Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

”Master Mentor, how long will we be gone this time?”

On the train bunk, Anna lay on Loren’s lap and asked.

”We’ll stay for a summer, but we need to finish what we came to do first.”

Loren was referring to finding that half-vampire and the ultraviolet lamp. As for someone hunting vampires, that had nothing to do with Loren. Even if all the vampires died out, it wouldn’t concern him.

It was June now, not the hottest time yet, but it was still somewhat warm. Going to escape the heat would be nice too.

This time, Loren didn’t plan to look for Cecelia too early. He also hadn’t told Cecelia he was coming.

Loren was keeping a fairly low profile on this trip. Wherever he went, he became the center of attention. While respected by many, quite a few people also saw him as a thorn in their side. If he reunited with Cecelia, it might bring trouble to her.

But it wasn’t too serious. Cecelia was very mysterious; people had never seen her true appearance. Even if Cecelia really came to Loren’s side, people wouldn’t know she was Cecelia.

In fact, the name ’Cecelia’ was only known to Loren. People in the Uridia Kingdom only knew her stage name: Thorn Bird. And that name was actually given by Loren.

”Great!”Anna was a bit excited. She quite liked it over there. Loren could understand her having this mindset. Children who have used electronic products wouldn’t find rolling a hoop that fun anymore.

”It’s my first time coming out with Master, I’m a little excited.”

Seraphina sat on the bed, wanting to get closer to Loren, but Naclis was sitting between them.

Loren brought Seraphina along precisely to have her help find that half-vampire little girl. Verbal descriptions wouldn’t be clear; it was better for her to lead the way in person.

Besides, after so much time had passed, she might not even be in the same place anymore.

According to Seraphina, she spent her childhood in an orphanage. Back then, that older sister would occasionally come to tell them stories. However, there were many children in the orphanage. Even if Seraphina recognized her, she might not remember Seraphina.

”I used to be very insecure. Even in the orphanage, I was practically invisible. Probably not many people remember me...

”Sorry, Master, I might not be able to find her...”

Seraphina’s mood suddenly sank. Loren casually comforted her:

”It’s okay, I have other ways to find her. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

”Thank you...

”When I grew a bit older, I came to the Gedlan Kingdom to make a living. It was there that I met you. I heard you speak once at the Church. It was you who inspired me, allowing me to gradually become more confident.

”From then on, I started to admire you, yearning to get closer to you. But I always felt I was too insignificant, utterly unworthy of approaching you...

”Later, when you were recruiting maids, I finally got this chance. I mustered the courage to participate in the selection...”

Seraphina poured out the story of her connection with Loren. Even Loren hadn’t realized their connection ran so deep.

Loren was just a bit curious. Someone like Seraphina was dazzling no matter where she was. If she didn’t wear a maid’s uniform and stood beside Loren, people would think Loren was the servant. So, logically, it was unlikely she could have been buried in the crowd.

In the end, Loren could only attribute it to emotional issues. It was her insecurity that buried Seraphina’s brilliance.

”I think there’s something fishy.”

Listening to Seraphina, Laila suddenly leaned close to Loren’s ear and said:

”We’ve never discovered any trace of Seraphina’s existence. She’s like someone who just popped up out of nowhere.

”Previously, she told us her hometown was the Uridia Kingdom. Uridia is quite a distance from Gedlan, making it hard for us to verify.

”Now we’re going to the Uridia Kingdom, and every sentence she says leaves herself enough leeway. Even if there’s no trace of her existence in Uridia either, she could easily brush it off by saying she was just invisible before.”

Laila had found Seraphina strange from the start, but she was only being honest with Loren about it now.

”I think what Laila says makes sense.”

Naclis leaned close to Loren’s other ear and said this, while also carefully observing Seraphina. She noticed Seraphina still maintained her smile, seemingly genuinely not having heard Laira’s words.

Since Laila had often been alone with Loren before, Naclis didn’t like her. But after hearing these words, Naclis’s dislike for Laila decreased considerably.

”...”

Loren understood what they were saying. He also felt something was off about Seraphina. She was too perfect, perfect to an eerie degree.

But Seraphina had passed Mirrorheart’s screening. Loren might not trust Seraphina, but he trusted Mirrorheart deeply. Moreover, Loren was very sensitive to emotions; he could feel Seraphina’s sincere affection.

Even her feelings for Loren were flawless.

”I’m aware of this. You don’t need to worry.”

Loren offered a soothing remark. Although they still had some doubts about Seraphina, since Loren had spoken, they didn’t voice any further objections.

Compared to their own speculations, they trusted Loren’s judgment more.

...

This time, Loren was riding an electric train. It was very fast and also very stable.

The followers of the God of Night and Thunder had nearly limitless electricity, so they didn’t need to worry about consumption.

If the Church didn’t interfere and let them develop freely, there would probably be a technological explosion before long. After all, faith-generated electricity was practically equivalent to infinite energy.

As for the technological level of this world before the gods descended, Loren wasn’t very clear either. Judging from what he saw in the Dawn Princess’s diary, it was probably more advanced than the era Loren lived in during his previous life.

And there was a precious aspect: here, technological development hadn’t driven people to become fanatical. Everyone was still quite harmonious.

However, the world back then was also fragmented. The country where the Dawn Society was located had already stepped into the future, but other places remained in the Middle Ages. Even so, they didn’t come into conflict.

On one hand, the Dawn Society genuinely cared only about science, with no ambition whatsoever. On the other hand, there was the Dawn Princess above, suppressing an entire era.

”We’re almost there.”

When the train crossed the border, the sky instantly turned dark, shifting from noon directly into night. This meant they had completely entered the territory of the God of Night and Thunder.

The nights here were not quiet. Outside the window were lights of various colors. Loren felt a momentary daze; it was as if he had returned to the world of his previous life.

The last time Loren came here, he only stayed in the Border Town for a short while and didn’t go to the truly bustling places. This time, they were heading to a big city. Many vampires had fled from there. Even if the main culprit wasn’t there, Loren’s harvest wouldn’t be small.

Moreover, the orphanage where Seraphina lived was also there, making it convenient for Loren to look for that half-vampire little girl.