"I’m sure you’ve heard, one way or another, from the townsfolk about the incident twenty-odd years ago—when Corpse Eaters resurrected as Undead within these walls, leaving rivers of blood in their wake." The armored man spoke calmly, eyes fixed on Sammugina fiddling with the violet crystal.

"Though Posein’s people insist it was the work of radical Ghostkind revivalists—what the Austrian Kingdom calls Fourth Category Ghoul Species—possessing Great Ghost Clan bodies, would we mountain-dwelling Ghostkind truly waste time on pranks in this backwater? After decades of investigation by my fellow shepherds in the forests, we traced the mastermind: a necromancer, then lord of Fort Posein. One of your own students, Sammugina."

"Which is *exactly* why I’ve been doing your dirty work all these years," the white-robed man cut in impatiently, waving a hand. "Drop the ancient history, old friend." His attention snapped back to the crystal, eyes gleaming with sudden delight.

"Due to an ancient curse from Outer Gods and the miasma of the Undead, we Great Ghost Clan have long lifespans but dwindling births. For centuries, barely one child has been born every three years on Ares Mountain. We sought a solution: using our closest kin, the Corpse Mother, as a surrogate to bear pureblood heirs—avoiding forbidden unions with outsiders. Without this, our clan faces extinction."

"Yet a traitor emerged twenty years ago—a Great Ghost who defected to the human race. He leaked our research to that vile Posein necromancer. Together, during Shub-Niggurath’s Blessing Feast, they smuggled a pregnant Corpse Mother’s corpse into town to perform the ultimate taboo: a demon-summoning ritual."

"I know not what bargain they struck. But their folly was using the unborn Great Ghost child as a sacrifice—to force a full manifestation onto that traitor. The ritual failed, of course. The Corpse Mother and the descending entity both went berserk... triggering that bloodbath."

"And its final consequence stands before you." The armored man pointed at the near-naked female corpse within the crystal.

"Hunters and the necromancer—who feigned innocence—eventually quelled the disaster, albeit with heavy losses. Yet the entity wasn’t destroyed. It possessed the town’s only forbidden hybrid: this woman’s corpse."

"The necromancer, knowing all, then sealed the entity within this magic crystal. He hid it deep in Fort Posein’s Third Detention Chamber, continuing his forbidden research. Since that day, every child born via Corpse Mother surrogacy has died before their tenth year."

"After years of study in the forests, we finally uncovered why. Shub-Niggurath’s Blessing Feast was never properly concluded that night. The world’s laws were twisted, dooming our children. Today, I’ve come to mend that distortion—to let the White Child grow to adulthood."

"So, young female," he turned to me, "I care not for your origins. You, who face discrimination in Posein—will you leave this filthy city with me? Return to the Ares Highlands?"

*Hey now, when did this turn into an adoption pitch?* I thought. *Though... escaping this prison life wouldn’t be terrible.*

"Don’t go." Yulia tugged my sleeve beside me.

Ah. No choice then. This place was inconvenient, but with Yulia? Actually... fun. I rejected them flatly.

The armored man’s face fell. Sammugina, meanwhile, let out an ill-timed, flippant chuckle from the cell.

"Touching. Truly touching, old friend. Your monologue’s finally over." The white-robed man emerged cradling the voluptuous corpse. "A stunning woman, isn’t she? Lem’s mother?"

Preserved within the violet crystal, she looked freshly slain—blood still oozing from her waist wound. One might believe she still breathed.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Sammugina announced, laying the corpse gently on the ground like fragile porcelain. He peeled off her chest armor, stockings, and shorts with meticulous care, then reattached her severed hand—still gripping the crimson spear—to her body. Bowing grandly before her naked form, he traced a colossal magic circle around her.

"How... how can such an intricate array be drawn in an instant?" Yulia whispered, awestruck.

"Hey—resurrecting a demon-possessed corpse? Are you *sure* this is safe?" I eyed the eerie purple glow spreading across the floor.

"Fret not. Our shepherd friend here will handle the aftermath." Sammugina clapped his hands. "Awaken, Mother of the Black Goat! Succubus of the Demon Clan! Lich of the Undead! And hybrid Selena! Wandering soul with no home—descend once more upon my doll!"

Violet energy, thick and ominous, engulfed the corpse. Wounds sealed. The naked woman rose as if shaking off deep slumber, grasping her spear. She glanced at her bare body, then wove the swirling purple mist into gauzy, translucent garments that clung to every curve—revealing yet concealing, radiating dangerous allure.

The newly awakened entity admired her sensual form, testing the spear’s weight with a flick of her wrist. She turned to Sammugina, her gaze smoldering, and gifted him an enchanting smile.