Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

"Long time no see, William."

Loren walked up with one hand in his pocket and greeted William.

"Master Mentor... you've finally returned..."

Hearing the familiar voice, William immediately looked up, tears quickly filling his eyes.

He ran toward Loren, wanting to give him a hug, but stopped halfway, looking somewhat hesitant.

It seemed he felt it was overstepping, and he was also afraid of dirtying Loren’s clothes.

"Come on, I know what you’re up to. No need to keep up the act."

After all, William was a great noble and knew at least some magic. There was no way he’d end up this disheveled just from waiting a few days for Loren. He’d deliberately put on this act for Loren to see.

But even so, Loren didn’t feel much disgust. After all, William had genuinely stood by his side from start to finish. He never wavered and never doubted Loren, and that was enough.

Seeing this, William dropped the act and started talking business:

"Do you know what’s been happening with the Bountiful Church recently?"

"Yes."

Movila had already told Loren all about it. It was nothing more than the Church not investigating Loren’s disappearance, and many people taking the opportunity to line their own pockets.

"So what are you planning to do? The Chailros Family will give you our full support!"

"Forget about me for now. How have you been lately?"

Loren knew very well that William had only been able to hold onto his position as family head by riding on Loren’s coattails. He was too young, had no real power base of his own, and his most reliable ally had committed suicide.

Even with the previous family head’s endorsement, people would still refuse to accept him. It was only because William had Loren backing him and the Chailros Family was in the spotlight that they’d temporarily held their tongues.

Now that the Chailros Family had settled down and Loren had been gone for so long, the family elders couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.

Seeing Loren starting to care about him, William felt a bit touched and began to share his situation:

"I haven’t been in power long, so I don’t have many trusted subordinates. The high-ranking members of the family all pay lip service to me. Before, out of respect for your influence, they didn’t dare oppose me...

"Now... I’ve basically been reduced to a figurehead..."

"Perfect timing. Then I won’t cross your family’s name off this list. Take a look and see if there’s anyone you don’t like. If they’re not on here, feel free to add them yourself."

"What is this?"

William stared at the dense list of names on Loren’s paper. Even he found the implications of this thing a bit overwhelming.

"Now I believe you. You really haven’t entered the core of power."

Seeing this, Loren just patted William on the shoulder and comforted him.

"..."

William didn’t reply, only feeling a pang of self-pity.

"Alright, things are a bit complicated. Wait here for a while. I’m going home to freshen up."

"Yes, Master Mentor..."

Loren turned and left. He had to admit, even though he hated riddlers, being one himself felt pretty damn good.

He’d just dropped something crucial, thoroughly piquing William’s curiosity, and then suddenly stopped talking, leaving William itching with curiosity.

But there was nothing William could do. He could only wait for Loren silently.

...

"Welcome home, Master."

The moment Loren opened the door, Seraphina greeted him. She stood at the entrance, bowing to him.

During his absence, the maids had kept the house spotless. Everything was tidy, not a speck of dust in sight.

"You’ve done well."

Loren stroked Seraphina’s hair. Just as he was about to pull his hand away, Seraphina grabbed it, wanting to enjoy the moment a little longer.

After being apart for so long, Loren understood her longing, so he let her have her way.

Starnight let out a chirp, then dashed over to Loren, landing on his shoulder and rubbing against his cheek.

"Starnight..."

Loren hadn’t brought Starnight along this time, so she had been feeling lonely for a while.

"Starnight has been missing you terribly. She barely ate the food we gave her... We were all a bit worried she might starve herself to death..."

Seeing Starnight approach, Seraphina explained.

"..."

Hearing that, Loren did feel a bit guilty. But honestly, this trip wasn’t really convenient for bringing a pet.

"I won’t leave you behind again."

Loren cupped Starnight in his palm and said.

But Starnight turned her head away stubbornly, as if she didn’t believe him. In the end, she burrowed straight into Loren’s clothes, tickling him a bit.

"Well, now that we’re here, let’s eat first."

Loren reached into his clothes and grabbed Starnight precisely.

"Yes..."

With that, Seraphina led the other maids into the kitchen.

"Time to eat!"

Anna had already taken her seat at the dining table. She hadn’t eaten well lately. Compared to Seraphina’s cooking, even the finest restaurants outside seemed lackluster.

Seraphina knew Anna hadn’t been eating well outside, so she’d chosen some dishes that could be prepared quickly, so Anna could start eating sooner.

During the meal, Starnight ended up sharing a bowl with Loren. It was only when they were almost done that Loren suddenly remembered something. He hurried to the door:

"William, have you eaten?"

William, who was looking over the list, immediately perked up at the sound of Loren’s voice:

"I haven’t eaten yet, Master Mentor."

"Oh, then find somewhere to grab a bite. I’ll come find you later."

With that, Loren tossed a silver coin to William.

That amount was practically nothing to William. Normally, he wouldn’t even bother to pick it up. But it was enough for an ordinary person to have a decent meal.

"Thank you, Master Mentor..."

William bent down solemnly to pick up the silver coin, and Loren closed the door right after.

Loren didn’t think he was treating William poorly. Compared to what he’d given William, this was nothing.

He’d already given him the list. Even without clear explanation, William probably knew what it was for, especially since Loren had told him to add names himself.

In other words, even if Loren wanted to ride William all the way to the Nofica Theocracy, William wouldn’t refuse.

"Loren, what are you going to do about the Church?"

After returning home, Laila started questioning Loren. She knew that with his personality, he wasn’t just going to let the Church off the hook.

"First, I’ll wait. Let them come to me."

After the meal, Seraphina brewed a pot of tea for Loren. Sipping it, he spoke:

"The Church has a lot of spies. They’ve probably already sent someone to find us by now."

The moment Loren finished speaking, a knock came at the door. William had just left, Noah was still in the Nofica Theocracy, and everyone else was home. The only ones who could be knocking were the Church’s people.

"See? What did I tell you?"

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