"You haven’t named me yet," Violet corrected her with a faint smile. "Ah, of course. I need to convince the Lord to do the honors." "Bold of you to scheme in my presence like that," I teased. "Bold of you to walk into my domain with filth," she countered, her gaze shifting toward the men behind me. Tamayō rested upon her wide throne in her grand, dark fox form, the sigil of nine pointed tails marking her forehead. She reclined lazily, but her presence filled the chamber. My eyes wandered to her tails, searching, and then I found it—the single black one. In that moment, I understood. Violet and her siblings were Tamayō’s tails given form, which explained the strange familiarity I had felt upon meeting them. I had seen them before, though back then, they had not yet manifested as sentient beings. Master Raven’s war power continues to grow subtly, hidden in the depths of the shadows. "These are the executives of the dwarven village where Master Raven is currently staying," I told her evenly. "They are our pawns now, which we can use until their very last drop of blood is spent. That is why I wanted to bring them here—to toughen them up." Vilskapa was nearly in tears from the weight of my words. Valhugr, on the other hand, was stealing quick glances at the ever-quiet Violet, who had withdrawn to stand some distance behind us. Tamayō released a long sigh, her form beginning to shift as black fog coiled around her like restless serpents. Moments later, she transformed into her ethereal human form, adorned in a dark kimono intricately embroidered with wolf motifs. The moment the transformation completed, Violet hurried forward, carrying a slender stick-like device. Once their preparations were finished, an open, round section of the object began to emit a thin stream of smoke. Tamayō brought the base to her lips, and from her mouth drifted another curling trail of smoke. I recognized the act as smoking, but the object in her hands was unlike any I had seen before. She reclined languidly upon her throne, her posture deliberately suggestive, and cast me a slow, assessing glance. She was being far too arrogant here. "And? What brings you to my glorious empire?" she asked in a silken tone. "Have you come to swear allegiance to me?" "In your dreams," I replied with a shrug. "I am only here because we share a deeper connection. I thought it polite to greet you before attending to my own affairs." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And what business could the likes of you possibly have in the Shadow Realm?" "Before I answer that," I said with a faint edge, "could you please stop making certain... censor-worthy claims when you boast about me to your children?" Tamayō flinched, her gaze snapping toward Violet with sharp accusation. "Hmph. I do not know what they might have told you, but you should disregard it all," she declared. "I, by no means, see you as an elegant and upstanding follower whom I admire and strive to surpass." This was the first I had ever heard of such a thing. Now that I thought about it, Tamayō’s personality seemed to have been passed down—fragmented and shared among the children. "I came here looking for Jorō," I told her, my tone turning serious. "Jorō?" She raised a brow, suspicion flickering in her eyes. "What an unusual name for you to bring up... What are you planning? Tell me at once." "That is none of your concern, she-fox, and do not order me around," I snapped. "Just know that it is for the benefit of our Lord." She fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking again. "No. I still request that you tell me." You were not exactly requesting a moment ago, though. "I know you treasure our Lord a great deal," she continued, "so I would never consider whatever plan you have as vile or underhanded." Yet you tell your children that I’m some deceitful, underhanded seductress... I had not wanted anyone to know of my plans, but now that I think of it... The very fact that something compelled me to venture into the Shadow Realm is already enough to rouse suspicion. Tamayō and the others will never allow me to go without a reasonable explanation. "Fine, I’ll tell you," I said at last, "but I do not want word of this reaching Master Raven. Do you understand?" I explained to her about the cult operating in the town and how I could foresee the trouble they might cause—trouble that could quickly grow into meddlesome obstacles. I also revealed my intentions to erase every last trace of them from existence. "I see... As expected of you," she nodded. "We ought to uproot every weed of interference before the Lord... but..." She drew a long breath from her pipe and exhaled a thin stream of smoke into the air. "Don’t you think complete genocide is a bit much?" "Ah!! Tamayō is saying genocide is excessive?!" "Shut up! Have I ever committed genocide before?!" she growled. "Make no mistake—I do not sympathize with those foolish mortals. I just... It wouldn’t reflect well if the Supreme Lord discovered that you did it. He would be upset, knowing his strange affection for the human race." Her concern was genuine, but... "I don’t think Master Raven will ever find out," I assured her. "I won’t leave any loose ends." "Don’t underestimate the Lord!" she snapped. "He might act like some late-blooming, naïve child, but you must understand—that is merely the mask he forces upon himself to hide the Apocrypha within his heart." Mhm. I knew that better than she did, having seen the former Ravenswood with my own eyes. "Ugh, you’re not going to stop worrying about me, are you? Very well—I suppose I’ll take your advice." "H-Hahhh?! Who says I’m worried about you? I just don’t want the Supreme Lord to be sad!" Right, right. Surrounded by dishonest comrades, as always. I decided to tease her a little more before taking my leave. "Alright, I’ve played with you enough," I said, rising to my feet. The men accompanying me immediately followed suit. Maybe it was because of Tamayō’s terrible presence; they had not dared to say a single word or even breathe the wrong way since our arrival. Well, Valhugr’s case might be different—judging by the perverted gleam in his eyes, fixed firmly on Tamayō’s exposed legs. I ought to warn him before he gets any ideas. Making a move on her would, without question, be the death of him. "That’s right! Leave! Not like I’m going to miss you or want you to come by again soon!" "Okay, I’ll find some time to visit again," I replied. "Huh?! I said Do Not!" "Ah," I said, suddenly remembering, "there’s this festival I roped the dwarves into holding, to commemorate their fall into our hands." Vilskapa began trembling again—poor dwarf. "Won’t you come around? Master Raven would like that." "Hmph, over my dead body will I frolic with those barbaric—"