Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1003 A Moment of Tenderness and Doubt (Two in One)

One year and five months ago, while searching for the Blue Avenger, Alger Wilson was pulled into the gray fog after obtaining a mysterious glass bottle and became a member of Mr. Fool's meeting.

At that time, he was a "Raging Citizen" of Sequence 8 in the Sailor Path. The "Queen" who became a member of the Tarot Club with him was probably just an assassin, no higher than Sequence 8 at most, and Miss "Justice" was not even a Beyonder, but just an aristocrat who was ignorant of the ways of the world and lacked a sense of defense.

But in less than two years, the noble lady who bought the "Audience" formula from Alger has grown into a "Dream Walker" who is only one step away from becoming a demigod. She even has extraordinary characteristics and potion formulas prepared in advance. As long as she works hard and tiptoes, she can gain divinity and become a demigod.

As for the "Queen"...

Taking a sneak peek at Miss Queen, who was watching the Magician and Judgment join the plan to hunt the Secret Saint, Alger felt that she was like a god who looked down on all living beings and had no feelings of sadness or joy.

In the ancient era, Sequence 2 angels were already considered subordinate gods, but I was still a Sequence 5. Although I had the "Tyrant" card, which was equivalent to solving the problem of the potion formula, I had no materials or promotion plan, and even my role-playing was delayed due to the outbreak of war... Alger was getting more and more anxious. He always felt that the commission issued by Mr. "Fool" through the "World" must be a "gift" to enhance the overall strength of the Tarot Club, but he was overseas, shouldering the responsibility of the Church of Storms, and he couldn't even get a sip of soup!
He looked around, and after Mr. "Star" revealed that he had found traces of the Aurora Saint at an underground gathering in Backlund, and had joined the hunting plan and become an official Beyonder insider, he coughed lightly at the right time, interrupted the conversation, and said:
"It's a pity that I'm on my way to Storm's Abyss, otherwise I might be able to provide some help."

The Storm Abyss is the headquarters and temple of the Storm Church, located on Pasu Island in the Sonia Sea. Although Feysac's navy is now frantically harassing Loen's coastline and shipping routes, it has never made any move to intrude on this island.

Otherwise, even if the Lord of Storms did not show up, any angel from the church could send an entire fleet to the bottom of the sea in an instant.

Sure enough, Alger's words with a hint of meaning immediately attracted the attention of others. Miss Justice even exclaimed and asked curiously:
"Isn't that the headquarters of the Church of Storms? Why are you going there?"

"I have been selected by the Cardinals' Council to become one of the new batch of 'Ocean Singers'. I am about to return to Storm's Abyss for promotion and to accept new missions."

Alger answered slowly, directly admitting for the first time that he was an official Beyonder of the Church of Storms, rather than a peripheral member or pirate captain.

"You have already... Oh, I see. You want to 'truly' become a Sequence 5."

Audrey was confused at first, but then she suddenly understood the answer herself.

"Yes, only in this way can I gain more autonomy. After leaving Storm Abyss this time, I will most likely join the attack on the sea supply line of the Feysac Navy, and perhaps stay on Sonia Island permanently..."

Alger replied with a smile, and then looked at Mr. Fool at the head of the long table, as if waiting for His further instructions.

In Klein's eyes, these actions seemed as funny as children clamoring for fruit. He almost couldn't help laughing out loud in the gray fog.

However, I have indeed neglected Mr. The Hanged Man during this period. After all, I have been staying in Backlund almost all the time, so I naturally pay more attention to the Tarot Club members here... He pondered and spoke in the deep and heavy voice of the Fool:

"If you go to Sonia Island, you can look for the elf ruins there, and maybe you will get some extra rewards."

His instruction was not aimless, but was based on the conclusion drawn from the previous incident when The Hanged Man was accidentally affected by the Book of Calamity from Cosinamm at the Church of Storms headquarters and informed The Fool of the incident.

At that time, the "Queen of Disaster" Cosinamu was playing with a wine glass from the Cosinamu ruins in the Rorsted Archipelago in the illusion. That was one of the relics that Klein commissioned "Vice Admiral Iceberg" to bury on Sonia Island.

This obvious clue soon appeared in the mind of Alger, the Hanged Man. He nodded in sudden realization, bowed to Mr. Fool, and said no more.

In his mind, this is his greatest hope of becoming a demigod.

……

A crimson light flashed, and Alger Wilson's spirit returned to his body in the captain's room of the "Blue Avenger". He opened his eyes, quickly concealing the trace of desire and expectation in his eyes, pushed open the door with a grim expression, walked to the deck, and looked into the distance.

At the end of his sight, the outline of an island appeared in the mist.

That was the location of the Thunder Church where he was about to report on his duties, receive the magic potion, and be promoted to the "Singer of the Sea". It was also the location of the "Storm Abyss" where he was about to listen to the teachings of Pope Gad II.

----

After an all-night investigation and expedited interrogation, Hugh Dilcher returned to her residence exhausted. She changed out of her high-heeled shoes that concealed her physical defects and increased her dignity, put on her home clothes, and then went into the living room.

At this moment, Fors, who was sitting in the armchair with a dazed look on her face, shook her body and opened her eyes.

Those beautiful light blue eyes revealed a weariness that went deep into the heart, which made Xio feel distressed.

"Mr. World called you to do expedited training again?"

She asked, placing the breakfast for two on the table.

As if a certain special word had triggered intense emotions, Fors's expression suddenly changed and twisted, and he looked like the prisoners who were imprisoned in the Abnormal Affairs Court for interrogation:
"Xiu! Do you know how I have been spending the past ten days? I have been constantly going to unfamiliar places to record local customs and appreciate the strange night views. In my spare time, I would be pulled into the gray fog to record the demigod-level abilities displayed by Mr. World... Fortunately, just now, my Recorder has completely digested it, otherwise I don't know how long this kind of life would last..."

She had originally thought that the role, which would take another month or two to be completed, was compressed into ten days, which almost caused her to have a mental breakdown. She hugged the bewildered Xio and rubbed him several times before she recovered.

"Why are you in such a hurry? O'Day... Miss Justice, won't we have to wait for a while? Ms. Hermit hasn't come to Backlund yet."

Xio finally managed to break free from Fors's arms and asked back in confusion.

"Because I don't want to be held back in this operation. This is related to my teacher's wish. He has helped me a lot. I want to give him a surprise... and Mr. 'World' seems to care about this very much. I don't want to disappoint him."

Fors stopped messing around and answered seriously.

Well, I always feel that Fors is very serious at this time, with a kind of intellectual beauty, rather than the usual lazy look... Xio was stunned for a few seconds, smiled and said:
"So you can be promoted now? But how do you plan to complete that difficult ritual?"

As a close friend of Fors, Xio had long known that he had prepared the materials and formulas required for the promotion, and the only thing left was the arrangement of the promotion ceremony.

"I need to rest for a while and get back into top form... and then you'll know."

Fors kept the question a secret, then without caring about her image, she fell into the armchair and fell asleep in front of Xio.

……

Waking up from his sleep, Angel subconsciously touched his side and found that Klein was gone.

It was strange that she didn't sense his departure before... She subconsciously wanted to use the mirror in the villa to look for him, but finally she resisted the urge to avoid seeing him in the bathroom and other places.

Both the witch and the fortune teller maintained the utmost respect for each other's privacy.

Angel got up from the bed, picked up the underwear scattered beside the bed, went to the bathroom next to the bedroom to wash up, changed into another nightgown, and then returned to the bedroom. As expected, he found Klein sitting by the bed, yawning tiredly.

Humph, who told you to provoke me last night... Seeing this, Angel snorted triumphantly, and sat next to Klein, pushing him aside and occupying the most central position.

"Where's my breakfast, Mr. Weak Fortune Teller?"

She winked and asked meaningfully.

My spirituality is almost exhausted... Klein muttered silently, grabbed a handful from the historical pores, took out the historical projection of the sumptuous breakfast in the box, and placed it on the coffee table beside the bed.

Because the number of historical projections that can be maintained at the same time is limited, when he needs to summon multiple objects, he will capture them in the form of a "set".

"Come, enjoy this 'Emperor's breakfast'."

Talking in a way that only time travelers could understand, Klein took the lead in picking up the sandwich of lettuce, fried egg, and bacon and put it into his mouth, sighing with satisfaction.

Within fifteen minutes, these fake foods will also bring him a completely real experience, which is enough to restore some of his physical strength and spirituality.

Looking at Klein who was deliberately exaggerating his body's reaction as if protesting against him, Angel chuckled, took a sip of the coffee with extra sugar and milk, and did not touch the food from the gap in history.

After being promoted to an angel and becoming a truly complete mythical creature, she no longer needs to eat or sleep physiologically.

I'm afraid the difference between me and ordinary humans is even greater than the difference between humans and certain alien creatures. I'm just wearing a layer of human skin and pretending to be human... Looking at Klein enjoying breakfast beside him, Angel, who felt a sense of peace for the first time in a long time, suddenly thought.

This negative emotion immediately broke the fragile balance between the spiritual erosion from her extraordinary characteristics and the humanity from the anchor, causing her calm purple eyes to show an imperceptible violence.

But Angel was already very familiar with this, and she readjusted her mental and physical state in an instant. The power from Klein, the man in the mirror, different friends and believers was like an anchor that prevented her from being blown away from the port and losing herself in the storm.

This is why she maintains a normal eating and sleeping cycle even when she doesn't need to. These "human" behaviors help her maintain her previous state and resist the erosion of "divinity."

After Klein finished his breakfast and the tableware disappeared as the time limit expired, Angel asked:

"Were you there to help Miss Magician finish her performance?"

She believed that Klein would not abandon her and run around without saying goodbye, and this was the only other reason she could think of.

"Yes," Klein wiped his mouth with a napkin and replied, "This is the last time. She has completed her role as the 'recordant'. Later, I will ask Ms. Renette to take her to the depths of the spirit world to complete the promotion ceremony."

"Of course, she has to pay for it herself. I only have enough gold coins to send a letter."

Wouldn't that cost tens of thousands of gold coins? Would Fors have the money to pay for it? Angel mourned for the apprentice for a second, then remembered that he was also short of money, and suddenly he couldn't laugh anymore.

Even though he had received the bounty from the "Undead King" Agaritu and his men, it was quickly spent like water due to the consumption of the "Dream City" Patis and the factories in the East District. Klein donated most of the cash to help the victims of the war and the poor who were having difficulty living due to rising prices. The two of them now couldn't even raise 10,000 pounds together, and there were even fewer gold coins.

During this time, Angel had been worried about the secret actions of the "Witch Cult" and was in a dormant state, rarely leaving Backlund or the "City of Dreams" to go elsewhere; after solving the problem of George III, Klein also spent most of his time changing his residence to avoid secret enemies such as Amon and Zaratul, or hiding directly in the gaps of history, using secret puppets to act and strive for his final role as the "Ancient Scholar."

Only when both sides feel it is safe will they get together like they did last night and enjoy a moment of tenderness. This situation will probably last at least until the war ends, when the goddess recovers and can deter enemies like Zaratul, or when Klein can be promoted to an angel and have the strength to truly face other enemies... Thinking of this, Angel hugged Klein, pressed his chest against his back, felt the body temperature of both, and asked softly:

"Is your role as 'ancient scholar' going well? Do you need my help?"

Klein also turned sideways and hugged her, revealing a hint of a smile and saying:

"I'm a bit stuck. Because I knew most of the secret history in advance, and because of the special nature of my 'time travel', I had digested about 3% of it when I took the Sequence potion. But the remaining parts are the most difficult.

"My next role should require analyzing the ancient history of the First and Second Ages, but not only are there no books to record this content, but even the ancient legends are mostly wrong and cannot be used to fill in the gaps in history... Is it that the only way to find the truth of that era is to go to the 'God-forsaken Land' forgotten by history?"

“But there is Amon’s true self, terrifying darkness, and unknown monsters.”

Angel reminded.

"But there is also hope for my promotion... The Dark Wolf with a copy of the 'Miracle Master' is wandering in the God-Forsaken Land. This is probably one of the reasons why Amon is so confident and not afraid that I won't go... Of course, I will take it as the last option and try to get the trait of the 'Planeswalker' first, or find other 'Miracle Masters' for promotion."

Klein replied with a sigh, and then changed the subject:
"What about you? Playing the role of 'disaster' doesn't sound easy."

Although the role of potions is not necessarily related to the name, most of them have traces to follow, at least this is the case with the witch's path where Angel is. Pain, despair and immortality all have corresponding manifestations, and the same is true for "disaster".

"The strange thing is, ever since I took the 'Disaster' potion, I have been slowly and continuously receiving some kind of feedback, which has caused the potion in my body to be continuously digested, and now it has exceeded one-fifth..." Angel frowned and replied, "The only reason I can think of is that the changes in the world situation after the death of George III are all part of the fall of the 'Black Emperor', and are all counted as the 'disaster' caused by me. However, not many people know about these things, so there shouldn't be such a strong feedback..."

“Although no one knows, the gods know.”

Klein said, his expression changing slightly as he seemed to have thought of something.

"The goddess acquiesced to our actions and even let Lady Arianna participate in the attack on the mausoleum. The Lord of Storms finally nailed the coffin of the 'Black Emperor'. The two of them must know that you are the source of the 'disaster'. Amon and his brother also know the whole story. There are also the angels of the royal family and the angels of the church... They use quality to offset quantity and provide strong feedback for your performance."

Angel nodded and said:

"That's what I guessed... In addition, Mr. Fool also witnessed our actions."

I almost forgot about myself... Klein's heart tightened, but his expression did not change. He just nodded in agreement.

……

After watching Klein leave by "teleporting", Angel's smile gradually disappeared from her face. She returned to the window, looked at the grapevines outside the villa and the Tussock River in the distance, and fell into deep thought.

Through her careful observations in recent times, she has discovered that Klein's attitude toward Mr. Fool is not as respectful as the followers of the gods they believe in, and is even worse than the attitudes of other members of the Tarot Club.

For example, just now, he even forgot that Mr. Fool has also been paying attention to the truth behind the Great Smog Incident and the actions against the “Black Emperor” George III.

These were what “World” Klein said in person at the Tarot Club.

I always feel that this change happened after he was promoted to "Ancient Scholar". Could it be that his sequence was improved, so he had a certain degree of disrespect for those of higher positions? Or, is the relationship between Klein and Mr. Fool closer than I thought?
Thoughts kept coming to Angel's mind, and he remembered a guess he had made: Mr. Fool was also a traveler, and was even a "companion" who was suspended in the light cocoon with Klein.

This was the only way to explain why his attitude towards the Fool had changed. After all, both of them came from another era on Earth, so they naturally felt close to each other. Even if Mr. Fool became a god, he would not mind such a small matter...

She was almost sure of her guess, but she was unable to find any decisive clues. She could only shake her head and bury her doubts deep in her heart so as not to anger the mysterious and powerful being.

Even if he became an angel, he would not have any chance of winning against a god.

Besides, Mr. Fool had helped her so much, and she was not willing to assume malicious intent against him.

It's another god...

Thinking of this, Angel took out the harmonica for summoning the messenger from the mirror space and blew it gently. The silent wave instantly disappeared. A moment later, a black figure fell from the ceiling, stretched his limbs and climbed up in front of Angel. It was the black cat messenger, Wensa, who had made a contract with her.

"I haven't received any message from you for so long, I thought you had forgotten me."

The black cat yawned on the table, stared at Angel with its blue eyes, and spoke in human language.

"Because I'm worried that I might summon you, but what comes is a fully armed witch angel, or even a divine vessel of the 'Original Witch'."

Angel replied coldly.

What she is most worried about now is the original witch at the top of her own path. This deity who founded the witch sect and almost monopolized the entire path must have a deep hatred for Angel who had obstructed the sect many times.

Angel's every promotion was under the protection of the "Secret Holy Emblem" and the goddess's secret power, but this protection was no longer effective when she was promoted to Sequence 2, and her existence was exposed to the eyes of the Original Witch and the Witch Cult.

That is a huge sect with many angels and "0" level seals, almost as weaker than the Orthodox Church.

Hearing her complaint, Wensa's cat showed a strange smile on his face. He paced back and forth on the table and said in a gentle tone:
"Don't worry. Unless the 'Original Witch' risks causing other gods to descend as well, she won't descend randomly. At most, she will provide some power through some special items. As for the other 'disaster' witches, you should be able to handle them on your own... In addition, the one I follow is happy to see your conflict with the 'Witch Cult'. He will even provide some help when necessary."

That... Angel thought for a moment and asked:

"So, you and Katarina, and even some of the outliers hidden within the 'Witch Cult', actually believe in Chike in the mirror world, the mirror person of the 'Original Witch'?"

Angel's mirror figure had once hinted at this point, and when she heard Wensa express his inclination so bluntly, she became more certain of this guess.

What she didn't expect was that Wensa turned around the table twice in hesitation before answering hesitantly:

"That's not entirely true. The relationship between them is different from that of ordinary people in the mirror... But in general, you are right. We do believe in another 'Original Witch'."

I always feel that it is hiding something... Angel frowned slightly and was about to ask more questions when he heard Wensa add:

"You can ask Christmena who is still wandering in Trier's underground. She knows more about the status of the two witches."

"Because she is the daughter of the original witch? But she died in the 'Four Emperors' War'."

Angel took the opportunity to ask.

“Who says the dead can’t speak?” Wensa showed that weird smile again. “Her body has turned into a night pillar, and her remaining soul is wandering around the terrifying river underground. Whether you can get the key information from her depends on you.”

After saying that, Wensa wagged its tail, turned around, and was about to go into the spirit world. Angel was quick-witted and grabbed its soft fur waist, causing the black cat to meow angrily.

At the same time, the glass windows in the bedroom emitted a deep light. Angel's hands, which were touching the other person's body, felt numbness and then stiffness, as if his fingers were about to turn into immovable stones.

Sure enough, it should have been an "ageless" witch when it was alive. I don't know if it turned into a black cat for some reason, or it was naturally a cat like Susie in "Justice" Audrey... Angel's mind was full of thoughts. He put more strength on his hands and used his control over the world in the mirror to block the surrounding passages. He easily suppressed the "petrification" directed at him, which in turn made the other party's body stiff, and even the black hair was stained with a hint of gray.

"Alright, alright, I surrender...I can't beat you anymore."

Wensa meowed a few times, stopped struggling, and his limbs went limp and drooped under his body. His body also half turned sideways, revealing his soft belly to Angel.

Humph, who told you to run away all of a sudden? When I was Sequence 5, you could run away whenever you wanted. When I was Sequence 2, you could still run away whenever you wanted. Didn’t my promotion go in vain? Angel muttered, stopped the “petrification” ability that was transmitted directly through physical contact, and placed Vinsa on the table.

"Let me ask again..."

Before she finished her words, the black cat in front of her broke into starlight as if a mirror had shattered, accompanied by a crisp sound.

It actually escaped after all... Angel did not enter the mirror world to track the black cat. He just sat at the table, thinking about what he had just communicated with Vinsa. After a moment, he spread out the letter paper and wrote a letter. He summoned the headless messenger Renette Tinicole with a simple ritual and summoning spell.

The latter was still wearing the same complicated black court dress that had never changed for thousands of years. She slowly emerged from the spirit world with two heads in each hand, staring at Angel with eight blood-red eyes.

"Send this letter to the 'Mysterious Queen' Bernadette Gustave, the woman who was previously with my contractor Anne."

Angel said, handing the letter and a gold coin to the other party.

"I..." "marked..." "her..."

The three heads of Renette answered one by one, and the one at the edge swallowed the letter and the gold coin.

Seeing that the messenger was about to leave, Angel didn't dare to grab him, but asked in a friendly manner:

"Has the promotion ceremony for that 'apprentice' been completed?"

Hearing her question, Renette turned around in the air, her skirt swaying, and heads were fixed on Angel again.

"She..." "Owes..." "Eight hundred..." "Gold coins..."

It means it's done... But how come one commission only costs 800 gold coins? Klein and I are often charged more than 10,000 gold coins by her... Angel thought unbalancedly, and only came to his senses after the messenger left.

Now that the "magician" Miss Fors has become a "traveler", as long as Audrey is promoted to a "manipulator", the plan to hunt down the "secret saint" can begin...

Thinking of this, Angel smiled again.

(PS: Two-in-one, no more tonight...)
(End of this chapter)