Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 3: Tarot Cards: The Tower

"Good morning, Master."
Early in the morning, Loren was awakened by the noise Mirrorheart was making. After being discovered, she still greeted Loren with her usual cold expression, as if nothing had just happened.
"……"
Loren was already used to this. He gently pulled his hand out from Naclis's embrace and wiped the drool off his arm onto his clothes.
Yesterday's events had frightened Naclis, so last night she asked to sleep with Loren, just like before. Loren couldn't refuse her - after all, she was the child he had raised.
"Breakfast is ready. Please eat."
"Where's Anna?"
After getting dressed and walking out of the bedroom, Loren saw the dining table already laden with a lavish breakfast spread - a full five or six different dishes. Watching the pink-haired little girl devouring food like a whirlwind at the table, Loren didn't think Mirrorheart had made too much breakfast.
Seeing Loren take his seat, Anna, her mouth stuffed with food, excitedly greeted him. The result was food particles spraying all over Loren's face. Loren could only cover her mouth with one hand while accepting the handkerchief Mirrorheart handed him with the other.
If you ignored Mirrorheart's perverted hobbies, she was indeed a qualified maid. But unfortunately, you couldn't ignore them - for example, when Loren checked just now, the handkerchief she handed him was actually her underwear. In the end, Loren had to use the napkins on the table.
Before eating, Loren also checked his bowl to confirm nothing strange had been added to it, then began his meal.
"Good morning, Master Mentor."
Naclis had finally woken up by now. Her face was slightly red, seemingly aware that the puddle of drool on the bedsheet was hers, and that she still needed someone to sleep with her at her age, while even 12-year-old Anna wasn't afraid...
"Wash up and come eat."
Naclis nodded and soon joined them at the table. The atmosphere was very harmonious, making Loren feel a sense of happiness. Actually, Loren was quite content with this life - having a job he enjoyed, being respected by everyone, not lacking money, and having people who loved him. It seemed like he lacked nothing now.
But Loren knew very well that the more he cherished this peaceful and beautiful life, the more he needed to improve his strength. He deeply understood the nature of this world. Not to mention the church's hostility toward witches, just the impending Divine War was threat enough. The country Loren was currently in would be destroyed shortly after the Divine War broke out.
He remembered that the God of Bountiful Harvest was one of the victors in the Divine War, but what did that have to do with ordinary people? In the face of the Divine War, even kings were cannon fodder. The upcoming Divine War hung over Loren's head like the Sword of Damocles, urging him to grow stronger. Sacrificing the child of the God of Bountiful Harvest was just the first step.
Just during this warm moment, an untimely knocking sound suddenly came from the door. Naclis had just stood up when Loren motioned for her to sit back down.
"I'll get the door."
Usually many people came to visit Loren, but at this critical juncture, anyone coming would either be followers of Pluto or high-ranking church officials. Being cautious wasn't excessive.
"Hello, Master Mentor."
Outside the door was a polite man dressed in luxurious clothing - probably even a single button on his sleeve was priceless.
Loren remembered him. He was exactly the side quest boss Loren had been keeping in mind. Besides being a follower of Pluto, his other identity was that of a kingdom noble.
Insatiable greed makes the snake swallow an elephant. Already possessing wealth and status, he became obsessed with power and longevity, eventually becoming a devout follower of Pluto.
"What can I do for you?"
Loren asked knowingly while gradually stepping back to create distance, positioning himself in front of the dining table.
"I can smell the aura of our lord Pluto on you. I presume you are also a follower of our lord, so I've come specifically to invite you to join us."
This was also the difference between orthodox gods and outer gods. The names of orthodox gods were taboo - once spoken, one might be immediately killed by the god. But outer gods preferred others to call them by their true names.
To demonstrate his strength, and also as a threat, the man gently closed the door. But when he released his hand, the doorknob had already turned into fragments.
"As long as you don't hurt my child... I'll do anything..."
Loren stood in front of Naclis, putting on the appearance of a threatened wife. In reality, his hand had already reached for the shotgun grip.
"Master Mentor..."
Seeing Naclis about to stand up and fight the man desperately, Loren promptly pressed down on her shoulder. Anna, understanding the situation, also remained still for now.
"That's good to hear. Then..."
Before the man could finish speaking, gunshots already rang out. The moment the shots sounded, the man began to dodge. Even so, several steel pellets hit his shoulder.
"It seems you still don't understand the gap in strength between us."
The man wasn't angered by Loren's sudden attack. He simply tore open his upper garment, revealing his shoulder where the steel pellets were blocked by his muscles.
"If you join us, you can also possess such power."
But Loren looked like he refused to believe this and fired another shot. This time the bullets didn't even hit the man. The moment the bullets were about to make contact, the man's body became somewhat illusory, and then the bullets passed directly through his body, leaving densely packed holes in the door.
"It seems you still don't understand... uh..."
As the third gunshot rang out, the man could no longer speak. This time the bullets directly hit his head, and countless bloody holes on his face continuously gushed blood.
"Boom!"
The fourth shot directly shattered the man's head. He could no longer stand and collapsed to the ground. Well aware of the importance of finishing moves, Loren continued shooting until the corpse was battered and bloody before speaking again:
"Truth Discernment blessing and enchanted bullets, kid. Next time, if you can dodge, don't try to tank it."
To deal with this man, Loren had set up many preparations. He first showed weakness to make the man overconfident, then specially prepared Truth Discernment and enchanted bullets, ultimately resulting in this famously annoying side quest boss being easily killed by Loren.
After killing the man, Loren immediately began using a steak knife to painstakingly cut open the man's stomach. This steak knife had small serrations, which happened to be just right for dealing with the man's tough skin.
"Master Mentor..."
The sudden turn of events left Naclis somewhat bewildered - a stranger suddenly appeared, then the stranger was suddenly killed by Loren, then Loren suddenly started rummaging through his intestines... But Naclis still firmly believed that everything Loren did was correct. Only after confirming the man's death did she release her grip on another gun hidden under the table.
Seeing that Loren was safe, Anna loosened her grip on the steak knife and continued eating. The gruesome corpse couldn't even affect her appetite. Mirrorheart went to fetch tools to clean up the blood.
"Found it..."
Loren pulled out a golden card from the man's stomach. Only after the blood clinging to it flowed away could they clearly see what it actually was.
This was a tarot card depicting a precarious leaning tower, with endless bones beneath it. The introduction to this tarot card instantly surfaced in Loren's mind.
Tarot Card: The Tower
Effect: Allows the user to enter an illusory state, unable to interfere with the outside world while also being immune to external effects. Loses all five senses while in the illusory state.
Note: Pity you, so arrogant and aloof, seeing but not perceiving, hearing but not understanding.
To put it more plainly, this thing was basically Obito's Kamui, just with higher mana consumption. But mana was exactly what Loren had in abundance.
Moreover, if you activated it for just an instant before closing it, that would be enough to block attacks without consuming too much mana. For a high-level player like Loren, obtaining this tarot card was practically equivalent to being invincible.