Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

Many days had passed since that incident, and during this time, Reflection Naclis had changed significantly—everything about her was the complete opposite of Naclis.

Where Naclis dressed plainly, she dressed lavishly; where Naclis was elegant, she was carefree and casual.

It seemed she was desperately trying to prove that she was different from Naclis, that they were entirely two separate people.

At the same time, whenever Reflection Naclis had the chance, she would flaunt her figure to Naclis—this being the area where the difference between them was most pronounced.

Loren was also working hard to accept the shift in Reflection Naclis’s identity. At the very least, he could now open his eyes around her, even though her attire was still completely different from Naclis’s original appearance.

During this time, Loren had also crafted rings for each of them, all of which were custom-made to suit their respective Arcane Abilities.

It was now winter, but it wasn’t cold. The actual winter in the God of Bountiful Harvest’s territory lasted at most just the week of Christmas; the rest of the time felt more like autumn.

By now, Noah had completed most of the tasks Loren had assigned him and was preparing to set out again.

“Master Mentor, I’ll be leaving now. Do you have any further instructions?”

Before departing, Noah came to find Loren. He wouldn’t waste time on meaningless goodbyes—his purpose here was to receive new orders.“Yes. Along the way, keep an eye out for something like this for me. The moment you find one, hand it over to me immediately.

“My eyes are special—I can see things that you can’t, like the secrets hidden within these cards. Perhaps I might find a way to revive the dead through them.”

With that, Loren showed Noah one of the Observer’s Tarot cards. This was the first time he had revealed the existence of the Tarot cards to anyone other than the Witches and Mirrorheart.

He trusted Noah completely. Unless something had the ability to resurrect people, even if Noah stumbled upon something that could make him a god, he would still bring it back to Loren to show him.

Loren was well aware that the Tarot cards didn’t possess the power Noah needed, so he wasn’t worried.

Besides, Loren hadn’t lied to him. He had said “perhaps”—he himself didn’t know what would happen once all the Tarot cards were collected. Maybe they really could bring someone back to life?

“Among these cards, there’s a Death Card. She has already manifested as a physical entity and will hunt down those who are supposed to die—people like you, for example. Keep an eye out for her.

“The Death Card can’t bypass a god’s authority to kill you completely, but it will prevent you from regenerating.”

Noah’s immortality was of a very high order. Strictly speaking, Noah was already dead; what lived on now was love. To kill Noah, one would first have to kill that love.

The same logic applied to the Orthodox Gods. They weren’t living beings—they were authority itself. Only after having their authority stripped away would they become living beings, and only then could they be killed by the Death Card. But by that point, the Death Card wouldn’t even be necessary.

Fortunately, angels hadn’t yet reached that level. Once Loren obtained the Death Card, he could kill an angel without needing the Severance Ritual.

“Understood.”

Noah nodded, listening attentively to Loren’s commands.

“Lastly, keep an eye out for anything related to the Dawn Society. That is your destined opportunity.”

Loren didn’t know exactly where Noah had obtained the Dawn Society’s legacy, nor had he ever found it himself. So he simply assumed it was Noah’s destiny, and it wasn’t as if Loren could use it even if he took it.

Loren genuinely hoped Noah would find his destined opportunity. Once he inherited the Dawn Society’s legacy, Noah would transform from a workhorse into a nuclear-powered workhorse.

“Yes…”

“Alright, then. We’ll meet again on the road.”

Loren waved goodbye to Noah, but this time, before he left, Loren gave Noah a generous amount of supplies—Magical Potions, equipment, money… everything he might need. After all, Noah had generated enormous profits for Loren this time around.

Following the massive success of Noah’s rings, his airplanes had also started selling like hotcakes. In fact, Noah had flown here in an airplane to see Loren this time.

The booming popularity of airplanes had forced the Kingdom to build numerous landing pads.

“Farewell, Master Mentor.”

Noah bowed deeply to Loren before boarding the airplane.

He didn’t wear any protective gear. Even if the plane crashed, nothing would happen to him—he was harder to kill than even the Orthodox Gods.

Noah flew away. Watching the airplane’s receding silhouette, Loren suddenly felt a wave of emotion. He truly didn’t like scenes of parting.

Cecelia was fine—he had flown over to see her just a few days ago. But with Noah on this journey, he really had no idea if he would ever see him alive again.

What if Noah truly angered an Orthodox God, and the God simply threw him into the cosmos? That would be the end of him.

By the time Noah returned, maybe the world would have already been reset by the Child of Nature due to environmental destruction caused by technological advancement.

“Another parting… getting old makes one sentimental, I suppose…”

Loren’s nostalgic mutter made Laila swallow the words she had wanted to say to him.

“Christmas is almost here. Everyone should start thinking about what gifts to give each other.”

After Noah had flown away, Loren put on a smile and said to the group.

“I already know what I’m giving you!”

Anna flashed a mischievous grin, and Loren had a bad feeling about it.

He instinctively looked at Mirrorheart, only to see her wearing an innocent expression.

“Forget it…”

In the end, Loren didn’t dwell on it. He still didn’t know exactly what Anna’s gift was, so he’d deal with it when the time came.

The approaching Christmas made Anna overjoyed, because Christmas meant a feast—and it meant both her birthday and Loren’s were near.

Not only would there be a Christmas feast, but also a birthday cake.

“I’m about to turn fourteen…”

Anna ran over to the height-marking pole where she had been measured. Her height hadn’t changed at all over the past year.

“Mm.”

Loren smiled and ruffled Anna’s hair. She hadn’t grown last year—her age had been frozen. It was normal that her height hadn’t changed this year either.

“Christmas!”

Lilith was also overjoyed. This was her second Christmas at Loren’s House, and it was only here that the Christmas atmosphere existed. In previous years, she had always chosen to hole up at home for the day.

She didn’t want to go outside, not just because she was a homebody, but because the things happening out there were too horrible to witness—just like what Movila had seen before.

Noah had chosen to leave now for that very reason. He wanted to return home for Christmas to pay respects to his wife and avoid a repeat of what had happened the previous year.

“Loren, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

Loren, who had been pondering what gift to give, was startled by Laila’s voice.

“I want to leave for a while—travel around the world, search for Tarot cards and the Mythical Creatures needed for the ritual.”

“Leaving now? Not staying for Christmas?”

Loren asked in surprise.

“No. Truth be told, I’ve wanted to leave for a long time. I was just waiting for Noah to perfect the airplane.

“I’ve dreamed of soaring through the sky since I was a child. Before, I only flew a few times with you carrying me. Now that airplanes exist, I can fly whenever I want.”

Laila gazed at the sky with a look of longing, but deep in her eyes was written worry.

Loren could sense her emotions. She was afraid—afraid that the Divine War would begin, afraid that the gods would come for them.

“Alright… Stay safe, and don’t get close to any Church members.

“They likely have means to detect Witches. As long as a Witch is within range, they can sense her.”

In the end, Loren didn’t stop her. He simply gave her a few words of caution.

“Mm.”

Laila responded softly, unaware of just how much she would come to regret this departure.