“Master Mentor, aren’t you worried about William pulling tricks behind your back?”

After returning home, Movila asked.

She had seen everything that happened outside just now and understood clearly that Loren’s position wasn’t untouchable either. There would always be people who couldn’t read the room and tried to make things difficult for him, though in the end, they only accomplished nothing.

But even so, it was still troublesome, especially since William wielded such power.

“It’s fine. William is a smart man. He wouldn’t do anything that stupid.”

Maybe William had no integrity, but his brains were definitely intact.

“That’s good to hear. I was planning to assassinate him anyway.”

“Aren’t you being a little extreme…”

“Are you saying I should kill his entire family instead?”

Through their time together, Loren’s mindset had deeply influenced the Witches, to the point where they had developed these kinds of thoughts.

“His family is too big. Killing them one by one would take forever. That’s when you need other methods…

“Sometimes, letting the Church handle things is much more convenient than doing it ourselves.”

That was precisely why Loren had become so skilled at pinning blame.

“We need to learn how to pin blame. Of course, this trick only works for now. It’ll be much harder to pull off later.”

Loren sat in the living room, talking with Movila. Soon after, Seraphina brought him a glass of water, constantly monitoring his condition to provide the most timely service.

After thanking Seraphina, Loren held his teacup and asked about what had happened at home while he was away:

“Did anyone come looking for me while I was gone?”

Loren knew well that since he had just arrived in the Nofica Theocracy, plenty of people would want to curry favor with him. He was already used to it.

“Quite a few. The local Bishop came to see you, Headmaster Casper also visited, and various nobles whose names I couldn’t remember.

“Oh, right, Casper came several times. I’d say he’ll probably be back soon…”

“That’s perfect. The more eager he is, the more we should drag our feet. That way, we can get a better deal.”

Loren understood this principle well. The more he wanted something, the more he pretended not to care, so much so that most of the time, he got what he wanted while others thought he was helping them the whole time.

Movila nodded. She always kept Loren’s words in mind.

“Someone’s coming.”

During their conversation, Movila suddenly said this.

“Is it Casper?”

Loren stood up, planning to open the door.

“No. It’s a stranger wearing a black robe… Coming alone.”

Hearing it wasn’t Casper, Loren sat back down. He had originally planned to open the door the moment Casper knocked, just to mess with him a little.

But since it wasn’t Casper, Loren couldn’t be bothered.

“Coming alone? That’s a bit odd…”

Nobles never visited Loren alone—otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to carry all their gifts.

After the knock came, Loren finally got up to open the door. Outside stood a man who looked perfectly ordinary, someone you could never pick out in a crowd.

And he hadn’t brought any gifts.

Everything suggested he was a commoner. Nobles generally didn’t wear black robes; black robes were the standard attire for commoner Mages.

“Master Mentor… may the God of Bountiful Harvest bless you…”

Seeing Loren personally open the door, the man was flattered and bowed his head respectfully in greeting.

“What do you want?”

Loren cut straight to the chase. Dealing with a commoner, Loren had a bit more patience than when facing nobles. To maintain his persona, he would sometimes lend a hand to commoners if it was convenient.

But that was only if it was convenient. There was no way he would waste much effort.

“Master Mentor, my name is Evan. I’m a commoner Mage…”

“Cut the crap. Get to the point.”

A few sentences in, and Loren’s patience had already plummeted. What commoner Mage introduced himself by saying he was a commoner Mage?

Since he emphasized it so much, it meant he had some agenda. He knew Loren was kind to commoners, so he said that on purpose.

Loren had already made up his mind—no matter what request he made, he would kick him out.

“My mother is dying. You’re the only one in this world who can save her…”

“Oh? Why? Let’s hear it.”

To gain Loren’s trust, he was even willing to use his mother as a sacrifice. That piqued Loren’s interest, so he decided to hear him out.

“I have several younger siblings. When I was very young, my father died—killed by a Witch during a Witch hunt…”

“Do you think I have all the time in the world?”

Seeing Evan try to play the sympathy card with a sob story, even pinning blame on the Witches, Loren’s last shred of patience ran out. His tone turned harsh.

If his story was true, it only proved his father was no good in the first place, someone who drove a Witch to kill.

Besides, Loren could tell what he was trying to imply. He knew Loren was loyal to the Church, which meant he must hate Witches. So, his father’s death at a Witch’s hands would supposedly earn Loren’s respect. In short, he was still trying to milk Loren for sympathy.

By now, Evan knew Loren had run out of patience, so he had to start talking business:

“Here’s the thing. After my father died, my mother was also targeted by the Witch’s revenge. Her lifespan was drained, and now she’s on the verge of death…”

“So, you want the Ember Radiance?”

Now Loren finally understood Evan’s goal. He had spun all those elaborate stories just to get the Ember Radiance.

He had to admit, his story was pretty well-crafted. Lifespan-draining abilities were rare, and the Witches’ Arcane Ability was the most bizarre and unpredictable, so having such an effect wasn’t surprising. That was exactly why Witches were the perfect scapegoats.

Hearing Loren’s words, Evan’s eyes lit up, and he nodded frantically:

“Yes… that’s the only way to save my mother…

“As long as you give me the Ember Radiance, I’ll meet any condition you set. To be honest, I’m a Mage with some real strength. Whatever the King of Gedlan can give you, I’ll work my hardest to provide…”

“Are you done? Then get the hell out.”

Loren didn’t bother with more words. He kicked Evan right in the gut, and before he could get up, Loren stomped on his face, sending him rolling backward.

From start to finish, the man had been trying to trick Loren into sympathy, all for the Ember Radiance.

Seeing Loren suddenly attack, the Scarecrows stationed nearby rushed over. But they didn’t stop Loren; they just waited for his next order.

“Beat him.”

Loren only said two words, and the Scarecrows immediately surrounded Evan, beating him to a pulp.

“For the first time, I feel this world is beautiful…”

For some reason, Loren felt a wave of relief wash over him.

If he were still in the world he once lived in, he probably wouldn’t be able to say a single “no.” If he hesitated even a moment, a bunch of people would twist his words, fabricate rumors, and drive him into complete disgrace. That was exactly what had happened to him before.

But now, Loren could do whatever he wanted. If someone dared to question him, he could just pin a charge on them and throw them in jail. Even if he had actually made a mistake, it didn’t matter.