"Ah, I'm fine."
Hel shook her head and rubbed Zephyra's little head, putting on an indifferent expression.
"Maybe I've just been a bit tired lately."
"But just now… Lord big brother gave me a really strange feeling."
Hel's heart jolted. For a moment, she thought Zephyra had noticed something.
But to Hel's surprise, Zephyra hesitated, then said softly:
"Lord big brother… you seemed really angry."
"I see…"
Hel let out a quiet breath of relief. She had thought Zephyra might have discovered the secret of the soul network.
After all, Zephyra carried the bloodline of the Fallen Goddess. It was only natural that she could sense things ordinary people couldn't.
Fortunately, Zephyra had only picked up on Hel's emotional shift—not the fact that she had been communicating through the soul network.
That made sense. The Fallen lineage specialized in mental and spiritual perception. Zephyra being able to detect subtle changes in mood wasn't unusual at all.
Still, seeing the worry on Zephyra's face, Hel quickly explained:
"It's nothing. I just overheard some… unpleasant rumors."
"Was it those two students sitting near us earlier?"
Hel nodded, not denying it.
She didn't like capitalists.
And she didn't like capitalism.
Some people might argue that capitalism drives markets forward, that it pushes society toward progress.
They might say not every capitalist is some heartless boss forcing employees into endless overtime.
Running a company is difficult too—competing with rivals, being crushed by foreign capital, one wrong step away from bankruptcy.
But Hel didn't care about any of that.
All she knew was that in her previous life, she had been one of the people forced into constant overtime.
That was enough.
One's position shaped one's thinking.
She had been exploited by capitalists her entire past life. Of course she hated their smug faces.
Even after reincarnating into this world—
Even after becoming a feudal noble, part of the privileged class—
The moment she saw these so-called "civilized" bastards doing inhuman things…
She still felt angry.
That was why she had instructed Witt to find a way to resettle the refugees.
So that those parasites wouldn't be able to profit.
But Hel would never explain something like that to Zephyra.
So she changed the subject instead.
"Little Zephy… what do you want to eat at my dorm later?"
"Mm…"
Zephyra rubbed her small belly with a troubled look. Honestly, she was already quite full.
But when it came to Hel's cakes, she didn't mind squeezing in more.
After all, girls had two stomachs—
One for normal food,
And one specifically reserved for desserts.
So after hesitating for only a second, Zephyra declared decisively:
"Zephyra wants chocolate cupcakes! And mango mousse! And…"
She tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then frowned uncertainly.
"Um… I heard Sister Anna say that Lord big brother invented something called… 'Pupu MieMie Super Delicious Exploding Ice Cream'?"
"Cough—cough cough!"
Hel immediately tried to hide her embarrassment behind a fit of coughing.
She shot an irritated glare at the catgirl Niv lounging beside her, and complained through soul transmission:
"Niv… was that you who told her?"
"Eh-heh! Well, last time Master said she wanted to eat 'pupu mie-mie super delicious—'"
"Stop. Stop right there. That's way too shameful."
Hel cut her off before she could finish.
Then she looked back at Zephyra with helpless resignation.
"Fine. I'll make them all for you later."
"Thank you, Lord big brother!"
Zephyra threw herself into Hel's chest, nuzzling eagerly against her.
Thankfully, Hel hadn't developed yet—her chest was still completely flat.
Otherwise, today would definitely have become… complicated.
And just as the two of them were cuddling, their atmosphere dangerously sweet—
The alchemical bus suddenly slammed on the brakes.
A powerful inertia hurled everyone forward.
The carriage erupted into curses, and the driver in front leaned out the window, shouting furiously:
"Damn it, you trying to get me killed?! You little bastards!
"If this were ten years ago, I'd have strung you up on a tree and whipped you myself!
"What, got nothing better to do? Attacking a school bus?
"Who the hell gave you the guts—"
But before he could finish—
A blinding bolt of lightning pierced straight through the bus window.
It struck directly into the driver's forehead.
The driver let out a horrific scream.
Golden arcs of electricity crackled wildly across his body.
In the blink of an eye…
He was reduced to charred black ash.
Thin wisps of smoke rose from his skull.
A sickening burnt stench filled the entire cabin.
Hel immediately pressed a hand over Zephyra's head, stopping her from turning around.
Her face darkened as she looked sharply at Niv.
Niv shook her head.
Then, right before Hel's eyes, the catgirl's expression visibly changed.
A tense, urgent voice echoed in Hel's mind:
"Master, something's wrong.
The soul network is being disrupted.
All the undead insects we placed outside… they've been blocked."
"Blocked?"
Hel's heart sank.
She immediately activated her authority, secretly reaching out to sense the undead insects.
The good news—
They were still intact. None had been destroyed or discovered.
The bad news—
Golden particles drifting through the air had pinned them all to the ground.
Those same particles were interfering with the soul network's transmission.
It became violently unstable.
If Hel hadn't possessed the Authority of Reincarnation—
Absolute control over souls—
She might not even have been able to sense them at all.
And it wasn't just her insects.
Every insect, every small animal throughout Savant City was suffering the same suppression.
This wasn't deliberate targeting.
It felt more like…
The omen of a catastrophe approaching.
Suddenly, an explosive boom sounded outside.
Hel instantly looked through the bus window toward the distant sky.
What had been a clear day only moments ago…
Was now swallowed by storm clouds.
Golden lightning churned violently within the black mass, rolling like wrathful dragons.
It was as though something world-ending was being prepared overhead.
Then—
A scream shattered the dead silence of the cabin.
It snapped everyone awake from the shock of the driver's death.
Passengers began pounding frantically on the bus doors, desperate to flee.
But not a single one of them dared touch the door switch near the driver's seat.
Because right there…
A corpse sat frozen in place—
A charred body, eyes wide open in death…
Still radiating heat.