The jewels hurled at "Iver" were, in essence, a kind of "spice."
A seasoning spread over tender, juicy roast meat, making its allure radiate to the greatest extent.
Normally, these Greed Demon Servants, whose pupils had turned into gold coins, would instinctively attack anyone who dared to take "their treasure." They might even attack one another and slaughter each other.
Yet the huge Greed Demon's action seemed to have imposed a point of focus on them, concentrating everyone's "greed" in one place.
Just as concentrated light could ignite a flame, a golden fire also blazed where those greedy gazes converged—
"—Ugh!"
"Iver" grunted, letting out a restrained cry of pain.
Golden fire ignited across his body. It was liquid flame with the luster of gold coins, dazzling like gold rolling in a metallurgical furnace. His flesh split open and vaporized in the blaze, while all his bones turned to gold—
Yet the clothes on "Iver's" body did not burn. This was undoubtedly an illusion, just like the illusion the Greed Demon used to control others!
At that moment, the pupils at the bottom of "Iver's" eyes transformed into vertical slits like a dragon's.
She shouted furiously:
—Enough! Wake up!
That was not Iver's voice. It was young and clear, like a child's.
The instant her words fell, silvery-white radiance burst forth.
The gazes of those who had been staring at her greedily instantly turned to terror. Their bodies swayed, and more than a third of them regained consciousness. The pupils bearing coin patterns returned to their original color.
As the wooden red mask fell off, hit the ground, and cracked, "Iver's" body transformed amid the violent, flickering flames into the petite Ligeia.
Relying on her own resistance to illusions, Ligeia saw through this illusory fire. The instant she realized that