demons on their way home.

The local guild and guard confirmed the heavily damaged bodies inside belonged to Baron Albert’s wife, his steward, and servants.

“So she’s made her move?”

The news reached Mei Yige as she ate lunch at the guild. She set down her spoon, brow furrowed.

“Teacher, you know who did it?”

Leya swallowed her bread, eyes wide with curiosity. “No wonder they call you all-seeing, Teacher. Tata Town is truly under your grasp.”

The remark nearly made Mei Yige choke on her water.

“Nonsense. Ryan—any word from the Inspectors?”

“None, Sis Yige. The guild can’t track when capital Inspectors arrive. But no need to worry.”

Ryan had shared the news about Albert’s estate, hoping to rattle the great mage. Yet Mei Yige remained perfectly composed.

*As I thought. Sis Yige isn’t afraid of petty nobles causing trouble.*

For nobles, accusations required no evidence—just a name on a list.

That was the brutal truth: higher rank trampled lower.

Even guilds cooperating with officials were powerless against noble privilege.

Having a high-ranking mage in the guild shielded them from such nightmares.

Ryan was profoundly grateful her slow mind had grasped this in time.

Mei Yige’s usual playful, unexpectedly kind demeanor had almost made her forget the weight of “Guild-Invited Mage.”

“Still… it’s a noble matter. Can’t let people think we’re descending into chaos.”

Hearing of Albert’s estate, Mei Yige thought of her landlady sister. But since the manor had also been burned, her suspicion of Shiren faded.

Yesterday’s rumors claimed Albert—reported to the capital for past crimes—would lose his title to an Inspector. The “cooperation with magic experiments” story was just the guild’s excuse to detain him.

With the manor burned and his family murdered…

It looked like opportunistic revenge by those who believed the rumors.

Besides—

Her Shiren sister only captured people to *eat* them, right?

And last night, fearing Shiren might snack on that fool Albert, Mei Yige had slept in the living room. She was certain Shiren never left the house.

Well… unless she’d used a Sami puppet. But Mei Yige stubbornly dismissed that possibility.

Even if Shiren *had* done it—with her here, there’d always be a solution.

That was the Sorceress’s confidence.