欧美亚洲日产综合新一区

Chapter 348  The Witches Duty

"In Europe, not much. Just some independent cells here and there, much like the Hightower\'s influence here in Japan. However, they likely have more sway over the Curtained World in East Asia and their homeland. As for Russia and Southeast Asia, they are contested territories between the Sect of the Qin Empire and the Hightower," Envy explained, pausing to allow the information to sink in before continuing.

"Additionally, you may not be aware, but the true power in the Qin Empire lies not with the royal family, but with various large mage clans and sects, much like in the Confederacy. The current ruler is essentially a puppet installed by these clans and holds no real authority," Envy revealed.

"Envy! My father is not just a puppet ruler! He is the president and the leader of the triumvirate! We are also one of the most influential mage families in the Confederacy!" Pride retorted, attempting to correct Envy\'s assertion.

"Oh, really? So the Alchemont clan in New York can\'t influence your father at all? Are you certain?" Envy asked with a knowing smile.

"Well... that\'s just an exception! But trust me! We\'re working on it!" Pride stumbled over her words, offering a rather unconvincing defense.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever you say, girl," Gluttony chimed in wearily.

Exasperated by the teasing from both Envy and Gluttony, Pride gave up her defense and resorted to pouting instead. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Envy, ease up on her a bit. Cut her some slack," Koyuki interjected, smiling at Pride, which earned her a baffled look from the latter.

"Wait... Who are you? Did someone swap your brain with someone else?" Pride asked suspiciously, puzzled by Koyuki\'s unexpected understanding.

Rolling her eyes at Pride\'s antics, Koyuki chose to ignore her rather than engage.

"Huh? You\'re not angry? You didn\'t even fire back! Who are you?" Pride persisted, eyeing Koyuki suspiciously.

This time, both Envy and Gluttony nodded in agreement with Pride\'s observation. It was indeed unusual to see Wrath remaining calm and not retaliating against teasing or mockery.

All of this left Daniel, the only non-witch in the room, perplexed by the witches\' behavior.

"What\'s wrong? Why are you all acting like this? Isn\'t this normal? Koyuki isn\'t the type to lose her temper easily, you know? Sure, she might act foolish at times and keep important things to herself until it blows up in her face or mine, like the incident when I was lured into the trap that night, but she\'s not the type to lose her temper easily," Daniel explained.

"Danny... are you sure you\'re trying to help me here?" Pride remarked, finding Daniel\'s explanation to be too factual for her liking.

Hearing that, Envy fell into a deep thought and then pinched Koyuki\'s hand with a bit more force.

"Ouch! What was that for, Envy?" Koyuki protested.

"Do you feel any anger? Or the urge to retaliate? Or a rage building up inside you that you need to suppress, like you usually do?" Envy asked.

"Huh?" Koyuki was confused, then went silent as she closed her eyes, checking her own emotions and examining her reddened hand.

"No, I feel a little annoyed at you, but... no, I don\'t want to retaliate or hurt you badly. I just wanted to protest, telling you that it\'s not nice... but that\'s it." Then, as if she had remembered something, Koyuki added, "That\'s right! I feel a lot more calm... This is the first time I\'ve felt like this in decades!"

"Let me check," Envy said, touching Koyuki\'s hand and invoking a spell to inspect her mind, soul, and mana veins.

After a moment, the outline of Koyuki\'s body was projected outside of her in a hologram-like form, with light blue veins resembling blood vessels. At her brain, there was a yellow flame, and at her heart, a light blue flame.

Seeing this, Envy fell into deep thought for a few moments before responding. "I see... This means you have been freed from the influence of Wrath. Usually, your mana vein and your soul would have been red or a reddish hue, but there\'s nothing like that anymore. This means that you are no longer the Witch of Wrath. You should be more like the Miko who holds the Orochi power now."

"And... is this good news? Or... bad news?" Daniel asked, seeking understanding.

"Both," replied Envy.

"What do you mean?" Daniel inquired.

"It\'s good news for you and Koyuki. There\'s zero chance that she will fall into Satan\'s control and become his pawn, or fall into a raging state that could cause trouble if she fails to resist the urge. She will no longer be bothered by the aspect of Wrath inside her.

You should know that all of the Witches have a problem controlling their urges resulting from their aspect of sin. For example, I have the urge to feel unhealthy envy when I see someone I think is better than me, or they are in a situation I want to be in but can\'t. For example, when I wanted to have a vacation and I saw that Gluttony had a long vacation, I was compelled to cause some trouble for her."

"So that\'s why you sent those piles of documents for me to clear up that mess two months ago!" Gluttony protested.

"I see... so that\'s the reason, huh?" Daniel nodded, then glanced meaningfully at Pride.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Pride asked.

"Also, from what I checked, her soul seems to have completely merged with Orochi\'s fragmented soul, becoming one. So... I think this is also another piece of good news for you. Since all of the Witches of the Seven Deadly Sins, other than me, have a relationship with the soul of their respective demon patron as the host and a parasite. The Witch is the host, of course," Envy explained.

"So, what\'s the bad news?" asked Daniel.

"The bad news is for us, I mean, for the Witches of the Seven Deadly Sins, and maybe for the Hightower too," Envy began, then let out a tired sigh.

"We need to find a new Witch of Wrath as soon as possible and bring her to us to teach her how to control her power and suppress her urge. Back during the Crusade War, when I helped Richard the Lionheart and Saladin fight against Satan, I shattered his soul into five pieces.

One, his main soul, I let him escape to hell. The second and third fragments, the Hightower kept them and later turned them into the Seeds of Sin. The first one went to my student, who became the Witch of Wrath before Koyuki until she died of old age. Then another, Cyrus stole it from the Hightower vault and used it to further his plan, which you already stopped. The fourth and fifth fragments were sealed in Jerusalem and the Vatican, respectively," Envy paused, then continued.

Envy\'s expression turned melancholic. "Being a Seven Deadly Sin Witch carries a heavy burden, akin to the executioner or the slaughterhouse butcher. Shunned, yet necessary. They maintain order, ensuring justice, and, well, meat for the table."

Daniel\'s brow furrowed. "What exactly is the task?"

"They act as gatekeepers, keys, and gates themselves," Envy explained. "They prevent their respective Hell Lords from being summoned by foolish cultists or demon-hungry idiots. Additionally, they hinder their Lords from gaining power from sacrifices and follower worship."

A glint of understanding sparked in Daniel\'s eyes. "So, the recent summoning of Satan and Mammon wasn\'t the work of ordinary cultists?"

"Indeed," Envy confirmed. "Cyrus and Golden Scale, despite their status, protected Victor, granting him the Councilor status. His \'Nurturing\' Origin Element, twisted by Lucian\'s experiments, nourished the Seed of Sin. Lucian, with his \'Skeleton Key\' Element, could potentially summon ancient gods or titans, given the right resources and more powerful rituals. Thankfully, his talent is weak, requiring significant sacrifices to unlock the Gates of Hell."

"I see…" Daniel nodded, pieces clicking into place. He refrained from questioning Envy\'s lack of intervention, understanding her role as Grand Councilor demanded prioritizing the Hightower\'s interests above personal morals.

"Are there others within the Hightower with unusual Origin Elements? \'Gate,\' \'Portal,\' \'Summoning,\' anything along those lines? Anyone I should be wary of?" His voice held a hint of suspicion towards the organization.

Envy shrugged, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "Not to my knowledge. Or perhaps Cyrus and Golden Scale have kept them hidden. Who can say?"

Daniel\'s lips pursed. "That\'s not comforting. One last question: why not simply eliminate Satan? Why shatter his soul and seal the fragments?"

Envy\'s lips curved into a knowing smile. "Killing a Hell Lord bound to the human aspect of sin, like the Seven Sins, is impossible. Slaying Satan would simply spawn a new Lord of Wrath, forcing us to learn their strengths, weaknesses, and personality anew. This new Lord could be far more formidable than the previous. Additionally, a newly risen Hell Lord wields their sin\'s power in its entirety, becoming incredibly powerful. So we better deal with the old one rather than the new one."