After Puck returned, Emilia's mood lifted even more.
Watching Emilia excitedly share her Priestella stories with Puck, Hayashi Maki didn't interrupt.
When they returned to the mansion, life settled back into calm.
Echidna practically lived inside the forbidden library, buried in research—no one knew what spells she was obsessing over now. Hayashi Maki didn't ask. Echidna was already his contracted companion and, in his eyes, harmless.
Even if she caused trouble, he believed he had the power to pull everything back from the edge.
That feeling—having everything in hand—was intoxicating.
That night, after he coaxed Beatrice to sleep, Hayashi Maki quietly slipped into Ram's room.
Seeing the rise and fall under the blanket, his lips curled upward.
He still liked the thrill of sneaking in.
Besides—Ram was already his. And he didn't want her to feel neglected. Keeping the bond warm mattered.
He lifted a corner of the blanket and slid in with practiced ease, wrapping an arm around a soft body.
A faint, alluring scent washed over him and made his blood heat.
"Mm?!"
The girl shivered at his warmth.
Hayashi Maki leaned close and brushed a kiss to her ear, whispering, "Ram… did you miss me?"
She didn't answer—yet her rising temperature and quickened heartbeat said enough.
"Hm? Not talking?" he chuckled. "Fine. If you won't say it, I'll take that as 'yes.'"
With a wicked grin, he turned her gently and lowered his head.
He claimed her lips without hesitation.
Her body tensed, trembling twice—then melted into him.
No words filled the night.
Only two hearts drawing closer, pressed tighter together.
The next morning—
When Hayashi Maki realized the girl in his arms had blue hair, he calmly kept stroking her head and said nothing.
He'd known all along it was Rem.
With a demon's sight, darkness meant nothing to him.
She hadn't resisted, so he'd simply gone with it.
Sooner or later she would be his anyway—and taking that step now would steady her heart.
Rem never said it aloud, but Hayashi Maki knew what she wanted: to be needed.
Seeing her sister regain her horn and reclaim power even greater than before left Rem with a hollow ache—as if her reason for existing had vanished. She was genuinely happy for Ram…
…and also terrified, deep down, of being left behind.
Outside of her sister and Hayashi Maki, she felt like she had nowhere else to belong.
Feeling his warm palm gently stroking her hair, Rem's cheeks flushed. She opened her eyes—then immediately dropped her gaze when she met his gentle look.
Hayashi Maki laughed softly. This shy girl… was the same one who'd been so bold last night when she pretended to be Ram.
He kissed her forehead lightly and held her close.
"From now on… take care of me, Rem."
"You have the same potential as Ram. So work hard. Train. Let your mana seed bloom."
Rem nodded fiercely, emotion settling into something steady and warm.
"Yes. Rem will work hard."
As they lingered in that quiet warmth—
Click.
The door opened.
Ram, in her maid uniform, stepped in. One glance at Rem in his arms—and she rolled her eyes with open disgust.
"So you finally went after Rem too, you filthy master. Greedy, aren't you."
"Sister…" Rem lowered her head, ashamed.
Because last night, slipping into Ram's room had been deliberate.
Ram would never blame her beloved little sister. She simply patted Rem's head and said gently, "It's okay, Rem. Ram knows this is all the bastard master's fault."
Watching the sisters' bond, Hayashi Maki reached out, pulled Ram into his arms, and hugged her tight.
"Talking bad about your master to my face? Ram, you need discipline."
Ram shot him a look—but instead of shrinking away, she leaned closer, pressing her cheek to his chest. She inhaled his scent, her face warming, her eyes going soft.
"Bad master does bad things and won't even let people say it… Fine. Discipline me. Just don't bully Rem."
Hayashi Maki stared at her. That wasn't surrender. That was provocation.
And with that expression—he had no chance of resisting.
He lowered his head and kissed her, soothing her mood the way he always did.
Girls needed comfort, after all.
He'd taken her sister without warning—of course Ram would feel sour.
Much later…
With Ram and Rem helping him dress, Hayashi Maki stepped out refreshed and clear-headed.
He loved lazy, peaceful days—but some things still had to be done.
Next: the Sage's Watchtower, and reclaiming the Corridor of Memories.
…
A week later, in the far east—Sage's Watchtower.
After clearing the first floor's trial with ease, Hayashi Maki led Emilia and the others to the second floor.
As they entered, a red-haired man grinned, standing in their path.
"So you finally came, slayer of sins. Too bad—this is where you stop!"
The red-haired man glared, yet his eyes kept drifting toward the women with a leering grin.
Hayashi Maki silently sentenced him on the spot.
"'Slayer of sins'… you mean me?"
"Who else?" the man sneered. "This body belongs to Gluttony now. That idiot thought he could swallow my memories and steal my life's skill—only for me to overwrite him instead!"
"Remember my name—Reid van Astrea! First Sword Saint!"
Hayashi Maki scoffed. "Did I ask? Stop barking, trash. You're annoying."
Reid's face twisted with rage.
He vanished—
And reappeared right in front of Emilia, reaching out with a disgustingly casual hand.
Before he could touch her—
A blaze swallowed him whole.
"AAAH—! What is—?! It hurts—no— I haven't— AAAAAH!"
In seconds, Reid's existence was reduced to ash.
The Gluttony body and the soul inside it were erased with him.
Hayashi Maki glanced at Emilia, who had yelped and backed away, clutching herself on instinct.
He looked at the ashes with contempt.
"I knew the first Sword Saint was a creepy freak. Like hell I'd let him touch my Emilia."
"Alright. We move."
He waved them forward and headed up the tower stairs.
With Reid gone, the biggest threat was finished.
Soon, Hayashi Maki and the women stood before a sealed door.
He pushed it open without hesitation.
Inside was a pure white room, filled with countless streams of light—every color, every tone—flowing like rivers.
Those were memories.
This was the world's core processor.
The Corridor of Memories.
"Ehehe~ Onii-chan… you really found it," a cute, golden-haired little girl chirped as she leapt out and tackled Hayashi Maki. "Rui's going to eat you!"
Hayashi Maki turned his head and realized he'd entered alone.
The others were blocked outside.
Was that her doing?
He grinned, pinched her chin, and kissed her—bold and unyielding.
A contract snapped into place.
"Good. Then let's see who eats who."
…
Some time later—so long it felt like a lifetime—
Rui Arneb could no longer summon the will to resist. She curled in Hayashi Maki's arms, docile and clingy.
"Onii-chan… Rui won't eat you anymore… I'll listen. I'll do what you say…"
"Good," Hayashi Maki murmured, stroking her soft golden hair like an unrepentant villain. "I'll take care of you."
With Reid erased, part of the Corridor's permissions had returned to Hayashi Maki.
Now, with Rui contracted too, the Corridor belonged to him completely.
He didn't hesitate.
He retrieved Crusch's stolen memories—then left the Corridor.
Back outside, he smiled at Emilia and Echidna and reached out.
"We've done what needed doing. Emilia… Echidna… it's time to finish your dreams."
"I trust you, Mu." Emilia took his hand without hesitation.
Echidna did the same, smiling faintly.
"My dream has already come true," she said calmly. "As a witch who craves knowledge… I simply want to see more possibilities."
Hayashi Maki summoned Beatrice, then looked at Emilia.
"Then it's time to unlock the Seal."
The Seal was the core of this world.
And Emilia was the key.
Emilia nodded hard.
She closed her eyes. With a single thought—
A door formed in the air, wrapped in rune-carved chains.
The instant it appeared, another fair-skinned, white-haired girl materialized—calm smile, clear blue eyes.
She looked at Emilia, Echidna… and then at the one who had rewritten everything.
Hayashi Maki.
"Looks like you're going to open that door in the end," she said softly. "But will you really hand the fruit to that man? I won't just sit and watch."
"Pandora…!" Emilia's expression snapped into fury.
Echidna tensed too. The Witch of Vainglory was no less terrifying than the old "Melancholy" monster had been.
Hayashi Maki, however, smiled.
"Then help break it," he said lightly. "Pandora. You know the lock better than anyone."
Pandora's smile didn't waver. "True. This lock was never truly there. The final key still has to be made by that child."
She lifted a finger, gentle as a lullaby.
"The restriction never existed."
The chains vanished—like they'd never been there at all.
Only the keyhole remained, proving the door was real.
Emilia didn't hesitate.
She trusted Hayashi Maki—her man.
She stepped forward.
And in a blur of overlapping time—
A silver-haired girl in a black veil appeared beside her.
The Witch of Envy, Satella.
"Are you ready?" Satella's gaze rested on Hayashi Maki for an instant, then returned to Emilia.
"I'm ready," Emilia said firmly. "I'm going to change everything. I'm going to bring everyone back."
"Then come," Satella whispered.
When Emilia's hand met Satella's—
A golden key formed from light itself.
It floated into Hayashi Maki's palm.
Hayashi Maki inserted it.
Click.
The Seal opened.
Pandora walked through first.
Hayashi Maki vanished after her.
And then—
A notification rang through his demon-growth interface:
[Ding. World core acquired. This world is fully under your control. Choose an operation.]
A flood of information poured into him.
He understood instantly.
He moved—crossing time and space like stepping over a crack in the floor—
Arriving in a forest.
He saw a massive serpent spreading corruption through land and trees, and he froze every living being in the elf forest in perfect stasis—shielding them from the Black Serpent's poison.
He saw the moment Pandora's power forced Geuse's hand toward Fortuna's heart—
And he created a perfect decoy, letting "death" happen only as an illusion.
The real Fortuna was sealed safely away, untouched.
He rewrote the points that mattered most to Emilia.
Then he stepped across time again—to a moment where Priscilla was surrounded by walking corpses—and left her with a "heroic" first kiss.
To the moment Ram's horn was cut—he preserved her life and laid protections no other man could break.
Now, Hayashi Maki was the absolute administrator of this world.
With the core, impossible things became simple.
When he finished adjusting everything he wanted…
Pandora appeared before him again.
"So it was you," she said, voice shaking with fierce joy. "Maki… you liar. You pushed me onto the witch's path, then disappeared."
"Not anymore."
She lunged forward and kissed him first.
A contract formed.
Enemy became ally.
Pandora, too, became his.