### Chapter: 195
The problem was that Taria couldn’t keep an eye on Rona for too long with her monitoring magic.
Rona’s magical item influenced Taria as well.
—
[ Let me check. ]
So, Crimson Garden had no choice but to take to the skies and chase after Rona.
Meanwhile, Rona was zooming ahead.
With a magical tool lightening her body and boosting her speed, Rona shot off faster than anyone expected.
That’s why, before Taria could catch up, Rona arrived at the Theology Hall first.
—
BAM!
As Rona burst through the doors of the theology hall, she stood confidently before one person.
And that was none other than Mirei Beakis.
“Rona Imblize?”
She asked suspiciously, and in that moment, Rona started unbuttoning her shirt.
PING!
At that moment, a magical tool sprung up from around her neck, pointing right at Mirei.
This necklace was none other than a magical item that could detect the Devourer of Worlds.
“Mirei Beakis.”
With all eyes on her, a smirk spread across Rona’s face.
“What does it feel like to be a servant of the Devourer of Worlds?”
Everyone around held their breath in silence.
They all knew about Rona’s recent comments at the Women’s Association.
There’s a servant of the Devourer of Worlds at Rahern Academy.
The very explosive statement she just made now pointed right at Mirei.
“What?”
However, Mirei responded with confusion.
Before Mirei could finish her thought, Rona lifted another magical tool.
It was a jet-black tool.
The moment Mirei saw it, she felt a sudden urge to vomit.
Simultaneously, her eyes rolled back in her head as she started to fall backward.
“Mirei!”
“AHHH!”
In the moment everyone leaped to catch the fallen Mirei, just before she hit the ground,
A black tentacle shot up behind her neck, stopping her fall.
Everyone froze at the sight of it, as Mirei’s pupils turned pitch black.
The sinister energy pouring out of her was clearly the energy of World Erosion.
“Everyone get back!”
Seeing this, Rona shoved through the frozen onlookers, charging in with her flaming magical tool.
She was ready to end Mirei in one swift move.
However, the speed of the black tentacles emerging from Mirei far outpaced Rona’s swinging blade.
WHACK!
“Ugh!”
In an instant, a black tentacle struck Rona’s stomach, sending her flying.
At the same time, the rampaging tentacles from Mirei swung wildly, demolishing the Theology Hall.
That was how the situation escalated.
Taria raised her hand.
Magical mana was already flowing from her palm again, centering around her.
CRACK!
Suddenly, bolts of lightning surged from Taria, wrapping themselves around Mirei’s arms and legs like shackles.
Once Mirei’s tentacles were shattered, she could no longer move.
Taria quickly scanned the area.
Thanks to Vice Professor Denver’s actions, all the students had safely evacuated.
The student who had just been caught up in the chaos darted outside the Theology Hall too.
It was a relief; there were no casualties.
With bleary eyes, Taria looked at Mirei.
There was no sign of consciousness in her eyes.
“The Black Witch can plant a servant in another without their will.”
That thought took her back to something Kraush had said.
The Black Witch could indeed implant a servant without the person’s consent.
If Mirei had fallen just like that, it was possible she was a victim too.
If it was the Black Witch who made her this way against her will, then she wasn’t at fault.
But this was a problem in itself.
If it became known that Mirei, a cardinal, had fallen under the Devourer of Worlds, people’s faith in the gods would undoubtedly shatter.
And that would be unacceptable in a holy kingdom like Freeman, which was centered around the gods.
“If this goes on, Mirei will be executed.”
For Freeman, it would be far better if Mirei was cast as a traitor than the victim of the Devourer.
No matter what, they’d find a way to execute her.
Mirei, being a cardinal, would probably accept that fate without question.
Taria furrowed her brows.
She had no idea how she could save Mirei.
“Taria Valess.”
Denver approached her, wiping blood from his forehead.
He looked at the restrained Mirei.
He understood that Mirei had acted this way without awareness.
That was why his expression was a mix of emotions.
He knew that whether Mirei’s servitude was voluntary or not, the end result would be the same.
“Denver, is there no way?”
Denver was a high priest himself.
He was generally warm toward students and often told even clergymen not to believe in the gods blindly.
So when Taria asked, he swallowed hard.
“Too many have seen this with their own eyes. If it were just me, I might bury it, but the students here are the children of high-ranking priests.”
Whatever happens, the news would inevitably reach their ears.
And once it did, Mirei’s execution would be ensured.
“Phew, I thought I’d kicked the bucket.”
It was at that moment that a voice came from behind.
Rona, who had just regained consciousness after being knocked to the floor by Mirei, spat out some bile.
It looked like one of her magical items had helped block the attack.
“Rona.”
Taria shot her a sharp look.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
When she asked in a low voice, Rona turned back to her.
Then, without a care in the world, she pulled out a new magical tool from her back.
“What do I mean? I’ve revealed the servant of the Devourer of Worlds.”
Her face showed an outrageous nonchalance.
She completely disregarded the situation in front of her, looking as if guilt was entirely absent.
Of course, Rona wasn’t wrong.
The servant of the Devourer was indeed the enemy of the world and needed to be defeated.
Creating a magical tool that could reveal that was perhaps something to be praised.
However, she had raised the alarm way too suddenly without explaining the background.
“Could you step aside? I need to take down the servant of the Devourer with my magical tool.”
The next words made Taria’s eyebrows twitch.
“…I didn’t realize you could be this irresponsible and thoughtless.”
CRACK!
At the same time, sparks shot from her hand.
Taria had no intention of defending Mirei, who had become a servant of the Devourer.
However, there were those among them who had their reasons for why this had happened.
The abandoned ones in the world.
Their only refuge had become the Devourer.
‘Looks like I’m reminded again that I’m my sister’s servant.’
Watching Rona mindlessly condemn the servant of the Devourer, Taria couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly.
She then raised the crackling bolt of lightning from her grasp.
Her hair danced wildly in sync with the electric charge.
She was ready to subdue Rona right then and there.
It was at that moment Taria started to question.
She herself was a servant of Crimson Garden.
Crimson Garden was also a Devourer of Worlds.
So shouldn’t Rona’s magical item aiming for the Devourer be activated on her as well?
Taria’s eyes locked onto Rona’s magical item.
Rona’s tool sat silently around her neck without activating.
It didn’t seem like it had any intention of activating at all.
That realization sparked a new question in Taria’s mind.
—
“Of course, it’d be best to keep an eye on Rona regardless.”
Kraush’s warning echoed in her head.
—
As those words surfaced, Taria’s gaze turned back to Rona.
“Don’t tell me…”
When their eyes met, Rona quickly glanced at where Taria was looking.
There, lay the magical tool designed to identify the Devourer of Worlds.
“Oh.”
Rona let out a short sound.
Then, tilting her head slightly in a way that looked a bit embarrassed, she slowly smiled.
“I’ve been found out.”
—
That’s when it happened.
BOOM!
With the sound of an explosion, the lightning holding Mirei erupted, tearing apart as black tentacles surged up.
Just before that tentacle reached Taria,
Denver’s holy barrier shot up, blocking Mirei’s black tendrils.
But the black tentacle thrashed wildly against the barrier.
The force was so strong that it was disturbing even Denver’s sacred protection.
“Taria, are you alright?!”
As Denver tried to hold Mirei back, he shouted.
Denver’s divine powers were focused on defense.
So while he could restrain Mirei, he lacked the ability to subdue her.
Now only the black tentacles engulfing her filled that space, banging against the divine barrier.
Although Taria was needed, she found herself unable to assist.
Because magical objects sprang to life from Rona’s back, rushing at Taria as if they were sentient.
CRACK!
With a loud snap, Taria launched a bolt of lightning.
The electrified energy collided with Rona’s magical items, creating a deafening noise.
Yet, even through that clash, another object flew toward her.
Taria immediately rushed to the ground, dodging the incoming attacks while firing a bolt of lightning at Rona.
But her lightning oddly twisted mid-air and was sucked right into one of Rona’s swords.
That tool was none other than one that consumed lightning.
“Rona!”
Taria shouted, but Rona just smirked as she twirled among the magical items circling around her.
Her grin was disturbingly sinister.
She was way too late in realizing the implications.
But thinking back, Rona was reckless, yet not someone who would go as far as this.
—
[ She’s lost all sense of guilt in her brain. ]
Crimson Garden caught onto Rona’s current state and advised her.
[ That girl is the servant of the Black Witch. ]
Rona Imblize.
She was indeed the servant of the Black Witch.
“Oops, I overshot slightly. I meant to corral her a bit more.”
Rona Imblize, now the servant of the Black Witch.
With her tools ominously floating in the air, she sighed deeply at Taria.
“Taria, I didn’t think you were also another servant of the Devourer. This messes up my plans.”
Her original plan.
It was to implant the belief in people that her magical tool could detect the servants of the Devourer of Worlds due to this incident.
Then using that belief, she’d planned to use her tools to follow the Black Witch’s orders and convert Kraush into a servant of the Devourer too.
He possessed the power of World Erosion inside him.
If she could tie Crimson Garden and Ebelasque together, the chances would skyrocket.
If he became a servant of the Devourer, it would be easy to pull him beyond the human world.
Because beyond this world was the true lair of the Devourer of Worlds.
Witch hunts.
That was the goal of the Black Witch and Rona.
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