Earl Harris looked up from his book, his eyes scanning her for a moment before he asked with an air of indifference, “So, I heard you’ve been getting quite close to that Inquisitor lately?”
Tia’s heart skipped a beat, and she shook her head.
“… No, I just happen to run into her occasionally.”
“Her identity is not simple. I am worried she has some scheme in mind for Hela City, so do not get too close to her. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Father.”
‘If I had a choice, who would want to get close to her!’
Her Witch’s Tear was still in that woman’s hands.
If she didn’t have that Witch gem to mask her Witch Aura, those damn Witch Hunters would likely track her all the way to Hela City.
If that happened, she would be truly finished!
Therefore, no matter how much Earl Harris warned her, she was forced to maintain contact with Mephia.
Sighing inwardly, Tia turned toward the study door when she saw the Count had nothing more to say.
However, just as her hand touched the handle—
“Why were you at the Bird and Flower Market in the north of the city today?”
The sudden question nearly made Tia flinch.
She pursed her lips, and after a calculated moment of hesitation, she whispered, “The flowers in the backyard are wilting. I wanted to go to the market to buy some new ones.”
Earl Harris frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because… you wouldn’t have agreed, right? In your eyes, such things should be left to the maids, while I should only stay home and study noble etiquette…”
As she spoke, Tia turned around and reached up to brush away a non-existent tear from the corner of her eye.
At that moment, she looked exactly like a Daughter of a Count who suffered under the strictness of a noble family.
Despite her gorgeous dress and the sweet smile she usually wore, her face was now pale and heartbreaking.
Her outward beauty seemed to stem from a noble character and a heart that didn’t want others to worry.
In reality, she looked as lost and broken as a tattered ragdoll.
A pink haze of Eros Energy lingered in the study.
The moment Earl Harris saw Tia wiping her tears, his frown deepened, seemingly reflecting on whether he had been too harsh on her.
After a long silence, he closed his book and sighed.
“I do not forbid you from going out because I want to be strict, but because it is unsafe. Even in Hela City, I cannot guarantee you will grow up in peace.”
“In the end, it is my own… Forget it. You may go. I will not punish you today.”
Earl Harris seemed to want to blame himself, but seeing the concern that appeared on Tia’s face, he paused.
He said nothing more, simply waving his hand to dismiss her.
*Click.*
The study door was closed cautiously.
Standing outside, Tia let out a small sigh of relief.
Because of Earl Harris’s disapproval, the relationship between this Daughter of a Count and Mephia would likely be even harder to develop in the future.
The Honey Trap was becoming increasingly difficult to execute.
‘Oh, Witch’s Tear, my Witch’s Tear!’
Returning to her bedroom, Tia spent the next two days living a normal life within the estate.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the city had become very serious due to the influence of the monster attack at the Bird and Flower Market.
The City Guard and the Inquisitors patrolled the streets constantly.
Filthy back alleys were swept through multiple times, and many thugs and hoodlums were rounded up and thrown into the dungeons.
However, to everyone’s surprise, no “big fish” were caught aside from these small fry.
The monster merchant who had escaped earlier was now officially on the wanted list.
Given that he could cultivate Tier 3 Monsters, his wanted rating was set at 2-star.
Of course, what infuriated Tia was that her own wanted rating as a Witch had inexplicably risen to 2-star as well, even though she hadn’t been involved in the monster incident at all.
If a 1-star wanted poster meant that several Inquisitors were needed to capture the target, a 2-star rating meant that the strength of the entire Inquisition might be required to succeed.
They were certainly taking her seriously.
After complaining about the Inquisition in her head, Tia received a new letter from the Witch Council a few days later.
The Witch codenamed Grey Cat had already retrieved the Heart Gem Tia had buried. Inside the letter were three Magic Crystals and an Agave Mark, which represented an official operative of the Witch Council.
With Grey Cat’s recommendation, she had officially become an operative of the Witch Council with the codename Nightingale.
Above the rank of operative was the position of core member, which was considered the middle management of the Witch Council.
To become a core member, she would have to complete important missions issued by the council.
Multiple operative-level witches would usually accept these missions, but only the one who ultimately completed it would be promoted.
In essence… it was a breeding ground for competition.
Climbing the ranks of the Witch Council inevitably required a baptism of blood.
Naturally, the Witch Council wasn’t just about internal strife.
During the process of rising through the ranks, the higher-ups would also provide support to outstanding juniors.
Magic Crystals were just one form of support.
According to Grey Cat, the rewards for many missions were incredibly rich; some even allowed one to request help from a Legendary Witch.
Tia looked forward to that.
If she could truly enlist the help of a Legendary Witch, suppressing Mephia would be a simple task, let alone reclaiming the Witch’s Tear.
Unfortunately, such missions were rare and could not be forced.
She glanced at the magic crystal used for communication within the Witch Council.
Seeing that there were no missions available, Tia’s excitement gradually cooled.
Indeed, forget about missions with rich rewards — even ordinary missions weren’t always available.
The Witch Council was perhaps a bit too relaxed.
Tossing these distracting thoughts aside, she took out the three Magic Crystals and converted them into Eros Energy.
Then, after “confessing” to the Magic Power in her surroundings, the energy within her body surged forward violently.
Finally, she managed to cross the threshold of Two-star Copper Grade.
At that moment, she felt as if she had been reborn.
In this world, there was perhaps no one whose promotion was easier than hers.
While others worked themselves to death cultivating their Magic Power, she only needed a single confession to surpass the countless years of their cultivation. The feeling was incredible!
The only drawback was the lack of Eros Energy.
Feeling the abundant Magic Power in her body, Tia’s face flushed slightly.
She felt as though she could knock Mephia unconscious with a single punch right now and show her the power of the Witch of Lust!
Alright, the reality was still that Mephia would likely knock her out with one punch, but she was now more than five times stronger than before.
The Divine Thunder Magic that could once destroy a building could now likely level an entire street.
The Fire Rain Magic, which focused on wide-area destruction, was even more terrifying; it could probably set an entire block ablaze.
For the first time, Tia felt that she was frighteningly powerful.
She estimated that in the entire Hela City, only a few people could still pose a threat to her.
However… she wouldn’t let it go to her head.
In her previous life, she had seen too many people in novels fail because they grew arrogant.
The stronger one became, the more cautious one should be.
After all, one must remember that there is always a higher heaven and a greater person out there!
No matter how powerful someone is, they might always encounter a more formidable opponent.
Thinking you are invincible is not the same as being truly invincible.
Furthermore, she was only at the Two-star Copper Grade.
Above her were 3-star Copper Rank, Silver Grade, Gold Rank, and even higher realms that might exist but remained unknown.
Thinking of it that way, she realized her current strength was still too weak.
Tia licked her crimson lips, a few glints of greedy red light flashing in her misty eyes.
Magic Crystals… she needed more Magic Crystals!
The more, the better.
The more, the better!