Chapter 6: Night Talk

"You go to sleep first, I'll join you later."

Loren was surrounded by piles of magazines, mostly filled with compact submachine gun rounds. The bullet size didn't affect the killing power of Enchanted Bullets, and if cost wasn't a concern, smaller ammunition was actually the better choice.

Looking at this mountain of bullets, Naclis would believe it if Loren said he planned to slaughter a city tomorrow.

Seeing Naclis remained unmoving, Loren understood she wanted to spend more time with him, but unfortunately there were no extra stools...

"Why don't you sit on the table for now..."

"Is that okay?"

Naclis looked at the corner of the table Loren had cleared for her, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Though she had other thoughts in her heart, she genuinely respected Loren as a father figure.

"It's fine."

Loren never cared about formalities and rituals. He had been alone since childhood, growing up accustomed to freedom. After entering society, he developed a strong aversion to social conventions and eventually became a wildlife conservation worker, rarely interacting with others.

So Loren had sworn from a very young age that if he ever became a parent, he would definitely be an open-minded one. He didn't mind that Anna was always eating like a gluttonous beast, only caring whether they could eat their fill.

"Mmm..."

Naclis's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. She sat on the edge of the table, looking down at Loren busy with his enchanting work, unconsciously revealing a slight smile.

The table wasn't large - if Loren made any slightly expansive movements, he would touch Naclis's legs. But he didn't pay attention to such things, Loren only marveled that witches were practically the ultimate lifeforms - not only long-lived and beautiful, but even their skin was so smooth.

This world had guns but no electricity. Loren was still using a kerosene lamp, which was somewhat straining on the eyes. When he rubbed his eyes, he noticed Naclis had been staring at him all along. Loren's figure, illuminated by candlelight, was reflected in Naclis's golden eyes.

Seeing Loren looking at her, Naclis quickly turned her head away, her flustered attempt to hide herself appearing quite adorable.

"Alright, we have enough bullets now. Time to sleep."

Loren loaded the freshly enchanted bullets into magazines, tidied the desktop, and prepared to sleep.

"Mmm..."

Naclis yawned. She usually kept very regular hours - today counted as staying up late with Loren.

"Master Mentor, why are you suddenly working so desperately..."

There had always been two pillows in Loren's bedroom because Anna often launched nighttime assaults on him. Eventually, Loren simply kept two pillows there permanently.

"Because this world is dangerous. The Church, the gods, anomalous sequences... they all threaten us. Only by being strong enough can we survive in this world with you."

Timid as Naclis was, she knew everything. Given Loren's status and abilities, the Church and deities would only revere him, posing no threat to him. But they, as witches, were different.

So Naclis believed everything Loren was doing was for their sake - that she had burdened Loren. A wave of guilt suddenly rose from the depths of Naclis's heart.

If not for them, Loren would likely be living very well. Loren was a world-renowned musician and an honored guest of the Bountiful Church - he would inevitably be thriving. Moreover, Loren's appearance wasn't bad either - probably if he just expressed interest, no woman in the entire kingdom would refuse him.

Yet for their sake, Loren hadn't even dated anyone...

Naclis hid half her face under the covers, only her eyes visible, containing Loren's reflection, until Loren blew out the oil lamp.

"Why does everyone hate witches so much? Do witches truly bring misfortune and curses?"

After much contemplation, Naclis finally asked this question that had long troubled her. Clearly they had done nothing wrong, yet they lived so difficultly in this world.

"The curses are false. People... or rather the Church, hate witches because of fear."

Since Loren disliked starlight, the curtains were very thick. In the pitch-black room, nothing could be seen clearly. Naclis could only hear Loren's voice, so she moved inward slightly, feeling reassured only when she sensed body warmth.

"Fear?"

"Yes, fear, and envy. Humans live at most a bit over a hundred years, while witches can easily live thousands of years, and never age until death. Anyone would envy that, right?"

"Some greedy people are quite obsessed with lifespan. If it meant immortality, they probably wouldn't hesitate to cannibalize others."

These words exploded in Naclis's mind. She suddenly thought of something extremely terrifying - she was a witch, but her most beloved Master Mentor was human... Images of Loren's death suddenly flashed through Naclis's mind, making her somewhat panicked. Her body unconsciously began trembling.

"What's wrong? Do you want to hear more?"

Loren noticed Naclis's unusual state and grasped her hand under the covers. Only then did Naclis feel reassured. He thought his story had frightened Naclis.

"Mmm."

By now, Naclis had secretly resolved to definitely find a method to grant Loren eternal life, no matter the cost.

"This world's creator is very biased - it gave all the beautiful things to witches. Ordinary people find it very difficult to learn magic. Casting spells requires praying to deities, so normal people can only learn magic from one specific deity's sequence. But witches can bypass this - every witch has exceptional magical talent."

Not just witches, players could too. But Loren still hadn't taught Naclis any magic. The spells obtained from the Church had mediocre effects, all belonged to the God of Bountiful Harvest's sequence, and might expose them.

"That's not what's most frightening. Witches are born with their own unique Arcane Power - this is a power with extremely high potential, enough to make deities fear them. This is the most fundamental reason the Church hunts witches."

"Arcane Power..."

Naclis looked at the ceiling. Even in the dark room, Naclis could sense her shadow was there. She even saw a pair of golden eyes identical to her own.

Her Arcane Power was called , capable of turning her shadow into a completely opposite version of herself. This was why Naclis was somewhat afraid of this reflected self.

While Anna's Arcane Power was called , allowing her to control blood to kill enemies or heal herself. The healing effects were extremely terrifying, which was why she could become one of the Seven Sins. As long as blood existed, she wouldn't die.

"Use your power well. This is your weapon against this world's injustices."

"Mmm..."

After saying this, Loren spoke no more. Soon he heard even breathing - Naclis always slept soundly when near him.

Just as Loren also prepared to sleep, he felt something wrap around him. Naclis clung tightly to Loren like an octopus, so close he could feel her warm breath.

Loren still slept peacefully - he was already accustomed to this.