Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

Chapter 428: William's Choice

"Alright."

Under William's lead, Loren walked toward the interior of the family estate.

To be honest, Loren was a little surprised they had managed this far.

You could only say they deserved to be the largest family; their daring and situational awareness were incomparable to other families.

Except for those who had died, everyone else knelt quietly on a large open ground, waiting for judgment. Leading them were William's parents and Yvonne.

There were so many people that Loren could have taken quite some time to cut them down, but they were orderly. Using magic would be much faster.

Loren stood on the high ground, extended a finger, and Blood Moon Condensed Light shot from his fingertip. Although this beam was thin, its destructive power was sufficient.

The Blood Moon Condensed Light swept across the kneeling crowd. They seemed to have accepted their fate, eyes closed as they waited for death to come.

But after the beam passed, nothing happened.

"Okay, it's over. Everybody, stand up."Loren had made his decision. Once he let Noah produce those things, he could have the Chailros Family sell them.

Monopolizing that business would be very profitable. Even if they gave Loren the lion's share, there would still be a hefty profit.

As a reward for loyalty, Loren decided to give them a taste now.

After all, their lives were in Loren's hands; they were practically his people now.

"Now that Lane is dead, the Clarity Potion is useless.

"From now on, you will have full control over the production and sale of the Clarity Potion. Give me seventy percent of the profits."

When William heard that, his eyes lit up. The first perk of pledging loyalty to Loren had arrived.

The Clarity Potion was actually very effective and inexpensive to produce. They priced it low to let people afford it.

Simply keeping people clear-headed and somewhat immune to cognitive interference would make the Clarity Potion's market sizable, and its effects lasted a long time.

Even if they raised the price dozens of times, plenty would still buy it.

More importantly, the Clarity Potion could counter the God of Confusion's authority. If anyone had a grudge against the Followers of Confusion, they could use this potion to suppress them.

If someday war broke out with the Church of Confusion, sales of this potion would skyrocket.

The Chailros family had sharp business minds. Immediately they thought of many ways to make money. With costs so low, even if Loren took seventy percent, they could still profit handsomely.

"Alright, I'm leaving now."

Loren said his farewells and took Paqina's hand as they headed back.

After passing the pile of corpses, Paqina was still terrified and clutched Loren's hand tighter.

Once they left the Chailros territory, Paqina could no longer hold back. She went to the roadside and began to retch. Loren gently patted her back and held her hair.

Paqina was just an ordinary student. The Nofica Theocracy was generally very stable; aside from the Rainbow Plague incident when many died, she had never experienced much turmoil in her life.

This was her first time seeing the dead, and so many at once—she understandably couldn't accept it.

"Get used to it slowly. This world is very cruel."

Loren handed Paqina a calming magical potion. She drank it in one gulp.

After the potion, her complexion returned to normal.

"Yes..."

Paqina knew Loren was right. She was a witch; the fact she had lived this long in stability was already fortunate.

One day her identity would be exposed and she would have to face situations like these. It was better to adapt ahead of time.

"It's late. Stay at my place tonight."

"Okay..."

Paqina hesitated, then brightened. When Loren offered, the fear from seeing the corpses was somewhat washed away by the joy of the invitation.

The two walked home along the night road. Crows and vultures in the sky called out excitedly.

...

After Loren left, William came out to deal with the bodies.

"Can we hold a funeral, family head?"

The rest of the family had already begun treating William as the head. It was the previous head's order as well, and William had shown far-sightedness. Those who had resisted before were now completely convinced by this young man.

The entire family was plunged into sorrow. Maybe the bonds weren't deep, but the dead were still their kin.

"Forget it. Use Return to Earth to dispose of the corpses.

"They were traitors to the Chailros Family, not our family."

Scavengers swarmed the corpses, bold enough that they did not flee even when people approached.

They were similar to the animals from the Uridia Kingdom; they had grown used to corpses and had lost their fear of humans.

William and several people behind him released Return to Earth, and the pile of corpses dispersed into the air.

"Gah!"

A few crows cried at William as if displeased that their food had been taken.

"You beasts!"

They were already in bad spirits; now provoked by a few crows, they had gathered offensive magic in their hands.

But before anyone cast a spell, William interrupted them.

"Never mind. Master Mentor warned us to protect the environment. Do not attack wild animals casually."

William did not strike them. He simply walked forward and shooed them away.

"Yes... family head..."

The others answered. In the past they might have mocked William as being overly deferential, but now he had proven he was right.

If not for William, the whole family might have been wiped out.

Now, many had died, but they had survived.

"Remember to give Master Mentor a gift tomorrow. Don't skimp on the cost."

"Understood..."

The attendants answered but did not leave immediately.

"Is there anything else?"

William read his mind and asked.

"What exactly did Master Mentor do to us today?"

The unknown was the most terrifying. Even if that strange beam had severed their arms or legs, it would have been easier to accept than nothing happening at all.

It was precisely because nothing had occurred that fear hovered over them. They did not know when something might happen, or whether it would happen at all. They could not eat or sleep well now.

"I don't know either."

William shook his head. As the person who knew Loren best, he actually knew nothing about him.

"But we know this thing won't kill us—at least not now.

"So we just have to live with Master Mentor always holding our lives in his hands and not entertain any presumptuous thoughts."

"Yes..."

The "as long as" William mentioned felt heavy, but they had no choice.

At least, they were still alive.