My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 257 Master! Please save me!
After agreeing to Kalia's request, Roland didn't hide it from anyone else—mainly because he couldn't hide it from them anymore.

Surprisingly, the others did not express any opinion about Kalia traveling with Roland.

They even thought Kalia's words made a lot of sense.

With her by my side, even if I encounter someone I can't beat, I can usually escape without much trouble.

Ultimately, Roland and Kalia's initial skill sets were actually all geared towards escaping.

Roland's first max-level skill was Flash, and Kalia's first skill after mastering the use of her talent formula was also to escape using her shadow.

In a sense, the two are quite destined for each other.

At least on the road, the two reached a surprising consensus.

In short, on the morning of the second day, the great Grand Duke of the Empire and his witch attendant quietly left Isfar, following the light on the magic device into the territory of the Kingdom of Platia.

Just as Kalia said.

Her escape skills underwent a qualitative leap after merging with the divine energy of the evil god's half-body.

When she is in Riskan, her Shadow Step ability will also be disabled due to the disruption caused by the magic wave.

But now, she can even ignore the scanning and interference from the large anti-submarine and anti-stealth equipment mounted on the border of the Kingdom of Platia.

This truly maxes out the skill for escaping.

"Hehe, wasn't I right? So trust me a little more! I'm a genius at running away!"

Kalia, hidden in the shadows, gave Roland a smug smile. Roland sighed, "I know you're very powerful now, but it's best to be careful."

"Especially after we went out, oh right..."

Roland paused for a moment, then put on the cognitive impairment mask.

The next moment, Roland's face began to change...

Well, actually nothing major changed, except that the mask disappeared quickly after being put on, and then some subtle changes appeared on Roland's face.

For example, the angle of the mandible and the distance between the eyebrows and eyes.

At first glance, Roland doesn't look any different.

But to Kalia, Roland suddenly became a "stranger".

Yes, if Kalia hadn't known that the person in front of her could only be Roland, and if she hadn't watched Roland put on the mask, she would have really thought that the person in front of her wasn't Roland!

It was a close call that Roland was squeezed out of the shadows!
Although Kalia didn't speak, Roland could tell from her facial expressions that the effect was clearly very good.

If I had to use a comparison, this mask would have the same effect as the glasses on Superman's face.

A conceptual level of camouflage.

When I put on my glasses, I'm reporter Clark Kent, not Superman!
That's roughly the effect.

After understanding the effect, Roland looked at Kalia and said, "From now on, I will be wearing this mask. So you should remember what it looks like."

“…Roland.” Kalia suddenly rubbed her hands together awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" Roland asked.

Kalia hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "I don't know why... I really didn't recognize you just now, but now you look the same as usual, no change at all."

"Are your disguises really effective?"

Roland: “???”

What's going on? Did the system send me a counterfeit product?

You can't be playing a trick on me now just because you've kept this thing hidden away all this time, can you?
But Roland soon realized the problem.

It's possible... simply because the other person is Kalia.

Yes, Kalia, the witch designated by the system to destroy the world.

Although the people around him currently seem harmless, even those who steal cat food.

But she can indeed destroy the world.

Especially after Roland helped her complete a wave of healing, this special witch, who was originally supposed to be a vessel for the descent of an evil god, saw her strength greatly improve in just half a month.

Unlike Roland, whose strength was increased by adding points, Kalia's strength improvement was genuine, achieved through meditation and training.

She doesn't even meditate for long periods each day.

According to her own account, half an hour before bed, half an hour after waking up, and half an hour after lunch.

I practice for about an hour and a half every day.

No, it's more like a light form of exercise than a form of spiritual practice.

Even with this level of training, her strength still improved by leaps and bounds, allowing her to surpass Iluvia, who was originally ranked above her, and reach the sixth ring.

This is also why Roland agreed to risk entering Pratia with this guy.

But what he didn't expect was that this guy was already immune to cognitive interference skills?
Roland smiled helplessly; it was good news after all.

After all, given Kalia's fluctuating intelligence, it's better if she recognizes him.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if she accidentally hurt me.

Roland patted Kalia on the shoulder, signaling her not to overthink it. After finding a secluded corner in the forest, Roland and Kalia headed towards the location indicated by the magic device.

Fortunately, the border area around Pratia has been mostly sunny these past two days, and although there is snow in the woodlands, it is not so bad that it is impossible to move around.

The situation in Pratia was also more stable than Roland had imagined.

At least it hasn't reached the point where there are starving people everywhere and bandits roaming freely.

Even just looking out from the shadows, Roland could tell that although the atmosphere was somewhat tense, the general order was still being maintained.

The Blood Demon Lord clearly appeared at the border, but made no further moves.

Thinking of this, Roland glanced at the Demon King, who was feigning death.

This guy has been doing this a lot lately, as if he's deliberately avoiding talking to himself.

She used to chime in with a few nonsensical remarks, acting as a witty critic. But ever since leaving Isfar, she rarely speaks unless asked, as if she's truly transformed into a gauntlet.

Although I don't know what this guy is up to right now, I suppose he probably has his own ideas.

Perhaps, just like before, after absorbing a soul, it began some kind of "digestion" process.

Moreover, being located in the North, it's practically his territory. He's also quite familiar with the current rulers of the royal court.

Analyzing someone's personality, behavior patterns, and strengths might prove surprisingly useful.

Soon, Roland and Kalia crossed the flat woodland, and a small village that had clearly just been through a battle came into view.

Well, it seems the security situation in Prattia isn't as good as I imagined.

Embers still burned amidst the ruins, and the villagers, their eyes numb, moved the bodies of the dead and cleaned up the rubble like pre-programmed robots.

Winters in the North are very cold.

They must quickly prepare a house that can shelter them from the wind and snow and provide warmth by burning a fire.

Fortunately, the damage to the village was not too severe. Considering the whereabouts of the alchemist, it is likely that he stopped the disaster that would have destroyed the entire village.

Whether it's bandits, monsters, or demon attacks, it seems that the master is generally a good person who helps those in need.

Roland took off the hood that was originally used to shield him from the wind and snow, and then reached out to brush the snow off his long cloak: "Lia, let's go ask her together."

"You can ask first when the time comes."

Kalia, mimicking Roland, removed her hood and then brushed the snow off her cloak: "Hey Roland, why am I the one asking?"

"Of course it's because you're cute, and you look harmless. Plus, you're a girl, so the villagers are probably less wary of you."

Kalia glanced at Roland: "So you're actually considering it from a practical standpoint?"

“Of course. You’re the only teammate I can really use right now.” Roland patted Kalia on the shoulder: “Go, Kalia, you’re the one!”

"I have a feeling you're implying something... Never mind, I'll go ask around."

Kalia sighed. Before leaving, she glanced at Roland and felt that he seemed unusually relaxed.

I told myself to be vigilant...

Despite her confusion, Kalia resolutely carried out the mission.

The negotiations went very smoothly, and Kalia, with her beautiful face that always seemed a bit dim-witted when she smiled, quickly learned what had just happened in the village.

Just as Roland had guessed, a band of bandits operating on the border attacked the village, followed by burning, killing, and looting.

If things had gone according to plan, Roland and Kalia would have arrived in time, repelled the bandits, and then, with the help of the villagers, found the alchemist who was living in seclusion near the village.

But the truth is, the alchemist arrived earlier than Roland and his group.

After easily resolving the problem of the village that the other party usually used to purchase daily necessities, the other party returned to the small hill behind the village.

Well, although the process was a little different, the location of the master was eventually confirmed with the help of the villagers.

After all, although Ms. Flam's magical device was highly accurate, she had obviously used quite a few clever tricks to prevent the master whose coordinates were locked from discovering it.

For example, reducing the tracking accuracy to a certain extent.

Roland could only confirm that the other party was still near the village, but with the villagers' guidance, Roland saw a wisp of smoke rising into the snow from the mountainside not far away.

Kalia glanced at Roland and smiled: "You go first, I'll help them clear the rubble and then come over."

"Okay." Roland nodded, then leaned close to Kalia's ear and said, "Be careful."

"Although I shouldn't say these things... it's still best not to trust these villagers too much."

“This is not the Empire, Kalia.”

In fact, this explanation is somewhat superfluous.

Even if these guys are troublemakers... no matter how unreliable Kalia is, she's not someone these villagers can handle.

However, just to be on the safe side, I'll leave Kalia with an external brain.

Moreover, since he met with that master, and the Demon King's gauntlet spirit was still on his body, it would be exposed sooner or later.

"Here, you take him with you. If you encounter any problems, ask this guy before making a decision."

The Demon King grumbled somewhat discontentedly, "Hey, Roland, do you want me to take care of the kids?"

"How dare you talk like that! I'm not a child anymore!" Kalia retorted, then began to play with the somewhat prickly Demon King's gauntlets.

Roland looked at the scene before him and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, it seems they're getting along very well!"

Just as Roland was relieved and preparing to go up the mountain to see whether the legendary alchemist was male or female.

A girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with barely noticeable secondary sexual characteristics, suddenly appeared behind Roland: "Oh~~~ This is interesting."

"Your body has reached this point, how come it hasn't collapsed yet?"

"You came to me to solve this problem, right?"

No hesitation!

Before even figuring out who the visitor was, Roland immediately bowed ninety degrees: "That's right! I beg you, sir, to save me!"

The blonde girl wearing a gray fur hat glanced at Roland with some disdain, then said, "We already knew someone was looking for me from the listening devices we placed in the village."

"I just didn't expect... it would be someone like you."

“Paraxelsus, if you think my name is too long, just call me Russell.”

"Come with me to the lab. I need to study your situation carefully."

"As for how you knew I was here... I'll explain later."

The alchemist, who called himself Russell, gave Roland a dangerous look before turning and walking towards the mountainside.

All he said to Roland, who was standing there in a daze, was: "Don't just stand there, come with me. Your little girlfriend can come too if she wants."

(End of this chapter)