Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

It was Christmas again. Compared to previous years, Loren’s household had a few more members this time around.

”Everything’s set. Let’s eat first. The cake will be delivered in the afternoon.”

”Yay!”

Anna bounced over and sat down at the dining table. Seraphina scooped the boiled dumplings into a steamer basket, drained the water, and placed them on the table.

Before the dumplings could even cool down, Anna stuffed several into her mouth. Such a temperature was nothing for her constitution.

Anna expertly spat out the gold coin. Every time they ate dumplings, she was the one who found the coin hidden inside. Loren was already used to it — Anna was just that lucky.

Halfway through the meal, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

”I’ll get it!”

Anna put down her chopsticks and dashed straight to the door. She thought the cake had arrived.

But when she opened the door, standing there was a haggard old man. His beard was matted and tangled, his skin was dark and weathered, and his eyes were filled with exhaustion.His clothes had been soaked through and torn by water, and he was missing his right hand. The most striking thing about him was the straw hat on his head — it was the cleanest thing he was wearing.

”Headmaster Casper?”

Loren, who had rushed over, called out his name. To be honest, Loren hadn’t recognized him at first. If it weren’t for that straw hat, Loren wouldn’t have figured out who it was.

Loren was actually quite surprised that Casper was still alive. He was indeed stronger than the pirates, but he wasn’t as cunning as them, and he wasn’t familiar with the sea. It would have been easy for him to be killed by dirty tricks.

Losing just one arm was already incredibly lucky.

The moment he saw Loren, Casper suddenly covered his face with his hand and started crying. This old man over a hundred years old was now sobbing like a child:

”Master Mentor... I gave it my all, defeated many pirates, found the guideposts, and finally reached the island you spoke of...”

Now Loren understood why Casper had come back. With his personality, he wouldn’t have returned unless he found the treasure.

”So what was the treasure?”

Loren pretended not to know, but inwardly he was already laughing.

”There was nothing! Someone had already gotten there first!”

Casper said these words with all his might, his voice hoarse. He was completely broken.

That was why, after returning, he hadn’t gone back to the Church first. He hadn’t even changed his clothes before coming to pour his heart out to Loren.

Everything had already been taken by Loren. Of course Casper wouldn’t find anything when he got there.

If Casper had actually found the treasure, he might have been even more miserable than he was now.

”So what are you planning to do next? Retire here, or go after the person who found the treasure?”

”Oh, by the way, I arranged for the Bishop to take over your position as Headmaster. If you want it back, you can ask him for it.”

”Forget it...”

Casper shook his head. This journey had aged him considerably. Loren could even sense his vitality fading away.

It wasn’t because of his injuries — it was because of his spirit.

”I’ll go back to the Church first. After Christmas, I’ll head back out to sea.”

”This time, I won’t come back until I’ve obtained the Super-tier Magic.”

”Alright, I support you.”

Dead Church members were good Church members. If Casper didn’t die, he would eventually end up opposing Loren.

Yes, Loren had given him many favors. In fact, it could be said that there were few Church members who hadn’t received favors from Loren.

But favors ultimately couldn’t compare to faith. Even if the Bishop had practically become Loren’s dog by now, if Loren’s secret of raising Witches ever came to light, he would stand against Loren without hesitation.

The respect Church members had for Loren was conditional — it existed because Loren was still the Church’s Master Mentor.

Casper left. He didn’t affect Loren in the slightest. Loren and his family quietly waited for evening.

In the afternoon, the cake was delivered. For once, Anna didn’t sneak a bite — she wanted to wait until nightfall, make a wish, and then eat it.

Loren felt a pang of emotion. Having that much self-restraint meant Anna was growing up. Without thinking, Loren reached out and stroked Anna’s hair, and she immediately beamed with a happy smile.

Today, everyone had put on their finest clothes. Naclis had even put on a dress for the first time in a while.

”It’s a shame Cecelia and Laila aren’t here...”

Loren had visited Cecelia not too long ago. She had chosen not to come back for Christmas. Christmas was a great opportunity — she could use it to control more people, even many high-ranking officials from other countries.

The Uridia Kingdom was a tourist hotspot, especially during Christmas. It would be surrounded by colorful lights everywhere. The homeless people would be herded into the slums ahead of time so they wouldn’t ruin the city’s appearance today.

Most of the people who could come here were wealthy, which was why Cecelia had chosen not to return.

If she could control them, it would be a significant help to Loren.

Lilith had also changed into new clothes. She sat obediently on the sofa, like an exquisite porcelain doll.

Even Starnight had a little bow tied on her. She had been perched on Loren’s shoulder all day.

Everything today was perfect — so perfect that Loren wished he could freeze time at this very moment.

In the evening, Luna came over from home to join the Christmas party and birthday party. When the sky was completely dark, Loren turned off the lights and lit the candles.

”Make a wish, Anna.”

The candles were a bit too high for Anna to reach. Only when Loren picked her up could she get close to them.

Anna clasped her hands together, pressed them against her chest, closed her eyes, and began to make a wish.

Her wish was simple — she wanted this wonderful life to continue forever, and she wanted to stay by Loren’s side always.

After making her wish, Anna opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and blew out the candles with all her might.

Even after blowing out the candles, Anna didn’t immediately start eating. Instead, she continued to enjoy Loren’s embrace, until he finally set her back down on the ground.

At that moment, she felt like the happiest girl in the world. Not just now — every moment she spent with Loren, she felt the same way.

”Time to eat!”

Just as Anna was about to dig in, a knock sounded at the door.

”Master, it’s the Church people...”

Movila informed Loren. In an instant, Loren’s expression turned serious.

”Alright, I’ll get the door.”

Loren handed Starnight, who was on his shoulder, to Mirrorheart, then draped on a black robe and went to open the door. Outside stood the Pope, the Bishop, and a host of high-ranking Church officials. Even Casper was among them.

Behind them were densely packed Scarecrows, along with many unfamiliar faces. Instinct told Loren that these people were no ordinary bunch.

This time, they hadn’t brought any gifts — except for a crystal ball being carried by a Scarecrow, which served as their offering.

The crystal ball was filled with water, and floating within the water were many musical notes, swirling around in a wild, chaotic dance.

They remained silent until the Bishop stepped forward and spoke:

”Master Mentor, we have discovered that there are Witches hiding by your side. Failing to protect you is a dereliction of duty on the Church’s part...”