Witch's Embrace

Die's face froze for a moment, then her pupils contracted to pinpoints: "What did you say?!"

Fueled by her fury, the soft flagella on her tentacle limbs turned as sharp as steel needles, piercing his skin and leaving dozens of crimson cuts across his cheeks!

His ear canals were punctured instantly!

Crimson blood began trickling down his face and ears. The searing pain nearly brought him back to consciousness, but Die's overwhelming magic power continued to suppress his awareness!

Luckily, at that moment, Heidi's voice suddenly rang out from behind: "Sister, what are you doing here?"

Die turned sharply, her stern gaze landing on Heidi: "Heidi!"

But remembering that there was still an outsider present, she quickly chanted an incantation, activating "Sleep Spell." Hawthorne immediately felt a wave of overwhelming drowsiness, slumping back into his chair and laying his head on the table, falling into a deep sleep.

At the door, Heidi's brow furrowed immediately as she spoke with clear displeasure in her voice: "Sister, how could you tamper with my food?"

She was genuinely anxious, having just sensed a sudden increase in the individual strength on the other end of the Pact, resulting in a siphon of magic power from her body, indicating that Hawthorne's abilities had suddenly advanced, prompting her hasty arrival.

However, upon arrival, she was met with this troubling scene!

She quickly took the initiative, questioning Die's intentions.

Having done this, Die turned back to Heidi, unfazed, her tone stern: "I should ask you, Heidi, how could you even tell this human about the fact that we are witches?"

Hearing this, Heidi's expression immediately changed. But facing Die's stern gaze, she decided to concede initially, and smooth things over: "I... I'm sorry, sister. I accidentally let it slip..."

Her mind raced, seeking an excuse to smooth things over: "I planned to kill him too, but it's not possible right now. The reason is... because..."

Die watched her coldly while Heidi pressed her lips together, regaining her resolve: "I still need to use him."

Die's mouth opened slightly, feeling most of her anger dissipate: "Are you talking about Witch's Night?"

Heidi's heart remained tense, but she continued ambiguously: "You know as well that this time, I failed to sense the coming of Witch's Night."

"I'm very anxious, so I'm trying every possible way."

Saying this, she gradually fell into the rhythm, launching a verbal offensive: "And he is a strategy I found by chance. I'm not sure if it will work, but it's worth trying."

"My dear sister, you are the one I trust the most. I'm willing to share this with you—I haven't said a word to our other sisters. You have experienced the most Witch's Nights, so you should understand the confusion and fear I'm feeling now, right?"

Seeing the always confident Heidi showing such a pleading expression, Die felt empathy and her heart softened.

However, her words remained firm: "But you shouldn't have told him that we are witches. If anything goes wrong, the entire convent will be endangered."

Heidi's eyes lit up, knowing that Die had accepted the explanation, and she relaxed a bit inside: "Sister, dear sister, rest assured, my spells are stable enough, and this person is already mad. Plus, he's always under my illusion's control, so he won't reveal anything about us."

"Rest assured; I assure you that all my attention is on him, so nothing will go wrong."

She fervently reassured her, and finally, Die's tone softened: "As long as you can handle it, Heidi, I hope you can safely get through this Witch's Night."

Heidi nodded repeatedly: "Yes, the same for you. Oh, don't worry, after Witch's Night, I'll find you immediately, bring you back to the convent, and help you recall some of your past memories."

Hawthorne had spoken to her about it, so she knew Die's greatest fear was losing control due to memory loss. Guaranteeing this would surely touch the witch.

"Ah, Heidi, my dear sister." Indeed, upon hearing this, Die smiled again and nodded at her, "Well, I thank you in advance."

With that, Die bid Heidi farewell and then turned to leave.

Seeing had gone far enough, Heidi let out a long sigh of relief and quickly rushed into the study, gently shaking Hawthorne: "Master, wake up, Master!"

His usually handsome face now appeared incredibly ghastly, with scabbed-over wounds but still shocking blood marks. His ears were filled with congealed blood, nearly blocking them.

Seeing him in such a sorry state made Heidi's heart ache.

Her nun hat slipped off as her long hair reverted to its true form, transforming into slender dark green tentacles that searched the desk in a flurry before retrieving Hawthorne's Introduction to Luxurious Arts.

Then, she infused it with her Magic Power, casting first-level Cure Wounds spells on him as if they cost nothing.

Thankfully, the power of magic proved reliable once more. After saturating him with several spells, the scabs on his face gradually fell away, revealing fresh, delicate skin beneath. The blockages in his ears were dried into dust, and his damaged ear canals and eardrums were fully restored.

Thankfully, the treatment was timely, leaving no scars or permanent hearing damage—otherwise, it wouldn't have been something first-level Cure Wounds could fix; it would have required a fifth-level Greater Restoration spell!

Hawthorne slowly regained consciousness, with lingering pain echoing in his ears and mind. Seeing Heidi beside him with tear-filled eyes, his expression was one of utter confusion: "Heidi? You, uh… I remember Die was here just now? She's gone now?"

As he spoke, he glanced outside but found nothing.

Heidi sighed, speaking softly: "Die just hypnotized you, Master, and she uncovered many of our secrets..."

Hawthorne froze: "What did she ask? What did I reveal?"

"She knows that you know I'm a witch," Heidi sighed, "but I made her believe you were driven mad by my Illusion, so she thinks everything is under my control, which is why she didn't actually harm us."

"However, even so, the situation might not be very optimistic. At best, we can only delay the danger until after this Witch's Night ends..."