Witches are one of a kind.

Every one of them is among the Demon King's most loyal followers, and each possesses special abilities beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Even after Hathaway became Lin Xingyun's Witch, Lin Xingyun himself—the Demon King—still didn't know what her ability was. All he'd done was teach her how to discover and master it.

A teacher can show you the door, but the rest is up to you. Only Hathaway knew what fruit her efforts would ultimately bear. It would be a secret all her own—provided she didn't tell anyone.

But that was another matter entirely when the person beside her was Lin Xingyun.

On the way home, Hathaway told Lin Xingyun everything that had happened in the main hall.

“...I guess we won't be seeing Baron Jack again,” Hathaway said with a bright smile. A hint of girlish mischief lurked at the corners of her upturned lips. “After going head-to-head with him for so long, it'll feel weird when he suddenly disappears.”

You sure have some nerve saying that. You put the poor guy through hell. How could he possibly show his face around here again?

Lin Xingyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he said nothing more. Hathaway really hadn't gone too far—she'd only forced Baron Jack, caught in the middle, out of the game.

Look at it another way, and it was good for Baron Jack, too. If he'd tried to meddle in the conflict between Hathaway and Joyce, things would've ended terribly for him. That was the fate of a middleman.

Lin Xingyun knew all that perfectly well.

What surprised him, though, was how proficient Hathaway had already become with her ability. She'd mastered it far faster than he'd expected.

But when Hathaway first began telling the story, she hadn't explained what her ability was. So after learning the whole story, Lin Xingyun still had plenty of questions.

For instance, why had those merchants suddenly ended their partnership with Baron Jack and gone back to Hathaway?

“I made the guilt in their hearts ‘overflow’ with sorrow,” Hathaway explained softly, her eyes brimming with amusement.

People are emotional creatures. They often let their feelings get the better of them, and even the most rational person has an emotional side.

When they're angry, they act on impulse. When they're sad, they shut out the world. Happiness can bring out similar behavior, too.

As a Witch, Hathaway had gained the ability to sense—and even manipulate—other people's emotions.

Of course, at this stage, she couldn't suddenly make someone stand stock-still and wail like they'd just escaped from a mental hospital, as though she'd conjured an emotion out of thin air. She could only make an emotion already inside someone swell out of control—or snuff it out completely.

For example, Hathaway could make a super-lucky player who pulled a rare prize on a single draw—and would probably die young—stay happy for a whole month. Or she could leave him utterly unmoved and send him straight into sage mode. But she couldn't make an ordinary person suddenly feel happy for an entire month.

That was why Hathaway had gone to greet the merchants. She'd made them feel guilty for being unable to strike a deal with her, leaving behind the spark she'd need.

Even seasoned merchants with the thickest skin would feel at least a little guilty about failing to work with Hathaway after they'd already agreed to do business with her.

Hathaway knew that perfectly well, of course. After all, she was a merchant herself.

A Witch's abilities were usually tied to who they were, and Hathaway was no exception. She'd always been the kind of person who liked to keep everything in her hands.

“So Baron Jack's final retreat to his room was your doing, too?” Lin Xingyun asked, teasing the beauty leaning against his shoulder.

Hathaway blinked her lovely eyes and smiled. The answer was plain as day.

—Of course it was.

Otherwise, how could a rich man who'd been fighting her for so long have been scared witless by a few threats full of holes and, on closer inspection, more than a little exaggerated?

“Baron Jack was cursed with the worst luck in the world when he became your enemy!”

Lin Xingyun shook his head with a laugh. Anyone up against Hathaway—a Witch with ever-shifting powers and a bewitching allure—would be hard-pressed to hold out.

He genuinely felt sorry for Baron Jack.

No, wait...

I think I'm forgetting something!

Still mulling things over, Lin Xingyun suddenly remembered something. After a moment's thought, he exclaimed, “I get it! Baron Jack losing his mind at the manor gates was your doing, too!”

“So Baron Jack losing his mind at the manor gates was your doing, too!”

Hathaway merely shrugged, which was as good as giving Baron Jack a backhanded compliment.

“Baron Jack isn't exactly stupid, you know. Otherwise, Joyce wouldn't have sent him to oppose me.”

“...Isn't that right?”

The carriage filled with laughter and good cheer. It was a happy little moment shared by the Demon King and his Witch alone.

Noble carriages like theirs were usually inscribed with arrays that kept sound from escaping. They didn't have to worry about anyone overhearing their conversation. Even the coachman up front couldn't hear a thing, though sounds from outside could still get in.

And so Hathaway officially became the Emotion Witch. She'd found her own path.

“By the way, Hathaway,” Lin Xingyun said, coming back to himself. “You need to spend more time mastering your ability and figuring out its drawbacks and limits. Otherwise, something could go seriously wrong.”

Lin Xingyun wasn't trying to scare her. He'd only learned this that afternoon while studying the Book of the Demon King: even as the Demon King, he hadn't known how to rein in his own demonic aura!

Ordinary people couldn't sense it, but powerful enough holy orders—or demons—could use that aura to locate Lin Xingyun.

He was lucky he hadn't had much contact with anyone along the way, or he might have attracted the attention of the Church of Light.

His aura stood out like a flare in the night. Get too close, and it'd practically blind you...

The realization had given Lin Xingyun quite a scare.

After all, he'd barely managed to escape. He had no idea what was going on among the demons, or what they thought of him as their Demon King.

Lin Xingyun had no time to worry about the demons. The Book of the Demon King's tasks were the main quest, and he knew what he needed to prioritize.

“...Mm-hmm, got it, Xingyun. I'll be careful.” Lin Xingyun's reminder warmed Hathaway's heart, and she answered in a sweet voice. In front of him, she didn't act like a queen at all.

“Honestly, Xingyun, I'd do that even if you hadn't said anything. That's because...” As she spoke, Hathaway lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with a much more heated gaze. She even licked her alluring red lips, looking bashful yet eager, as if she might make a move at any moment. Her charm was practically maxed out.

Hathaway's sweet, vulnerable act hit Lin Xingyun right where it hurt. Her eerie purple hair and captivating blue eyes in particular left his mouth feeling dry.

“I want to know if I can make our Demon King fall for me.”

Hathaway slowly leaned in, her soft, warm body as supple as Medusa's. Her full chest pressed right against Lin Xingyun's arm. Then she breathed into his ear, making his eyes dart about in alarm. She was so close, it was practically a bite to the ear.

“My liege, what do you think?”

Now that was a straight-up flirt thrown right in his face.

—And then came the full-on boob assault!

If Lin Xingyun hadn't spent a few extra years being a hopelessly straight-laced guy, he probably would've drowned in Hathaway's tender affection.

I wanted to say no, but she was just too stacked.jpg

Wow. Who would've thought the cool, aloof Hathaway could be so devious!

Mom, I wanna go home!

“Ahem...” Lin Xingyun took a deep breath and finally managed to cool his little soldier down.

He looked at Hathaway, whose autumn-clear eyes were as soft as water. She was nestled against him like a well-behaved cat, nothing like the Witch who'd seemed ready to lure him into hell moments ago. But her faint, mysterious fragrance still drifted into his nose, reminding him that it hadn't been a hallucination.

Lin Xingyun sighed inwardly. He knew life was about to get rough.

“Hathaway.”

“Mmm?” Hathaway drew out the sound on purpose. Her cute, nasal little hum made her seem impossibly playful.

“Could you maybe not do that from now on...” Lin Xingyun felt utterly helpless.

“Sure. Whatever you say, Xingyun.” Hathaway agreed without a moment's hesitation.

To prove she meant it, she even moved back to her seat.

Even so, the way she'd agreed so readily told Lin Xingyun his request had probably gone in one ear and out the other.

Hathaway wasn't doing anything too outrageous now, but she deliberately stretched her long, shapely legs into Lin Xingyun's line of sight and gently rubbed them together.

It might look lewd if someone else did it. On Hathaway, though, it only brought out the Witch's alluring, bewitchingly sensual air—and made her seem untouchable to ordinary people.

In short, a giant red “DANGER” sign had appeared over Lin Xingyun's head.

Hathaway wore nothing to adorn her legs, but with legs that perfect, any accessory would only be a bonus, never the deciding factor. She had the looks to pull off any style.

For a moment, Lin Xingyun even wondered if the Book of the Demon King was trying to screw him over.

—Why had it found him a Witch like this?!

That night, their blissfully oblivious Demon King spent his time caught between suffering and pleasure.

Across from him, Hathaway kept finding new ways to tease him, and she couldn't have been more satisfied with how things had gone.

What pleased Hathaway wasn't Baron Jack's exit. It was how she'd tested Lin Xingyun in the carriage. After all, as far as she was concerned, who even was Baron Jack?

She'd finally figured out what she needed to do to “take control” of Lin Xingyun's heart!

—Besides, now that she'd fallen and become the Emotion Witch, actively pursuing the man she loved was only natural!

Even if her Witch ability didn't work on Lin Xingyun, so what?

It was only a matter of time (laughs).

...Of course, no one saw the lingering blush of bashfulness on Hathaway's face when she stepped down from the carriage.

Clearly, it was her first time doing anything like that.