Chapter 189: Sylph’s Fear (Part 4)
The Blissful Witch Society!
What a terrible, obscene name.
Qin Chu could practically imagine the filth and depravity within… though, the Witches inside were probably quite attractive.
Such a dreadful place deserved to be thoroughly condemned.
Speaking of which, he had three Witches around him. Perhaps they could have a little competition to see who was the strongest.
Not just Qin Chu, but the three girls beside him also understood the nature of this society and the deity it worshipped upon hearing the name.
Angelica and Norma blushed, while Sylph spat on the ground, her disgust evident.
“The Blissful Witch Society…” Qin Chu narrowed his eyes, “Where is your organization’s headquarters located?”
Suddenly, Sylph, Angelica, and even Norma turned to look at him, their gazes filled with a strange mixture of emotions.
Qin Chu was puzzled. “Why are you looking at me like that? I was almost assassinated. It’s natural for me to want to know who tried to kill me, isn’t it?”
A perfectly reasonable excuse.
Indeed, wanting to know the assassin’s origins was perfectly normal, but coming from the Hero’s mouth, it sounded a bit…odd.
“Alright, let me rephrase the question…”
“What kind of organization is the Blissful Witch Society?” Under Angelica and Norma’s gazes, Qin Chu backed down, a flicker of regret in his eyes.
Perhaps the illusions he had conjured in the assassin’s mind had terrified her, or perhaps she realized that continuing to hide was pointless.
A vast, mysterious, and terrifying organization gradually unfolded before Qin Chu.
The Blissful Witch Society was different from the Mage Association.
It was a hidden church, existing in the shadows for over a thousand years. They didn’t worship the Goddess of Holy Light or the Earth Mother Goddess, but another mysterious deity known as the Lord of Pleasure.
Its followers pursued ecstasy and sensual gratification with strangers, seeking spiritual enlightenment through hedonism.
They rejected all moral and legal constraints, indulging in extreme debauchery in the name of the Lord of Pleasure.
They would ruthlessly murder anyone who stood in their way. To pursue ultimate pleasure, they would do anything, regardless of societal norms.
The members of the Blissful Witch Society were all women, each bearing the title of “Witch.”
These Witches were different from the Witches Qin Chu understood.
Their criteria for selecting members were simple: beauty, a perfect figure, and either a high status or great strength.
Their members came from all corners of the Heavenly Continent: commoners, nobles, mages, warriors, assassins, knights… poets, artists…
The upper-class members would actively seek out lower-class believers to indulge in pleasure, while the lower-class believers found release in their shared ecstasy.
And this pleasure granted them boundless energy.
Qin Chu’s expression turned serious. This church’s influence was probably greater than he had imagined, especially in the open-minded Auville Empire, where the seeds of its beliefs could easily take root.
Among the noblewomen who had fled the Sykes Hotel last night, many were probably members of the Blissful Witch Society.
Suddenly, the woman in front of him became manic, her eyes filled with an uncontainable adoration.
“Our god has abandoned us for a thousand years…”
“But now, we have heard the call of the Lord of Pleasure once more. He hasn’t abandoned us. He will descend upon this world again and accept our worship and sacrifices.”
“And you… are the sacrifice.”
Her crazed demeanor made Qin Chu’s scalp tingle.
This woman had revealed a crucial piece of information. It wasn’t the members of the Witch Society who wanted to kill him, but the deity they worshipped, the Lord of Pleasure, who had vanished for a thousand years and now suddenly returned.
Who was this guy? He had never heard of him before.
The thought of her god seemed to give the woman boundless courage. Ignoring the pain and blood on her chest and shoulder, she writhed and trembled, the clothes fork tearing at her flesh, the pain seemingly arousing her, a strange flush appearing on her face.
“Hero…”
“Just you wait.”
“You will never know how powerful your enemy is, the blade that will slit your throat will appear from the shadows…”
Her voice, like a curse, dripped with venom.
Qin Chu’s throat twitched. “Tell me,” he demanded, “who is your leader?”
Her eyes flickered with a strange light, and just as she opened her mouth to speak, her body tensed.
A heart-shaped pattern appeared on her face, flanked by thin, branching lines that resembled feathers or wings.
These lines, as if alive, spread rapidly across her body.
The next moment, she began to tremble violently.
Intense pain contorted her face, and thumb-sized blisters, filled with a rapidly spreading liquid, appeared all over her skin.
She opened her mouth to scream, but it was too late. Only a strange, gurgling gasp escaped her throat, similar blisters appearing inside her mouth.
Then, the blisters swelled and burst, covering her in a foul-smelling mucus.
All signs of life vanished.
And that wasn’t all. Her already grotesque body began to rapidly decompose in the mucus, skin, flesh, and bone dissolving.
Within half a minute, only a puddle of slime remained.
Angelica, frightened, clutched Qin Chu’s clothes. Norma instinctively moved closer to him.
Even Sylph frowned, her face paling slightly.
With their strength, they shouldn’t be so afraid, but… this scene was too bizarre and disgusting.
It seemed that joining the Witch Society wasn’t just about pleasure. These members were all branded with a terrifying restriction. Normally, it was dormant, but if they tried to reveal any important information about the Blissful Witch Society, the restriction would activate, instantly ending their lives.
“What are you four doing here?” A sweet, clear voice suddenly came from behind them. “Huh? When did this wall appear?”
They turned and saw a petite figure in assassin’s garb and a voluptuous mage. It was Airi and Athena, who had left after breakfast.
Ekaterina could be seen a little further behind.
Athena, puzzled, saw the puddle of foul-smelling mucus in front of the earthen wall and pinched her nose in disgust, “What happened here? Why does it smell so bad?”
“Just a rat that rotted. Don’t worry about it,” Qin Chu shook his head, not explaining further.
As smart as she was, Athena knew it wasn’t just a dead rat, but she didn’t press the matter.
“By the way, Qin Chu, those four old geezers are looking for you…”
Sylph’s face fell. She had wanted to discuss further treatment with Qin Chu, but now she had to postpone it.
…
This meeting was held in the Imperial Palace.
The division of power was clearly visible.
Behind Wadsworth stood a young lady, presumably one of his daughters.
Natia stood beside Zimmerman.
Beside Augustus were Loseweisse and another girl radiating a holy aura. Qin Chu even knew her name: Shirley Raglan!
One of the new Saintess candidates of the Holy See.
Her status was equivalent to Angelica’s before. The Saintess of the Holy See wasn’t a permanent position. When they reached the age of thirty, they were no longer eligible and had to retire, replaced by a new generation.
After the current Saintess was chosen, the next generation of candidates began their training.
Loseweisse’s face showed clear displeasure, directed at Shirley Raglan beside her. In the first playthrough, Qin Chu hadn’t interacted much with Shirley. They were merely acquaintances.
This girl had died mysteriously near the end of the war against the Demon Beasts. But at that time, people were celebrating their impending victory, and her death was quickly forgotten.
Saint Monique also smiled, a woman in an earth-yellow Saintess attire beside her. This was Inas Simon, the Saintess of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess.
Her skin wasn’t as fair as Loseweisse’s, but had a slightly darker tone, which had its own unique charm.
This was another girl Qin Chu only knew by name, having had little interaction with her.
Besides these people, the other members of the Hero Squad who were in the Imperial City were also present.
Loseweisse glanced at Sylph with surprise. She sensed something was off about her companion.
The Ghost Archer seemed to have lost her usual arrogance. She was hunched over, not wearing her usual revealing leather armor, but a high-necked dress.
Loseweisse couldn’t describe the feeling… She seemed…timid?
This wasn’t like Sylph.
She wondered what had happened to her companion.
Could it be that she had been…violated by Qin Chu at the residence?
Then Loseweisse found the thought ridiculous. Although Sylph appeared elegant and gentle, her temper was even fiercer than Ekaterina’s.
If Qin Chu had dared to touch her, she would have definitely attacked him. Loseweisse was more worried that Sylph would harm Qin Chu, affecting their plan to resurrect Jie Luo.
Maybe it was just…that time of the month…
Loseweisse dismissed the thought.
Sylph, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. Loseweisse’s gaze had made her extremely uncomfortable.
Perhaps because of the strange marks on her body, Sylph felt that everyone in the hall was looking at her with suspicion. She felt uneasy, as if she might transform into a terrifying monster at any moment.
She just wanted this damned meeting to end quickly so she could receive the Hero’s treatment as soon as possible.
No matter what kind of treatment it was, she would accept it. Sylph just didn’t want to become like Karsus.
After Qin Chu and the others were seated, Wadsworth finally spoke with a smile, “Brother Qin, you were very tired after purifying Karsus yesterday. You should be resting today, but there’s an important matter we need to discuss as soon as possible.”
His hearty voice echoed through the hall. Even before Wadsworth said anything, the expressions of Athena, Sylph, Airi, and Loseweisse gradually darkened.
Because they all knew the purpose of this meeting.
Qin Chu seemed curious about the sudden summons and asked cooperatively, “What is it?”
“It’s like this.”
“With the deaths of Benson and Karsus, there are two vacancies in the Hero Squad.”
“The Hero Squad is the Hero’s strongest support in the fight against the Demon Beasts. We can’t let these vacancies remain unfilled. So, we’ve discussed it and decided to select two outstanding and powerful individuals to become new members of the Hero Squad. What do you think?” Wadsworth said with a smile.
As expected, it was this matter.
Last time, when the Grand Prince arranged for Horn to provoke him, Wadsworth had already mentioned this, and they had even made a dirty deal.
However, even if they needed to add new members to the Hero Squad, looking at the candidates around him: a princess? A Saintess? A Saintess candidate? A beautiful Grand Mage from Sage Mountain?
Why were they all women?
Was he that obvious?
Was this about selecting new members for the Hero Squad, or choosing a harem for the Hero?
Of course, whether male or female, these people all had their own agendas, wanting to gain something from him. In that case, compared to men, Qin Chu still preferred beautiful women.
At least they were more pleasing to the eye.
Qin Chu’s gaze swept over the candidates, then he withdrew it, his voice filled with righteousness:
“As long as it’s beneficial to the Heavenly Continent, I have no objections. After all, I am the Hero, and I carry the future of the Heavenly Continent on my shoulders.”
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