Chapter 276 — The Alluring Witch (Part 4)
Quentin's expression darkened.
She stopped talking and raised her right hand.
With a short incantation, every sharp object in the room shot toward Gideon.
But in the next instant—
They all slammed into an invisible barrier and froze midair.
Quentin narrowed her eyes.
"You're a witch too?"
"Losing focus in a fight isn't a good habit," Gideon replied calmly.
Before she could react—
A sharp pain struck her abdomen.
Quentin doubled over, her face contorting in pain.
Then she felt her ankle being grabbed.
"You—what are you—mmph!!"
Before she could finish—
Gideon pulled off her shoe and stuffed it straight into her mouth.
Dust and grime filled her throat instantly.
She could taste the dryness of dirt.
Earlier, she had taken a shortcut through a garbage-filled alley just to catch up with Jenny.
And now—
That same filth was in her mouth.
It was pure humiliation.
Before she could retaliate, her arms and legs were bound tightly with a thin rope.
No matter how she tried to activate her magic—
She couldn't break free.
"Impossible… my power is being suppressed…"
A flicker of panic crossed her eyes.
Only now did she realize how bad her situation was.
Nearby, Jenny had already retreated into a corner.
"That rope… looks familiar…" she thought nervously.
Then—
She met Gideon's gaze.
"No… no—!"
She shook her head frantically.
But in the next second—
A shoe was shoved into her mouth as well.
Gideon clapped his hands lightly.
"Ladies," he said calmly,
"I value efficiency. So I'll only give you one chance."
"If you hide anything during my questioning…"
He paused slightly.
"Then I'll strip you both naked, drag you across the street, take you to the place with the most homeless people…"
"And leave you there."
"Feel free to imagine what happens next."
Silence.
Both girls swallowed hard.
Fear crept into their eyes.
Quentin, in particular, looked pale. Her shoulders trembled slightly.
"I'll question you one by one," Gideon continued.
"Don't test my patience."
He clenched his fist.
And in that instant—
The world around them went eerily silent.
Quentin and Jenny suddenly realized—
They could no longer hear each other's movements at all.
The interrogation had begun.
This was another application of the isolation array.
Gideon had already made sufficient preparations outside the room.
He stepped forward and stopped in front of Quentin, pulling the shoe out of her mouth.
"What is the combined witchcraft?"
Quentin didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she raised her head slightly—
And in the next instant, she felt her collar seized by a powerful hand.
"—Rip!"
The sleeve of her black dress was torn apart.
At the same time, terrifying visions flashed before her eyes—grotesque, nightmarish images that made her entire body tremble.
"Don't—please! I'll talk!"
Quentin curled up on the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
"Speak."
"The… combined… witchcraft…"
Her voice quivered.
"It's… a kind of sealing ritual…"
According to Quentin, the ritual consisted of five components:
Bloodline
Time
Elements
Soul
Memory
Each aspect required a Primary Witch to lead it.
For example—
The Bloodline component required a witch with exceptionally strong hereditary power.
That role was currently held by Fox, the daughter of the Supreme Witch.
Once the ritual was completed—
It could completely strip clergy of their holy power.
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
Holy power originated from Heaven—a force beyond dimensions.
He didn't believe a mere witchcraft ritual could truly suppress it.
But Quentin had only heard this from the academy.
There was no way to verify it.
"Second question," Gideon said calmly.
"Where have the witches been going recently?"
Quentin hesitated, thinking.
Then she shook her head.
"Fiona… does go out often… but she never tells us where."
"I—I'm not lying."
Gideon nodded slightly.
He had been observing her emotions the entire time.
She wasn't lying.
"Last question."
"What's at the edge of the New Orleans forest?"
"Forest… edge…"
Quentin frowned, then shook her head again.
"I've never been there."
With nothing more to extract, Gideon stepped forward.
"No—wait! I've told you everything, I—"
Before she could finish—
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
Gideon withdrew his hand and turned toward Jenny.
"Mmm! Mmm!"
Jenny shook her head desperately, tears welling in her eyes—
Until she heard a familiar voice.
"Long time no see."
Gideon removed his mask and untied her restraints.
"Gideon?!"
Jenny froze, eyes wide with disbelief.
"I'm not dreaming, am I—ow!"
She pinched her arm.
"How are you here?!"
"It's a long story."
The two quickly exchanged what had happened to each of them.
"Looks like if I want clues about the saint's remains… I'll have to infiltrate the witch academy," Gideon said thoughtfully.
Jenny glanced at the unconscious Quentin.
"What should we do with her…? Just leave her here?"
"You can kill her," Gideon replied casually, narrowing his eyes.
"I know a quiet place nearby."
Jenny immediately waved her hands.
"N-No… I mean… I did take her position…"
"Maybe… we should just let her go."
Gideon frowned.
"Letting someone who tried to kill you walk away is the same as giving them another chance."
Jenny clenched her fists.
"But…"
Seeing her hesitation, Gideon didn't push further.
Some lessons had to be learned firsthand.
Besides, Quentin didn't know his identity—and killing her might complicate the infiltration.
Still—
He wasn't about to let her off so easily.
Gideon poured a bottle of holy water into Quentin's mouth and set up a small restriction array on her body.
"Let's go. We're heading to the academy."
The two quickly left the bar.
An hour later—
A woman named Denise cautiously peeked inside.
The sight of the room made her freeze.
Not long after, she helped the pale-faced Quentin into the bar's main hall.
Only the bartender, Martin, remained.
Suddenly—
Denise grabbed him and kissed him.
Martin froze, his face turning bright red.
Denise licked her lips and smiled sweetly.
"Using demon poison on him seems like a waste," Quentin said coldly.
"Can't be helped," Denise shrugged.
"He saw our faces."
Not long after they left—
Martin's breathing grew erratic.
His veins turned a deep violet.
He collapsed to the floor in agony.
Just as he thought he was about to die—
A faint glow emerged from his pocket.
His breathing steadied.
The color returned to normal.
Three days later—
Witch Academy
Fiona stood on the second-floor railing, dressed in a long black gown.
Below her gathered a crowd of young witches.
"Ladies," she announced, her tone firm,
"after investigation by the Rosicrucian Council, Mr. Gray from the materials department has been found guilty of serious misconduct."
"He has been sent to the Inquisition for punishment."
Cheers erupted below.
Fiona raised her hand to silence them.
"To ensure continued supply, the academy has hired a new assistant."
"He will arrive this afternoon."
"He?" murmurs of protest spread through the crowd.
"I understand your concerns," Fiona sighed.
"But witches capable of handling corrupted materials are rare."
"And lately, obtaining such materials has become increasingly difficult."
"The final selection for the combined ritual is approaching."
"Make the most of this opportunity."
"As long as you prove your ability… the Rosicrucians will not overlook your talent."
"As for the assistant—we will train him properly."
Underground Storage — Witch Academy
Gideon, dressed as a butler, followed a middle-aged woman with glasses.
After rescuing Jenny, he had been searching for a way into the academy—
And luck had favored him.
The academy needed someone to process corrupted materials.
With his experience, he had easily slipped in.
"Purification is critical," the woman said sternly, turning around.
"Only materials with over 60% purity meet academy standards."
"I don't care how you do it—but when it's time for distribution, everything must be ready."
"Otherwise, your share of herbs will be confiscated."
"…Even the witch academy plays this game," Gideon thought.
Outwardly, he nodded.
"I understand. Is this… a week's supply?"
"A week?"
The woman sneered.
"You think this is a vacation? This must all be processed today."
"You're lucky. A few days ago, it was twice this amount."
Gideon frowned slightly.
"Even with two people working together, this would take until sunrise."
"There is no 'two people.'"
She cut him off coldly.
"I have other work. Tonight, this is all yours."
She handed him a glass vial.
"This reduces corruption."
"I applied for it specially for you."
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
Processing these materials was extremely dangerous.
Without proper protection, it was practically suicide.
And clearly—
The academy didn't care.
As for this woman…
Jenny had told him there were supposed to be two people working shifts.
She was clearly dumping all the work on him.
And that "medicine"?
Most likely she had pocketed the better protective supplies.
"Take it."
She shoved the vial into his hand.
"I'll come help in the morning. Get to work."
Then she left.
Gideon smiled faintly.
"A terrible coworker… but it makes things easier for me."
If anyone knew about the saint's remains—
It would be Fiona.
But with his current identity, getting close to her wouldn't be easy.
"Looks like I'll have to work seriously… and gather intel."
"If that fails… I'll just kidnap someone."
He picked up a silver container.
"Didn't expect to return to my old job."
"With how dangerous these materials are…"
"A little extra 'loss' during processing should be… perfectly normal."
A faint smile curved his lips.
Then—
He turned toward the hallway.
Footsteps approached.
"Wonder what the new guy looks like."
"As long as he's not like Gray…"
"Let's scare him a bit—maybe we can get free materials later."
Three young witches appeared at the doorway.
Behind them, another figure approached—
Zoe.
"So you're the new assistant?"
The three blocked the entrance.
Gideon nodded calmly.
"Not bad-looking," one of them remarked, eyeing him.
"We need six portions," another said.
"Purity above 70%."
"Sorry," Gideon replied evenly.
"It's not distribution time."
"We need them urgently! Fiona approved it!"
"Is that so?"
Gideon stepped aside slightly.
"Then I can't refuse… but today's processed materials are already gone."
"What?! No extras left?"
"Unfortunately not. Though… you're welcome to take unprocessed materials."
"Ha! Rookie!"
"What good are unprocessed materials?!"
"Then I'm afraid I can't help."
Gideon smiled calmly.
"You will help us."
"Yeah! We're primary witches. Delay the ritual and you're finished!"
Gideon shrugged.
"I heard primary witches don't need to collect materials personally."
"What are you implying?!"
"You think we're not qualified?!"
"Relax," Gideon raised a hand.
"I'm just stating a fact."
"Why bring up 'qualification' yourselves?"
Their faces darkened instantly.
"He's mocking us!"
One of them raised a bracelet and began chanting.
The silver containers in the warehouse began to tremble.
"Stop!"
A voice cut through the tension.
"Using witchcraft in the materials department is forbidden."
"Do you all want to be expelled?"
Zoe stepped forward, arms crossed.
The three witches snorted and left.
Zoe turned to Gideon.
"Are you alright? Don't mind them."
Only then did Gideon properly look at her.
Soft features.
Light blonde hair.
A gentle, girl-next-door presence.
"So it's her…"
He recognized her.
The witch known as "Black Widow"—
Any man who got intimate with her would die instantly.
"I'm fine," Gideon smiled.
"Thanks to you. Who knows what they would've done otherwise."
Zoe froze slightly.
That warm smile caught her off guard.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She tucked her hair behind her ear.
"You… are you a witch too?"