Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 43: Framing

The door to Loren's house was repaired that very night, with the Church not hesitating to send several mages over for the task.
Not only that, but when those mages came to fix the door, they also brought Loren quite a few rare materials for concocting magic potions—a clear gesture of goodwill.
Their message was simple: we helped Eldrin, but you didn't suffer any real loss either. Consider these materials compensation. So this is a private grudge between you and Eldrin, and has nothing to do with the Church.
That's how it is in small, local Churches; they can even be constrained by certain influential figures. In some of the major nations, anyone who dared treat the Church like that would find their head on a wall by tomorrow.
In the Gedlan Kingdom, as long as there's no issue of fundamental principle, the Church generally steps back.
"To be looked down upon like this..."
Loren currently had no leverage over Eldrin, and Eldrin would now do everything possible to prevent Loren from finding any. But while he could guard against Loren, he couldn't guard against Gwen.
This world did have cameras. Loren had plenty of ways to dig up dirt on him. However, if Eldrin were truly dealt with by the Church, the Tear of Condensed Wishes would be out of Loren's reach. So, Loren chose to hold back for now.
Tonight, Loren went to bed early for the first time in a while. He truly hadn't had much to do lately. The potions he'd brewed were probably enough to fill an entire room, most of which he'd stuffed into Scarlett's Life Thief space.
His stockpile of Magic Scrolls was sufficient to level a small town. Loren had even found time to enchant several longswords, applying every combat enchantment he could. Though they were just ordinary longswords, the materials were exquisite enough, and with the enchantments, they might not be inferior to those famous, named weapons.
Before sleep, Loren observed the others through the Abyssal Gaze Eye. Anna was sprawled out, fast asleep. Scarlett's sleeping posture was relatively normal. Naclis's room still had candlelight glowing; she was staring at the Abyssal Gaze Eye, lost in thought.
As for Mirrorheart, she had attached the Abyssal Gaze Eye to her collar and, with practiced skill, bound herself tightly, her feet and neck tied together, her hands also bound. It was only today that Loren understood why Mirrorheart's "eloquence" was so... proficient.
"..."
The crucial point was that Mirrorheart seemed to know Loren was watching her. That crimson eye seemed to be staring right back at Loren. For the sake of his mental health, Loren closed his eyes.
He was grateful that most of the time, Mirrorheart behaved perfectly normally. To outsiders, she appeared a very traditional maid—mature, steady, obedient, and conservatively dressed.
The evening's events were just a minor interlude, having no real impact on Loren. Life continued as usual: waking at noon, eating, then teaching class.
Sylvia was also in class today. It seemed the princess who was attacked previously really wasn't her. Though Loren felt if she kept on this path, she'd inevitably be targeted by the Blackened sooner or later.
Loren merely gave her an extra glance before starting the lesson. Sylvia wasn't worth much attention. Her most distinctive feature was her princess title, but in this kingdom, that title held little value. From what Loren understood, quite a few princesses had even been sent to the Bardo Kingdom. In that place, forget princesses—even men, and even male lizards, couldn't escape misfortune.
In a sense, these followers of the God of Plague were even more "free" than the followers of the God of Freedom. After all, the God of Freedom's followers only crossed genders, while the God of Plague's followers crossed not just genders, but species.
She probably didn't come yesterday simply because Loren's words had wounded her. After all, lies don't cut deep; the truth is the sharpest blade.
"Alright, since everyone is here, let's begin the class."
"Wait, Master Mentor!"
The one who interrupted Loren was Sylvia. After a day's rest, her arrogance hadn't diminished; it had grown worse.
"What is it?"
During this time, Loren had also looked into Sylvia's actions. She didn't just lead the charge in isolating Luna; she had basically bullied every commoner student.
Isolation was the mild part. She frequently tore their clothes, poured drinks over their heads, stuffed dead mice into their bags... So, Loren's impression of Sylvia was truly terrible. Loren hated bullies the most.
Still, Loren intended to hear her out, curious to see what new trouble she could stir up.
"My bracelet is missing. I suspect Luna stole it. It must be in her bag. I hope you can help me find it."
At Sylvia's words, the entire class's gaze converged on Luna, who instinctively hugged her bag protectively.
Loren felt exasperated. Sylvia was pulling such childish tricks again? Did she have to engage in bullying right under his nose?
"Are you a three-year-old, Sylvia? I'm guessing you had someone slip your item into Luna's bag when she wasn't looking. Don't you think your little scheme is too obvious? Sometimes I wonder if the royal family's practice of inbreeding to ensure 'pure bloodlines' is a mistake. I hear scholars have found that children born from incest tend to have lower intelligence. Seems there might be some truth to that."
As cheerful laughter rippled through the classroom, Luna also cast a grateful look at Loren, who responded with a slight smile.
Originally, Loren's concern for Luna was solely because she was a witch. But since learning that the mysterious superhero was Luna, his attitude had shifted somewhat.
Luna couldn't have just heard the commotion and come running. Loren had reason to suspect she'd been circling around his house all along. He hadn't made any major disturbance, and without sources of information, Luna couldn't have known what was happening at his place.
Since Luna had already shown her partiality towards him, Loren wouldn't let her down.
Still, those who dared to laugh were in the minority. After all, Sylvia's status was what it was. Only exchange students from other major kingdoms dared to mock her openly.
When dealing with such childish brats, Loren had more effective methods:
"Everyone, from now on, spend less time with that little liar, Sylvia. What if she falsely accuses you someday? Don't worry about her princess status either. The old King has so many daughters; losing one wouldn't matter. With me here, she won't dare do anything to you."
Giving nicknames, applying labels, having the teacher lead the isolation... If Sylvia weren't a princess, her school life would truly be over. So, Loren wasn't entirely keen on using this tactic. He'd originally planned just to reprimand her, but Sylvia truly didn't know what was good for her.
In situations like the one between the bully and the victim, it might seem there are four stances: helping the victim, helping the bully, staying neutral, or ignoring it. But in reality, three of those stances are actually helping the bully.
"Enough. We'll deal with your worthless bracelet after class. Class starts now."
Sylvia sat frozen in her seat, looking like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Loren wasn't too concerned. To become Blackened required knowing Ligoss's name. While the King might not value this princess highly, he wouldn't just discard her as a useless pawn. Even if he needed Sylvia dead, he'd make her death more valuable.
As Loren began the lecture, the students all became immersed in the lesson content, completely ignoring Sylvia. This kind of neglect hurt more than mockery.
Even after class ended, Sylvia didn't move.