Chapter 596 – The “Hermit” Luwen

Luwen walked hurriedly toward the area where the Sacred Radiance Trees were concentrated. Before long, he ran into Mo Lan, who had been heading toward the white house.

He clearly hadn’t expected to encounter a Witch so close to home. The irritation on his face hadn’t been reined in quickly enough, and he could only hastily force a somewhat contorted smile. “A Witch? What are you doing here?”

Though there was a smile on his face, his tone was rather unfriendly.

Mo Lan pretended not to notice and explained her purpose:

“You must be Luwen? I’m Moira, a Witch living at the intersection of Eternal Radiance Road and Nightless Road. I’m planning to open a magical candy shop in the Holy City, and I heard there are many honey-light fruits ripening in the cemetery. I came specifically to find you and ask whether you could sell me some.”

“A magical candy shop?” The expression on Luwen’s face finally shifted to something more pleasant, and he spoke with a warm smile. “The Holy City could certainly use a candy shop. However, I’ve already picked all the honey-light fruits for this season and used them as fertilizer for the flowers and plants in the cemetery. I’m afraid I can’t sell you any. But there are many sweet-flavored plants in the Sacred Mountains — you might find what you need there.”

As he spoke, Luwen tucked his hands deeper into his sleeves, hiding them away.

“I see. Well then, I won’t trouble you any further. I’ll go collect some Sacred Radiance Tree sap first!” Mo Lan bid him farewell with a hint of disappointment.

“So it’s already a full moon night? When collecting sap from the Sacred Radiance Trees, please be careful not to harm the flowers and plants beneath them! It’s thanks to them that this cemetery has the sweet fragrance of flowers in every season,” Luwen said.

“Understood! I’ll be careful,” Mo Lan said, then turned and walked away.

After she’d taken two or three steps, Luwen spoke again. “I think I heard other voices as well. Let me come along and have a look.”

“That should be my companions. We arranged to collect Sacred Radiance Tree sap together tonight. They won’t damage the vegetation here either, so you can rest easy,” Mo Lan said.

“Unless they’re as willing to embrace the light as you are, I can’t rest easy,” Luwen said.

Since Luwen insisted on coming along, Mo Lan said nothing more.

After meeting up with the other Witches, she joined the group collecting Sacred Radiance Tree sap.

Luwen hovered behind them like a ghost, watching their every move, yet unable to find a single fault. All he could do was nag incessantly:

“Gently, gently! That cut is too big — the Sacred Radiance Trees feel pain too, you know!”

“Worldly possessions are mere externals! As long as you embrace the light, you’ll never want for a livelihood. Why go to all this trouble?”

“You’re not exactly short on money, are you? So why stay up through the night collecting Sacred Radiance Tree sap? They were growing here just fine, and now you’ve gone and slashed them open. It’s rather pitiful, don’t you think?”

…

At moments like these, he was just as long-winded as any other Hermit.

The Witches were well accustomed to being lectured by whatever Hermit they happened to encounter while collecting Sacred Radiance Tree sap.

They collected the sap without batting an eye, all while trading barbs with Luwen.

“Whether the Sacred Radiance Trees feel pain from having their sap collected, I couldn’t say. But these honey-light vines strangling them — now that definitely hurts.”

“We won’t starve even without embracing the light. Doesn’t money earned by your own two hands feel better to spend than waiting for who-knows-when something might fall from the sky?”

“Who says we’re not short on money? I haven’t even saved up enough resources to build my Witch’s home yet!”

…

Even when challenged, Luwen simply maintained his smile and continued his sermonizing. He never resorted to physical force. For one thing, he couldn’t beat a Witch. For another, Hermits would never use the Magic bestowed by the light to harm others unless their lives were threatened.

Still, as Mo Lan observed him, his smile — no matter how she looked at it — wasn’t as natural as those of the other Hermits she’d encountered today, who genuinely seemed to have the Witches’ best interests at heart.

Moreover, he was the first Hermit she’d met who hadn’t expressed appreciation for her appearance and attire, which fit the aesthetic ideals of light worshippers.

Even without using mind-reading magic — which she’d refrained from out of concern that the Angel behind the Light-Shadow Sprites might detect the anomaly — Mo Lan could sense that he was different from the other Hermits.

Or rather, he might not be a Hermit at all.

Because he had lied earlier.

Beneath his fingernails, there were still residual pigments from peeling honey-light fruits. He had most certainly not, as he’d claimed, used the fruits as fertilizer.

A Hermit — whose emotions had been ground flat by the Holy Light, who reacted blandly to everything and cared only about worshipping the light — why would such a person lie about honey-light fruits that were trivial to them? Unless he wasn’t a Hermit at all, and his emotional fluctuations were still perfectly normal.

That would explain why he’d lied about the honey-light fruits he needed, why his smile had stiffened when the Witches needled him with their retorts, and why his expression had twisted and his tone had turned hostile the moment he first laid eyes on her.

After the Witches finished collecting the Sacred Radiance Tree sap, they each headed home.

Adult Witches’ need for sleep naturally decreased over time, and the mage meditation technique that Mo Lan had organized and shared had become quite popular among the Witches, who were feeling the pressure of Lady Anita’s disappearance.

Before Mo Lan even had a chance to tell the other Witches about her discovery, the Eight-Times-Speed Gossip Alliance group chat had already erupted in conversation.

After Mo Lan shared what she’d found, the messages in the group grew even more frequent.

【Garona: Luwen isn’t a Hermit?】

【Melinda: Now that you mention it, he really does seem different from the other Hermits. When I was bantering with him today, I kept feeling more satisfied than when I banter with other Hermits. So was it actually because he was getting annoyed by us too?】

【Camilla: I had the same feeling. He seemed like he wanted nothing more than to kick us out of the cemetery. That’s really not very Hermit-like.】

【Agnes: If Luwen isn’t a Hermit, then why does he pass himself off as one? Why does he say things that only a Hermit would say? Besides, the Holy Light in his Angel pendant is already comparable to that of a seasoned Hermit. Without devout prayer, how could he channel such concentrated Holy Light into his prayer object?】

【Bella: I smell gossip in the air again.】

【Evelyn: Too bad none of us are good at mind-reading magic. We can’t read the secrets in Luwen’s heart.】

【Moira: I could actually read him, but I’m worried his Light-Shadow Sprite might detect the anomaly. Angels are experts at manipulating hearts and minds too.】

【Euphemia: Whatever Luwen is hiding, it’s all connected to that Light-Shadow Sprite of his. There’s definitely something going on there. Sooner or later, we’ll get to the bottom of it!】

【Moira: His Light-Shadow Sprite probably does have a sweet tooth — that much should be right. Luwen already knows I’m opening a magical candy shop. Once my candies are ready, Luwen — or the Light-Shadow Sprite at his side — will definitely come. When that happens, we’ll be able to dig up a lot more.】

【Camilla: I’m getting a bit excited! The process of unearthing gossip is always the most delightful part.】

…(End of Chapter)