Morningstar heard Little Dragoness say the necromancer was powerful, so she decided to test his strength. She cast the most basic fire spell—without even using her familiar dark magic.

Just as everyone saw, the dark mage vanished without a trace. Not even ashes remained.

"Oh no, oh no! Will the police arrest me for killing someone?"

"What are you thinking? There are no police here! And you're a Dark Sorceress—the law can't touch you."

"Yeah... but... won't my conscience hurt after taking a life?"

"Does it hurt right now?"

"No."

"Exactly. You've got no conscience. So why the hell feel guilty?"

Morningstar kept muttering to herself. Her strange behavior startled Little Dragoness nearby.

"Master... are you alright?"

"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Morningstar's split personality symptoms worsened. Yet, just as her negative persona said, she felt not a trace of guilt. Killing someone felt like crushing an ant—numb, even oddly amusing. She knew this wasn't normal. But the transmigrated soul couldn't resist the darkness woven into the Dark Sorceress's body.

"G-Great Mage! Are you a Grand Mage? Please, I beg you—help us!"

The female mage who'd earlier told Morningstar to leave now watched her casually raise a hand and cast a fifth-tier spell without chanting—a feat only a Grand Mage could achieve. Hope flared in Leticia's heart.

"She's begging me? Should I help?"

"Of course! You're a well-raised, decent person. Don't you know to do good? Those zombie-and-skeleton-summoning creeps are clearly villains. Killing them's no crime."

"You're right." Morningstar nodded.

She turned to the remaining Cult of Darkness members. Seeing how effortlessly she'd unleashed that magic, they lost all will to fight and bolted.

"Little Dragoness—finish them. But hide your dark powers."

Morningstar noted the knights' noble attire. They might connect to the royal family. Befriending them could get her into the capital to reclaim her treasure. No dark magic in front of them.

"But why go through all this trouble? Just devour their souls, read their memories, puppet their bodies?"

"Uh... no. Too evil. And what if someone notices? What if the kingdom has a soul mage?"

Morningstar shook her head.

While her two personas debated inwardly, Little Dragoness moved.

In a blink, she closed the dozens-of-meters gap, seized a cultist's neck, and squeezed.

*Crunch.* Bones shattered. The cultist dropped without a sound.

"Aaah!" Another fired a crossbow bolt at her face.

*Ping!* The bolt bounced off her soft, bouncy cheek.

"Hmph~ Naughty," Little Dragoness chirped sweetly. She grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground.

*Thwack!* Skull burst like a watermelon dropped from ten stories. Blood and gore splattered her face. The coppery scent made her eyes gleam crimson. Her beast-like gaze locked onto the rest.

"M-MONSTER!!" They trembled, some wetting themselves.

"Hahaha! You run~ I chase~!"

Little Dragoness gleefully began her "game."

"What a disgrace to darkness. *This* is the Cult of Darkness? Pah." Morningstar spat, turning to Freya. "Aren't you joining the fun?"

"Me?"

"You know they're Cult of Darkness. As Holy Maiden of the Divine Clan, isn't purging them your duty?"

Freya had never stopped Morningstar earlier—proof she didn't care.

"It's true, but..."

"What? Centuries bound made you forget your sword? You weren't this hesitant when you stabbed *me*."

Morningstar wanted to test Freya's skill.

"I understand."

No magic left, yet Freya moved like lightning. Her rapier swept.

The cultist froze, a chill at her neck. She reached up—then the world spun. When it stilled, she saw a headless woman. *Herself.* Blood gushed from the stump. Warm spray coated Freya. As Holy Maiden, she should've recoiled. Instead, heat flushed her body. Her sword hand trembled—not from horror, but thrill.

*Killing wakes her darkness faster. Let her have the prey.*

Little Dragoness slowed, watching.

Freya slaughtered the rest. Only one cultist remained. He snatched the injured knight, blade to her throat.

"Stay back! I'll kill her!"

Freya froze. Little Dragoness smirked—human lives meant nothing to her. *Raw or cooked? So long since I tasted flesh...*

And far off, Morningstar fretted:

*How do I greet them? First time meeting humans from another world... I hid my Dark Sorceress form, but what if I act weird? That mage is so pretty... I wanna break her—*

"Aaah! Stop it, brain! Weird thoughts again!"