Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 347 Sincerity for sincerity

Valerie believed that no one could find the source of "hunger," but this did not include Ethan.

He simply walked forward through the fog, only to fall back into the state he had been in the previous night.

The road behind him was gradually swallowed by darkness, leaving only one road ahead. This road would lead to a Victorian-style hotel with a pink heart sign that read "The Nest of Love." Although the hotel's name seemed ambiguous, Ethan did not back down this time.

The girl with the black ponytail was not by his side. When he pushed open the main entrance of the hotel, the hotel lobby was still the same as when he left yesterday.

He lit the candle on the table, which immediately became the only source of light in the hotel.

He sat at the table without saying a word, staring at the flickering candlelight.

Beneath the candlelight lay a shadow that lurked on the ground. Several times it stretched out its tentacles toward Ethan, only to retreat back into the darkness the moment it touched him.

It was still angry, resentful that Ethan had given it a solid over-the-shoulder throw the day before.

“I have spoken with Morgana.”

After a long pause, Ethan took the initiative to start a conversation, "You should know that nothing here can escape your eyes."

Shadow Bolt: So what? (`皿)

A new message popped up in the dialog box. Since the introduction of Shadow Bolt, the skill description field has been changing arbitrarily, essentially turning into a chat window.

It seems Shadow Arrow doesn't want to sit down and talk to him face to face.

"How do you think Lady Morgana views Grand Duke Bellamore?"

Ethan said, "She spent a happy childhood in Darkhearth, far removed from religion and politics, and the Duke of Bellamor must have held an extraordinary place in her heart."

That's why the hurt of being abandoned by loved ones is so deep, as if you've been kicked back from heaven to hell once again.

When Grand Duke Bellamor ordered Morgana to be sent out of Darkhearth, it meant that he believed the Witcher's words and that the child he had raised was truly the embodiment of the devil, destined to bring destruction to his family and the entire Darkhearth one day, even though the Witcher's tests on her had failed and they could not provide more compelling evidence to prove the "prophecy's" truth. Grand Duke Bellamor still heeded the Witcher's advice.

This time, Shadow Bolt did not respond to him.

"But I have another idea."

Ethan said, "Miss Valerie believes that the Church's accusations against Morgana are a pretext to kill her parents, and that this does not prove that she is inherently evil. It is strange that the Witcher would share the same view as the Church on this issue."

It is well known that the relationship between the Church and the Witchers is not harmonious.

From the moment their goddess of the hunt, Cynthia, was defined as a mid-level deity, it was decided that her followers would be permanently distanced from the center of politics, becoming, like her, wanderers seeking freedom and a life of their own choosing.

"Was it because the Witcher made a mistake? Superstition and prejudice blinded them, or was it because Little Bellamor's mother couldn't stand Grand Duke Bellamor treating Morgana like a daughter because of her own selfish desires?"

Ethan paused for a moment, then said, "I don't think so. They are all very skilled witchers. That's why they sensed your presence and felt threatened by you. However, their knowledge at the time was insufficient to explain your existence, leading them to draw the wrong conclusion."

This is roughly how the Imperials viewed darkness.

People dislike darkness, which is almost synonymous with evil, while light, in contrast, is the embodiment of God and is worshipped by countless people.

"Even if you do nothing, just being observed by them will lead them to believe that you will inevitably bring destruction."

Morgana's encounter in the capital attracted the Shadow, and after that, the wandering Shadow followed her. "Perhaps you were initially just curious and wanted to see where this child, who was regarded as the incarnation of the devil, would go, but your power is too great. Even just watching from the sidelines will bring about earth-shattering changes to mankind."

"She's a coward!"

Another voice finally emerged from the darkness, "I could help her kill all those who betrayed her, but she refused."

A pathetic wretch with no fighting spirit can only hide in this unknown place and play house.

This is her assessment of Morgana.

If it weren't for Morgana's interference, she would have long ago given Grand Duke Bellamore the most tragic death, allowing him to witness the separation of his wife and children and the destruction of his family in his hands before his death.

Little Bellamore was just the beginning. In her plan, Little Bellamore would become a ghoul hunted by witchers. If Grand Duke Bellamore did not end his life himself, Little Bellamore would infect more people in the city until the church and the knights of the empire were alerted.

But none of this brought Morgana any joy.

Morgana, on the contrary, begged her not to do it.

“You can think of it that way, but when you were in the castle, you actually did the same thing as her.”

"This is different!"

Shadow argued, "Her power was a gift from me, and I created this place. I've already said that even if you die, it will be by my hand!"

"Then your best opportunity has come. An elemental econometrician who cannot use spells should not pose much of a threat to you."

The conversation fell silent, and Ethan could feel a pair of eyes staring intently at him from the depths of darkness.

“But before that, I must make some things clear. You see your own reflection in Morgana, but that’s not the case at all. Grand Duke Bellamore believed the Witcher’s story and saw Morgana as the embodiment of the devil. This is his betrayal of Morgana—but I have never betrayed anyone!” Ethan suddenly raised his voice, and his words were so powerful that they successfully intimidated the shadows.

He has sorted out his thoughts.

"How do you see me? Do you think I believed some kind of prophecy, that you are the embodiment of darkness and evil, and therefore abandoned you? If that were the case, I would never have had anything to do with you in the first place."

Ethan felt that this was a completely unfounded accusation. Although Morgana's background was pitiful, it did not mean that he should be unjustly labeled as a "traitor".

“You’ve got it all wrong. I was just really unlucky. I got hit on the head with a club on my way home one day, which made me forget some things.”

This is more in line with the situation between him and Shadow.

Ethan still can't recall his past with Shadow, but the situation is crystal clear: "So what we really need to do now is figure out who the hell hit me with that stunt! Is there no justice in this world?!"

The unexpected words were taking the conversation in a direction that Shadow could not have predicted.

She deeply resented Grand Duke Bellamore, the traitor who, upon learning of Morgana's death, merely shed a few feigned tears before resuming his happy life as if Morgana had never existed.

Shadow was certain that even if Grand Duke Bellamore knew about Morgana's current situation, he would only see her as a monster and would never have a change of heart or repent for his past betrayals. However, she also knew that Morgana had been fantasizing about Grand Duke Bellamore trying to keep her until she left Darkforge.

Morgana will let go of all her resentment and go home as if none of this had ever happened.

Before meeting Ethan, Shadow had made up his mind.

If she discovers that all of this is just Ethan's excuse to leave, and if he will still abandon her after leaving, then she will force him to stay in this place.

But once Ethan started talking, the topic completely veered off course.

Ethan's question just now sounded more like an invitation for her to join a group fight—just like before.

Even though he lost his memory, even though he completely forgot her existence, Ethan's personality seemed to have never changed. He was different from Grand Duke Bellamor. No, the two were not even comparable in the slightest!
However, she had to confirm it one more time.

"Are you inviting me to leave this place with you?"

"If you like."

"Didn't you lie to me?"

"of course."

"Then why did you hit me yesterday?"

The black-haired girl emerged from the shadows; the big problem was solved, but a small one remained.

Ethan's over-the-shoulder throw caught her completely off guard; she had never fallen so hard before.

"It's a conditioned reflex. The capital has been quite unsafe lately, you know. Boys should learn some self-defense skills to protect themselves when they go out."

Ethan opened his arms. "If you can't swallow this, you can throw yourself back now... Ouch, you really are throwing yourself!"

Shadow looked at Ethan lying flat on his back on the ground and burst out laughing.

This was also the most embarrassing moment in Ethan's memory.

Evened out.

Shadow felt much better.

"You made me fall."

"You...! You're quite strong."

Ethan pushed himself up from the floor and sat down at the hotel's coffee table. "Is the misunderstanding cleared up?"

Shadow watched him without answering directly. She came to Ethan's side, lifted his right hand, and interlocked their fingers. The black mark on his palm once again sent a sharp pain through him. This process lasted for about a minute.

"you've changed."

"That's what the black-haired girl said."

In the past, Ethan would never have noticed Morgana's feelings, nor would he have cared about the grudges and entanglements between Morgana and Grand Duke Bellamore, and he would not have been able to distinguish the difference between them.

Why should we care about the lives of ants?
He would definitely say that.

But change isn’t always bad, she thought thoughtfully, “Maybe this blow isn’t entirely a bad thing.”

As the conversation progressed, the text on the skill panel gradually returned to normal.

『Shadow Arrow (World), Proficiency: ∞, Shadow, Only Shadow (^_^)』.

(End of this chapter)