Chapter 11

A New Contract Is Essential After a Reunion (1)

The moment Mariela arrived at the tea table prepared in the garden, the corner of her mouth twitched.

That damned lizard!

There sat Hereis, having arrived before her, elegantly reading a book as though posing for a painting.

“You came out earlier than I expected.”

“…The weather is quite pleasant.”

“Haha. I’m delighted to discover that we share such tastes.”

Ah, this is infuriating!

He had undoubtedly sensed her leaving her room and teleported here just one step ahead of her.

As soon as Mariela took her seat, Betty carefully placed the refreshments the kitchen had prepared.

Red rose tea.

Tarts and brioche generously filled with red bean paste, judging from the decorations atop the cream.

For a brief moment, Hereis’s expression stiffened before returning to normal.

Only after Betty had completely withdrawn did he speak in a cold voice.

“Your taste remains terrible.”

Because two maids were watching from a distance, Hereis still wore a smiling face.

“You seemed nostalgic for the past, so I prepared something in your old style.”

Mariela had already noticed that he had cast a soundproofing spell.

Though she carefully maintained her expression, she spoke freely.

Then she picked up a brioche with her delicate fingers and popped it into her mouth.

A thick sweetness spread across her tongue.

In truth, neither Shyloi nor Mariela particularly liked red bean desserts.

Yet somehow, whenever Hereis sat across from her, she could eat them endlessly.

“It’s delicious.”

“At least try one for the sake of our chef’s hard work.”

Hereis stared at her shameless expression before finally taking a bite-sized tart.

He immediately washed away the overwhelming sweetness with tea—

Only to frown at the strong floral aroma.

Mariela smirked at a reaction identical to the one he used to have.

She herself took a sip of rose tea.

Hereis looked at her strangely.

“…You really don’t mind, do you?”

“Mind what?”

“Isn’t that, in a way, the tea that led to your death?”

A vivid memory resurfaced in Hereis’s mind.

The moment he sensed something wrong with their familiar contract, he had rushed back to Mount Solena.

“…Impossible.”

The Great Witch, who had once looked down upon the entire world, lay dead.

Her heart had been stolen.

After using countless spells to investigate, he had discovered that the final cup of rose tea she drank contained a poison that prevented her from using magic.

“Either your memories aren’t complete, or your taste has somehow gotten even worse.”

“The poison and the tea are separate things. Why should I avoid perfectly innocent rose tea?”

“That’s not unreasonable.”

Smell was one of the senses that adapted quickly.

The scent had faded somewhat compared to earlier, making the tea easier for him to drink.

“Well, you’ve received such wonderful hospitality. How about you finally explain why you’re here? If it’s not revenge, why did you come looking for me?”

“I told you the other night. You’re the one who approached me first. I’m the one curious about your reasons.”

“That’s because…!”

She couldn’t exactly say:

“A cockroach was wandering around in front of me, so I checked whether it really was a cockroach.”

As Mariela searched for a more polite answer, Hereis spoke leisurely.

“Even if we hadn’t met on the street, I would’ve discovered you the moment you came to the capital for your debut.”

Annoying as it was, he wasn’t wrong.

As long as Hereis remained by Marsen’s side under the excuse of friendship, they would inevitably have met eventually.

“My, how time changes things. The dragon—ah, excuse me, lizard—who hated inconvenience now attends debutante parties for the sake of a more complete roleplay.”

She had clearly almost called him dragon before hastily correcting herself.

A vein twitched near Hereis’s eyebrow.

He snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the half-cooled teacup in Mariela’s hand became scorching hot.

Steam burst upward from the remaining tea.

It was now far too hot to drink for several minutes.

Mariela’s expression twisted slightly.

This petty lizard! Just because I misspoke once!

Seeing him glare at her with crossed arms, she had the distinct feeling that setting the cup down would make him transform into a dragon on the spot.

Even if I use temperature manipulation magic, his mana will simply overpower mine…

After a moment of thought, Mariela infused a little mana into her tongue.

Lick.

Lick.

Carefully licking the tea several times, she smiled sweetly.

“It’s nice when it’s hot.”

“No need to ask the maids to reheat it.”

“Very economical.”

She spoke with complete confidence.

“Ha.”

Hereis let out a disbelieving laugh.

Everything had changed since the past.

And yet her gaze remained just as provocative.

People said that when something was too absurd, words failed.

Apparently that was true.

What exactly is she relying on?

She had reincarnated into a weak and insignificant human body.

Yet both now and two nights ago—

She still behaved exactly as she had when treating him like her familiar.

No… perhaps she’s not the problem.

Perhaps the problem is that I still act as though the leash remains around my neck.

Rubbing his face roughly with one hand, Hereis snapped his fingers again.

Mariela immediately sensed a new flow of mana and looked around.

An illusion spell?

It seemed designed to block the servants’ perception.

What is he planning to do away from other people’s eyes?

The moment that thought crossed her mind—

Hereis suddenly reached out and grabbed her throat.

The smile had vanished from his face.

Her breath stopped.

“Good. At least now I know you don’t only cause trouble for people weaker than you.”

His voice was calm.

“You’re equally obnoxious whether your opponent is weak or strong.”

That bastard! So he really did come for revenge!

Mariela instinctively tried to pry his hand away.

But no matter how hard she struggled, he didn’t budge.

Not even slightly.

Like a mountain.

Damn it! Even if I can’t kill that traitor, I still need to break the curse on this family!

Then suddenly—

A thought occurred to her.

Wait.

Even if I hadn’t run into Hereis, accomplishing my goals in this life was already looking impossible.

Wouldn’t it be easier to die peacefully and hope to be reborn as a witch again?

The moment her expression subtly changed—

The pressure on her throat vanished.

She was thrown onto the ground.

Gasping desperately, she sucked in precious air.

“Cough! You insane lizard—!”

“Your mouth truly never changes.”

Hereis had already returned to the relaxed demeanor he’d worn when the conversation began.

He extended a hand toward her.

Naturally, Mariela ignored it.

She stood up on her own.

Then carefully brushed dirt and grass from her dress before calmly sitting back down.

Had the red fingerprints not remained around her pale neck, it would have looked as though nothing had happened.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Who knows.”

“I wish you’d torment me for another day or two and then disappear from my sight. Unlike someone who’s dying of boredom, I actually have things to do.”

Hereis smiled crookedly.

“What things?”

Then he added mockingly,

“Looking for Borden so you can take revenge? At your current level, how many centuries will that take?”

After Shyloi’s death, he had spent years searching for Borden.

But the man who had carefully plotted for decades before stealing the Great Witch’s heart had been cunning beyond belief.

Now, nearly a hundred years later, not a trace of him remained.

Unless he had died unexpectedly somewhere, Borden was likely still alive.

And if he was—

He was probably stronger than the witches who had once ruled the world.

Meanwhile, the Mariela sitting before Hereis was pitifully weak.

A fragile noble girl.

Someone who couldn’t even properly resist having her throat grabbed.

A mere Second Circle mage.

For a sixteen-year-old human mage, that wasn’t terrible.

But—

Not a genius.

Not even a prodigy.

If she encountered Borden now, she would die instantly before getting any chance at revenge.

Unfortunately, Shyloi’s reincarnated body appeared to have very little magical talent.

“Surely you don’t think this is the full extent of the magic I’ve accumulated over sixteen years?”

“Then what?”

Mariela raised two fingers.

“Two years?”

Even then she’d only qualify as a talented mage—

“Two months.”

She smirked.

“And that’s with me only practicing briefly in the mornings and evenings while hiding it from my family and servants.”

For the first time, Hereis carefully examined her.

His golden eyes gleamed.

“If that’s true… becoming an Archmage isn’t impossible.”

“What nonsense.”

Mariela snorted.

“My ambitions aren’t that modest.”

“At minimum, I intend to surpass my former self.”

The infuriating personality.

The maddening confidence.

The way every sentence made him want to grab her by the throat.

Shyloi Lutea’s appearance had changed.

But the person inside remained exactly the same.

Even in a weak human body, she’s still vicious, stubborn, and completely insane.

And perhaps—

Just perhaps—

This was an opportunity.

The only opportunity he would ever have to truly make the Great Witch Shyloi Lutea submit.

To force an apology from her.

Moments ago, his heart had raced with anger.

Now it pounded just as fiercely for an entirely different reason.