Chapter 61
Chapter 61: Where to Hide
“If it’s going to be messed up again shortly, why bother combing it neat first?”
“Cakes need frosting to look appetizing.”
“What you say makes perfect sense…”
Funis sat listlessly beside Cecia, letting the witch comb her long hair smooth again. Her small hands rested properly on her knees in an obedient, adorable posture.
The crimson had already faded from Cecia’s eyes. Like a little girl looking at her doll, she carefully combed Funis’s hair smooth over and over again.
As the witch had wished, Funis had indeed cried beautifully, so when things became intense, her hair got tangled again.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Cecia’s hands didn’t stop moving, but she suddenly asked.
“That lizard was alive.” Funis pouted.
“That was beyond my expectations. I thought they were just purchasing materials in large quantities. I didn’t expect them to keep a live one.” Cecia smiled helplessly. “The formula using Black Sword Earth Lizard blade rust secretions is called ‘Acid Throat’—I already told you about it. This potion can help witch Path followers advance from Sequence 9 to Sequence 8.”
“They’re mass-promoting witches, trading higher Sequences and faster madness for more frequent and accurate prophecies?” Funis frowned.
“It seems so.” Cecia sighed deeply.
“Then Moira…”
“You found news about her?”
“I saw Moira, at the cemetery.” Funis said quietly.
“The cemetery? What were you doing at the cemetery? Why was Moira there?” Cecia’s comb stopped. Her tone was somewhat anxious, losing her previous composure.
Funis was startled. She didn’t know Cecia cared so much about Moira.
“She advanced—Sequence 7.” The girl organized her words slightly before speaking. “The Fate Wheel pointed to Archangel Sariel, the Spirit Caller of the Patience Path. Using the cemetery as a base, she created a huge spirit sanctuary and manufactured groups of restless souls.”
“Sequence 7?” Cecia’s expression looked troubled.
“Witch Miss, what’s wrong?” Funis didn’t understand what was happening.
“Do you know what Sequence she was at before she disappeared?” Cecia grabbed Funis’s delicate arm and asked seriously.
“Sequence 8?” Funis was confused. “I… she never told me…”
“No, she was Sequence 9 like you are now.” Cecia said quietly. “In the two weeks she’s been missing, she advanced two Sequence levels as a witch. With that girl’s mental state, she absolutely cannot resist the Whisperer’s temptation. She must be on the verge of collapse.”
“Why? Is someone forcing her?” Funis’s mind was in chaos.
She remembered Moira’s meaningful warning before they parted. That pure white lily-like girl told her to escape this city-state as quickly as possible, as if some great disaster was about to strike.
“Sequence 7 witch potions are extremely precious. It’s definitely not as simple as coercion—that girl most likely went willingly.” Cecia’s voice grew cold. Her body trembled unusually, and blood seeped through her gloves from her clenched fists. “Combined with this attack… it makes me want to tear up the contract I signed with Joseph…”
“Witch Miss?” Funis was startled.
Gray Cloud Fortress was perhaps the most suitable shelter for the Black Rose Society currently. Unlike other regions controlled by the Church, there were no bounties here for capturing witches. Joseph, as the fortress lord, publicly guaranteed the freedom and personal safety of the society’s witches in the city-state.
If the society’s sisters were being harmed, Cecia might truly be furious, but obviously falling out would only make the situation worse.
The witch bowed her head in silence, suddenly saying nothing more.
Funis hesitated, but finally reached out and grabbed the corner of Cecia’s skirt, tugging gently. “Witch Miss, you still have me…” she said softly. “I’ll go find Moira and get to the bottom of this. I’ll bring Moira back to the Golden Rose…”
A blade as brilliant and dazzling as crystal on the chaotic chessboard.
She would be beyond everyone’s expectations.
She made up her mind.
But at this moment, Cecia dropped her comb and suddenly turned to hold Funis tightly—not with affection or romantic love, just a simple embrace. The cold, black-haired girl was now soft and warm.
“Just for a moment.” She said.
She was crying.
Funis couldn’t bear to push her away, silently accepting the girl’s weight and warmth.
She had been with Cecia for a year, but had never seen the witch show such a soft side. It seemed the society’s girls were the witch’s weakness, the soft spot of this proud and cold woman.
Something was stirring restlessly in her heart.
Funis didn’t understand.
It really was just a moment. Before Funis could react, Cecia had already regained her previous elegance and composure.
She smoothed every unsightly wrinkle on her black dress, took out a pair of fresh lace gloves from her blood-formed bag, as if that moment of vulnerability had never happened.
Funis certainly couldn’t bring up Moira’s matter at this time. Cecia seemed to have already defaulted to leaving this matter to her.
“As a collection of numerous dream demon essences, you should be able to activate and deactivate Charming Visage on your own, right?” Cecia gently lifted a strand of pink hair from Funis’s shoulder. “Honestly, by dream demon moral standards, maintaining this appearance is quite improper. In front of me, you look like—”
Funis seemed to realize what Cecia was about to say. She turned around and covered her face with her hair. “Don’t say it, please! I can’t very well show my horns in front of Charlotte…”
“Do as you please. Just remember to return to normal when you come back to the Golden Rose.” Cecia was amused. She patted Funis’s head. “When are you planning to come back for a visit? Or do you want to continue playing the little girl and throwing yourself into your daughter’s arms to act spoiled?”
“Wha… act spoiled? I… I absolutely did not…”
“Charlotte-nee-san~ They’re all bad women~” Cecia deliberately pinched her voice to imitate Funis’s tone from before. The corners of her mouth were curved so high they nearly reached the sky. “Hmm? Which little cutie said that? Don’t tell me you don’t know.”
“You were watching the whole time! From when did it start? How did you manage it?” Funis covered her face and wailed.
“When did it start? While that blonde girl was out, you were still sleeping soundly.” Cecia grinned mischievously. She patted the seat beside her, indicating for Funis to come over. “Little cake, sit properly. If you don’t want to dirty your dress, lift it up.”
Funis sat back beside Cecia with an uneasy heart, tremblingly lifting her skirt as requested.
Cecia raised her hand with palm slightly curved, like some desert tribe’s snake-charming gesture.
“Mmgh♡—!”
A violent stirring, completely unexpected.
Funis immediately felt her mind go blank. Something thin and long seemed to emerge from under her stockings, following her lower abdomen’s curves, leaving a sticky, wet stain on the white silk.
When she came to her senses, she saw a small crimson snake formed from blood coiled around Cecia’s fingers.
“You put this thing inside… How could you…” Funis could hardly believe it. She was both embarrassed and angry, unable to complete her sentences.
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? I didn’t break anything, so relax.” Cecia was nonchalant.
“I wasn’t worried about that… No, actually I was a bit worried? Ahhh! What am I even saying!” Funis covered her face and wailed again.