Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted Chapter 54

"Good afternoon, Master Mentor."

Today's visitor to Loren was an elderly man, dressed in magnificent golden-green papal vestments, wearing a triple crown entwined with wheat ears. Upon closer inspection, one could see the green on his cloak was actually real moss.

"Praise the God of Bountiful Harvest, Pope Pastus."

Loren's attitude towards this elder was one of great respect. After all, the man before him was the true power broker of the Gedlan Kingdom; with a single word, he could even replace the King.

Eldrin was the strongest on the surface, but Pastus was the truly most powerful. Although looking purely at numerical values, Eldrin surpassed him by quite a bit, Pastus could genuinely borrow a portion of the God of Bountiful Harvest's power.

"I have come today to ask for your assistance."

"Please, go ahead."

Pastus showed Loren sufficient respect, and Loren did not cause him to lose face. Moreover, compared to the King and the Headmaster, he actually seemed more like a decent person, though he didn't involve himself much in affairs, he hadn't truly harmed anyone.

Most crucially, Loren's arrangements were primarily aimed at killing Eldrin; there weren't many specifically targeting Pastus.

"Recently, the Church has been investigating the Robed Figure and the Blackened. We have discovered a very important clue.

"Those believers of the God of Plague who came here were all slaughtered overnight, the fatal wounds all being blade injuries.

"We rescued the survivors, and from their mouths we learned that the one who exterminated the Plague Believers was the Robed Figure. He is not only capable of creating the Blackened, but his own combat prowess is also extremely formidable."

At this point, Pastus sighed, like an ordinary old farmer:

"Other than that, we know nothing about the Robed Figure. Not even the Scarecrows have seen him. I came specifically to ask if you have any ideas."

Pastus was truly out of options, which is why he came to ask Loren. But he was destined not to achieve any results. How could Loren possibly capture himself?

"This is all our investigation findings. I hope you won't hold back your expertise either. Your knowledge could very well save this kingdom."

It seemed the events from that night when Loren went to save Luna had already reached Pastus's ears. He understood that Loren indeed knew many things they did not, which is why Pastus came to seek his help.

"Then, do you know the solution I mentioned?"

"I know. I have already begun implementing it. It will be formally enacted when the King and others return. You will be able to see the results."

Loren nodded, but didn't take it seriously. Even if they truly obeyed and made the Royal Capital a better place, free from hatred, the surrounding cities would remain exactly as they were.

The Blackened in the Royal Capital were just a casual move by Loren, yet they ended up becoming the Church's most serious internal threat.

"The Robed Figure is practically useless now. All he did was spread the Outer Gods' names and then guide the hatred within people's hearts.

"People have always harbored hatred in their hearts; it was just suppressed by fear, unable to manifest.

"Now the appearance of the Blackened has given them even more courage. Even if the Robed Figure doesn't influence them, the hatred hidden in their hearts will manifest as fear diminishes.

"And spreading the Outer Gods' names is even easier. One might accidentally hear an Outer God's name just by overhearing women chatting about daily matters while passing by.

"But to truly establish a connection with an Outer God, one not only needs to know the name, but also needs to know that it is an Outer God's name. If you want to prevent it, you could start from this aspect."

Loren had already told him the method, but honestly, Loren himself didn't know how to implement it. The name Ligoss had long been bound to the God of Hatred; wherever one appeared, the other appeared too.

"Thank you for your help. However, I still have one more question I hope you can help me answer."

"Please, go ahead."

Pastus remained respectful and courteous as he voiced his doubt:

"How much do you know about that superhero who can purify the Blackened?"

As expected, the Church had grown suspicious of Luna. Such a peculiar ability easily led people to associate it with witches.

"The principle behind his purification of the Blackened is dispelling their hatred. It does not cleanse the Outer God's contamination; there is still the possibility of a second blackening.

"Knowing the principle makes it much simpler. Suppressing the Blackened's hatred with other emotions can alleviate the condition. I can also create similar magical potions, but it's very complex."

Mixing truth with lies makes it easier for people to believe. What he said about Luna's method of purifying the Blackened was wrong, but the method Loren fabricated was indeed feasible.

At this point, Loren paused before continuing:

"Regarding that superhero's identity, I have two guesses. He might be a believer of the God of Confusion. Infusing confusion can indeed temporarily override a Blackened's hatred.

"Because the God of Confusion's doctrine is very strict, his act of helping followers of other deities already falls within the scope of betraying the Church. That's why he only appears at night and covers his face.

"The other guess is less likely. He is a believer of the God of Night and Thunder, gaining power at night. However, if that were the case, it wouldn't explain his ability to purify the Blackened."

Loren's words were reasonable and well-supported, successfully leading Pastus astray. Pastus couldn't find any fault with it either.

"Regardless of his true identity, for the Gedlan Kingdom, he is a hero, far more reliable than those Scarecrows under your command.

"That night, I even saw Scarecrows hiding in the back, leaving him alone to fight the Blackened. I was so angry I rescued him on the spot. All the Blackened dealt with by the Scarecrows combined might not even match the number he handled alone. So, the Scarecrows can die, but he cannot."

Loren's tone carried a hint of anger, putting on an indignant front. This helped clear Luna of suspicion while also rationalizing Loren's own actions.

"Is it possible for one person to believe in two gods simultaneously?"

In a sense, what Loren said was all true. Much of it aligned with the situation Pastus had investigated. Combined with the authority of Loren's Master Mentor identity, Pastus completely believed Loren's account. So, based on Loren's words, he asked another question, like a student listening to a teacher explain a problem.

"It's not impossible, just the conditions are quite harsh. One needs to avoid being discovered by the deities, or simply obtain permission from both gods simultaneously.

"But don't you get any ideas. Deities might be lenient with ordinary believers, but you, as the Pope, are different."

"Rest assured, my devotion to the God of Bountiful Harvest is no less than yours."

Pastus stood up and devoutly traced the symbol of the God of Bountiful Harvest over his chest. Loren, however, found it somewhat hard to keep a straight face. To put it bluntly, if you grabbed any random Outer God believer, their faith in the God of Bountiful Harvest would be more devout than Loren's.

After all, at most they just didn't believe or held hostility. Someone like Loren, who spent every day thinking about how to kill a god, truly had no equal.