Warlock Apprentice

Perhaps it was because this youth named Angel was very polite, or perhaps it was rare for someone to come to the Seed Church, the middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment before nodding: ”Yes.”

”Before I ask, may I know how to address you?” Angel still maintained his etiquette.

”You can call me Katrina.” Faced with a handsome and courteous young man who appeared to be of nobility, Katrina tried her best to show her own etiquette, but having lingered among the lower classes for years, her formality and tone were devoid of refinement, coming across as rather comical.

Katrina felt a bit embarrassed herself, but the youth opposite her showed no change in expression, still smiling gently, which made Katrina relax a little.

”Miss Katrina, I’ve noticed that the other churches in the diocese are somewhat dilapidated, so why is this church still so perfectly maintained?”

Katrina frowned, because of the so-called missing case, the Seed Church was very famous in Paradow City. She suspected that the youth’s question was provoking. However, the young man’s accent did not sound like he was from Yirong Country, and his attire also lacked the ”trendiness” of Yirong Country, having a traditional and ancient feeling.

Is he a traveler then? Perhaps he genuinely doesn’t know of the Seed Church’s past.

Thinking this, Katrina considered it and decided to enlighten Angel. It was rare for someone to not immediately accuse the Seed Church of being an evil religion, but instead, to be interested in knowing the past of the Seed Church. As a devout follower of the Seed Church, Katrina still hoped more people would venerate the Seed God.

Angel feigned a sudden realization: ”So it’s a church that was only recently established, the site of the disappearance case that caused an uproar in the capital last time?”

Katrina shook her head: ”Don’t believe the rumors from the outside world, that wasn’t a disappearance case!”

”Oh?”

”They were taken to the Divine Country by the Seed God, it wasn’t a disappearance.” Katrina became slightly emotional.

Angel showed a surprised look: ”The Divine Country? Has the Seed God ever manifested miracles?”

Katrina proudly said: ”Yes, and I personally saw them being taken to the Divine Country by the Seed God, so it’s definitely not a disappearance...”

Katrina went on at length, telling everything she saw, as well as her own situation.

When she finished, she vaguely felt something was off because she had always kept these words in her heart, even when the royal guards came to inquire, she kept silent. But for some reason, facing this young man, her desire to confide was unprecedentedly strong.

But upon careful thought, it all seemed normal again? Perhaps it is because she is the only believer of the Seed God on the earth, feeling too lonely and solitary, needing more followers to join her in worshiping the Seed God?

Thinking so, Katrina felt this made a lot more sense.

”Is that so? Did they depart to the Divine Country from here?” Angel slowly walked forward, eventually arriving at the spot where the Pattern Stone was enshrined: ”In front of this Pattern Stone, was that where they went... to the Divine Country?”

Katrina nodded: ”Yes.”

”When they left, this Pattern Stone must have been beautiful, right?”

Katrina nodded again, her eyes flickering with enchantment: ”Of course, it was the Pattern Stone I personally polished. At that time, it was rejuvenated, so beautiful it didn’t seem like a thing of this world.”

By this point, Angel’s eyes flashed with understanding. He did not dwell on the ”disappearance” or ”departure to the Divine Country” anymore, but instead shifted the conversation: ”Miss Katrina, this Pattern Stone is really beautiful, especially when submerged in water, the patterns look like they contain wondrous text. Such a beautiful Pattern Stone, a veritable piece of art, hasn’t anyone else come to see it?”

Katrina did not follow Angel’s train of thought, wondering why he suddenly asked about this Pattern Stone. But now, she wanted wholeheartedly to draw Angel into the ranks of the Seed believers and did not suspect his intentions, still answering seriously: ”This Pattern Stone was placed here only when the Archbishop was about to go to the Divine Country. After they went to the Divine Country, the outside world spread rumors of a large-scale disappearance happening here, causing no one to dare to come. Naturally, no other person has seen this treasure.”

The Pattern Stone had no value in Yirong Country, but seeing Angel’s admiration, Katrina naturally followed his words and referred to this Pattern Stone, engraved with the Seed God, as a treasure.

”Oh, is that true?” Angel said surprisedly: ”Does that mean, aside from that group of devout believers who went to the Divine Country, only Miss Katrina and I have had the fortune to see this Pattern Stone?”

Katrina nodded: ”Yes.”

”Are you certain? No one else has seen the Yan Stone, especially after it had been submerged in water, revealing its perfect patterns?” Angel’s eyes were firmly fixed on Kaczona, his deep blue irises seemed to hold magic power, leading Kaczona slowly into contemplation with his voice.

After a while, Kaczona hesitated: ”It seems that a woman came here before.”

Without realizing it, Kaczona began to recall that it happened during the drizzling rain’s month, when she went into the Seed Church to wipe the Yan Stone as instructed by the Bishop. After finishing, she recited a prayer and then left.

As she was leaving the church, she brushed past a woman dressed in luxurious attire.

It was rare for people to visit the parish, and that richly dressed woman was heading towards the Seed Church. Kaczona wanted to ask what the woman was doing, but the woman carried an aura that seemed to keep strangers at a distance, so Kaczona ultimately did not inquire.

”After the Yan Stone is submerged, its patterns will show for at least half an hour. That woman, when entering the Seed Church, would have seen the Yan Stone, presumably?” Kaczona said.

Angel squinted slightly, a trace of an almost imperceptible shadow flickered through his eyes.

He gently tapped his knuckles on the stone pillars of the church, and with the sound, an illusion of a woman appeared in front of Kaczona, who was none other than Allen’s sister Irene.

”The woman you’re talking of, is it her?”

The moment Angel set foot in the Seed Church, he had cast a Nightmare Illusion on Kaczona. Under the influence of the Nightmare Illusion, Kaczona was now in a daze, and no matter what strange things happened, her brain would come up with corresponding self-consistent logic, leaving her without any doubts about anything.

Even if she was now seeing an illusion, she found nothing amiss.

Kaczona carefully observed the woman in the illusion. As she followed it, the eyes of the woman in the illusion turned as well, looking very lifelike.

”Yes, I remember it’s her.” Kaczona nodded: ”The woman I saw when I left that day was her.”

”Indeed, no mistake.” Angel sighed softly to himself and looked at Kaczona again to double-check: ”For the last time, apart from you, her, and me, has anyone else seen the pattern on the Yan Stone?”

Kaczona shook her head: ”No, because only I would wipe the Yan Stone. Even if others came to the Seed Church when I was absent, they wouldn’t clean the Yan Stone.”

Angel nodded, accepting Kaczona’s statement: ”That’s good.”

No sooner had his words fallen than Kaczona heard a thunderous boom.

When she raised her head, she saw the Yan Stone placed on the high altar was smashed to dust by Angel’s fist, shattering completely.

Not only that, but Angel also scattered some of the dust directly into the void. Even if someone found the remaining dust in the church, they could never piece it back together.

”You, you... why did you smash it?” The Yan Stone was the only reason Kaczona stayed in this world, perhaps because seeing it shattered, the shock was too severe; even under the spell of the Nightmare Illusion, Kaczona couldn’t immediately reconcile her behavior.

Angel did not respond to Kaczona but turned to look at her instead: ”You said before that you too wished to follow the Bishop to the Divine Country, but he gave you the task of wiping the Yan Stone frequently.”

”Now that the Yan Stone is gone, shouldn’t you be happy? Without the Bishop’s task, what reason do you have not to go to the Divine Country?”

”Thank you for your answers today, in return, I will see you on your final journey.”

At this moment, Angel still did not lose his courtesy.

After he spoke, Kaczona had no chance to respond, only feeling a sharp pain in her brain, and the next second she lost the spark from her eyes.

She would forever slumber in the blissful vision of traveling to the Divine Country.