"You reek of the Witch, yet you insist on playing dumb and saying it has nothing to do with you. Don't make me laugh!"
Rem blocked the doorway, searching for Subaru Natsuki's figure in the room.
The magic mirror's invisibility effect was quite good, causing Rem to lose her lock on Subaru Natsuki immediately.
"You can't escape, you filthy wretch!"
Grin's legs felt weak just from watching the drama; this girl was too ruthless. One hit from that morning star would probably blow someone apart.
Rem in her Oni transformation was practically like an attack helicopter from a certain "Slayer of Demons" series.
"I still have to do something, or Subaru Natsuki is going to go offline!"
With a thought, Grin began to circulate his mana and used Transformation Magic.
His face gradually distorted, finally turning into the likeness of Subaru Natsuki.
With a click, Grin, wearing Subaru Natsuki's face, pushed open the door, poked his head out, and shouted toward the adjacent room, "Haha, I'm over here!"
Rem turned and glared fiercely at Grin, cursing, "Stupid Grin, go back to sleep for Rem."
"Ah? Alright!"
Grin was startled and immediately pulled his head back.
Two or three seconds later, he poked it out again, but this time his face had returned to its original state.
"Why do I feel like everyone can see through my Transformation Magic? It's just like a certain someone's 'Visible-to-Everyone Hand'."
Rem turned her head, her eyes scanning every corner of Subaru Natsuki's room like radar.
"Rem has heard about Green-kun's abilities from Sister. Besides, you don't have the Witch's miasma on you, so please step back, Green-kun, before Rem loses herself."
At this moment, Rem hadn't completely lost her head and still possessed a shred of rationality.
"Found you!"
Rem's nostrils flared as she caught the scent of the miasma. After her Oni transformation, her five senses were incredibly sharp.
The morning star in her hand spun like a propeller before being hurled toward the corner of the room.
Whiz!
Rem's strength was so great that it created a sonic boom even in the narrow space.
"Ah! Help me, Master!"
The magic mirror's technique was instantly broken, and it shrank back to its original size.
Two large hands condensed from mana reached out from the mirror's surface, catching the flying morning star just in the nick of time.
Subaru Natsuki's figure also appeared, and he hurriedly called out to Grin for help.
This guest must be the guard mentioned in the intelligence!
"Foster father, save me!"
Having narrowly escaped death, the magic mirror flew over to Subaru Natsuki's head and gave him a smack.
"Damn it, did I not tell you to dodge when someone attacks you?! Did I?! Did I?! Are you trying to get me killed?!"
With every sentence, the magic mirror gave Subaru Natsuki a hard whack.
That bowl-sized morning star had almost smashed right into its face.
Rem frowned and said coldly to Grin, "Green-kun, as a guard, you should prioritize the safety of the Mansion. Are you really going to side with a Witch Cultist?"
"Calm down, stay calm, Rem. As far as I know, this guy shouldn't be a Witch Cultist."
Grin walked onto the corridor. Although he was trying to persuade Rem, he kept a certain safe distance from her.
"For the safety of Sister and the Mansion, I would rather kill by mistake than let him go."
"You should know I know a bit of Divination, right? I've calculated it; this guy is just an unlucky fellow haunted by the Witch's scent."
Grin bluffed with a straight face, trying to stabilize Rem's emotions.
Occasionally, people with the Witch's scent who have nothing to do with the Witch Cult appear on the continent.
Unfortunately, in this state, Rem was already beyond the point of reasoning.
"Shut up, shut up!"
Rem clutched her head, clawing at her smooth hair.
"It'll all be over if I just kill this guy! Why do unnecessary things?!"
With a flick of the girl's wrist, the chain rattled and spiraled back, the hammer head hanging behind her shoulder again like a beast ready to pounce.
Subaru Natsuki and the magic mirror were terrified, huddled together shivering as they looked at Grin with pleading eyes.
"Master!"
"Foster father!"
"Both of you, shut up!"
Grin stood in the center of the corridor, his thin pajamas flapping in the wind.
His gaze was cold, and a mass of mana as black as ink condensed in his hand.
"Shadow Devour!"
The mana bloomed, turning into countless malicious shadows that surged toward Rem, instantly submerging her.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of chains swinging rang out. The gathered shadows were constantly dispersed, turning into black mist after a cry of pain.
Rem's figure slowly emerged from the darkness, the morning star gripped tightly in her hand, blue demon fire burning in her eyes.
In the next instant, Rem moved.
Her speed was so fast it nearly tore the air, the morning star hurtling straight for Grin's head with the force of a gale.
Grin moved forward instead of retreating. With a tap of his toe, the shadow beneath him suddenly expanded, turning into countless pitch-black tentacles that coiled toward Rem.
"Sluggish Bind!"
This strike was remarkably effective; both Rem's body and the morning star in her hand were ensnared in mid-air by tentacles springing from the walls.
Grin seized the opportunity, pushing off with his legs and dashing toward Rem at high speed.
Rem stared fixedly at Grin, veins bulging on her arms and calves as she gathered strength to tear through her restraints.
Crack, crack!
Rem's right hand broke free. With a violent tug, she pulled the morning star back and then swung it at Grin with all her might.
Boom!
This strike was even accompanied by a sonic boom, showing the immense power contained within.
Grin flipped in the air, narrowly dodging it.
Before landing, he used Transformation Magic again.
A mass of purple-black mana enveloped him, perfectly replicating Ram's appearance before he hit the ground.
"Rem, have you had enough?!"
Her sister's sharp cry caused the delirious Rem's movements to stiffen for a moment.
Seizing the moment, Grin finally closed in on Rem.
He then pressed his hand against Rem's mouth, stuffing the small object hidden in his palm into her mouth.
He didn't let go and step back until he saw Rem swallow.
"How does it taste, Rem? I extracted those crystals from a whole bunch of Alpine Lily of the Valley roots. Worried you wouldn't like the taste, I even added a bit of brown sugar."
Grin had recovered all the flowers from that broken bottle of lilies-of-the-valley.
He had quietly concocted a crystal containing a paralyzing toxin in his room.
Though the tea set on the bedside table probably couldn't be used for tea anymore.
"Grin... how dare you... turn into Sister's likeness!"
Rem's eyes flickered with fire, as if she wanted to tear Grin to pieces.
Thump, thump!
Her heart rate and body temperature suddenly began to rise as the toxin crystal started dissolving and taking effect in Rem's stomach.
Rip!
Rem used all her strength to contract her limbs, finally tearing apart all the tentacles binding her.
As soon as she landed, she extended her right hand and slammed her fist into her own abdomen.
Thud! Thud!
Once, twice.
"Urgh!"
Rem knelt on the ground and spat out a milky-white crystal the size of a sugar cube.
Unfortunately, it looked like a third of it had already dissolved.
A feeling of numbness spread from her internal organs, diffusing toward her limbs and brain. Her vision began to blur as if losing focus.
"Hey, Subaru Natsuki, hurry up and throw the magic mirror over!"