Chapter 340: Shift in plans~~~



A swirling void of endless black stretched in every direction, an empty dimension devoid of sound, light, or form-save for the singular presence within.

A man, no taller than the size of one’s palm, worked meticulously in the vast nothingness, his every movement precise and deliberate.

Dressed in an impeccably tailored suit that seemed to shimmer against the surrounding darkness, he stood before a small, floating cauldron, where an eerie concoction brewed.

The liquid inside crackled softly, a hypnotic mix of purplish-pink and dark mana intertwining in a bubbling dance.

Tiny sparks, like violet stars, fizzled and popped as the energies fused together, the potion slowly taking shape.

“This should go here… and with a little bit of blood extract, it should be done stabilizing with the help of dark mana,” the man muttered under his breath, his keen eyes never straying from his work.

The mixture was nearly complete. It would take an hour at most to ferment fully, but that should be enough time-

“What are you muttering about~?”

A silken voice interrupted his thoughts, lilting with amusement.

The elegant, miniature man flinched slightly at the sudden intrusion, his finely gloved hands momentarily halting their precise movements.

With a sigh, he turned, already knowing who had dared to trespass into his domain.

“I told you not to enter my realm without permission, Cheshire,” he said flatly.

A deep chuckle, rich with mischief, echoed in response.

“Kukuku – I believe I can’t do that, my friend,” Cheshire purred, his floating feline head materializing amidst a rolling mist of greyish smoke. His disembodied grin stretched unnaturally wide, glowing faintly in the dim void. “Unlike other dimensions, your place has no entrance. I can’t possibly knock now, can I~? And besides…”

Cheshire’s spectral form swirled through the air, curling around the tiny figure like a serpent eyeing its prey.

“Even if you had a door, you wouldn’t let me in so easily, would you?”

Oz sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he suppressed his irritation. As always, Cheshire’s antics were as amusing as they were exasperating.

There was no point in arguing—any reaction would only encourage the whimsical creature further.

Oz had long since learned that engaging Cheshire in a battle of words was akin to playing chess against someone who didn’t follow the rules, moved pieces as they pleased, and somehow still claimed victory with a smug grin.

Instead, he exhaled slowly, choosing to focus on the potion still bubbling in his miniature cauldron.

The dark mana-infused liquid shimmered with purplish-pink hues, tiny sparks crackling like distant stars being born and snuffed out in an instant.

He adjusted the flow of energy, reinforcing its structure, all while pretending that the floating feline nuisance wasn’t circling him like a ghostly wraith.

Cheshire, undeterred by the silence, flicked his tail, his wide grin never wavering.

“Oh yeah, by the way, Oz- the thing I asked for is it done yet~?”

Oz barely spared him a glance. “Well, as you can see, I’m still working on it.”

Cheshire’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he peered at the concoction. “Hmmm- so this is it? Judging from the purity of mana you used, you really went all out, didn’t you? Making it as potent as possible, hm-? Not bad at all~”

“It’s still in its finishing stages,” Oz muttered, carefully monitoring the potion’s stability. “It should finish fermenting in about an hour. By then, it’ll be ready to go. Do you need it already?”

The cat’s head tilted slightly, his smoky form swirling lazily through the void-like dimension. “Hmm~ actually, the thing is… I don’t exactly need it anymore~”

Oz’s fingers twitched mid-stir. His gaze finally lifted from the potion to stare at Cheshire with slow, deliberate disbelief.

“…Huh?”

Cheshire giggled, his voice light and airy as if he had just told the most amusing joke in existence.

“Oh, I told you the reason I needed this potion, right~? My dear master was too slow in her race to the heart with Riley, and I simply had to give her a little push. But then-“

Cheshire suddenly spun midair, his ethereal form swirling like mist as he let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Something really really beautiful happened yesterday! Ah~ the moon was shining so brightly, and the stars twinkled alone in the night sky! Master and Riley made their vow to one another as they silently kissed- Oh, I just can’t let it go! It was far too romantic-“

He let out a dramatic little spin, the greyish smoke trailing from his form shaping into the silhouette of two figures standing under the moon.

“I didn’t think Riley had that manliness in him, but oh, I was so mistaken! Like they say, the ever-quiet ones tend to be the boldest on the inside, right~? Kekeke~ Oh, how I wish I had a mana stone to record every single moment and every tiny detail of last night! Such a bummer~”

Oz blinked. His mind reeled, trying to process the absolute nonsense Cheshire had just spouted at a speed that could rival high-level incantations. But in the end, all he truly needed to understand was this:

“…So what’s the point of me making this, then?”

Oz stopped whatever he was doing, his hands hovering over the cauldron as he turned to stare

at Cheshire with an expression caught between exhaustion and sheer disbelief.

The moment his attention wavered, the bubbling mixture let out a faint shimmer, as if reacting to his fleeting focus.

Cheshire, of course, reveled in his reaction.

His already impossibly wide grin stretched even further, his eerie, slitted eyes gleaming with mischievous delight.

The ghostly feline’s tail flicked, his body lazily floating in circles around Oz like a specter that thrived on tormenting the weary.

“That’s the thing-nothing-! Kekeke~” Cheshire cackled, spinning midair with glee. “Ah, but don’t you worry~! I’ll still take it once it’s finished- I can’t possibly let go of such a fine item just because of a few good developments, right~?”

Oz narrowed his eyes. That didn’t make him feel any better.

“And besides,” Cheshire continued, his voice dripping with amusement, “you never know when Master might need it after all~ Oh, oh! Did you put some energy-enhancer effects in

it-?”

His grin widened even further-if that were even possible-as he swayed closer.

“I know Riley’s physically gifted but Master might need a little help keeping up when things get a little too hot~”

Oz froze.

For a long, drawn-out moment, his mind simply refused to process what had just been said. Then, as if his brain had forcefully rebooted itself, realization slammed into him like a

sledgehammer to the skull.

Cheshire was implying exactly what he thought he was implying.

A deep sense of disbelief settled into Oz’s core.

So, all this time-during the grueling days of meticulously brewing this potion, carefully refining every ingredient, adjusting mana purity levels, ensuring perfect fermentation-all of

it… for nothing?

Well, technically, not nothing. Cheshire would still take it, and it wasn’t like it was fully Cheshire’s fault anyway Afterall unexpected situations was only natural in the world.

But even that didn’t ease the lingering feeling of being thoroughly used.

Sighing internally, Oz cast another glance at Cheshire, veins subtly bulging on his forehead as

The fought to maintain his composure.

The ghostly feline hovered nearby, his slitted eyes glimmering with amusement as he

awaited an answer, his ever-present grin unwavering.

Oz exhaled through his nose, pushing down his irritation.

“Don’t worry. I’m not one to neglect my work,” he muttered, voice laced with restraint.

“Besides, we made a deal. I made sure this potion is as close as possible to the descriptions

you gave me-right down to the smallest detail.”

He gestured toward the still-bubbling mixture, its surface shimmering with an eerie

brilliance.

“But enough about that. What about our deal?”

Cheshire’s tail flicked lazily, his expression unreadable despite the permanent smile stretched

across his face.

“The deal still stands, don’t worry~ I’ve already set things up on your part,” he purred. Then,

tilting his head, he added in a sing-song tone, “Buuut~ are you really sure about what you’re

-doing-?”

Oz’s gaze darkened. “Do you even care?”

Cheshire snickered. “No, not really. Why~?”

Oz really wanted to punch him. The sheer audacity, the sheer nerve of this insufferable, ever-

taunting phantom cat was beyond infuriating. But he held himself back.

It wasn’t like he could harm Cheshire-not in his current state, anyway. Wasting whatever remained of the last vestiges of power his now fallen master had granted him wasn’t something he could afford.

Not when every bit of energy was crucial for his plans to succeed.

Instead, he took a slow breath, forcing down his frustration. “Just do your part,” he said

coolly, “and pick up this concoction you requested later. After that, we say our goodbyes.”

For once, Cheshire paused. His floating form stilled, his piercing eyes narrowing just slightly in thought before his smirk returned in full force. “Looks like you’re fully committing to it, hm-?” he mused, his tone dipping into something almost resembling curiosity. “At least you’re aware that you might fully disappear~”

Oz didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. The weight of those words was already heavy enough.

Cheshire chuckled, his body twisting in the air as if reveling in the gravity of the situation.

“I never thought I’d see the day a fellow fantastical creature would actually try to change their very essence~”

His voice took on an oddly wistful lilt, though whether it was genuine or another one of his tricks was impossible to tell.

“We might be powerful, but we are not gods, you know~?”

Cheshire’s grin never faltered, but there was something sharper lurking beneath his playful

tone.

“The odds are against us-even if I set things up for you~”

Oz said nothing.

Because he already knew that.

Oz fell silent, lost in thought.

What Cheshire said was true-there was no denying the absurdity of what he was attempting.

And yet… it didn’t matter.

He had already made a promise.

A promise to his late master, Dorothy.

He would see it through, no matter the cost. Even if it meant his death.

Oz hadn’t expected to be this serious about it.

When he had first encountered the girl, he had only seen her as another soul-a source of

power, something to devour and be done with.

But fate had a cruel way of forcing even the most detached beings to acknowledge the weight

of their connections.

It didn’t matter if one was mortal or not; there were some bonds that, once formed, became

inescapable.

His promise had been simple-watch over her beloved sister.

‘Hey Oz I know it’s a bit much since it’s not part of the contract but… make sure she’s at least

safe, okay?’

For the second promise to be fulfilled, simply watching wouldn’t be enough.

He needed to act.

Cheshire, ever the keen observer, tilted his head as he studied Oz, fully aware of the turmoil

brewing beneath the surface.

A flicker of pity crossed his eyes-just for a moment.

A being of darkness desiring to become a creature of the light…

The very notion was laughable. Even the gods of darkness wouldn’t be that bold.

Cheshire scoffed, a soft, amused sound that barely left his lips.

Oz might act composed, elegant, and unwavering, but deep down, he was just like him—a familiar. And a familiar who truly cared for their master, despite all the pretenses.

Cheshire knew the feeling all too well.

He, too, had once dismissed his bond with Alice, treating it as nothing more than a trivial

connection.

And yet, before he had even realized it, she had become something more-someone more.

So, in the end, Oz wasn’t so different.

Cheshire considered saying something-perhaps a rare kind word, an acknowledgment of the

struggle Oz was about to face.

But that wouldn’t be Cheshire-like~

So instead, he simply watched.

Watched as Oz continued his work, moving with quiet determination toward a fate he had

already accepted.

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