Chapter 303: Traces of the Witch Coven (5K)

"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something strange?"

Herbert smiled warmly at Elisabeth, rubbing his fingers together and making a coin gesture.

"Had a good time? Pay up."

"Didn't have a good time? Still pay up."

"Honest business, fair to all, young and old."

"Young Lady, you've already admitted you had a good time—surely you won't deny your debt?"

The logic made sense, but… why did it sound so unseemly?

"Uh…"

Elisabeth blinked rapidly, choosing her words carefully, and asked hesitantly and obliquely: "Does your phrasing sound like something a… uh, certain kind of 'Joy Seeker' would say?"

As a civilized person, Elisabeth was at a disadvantage.

Her vocabulary wasn't so crude—she had replaced certain unspeakable professions with a subset of followers of a certain goddess.

Joy Seekers: a euphemism for followers of the Goddess of Love, more specifically referring to those willing to sell their bodies for gain.

Hmm, in other words—those who understand, understand.

"Oh? Young Lady Elisabeth, I didn't know you spoke so crudely!"

Herbert smiled, sitting naturally beside Elisabeth, tilting his head: "Where do I look like a follower of the Goddess of Love? I don't feel nearly as free as Her devotees."

Me? A follower of the Goddess of Love?

Don't be ridiculous.

"Not like? I don't think I said anything wrong."

The vampire lady, unsettled by Herbert's confident expression, had almost handed him the money—then paused, wary, and studied him again.

That nose, those eyes, that mouth, that aura… the more she looked, the more it fit!

He'd done it on purpose!

Though Herbert fiercely denied it, Elisabeth grew more convinced she was right.

This fellow was exactly the type most favored by the Goddess of Love.

And the Goddess of Love was a deity of considerable weight.

【Goddess of Love and Joy · Berthela】

As a mid-tier deity with a wildly chaotic nature, the Goddess of Love cherished freedom, especially the freedom to enjoy pleasure.

This was evident in how She encouraged Her followers to pursue true love, regardless of race, gender, or status.

Her devotees mirrored Her perfectly, inheriting this trait flawlessly—each one was wildly unrestrained in physical contact.

This gave certain individuals, driven by various reasons to sell their worth, an excuse.

They cloaked themselves in the name of the Goddess of Love—or were genuine shallow devotees—and, under the title of "Joy Seekers," engaged in brief, intense, costly, and exhausting encounters with customers.

In hours or minutes, they enacted moving tales of love and parting.

By the way, though free and unrestrained, the Goddess of Love was not an evil deity.

Though chaotic in conduct, Her nature leaned toward kindness, and She sometimes acted to protect love.

For instance, turning a count who forced others into marriage into a rutting elk, then letting his hunting dogs chase him throughout the entire mating season.

Or transforming those who coerced others into hideous, festering monsters who could not die.

Her followers were mostly the same.

They held to moral boundaries on major matters, but in daily life were often reckless, frivolous, and obsessed with excessive physical and spiritual freedom.

Elisabeth's words, if slightly rephrased, were calling Herbert a total cad.

Herbert, of course, could not admit to such a malicious evaluation.

Could you say that?

No!

Never say anything that harms unity—even if you die, don't say it!

Even if it's true, you still can't say it… no, this isn't even true!

This is slander!

I'm all about pure love!

【"Hey, do you really believe that?"】 A jester god poked his head in, asking suddenly.

Though betrayed by an ally, Herbert remained unmoved, calmly ignoring him.

"Stop wasting words. I say it's true, so it's true—just don't ask."

"Say another word, and I won't talk to you anymore."

【"Fine fine, as long as you're happy~"】

After successfully "convincing" himself and his ally, Herbert nodded seriously: "Yes, what I said is perfectly fine. You're overthinking it. No, it's your mind that's dirty."

Elisabeth:?

"Huh? Me?"

Am I the dirty one?!

Wait, really?

Herbert nodded, feigning nonchalance: "I don't know what you're imagining, but what I just said was simply asking you to hand over the wealth you looted from that pseudo-legendary nest."

Before handing the tavern to Elisabeth for venting, Herbert had merely looted a few merchants' wealth and given it all to Lord Fa Ao and the others for their path forward.

But in truth, that wasn't everything.

The merchants had indeed brought considerable wealth, planning to make lavish purchases in the shadowy region.

But that wasn't their entire fortune—even the rich among them had limited means.

And the real windfall from this camp came from that fake Ragebringer.

He had occupied this place for centuries, siphoning off countless layers of profit from slave traders.

"Oh, you mean that?"

Elizabeth suddenly understood—she finally knew what Herbert meant—and then firmly shook her head: "No money. If you're looking for money, there's none left."

"Hm?"

Herbert blinked, surprised, glancing at Elizabeth.

You little thing, you actually tried to keep it all for yourself?

You've learned to rebel.

This is truly… impressive!

But one thing at a time—Herbert truly couldn't let her succeed in embezzling this.

Elizabeth, I really have to punish you, don't I?

As Herbert pondered how to make Elizabeth understand who the real master was, the unaware vampire lady continued:

"There's not a single coin or jewel in the underground chamber. That guy must've been stuck at high rank for so long—he traded all his wealth for breakthrough resources."

Pseudo-legendary?

In the eyes of a powerhouse like Elizabeth, the artificial concept of "pseudo" didn't exist.

To her, that guy was merely a slightly stronger high-rank demon-blooded warrior.

Speaking of which, she couldn't help sneering: "But he was utterly brainless—somehow manipulated into thinking he could advance through such a stupid method. What an ignorant fool."

Seeing Elizabeth's contempt, Herbert blinked, curious: "So what exactly did he do?"

Hmph.

The vampire lady sneered: "He piled the chamber full of demonic materials—low, mid, high, even broken horns from legendary Flame Demons!"

"That Bai Chi seemed to plan on creating a perfect demonic bloodline through this, to break through… ha, what a dream."

At this, Herbert fully understood.

Wow, that Gorn really dared to dream.

A perfect demonic bloodline—a fantasy bloodline—even the most powerful demon lords of the Abyss wouldn't dare hope for.

How could a half-baked wannabe, not even legendary, dare to dream this?

Herbert rubbed his chin, muttering: "So he spent all his savings, paying exorbitant prices to acquire these materials, just to cross into legend?"

"Probably."

Elizabeth nodded and asked: "I didn't take any of it—all still down there. Should I fetch it for you?"

Though the demonic materials could be sold for money, they were useless to Elizabeth—she hadn't even touched them, disdainfully leaving them buried underground.

Demonic materials were indeed expensive; such rare, forbidden substances always commanded high prices on the black market.

To obtain demonic materials, ordinary people either had to venture into the Abyss to hunt them down, or perform special forbidden rituals to summon them.

And summoning demons—no matter the era—was a crime punishable by death at the hands of the True Gods' churches.

"Sigh…"

Herbert sighed regretfully, rubbing his temples and shaking his head: "Forget it. Since you didn't take it, let it stay buried forever."

Demonic materials were valuable to evil-aligned practitioners—but for a Holy Knight like Herbert? Not much use—bullshit.

Herbert was a Holy Knight—but was he an ordinary Holy Knight?

He outwardly went by "Holy Knight," but in truth, he was secretly a Miss Xie Shen Alliance ally!

"Nie Nasha, are you done?" Herbert asked softly in his mind.

【"Mm-hmm, all packed up—there's quite a variety~"】

As soon as Elizabeth mentioned the demonic materials, Nie Nasha had already let her shadow tentacles sink beneath the ground, devouring every last one from the chamber.

Others needed complex rituals and procedures to handle this pile—but for Nie Nasha, it was ridiculously simple.

Step one: pack it up.

Step two: let the dear ally (tool) take a bite.

【"I've stored all the materials. Just find a time later to bite each one."】

"Wait, I really have to bite them?"

【"Your call~ But the effect is definitely better after you bite them~"】

"... Tch."

Herbert's lips twitched slightly—he really didn't want to bite them himself.

The taste was that sour and wild—only those who ate it would know.

Moreover, Herbert seriously suspected that Nie Nasha's claim of "doubled absorption after biting" was just an excuse to amuse herself at his expense.

"Ugh!"

Reluctantly, he bit his lip, adding another line to his mental ledger against Nie Nasha.

You wait.

You're making me eat this garbage now, are you?

Fine—I'll make sure you eat something you absolutely hate later!

We'll see about that.

Thirty years on the west bank, thirty years on the east—don't you dare…

【"By the way, Herbert, there's another interesting thing in that chamber—you should take a look."】

"Hm?"

Herbert's mind stirred, and a peculiar image appeared before his eyes.

It was a slightly torn, repeatedly handled sheet of yellow paper, bearing the words "Perfect Bloodline Elixir."

The text detailed how to extract bloodlines from various demonic materials, fuse them together, and ultimately produce the "Perfect Bloodline Elixir."

Yes, this was the origin of Gorn's entire tragedy.

He had wasted countless years on this thing, finally collapsing at the threshold of Legend, stuck in an awkward limbo—neither ascending nor descending.

But the scroll's content was not what Herbert cared about; it was just like health supplements sold to middle-aged and elderly people—nothing but exaggeration, no real effect.

What truly caught his attention was the signature in the lower-right corner.

"Northern Witch Mutual Aid Alliance, Senior Alchemist..."

The name had been deliberately erased; no one knew if it was Gorn's doing or the alchemist's own.

But even ignoring that irrelevant name, the alliance itself made Herbert sigh and shake his head.

"Again, the Witch Covenant."

Herbert looked at the familiar emblem and couldn't help laughing: "You really are everywhere, aren't you?"

"We really are fated to meet!"

In Frostcrystal, the Witch Covenant's Grand Master had meddled, plunging the entire kingdom into chaos.

And during the last failed Morl family prison break, traces of the Witch Covenant had appeared, helping them "pierce" the barrier.

Now, in the Shadowlands, he was seeing yet another victim of the Witch Covenant's fake formulas.

"You're here, you're there… are you cockroaches? How are you everywhere?" Herbert muttered.

Helpful warm tip—when you find one cockroach in your home, they've already infested every corner!

【"How's that? Feeling more pressure now, facing such a colossal force?"】 the deity whispered playfully in his ear.

"Hmph."

Herbert stood, stretched, and let out a soft hum.

"First, I'm not opposing the Witch Covenant—I only had a minor friction with one Grand Master, and it has nothing to do with anyone else—let alone the fact that I'm the only one holding a grudge; they don't even know my thoughts."

Herbert held a grudge, planning to give Grand Master Fain a "surprise" someday, but the other side certainly wouldn't care about a mere "novice high-ranker" like him.

Compared to Herbert, this boy who had left Frostcrystal, Fain cared far more about his rival, Reinhardt.

"Second, even if we eventually turn this little feud public, so what?"

"It's just a loose coalition formed for mutual comfort—no unity among the Gao Ta, even mutual enmity between them."

The Witch Covenant's scale is indeed large; their traces span everywhere, their power formidable.

But big organizations have advantages—and the same disadvantages: factionalism.

The more people, the more cliques, the harder it is to form a solid block.

"Unless I threaten the entire Witch Covenant, why would they ever unite against me?"

I, Herbert, am no world-ending demon—why would they watch me with such caution?

The boy chuckled softly: "Even if they all came at me, aren't you still here?"

"When that day comes, my dear deity, you wouldn't just stand by and let your favorite ally die, would you?"

If they try to kill me, you won't just sit there, right?

【"Aha ha~ That's not so certain! Maybe I actually like seeing you covered in wounds?"】

The deity gave a low, ambiguous laugh, teasing: 【"Of course, if you showed a little sincerity, things would be different."】

Herbert shrugged, smirking: "You? You wouldn't dare."

【"Haha, maybe~"】

【"Also, you could be a bit more confident! Right now, you're stronger than you think."】

The deity chuckled at the answer, a laugh that revealed no true intent, then gradually fell silent.

He needed time to digest it.

The previous faith energy, plus these materials, could restore His power slightly.

Oh, by the way—each material must leave Herbert a taste, so he can savor it properly~

He wouldn't dare let him miss out on this flavor~

…

"Stronger?"

Herbert pondered Nie Nasha's final words, his brow slightly furrowed.

She wasn't referring to his previous crushing of slaves—strength disparity over the weak meant nothing.

Then what did she mean?

Who should I compare my strength to?

Legend?

I'm not sure I could beat one…

"Hey, why did you suddenly go quiet?"

Elisa's uneasy voice interrupted Herbert's "daydreaming."

"Hm?"

Herbert turned his head and was surprised to see her still sitting cross-legged amid the crimson flowers.

Though her entire body radiated a terrifying blood-soaked aura, her expression betrayed a hint of unease.

"Um… are you mad?"

Elisa cautiously observed Herbert's expression, asking uncertainly: "I really wasn't deliberately insulting you…"

She paused, then couldn't bring herself to lie, and corrected: "Well… just a little. Just a tiny bit."

Just a tiny bit!

She looked at Herbert's still-frowning expression, pouted her lips, and said:

"Aiya! Don't be so petty, will you? It was just a joke, wasn't it? How did you treat me before? I didn't even get angry over it…"

You treated me like that, and I didn't even hold it against you.

You petty Holy Knight!

Stingy!

Elisa had originally wanted to persuade Herbert not to be angry, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and the more she felt she'd gotten the short end of the stick.

Her voice grew smaller and smaller, until at last she puffed out her cheeks in a huff, folded her arms, turned her head aside, and simply shut her eyes, refusing to look at this stingy man any longer.

"Hmph!"

Of course, whether Elisa ultimately "couldn't get angry" or "didn't want to get angry" is still open to debate, but she really wasn't the type to hold grudges.

Herbert, meanwhile, stared blankly at the vampire getting angry all on her own, and blinked.

What on earth are you making a fuss about?

Staring at the young vampire lady's little expressions, Herbert suddenly had a flash of insight and nodded vigorously as if enlightened.

Herbert: "Ah!"

I get it now!

Elisa: "Ah?"

What are you "ah"-ing about?

Just as she was puzzling over it, about to open her eyes and sneak a peek at Herbert, she felt a wave of heat wash over her.

He's coming over?

Is he going to apologize?

Or… eh!?

While Elisa was still guessing, she suddenly felt her body grow light as she was scooped straight up off the ground in a princess carry.

Eh???

"Y-you let…"

She snapped her eyes open and saw Herbert's smiling face.

"Elisa, before I wasn't considerate of your feelings—don't be angry anymore, alright?"

Elisa:?

After the initial blankness, Elisa was utterly stunned.

An apology?

He apologized???

Eh!!?

(End of Chapter)