Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 721: The Nobles of the Fourth Epoch

Gray...

Before coming to the appointment, Angel had some communication with the "magician" Fors through Mr. Fool, and learned the name and appearance of the descendant of Abraham's family whom he was about to meet, thus confirming that the man in front of him was not lying.

That's why Angel felt a little emotional when she heard the middle name, but she quickly adjusted herself, nodded, walked forward, sat down in the chair opposite Dorian, and said:

"Then, I suppose you have already learned my identity from Ms. Wall."

She did not hide her appearance this time because the "magician" Fors Wall may have already told her teacher that she was the "Golden Queen". Hiding the truth would only cause suspicion on both sides. Moreover, Angel also needed this name to increase the credibility of his communication with the other party.

A pirate queen of great reputation is always more trustworthy than an unknown demigod who is timid and unwilling to reveal his identity.

This did not violate the Tarot Club's internal regulations not to expose other members to the outside world. After all, neither the "Magician" nor the "Queen" revealed their identities as members of the Tarot Club in front of Dorian.

"Of course, I have heard about your deeds at sea through the newspapers. I feel extremely honored to see with my own eyes your beauty that is rumored to surpass that of a mermaid."

Dorian Abraham complimented Angel in a neither humble nor arrogant manner. Angel could tell that his words came from the heart, especially the one about his appearance. However, there was still a necessary sense of caution in his eyes, which showed that even the charm of a high-ranking witch did not make the descendant of Abraham in front of him lose his mind.

According to what the Magician revealed about the Abraham family, the person in front of him was most likely only a Sequence 7 Beyonder, no higher than Sequence 6. However, he was sophisticated and determined, and should have already digested the potion of the current sequence and completely stabilized his condition... Angel evaluated in his heart.

Although Angel knew that the Abraham family had some means to hinder divination and peeping since the last time she found the "magician" communicating with her teacher, she still arranged a mirror substitute on her own to hide all the movements in the room before getting to the point:
"As part of my reward for helping Ms. Wall kill the Aurora Society's envoy, I need to ask a few questions and learn about the history of the Fourth Epoch. Is that okay?"

"As long as it does not involve our family's core secrets, I will tell you everything I know."

Dorian replied with a smile, but he was a little nervous.

Based on the silent infiltration of the woman in front of him, her effortless use of large-scale mirror magic, and the rumors about the "Golden Queen" on the sea, he could already conclude that the other party was at least a Sequence 4 of the "Witch" path, the "Despair" witch.

If such a Beyonder attacked me, even if I used a magical item to escape the scene immediately, I would still be severely injured by the "disease" afterwards. Fortunately, according to rumors, she was not bloodthirsty and only sank a few flagships of pirate generals, and did not cause large-scale casualties of ordinary people...

Dorian, who had seen the description of the "Witch" path ability within the family, pretended to be indifferent and waited for the demigod's questions.

Seeing the other party's cooperation, Angel smiled a little embarrassedly and continued:
"My first question is: Do you know the 'Witch Cult'?"

"I'm curious, aren't you familiar with them?" Dorian replied stiffly, looking at Angel's expression before continuing, "I believe you are not asking about them who have become an evil sect now, but the 'Witch Family' of the Fourth Epoch."

He really knew the point of the problem. It seemed that although the Abraham family had fallen, the internal inheritance had never been cut off. But what did his strange look mean? Did he think that I was not from the "Witch Sect" but a wild witch, or a "convert" of the Orthodox Sect? Was this the reason why he was willing to communicate in person instead of through letters or messengers?

Angel muttered to himself and nodded.

Seeing this, Dorian poured himself a cup of coffee with one hand and continued:

"Before becoming the evil sect it is today, the witch family of the Fourth Epoch was just one of the organizations that hid behind the scenes and had great power but did not show it. They kept the magic potion of this path firmly in their hands and achieved the purpose of continuing their existence and replenishing fresh blood by marrying with the nobles of the time. They experienced the rise and fall of many empires and have always been like this."

“Like Tamara, and you guys?”

Angel asked back.

"Yes, the Abraham and Tamara families are two of the five noble families that supported the establishment of the Tudor Empire and surrounded the 'Blood Emperor' Alistair Tudor. The other three are Jacob, Amon and Antigonus."

Angel already knew this information from the Nighthawks' internal books, and only wanted to ask about the part about the witch family, so he guided the conversation in the direction of:

"Tell me about the marriage."

"Because of the well-known characteristics, the 'Witch Family' cannot reproduce on their own, so they need to constantly introduce external forces. At that time, the five noble families who each mastered a certain path were undoubtedly the best choice. Antigonus was small in number, and Amon and Jacob were wary of them for some reason. Therefore, the relationship between Abraham, Tamara and the Witch Family became closer, and there was even a blood connection between the two. Before being stopped by the 'Blood Emperor', the Tamara family had already formed a branch that mainly took the 'Apprentice' path, and then there was an internal split.

"After the witches believed in the 'Original Witch', this 'family' that was connected by path rather than simply by blood appeared. Well, in today's terms, the change in route, they no longer continued themselves through reciprocal marriages, but took their own path as the core, absorbed and converted some members of the Abraham and Tamara families, and formed a stronger and more close-knit organization. "But until the disaster that changed the whole world at the end of the Fourth Epoch, they were far from being an evil sect. The reason for the current change, I think, should still be related to the 'Original Witch'."

At this point, Dorian picked up the coffee cup and drank half of it despite the heat, giving himself and Angel time to rest and digest the information.

Sure enough, consistent with the information obtained from Mobet Zoroaster, the predecessor of the "Witch Cult", or the early members, was far from the current appearance. It was a secret sect that secretly preached and intermarried to maintain a certain scale. The divergence may be related to Chike becoming the "Original Witch" and the Pale Disaster at the end of the Fourth Epoch causing him to suffer heavy damage...

In addition, I didn't expect the relationship between the Witch Family, the Tamara Family, and the Abraham Family to be so chaotic. The three of them intermarried with each other, and even the potion formulas they mastered were obtained by other families. The "Gnosis Society" that only appeared in the Fifth Epoch might have been created under this relationship. They have the low-sequence formulas of "Apprentice" and "Assassin", and they act as the peripheral organization of the current "Witch Sect"...

If this is the case, are there any descendants of Tamara or Abraham's family within the current "Witch Sect", or are there some members of Tamara and Abraham's family who retain the inheritance of the "Witch" path?
Thinking about it, Angel continued to ask:

"The Tamara family seems to have disappeared in the fifth era. At least there is no systematic inheritance. Do you know the reason?"

"There is not much information about them, but what I know is that the Tamara family experienced a change in their emblem in the Fourth Epoch, which means that they suffered a very serious incident, perhaps there was an internal dispute or split. As for the Fifth Epoch, the only thing that can be traced back to them is probably the secret organization 'Genius Society'."

Dorian talked freely while casually drawing two different, but partially related, heraldic designs on the table with his fingers. A cold current came out from his fingertips, and fine ice crystals quickly condensed at the places he touched, outlining lines that quickly dissipated.

The tricks of the "Master of Magic". Fors once said that he went to the circus to find inspiration and performance opportunities. Could this be what he is doing? Angel smiled secretly and looked at the two emblems.

One is a vertical sword inserted into the shield, surrounded by symmetrical thorns, which is similar to the mark formed by the contract with Anne hidden in the palm of Angel's right hand, but the latter surrounds the sword and shield with scales instead of thorns.

The other is a double door, with a sword matching the other emblem serving as the gap between the doors.

Naturally, Angel pointed to the sword and shield emblem of thorns and asked:

"Is this the original coat of arms of the Tamara family?"

She confirmed this because Anne was an "Arbitrator", an angel on the "Judge" path, and the mark formed by the contract was likely to be similar to that of the Tamara family, which mainly followed the same path.

"Yes, this represents their original potion path, 'Judge', and the other one..." Dorian paused, an unnatural smile on his face, "is Abraham's 'Apprentice' path. You should be able to see its symbol. This is also another name for this path, 'Gate'."

Door... Looking at the emblem that looked like a door that could open at any time, Angel immediately thought of the blood curse that had appeared in the late Fourth Age of the Abraham family, which controlled this path, and the history of their decline due to it.

According to Mr. Fool, the cause of this curse is the crazy ravings of an ancestor of the Abraham family, and he is called "Mr. Door"!
Is there some kind of connection between them? Should I tell him... No, this involves a lot of information about the Tarot Club, and I can't confirm this... Angel held back the thought of "guiding" and waited for the emblem marks on the table to evaporate and disappear, and continued to ask:
“What about the Abraham family?

"If it involves confidential information, you can skip it."

Hearing this, Dorian smiled bitterly and replied:
"Apart from the identities and residences of other clan members, we don't have many secrets anymore. Of course, most of the family members have lost contact and are scattered across the country. I don't know where they are or whether they are still alive...

"You may know from Fors that members of our family will hear whispers that can cause them to lose control during full moons and blood moons. This also makes it difficult for Abraham and others to be promoted to high-sequences. The same is true for those who once married Tamara and embarked on the path of 'Judge'. As for those who joined the Witch Family, I have no idea.

"Now in the Fifth Epoch, we only have two angel-level beings left, which is completely inferior to the status of one of the five noble families during the Tudor Empire."

At this point, Dorian revealed a smile that was unclear whether it was loneliness or nostalgia.

Two angels... Angel's expression was a little stiff.

Most cult organizations do not have such treatment. Even in the Orthodox Church, angels are at the level of the Pope!

She muttered to herself, and suddenly noticed the unnaturalness in Dorian's expression and look, and caught the question in his words.

Is this Abraham lying, bluffing, or unwilling to reveal the true situation of his family?
Angel's eyes narrowed slightly.

(End of this chapter)