Witch's Embrace

Hawthorne lay limp on the bed, and just now, he truly felt that he was just a breath away from death. With Yuta's strength, taking the life of his weak body would be incredibly easy; even if Heidi wanted to protect him, it would be nearly impossible.

Fortunately, she underestimated him enough and did not intend to quarrel with another noble witch over such a "plaything," which is why he managed to barely keep his life.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

Keep underestimating me, witches; only then can I steal the time to grow and develop, and eventually find your weaknesses, making you pay for your actions...

He mentally recited, and then, beside him, Heidi rushed onto the bed with a worried look, hugging his arm and softly saying, "Master, it seems you will have to endure some grievances these days. Without me by your side, please do not run around the convent."

"My witch sisters are all ruthless creatures; if they see you, they will likely show no mercy and drain your soul dry immediately."

Thinking of that outcome, her mood suddenly turned fearful as she grasped Hawthorne's hand, trembling and unwilling to let go.

Hawthorne reciprocated her grip, trying to calm her down. He spoke softly to her, "This little grievance is nothing for me. It's just that I feel Yuta..."

Recalling the unmasked anger and murderous intent that the blade witch had shown earlier made his head ache: "She really wants to kill me..."

According to the background description, Yuta's strength should be second in the convent, only surpassed by that fateful witch, Selene, who could manipulate people's destinies.

If a fight broke out, Heidi would surely not be her match. It was only because Yuta was unwilling to upset the harmony among the witches that he was still alive today.

Hearing him, Heidi's expression grew somber. "With Yuta's sharpness, she must have sensed that I had a deeper and closer relationship with you; that's why the arrogant nature of hers would lead her to resolutely want to kill you..."

Witches feed on souls as humans feed on bread. They may temporarily disguise themselves in human form for the sake of predation, but in the hearts of these evil Creatures, humans will always be regarded as immensely lowly and despicable.

They don't even possess the concept of "cherishing food." If it weren't for some humans suffering the blessings of the Deities, capable of wielding divine power to inflict heavy damage on witches, these creatures would be even more unrestrained than they are now.

Thus, when Yuta discovered that Heidi, another noble witch, would engage intimately with a human, it stirred a strong sense of insulting fury within her.

"What a pity; unless she experiences the fulfillment and sense of security that comes from being Master Purified, Yuta will never understand my choice."

Heidi hugged Hawthorne's arm, speaking to herself, her eyes filled with regret. Hearing this, Hawthorne smiled gently, then squeezed her small hand and said, "That day won't be too far away. Trust me, Heidi, I have a way to subdue her!"

At this, Heidi's eyes brightened, but then her expression became worried. "Master, Yuta's combat style is focused on striking vital points for a quick kill, which is vastly different from my approach as a witch who uses magic to fight."

"Given Master's current physical condition, even using that Purification energy to restrict Yuta's abilities, she still has the capacity to take Master's life directly…"

As she spoke, she leaned closer, wrapping her arms around Hawthorne's neck, pressing her face against his. "I'm sorry, Master. I have no confidence in being able to limit her movements. I really don't want to see you put in danger. I can't imagine what my life would mean after losing you…"

Hawthorne gently patted her back, feeling her untainted attachment, which was both strange and warm in his heart.

Just this afternoon, they had been at each other's throats.

Witches are truly fascinating.

"Alright, don't worry. I won't take any risks until I have a hundred percent certainty," he said softly, while a rough plan was already forming in his mind.

He knew Yuta's weakness, or more accurately, he knew the weaknesses of all witches.

Witch's Night.

When the twin moons hang high in the night sky, the barriers of the world become fragile. Terrifying magical power, accompanied by the schemes of dark gods, sweeps across all cities and wildernesses.

The more mundane creatures, like ordinary humans, are less affected by this magical power. At most, infants born on this day may experience some physical changes, like developing a sixth finger or exhibiting a stronger affinity for magic.

On the other hand, creatures more closely related to magic, such as ghosts, demons, and elemental beings, are greatly affected. They would scream in pain, mutate, go insane, or even commit suicide. Only the experienced can suppress the agitation brought on by this magical power and safely endure the night.

In short, Witch's Night is a major event that occurs every six months to two years in the game. On this day, various malevolent creatures cause chaos; monsters go wild, mutate, attack each other, and even assault cities—disorder ensues around the world.

And as the backbone of the player's force, witches are naturally the most affected, leading to all sorts of problems, which can be quite troublesome.

However, this is also an opportunity for players to conquer those witches who have yet to submit.

To avoid exposing their identities and to prevent being taken advantage of while they are weak, witches often choose to find a place to hide and evade the night.

If one can find their hiding places, they can easily subdue them!

Yuta, in particular, loses her strength and becomes extremely weak during Witch's Night, making her a prime target for early players to stealthily subdue her!

So, all he needed to do was wait patiently for a while until Witch's Night arrived.

Next, it was all about luck—how much longer until the next Witch's Night would arrive...

Hawthorne was silently planning in his mind when suddenly, a growl of hunger rumbled from his stomach: "Grr—"

Instantly, he snapped back from his pleasant daydream about the future, his expression turning a bit awkward. He hadn't eaten much at noon, after all, as he had rushed to Purify Heidi, and then they had engaged in such intense activity for a long time afterward...

Even though he felt refreshed and in great spirits now, these things couldn't fill his empty stomach, and so it was his belly that protested first.

Heidi smiled at this. She then got up and prepared to go outside. "Master, I'll go make you something to eat. You just rest here and don't go out. As long as you don't leave this room, the other witches won't come to trouble you."

Hawthorne nodded, not intending to refuse Heidi's arrangement. However, just as the nun turned and was about to reach the door, he suddenly sat up straight and said, "Wait!"

Heidi paused, turned her head, and looked at him in confusion. Hawthorne then got out of bed, put on his slippers, and approached her, taking her hand. "Your kitchen probably isn't used much, right?"

Heidi nodded. "Yes, aside from serving porridge and occasionally preparing food for captured prey, it generally isn't used."

Witches feed on souls, so they naturally don't need to eat. As for serving porridge, it is a method for witches to select food: they look among the poor who come to collect porridge and choose the most lonely and uncared-for individuals, then capture them to take back to the convent—like Hawthorne.

After all, if such people went missing, no one would care.

And those who were captured generally died within a day or two; witches found it troublesome and often wouldn't bother to feed them. Only those like Hawthorne, who had high charisma and were too valuable to the witches to be played with and killed off so quickly, would possibly have some simple meals prepared for them.

Thus, the convent's kitchen was generally not used often.

"Then, if I make some modifications to the kitchen, can you shuffle through it?" Hawthorne asked next.

"Absolutely," Heidi replied. "The other witches hardly enter the kitchen even once a year, so no matter what reason you give for making changes inside, they won't care and probably won't even notice."

"That's good."

Hawthorne was eager to try, and at the same time, his fingertips were gliding back and forth on the system screen that Heidi couldn't see. "Then let me modify this place and make the kitchen my first convent building!"