Free Web NovelDuring dinner, Naclis sat in an awkward position, and only then did Loren remember he hadn’t given her the healing potion yet. She hadn’t had the nerve to ask for it either.
In the end, just to maintain her persona, she forcibly pretended to be fine as she sat down. Loren could even vaguely see her breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain.
“Ahem...”
Feeling embarrassed, Loren poured the healing potion into a glass and slid it over to Naclis.
At the same time, Reflection Naclis, hiding under the table, patted Loren’s leg, signaling for him to give her something to eat too.
In the end, Loren couldn’t refuse her and chose to hand over the plate along with the utensils, rejecting her request for him to feed her by hand.
...
That night, Loren came to Naclis’s room. She was lying in bed reading a magic book.
“Master Mentor?”
Seeing Loren come to find her, Naclis felt a surge of joy, but she quickly suppressed her emotions, putting back on that expressionless face.
Loren surveyed the arrangement of Naclis’s bedroom. A bed, a wardrobe, a desk, a bookshelf—that was everything in her room. There wasn’t even a mirror.
The bed was also very clean, with nothing on it except two pillows and the bedding.
This was the complete opposite of Anna’s bedroom. Anna’s room was extremely pink and girly, with her bed piled full of various plush toys.
“I came to see you.”
Naclis put down the magic book. Loren took a look—Naclis had been studying high-ranking magic.
Without realizing it, the Witches had already become high-ranking mages. However, they rarely ever needed to use magic; Arcane Ability was far more useful than magic.
Under normal circumstances, there was no need for them to take action at all, and when they were needed, magic wouldn’t cut it either. For the Witches, magic was more of a bonus, an enhancement to their existing power.
Unless Arcane Ability had no combat application at all—only then would they need to use magic to fill in that weakness.
Loren sat down on the bed, laying Naclis down so she could rest her head on his lap.
They used to do this often, but this time Naclis’s movements were a bit stiff, as if she was somewhat resistant. Then, Loren heard the sound of Naclis’s heartbeat.
Loren didn’t say anything. He just gently stroked Naclis’s cheek.
“Your face is a bit hot. Are you sick?”
“Maybe...”
Naclis’s reply was hesitant. She turned her face away, a little afraid to look Loren in the eye.
“Where’s your reflection?”
“She’s hiding inside my shadow.”
“Alright...”
As he spoke, Loren used his fingers to comb through Naclis’s hair. Her silver-white strands felt wonderful to the touch, very comfortable—this was also the reason why Loren liked petting her head.
It was like petting a small animal. Naclis closed her eyes, beginning to enjoy Loren’s touch.
“As long as I’m still alive, you’ll always be a child. You don’t need to bear any pressure, and you don’t need to suppress your true nature.”
Among all the Witches, Naclis lived the most exhausting life. She always thought of herself as the older sister, that she had to protect the other Witches together with Loren.
So she desperately tried to craft a reliable image for herself, and this problem only grew worse as the family got bigger.
To the point where Naclis no longer slept with Loren. In the past, when she was scared, she would quietly come to find Loren at night, asking him to sleep with her.
“I’ll sleep here with you tonight.”
“Mm...”
Naclis softly acknowledged. Even though she tried her hardest to control it, a hint of joy still leaked through her tone.
Her bed had always had two pillows on it, just waiting for Loren. Her reflection usually stayed hidden in the shadows and didn’t interact with her much.
Loren stopped stroking her and lay down directly:
“I can now kill an Angel head-on without using too many of my trump cards.”
The topic suddenly shifted. Naclis’s eyes flew wide open. She sat up, her golden eyes fixed on Loren, her emotions complicated.
She lay down beside Loren without responding.
Naclis knew exactly what Loren meant. He was showing her that he now had the ability to avenge her.
And Naclis understood Loren’s personality very well. When Loren said he “could beat” someone, it meant a “one hundred percent guaranteed kill without paying any price.”
Loren didn’t need to drink the [Swan Song] or use the magic left behind by the Dawn Princess to guarantee he could kill an Angel.
Under normal circumstances, it was hard to deal fatal damage to an Angel without using Super-tier Magic, but the two cards—Judgment and Strength—were prepared for exactly this purpose.
As the person closest to him, Loren had never hidden the abilities of the Tarot cards from Naclis.
“During summer vacation, we can make a trip to the territory of the God of Light and Fire. I can use this time to set things up.”
This was clearly him saying he wanted to help Naclis get her revenge. He had always kept this matter close to his heart.
But compared to revenge, Naclis clearly cared more about Loren.
She turned sideways, facing him:
“The thing I care about most is you... Where you are is home. Nothing else matters...”
Naclis grabbed Loren’s arm, her heartbeat accelerating, too afraid to meet his eyes.
When she was little, she could tell Loren she loved him every single day. Now, saying “love” was getting harder and harder.
Did she hate that Angel who killed her mother? Yes.
But compared to her hatred for the Angel, she cared far more about Loren’s safety.
“It’s fine. We’re going to kill all the gods sooner or later anyway. Let’s just treat this as a little experiment.”
Angels have authority to protect themselves. Although they’re not bound to their authority like the Orthodox Gods—as long as their authority exists, the Orthodox Gods won’t die—they’re still not easy to kill.
Before killing an Orthodox God, you need to perform a ritual to strip away their authority. Loren could start by setting up a smaller ritual to test the waters, making preparations for later when he’ll need to kill the Orthodox Gods.
“Mm.”
Naclis responded, not saying another word. She just curled up into Loren’s embrace.
She curled up her body, as if she were still that little child who could lie in Loren’s arms.
Loren wrapped his arms around her, feeling each other’s warmth.
“Goodnight.”
It was getting late. Loren turned off the light.
Naclis’s habits were the same as Loren’s. The curtains were thick, not letting in any starlight, and the room was plunged into total darkness.
“Goodnight...”
Naclis softly replied. In Loren’s arms, she felt very safe, and soon, even, rhythmic breathing could be heard.
In the pitch black, Loren felt someone embrace him from behind, pressing tightly against his back.
From the feel of it, Loren guessed it was Reflection Naclis behind him. She had snuck out.
If it had been any of the other Witches, they wouldn’t have been this flat.
What’s more, the hands holding Loren were constantly moving downwards...
And at that moment, Naclis was holding onto Loren’s arm, making it a bit inconvenient for him to move.
