Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 58: Reversal of Public Opinion

"Um... I also prepared chocolate for you..."
After carefully storing the magic potion Loren gave her, Luna finally took out her own chocolate from behind her back. However, looking at the mountain of chocolate piled on Loren's desk, she felt somewhat unsure.
"Mhm, thank you."
Having been single his whole life, Loren didn't know what else to say, but his simple thanks made Luna seem very excited, perhaps because Loren had only ever thanked her.
As usual, Luna didn't say much more to Loren, and Loren just brewed some potions for a while before leaving. However, Loren was in a very good mood today. As the calm before the storm, today had indeed been quite fulfilling.
The happiest one today was still Anna, because Loren brought back a whole sack of chocolate.
Although witches don't get fat from eating, they can still get sick. Loren didn't let Anna eat too much anyway. And so, another peaceful day passed.
The following days remained just as calm. Every day, Loren lived a life of reading newspapers and teaching classes. He watched as Luna's public reputation in the newspapers grew worse and worse.
Luna's reputation worsening had reasons related to Loren, because she had started acting more harshly. Before, her method of dealing with nobles was preaching plus purification. Now, it was beating them up plus throwing them in jail. It was precisely because of this that the nobles truly began to oppose her.
Only after she beat up a certain high-ranking noble did the real turning point arrive.
Actually, ordinary people didn't take the slander in the newspapers seriously, because they could see what Luna was doing. Luna was genuinely helping them.
Until the newspapers started saying Luna was a witch.
"..."
Loren had always been aware of Luna's movements. He was very certain that during this period, Luna had indeed been much more cautious. It was impossible for her to have exposed the fact that she was a witch. Therefore, only one possibility remained: they were smearing her with false accusations.
People's impression of Luna couldn't change just because of a few slanderous remarks, unless Luna had truly crossed some bottom line.
Everyone in this world, from birth, had been indoctrinated with hatred towards witches. It seemed as if as soon as a witch appeared, if not dealt with promptly, everyone nearby would die.
The moment the news broke that the anonymous superhero was a witch, people's cerebral cortexes were instantly flattened.
So the Blackened were brought by the witch, the witch and the Robed Figure deceived us together, the witch has been devouring our lifespans all along...
These were the true reflections of people's hearts. As long as Luna was a witch, all her kindness was wiped clean.
"Master Mentor... that superhero is actually a witch. How should we deal with her?"
The King once again appeared at Loren's home, asking Loren for a way to deal with Luna.
"Midas, you're an idiot, but I'm not. Just say what you mean directly. Using methods to deal with witches might not necessarily work on that superhero. If you get killed by the enraged superhero later, I won't be responsible.
"Do you know what kind of grudge you incur by falsely accusing someone of being a witch? No follower of any deity can bear such an insult."
Loren was the only person in the entire kingdom who dared to insult the King so directly. However, the old King, having drunk the Ember Radiance, had even his spirit restored to its peak. He didn't mind Loren's insults. Loren had the capital to scold him.
"Apologies. We still don't know what he actually is. Calling him a witch is just in hopes of gaining your assistance."
In the King's understanding, Loren was so devout to the God of Bountiful Harvest that upon discovering a witch, he would surely take the initiative to act.
"Pfft..."
Anna, who was eating snacks, couldn't hold back a laugh, but the King paid her no mind.
"His target is the nobles. What does that have to do with me?"
Loren distanced himself from the matter, but in the King's view, Loren was acting like he was negotiating terms. Ever since coming to the Royal Capital, Loren had been building up his persona as a greedy person. Raising the price at such a time fit his character perfectly.
"I've recently acquired a new batch of medicinal herbs. I hope you can help me see how to use them."
"Easy. I stand with His Majesty through thick and thin. Sharing His Majesty's burdens and solving his difficulties is my honor."
Having gained benefits and successfully inserted himself into this matter, everything was so perfect.
It's just that Loren hoped their actions would be a bit quicker. The Blackened around the Royal Capital had been stirred up enough and would attack within a few days.
After informing Mirrorheart, Loren headed to the royal palace. The King's plan was already mostly arranged. Having Loren come was just insurance.
The one who was beaten before was a Duke of the Gedlan Kingdom. Even a Duke could get beaten, so the King felt his own danger was not small.
He knew Luna's strength. Even if several Scarecrows joined forces, they probably wouldn't be a match for Luna. If Luna truly wanted to kill the King, it would be easy. It was precisely because he knew this that the King was so anxious to take action against Luna.
"The plan is like this: spread rumors among the populace about the misdeeds of a certain noble, then have the Guard Force and Scarecrows guard the noble. When he arrives, surround him immediately. Headmaster Eldrin will also participate in the operation.
"Do you see any problems with this, Master Mentor?"
The plan was simple and effective. There were quite a few people present, including the Guard Force Captain, the noble serving as bait, the mages kept by the King... and Eldrin.
"Although it's publicly declared to be a witch, I think everyone here understands clearly that he is likely a follower of the God of Confusion, perhaps even an Angel."
Hearing the word "Angel," everyone's hearts skipped a beat. True Gods were too distant. For them, Angels were the pinnacle of the world. A single Angel was enough to destroy a kingdom. Even the most powerful person in this country, Valentina, had never touched the threshold of an Angel.
"Of course, it's just a possibility. His strength is not something an ordinary mage or knight could achieve. However, an Angel wouldn't possibly come to do such trivial matters.
"Even if he's not an Angel, he won't be easy to deal with. The authority of the God of Confusion isn't limited to just confusing people. You might even unconsciously attack each other."
Everyone else took Loren's words very seriously. All their attention focused on Loren.
"From what we've seen so far, he needs to defeat someone before he can use the power of confusion. But that might not be entirely true. I think he needs to defeat the Blackened only because the Blackened possess the power of the Outer Gods.
"If facing ordinary people, the conditions might not be so strict. So I hope you all pay attention, especially you, Eldrin."
Loren suddenly turned the conversation towards Eldrin:
"You are the strongest. If he controls you, we'll be in trouble. I hope you don't get too close to the front when the time comes. He needs to be close to use the power of confusion. That point is certain."
Everyone nodded, feeling Loren's analysis was very reasonable, especially the part about the abilities of the God of Confusion.
Followers of different gods didn't understand each other very well. Those closer were manageable, but the followers of the God of Confusion were on the other side of the Endless Ocean.