Witch Redemption

"It's alright. We can transfer some from other cities in the Divine Kingdom. Besides, since the higher-ups have decided to abandon this city, I will also follow the will of the Goddess of Darkness and give this country a warning. Making Kobe City independent is not a bad thing."

Luciara's words were startling, revealing a meaning that surprisingly overlapped with Christian's thoughts, leaving him both surprised and frightened.

After hesitating for a moment, Christian tentatively asked, "Your Excellency, this seems... not quite right?"

"You don't need to ask any more questions. Just do your job and I'll take care of the rest."

For the great Lord!

"Take more people with you and have the entire city reorganized and cleared out in the next couple of days. Also, find some time to go to the Empire to return that sealed artifact left behind by the British Empire, called the Book of the Duke of Red Moon. Otherwise, there will be trouble later." Before Christian was about to leave, Luciara remembered something else. "Oh, right, we must control the grain supply from now on. This will be a huge trump card. You should know how to do it."

He took out several bottles of "life elements" from his storage space. These were left behind by Li Lan when he entrusted them to Laxis yesterday. He then revealed a shortcut to quickly produce food.

"The specific method of using the life element is as follows... I hope you can reach a deal with a woman named Debbie from the Sine Mercenary Group as soon as possible. She has a method to refine the life element. If you have any questions, just say that you were entrusted by a witch."

Another degree of overlap in intelligence caused Christian to break out in a cold sweat, wondering if Archbishop Luciala might be a mole.

"I will definitely succeed!"

...... ...... ......

A side room of the pilgrimage church.

"Your Holiness, are you settling in comfortably?"

As soon as she stepped into this boudoir, which was reserved for a young girl, Luciara began to bow respectfully.

Startled, Lachesis quietly wiped away her tears, concealing her emotions for a while before turning around with her head down. "Archbishop Luciara, just call me Lachesis. I'm not some saint, and besides, that sounds weird."

Isn't a "saintly woman" just a "leftover woman"?

Although Lachesis is already 19 years old, she is still considered a rather old single woman in this theocratic country.

"This won't do, Your Holiness. You are the sun in the sky, you are the hope of us believers, you are..."

Here we go again! A whole bunch of nonsensical, nauseatingly sycophantic praises, it's almost like the person is kneeling and prostrating themselves on the ground!

Lachesis was truly terrified of this incredibly strange bishop, and after a long period of frustration, she could only let her have her way.

A few minutes later, after Luciara had finished venting her praise, a somewhat flattered Lachesis cautiously asked, "Archbishop Luciara, Dr. Roman and the others...?"

"She must have left. After things calmed down this morning, I sent believers to look for her, but the Roman Clinic was in ruins and Dr. Roman was nowhere to be found."

Although he had expected it, Lachesis still felt a strong sense of disappointment when he heard the news.

Last night, after stepping out of the protective barrier of the black mist, Lachesis transformed into a true god and assisted the Sixth Apostle, Kalamiti, in defeating the pillar god, Lerakin.

In reality, Lachesis was not yet fully in control of this power, which is why he fell into a long slumber after ending the Realm of Life and Death, a slumber that lasted until noon of the next day.

During this deep sleep, Lachesis missed her final farewell to Dr. Roman and had an incredibly long nightmare in which Mira gradually walked into darkness and was eventually swallowed by it, calling out Roman's name until the very last moment before she died.

Regardless of whether the nightmare was real or not, what pained Lachesis even more was that she would lose Dr. Roman's superb cooking skills and the two little girls she could "play with" at will. From then on, she would be all alone and without any relatives or friends.

"I hope Dr. Roman isn't lying to me."

It's just a temporary departure; I'll definitely come back in the future, and I'll bring more friends for Lachesis to meet.

Perhaps it was because of this idea that Lachesis gradually became more cheerful.

Chapter 86 The Curtain Falls

April 23, 10004 (New Calendar), Kate City, the capital of the British Empire, Witch Prison.

Today, the Imperial Royal Family welcomed a special team from a small country called "Viana Theocracy," who came to return a sealed artifact belonging to the Imperial Witch Cult.

Naturally, the group received the highest level of hospitality, with Emperor Wilhelm 46 personally hosting a banquet to welcome them.

In stark contrast to this grand and boisterous spectacle, the witch's prison, located in a remote area, was eerily silent, more so than ever before.

After taking possession of the "Book of the Red Moon Duke," Warden Iris the Undying arrived at the central sanctuary of the Witch Prison as usual to listen to the reports from his two subordinates.

In fact, she had known about the death of Imperial Major General Arnold Hopkins for more than ten days, but the specific cause of death and other details were still under investigation, and that wait has lasted until today.

"Major General Arnold Hopkins... A total of fifty-eight Survey Corps soldiers died, all within the domain of the Pillar God Leragin. On the same day, also killed by the Pillar God Leragin were the Abyssal Monsters sent by the Fifth Angel, Bloodstained Gurea, and more than four-fifths of the population of Kobe City on the border of the Divine Kingdom..."

The middle-aged heretic inquisitor, who was reporting relevant information, knelt on one knee, making no attempt to conceal anything.

The old woman, Iris, remained silent, her mind racing with thoughts. "Strange, why do I instinctively believe that all of this was the work of the Pillar God, Leragin?"

This strange sense of trust wasn't new; he had personally experienced it on the very night the previous batch of witches died.

"Is there any news about the body of the Sixth Apostle, Carametti?"

"It's suspected to be in the hands of the Pillar God Leragin. This Pillar God paid a heavy price to kill this Apostle, suffering severe injuries, but subsequent pursuit of her failed, and the investigation is still ongoing," the middle-aged man thought for a moment, then added, "Furthermore, the border city of Kobe of the Viana Theocracy has declared independence, and the Goddess of Darkness has revoked her protection over the entire Theocracy, henceforth only stationed in Kobe. This has caused great difficulty for our investigation. Should we...?"

It means whether or not to send out a stronger force to suppress the rebellion.

In any case, this border city no longer belongs to the Viana Theocracy, so even if they take action, the royal family and the Dark Order of the Theocracy won't say anything.

"absurd!"

Undying Iris rarely changed his expression and gave a harsh rebuke. In any case, since the Empire knew of the existence of the "Day of Prophecy," it must know many secrets of the ancient times, including the true identity of the Goddess of Darkness. At this critical moment, only a fool would provoke the true creator of the ancient times.

"Recall all the personnel you sent out. This city will be designated a restricted area from now on. Do not send any more intelligence personnel to that area. I have other plans."

Unexpectedly, the Goddess of Darkness, who was confirmed to have disappeared last year, has reappeared. The problem that is currently troubling Iris the Immortal is not how to deal with this ancient creator, but how to avoid her.

According to relevant historical records, it is impossible for a true god from beyond the realm to directly descend to this world in their true form. What exactly happened at that time last year?

Once again, I recalled what the intelligence personnel who returned last year mentioned: the Goddess of Darkness left a host in the mortal world, a woman named "Lachish". Could it be that this woman caused the appearance of the Goddess of Darkness?

"No, we can't act against this true god right now. We need to wait. Besides finding the whereabouts of the pillar god Lerakin, we might need to consider other alternatives, such as finding the ruins of the Underworld Goddess's temple first. Furthermore, since the Sixth Apostle, who is involved in the secret of the witch's summoning, is dead, her body might have a substitute. Perhaps we can start with the witch again!"

Witches all come from another world, and in a sense, they also serve as coordinates for those journeys to that other world.

...... ...... ......

On the Dawn Land of the Eastern Continent, three famous great powers each possess their own unique characteristics. The British Empire's unique magic crystal technology and mechanical technology have created a distinctive military composition. The main body of the United Duchy of Ries consists of a large number of orc tribes, who advocate physical tempering and construct a violent aesthetic with cold weapons and iron-clad defenses.

In contrast, the United Kingdom of Kazan is like a lady, with the entire kingdom having revered the use of magic since ancient times.

What sets this kingdom apart from the other two great powers is that magic is absolutely not a supplementary means for them. Whether it's amplification magic, support magic, or elemental magic, the United Kingdom of Kazan has a well-established system for learning them, and has even developed various magical technologies.

Besides its title as the "Magic Kingdom," the United Kingdom of Kazan also boasts an extremely advantageous geographical location. Situated on the year-round warm Somi Plain, most of its borders are surrounded by continuous mountain ranges, which effectively block most of the cold air masses flowing south in winter and keep the warm air masses flowing north within the kingdom's borders in summer, bringing abundant rainfall.

Kazan United Kingdom, Border City of Uzma.

Unlike other kingdoms, the border cities of the United Kingdom of Kazan are by no means dilapidated and decadent places, but rather bustling "classical gardens".

Here, you will absolutely not see any "cowards" or "beggars"; all incompetent people will be driven away.

Might makes right. This saying best describes this border city. Even a frail woman here will have a strong drive to succeed.

After traversing long and noisy streets and alleys, and passing one tall, domed building after another, a tall figure shrouded in a white cloak hurried forward in a panic. It took a long time to reach a secluded and quiet cemetery.

Her steps were weak, as if she were seriously ill, and she even staggered several steps when entering the dense forest.

"Damn the Sixth Apostle!"

He let out a curse through gritted teeth, and when he looked up, he found himself in front of a low and old gray building. The building had a flat roof and an open door, inside which sat an old man dressed in black.

Clearly, this is the residence of the gravedigger, and the old man is the forest ranger of this area.

Upon seeing this uninvited guest arrive, the old man stared at her with his clear blue eyes, which held a mixture of incomprehension and schadenfreude.

"Lerakin, why are you back alone again? Where is your new Servant, Leander?"

The tall, pale-faced woman clearly didn't want to engage in this topic, turning her head slightly away. "None of your business!"

"Of course it has nothing to do with me. This is just a friendly reminder. As a 'Servant Killer,' you can't keep losing one after another. If you continue like this, the organization won't assign you any more people. You'd better watch yourself. After all, the last boy who died was named Puck, right? That guy was a prince, the only son, and we almost couldn't clean up the mess. And this time? This promising junior of the giant race has also perished. What kind of work are you doing?"

Faced with these harsh and critical words, the Pillar God Leragin, who was wrapped up tightly, dared not refute them. He waited until the other party had finished speaking before responding, "I will report to the organization in detail. Don't worry. Let me in now. This matter is a bit troublesome."

"Come with me."

The old man wasn't the type to ramble on and on; he turned and went straight into the inner room...

No one knew that hundreds of meters below the city of Uzma, there was such a vast underground city, and that this underground city had been completely controlled by the legendary "Ross royal family".

That night, severely injured by the Sixth Apostle, Kalamiti, and about to face an attack from the Goddess of Darkness, the Pillar God Leragin, in a panic, dared not look back and fled all the way to today. Finally, she arrived at this area where she could feel safe and settled down, and her tense emotions eased up for once.

The old man in black simply led her to a luxurious building and then quickly left, leaving only one sentence before he departed: "Chief Keyara is waiting for you inside. Be respectful. Accompanying you this time is a very important person, the messenger of the God of Chaos."

"A divine messenger?"

Pillar God Leragin, filled with doubt, went inside...

"Lord Lelagin? Why are you the only one who has returned? Where is Lord Leander?"

Seated at the end of the long table was a handsome man dressed in a blue mage's robe. He possessed strong muscles that ordinary mages lacked, which, combined with his dashing long golden hair, created a harmonious look. His eyes seemed to be smiling at all times.

Moreover, accompanying this man named "Kayara Nyasto" was another strong man.

This man had short black hair and black eyes. His ordinary features seemed unlike any other race in this world, and even his skin was an unusual wheat color. Although he was only a little over 1.7 meters tall, the oppressive aura he exuded was exaggerated, causing the Pillar God Leragin to instinctively feel a little fear.

Lerakin slightly averted his gaze and took his seat at Kaiara's instruction. "Leander is dead. He was killed by the Sixth Apostle who had regained his power."

"What's going on?" The handsome man still squinted, but his smile had vanished.

Without holding back, Leragin immediately recounted everything that had happened in Kobe, a city on the border of the Viana theocracy.

Of course, there are many embellishments in this story, but the only thing that is hidden is her arrogance and her vicious idea of ​​wanting to kill everything after she got carried away with the expansion of her domain.

"So that's how it is. The Goddess of Darkness intervened? Is the Sixth Apostle definitely doomed?"

"Yes."

"This is a bit troublesome. The Sixth Apostle is related to the path to the higher world, and even my lord is interested in it. If we can't get her body... well, this world is full of chance, which is what my lord hopes to see. If she's gone, she's gone. As for the Goddess of Darkness, let's ignore her for now. When the prophesied day comes, my lord will return to this world and there will be plenty of ways to deal with her."

With a touch of arrogance, the handsome man, Kaiara, tapped the table lightly and asked again, "So, what are Lord Leragin's plans next?"

"I need to rest for a while. I will need to go to the border of the United Duchy of Ries. It's time to break the seal on the other pillar god."

Having suffered a severe injury, Lelagin will need at least another six months of recuperation to return to his peak condition.

She didn't say much, but took out a spatial bag and placed it on the table. "This is the corpse of Fenrir, the super abyss monster. You can decide how to use it."

“Understood, this is enough,” the handsome man, Kaiara, couldn’t help but gently stop Leragin as he prepared to leave. “By the way, Lord Leragin, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is the messenger of the God of Chaos. If possible, I would like you to take him under your wing for a while…”

"Hello, my name is Ann Gnath."

The plain-looking woman stood up and introduced herself.

It was at this moment that Leragin noticed a strange book tucked into his waistband, which looked very much like a witch's natal magic book.

"Okay, I understand. I can take you, but you'll have to wait at least six months."

Leragyn recognized that look in a man's eyes—a gaze filled with desire that made her instinctively nauseous.