Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

”Your glasses look a bit old.”

Loren inspected Paqina’s glasses. The lenses were scratched, the frame had discolored, and the fittings were starting to loosen—no wonder they kept falling off.

”Yes, I don’t even remember when I got these. It was probably not long after I started school…”

”Those are definitely old… I’ll make you a new pair.”

Loren returned the glasses to Paqina, then had Scarlett bring out two pieces of clear crystal and some metal.

The metal was light yet tough.

Loren cut the crystal into thin pieces, then began polishing. He remembered the exact thickness of Paqina’s lenses, and soon the two crystal pieces were ground to match her lenses exactly.

”The refractive index of this crystal is close to your lenses, so this should work.”

With the lenses solved, Loren started on the frames, using Blood Moon Condensed Light to carve the metal he had taken out earlier with precise strokes.

Normally casting would have been preferable, but Loren had no equipment, so he had to carve.After finishing the parts, Loren assembled them into a complete pair of glasses.

”These are for you. Crystal lenses are better for your eyes.”

”Thank you…”

Paqina took the glasses and felt a warmth spread through her.

She had seen enough to recognize the crystal Loren used. This type of crystal could be used as magical material and was expensive; glasses made from it were luxuries.

Even wealthy gentlemen would only make a single-frame pair with this crystal and use gold for the rim as embellishment.

More valuable than the materials, though, was Loren’s thoughtfulness.

Paqina removed her old glasses and solemnly put on the ones Loren had given her.

They were very light; she barely felt them when she wore them.

”Thank you…”

Paqina didn’t know how else to express herself, so she thanked Loren again.

Loren treated her not only materially but also cared for her deeply on a spiritual level; Paqina had long since become utterly devoted.

She even felt that hiding anything from Loren would be a betrayal.

Paqina resolved to find a chance to confess her secret to Loren.

”Scarlett, give me your glasses. I’ll make you a new pair too.”

”Oh, alright.”

Scarlett removed her glasses, revealing the intelligent look beneath—exactly why Loren had always made her wear glasses.

It wasn’t to add charm; it was that look Loren found a little unbearable.

Loren noted the thickness of Scarlett’s lenses and began polishing crystal. Now more practiced, his movements were much faster.

Before long, a new pair of glasses was finished; Loren even colored the frames purple to suit Scarlett better.

With her new glasses, Scarlett became vain, admiring herself in a mirror—she had hardly ever bothered with mirrors before, and without Loren, she wouldn’t even bother fixing her hair.

This time she was mostly enjoying the gift Loren had given her.

”Rest for a bit. When we reach the Kingdom of Anselm, we’ll send a parcel first. Have the Falling Star Merchant Guild deliver these heads to Noah so he can begin studying them.”

Earlier, Loren had applied preservative magic to the heads—low-tier epidemic-sequence magic similar to acceleration spells.

”Ugh…”

At the sight of the sack, Scarlett retched. Her tolerance was even weaker than newly joined Paqina’s.

”Drink this, you’ll feel better.”

Loren handed Scarlett a bottle of Clarity Potion—his personal supply, made without regard for cost, and far stronger than anything sold on the market.

Scarlett drank it at once. The mint exploded in her mouth, bringing a coolness that suddenly made the heat seem less oppressive.

”This tastes good. Can I have a few more bottles?”

She didn’t ask whether more existed, only if she could have them. Loren certainly had plenty, even in her personal space.

But Scarlett wouldn’t touch them without Loren’s permission.

”One bottle is enough. After all, it’s a magical potion; too much isn’t good.”

”Alright.”

No longer so afraid of heights after the Clarity Potion, Scarlett came to the edge of the hot air balloon to look down.

She kept a hand on her glasses, terrified they’d fall.

Loren stood beside her, enjoying the view with her.

Many seabirds flew below, a sign they were approaching the coast.

At that moment Mirrorheart suddenly hugged Loren from behind. Loren reacted quickly, catching her hand in time to stop it from sliding down.

”Ahem…”

Mirrorheart cleared her throat and pretended nothing had happened, moving to stand next to Loren.

The winds along the route were strong; even nearby birds were blown off course. The gusts protected the birds as well as the balloon.

Before long, Loren and the others reached their destination—the coastal city they’d visited before.

It had once been destroyed by necromancers, but the people of Anselm had rebuilt it with united effort; their workers were highly motivated and remarkably efficient—many times the productivity of other nations’ laborers.

The balloon descended steadily, landing on a patch of open ground.

Just as Loren and the others disembarked, a new group boarded and flew off to another route; the place ran with great efficiency.

After leaving the balloon, Loren went straight to the Falling Star Merchant Guild. Their headquarters were in the God of Vows and Wind’s territory, and they had branches in every city—easier to find here than elsewhere.

Loren handed over a burlap sack of heads and a letter explaining the situation to a Guild representative. Under the authority of Vows, they were trustworthy.

Once a contract was signed, they had to fulfill it, no matter how many traps the agreement might hide.

They didn’t ask unnecessary questions—collect payment and deliver goods. That was their entire business.

”Find an inn and rest. Tomorrow we’ll buy passage on a ship and depart.”

Loren had already arranged the plan; no one objected.

Everything proceeded smoothly under Loren’s direction. That night the group took a modest inn near the shore so they could hear the waves, which helped some people sleep.

Late at night, when everyone had fallen into deep sleep, Loren heard a song woven into the sound of the surf.

”What is that noise?”

Everyone else was asleep. Loren gently freed his hand from Lilith’s hold, went to the bedside, and drew back the curtain.

He saw many children, sleepwalking like they were possessed, moving toward the sea.