Chapter 89: The Priest and the Witch - I Forged Them in Darkness, and They Buried Me in It

Chapter 89: The Priest and the Witch Feeling the soft and moist sensation against his ear, Chen An instinctively tilted his head back. In the next moment, a pair of rosy thin lips brushed past him. Chen An met the woman's somewhat confused and bewildered eyes, thinking to himself how he had been caught off guard by Lo Shulian's similar tactics before. Could he really fall victim to the same trick twice? He subtly moved his body, channeling spiritual energy throughout, attempting to escape the warm, soft embrace. However, a stronger force emanated from the woman's grip, holding him tightly as if by iron bands. "Father, why, why do you always..." "Ailin would be heartbroken..." "Have you forgotten? The promise you personally made back then..." The woman spoke softly, her hands brought together at her chest. Her eyes were watery, slowly shifting, as she mimicked the tone of a man from the past, earnestly and slowly repeating: "Before the Holy Light, I vowed that I would never let Miss Ailin be sad, never, ever." Yet, no matter how passionately the woman spoke, the young man in her embrace remained expressionless. Chen An let out a long sigh, wondering where exactly things had gone awry, as they all seemed to come looking for him one after another. Feeling somewhat weary, he considered whether he could muddle through the situation. Even though he knew it wasn't quite realistic, it didn't hurt to try. Besides, he truly didn't have much recollection of the heroines from his past nine lives, so it wasn't exactly a lie. "Sorry, I really don't know any Miss Ailin..." But he clearly underestimated the impact he had on these women. His words not only failed to achieve the desired outcome but drove the woman into a frenzy. Intense negative emotions enveloped Chen An from all sides, amplifying every desire and emotion in that moment. Twelve enormous black wings unfurled, enveloping both of them. "How could you forget..." As the woman murmured, memories began to spread like water. Under the influence of those negative emotions, the deepest memories buried in Chen An's mind were inevitably awakened. ... In the year 613 of Divine Grace, the Maya Empire, which had dominated the continent for centuries, was gradually declining. The rise and fall of nations have always been part of history, but the decline of the Maya Empire was solely the fall of the royal family. Correspondingly, the church's prestige and power expanded to unprecedented heights. People might not know the names of the royal family, but they could not be ignorant of the church. This included the Demon Hunters Association that was affiliated with the church, whose status rose concurrently. Waking up in a luxurious and opulent bedroom, Chen An listened to the system's introduction of the world background, and couldn't help but pause. "So, this time, it's a Western fantasy setting?" he murmured to himself. Surveying the unfamiliar surroundings, Chen An—or rather, he should now be referred to as Lo Shulian—rubbed his temples, which throbbed from the influx of complex memories. As a man who had traveled through worlds in his physical form, each universe automatically adjusted the memories of the people there regarding him. Lo Shulian frowned, massaged his aching head from the burst of overwhelming memories, and rose from the bed to inspect the room. Everything he saw was resplendent. From the ceiling to the chandelier, everything exuded quality and craftsmanship. The floor was covered with a plush carpet embroidered with incomprehensible patterns. The décor of the entire bedroom was quite vintage, yet every minute detail was exceptionally luxurious. Lo Shulian thought to himself that it resembled the Western medieval style from Blue Planet. He was still dizzy and somewhat disoriented from the recent transmigration. Just then, a cool female voice echoed from outside the door. "Lord Lo Shulian, the demon hunters over at the church have all gathered, waiting for your attendance." The church? Attendance? Hearing these key terms, a memory surged to Lo Shulian's mind. A day ago, in one of the outer city parochial areas of the capital of Holy Maya, at the Livian Church under Lo Shulian's management, two witches were successfully captured. Now, the demon hunters had escorted the witches to the church, awaiting instructions from Lo Shulian, the highest authority. Witches, those near-demon beauties with pale skin and features as exquisite as porcelain dolls, were considered harbingers of ominousness. They bore the common stigma of pallid skin and were marked with evil symbols sprawling across their bodies. In the Maya Empire, these witches were regarded as demons escaped from the goddess's hold and had to be captured and executed, lest they bring great calamity upon the empire. This notion wasn't new—it had persisted since the founding of the empire. Sly and insidious, the witches would launch an assault on the church if given a chance to band together. Adult witches possessed terrifying powers that even the church feared. Their innate abilities required no cultivation; merely surviving to adulthood would make them natural rulers. The church deemed their innate talents as signs of a pact with demons. Burn them, they must be burned! Any entity that threatened the church's position could not be tolerated in any form. Over the centuries, innumerable witches had been burned or drowned. Some might have been wronged, but for a church that believed in rather mistakenly executing a thousand than letting one go, it hardly mattered. The church's indoctrination regarding witches had permeated deep into public consciousness. If you lived in the Maya Empire, you would instinctively demonize any witch. To them, witches were mere incubators for demons, devoid of basic humanity. For the church, a perfectly clear definition of a witch existed: if you could be burned on the stake, you were a witch. If the flames couldn't claim you, it proved your supernatural prowess, solidifying your witch identity! With this memory, a sense of clarity arose within Lo Shulian. It seemed that the heroine he needed to cultivate in this life would undoubtedly be one of these 'witches.' Lo Shulian clicked his tongue, thinking how much more challenging it would be to raise a witch in such an environment compared to the previous life. Fortunately, his current role provided him with significant authority. Not only was he a highly-ranked priest, but he also possessed considerable supernatural powers. His thoughts concluded, Lo Shulian adjusted his pure white robe and stepped towards the door. Upon opening it, he was met with a striking image: a tall woman in a blend of blue and white, short skirt, white stockings, and head adornments. All these elements made Lo Shulian widen his eyes. Goodness, she was dressed as a maid! Lo Shulian was truly tempted to question whether the church he belonged to operated with propriety. Outside, although Anna, the head maid, was puzzled by the man's surprise, she still respectfully repeated her message. "Lord Lo Shulian, the demon hunter team has been awaiting your presence at the church for quite some time." To the world, Lo Shulian was perceived as the church's youngest priest with a brilliant future ahead of him. Only a fool would oppose such a promising figure. Moreover, being a maid of Lo Shulian's manor, Anna naturally regarded him with utmost respect. (Chapter end)