"Your life now belongs not only to yourself but also to me."
Lynn let out a slight sigh of relief, "Then what should I do?"
Miss Witch did not answer immediately.
She slowly raised her wrist, and with a familiar spatial fluctuation, a cone-shaped spike emitting a faint black light gently floated in the palm of her hand.
The cone-shaped spike was about the size of a palm, with a handle atop it.
Although it looked like a weapon, it gave off an impression of an evil energy that caused dizziness and disorientation.
"This Sealed Object is called the Fallen Hour," Miss Witch tossed the cone-shaped spike into Lynn's arms. "Its sole function is to inscribe an indelible mark upon others."
"Those who are marked will be spiritually corrupted unknowingly, turning them into puppets of the controller."
Feeling the cold and evil touch of the Fallen Hour, Lynn had a vague sense of foreboding.
She couldn't possibly be thinking...
Noticing Lynn's gaze, Miss Witch's eyes flickered with an unusual light, "You guessed correctly."
"This Sealed Object requires the bearer to open their heart for it to be used."
"So, after you return to the Imperial Capital, I want you to try to get close to Hillena and the others, to make them trust you, until they let down their guard completely."
"Then..." Miss Witch's voice paused slightly, a glint flashing in her eyes, "use the Fallen Hour to transform them into slaves who will obey you completely."
She pronounced each word deliberately.
Her voice sounded very calm, yet Lynn could still detect the violent emotions churning within her.
He took a deep breath.
A hundred thousand years had not diluted the twisted and extreme emotions in Miss Witch's heart.
Those unresolvable hatreds had, in fact, become more profound and etched into the soul over time.
"Is this your revenge on them?"
Miss Witch slowly looked up as if gazing at the dome of the Pantheon, or as if piercing through the veil of time and space to watch a certain existence.
"Revenge on them?" she said faintly, "Perhaps."
"But that is not the main purpose for me."
Miss Witch spoke slowly.
Observing her stunning silhouette, Lynn suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
After a moment of silence, she continued, "Who do you think, imprisoned here for tens of thousands of years, do I hate the most?"
A name flashed through Lynn's mind immediately.
It was the name of someone who had thwarted her plans again and again, defeated her countless times, and left her to suffer loneliness and despair for tens of thousands of years.
It was also the protagonist of the original story...
The corners of Miss Witch's eyes softened slightly.
"Just think, in the future, Mother of All Spirits, the Bright Moon Goddess, a symbol of purity and beauty—when these beings, who should be lofty and inviolable, become slaves, utterly obedient to another man... wouldn't that be the most profound and perfect revenge for the powerful and radiant Hero Xiya?"
In that instant, Lynn sensed a deep and terrifying aura emanating from her.
Despite its weightiness.
Yet at that very moment, Miss Witch's lips curled into a light smile.
"So, my only follower, I entrust this matter... to you."
Can I choose to refuse?
Lynn felt a chill down his back.
However, he was also very clear.
If the Princess's obsession was to win the King's election, then for Miss Witch, revenge was her raison d'être.
It was the only reason she lived on, a burden of a hundred thousand years that would not shift with the will of anyone.
So, he could only accept.
Fortunately, at this point in time, the story was still in the early stages of the plot, and Hero Xiya hadn't formed deep connections with these female characters; some hadn't even met yet.
Seen in this light, the difficulty seemed considerably lessened.
However, a question soon rose in Lynn's mind.
"Miss Witch, I still do not understand," he looked at the woman in the black dress, who had regained her composure, "what does the trial have to do with sealing of memories?"
"If you just returned openly, you would never again be free for the rest of your life," Miss Witch replied softly.
"What the fuck??" Lynn suddenly felt an eerie chill.
But recalling the hint of pleading he had detected in Ivyst's eyes before he faked his death, he quickly resigned himself to it.
Given that woman's obsessive and pathological possessiveness, having tasted loss once, she might become even more extreme.
What would happen if she felt the joy of regaining what she had lost?
She would chain her favorite little dog with a dozen leashes, keeping him by her side, never letting him out of her sight for a moment.
That was definitely something that deranged woman could do.
It seems my good looks have sealed my fate.
Lynn thought, grinding his teeth in frustration.
But on the other hand.
Having one's memory sealed allowed for more freedom from Ivyst?
Lynn couldn't figure out why.
In his view, things would only spiral out of control, possibly even leading to tragedy.
However, Lynn did not quite understand the thoughts of these two women and found it inappropriate to judge rashly.
After all, it was Miss Witch's decision; she surely knew her own motives better than he.
Perhaps sensing the confusion in Lynn's heart, Miss Witch fell silent for a moment and then slowly explained, "She... needs an opportunity to reassess you."
"To go from 'dog' to 'human', this is an indispensable step."
Her voice was very cold, as though she was speaking of a being that had nothing to do with herself.