(Ethan’s POV)

Ethan paced around the room in an inn in the village, dressed in laborer's clothes to conceal his identity. Instead of his usual luxurious attire, he chose a humble disguise and sought refuge in the inn.

“Damn, what was that last night? Is she a normal human?” Ethan muttered to himself, trembling as he recalled the unsettling events from the night of the ritual.

After fleeing, Ethan concealed himself behind trees and bushes along a narrow forest path, seeking refuge from any potential pursuers. Exhausted, he decided to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Malachi, in a sorry state with scars on his body and injuries to his hand, was walking wearily along the same narrow path. The bleeding had stopped, but the running and fighting had taken its toll on him. Ethan, spotting Malachi, contemplated approaching him.

However, Malachi abruptly stopped upon hearing approaching footsteps. To Ethan's surprise, he observed Sera walking towards Malachi, humming a tune as she advanced with a seemingly calm demeanor. 

Ethan pondered, 'The baroness? What is she doing here?' As Sera walked while swaying her hips, humming a tune, both Malachi and Ethan found themselves captivated by her presence.

Sera halted in front of Malachi, executed a curtsy, and introduced herself, “Hello, I am Sera.”

“Are you the one who tried to use my children for some worthless ritual?” 

Malachi frowned, feeling that something was amiss with this woman.

“What about it?” 

Sera smiled and approached Malachi. He did not move, sensing no power from her.

Then she raised her leg and kicked him in the crotch, causing him to whimper in pain while holding his groin.

Blood started to spread on his pants. After regaining his breath, Malachi screamed, causing his cries to reverberate throughout the forest. Before he fell to the ground, Sera grabbed his face with her right hand and, with her strength, prevented him from collapsing completely. 

“You shouldn’t have touched my kids,” she whispered in an eerie voice.

Ethan, who held his breath while imagining the pain Malachi felt when Sera kicked him, was even more shocked as he watched Malachi, who was burly and muscular, slowly shrink and become akin to a mummy, gradually losing his life.

Sera lifted the weightless and mummified corpse of Malachi, she threw him with all her force, causing her sleeve to tear and sending his remains deep into the woods. Then she turned around, leaving the scene while swaying her hips and humming a tune.

Terrified, Ethan quickly went to the campsite where they left their carriages, grabbed some money, changed into laborer's clothes, and mingled among the search groups to enter the village. He then rented a room in the inn and hid from pursuit, not emerging the next day. 

As he paced, he tried to plan his future. 

"Should I go to my grandfather? No, he will kill me. For now, I should hide as a worker and leave the village. Fortunately, no one recognizes me in my peasant clothes."

‘Knock, knock’

He heard knocking sounds. Startled, he shouted, "Who is it?"

He did not hear any reply.

‘Who could it be?’

Slowly, he went and unlocked the door, attempting to see through the cracks when the door was kicked open, causing him to be sent flying with his face bleeding.

Sera entered the room, "Wow, the great noble is hiding as a peasant." She chuckled. 

Terrified, Ethan stammered, "You, you, how did you find me?"

"Laborers do not have delicate hands and features like yours. And no laborer will pay an earthcent to rent a room in villages. The innkeeper felt you were suspicious, so she complained to the guards who came to me. You should have just slept with the laborers who slept on the streets. You are too used to comforts, and you lack common sense." 

“Hey, please leave me. Please forgive me. I will not come to you anymore. Please let me live,” Ethan begged while covering his crotch.

“Why are you suddenly afraid of me?” Sera tilted her head.

“Hmm, did you see me kill Malachi?”

Ethan’s face went pale.

“Hahahaha”

“Ah! It seems you saw. Were you hiding nearby?”

Sera raised her hand, adorned with an ornament. It was in the shape of a naked lamia, its tail spun around her hand like a bracelet, while its upper body rested on her palm. When Ethan saw the bracelet, the lamia's eyes glowed slightly.

“What happened to your arrogance?” she said while closing the door behind her.

Sera continued, “Didn’t you want to marry me?” she said as she dropped her gown.

Seeing her body only in her chemise, Ethan gulped. 

“Didn’t you want to give me company?”

Then she slowly walked towards him while swaying her hips in a catwalk. Ethan is mesmerized watching her gait. She pushed him on the bed and came close to him while placing her palm on his chest and whispered, “Don’t you want to know the pleasure of the body which many did not get enough of?”

Ethan started to enjoy himself in her company.

At the closed door, Sera who is fully dressed is coldly watching Ethan who is hallucinating that he is having sex with her. His body started to slowly turn into a corpse while his facial expression is that of a person in ecstasy. A faint energy from his body is being absorbed by the lamia ornament.  

Sera whispered with hollow eyes, "I might have spared your life if you hadn't touched my kids. No one will take my kids away from me. No one can hurt them other than me."