Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”That was the most foolish decision they ever made—waking up that callous mother.”

”The ’Auntie’ you mentioned before?” Ron guessed.

For Ghost Witches, ”Auntie” and ”Grandmother” are honorifics, not true blood ties. The oldest, cleverest, and most powerful are called ”Grandmothers” by the others, and some of them possess power comparable to that of a supreme demon. Lower-ranking but still respected Ghost Witches are known as ”Aunties.” One can attain the status of ”Auntie” by living long enough, being a member of a powerful coven, serving a ”Grandmother” directly, or having many descendants.

The mother Polly spoke of was very likely one such ”Auntie.”

”No, the Auntie is another surviving Ghost Witch and one of the members of my current coven. My mother, on the other hand, manipulates and guides her from the shadows, exploiting the vast majority of the power she acquires.”

Polly shook her head and gritted her teeth. ”And we sisters were subjected to an even harsher, double exploitation. Yet that fool Sally, even in that situation, refused to work with me to overthrow them! She even betrayed me, letting the Auntie strip me of all my possessions and leave me for dead in the swamp!”

”That seems incredibly short-sighted, doesn’t it?” Silvia frowned. ”What did you mean by ’work with her’? To overthrow the ’Auntie’ together? Or to overthrow your mother?”

”Together? No, no, no,” Polly frowned. ”I wanted her to give me all her resources so that I could be the one to overthrow my mother and then take control of the ’Auntie’.”

”A coven of three Ghost Witches, and you wanted all three shares of the resources for yourself. No wonder your sister turned on you.” Polly’s way of thinking completely upended Ron’s understanding of her species. ’What in the world was she thinking?’

”You don’t actually think Sally wasn’t thinking the same thing, do you?” Polly curled her lip in disdain. ”She definitely had the same idea as me. I just made my move first!”

”Unfortunately, the ’Auntie’ and my mother were far more powerful than I imagined. I couldn’t resist them...”

”What do you think they’ll do now?” Ron asked. ”Will they need to find someone to fill the empty spot in the coven? Or will your mother come out from behind the scenes and directly exploit her sister and your sister?”

”The empty spot in the coven will need to be filled, but not quickly. After all, it’s hard to find a replacement around here right now,” Polly said. ”As for my mother, something’s very wrong with her condition. She won’t come out herself—I’ve barely even seen her a few times since that incident.”

”Maybe if I pretend to admit I was wrong, I can get back into the coven.”

”Is that possible?”

”They have no choice,” Polly snorted. ”But before that, can you do me a favor and remove the shackle on my leg?”

”This damn thing is preventing me from using my own Mana! I can’t open it!”

This was a huge problem for a restrained Ghost Witch, but for outsiders, it was no big deal. It was a simple matter of using Tapping Magic to unlock it.

”Ah, so refreshing!”

As the restraint was removed, the aura around Polly became inscrutable. ”Your simplicity and foolishness astound me. Perhaps we could make a deal?”

The Ghost Witch cackled, waving her hand to conjure all sorts of environments within the small hut—some terrifying, others bright and radiant—to show off her current strength. However, she didn’t attack Ron and the others or show any hostility.

”What kind of deal?” ’A Ghost Witch’s deals usually only benefit them, but there’s no harm in just listening.’

”You will pretend to be my servants. I’ll offer you to the ’Auntie’ and my sister as a gift of apology,” Polly said, a cunning and sinister light glinting in her eyes. ”The moment they let their guard down, you’ll strike with me and kill them!”

”I want nothing to do with a ’coven’ of oppression and exploitation! I will not be a vassal to anyone, not even my own mother and sister!”

A Ghost Witch in a coven is usually far stronger than a solitary one. For Polly to make such a decision was tantamount to giving up the pursuit of power. One could only imagine how much unjust treatment she had suffered before.

”This is an incredibly dangerous plan. Setting your sister aside, who knows how powerful two Ghost Witches who have lived for ages are?” Aive frowned. ”Besides, what if you go back on your word after it’s done?”

”I don’t have a habit of breaking contracts, and I expect the same from those I deal with,” Polly said in a low voice. She took an old contractual document from the bookshelf. ”This was signed with a passing merchant. I generously helped his terminally ill child recover, and in return, I required him to bring me Magic Materials from other regions every year.”

”He was ungrateful and never returned. So now, his child is in my basement, forever suffering from that terminal illness, unable to die.”

Not all Ghost Witches are the same. Some place wagers as part of a deal, increasing both the risk and reward. Others never volunteer information, only answering direct questions. And then there are those who offer generous terms, but the cost of breaking the deal is extremely high. Polly was clearly the third type.

She might try to trick the other party into breaking the contract, but if they could actually avoid her various traps, they could indeed receive a considerable reward from her.

”If you can truly help me carry out my grand plan for revenge, I promise to never harass your people—including unborn fetuses. We can coexist peacefully. Don’t bother me, and I’ll act as if you don’t exist.”

”I can’t give you any promises right now,” Ron said, setting down his teacup. ”We’re missing too much information. I can’t risk my people’s lives on this.”

”Besides, we just saved your life. What’s our reward for that? An invitation to your hut for tea and snacks?”

”This doesn’t exactly make it easy for me to trust you.”

”Alright, young man, I admit you have a point. Wait here. I will grant you a reward.” Polly’s expression flickered uncertainly as she looked at Ron. Finally, she gestured for him and the others to wait a moment before disappearing in a puff of fluorescent powder.

”Take this and leave,” the Ghost Witch said, reappearing before them a moment later. She handed a Hand Mirror to Ron. ”On the night of every full moon, you can use this to speak with me for one hour. And if you shatter it, it will be as if you had cast a Thunder Summoning Technique.”

”The full moon this month is in five days. You have plenty of time to go back and consider my deal. If you agree, we can discuss the details further.”