Chapter 83: Peiya Might Be a Witch… but It’s Also Unlikely

This guy…

Peiya clenched her fists.

Why is he so annoying?

And the worst part, she couldn’t get out right now.

If only Elise were here…

No, that’s not right. If Elise saw her like this, she would probably feel uncomfortable.

It was better this way.

At least if she stayed here and dealt with this annoying thing, Elise wouldn’t get hurt.

“Hey, you, why are you so sure I’m a witch? You have no proof. That’s just a lie.”

“Proof~” The voice suddenly became sharper, like an excited little animal, almost hurting her ears.

“I’ll ask you a few questions. If you answer them correctly, that means you are a witch. How about that?”

Peiya crossed her arms. “You expect me to do whatever you say? That’s not fair. I refuse.”

“Correct answer! That’s exactly the attitude of a Witch! As expected of you, my Witch, what a perfect response. I can only bow down to your greatness~”

What did I even answer?

“Are you making the questions based on my answers?” Peiya said. “Just tell me, what do I need to do to leave? You don’t plan to trap me here forever, right?”

She sat down on a nearby rock and moved her fingers a bit. She noticed that the bleeding tree was affecting her mind much less now.

Could her strange hunger today also be related to this thing?

She wasn’t sure, but didn’t think too much about it for now.

The biggest problem right now was this unstable, strange spirit.

It felt like the spirit was hiding some secret she hadn’t figured out yet.

“You want to leave? That’s easy, just become my beloved Witch. Such a good chance, why refuse?”

“You may want that, but I don’t. I don’t like a life where I’m controlled.”

“If you insist, then I’ll just stay here forever. Let’s see if that tree runs out of blood first, or if I die of old age.”

The cave suddenly became silent. It almost felt like the other side accepted her choice.

Or maybe it was trying to pressure her.

Most likely the second.

But if it thought that alone could make Peiya give in, it was wrong.

She didn’t like this kind of silent pressure, but she wasn’t alone anymore.

Peiya took out the Judgment Cross, cleared her throat, and started praising the sun.

“Oh great god, please open your eyes and look at this false world. Your people are suffering. Praise the sun, I am your—wait, what the—”

She suddenly stopped speaking.

In the dark cave, sunlight actually appeared.

Was it… responding?

???

She was just joking around!

At the same time, above ground—

A group of Church members in robes appeared in the sky above the Calamity Forest.

“Report! Bishop Mosier, our tracking devices have suddenly all stopped working.”

“How is that possible? Could it be followers of the sun interfering with holy light?” someone asked.

“No way. Aren’t those Sun Church people all crazy?” another said.

“Enough. All of you, be quiet.”

Mosier, with his messy beard, looked annoyed.

“Whether it’s the sun or the moon, our priority is to find the missing people.”

“Split into two teams. One stays here in the Calamity Forest.”

“The rest go back to Mount Mobier and search again. Whether alive or dead, we must find them. Understood?”

“Yes, Bishop.”

“What about the Witch? Tonight is the full moon. I’m afraid we may not find her anymore,” one priest asked.

“A newly born Witch has a strong aura. I have a way to track her.”

“As for the rest… keep your curiosity to yourself, Father Ross.”

Mosier moved the red ring on his left middle finger. On the surface of the ring, an eye appeared, and dark red liquid slowly flowed out of it.

“Yes…”

………………

Inside the cave, Peiya stood straight.

The bright “sunlight” just now had almost lit up the entire place.

Luckily, the light faded, and that annoying voice returned again.

“Why struggle so much? But I must say, I’m surprised, you actually brought holy light in here. What are you, human or something else?”

“Why do you also like asking that question?”

“Just curious~ After all, if you plan to stay here and wait to die, you’ll get bored if I don’t talk with you, right?”

“......”

This guy really wouldn’t stop pushing her.

Peiya didn’t rush. She just dragged things out with him.

“So what? If I don’t become a witch, are you going to attack me?”

“Of course not. But, my Witch, you are as lively as ever. May I ask why you are so strong?”

“Are you some kind of broken machine? You keep repeating the same lines. Fine, what if I decide to kill myself and offer myself as a sacrifice to the Witch? Would you stop me?”

“No. I will always follow the Witch’s choice.”

That answer sounded very serious.

Peiya suddenly smiled.

“Alright then. I order you, stop me from becoming a Witch.”

The shadow paused for a moment, then said quietly,

“My lord… why are you making things difficult for yourself? You weren’t like this before.”

“The person you’re talking about isn’t me,” Peiya said calmly. “I’m Peiya. A Witch is a Witch. We are not the same. Peiya might become a Witch… but Peiya being a Witch? That’s unlikely.”

The shadow froze for a long time, clearly confused.

Did she admit it… or not?

“My lord… can I make another request?”

“What is it? If it’s too much, then no,” Peiya said, sitting on a rock with one leg crossed, looking completely relaxed.

“Please take the Moon Tree with you. That tree.”

“Why should I take it? It doesn’t benefit me at all. No thanks.”

“But if the Church finds it, you will be in danger. If you take it, you will be able to control the Witch’s Heart freely.”

“Really? I don’t believe you. And what is this ‘Witch’s Heart’? Explain it clearly.”

Peiya blinked, looking innocent.

“My lord, please stop pretending. If you ever want to talk with me again, just send your magic into the Moon Tree. Right now, I can sense Church members getting closer. They will notice my energy soon. For your safety, I will leave for now. If you have questions, you can ask that foolish bear outside. Call him ‘Babul,’ and he will behave. But think carefully before calling him, I’m afraid you might scare him to death.”

The shadow laughed strangely, then slowly disappeared.

The cave became quiet again.

Without someone to argue with, Peiya suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.

The vines around her also withdrew.

She walked toward the Moon Tree and found that it could actually be taken away.

The bleeding tree shrank into a small sapling and floated in her palm. When she closed her hand, it turned into a mark on her skin.

Thankfully, the voice hadn’t lied, the Witch’s Heart was still asleep, just like before.

Thinking about what the shadow said, Peiya didn’t waste any time.

The Church members would probably arrive soon.

If they discovered the Judgment Cross in her hands, things would become even more troublesome.

After sorting this out, Peiya quickly walked out of the narrow cave.

Looking down at the Ice Bear King, who was starting to lose ground, she cleared her throat and said,