Chapter 42 The Iris Witch

[Vivienne's sudden appearance left the mages on the scene utterly stunned.]

[However, they quickly recovered their composure.]

[Their gazes directed at Vivienne were soon filled with undisguised contempt.]

[Vivienne's age and aura could not be faked.]

[A mere novice was nothing more than an ant in the palm of their hands to them.]

[Realizing the danger of Vivienne's arrival, Hetty dismissed her own severe injuries and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Run! Get out of here!"]

[Before she could even finish her sentence, a massive boulder plummeted from the sky, pinning Hetty heavily beneath it.]

[Hetty let out a muffled groan of agony, yet she still urged Vivienne to flee with a faint voice.]

[These enemies were vastly different from the mercenaries of last time; they were opponents Vivienne could by no means match.]

[Seeing Hetty bullied to such an extent, Vivienne took a slight step backward.]

[“Are you planning to run?” You noticed Vivienne’s movement.]

[“Can you freeze them?” Vivienne asked in return.]

[Knowing full well that she was no match for these mages, Vivienne had indeed entertained the thought of fleeing for a few seconds.]

[Yet, looking at Hetty pinned beneath the colossal boulder, Vivienne’s resolve gradually hardened.]

[Vivienne would never abandon her friends.]

[“Freezing them should be no problem…”]

[Vivienne charged forward directly.]

[“What the hell! Wait until I finish speaking!” You grabbed Vivienne’s shoulder strap in speechless exasperation.]

[Vivienne drank a bottle of potion.]

[Pink flames instantly surged into the sky.]

[This overwhelming aura instantly eclipsed the surrounding firelight.]

[The group of mages who had been preparing to mock Vivienne were dumbfounded by this sight.]

[Yet, before they could make a move, a faint red glow flickered across their bodies.]

[In that split second, they lost control of their own bodies.]

[Seizing this opportunity, Vivienne chanted an incantation.]

[A powerful tempest roared outward with her at its center, blowing the heavy stone off Hetty.]

[Helping the heavily wounded Hetty up from the ground, Vivienne raised her head and glared at the surrounding enemies.]

[Take this chance to finish them all off right now!]

[Vivienne understood the principle of pressing the attack while holding the momentum.]

[However, at that very moment, the sin and punishment you had bestowed upon these individuals suddenly vanished.]

[With a stirring in your heart, you heard a languid voice echo from not far away.]

[“The sin and punishment of absolute authority… I never expected to encounter it here.”]

[A figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees.]

[An alluring posture paired with seductive black silk stockings appeared even more enchanting under the flickering firelight.]

[Cella Zeca.]

[The Iris Witch.]

[She had used your ability to sever the shackles of sin and punishment.]

Damn it! Why did an Iris Witch suddenly show up out of nowhere?

Regardless of anything else, judging by her action of releasing those mages from the sin and punishment, the newcomer meant no good!

Putting aside the relationship between Cella and Wiegraf, Ron's top priority right now was to get Vivienne away from this place.

[You decisively opened the Gospel of Suffering.]

[Accompanied by the turning of the pages, you teleported away from this place, taking Vivienne and Hetty with you.]

[Running away is shameful, but it works.]

[As long as one stays alive, everything else is negotiable.]

[As the teleportation light faded, you returned to Wiegraf's mage tower.]

[You landed steadily on top of Vivienne's head, only to freeze when you saw Wiegraf changing her clothes right in front of you.]

What the hell! Why does this skill teleport people right into Wiegraf's bedroom?

Ron's lips twitched slightly, completely at a loss for how to evaluate this.

[Vivienne finally recovered from her momentary trance, and the moment she looked up, she saw Wiegraf wearing very little clothing.]

[You almost instantly leaped off Vivienne's head.]

[She opened her mouth, just about to make a comment, when Wiegraf’s staff struck Vivienne squarely on the head.]

[“Ow~!” Wiegraf winced in pain, clutching her head as she rolled continuously on the floor.]

[Wiegraf elegantly finished dressing and gazed down at Hetty, who had already passed out on the ground.]

[“The Gospel of Suffering…” Wiegraf raised her staff and cast a healing spell on Hetty. “You’d better explain this to me, Vivienne.”]

[The ability Vivienne had just used belonged to her.]

[If it were any other kind of magic, it could perhaps be excused by Vivienne being an innate prodigy.]

[However, this was the remnant soul ability of the Mad Demon King.]

[The only thing that could allow someone else to replicate this power was the lingering soul force of the Mad Demon King.]

[At this point, you knew your existence could no longer be concealed.]

[You strolled leisurely in front of Wiegraf: “We ran into the Iris Witch.”]

[Wiegraf paused for a fraction of a second, then crouched down to gaze closely at you.]

[You looked straight into Wiegraf's eyes...]

[Well, your direct gaze only allowed you to see beneath Wiegraf's skirt.]

[Silently, you raised your head to meet Wiegraf's eyes.]

[“The Iris Witch, you say?” Wiegraf smiled brightly.]

[The Iris Witch never voluntarily revealed her identity.]

[Since you knew the other party was the Iris Witch, it meant you could see her name and identity.]

[Is this the power of the Demon King’s Eyes?]

[As far as I know, the power of the Demon King’s Eyes has never resided within a remnant soul; only the true consciousness of the Mad Demon King possesses this ability.]

[Am I right?]

[Ron Brand.]

[Though Wiegraf did not utter a single word out loud, her inner dialogue with you was already complete.]

[You clearly perceived every single thought in Wiegraf's mind.]

Ron was equally shocked by Wiegraf's remarks.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that Wiegraf could deduce his true identity merely from a single sentence.

Damn it! He had been away from this world for too long, completely forgetting that brilliant minds were everywhere here.

Just as Ron was about to feel a sense of helpless resignation over his identity being exposed, a suspicious detail struck him.

He had awakened from inside Vivienne's necklace.

Yet Vivienne's necklace was a gift given to her by Wiegraf.

As the Iris Witch, Wiegraf should not have been ignorant of the fact that this necklace carried auras related to the Demon King.

Perhaps Wiegraf had already known something beforehand, which was why she could so quickly deduce his true identity from the loophole in his single remark!

Just how much does this woman actually know!

[You narrowed your eyes and looked at Wiegraf.]

[By this time, Wiegraf had already stood up and walked over to examine Hetty's injuries.]

[A faint, almost imperceptible white light emanated from her body.]

[This radiance blocked your line of sight.]

[You could no longer peer into Wiegraf's thoughts.]

[You were extremely familiar with this magic.]

[“The Saint's Temperance.”]

[This was magic Melia had specifically developed to counter you.]

Damn it!

How on earth does this woman know Melia's magic too?

Where is Vivienne? Hurry up and burn this away with your Incinerating Flames! This magic disappears the moment it's burned!

Ron felt a bitter anguish in his heart, bordering on exasperation.

Wait!

Melia's magic... isn't it supposed to be something only she herself can use?

At this thought, Ron removed the stabilizer almost without a moment's hesitation.

As the stabilizer was removed, the imagery of the spirit realm once again clearly floated before Ron's eyes.

Wiegraf's bedroom was exceptionally austere, devoid of any elaborate decorations.

Ron looked at Wiegraf.

She wore a simple mage robe and held an exquisite crystal staff in her hand.

Light red hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall.

A faint, gentle smile graced her delicate, snow-white face.

She felt a genuine sense of joy from saving a life.

Wiegraf noticed your prying gaze.

She looked directly at you.

Ron thought Wiegraf's face looked quite familiar, bearing a certain resemblance to Melia.

However, he couldn't be entirely sure.

He needed to check her chest...

He was much more familiar with that; he would recognize it at a single glance.