“You’re saying we should rebuild the Tower that destroyed our world?”
Veilach spoke with the air of someone utterly incredulous.
“This isn’t our land. I’m saying this because our world is already gone.”
Like a fox flicking its tail, Dominic continued in a smooth, coaxing tone.
“Don’t you think the current Earth puts far too many limits on finding prey?”
“Piiit?!”
When Veilach seemed to consider the words, Mephisto sucked in a sharp breath.
“Regain your body with me, and let’s rebuild the Tower. As its master, we could devour every intruder who steps onto our land.”
Dominic’s eyes sparkled. Veilach stayed silent.
Taking his silence a certain way, Dominic shot a sly smile at Mephisto.
Mephisto turned away with a sharp flick of his head, narrowing his eyes.
Don’t tell me this zombie glutton is actually tempted by that offer...
“Pii!” (Say no, right now!)
“Why should I?”
The sudden, flat-toned question made Mephisto flap his wings in agitation.
Well, because...
“Piii...” (Because if you leave, Guru will be sad...)
Mephisto’s voice shrank to a murmur.
He couldn’t think of any other reason.
He didn’t know what the Tower really was—truthfully, it shouldn’t matter to him what effect it might have on this world.
But Guru wouldn’t feel that way. If Veilach left her, she’d definitely be sad.
Even so, Veilach remained silent, and Mephisto’s beak jutted forward in a pout.
'So as long as you get your body back, you don’t care?'
Maybe so. Veilach had always wanted to return to his original form. He’d probably enjoy devouring plenty of humans, too...
Then Dominic spoke.
“This time, Your Majesty, you could become master of the 99th floor.”
“Piiit?!”
“We could create a truly free world.”
Mephisto chirped that he wanted no part of such a world, but Dominic didn’t care—he just kept wagging his invisible tail.
Maybe it was because his true form was beast-type; the fox-like swishing was irritating to watch. Even so, Veilach stayed silent, his thoughts unreadable.
Suddenly Mephisto tilted his head.
'Wait—how do I even know his true form is beast-type?'
It was like he’d just pulled that knowledge from his mind, as ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) if it had always been there.
“Nonsense.”
With that single word, Veilach dismissed everything.
“What?”
Dominic blinked in surprise.
Veilach replied with disinterest.
“The Tower was just a clown’s trick built by that lunatic to test the world. Are you foolish enough to play into it again?”
He remembered the second bloodline, who had descended into madness building the Tower.
That one had set Sheir and their kin, sealed by Mephisto, as masters of each floor in order to test the world.
“If you take my hand, Your Majesty, you can return to your original body. That doesn’t interest you?”
Dominic blinked twice, urgently.
“In my true form, I can return when my master wishes.”
Strictly speaking, it would be when his master grew enough to wield that power as she pleased—but he kept that to himself.
Dominic looked startled at the answer.
“Master?”
“Yes.”
“Surely you don’t mean that yellow human child?”
“You seem to know.”
Dominic gaped as though he’d heard something impossible.
The Veilach he knew would never live as a follower under anyone but Sheir.
And certainly not under Mephisto—let alone a human child from Earth.
But Veilach’s indifferent face said it all—it was the truth.
To drive the point home, he added one more line.
“As you said, my master will worry, so I’ll be going now.”
“Please, wait a moment!”
As Veilach turned to leave, Dominic quickly tried to stop him.
Veilach’s annoyance was obvious in his tone.
“I’m not planning to listen to any more nonsense.”
“Pipii!”
Mephisto planted his wings on his hips, backing Veilach up.
“No—you won’t think it nonsense once you hear me out. If the decision is difficult, I can help you.”
At the same time, Dominic suddenly stood.
“And how will you do that?”
“Pii?”
While Veilach and Mephisto looked on in puzzlement, Dominic stretched out one arm.
His arm dissolved into smoke.
“Crafting-class and kids, stay out of this.”
That was the conclusion Gidan and Serhi came to—no showing ugly scenes to noncombatants or children.
Gidan pulled out a pair of earplugs and slipped them into Guru’s ears, then moved her with Haruna to the warehouse entrance.
A barrier went up inside the warehouse.
Following Haruna outside, Guru adjusted the baby rabbit in her arms.
The item’s effect must have been lasting a while, because the mist still hadn’t cleared. Even so, the pop-up store was still bustling with customers.
Among all these cheerful people, Guru alone wore a sullen face.
The man called “Hengtai” had kidnapped Mephisto and Veilach, and it seemed she was the only one who couldn’t be at ease about it.
'Maybe he’s turning Mefi into a two-serving meal... and showing Bayi some squishy lovey-dovey human romance movie as torture...'
At her worried look, Lukshifer’s sprout wilted.
But only for a moment—then the sprout stood tall, and the plump little rabbit made a determined fist with its paw.
'I’m my master’s first bloodline! If my big brothers are in danger, now’s the time to help!'
In its mind’s eye, the baby rabbit leapt in a rainbow arc, making a heroic entrance.
It kicked the “Hengtai” away like Mephisto would, and Guru hugged it in joy. Mephisto and Veilach gave it a thumbs-up for saving them.
Yes, that was it!
“Hunng-hunng!”
Just as Lukshifer snorted like Guru and made its vow, the mist around them began to thicken again.
Sniff-sniff! The baby rabbit’s eyes went wide at the scent of the smoke.
The sprout twitched upright, and its plump front paws tapped Guru’s arm before pointing at the mist.
“Um?”
“Kkyuu! Kkyuukkyuu!”
Wriggling free from Guru’s arms, Lukshifer landed on the ground.
It flapped its ears like wings and kicked.
“Mefi?”
“Kkyuu!”
Then it turned around, sprawled sideways with a bored expression, and mimed pressing TV remote buttons.
“Bayi?”
“Kkyuu!”
As if to say she was right, Lukshifer hopped and pointed at the thickening mist again.
Apparently, the smell of its big brothers was coming from that smoke.
'So Mefi and Bayi are inside that mist?'
“[Why is the mist coming back?]”
Haruna, noticing it, pulled Guru closer.
“Let’s go inside for now.”
She turned on her translator. Guru nodded and took Haruna’s hand.
They were just about to head into the warehouse to tell her Oppaws that the mist had something to do with Hengtai—
—when an arm emerged from the smoke and yanked Guru in.
Dominic’s arm, which had dissolved into smoke, reappeared—holding a child.
For some reason, Veilach had become the follower of this tiny, yellow, chick-like child.
Her mana was slightly higher than a normal human’s, but she was still just a kid.
If he returned to his true form and intimidated her, things would be easy.
If Veilach had chosen to become her follower, he would have to obey his master’s orders.
That had been the plan...
He’d gotten as far as bringing the child back, just as planned—
—but then felt the touch of plastic against his temple and froze in surprise.
What touched his temple was a fork fit for a child’s hand.
The child was aiming it right at his head.
As Dominic registered this, the child’s voice rang out.
“Awe you da Hengtai who kidnapped Gwuu’s babies?”
At the same time, chick-shaped drones began rising one by one from Guru’s bag.
Handcrafted S-Rank chick drones, all awaiting their master’s command.

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