Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

”Good morning, Master Mentor.”

Today, Eldrin was exceptionally cheerful, practically floating on air as he walked, as if he had already drunk the Ember Radiance and become younger.

Because today was the day Loren was to brew the Ember Radiance for him, even though it was already noon, he was still willing to say ”good morning.”

”Good morning. We’re just having breakfast, would you like something?”

Loren extended an invitation to Eldrin, who politely declined:

”No, I’ll just wait here for you.”

”Since you’re in such a hurry, let’s set off now.”

Loren stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth, washed it down with some milk, and thus finished his breakfast.

It was at that moment that Scarlett came over carrying a teapot. As she walked in front of Eldrin, she suddenly tripped over her own feet, spilling the tea all over him.

”...”Loren was speechless. He was just about to apologize on Scarlett’s behalf when he saw Eldrin pat his clothes, brushing off the tea leaves.

”To take in this poor child and give her a job, you truly are kind, Master Mentor.

”Since that’s the case, I shouldn’t make things difficult for her either. Let’s go.”

Eldrin, on the verge of obtaining the Ember Radiance, was too happy to mind.

This wasn’t the first time Eldrin had seen Scarlett either. He clearly mistook her for someone from a certain special demographic. Loren could only nod in response, thanking Eldrin for his understanding.

After Loren and Eldrin left, Anna helped Scarlett to her feet. At the same time, Scarlett unclenched her fist, revealing a small box inside. Intricate runes were carved on the box; just looking at them gave Scarlett a headache.

”I was supposed to steal the Tear of Condensed Wishes, wasn’t I? What is this thing?”

However, Mirrorheart didn’t give Scarlett much time to think, taking her to the inn at Luna’s family’s place.

...

Upon arriving at the academy, Loren first went to check on his class, only feeling at ease after confirming Luna wasn’t there.

”You are truly dedicated. The Gedlan Royal Magic Academy is honored to have a teacher like you.”

”I wouldn’t dare take the credit, it’s all thanks to you, Headmaster...”

Eldrin cut short the exchange of pleasantries with Loren and placed the Tear of Condensed Wishes into Loren’s hand.

”Let’s start brewing the potion quickly, Master Mentor.”

”Alright.”

Loren readily agreed, walking into his office while mentally calculating the time.

He glanced out the window. The academy wasn’t far from the Royal Capital’s walls. If the walls were breached, the attackers would reach the school soon.

The Blackened outside the Royal Capital had already been incited by Gwen and were now assaulting the capital.

Their numbers were terrifyingly vast. Having brewed for so long, the Blackened attacking the capital numbered in the thousands. This was also thanks to the Church and the King turning a blind eye to them; otherwise, the scale wouldn’t have grown so large.

A single Blackened was generally no match for a Scarecrow. Perhaps one Blackened couldn’t defeat one Scarecrow, but five Blackened could certainly kill one.

But how many Scarecrows could the Royal Capital have now? Thirty? Forty? Not to mention the many Luna had already dealt with before.

No matter what, the Royal Capital couldn’t withstand the Blackened’s onslaught, unless an Angel descended.

With such a major incident occurring, the descent of an Angel was inevitable. What Loren had to do was kill Eldrin before the Angel descended.

At that moment, Loren recalled the description on the High Tower Tarot card:

【Alas, you remain aloft, turning a deaf ear, turning a blind eye.】

One ingredient after another was skillfully added by Loren into the cauldron. He had no intention of faking it, even though Eldrin was practically a dead man already.

”Time’s up.”

The final medicinal ingredient was added by Loren. The Ember Radiance was now basically prepared; all that remained was to wait.

...

Eldrin understood the rules. A potion master’s formula was a secret. While Loren was brewing the magic potion, Eldrin waited outside the office door, until he heard the commotion from outside.

”What’s going on?”

The noisy sounds annoyed Eldrin somewhat, but since he was about to obtain the Ember Radiance, he decided to bear with it.

”This is... what’s happening?”

He saw a black miasma almost polluting the sky. The Royal Capital’s sturdy walls were being torn apart. The guards defending the capital were like a lone leaf boat in a vast ocean, instantly swallowed by the waves.

”The Blackened?”

Eldrin finally saw clearly what was happening. It was the Blackened, thousands of them!

”Master Mentor, a group of Blackened have begun attacking the Royal Capital!”

The situation was too sudden. Even Eldrin was momentarily at a loss. In all his long life, he had never seen such a large-scale assault.

”I see...”

Loren’s expression was extremely tense, as if he was genuinely worried about it.

”You go quickly to evacuate the students. I’ll first preserve this batch of potion. Those ingredients are a one-time supply; if we miss this chance, it probably won’t be possible to brew it again for years.”

Eldrin glanced at the potion in the cauldron. That soul-deep craving surged within him again. He was certain this was the genuine Ember Radiance.

”Alright.”

In an instant, Eldrin made his choice. Those Blackened shouldn’t be able to reach Loren’s location within that time.

Even now, Eldrin was still concerned about Loren.

The moment Eldrin announced this, the academy immediately plunged into panic. No one would question Eldrin’s words.

Under Eldrin’s direction, the students swiftly evacuated the academy. Eldrin even blasted open the academy’s perimeter walls for this, as the main gate was already surrounded by Blackened.

Seeing this situation, Eldrin directly pulled out his magic wand from his mage robes. Thorns then Entangled the gate, but it was useless. Under the erosion of the black miasma, the thorns began to wither.

”Let’s leave quickly, Master Mentor.”

After taking out his wand, Eldrin’s speed increased noticeably. When he entered Loren’s office, he found him drinking a potion.

A green-gold potion bottle sat on the table, while the floor around Loren was already littered with empty potion vials.

”This is the preserved Ember Radiance. It just needs to be brewed in the cauldron for seven more days to be completed.”

Only after drinking the final potion did Loren speak. That potion was a sixth-tier potion, [Myriad Resonance].

The potion vial slipped from Loren’s hand, falling to the ground with a crisp shattering sound.

”Alright... let’s hurry...”

Eldrin carefully placed the Ember Radiance inside his mage robes. But when he looked at Loren, he found Loren had no intention of leaving. He was just looking at the now completely empty academy.

”Master Mentor...”

”The students are all gone. Everyone is desperate to get away from here, so for a short while, no one will come to disturb us...”

Loren directly interrupted Eldrin’s words, but Eldrin remained utterly confused. Everyone trusted Loren completely.

Even if Eldrin imagined Loren as some gerontophilic gay man who fancied him, he would never have guessed that Loren was the mastermind behind it all.

”Throat-Severing Slash!”