At Muryan's residence in Gloucester, Habetrot, Samael, Morgan, and the others finally regrouped and exchanged what they had learned.
After hearing the full story, everyone had mixed feelings about Baobhan Sith's ordeal, filled with both pity and heartache for her.
Samael took a small sip of hot tea, then cast a gentle gaze toward the courtyard.
"Hehe, piggy, don't even think about running!"
"Stepping on you one at a time is way too much trouble. Die, die, die!"
At that very moment, the protagonist of the story was crouched on the ground, dripping honey to attract the nearby ants. Then, with a wicked grin, she lifted her red heel and ground the little creatures beneath it one cluster at a time, muttering vicious remarks all the while.
Samael's eyes immediately froze, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
She's still just a child. Be understanding.
That terrible upheaval had driven her personality from one extreme to the other.
The things she now despised might very well have been things she once treasured, while the so-called cruel amusements she now enjoyed were precisely the things she had once hated, or even the suffering she herself had endured.
She had never received anyone's love before. Now, the only time she received praise from Morgan, whom she regarded as her "mother," was when she "tormented the weak."
Naturally, she came to understand that as something enjoyable.
So, looked at from another angle...
Mm. She was simply a cute girl working hard to earn her mother's love...
Probably...
The Ancient Serpent turned his head away, consoling and practically hypnotizing himself as he made excuses for the pitiful fairy girl in the courtyard.
After entertaining herself with her little prank for a while, Baobhan Sith eventually grew bored and dashed back into the sitting room. Like a lost fawn returning to shelter, she threw herself into her mother's arms.
"Mother, that toy was so boring. It broke almost immediately. Tsk, aside from making pathetic screams, it was completely worthless."
Her pale, delicate face nuzzled affectionately against Morgan as she complained, yet her gray eyes overflowed with delighted satisfaction from the contact.
"So you're Baobhan Sith? Nice to meet you. Let's get along from now on."
Samael put on a gentle smile, hoping to leave a good impression on the newest little member of their group.
"Tsk, who wants to get along with you? You're so unfashionable! You have absolutely no taste! No wonder I could smell the stench of a loser from all the way over there. Ugh, disgusting. I'm warning you, stay away from Mother!"
In an instant, the little girl reacted like a feral cat sensing a threat. She wrapped both hands tightly around Morgan's right arm and glared at Samael with open hostility, her cherry-red lips unleashing a rapid barrage of insults.
The warm smile on Samael's face froze.
His blood pressure soared, and a vein bulged on his forehead.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Wearing a hood in broad daylight? Are you so ugly you're afraid to let strangers see your face?"
Baobhan Sith planted her hands on her hips and turned toward him, looking down at the only male creature beside her mother with complete disdain before launching into another round of mockery.
The pink-haired fairy girl perfectly embodied the phrase, "Gorgeous face, awful personality☆."
Crack.
A sharp sound came from beneath Samael's sleeves.
His fists had clenched.
Very tightly.
The Ancient Serpent came back to his senses and took a deep breath. A remarkably "kind" smile appeared on his face as he turned toward Morgan and pointed at Baobhan Sith, who had her chin raised like a rooster that had just won a fight.
His voice was unnaturally gentle.
"Can I hit her?"
"..."
Morgan hesitated.
After all, she still felt deeply sorry for what the child had gone through.
"Oh, right. Between last night and this morning, she managed to provoke seven groups of fairies just around this neighborhood. She fought four of them, smashed two stalls, and got reported to Muryan afterward. I already cleaned up the mess for her. I just hadn't had the chance to tell you."
Samael added the finishing blow with a pleasant smile, calmly listing Baobhan Sith's many offenses since arriving in Gloucester to the girl's guardian.
"As long as no one bullied her, that's fine. When I have time, I'll teach her properly..."
Morgan gave the astonishingly troublesome Baobhan Sith a slightly surprised glance. After a moment's hesitation, she still answered in a blatantly protective tone.
As expected, troublesome children and overly indulgent parents always came as a set.
Samael gave Morgan a long look. His smile faded as he calmly asked,
"So you're going to raise her the same way you raised those Knights of the Round Table?"
Morgan immediately understood the implication.
Her expression stiffened, and she found herself unable to answer.
At present, four members of the Knights of the Round Table had come from this Witch's tutelage.
Gawain, Gaheris, Gareth, and Agravain.
Thanks to their bloodlines and talents, all four occupied important positions among the Knights of the Round Table.
Yet after joining the Round Table, every single one of them had, without exception, distanced themselves from their creator, Morgan, and become unwavering supporters of the King of Knights, Artoria.
Even Mordred, the rebellious Knight in whom Morgan would later place such high hopes, initially tossed her assigned mission aside, worshiped the King of Knights like a deity, and began referring to her own mother Morgan as an "unfathomable schemer."
Impressive.
The defection rate from Morgan's faction had successfully reached one hundred percent.
The Witch had worked so hard to seize power, only for every talented person she sent out to end up strengthening the Knights of the Round Table instead.
She was practically a professional talent recruiter for the opposition.
No, strictly speaking, the defection rate should have been one hundred and twenty percent...
After finally managing to overthrow Britannia, even Morgan herself developed a peculiar attachment to the King of Knights, Artoria. She had even entertained the idea of resurrecting her sister after she fell at the Hill of Camlann.
Compared with her, even the Black Organization's bar looked loyal. At least their liquor still had some alcohol mixed into all that water.
Morgan's faction?
It was nothing but water!
Including Morgan herself, every last one of them had switched sides.
Whether she liked it or not, the facts spoke for themselves.
When it came to education, Morgan was an utter failure.
Her approach was deeply flawed, both as a mother and as a mentor.
The same applied to Baobhan Sith, who had gone from one extreme straight into another.
"There's nothing wrong with becoming strong and learning to protect yourself. But that doesn't mean taking pleasure in tormenting others or picking fights for no reason. Not everyone in this world is going to tolerate her."
Samael looked toward the spoiled brat who, bored once again, had returned to the courtyard to continue tormenting ants. His gaze deepened as he spoke earnestly.
"We'll eventually have to leave the Nameless Forest. If you trust me, then while she still hasn't gone completely off the rails, hand her over to me. Let me teach her how to live normally in the human world."
Hearing the seriousness in his voice, Morgan fell silent.
After a long while, she slowly nodded.
"A bunch of ignorant pigs, just as annoying as that useless bastard trying to steal Mother away! Crush them, crush them! Ants swarming around honey... all of you, get crushed beneath my heels!! Hehehe, hehe... Ahahahahaha!"
The adorable girl, still working very hard to earn Mother's praise, was happily absorbed in her game when a large, ominous shadow slowly spread over her.
"Tsk, tasteless idiot. What are you doing here? Get lost! Stop getting in my way while I clean up the small fry, or I'll beat you up too!"
With heavy eye makeup and rebellion practically written across her face, Baobhan Sith planted her hands on her hips and glared impatiently at the newcomer, even raising a small fist in warning.
Samael approached with his fingers interlaced.
Crack. Crack.
His knuckles popped one after another.
His dark gaze brimmed with delight, like someone watching a foolish roe deer that had already sensed danger yet was still standing perfectly still.
A brilliant smile slowly spread across his face, bright enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Silly child, just a friendly warning. Your good days are over..."
***
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***