Chapter 7: The Ancient Goddess of the Night
The weight on her chest didn’t seem to be much of a burden during the actual fight. But once the adrenaline subsided, the slight heat of gazes on her body returned.
Diye’s slightly trembling hand gripped the sword hilt. That strike, perhaps, was a bit excessive. But compared to Yedi’s past swordsmanship, it was still far inferior.
“Did she just… use one hand?” Lusha stared at the greatsword embedded in the ground. “Such a heavy greatsword, wielded so swiftly?”
“Such unconventional movements, yet as fluid as flowing water… truly unbelievable,” Philine also shook her head in disbelief.
“What a… close call. Miss Diye’s sword skills are so strong? Perhaps only Master Diluowei possesses such astonishing swordsmanship here,” Yoleya exclaimed, her bright blue eyes wide. The previous Diye gave her the impression of being tall and alluringly decadent, but now, that decadence held a power like suppressed desire.
“Yalan Diye, how is your magic?” Diluowei, at some point, had walked to the edge of the arena.
“Magic?” Diye was momentarily bewildered, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t know any…”
“Then starting today, you’ll learn magic from me,” Diluowei said, her gaze fixed on the greatsword embedded in the rock floor.
“Eh?”
Learn magic so soon?
Although demonstrating some strength to quickly become a trainee witch and participate in the selection was part of Diye’s plan, and learning magic was necessary to compensate for her lost holy power and weakened physical strength, magic itself…
For witches in this underground sanctuary, magic was a casual topic. But in the outside world, it was taboo.
Heresy.
In recent years, the Empire had suffered constant disasters and plagues. In some ways, life was even harder than during the Holy-Demon War. All of this was attributed to witches’ curses, to their wielding of forbidden powers.
And magic was considered the source of this cursed world, a blasphemous, taboo power that offended divine grace.
Diye had already come to terms with this when she made her decision.
However, starting magic training so soon was still a bit abrupt.
After all, just yesterday, she was the Empire’s most devout Temple Knight.
Diluowei, obviously unaware and unable to comprehend this, didn’t wait for Diye’s reply, turning to leave. “Follow me.”
“…” Diye didn’t respond immediately, but considering her plan, she had no choice but to follow.
“Master Diluowei, what about the swordsmanship evaluation…?” Qinna couldn’t help but ask.
“Is there a need for further evaluation?” Diluowei said, glancing back slightly.
Although she hadn’t seen the two strikes directly, just sensing the force of the impact and seeing how deeply the greatsword was embedded in the ground was enough to judge. Among all the trainee witches, Diye was unmatched in swordsmanship.
“Master Diluowei is going to personally train her in magic?” Yoleya stared at their retreating figures, subconsciously tugging on Qinna’s sleeve.
“Miss Diye’s strength… it’s unexpected. What kind of girl did we rescue? Wait… did we really rescue her? Or did we just happen to encounter her?” Qinna blushed slightly.
Diluowei led Diye to the center of the cathedral, looking up at the massive Night Crystal on the altar.
“The Moonstone’s guidance, was it truly that? She’s not only a girl with an unusual destiny, but also a rare swordsmanship genius. If only she had even a little talent for magic.”
Being a witch without knowing magic wasn’t strange in the current Empire.
Disasters and turmoil plunged people into a dark age. Suspicion and hatred towards witches intensified, and the criteria for judging a witch became arbitrary. Some women were labeled witches and tortured simply for refusing to lend something to influential neighbors or for having eccentric speech.
Sometimes, the execution of witches became a form of catharsis, a release of frustration amidst suffering.
In reality, among the many witches hunted and tried, very few actually knew magic.
“Such a massive black crystal, was it naturally formed? I feel an incredible power within it…” Diye stood behind Diluowei, her gaze shifting from the massive Moonstone to the burning silver chalice at the front of the altar.
The ring she desperately desired was right there!
But Diye didn’t act rashly. Both her judgment and her senses told her that the succubus Cerise’s magical barrier wasn’t something she could break now.
The power to unlock this purple flame barrier likely resided with the black cat witch, Shartha, or the petite witch before her, Diluowei. And they would only give the ring to the chosen one.
Diye composed herself, temporarily pushing aside thoughts of the ring to avoid appearing overly eager and arousing suspicion.
She focused her attention on Diluowei.
Actually, from behind, although Diluowei was short, she was quite curvy. Her hips weren’t small either.
“Wait…”
“What am I looking at?”
Diye banished the impure thoughts, but then felt a bit comforted, thinking, “Well, at least my mind still retains a man’s instincts. This means I’m still a man, right?”
“Miss Diye, Miss Diye?”
“Eh?” Diye suddenly realized Diluowei had turned around and was looking at her. Her tall, graceful body trembled slightly.
“You seem… to be easily distracted,” Diluowei observed.
“Ah, perhaps it’s just the strangeness of this place,” Diye offered a strained explanation. However, she was someone who never lied, and now, making excuses made her face flush.
“Mental focus, like elemental attunement, is a key element in magic training. Being easily distracted isn’t good for a witch.”
“Understood, I apologize,” Diye lowered her head.
“Miss Diye, before we begin magic training, we’ll perform the apprenticeship rite,” Diluowei stepped aside. “Face the Moonstone and worship the Goddess of the Night.”
What?
Diye suppressed her urge to question.
“Miss Diye, come forward, kneel here, and pray to the Goddess of the Night who protects and guides us witches. Speak your heart’s desire, abandon ambition, yearn for true knowledge, and embark on the path of magic.” Diluowei gestured towards the place of worship below the altar.
However, Diye stood frozen, her gaze fixed, her body trembling slightly, her heart as if caught between two dividing seas.
Who was Yalan Diye?
He was Yedi, the former Temple Knight, the most loyal servant of the Holy Lord, the most devout believer of the Holy Church. Although all of that was now irretrievably lost.
But was she to kneel before this heretical deity, the powerful and mysterious Goddess of Darkness, just a day after losing the gods’ protection, and beg her to grant her the corrupting, heretical power of magic?
“Miss Diye, what’s wrong?” Diluowei asked, puzzled.
This wasn’t good, she couldn’t hesitate!
An ordinary witch wouldn’t hesitate here.
She had to make a decision now!
Diye’s chest heaved involuntarily, her heart pounding as if questioning her will.
“What am I holding onto?”
“Clinging to this piety that can no longer reach heaven, this self-deceiving loyalty, can it restore my lost dignity?”
Losing this last chance due to stubbornness would leave her with nothing. Forced corruption would become true corruption, a mark of shame recorded in the annals of the gods, or perhaps, an unknown humiliation lost in the river of time.
Witches were already hunted by humans, targeted by monsters, homeless. If she meaninglessly abandoned even her identity as a witch here, she would truly have nothing left.
Wouldn’t that be too lonely?
Diye breathed deeply, the massive black crystal reflected in her eyes like a starry sky.
She stepped forward and approached the foot of the altar.
“If doing this is wrong in the eyes of the world, then I’ll make the choice I believe is right.”
This might not be the right thing to do, but it was the right choice.
Yalan Diye, before the Moonstone symbolizing the Goddess of the Night, knelt sincerely.
“Even though I am not your follower, I know, Goddess of the Night, you are an ancient goddess so powerful that you transcend nature. Kneeling before you is only reasonable.”
Recalling the posture of the other witches during their worship, Diye felt a surge of shame.
As a man, he wouldn’t have knelt like this even before the gods, would he?
But now, she had already done it, so she had to commit fully to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
It was said that the Goddess of the Night had only female followers and only protected women in the darkness.
Then… she had to kneel like a woman.
She was a goddess. Even assuming a daughterly posture and kneeling before a goddess wasn’t shameful.
Diye knelt deeply, her hands supporting her on the ground, bending down, her forehead lightly touching the back of her hands in worship.
She forced her body lower, her hips raised high, imitating what she had seen earlier.
This feminine way of kneeling would surely earn the approval of the goddess who protected women, wouldn’t it?
To borrow someone else’s power, there had to be a price.
But why did Diye’s face still flush with heat?
This was definitely not her admitting to the Goddess of the Night that she was a woman. This was just her, under the circumstances, making the only viable choice!
She couldn’t admit to being a woman, no matter what.
Even though Diluowei was watching her, her beautiful and devout appearance…
But wasn’t this how every witch acted, including Diluowei herself?
“Eh?”
Diye suddenly sensed a faint, sweet fragrance beside her.
Kneeling there, she glanced sideways.
Diluowei was kneeling beside her, eyes closed, worshipping devoutly alongside her.
She then saw, behind them, other witches in simple robes also kneeling, and more witches, their eyes filled with longing, approaching from various parts of the cathedral to join the ranks worshipping the Goddess of the Night.
In the Underground Witch Church, there was no true night or day. Unnoticed, the magical light from the rose windows faded, replaced by true darkness.
Candles ignited around the witches.
Yalan Diye, for some reason, straightened up. She suddenly realized she was at the very front of all the kneeling witches.
The dark Night Crystal reflected her faint figure.
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