Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 42: Cognitive Modification

"Are you all right, Master Mentor?"
Upon arriving at the scene, Luna's first action was to express concern for Loren. Loren suppressed the urge to slap her and shook his head.
"I'm fine, but you need to finish him off quickly. Dragging this out could lead to trouble."
"Okay."
Luna didn't waste words either. She gripped her silver sword, which immediately radiated moonlight that engulfed the Blackened.
This was the first time Loren had seen normal moonlight in a long while; he had almost forgotten its original color. Ever since he arrived here, the moon had always been blood-red.
The ability Luna was using now was likely her Arcane Ability, though Loren wasn't clear on its specific effects. But being able to instantly kill a Blackened meant it probably wasn't weak.
Soon, the moonlight dissipated, revealing a man standing unscathed before Loren. The man rubbed his eyes, seemingly unaware of what had just happened. Not even a wound remained where Luna had stabbed him earlier.
"Huh?"
Loren had assumed Luna was executing the man, but it turned out to be purification.
"You can purify the Outer Gods' corruption?"
If that were truly the case, then Luna's Arcane Ability would be incredibly powerful. However, Luna ultimately shook her head.
"I can only purify negative emotions in others, and only after I've defeated them."
"Is that so?"
If that's all it was, then the man could still relapse. The corruption remained on him; he would become Blackened again if resentment rose within him once more. Only killing him would permanently eliminate the threat.
But with Luna watching, Loren wasn't in a convenient position to take action.
It wasn't until the Blackened was eliminated that the Church's Scarecrows finally arrived, belatedly. Their movements should definitely be faster than the Guard Force's. Since they arrived so late, it clearly indicated someone had given orders behind the scenes.
"A strong dragon cannot suppress the local snake..."
Loren sighed with emotion, silently pulling out his little notebook and jotting down an entry.
"The Royal Capital's Scarecrows and Eldrin colluded to screw me over. I've noted this grievance."
Since the notebook was already out, Loren conveniently added the God of Plague's believers as well.
"That bunch of plague-worshipping gays tried to fuck me. I've noted this grievance."
"Master Mentor, are you all right?"
Faced with the Scarecrow who came to express concern, Loren simply patted his shoulder.
"I'm fine, but you're going to have problems."
Loren didn't say much more to the Scarecrows, bypassing them and walking back into the house. Only the door was broken, so it didn't really affect continued habitation much.
The Scarecrows hoisted up the man who had been freed from Blackening. He didn't resist, shouting something about being a noble. He clearly understood his own situation and knew exactly who he had offended. Seeing his reaction, Loren was completely convinced the man must have been influenced by Eldrin's instigation. Otherwise, he would be like those ordinary people, lacking even the courage to hate Loren.
After rescuing Loren, Luna didn't leave immediately either. She directly followed Loren into his home. Wearing the mask seemed to have boosted her courage considerably.
"Your home is destroyed like this; you can't stay, right? Didn't you book a room at an inn? You could temporarily stay at the inn these few days."
Hearing Luna's suggestion, the corner of Loren's mouth began to twitch. He couldn't hold back and directly retorted.
"How do you know that?"
Tomorrow, when he saw Luna, Loren would definitely remind her to be more careful. Not only was her disguise sloppy, but she also so easily said things that would expose her identity. Anyone even slightly observant could sense something off about her.
"This..."
Luna stammered, unable to answer. Loren let out a helpless sigh.
Once it was confirmed the Blackened was defeated, Mirrorheart brought Naclis and the others back. They hadn't gone far, keeping an eye on the situation the whole time, ready to rush out and help the moment Loren was in danger.
Even though Loren said he didn't need their help, it was impossible for them not to worry. This time, even Scarlett hadn't run too far away.
"This person is..."
After confirming Loren was okay, Anna began inquiring about Luna's identity. Loren was quite satisfied with her performance. Right now, they couldn't reveal they knew each other, otherwise Luna's identity might genuinely be discovered.
"I... I..."
Seeing Luna start to stammer again, Loren proactively explained for her.
"She's a superhero who wishes to remain anonymous. A pure hero, seeking neither fame nor profit."
Praised by Loren like that, Luna felt a bit embarrassed, a blush slowly spreading across her cheeks.
"..."
She really had just acted on impulse to become a superhero, without considering anything.
Just as Luna was about to say something else, an urgent voice came from the Scarecrows' direction.
"Found traces of the robed figure? Hurry over! This time, we must kill him!"
"Master Mentor, I have to go. Please be sure to stay safe. Also, please consider the suggestion I mentioned earlier."
Luna hastily bid farewell to Loren, leaping directly onto the roof of the neighboring house and quickly following the Scarecrows' steps. Her physical fitness was very high; even without that purification ability, her combat prowess wasn't weak.
The 'robed figure' they mentioned was naturally Gwen. On his way home, Loren had already controlled Gwen to go out and continue preaching. This time, with the Abyssal Gaze Eye, Gwen could even leave directly underground, though it consumed quite a bit of Mana.
Most of the Scarecrows had gone to pursue Gwen, but a few remained near Loren's house, guarding his safety.
Loren knew it was highly unlikely anyone would attack him now. Today's incident was just a warning from Eldrin. In Eldrin's eyes, Loren truly didn't have much combat ability. Even with the achievement of wiping out the Outer God believers' stronghold, Eldrin would attribute most of the credit to Valentina. After all, the persona Loren had built for himself was that of a knowledgeable but physically weak scholar.
Loren wasn't angry about this either. What's the point of getting angry with a dead man?
The front door was broken, but the bedroom was still intact. Everyone gathered in Loren's bedroom, which was also the largest one.
"Anna's reaction was excellent. She actually knew to pretend not to know Luna."
"That mysterious person was Luna?"
Hearing Loren's words, Anna instead showed a look of sudden realization.
Her reaction was somewhat unexpected to Loren, but Anna usually liked to joke around. It wasn't until Loren looked at Naclis, who also wore a puzzled expression, that he realized.
Naclis knew Luna, so she couldn't have mistaken her identity. Moreover, Naclis never joked around. So, Anna genuinely hadn't recognized Luna.
"So that's how it is..."
Loren immediately understood what was happening. Although Luna's mask looked sloppy, it seemed to possess an ability similar to affecting cognition. Even people familiar with her wouldn't recognize her when they saw her wearing it.
As for why Loren could recognize her, that eye of his was still working its magic.