Having regained a little of her strength, Coai headed back to the mansion. She no longer remembered who had named it, but in the past, the mansion had been called "Drottingholm." Now, it was a mansion apparently called the "Ruins."

Long ago, many races, including humans, visited this place. Sometimes to beg Coai for aid, sometimes to plead for forgiveness, and sometimes to offer tribute.
But in every case, she acted as she pleased.
Once, simply because she disliked the demeanor of an envoy who came seeking reinforcements, she annihilated the envoy's entire tribe in a single night.
Another time, she suddenly smashed a jewel a thief had brought to sell, and declaring the way it shattered to be beautiful, she gave away most of the mansion's treasures in return. And then, when the jewel's original owner appeared and requested its return, she beat them to death, saying, "Such a treasure, such words, are too good for one with such an ugly soul."

Of course, very few could defy her, who wielded a tyrannical power like a calamity beyond human comprehension, and did so without hesitation. Moreover, most of those with such spirit were defeated by her, and usually lost their lives on the spot.

Though she had her preferences, more or less, she was always capricious and selfish... In that respect, one could say she had been recreated in this world completely unchanged.
But in one respect, she had changed. Previously, while she might have taken an interest in treasures, technology, or scholarship, she never admired another's appearance, let alone found herself drawn to another's personality. In the several hundred years that the "Demon Lord Coai" reigned over this world, there had never been such a case.

And yet now, the one thing she sought was...

The moment Coai stepped into the mansion, she sensed the arrival of uninvited guests. She could feel the magical power of several people, and there might be others with weaker magical power accompanying them. However, it was also certain that their strength was so meager she could only sense them upon getting close.

They were no obstacle, just a troublesome, uninteresting presence.

Nevertheless, for the current Coai, they were a presence that had to be eliminated beforehand. When performing the Otherworldly God Summoning, it was difficult to repel others herself, and during the summoning, the summoning circle was completely defenseless, its formula easily disrupted by outside interference. If the formula were disrupted, an unintended being could be summoned, or the target entity could be summoned in an unsatisfactory state, with its spiritual, physical, or mental form incomplete.
To once again summon that girl... to summon San'i in a satisfactory state, there could be no one present who might interfere with the summoning ritual. Coai naturally understood that she needed to satisfy San'i, and that it was only right to do so.

Coai roamed the mansion, seeking out the intruders to eliminate them. Then, she heard voices.
"Hey, come over here!"
"What's up?"
"The window frame is broken, and from the inside!"

The voices of the group of intruders came from the direction of the bedroom. The window frame... Was that from when I cleared the dust in the bedroom with wind magic?
After confirming that the footsteps were coming from ahead and not from the sides or behind, Coai slowly began to walk toward the bedroom. Her idea was to let the intruders gather in the bedroom first, then crush them all at once.

"Hmm, this break is definitely from the inside."
"Hey, sorry, but does that mean something? Explain it so even I can understand."
"Hah... Try using your head a little before asking. That's why you'll always be an idiot."
"Huh? I'm about to punch you, you bastard."
"Now, now, what's wrong with being an idiot if you're happy?"

Coai paused near the bedroom. Ahead, in the room, she could sense several sources of magical power and hear several voices from those without it. From outside the room, she felt nothing.
I'll just deal with the ones in the room for now, Coai thought, and proceeded toward the bedroom.

"What business do you have in my mansion, you curs?"
Coai addressed the intruders that came into her view.

"Who're you? We were asked to come here by the village chief."
"Hey, don't say careless things, idiot."
"Wh-! Who are you calling an idiot!?"
A few men, somewhat lacking in tension, were gathered there.

"...Get out of here at once."
Feeling a strong sense of irritation, Coai envisioned flames, simultaneously kneading her magical power and unleashing the mixture into the room.

"Ngh, this is bad!!"
"Ughh!?"
"Agh!"

"Burn to a crisp, you commoners."
Coai increased her magical power. The flames grew hotter, racing through the bedroom.

Not even screams could be heard anymore.

Confirming that all the magical power that seemed to belong to the intruders had vanished, Coai peered into the bedroom. There was nothing but smoldering embers and the smell of burnt flesh and fat.

...Damn, I used the wrong spell.

It seems I burned not only the intruders but the bedding and furniture as well. Well, they were unpleasant, so it can't be helped. There seem to be people living around here, so I can just have them make new ones later. More importantly, for now, I should be glad that I've eliminated the intruders who were an obstacle to the summoning.

The hindrances are gone. It's almost time. Coai's heart leaped.
I can summon that girl again──── Coai's heart leaped.