Chapter Sixty-Seven: Miss Witch, This is Earth
“Inspector Latusos?”
A call awakened Selly, who had been lost in thought, and she blinked, looking a bit dazed toward the head seat of the conference room.
“Ah, sorry, I spaced out. What did you say?”
Selly’s work demeanor became noticeably serious, lacking the quirky playfulness she displayed around Shaya.
Rod, the Judgment Chief sitting in the head seat, pushed a box on the table forward: “This was found at another battle scene. According to the personal information on the back of the badge, it should belong to you.”
“According to eyewitnesses, the knight who left this badge is a tall black-armored knight. Due to the mask, their appearance is hard to discern, but the voice was quite young.”
“Me?”
Selly blinked, reaching into her pocket.
She was surprised to discover that her high-ranking inspector badge had vanished without her knowing.
Shaya?
She immediately thought of the boy who had once been close to her.
If it truly was stolen, it could only be him.
Because when others approached Selly, even if they said nothing outwardly, her alertness was high, and she could sense any odd behavior at any moment.
Except for Shaya.
This guess aligned perfectly with what she had just been contemplating.
It had been five whole days since the awe-inspiring tree shadow incident in the royal capital.
During these five days, aside from evacuating disaster area residents, they conducted a thorough search of the affected site.
That disaster had impacted the entire northwestern area of the city. If it hadn’t been for the sudden divine punishment from three deities at the last moment, causing the source of the calamity to vanish, the casualties would have at least numbered two hundred thousand.
At that time, whether stabilizing the situation or developing the economy would suffer severe blows.
In recent years, the Hiren Empire had been aggressively expanding and waging wars; if enemy nations learned of this incident, they would undoubtedly take delight, seizing the opportunity to attack.
Thus, whoever stopped this disaster, whether an individual or a mysterious force, could be considered a hero that saved the empire.
“……”
Selly silently took her badge, looking down at it.
Shaya, what on earth are you doing?
Selly sighed softly.
She could guess that Shaya was intimately linked to this matter.
Why did Shanya leave the Judgment Tower in such a hurry right after Cantia identified the location on that sketch?
Then, a battle erupted on Minden Street.
Even more ridiculously, shortly after the battle ended, it seemed that to hurry things along, that sinister cult allowed the will of the Evil God to descend into the world.
And as of now, Shaya had been missing for five whole days.
For some reason, a very strange thought suddenly came to Selly’s mind.
Considering the chaotic events at the Violet Manor that day, and the disappearance of her stepmother Novella, perhaps there was a connection to Shaya.
Perhaps Novella was kidnapped by him.
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Selly was startled.
At the same time, her beautiful face slightly flushed.
What would he want to kidnap a married woman for?
Moreover, if these two events were connected, didn’t it mean that her father, Count Violet, was one of the culprits behind this disaster?
What were they plotting in the dark?
As if sensing her inner turmoil, Chief Rod smiled lightly: “It seems you might have some thoughts now.”
Hearing this, the other judgment knights and senior inspectors nearby looked toward her in unison.
Selly hesitated for a moment: “I…”
Although she suspected that Shaya was closely involved in this incident, she had no intention of revealing him.
After all, this job was arranged by her family, not something Selly had chosen for herself.
And with her personality, it was difficult for her to feel any sense of mission or responsibility.
Having fun was the most important thing.
Although it seemed that this time, the fun landed on her head.
Hmph, next time we meet, if you don’t give me a good explanation, I’ll stomp your face in with my foot!
“I know you have your own connections,” Rod said, taking a sip from the tea beside him, “And in fact, your informant who appeared on Minden Street also made an indelible contribution to this disaster.”
“If it weren’t for their warning, prompting the Judgment Tower to make some preparations in advance, the casualties might have been incalculable.”
“In other words, you and that nameless hero are the contributors to this incident.”
“As for this matter, the tower will reward you in the future. Of course, if you’re willing to provide the specific information about that informant, we would be very grateful.”
Rod smiled and said.
Selly discreetly curled her lips.
If you knew that the black-armored knight was actually a junior inspector you personally promoted, I wonder what kind of expression you would show.
After all, the battle that took place on Minden Street was too brutal, leaving a total of one hundred eighty corpses on the scene, most of whom were members of that mysterious organization.
After investigation, it turned out to be an assassin organization called the Night Shadow Association.
That was an impressive achievement.
It seemed that after the last duel, that guy had grown much stronger.
She didn’t know what kind of training he had undergone.
…
“What… what is this?!”
In the Sea of Consciousness, Miss Jhin, who materialized in the form of “Mevis,” gazed at the scene before her with an expression of disbelief.
She seemed to have been hit by too strong of a shock, to the point where her words were incoherent.
“In summary, with this, a rough shape has been formed.”
Shaya smiled and replied.
The last time he tried to manifest the scene of his past life’s house in the Sea of Consciousness, he constructed it without much effort. Then, he had Miss Witch read his memory to manifest it into reality.
So this time, with a precedent already set, Shaya was already familiar with the process.
Even so, the scene before him could definitely be described as a “miracle.”
Even Shaya, who created this scene, felt somewhat astonished.
He suppressed a few feelings of excitement and nostalgia within, turned his head, and complained to Miss Jhin: “By the way, with that face, you always make me want to do something to you.”
Upon hearing this, the Jhin in the form of “Mevis” flashed a hint of human-like grievance in her eyes: “You can do other things to me, but don’t do it like last time…”
“Just kidding.” Shaya laughed and waved his hand, “You’ve been helping me a lot recently, how could I be the type to repay kindness with malice?”
“But you seem to really like this appearance?”
“Not bad, as a human female, her looks and temperament are both of high quality.”
Miss Jhin hesitated for a moment and admitted.
Shaya nodded: “If that’s the case, then continue to assist me wholeheartedly like you are now. One day in the future, I might snatch this body from you, allowing you to take over.”
“Really?”
Upon hearing this, Miss Jhin’s eyes lit up.
After her previous failed attempt to seize Shaya’s body, she thought she would only remain a fragment of consciousness for the rest of her life, lingering in Shaya’s Sea of Consciousness.
But now it seemed, there might still be a chance?
“Let’s see how you perform.” Shaya didn’t exaggerate the promise, “Currently, there’s a challenging task I need to convey to you.”
“Say it.”
…
When Shaya returned to reality from the Sea of Consciousness, he found himself once again enjoying Novella’s knee pillow treatment.
“You’re awake?”
Novella adjusted her dress, shifting her ample hips back, and helped Shaya sit up by supporting his shoulder.
“How long did I sleep?”
Shaya stood up and asked.
“About… ten hours or so?”
Novella looked up at him; she wanted to use her knees to stand but found her legs already numb.
So she pitifully reached out her hand, looking at Shaya.
Shaya smiled, showing no reservation as he gently held her small hand, helping Novella up.
Having had that kind of intimacy, it would have been overly dramatic to still be pretentious.
Seeing this, Novella’s small face blushed slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, she softly said, “C-Can you hold me?”
Her current expression and demeanor were just like that of a girl in love.
For Novella, who had never experienced such feelings before, love came too suddenly, leaving her unable to sort through her emotions, so some behaviors seemed somewhat girlish.
Looking at the married woman pleading with him, Shaya sighed.
I can’t take it anymore.
If it weren’t for his relatively strong will, any other person at this moment would probably have already fallen into the warmth of affection.
But he still reached out and wrapped his arms around Novella’s slightly plump waist, pulling her into his embrace.
The sensation was simply soft.
So soft and full.
Truly, a vessel of the Goddess of Abundance.
“So warm…”
Novella murmured softly, having never been embraced like this before.
She gently rubbed against Shaya’s chest like a kitten, closing her eyes to quietly feel it.
After a moment of tenderness, an inhospitable voice suddenly came: “What are you two doing?!”
The Goddess of Abundance, Selina, suddenly appeared beside them, startling Novella.
Her lovely face turned pink as she left Shaya’s embrace, wanting to lower her head to gaze at her toes but found her view blocked by something.
“I…”
“I’ve already told you, as a vessel, your mission is to mate with him and produce offspring.” Selina scolded, “Why are you engaging in childish romance like this?”
After reprimanding Novella, she cast a deep glance at Shaya.
It seemed that this youth still had some cards left to play.
Originally thinking that he, tainted by corruption, would become a monster only concerned with reproduction and mating, she didn’t expect that, in the end, reason would still prevail.
That was a corruption powerful enough to severely impact a deity!
Of course, it was just that Shaya didn’t know the thoughts of the other parties. If he did, he would complain.
That bit of black mist in your corruption is just a trifling matter, isn’t it?
I don’t even know how many times I’ve been brutally killed by the orthodox black mist!
That kind of pain and impact, Shaya had already been able to withstand due to his will.
Moreover, with Novella personally helping him dispel the endless desires brought about by the corruption of the Goddess of Abundance.
And he didn’t know that, unwittingly, he had achieved the accomplishment of “a mortal body standing shoulder to shoulder with deities.”
But this also led to a question of Shaya’s: “Lady Selina, why were you tainted by such power?”
From the conversation with the Miss Witch last time, it could be inferred that the reason for the fall and dismantling of the Goddess of Abundance should have nothing to do with Miss Witch.
Selina glanced at him: “You know that kind of power?”
“That’s true; since you carry Agnes’s mark and aura, you can’t possibly be unaware of such things… But I’m curious how you survived Agnes’s hands and gained her favor.”
“Perhaps it was just good fortune; I was the first human to go there.”
Shaya vaguely explained.
Selina was silent for a while before she spoke again: “Since you’ve been to Abyss Palace, you surely know that this palace exists to prevent some powers from invading the real world, right?”
At these words, Shaya was suddenly startled!
He instinctively recalled that during his third visit to the Abyss Palace, he accidentally teleported outside the palace, and thus drew the gaze of the God of Wisdom.
At that time, he caught a glimpse and saw that the Abyss Palace seemed to be hovering at an entrance resembling a passage, with torrents of raging black mist leaking out from below.
As if sealing something.
Could it be that below the Abyss Palace is the source of the black mist?
But according to the legends, wasn’t that black mist the innate curse of the Miss Witch?
Shaya was a bit confused.
Seemingly seeing his deep perplexity, Selina did not keep him in suspense and continued: “The specifics involve certain key events from ten thousand years ago, which I cannot disclose. If you really want to know, then ask Agnes.”
“The only thing I can say is that a corruptive power from the earth’s core is continuously invading reality, and this is the root cause of the impending apocalypse.”
“Do you remember the black mist that enveloped half the Northern Continent?”
“Of course, the human scholars call it the ‘Endless Black Mist Zone.'”
Shaya replied.
Upon hearing this, Selina’s lips curled into a strange smile: “Endless Black Mist?”
“If I told you that the scale of that black mist merely stems from a tiny bit of evil thought accidentally leaking from the earth’s core, how would you feel about that?”
“A tiny bit… of evil thought?”
Shaya froze in place.
Then, his scalp went numb.
Just a tiny bit of evil thought could cause such a massive disaster, resulting in no life within the black mist realm other than cracks in the ground. If it were to leak significantly into reality, it would undeniably lead to a catastrophic calamity for all humanity!
“Are you not afraid?”
Seemingly noticing that Novella was gently hugging Shaya’s arm with no abnormal reaction, Selina frowned and asked.
“I-I just want to be with Shaya.” Novella said nervously, looking at the Goddess of Abundance.
Shaya gently smiled at Novella, signaling her not to be nervous, and then asked, “So… is there anything else I can know right now?”
Selina scrutinized Shaya with an intense gaze.
After a long time, she shook her head and said: “Although the prophecy tells me that you are key to saving the world, you really don’t seem like it at all.”
“You are too weak.”
Weak?
Shaya thought for a moment and did not argue.
You have a higher standing, your words carry more weight.
But at that moment, Shaya suddenly realized something.
If what she said was true, then every time he was killed, strictly speaking, it was that power from the earth’s core that was behind it?
This power seemed to leave even the deities powerless, even putting the Goddess of Abundance in her current difficult position.
But Shaya was different, right?
He suddenly felt that the real strength of the system was becoming apparent.
Imagine, at the time of the black mist’s arrival, an existence that could infinitely die and resurrect within the black mist, continuously raising its power cap, and with each resurrection, could completely erase the previously absorbed black mist.
Isn’t this an ultimate bug-like divine beast along with a humanoid purifier?
Realizing this, Shaya looked at Selina.
It seemed that what she said about being key to saving the world was not without reason.
Turns out you are not just a big deal.
Thinking of this, Shaya spoke: “Lady Selina, I may need to leave here for a while; can I be let go?”
“No,” Selina said decisively, “You cannot leave until you bear the blessed child of a god.”
“But the best time for me to meet with Lady Agnes is in the next couple of days.”
Shaya pretended to have a headache.
He simply did not want his future child to become a tool for the deities, nor could he absurdly let Novella get pregnant like this.
Moreover, to be honest, Shaya was feeling a bit weak in the legs.
According to what Novella had inadvertently revealed earlier, he had to have had some twenty or more encounters with her, which was simply absurd.
Clearly, he was a virgin!
Shaya sad-heartedly thought.
In his past life, people always said he was a heartless snake spirit machine. He never expected that after being reborn, he would experience a taste of that himself.
“Then I will allow you a three-day vacation.” Selina looked at Shaya and said, “Don’t try any tricks; I’ve left a mark of abundance on you. No matter where you go, I can find you.”
“Unless you plan to hide in Agnes’s palace for the rest of your life.”
“What about me?”
Novella’s eyes brightened as she wanted to follow Shaya out.
“You cannot; as a vessel, you are equally weak and must remain here to practice magic until you meet him next time.”
“I will personally teach you.”
…
With a familiar fluctuation in space, a silver flame portal blazed at the entrance of the palace.
Shaya stepped out of it and walked into the palace.
Before leaving the realm of the Goddess of Abundance, Selina had left him a tree-shaped mark on his body. As long as he touched this mark and called her true name, he could teleport back to the Goddess’s realm.
Thus, after returning to reality, Shaya didn’t care about the aftermath of that disaster.
He was unaware that he had become the mysterious hero everyone was desperately searching for, nor that many entwined forces were probing for him in the dark.
Currently, Shaya only had one thought.
To increase his power.
So he hurriedly used the spatial teleportation wand made by Octave and arrived at the Abyss Palace.
The moment he stepped into the great hall and looked at the scene before him, Shaya was somewhat stunned.
He saw Miss Witch elegantly crossing her long legs, sitting on a soft sofa, while beside her, on the steps sat a white-haired little loli, greedily drinking from a jar of blood.
Upon sensing someone entering, the two women looked up simultaneously.
“Shaya!”
Octave’s eyes brightened slightly. She just wanted to get up to welcome him when she felt a chilling gaze linger on her for a few seconds.
Instantly trembling, she sat back on the steps, hugging the blood jar and continuing to drink.
I’m just a heartless blood-drinking machine.
“You’re here?”
Miss Witch put down the book in her hands, gently standing up and looking at Shaya.
Shaya froze for a moment.
Why does it feel like there’s something strange in the relationship between these two?
There was a sense of a stern mother disciplining her little daughter.
Moreover, was Miss Witch being a bit too proactive today?
Not knowing that he was unintentionally defined as a devoted admirer by Agnes, Shaya normally saluted: “Good afternoon, Lady Agnes.”
“What… is wrong with you?”
Agnes raised her brow slightly upon hearing this.
Feeling that her previous attitude towards Shaya had been overly cold, leading him to be somewhat pitiful, the Miss Witch decided to be a bit warmer toward him.
However, it seemed that this had backfired somewhat.
Seeing this, the originally calm expression on Miss Witch’s face instantly clouded over.
She said softly, “It’s nothing.”
Then she slowly sat back down on the sofa.
“Have you seen Selina?”
After sizing Shaya up for a moment, the Miss Witch said softly.
Based on what Octave had just described, she roughly guessed that Shaya had just visited the realm of the Goddess of Abundance.
The cause being, the marks left on him by several deities.
“Yes,” Shaya nodded, “She asked me to inquire about you regarding the pollution from the earth’s core.”
He had too many questions in his heart.
Among them, the most puzzling point was, since Miss Witch was not the source of the curse, why did she refer to herself as a “Sinner” and was sealed here?
And why, after absorbing so much black mist, did she have no adverse effects?
There were many similar doubts, but regrettably, all those entities liked to play riddles.
Upon hearing this, Miss Witch silently gazed at Shaya for a moment.
“You… are quite special.” After a while, she softly said, “Since our second meeting, I had a sense that you can resolve the power of the black mist.”
“Perhaps what you said about receiving guidance from a dream back then was not false…”
Guidance from a dream?
Shaya instinctively recalled the reason he had casually fabricated during his second encounter with Miss Witch.
He said he came to save Miss Witch after receiving guidance from a dream.
It now seemed she had apparently believed what he said from the beginning?
“Why were you sealed here, Your Excellency?”
Shaya pondered for a moment and asked.
“This is my atonement, also my mission from birth.”
Miss Witch closed her eyes, speaking softly as if recalling some unpleasant memories.
After a moment of silence.
Shaya quietly waited, not interrupting Miss Witch’s thoughts.
After a while, she opened her eyes again and said softly: “Selina was right; you are too weak now to even have the ability to know all the secrets.”
“I…”
Shaya took a deep breath, wanting to refute just as Agnes interrupted him.
“I’m not belittling you; you must believe me when I say this.” Her clear gaze fixed straight on Shaya, “Simply knowing this thing itself can lead to a mental breakdown.”
“This involves oaths related to the gods from ten thousand years ago, which have been endowed with unfathomable unknowability by the deities. Just comprehending the truth slightly will attract Their attention.”
“Not just those deities you believe in on the Northern Continent, but many hidden entities.”
“So… I’m sorry.”
For the first time, Miss Witch surprisingly said such words to Shaya.
What more could Shaya say?
The flicker of resentment in his heart completely dissipated.
The Miss Witch was actually speaking to him in this manner for the first time; just based on that, Shaya felt somewhat flattered.
Ultimately, it all stemmed from his weakness.
Although he had currently been promoted to Totem Knight and was just one realm away from the ranks of Royal Knights and Sorcerers.
But compared to the deities seated high above, he was still lacking.
So Shaya sighed softly: “It’s my problem.”
At this moment, Octave, who was eavesdropping nearby, was already dumbfounded.
Such a terrifying existence… actually said sorry to this guy Shaya?
What a soft-hearted but hard-headed approach?
Do I need to treat him better in the future?
Thinking of this, feeling Shaya’s puzzled gaze directed at her, Octave instinctively displayed a somewhat flattering smile, then realized it and her expression froze.
Damn it, I, a dignified bloodsucker, have actually fallen to this level!
Octave hugged the blood jar and drank a few more times to transform her sorrow into strength.
“By the way…” Miss Witch seemed disinterested in continuing the previous topic, “Last time you left, you mentioned wanting to show me a miracle.”
“What kind of miracle was that?”
Agnes gently inquired.
Shaya smiled lightly and said, “Would you like to see it?”
Agnes gently nodded.
So Shaya thought for a moment and asked: “You should be able to split a bit of consciousness, right? Like the Invisible Demon, enter my Sea of Consciousness?”
“Certainly.”
Miss Witch nodded without hesitation.
What the Invisible Demon could do, she had no reason to be unable to accomplish.
Thus, under Octave’s horrified gaze, Shaya slowly walked up the steps, slightly bending over, extending a hand toward Miss Witch on the sofa.
Like extending an invitation to a dance partner.
Miss Witch quietly watched him for a moment, then raised her pale, slender little hand and gently placed it in his palm.
Consciousness intertwined together.
…
When Agnes opened her eyes, she found herself in a deep and profound space.
She looked around, her gaze involuntarily drifting downward.
Then, her pupils constricted!
At that moment, it was as if she were suspended like a deity in the sky, with a blazing sun hanging not far away among the clouds.
But that was not the main point.
The focal point was that in the area illuminated by the sun’s light, the outline of a city gradually emerged.
It was a sprawling city, one that was boundless to the eye, constructed from towering steel and concrete, a flourishing metropolis.
The roads crisscrossed like a web, with countless vehicles and pedestrians coming and going incessantly, prominent enough to rival the towering buildings of the Judgment Tower and Mage Tower.
This was an unprecedented city.
Also, a magnificent scene that Miss Witch had never seen before.
Even as a deity, she was deeply shocked by the miraculous sight before her.
Her chest rose and fell quickly, and her breathing became a bit hurried.
The scene in front of her seemed to signify that an unprecedented world was gradually unfurling before her.
For the first time, she felt a bit of tension, her hands gently grasping the edge of her long skirt.
She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this emotion.
Miss Agnes silently thought.
At that moment, Shaya’s cheerful voice suddenly came from beside her.
“Although there are still countless details to fill in, I believe that during our tour here, I will be able to complete them.”
“The Sea of Consciousness is truly a wonderful place; the best thing about it is that it can transform everything into a phantasm of reality.”
“In short… Your Excellency Agnes, welcome to my hometown.”
Welcome to Earth in the 21st century.
