"Children, I brought back some sweets. Come out and eat."

In the bedroom, Naclis heard Loren's call, but she didn't move. It wasn't until her Reflection appeared behind her that she reacted.

"Aren't you going down to see? These are sweets the Master Mentor and I bought. Oh, by the way, I also told the Master Mentor that you actually have a sweet tooth."

"You!"

Naclis had been taking a hands-off approach with her Reflection lately, letting it do whatever it wanted. But this time, the Reflection's actions had crossed a line, touching a nerve Naclis couldn't ignore, making her inevitably flare up in anger.

"Don't be angry... I went out with the Master Mentor as you. My progress in one afternoon surpassed your progress over twelve years. If you go down and hug him now, he wouldn't even find it too strange."

As she spoke, Reflection Naclis hugged her own shoulders, revealing a look of intoxication.

"The Master Mentor is really so gentle, no wonder you like him so much. Just thinking about the feeling of our fingers intertwining makes me feel like my body is about to melt..."

Naclis didn't want to listen to her Reflection anymore. She slammed the door and stormed out.

After leaving the room, Naclis leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths to adjust her mindset, transforming back into her usual ice-cold demeanor. Only then did she walk over to Loren's side.

Seeing Naclis arrive, Loren specifically picked out a dessert and placed it in front of her.

"This is the dessert your Reflection ordered at the time. I thought you'd probably like this too, so I packed one for you."

After spending so much time together day and night, Loren couldn't possibly fail to distinguish between Naclis and her Reflection.

Naclis looked up and saw Loren's smile, and she couldn't help but smile back.

So, the Master Mentor going out alone with the Reflection was simply because he wanted to understand her better. Naclis couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in her heart.

The others also gathered around the dining table, creating a scene of harmonious joy.

"Master, while you were away, someone from the Church came looking for you. They hope you can visit the Church when you return, as there is a very important matter."

During the meal, Seraphina suddenly reported this to Loren, but Loren didn't pay it much mind.

"Visit my foot. What status does he have to make me go to him? Also, if they didn't wait at my doorstep until I returned, then the matter isn't important enough."

Loren was always kind to commoners but arrogant towards high-ranking officials.

Commoners could be casual when meeting Loren, not needing excessive respect—a little respect was enough—and Loren would politely return the greeting. But high officials meeting Loren had to be utterly reverent.

"That person must be from somewhere else, right? Daring to treat me with that kind of attitude."

The Bishop and the Church in the Royal Capital of Gedlan knew Loren and wouldn't treat him with such an attitude. Therefore, Loren deduced the person was an outsider.

"Is it someone from the Nofica Theocracy?"

Loren's speculation was reasonable. The Nofica Theocracy, as the most powerful country within the God of Bountiful Harvest's territory, housed the headquarters of the Bountiful Church. It was normal for them to look down on people from small places.

Furthermore, the biggest recent event happened in the Nofica Theocracy. If it was truly about something major, it could only be someone from the Nofica Theocracy coming to seek Loren's help.

He just clearly hadn't realized one thing: saying Loren's status was roughly equivalent to the Pope was actually an understatement, and the Pope referred to here was the Pope of the Bountiful Church headquarters.

"Yes, she is a Bishop from the Nofica Theocracy, a middle-aged woman."

"Then it's even more inconsequential. Just a Bishop."

Loren didn't take this matter to heart. If something really happened in the Royal Capital of Gedlan, it couldn't be hidden from Loren. The Church would definitely be more anxious than Loren. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Loren spent the rest of the time sitting at home. Sure enough, in the evening, the people from the Church finally couldn't hold back any longer.

The visitor was the middle-aged woman Seraphina had mentioned earlier. Her face was stern, her slightly round face bearing some wrinkles. Her eyes behind glasses were rather small, her nose tip was rounded, and her lips were thin.

Upon seeing Loren, her expression suddenly became obsequious.

"Master Mentor, my name is Kolanda Meyer. I've long heard of your great reputation..."

Loren guessed she had probably met with the Bishop and Pope of the Gedlan Kingdom during this time, understanding Loren's true worth. That's why her attitude had changed so drastically now.

Kolanda extended her hand, wanting to shake hands with Loren, but Loren clearly had no intention of humoring her.

"What is the matter?"

After being rebuffed by Loren, Kolanda awkwardly withdrew her hand and began to explain.

"It's like this. Witches have appeared in Gedlan. They have already slaughtered many people. We hope to receive your assistance..."

Hearing the word "witches," the witches behind Loren immediately grew tense, lowering their heads one after another, afraid their identities would be discovered and thus implicate Loren.

"Are there really witches? Or are you so incompetent that you can't investigate anything and just want to shift the blame onto witches?

"What I hate most are people like you who hold positions without doing their jobs. If you can't handle being a Bishop, you can step down. Plenty of people covet your position."

Loren didn't go easy on Kolanda either, immediately launching into personal attacks.

If anyone else said this, they would likely be accused of sheltering witches. But the one speaking was Loren. Only Loren could accuse others; no one dared to accuse Loren.

"This... We haven't actually confirmed whether the culprit is a witch or not, but there is a high probability it is witches..."

"Then go investigate. So eager to shift blame."

Loren's aggressive tone had two reasons. On one hand, Loren genuinely liked witches. On the other hand, Loren truly detested this kind of blame-shifting behavior.

People in this world had almost turned witches into the source of all evil. If their lives weren't going well, they'd blame the Witch's Curse.

"......"

Kolanda was left breathless by Loren's verbal attacks, but she still struggled to maintain a smile, keeping her obsequious expression.

"That's why I came to seek your help. This matter concerns the safety of many lives. I hope you can assist."

"So, after investigating for so long, have you found any clues?"

Loren estimated that when Kolanda communicated with the Bishop, the Bishop had already told her the clues Loren had mentioned. So, he didn't bring them up again.

"The grey fog always spreads from a certain center, diffusing very evenly. So, the culprit would blend into the local area before taking action.

"Moreover, the culprit moves very quickly. They are likely alone and possess a means of rapid movement..."

"I'm not so sure about that."

Loren interrupted Kolanda's speech.

"Based on my understanding of the God of Greed, the ritual he requires wouldn't be too complicated. It could even be entirely pre-made. Remote triggering isn't impossible either."

These words directly shocked Kolanda. At this moment, she truly realized Loren's true worth.

"So... it could be like that? Then my previous line of investigation was completely wrong..."

"Nonsense. You've been trying to shift blame onto witches all along, of course you were wrong."

Loren continued to press the attack on this point.