Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 21: Nakoris's Past

This time when the attendants returned, they carried several bags of materials. Afterwards, they didn't leave but waited for Loren to brew the potions until Loren finally spoke:
"The magical potion I'm about to brew next is seventh-grade Ember Radiance. Do you think I would let you see the formula? You should know exactly what level a seventh-grade potion represents."
Hearing this, the several attendants tactfully withdrew. Even the King had rarely seen sixth-grade potions, so if they really continued watching, it would be rather presumptuous, even if this was a task assigned by the King himself.
Soon only Loren's group remained in the office. Only then did Loren truly let loose, waving his magic wand to immediately assemble a simple distillation apparatus from the cauldron and glassware, beginning to produce distilled water.
Even after collecting one bottle of distilled water, Loren didn't stop. He would likely be brewing potions all day today, and a little distilled water wouldn't be nearly enough.
Loren placed the materials for Coagulation Essence into the cauldron again, though this time his brewing technique had slight differences, and he also switched to using distilled water.
When the Coagulation Essence finished brewing, it suddenly flashed with golden light. Loren bottled the completed potion, and when he held it, the potion's name was displayed.
Coagulation Essence (Perfect). Potions with the Perfect suffix would have their effects increased by fifty percent. Loren was confident that as long as the potion's grade wasn't too high, everything he brewed would be Perfect.
This time Loren produced two more bottles. He had Anna hold Nightingale, then began removing the bandages from the bird. When the bandages were being removed, Nightingale let out a pained cry but didn't struggle, remaining obediently in Anna's hands.
"This little creature is quite intelligent."
Loren pried open Nightingale's beak and poured the freshly brewed Coagulation Essence into it. By the time the potion was consumed, Nightingale's injuries had mostly healed.
"Hmm?"
The situation before him made Loren notice something unusual. Given Nightingale's size, a single bottle cap of potion should have been enough to heal it completely. However, Loren didn't pay it too much mind—this nightingale might be some kind of magical beast, but since it was so intelligent, it probably wouldn't pose any danger.
Animals' thoughts were much simpler than humans'. If you treated them well, they would recognize your kindness. Many wolves had been raised into dogs by people—this nightingale might eventually become an asset to Loren.
"I'll release you after some time. During this period, I need you to help me intimidate Simone."
Hearing Loren's words, Nightingale even nodded its head. Loren felt increasingly grateful that he had kept it.
"Alright, warm-up complete. Time for the main event. Anna, come here for a moment."
What he was about to say next was rather sensitive, so Loren first cast a shielding spell to prevent detection or eavesdropping.
"What is it, Master Mentor?"
Anna put down Nightingale and stood obediently beside Loren.
"I'll need to use some of your blood later."
"Oh."
Anna never questioned Loren's instructions, silently watching him brew potions while waiting for the moment she would be needed.
"Gold, distilled water, Lamentation Flower..."
One by one, Loren placed materials into the cauldron. The gold sank directly to the bottom—such temperature couldn't possibly melt gold. It wasn't until Loren took Anna's hand, gently pricked her finger, and let a drop of blood fall into the mixture that things changed.
Instantly, several completely unrelated materials inside the cauldron began to melt, merging into the potion. A single drop of blood turned all the liquid in the cauldron crimson red.
"Wow!"
Anna exclaimed in amazement, but the moment she opened her mouth, Coagulation Essence was stuffed into it. The wound on her finger would heal naturally within seconds anyway, so it didn't affect Loren force-feeding her the potion.
"Quick, think about the thing you hate most while focusing on the potion."
"Hmm..."
Anna pressed her forehead, pondering deeply for a long time without any result:
"I thought about every vegetable I know. Did it work?"
This was indeed Loren's oversight. Anna had grown up surrounded by love, so it was normal that she didn't really hate anything.
The potion Loren was trying to brew was called [Witch's Curse], which required a witch to pour her hatred into it to succeed. Any level of hatred would suffice. This potion was special—its quality didn't affect its effectiveness.
"I'll do it."
Just as Loren thought this batch of potion was going to waste, Naclis stepped forward.
The moment she approached, under Loren's disbelieving eyes, the liquid in the cauldron grew increasingly darker and more viscous, eventually turning blood red and flashing with golden light, proving the potion had reached Perfect grade. This demonstrated how pure Naclis's hatred was.
Loren quickly bottled the potion, suddenly realizing he knew almost nothing about Naclis's past.
Even in the original storyline, Naclis was merely a background character, only mentioned as the direct cause of Anna's corruption through her sister's death.
From the time Naclis met Loren until now, her expressions had always been few. Even if Naclis didn't speak of it, Loren knew how difficult life would be for an eight-year-old child alone outside in snowy weather.
But that alone wouldn't generate such intense hatred. Loren realized he had been somewhat negligent in his concern for her.
Loren walked up to Naclis and suddenly embraced her, catching her completely off guard:
"Naclis, although I don't know what you experienced before, I will always love you. You can tell me everything."
Loren's sudden confession stunned Naclis on the spot. Finally, Naclis also raised her arms and hugged Loren tightly.
Seeing the two suddenly becoming emotional, Anna didn't feel confused either. She had also guessed something, reaching out to cup Naclis's face:
"Say whatever you want to say. Master Mentor and I will definitely help you get revenge, sister."
Anna called Naclis "sister" for the first time in a long while. She knew that whether witches or humans, everyone had parents. Having been adopted by Loren since childhood, parents meant nothing to her—Loren alone was enough.
But Anna knew Naclis was different. She had met Loren much later, so she must have had her own parents—otherwise she wouldn't have survived to that age. Likely something had happened to her parents.
Ultimately, Naclis still shook her head. Loren sighed, released Naclis, and took her hand instead.
Loren understood Naclis's mindset perfectly—she was probably afraid that naming her enemies would bring trouble to them.
"Don't worry. My original plan was to eliminate all the Orthodox Gods anyway, so all witches can live happily. Just tell us who your enemies are—it'll be just a minor task along the way."
Under Anna and Loren's persuasion, Naclis finally opened her heart:
"It was an Angel, an Angel of the God of Light and Fire.
"My mother fell in love with an Angel and gave birth to me, a witch. When my mother discovered my witch identity, to prevent me from being killed by the Angels, she fled with me.
"But eventually the Angel learned everything and began hunting us. My mother, being just a mage, was no match for the Angel. In the end, severely wounded, she brought me to Gedlan Kingdom, then died in the snow, her entire body burning to ashes in an instant."
From beginning to end, Naclis never referred to that Angel as father. Loren was her only father.