Not revealing at all, on the contrary, dressed in exquisite, luxurious clothing. Bad review.
Her temperament was neither flirtatious nor seductive; instead, it was full of maturity and elegance, like a noble lady. Bad review.
Personally taking the stage, and her appearance even resembled Bernadette, this deserves a good review.
Overall, Hastur still gave this Witch card a positive review. After all, Roselle personally cross-dressed to take part, asking for one good review isn't too much, right?
Hastur toyed with this hard-earned Witch card. "Tsk. Before seeing it, I was full of all kinds of imagination. But now that I've actually seen it, it's just… that. Rather dull. Roselle, you've really disappointed my expectations."
After appreciating Roselle's Witch form, Hastur began memorizing the various sequences of the Witch pathway.
This time, he intended to send Ariella out for proper training, striving for it to become an Assassin as soon as possible.
What kind of Assassin stays cooped up at home? Ariella had been getting more and more fond of staying indoors.
....
March 1st.
Time always passed quickly. In Southville County, March had already dispelled the chill of winter. The spring breeze carried a cool, moist air, nurturing the growth of all things.
On the first day of the month, Hastur sent Caius, under the identity of the Campbell family's steward, to personally visit three nearby city mayors, demanding the return of territorial autonomy.
First reclaim territorial autonomy, then find ways to extend his influence into the various coastal ports.
The smoke of war from the Southern Continent had yet to drift across the ocean to Southville County, and many people still maintained a spectator's mentality.
Even in Backlund, known as the gathering place of the most intelligent minds in all of Loen, opinions were divided on whether the war would spread to the kingdom.
After all, no matter the time, a kingdom always has two opposing voices.
The ship Sharon was waiting for was still drifting at sea. According to the latest news she received, it would take at least another week before the vessel carrying the mummy arrived at Puning Port.
So Hastur entrusted the task of teaching Ariella entirely to Sharon, who temporarily had no other matters to handle. Her wraith abilities were well-suited for tracking and surveillance.
This would be very helpful in supervising Ariella's nighttime activities.
At night.
Sharon took Ariella out, hoping to speed up the digestion of its Assassin potion, since the Beyonder materials for Sequence 8 "Instigator" of the Witch pathway had already been gathered, thanks to the Yellow-Robed Monks.
Their luck was generally high, making their work twice as effective with half the effort. It was easy for them to collect what Hastur needed.
In the Hall of Stars, Hastur made his usual sweep across the constellations. Seeing no abnormalities, his gaze fell upon the light point within the Vessel of the Stars.
During this period, Mr. A had been constantly praying, requesting the descent of the deity. It seemed he had encountered something major.
As for Mr. A, Hastur now had a rather good impression of him and didn't mind granting this small wish.
At the end of a small path southwest of Tamu Town, within a forest-shrouded area, stood a house quietly bathed in starlight.
In the second-floor prayer room, Mr. A's handsome brows were tightly furrowed, nearly forming a deep crease. His demeanor was no longer as calm and composed as before, he appeared agitated and uneasy.
He paced around the room restlessly. But whenever he looked up at the statue of the Lord, his emotions became even more complicated.
He had always believed himself to be the most loyal follower of the Lord. Yet who could have expected that one day he would be labeled a traitor to the Aurora Order, and even accused of betraying the Lord's faith?
His faith in the Lord was more important than his life. He would never betray it, only follow it forever.
But recently, when he tried to secretly contact other Aurora Order members, he was suddenly informed that he had been expelled. He was no longer the Mr. A responsible for Backlund's affairs. Some fanatical believers had even directly attacked him!
He had no choice but to kill these deranged members, lest they disturb the Lord's peace.
Yet before dying, they hurled vicious curses at him, even claiming that a Saint would personally come to deal with him, the traitor.
Within the Aurora Order, there were only five Saints in total, all ranked above the twenty-two Divine Envoys. Each Saint was at least a Sequence 4 demigod.
That was the boundary between humans and gods, a symbol of overwhelming power.
Mr. A was filled with dread. He nearly began to doubt himself, had he truly betrayed the Aurora Order?
No. There must be some misunderstanding.
He quickly corrected his thoughts and clung firmly to that belief. But when he learned the reason he had been labeled a traitor, he could no longer remain calm.
The Aurora Order's official reason was:
"Mr. A coveted the Lord's divine power, sought to advance further, and thus absconded from Backlund with that divinity. His whereabouts are currently unknown."
He had clearly left Backlund according to the Lord's oracle, so why had it become the reason for his betrayal?
Could it be that the Lord had deliberately arranged this? But what deeper meaning could there be?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it bordered on blasphemy. Each day, he could only pray continuously before the statue, begging the Lord to resolve his doubts.
At last, his devotion moved the Lord.
Tonight, the Lord's incarnation descended once more.
Thud.
Mr. A fell to his knees before the Vessel of the Stars, tilting his head upward. His hands clenched tightly, nails digging into his palms. In great anguish, he said:
"My Lord, I have always believed in You devoutly, always taken Your form as my guide. You are the only light in my pale life. I have truly never betrayed Your faith. If I have ever harbored even a single unfaithful thought, even once, I am willing to walk to the gallows and suffer every cruel torment."
His painful, aggrieved words distorted his originally handsome face.
Hastur said nothing. His own mood was equally complicated.
From his perspective, Mr. A's actions were more than just a betrayal of the True Creator, they were outright blasphemy.
After all, he himself had contributed the most to the birth of the Vessel of the Stars.
But from Mr. A's perspective, he had absolutely not betrayed the Aurora Order, nor had he strayed from the True Creator's faith. On the contrary, he was the most trusted and valued follower.
And from the Aurora Order's perspective, Mr. A was undeniably a traitor.
"O merciful Lord… is this a trial You have deliberately set for me?" Mr. A quickly found a suitable explanation for himself.
Hastur simply watched him, then, under his expectant gaze, spoke calmly: "Only when you can bear all slander and sacrifice can you be considered a truly qualified believer."
He knew it, this was all proof of the Lord's special favor toward him!
The Lord, his one and only Lord, always cherished His devout followers so deeply!
See? I am not a traitor. This is all the Lord's favor!
Mr. A shouted wildly in his heart. Rubbing his sore, swollen eyes, he suppressed the urge to break down in tears and barely steadied himself.
"My thanks to the Lord of all. Your expectations are my greatest motivation. As Your most devout follower, even at the cost of my life, I will bear all slander and sacrifice as You desire."
After calming the emotionally overwhelmed Mr. A, Hastur opened the door to the spirit world and left.
"My Lord… Your favor always comes in such surprising ways."
Mr. A murmured, his face completely free of earlier dejection and unease.
Now, even if Lord Ouroboros himself descended before him, he would not reveal a single word about this matter.
To bear all slander and sacrifice, just as the Lord Himself had done.
....
March 6th, a day worth remembering for Ariella.
Under Sharon's watch and guidance, it successfully digested the Assassin potion.
According to Sharon, during this period she had thrown Ariella alone into a deep, uninhabited forest, letting it learn from lurking predators how to kill prey by surprise.
An Assassin is never one who fights head-on. Calmness, patience, and the ability to find, or create, opportunities to strike are what define a true Assassin.
Cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness are merely human interpretations. To a cat Assassin, there is only predator and prey.
After returning from training, Ariella kept a straight face, its expression tightly drawn. It preferred to stay in the shadows, observing everything with deep eyes, as if searching for its next target.
This state lasted only two days.
The moment Hastur took out dried fish, Ariella immediately beamed with joy, hugging the snack and giggling foolishly.
Ariella had long learned to speak, but it seemed to dislike doing so. It usually expressed emotions through various "meow" sounds of different tones.
"Instigator, that's the name of your next sequence. First, you need to understand what 'instigation' means."
"Meow."
"Instigation refers to using persuasion, temptation, suggestion, incitement, or bribery to implant your intentions into someone who didn't originally have them, causing them to act according to your will."
"Meow?"
"..."
Originally, Hastur had hoped Sharon would take over this teaching task, but she saw through his attempt to slack off and refused in advance.
Left with no choice, Hastur could only hold Ariella and begin lecturing it himself.