"Does it matter whether they're witches? Master ntor loves us anyway."
"Besides, one day we'll tear the Church apart. For now, let's bide our ti and lie low."
Laila's words dampened the mood, and Anna began to comfort the others.
Anna truly had never suffered for being a witch, so she was confident and could declare her love for Loren without hesitation.
Her words were effective;
at least everyone's spirits recovered sowhat.
"Anna is right. For now we still need the Church. When the day cos to rip off the mask, you won't have to hide your identities anymore. We could even openly form an organization to help witches."
The Witches' Church hadn't yet taken shape. It had only grown during tis of chaos, and now Loren was about to preempt them.
...
Loren spent the whole afternoon waiting for reinforcents. He was fully ard and ready for battle at any mont.
The witches and several maids hid in the basent. The basent was very secure;
Loren didn't even know his house had one until now. Mirrorheart had secretly built it, and it was even full of torture devices—tools that could rival the thods of the Church of the God of Vows and Wind.
According to Mirrorheart, the basent had been intended as a surprise for Loren once it was fully finished. The entrance was extrely well concealed;
even if the house were blown up, the basent would remain unaffected. So Loren abandoned the idea of sealing it off, but he insisted it be converted from a dungeon into a safehouse.
Corolla's legs went weak when she entered.
Starnight also ca into the basent, but the new crow refused to hide downstairs and kept following Loren.
The crow perched on Loren's shoulder while he sat in the parlor, one hand holding the Magic Book, the other gripping the Requiem.
Before nightfall, Loren finally heard a knock on the door.
He rose, set the crow aside, and opened the door.
If whoever stood outside had been a Pseudohuman, Loren's blade would have fallen on its shoulder without hesitation. But the visitor was Pastus, the Pope of the Gedlan Kingdom—the most powerful and highest-ranking human in Gedlan.
"Master ntor, I've co to rescue you."
"How many did you bring?"
"Fifty Scarecrows."
That number was terrifying. Even the Bountiful Church, which had the most Divine Envoys, probably couldn't muster that many Scarecrows unless it was warti.
"Any more?"
"Other reinforcents are rushing here from the Nofica Theocracy. Among them is an eighth-tier mage."
Every three tiers marked a watershed. By seventh-tier, a mage was on a different life level than ordinary people. The highest-tier magic Loren currently commanded was sixth-tier, yet the reinforcents included an eighth-tier mage.
This lineup was so formidable so might believe they were here to annihilate the Canaan Kingdom, which shows how seriously the Church regarded Loren.
They'd arrived extrely quickly, even before that flock of birds returned.
"Good. First, deal with the Pseudohuman disguised as Clens. Do you have anything that can identify Pseudohumans? I recall so Anomalies can detect them."
The Church had collected many Anomalies that might be useful, but Loren did not have high hopes when he said it. Anomalies that could identify Pseudohumans weren't extrely rare, but most had severe side effects and weren't universally applicable.
Actually, Loren's Box of Sin could detect Pseudohumans: a Pseudohuman opening the Box of Sin would gain nothing. But the cost was equally severe—if a normal human opened the Box of Sin, it could easily cause death.
The Box of Sin's effect wasn't sothing to be negated lightly. Loren still didn't know whether that Scarecrow that had accidentally opened the Box had resisted successfully.
Pseudohumans had no real emotions;
they only simulated them. Anything tied to true emotion could expose a Pseudohuman, such as the Box of Sin or the Rainbow Plague.
But neither fit the current situation: the Box of Sin's cost was too great, and the Rainbow Plague didn't work on everyone.
"We did bring sothing."
"Where is it?"
This was an unexpected blessing. If they truly had that sort of tool, the next steps would go much smoother.
Earlier Loren had even prepared for the worst—if they couldn't eliminate the Pseudohumans, he would simply move to the Nofica Theocracy.
He was attached to his house. With his wealth he could buy several villas without blinking, but he had grown sentintal about this place;
many good mories were tied to it. It was part of what he considered establishing a ho.
At Pastus' command, the Scarecrows behind him produced a mirror.
The mirror was small enough to be held in both hands, fraless, plain and unadorned.
"Anomaly 3-188: Mirror of True Heart."
Loren recognized it. The Mirror of True Heart had a simple effect: the deeper desire inside the person reflected in it would gradually swell until they were willing to do anything to achieve it.
Seeing this object dispelled Loren's doubts about them. The Church's Anomalies were kept very secret;
Pseudohumans were unlikely to gain access to such items.
"You recognized it. We found Pseudohumans do not appear in the mirror, and short-term exposure doesn't have a large effect, so it fits your requirents."
"Good. Begin the operation. Pastus, you and I will take several Scarecrows to deal with Clens. The others will lock down the area. Anyone trying to escape will be assud to be a Pseudohuman;
restrain them and we'll handle it."
The Church intended a straightforward lockdown and search. Ordinary people had no reason to panic. Loren had softened the wording, but those trying to flee could be killed outright if necessary.
"Understood, Master ntor."
Loren instinctively took command, and the Pope followed his orders.
They had not encountered Pseudohumans before;
in such circumstances, following Loren's lead was the best course.
One Scarecrow holding the Mirror of True Heart casually reflected the image of Loren, as if to confirm his identity.
Loren understood their concern: the danger of Pseudohumans was that they could make people suspect one another, turning everything into a battlefield of nerves.
"Move out."
Loren strode toward the Church. Clens was typically in the Church, and the Pope followed his steps.
The Mirror of True Heart remained with the Scarecrows assigned to assist the lockdown. Loren's group didn't need it;
Pastus trusted Loren's judgnt more than the mirror.
If Loren declared soone a Pseudohuman and the mirror nonetheless showed that person's reflection, people might assu the Pseudohuman had evolved.
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