Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

1724 A Witch in Hiding

Kayara dismissed Eren's verbal threats with a determined air, steadily gaining control of the situation.

"You know, Eren. When I first heard your story, I thought you were just another swindler trying to exploit Ishgaar's temple—

meeting Templars in Kizamgaar's ruins, aiding them altruistically, teaming up to confront witches, and, in the end, Priest Hildon risking his life to save you.

Your background story was too good to be true, practically flawless. Except..."

Sitting up on the bed, Kayara tied her ruffled hair into a knot and inspected Eren with a discerning gaze.

"Except... I knew Priest Hildon better than Archpriest Jivem. As devoted as he was to God Ishgaar, he wouldn't risk his life, especially when he could use you as a distraction and shield against the Helenbora coven.

Giving you his sword as a memento so that you can get the temple's help for your contribution? Hehehe. Not his style.

Someone like him wouldn't prioritize another person's well-

being when facing the risk of death," Kayara said, noting Eren's changing expressions.

"You… you don't work for Ishgaar's temple, do you?" Eren asked with a wary expression, attempting to break free from the paralysis induced by the Winged Monarch of Lust, but it showed no effect.

Kayara smiled at Eren, her gaze mixed with a hint of lust as she observed his moonlit form. Resting her head on her raised legs, she met Eren's gaze.

'So pinning everything on that Priest Hildon guy was a bad idea. Then again, I did not have a better choice than him considering the fact that I only extracted his profile from those wretched witches' memories.

It's true what they say I guess. Most lies come packaged with an expiry date,' he thought to himself and sighed internally.

Kayara liked the fact that Eren had gone silent after she took charge. Earlier, she was afraid of him for some reason. She felt that she was in the presence of a dreadful person who she shouldn't mess with at all.

As such, Eren's vulnerable state made Kayara feel safer and more comfortable. She chuckled before adding further.

"Don't be so alarmed that I caught your lies, my dear. Honestly, I might have believed you if I didn't have extra information the Templars lacked. From your facial expressions to your body language, you nailed everything. Traits of a serial liar, I reckon.

Goes to show how much of a conniving son of a bitch you are," she said, playfully running her index finger over Eren's body.

Eren stopped struggling and stayed silent after listening to Kayara's words. He didn't try to explain things to her or deny the conclusions she had drawn. It was as if he had realized that his lie had been caught and there was no way for him to reverse that.

"There was no way you could have survived the Helenbora coven if you had met them," Kayara's voice turned serious as she spoke.

"Because the coven had sent capable witches to expedite our operations in this region. Leesha, my sister, was one of them. Plus, the group was led by Clauria, one of Witch Helen's descendants. How could you have encountered them and survived when you didn't even have Menaka's Blessing at the time?"

Eren opened his eyes wide in surprise when he realized what Kayara's words implied. "You…. you are one of them. You are a witch too?" he asked, expressions of shock and panic painted across his face.

"That's correct," Kayara replied calmly.

"When the coven first entered this continent, it took a severe hit. We lost numerous members due to Ishgaar's Templars and their allies working together.

I felt powerless when the entire system targeted witches for elimination. So, I chose to wait patiently. I manipulated demonic activities in the nearby region to escalate, compelling Ishgaar's Templars' allies to abandon their temporary alliance and focus on protecting their own parishes."

Kayara spoke almost as if she were contemplating with herself, narrating the background history of Eren's encounter with the Helenbora coven. She didn't comprehend why she was sharing this information with Eren, as if her subconscious mind guided her.

She detailed to Eren how she utilized the den dwellers to increase their activities near Brol. She explained how she used Rivena to control Zargoth's actions—the demonkin in charge of the den, later killed by Eren in his raid along with Rivena and others.

"When the time was right, I decided to act," Kayara confessed. "I ensured that nobody disrupted the demonic ritual the coven was about to conduct in Kizamgaar's ruins.

I led the Templars on a wild goose chase with fabricated clues about the witches. How did they see through my ruse and locate the coven during the ritual night without informing me? It was peculiar.

We utilized all our manpower to make the demonic ritual a success. Right when we were on the verge of achieving the desired success, the entire Helenbora coven in Kizamgaar's ruins went silent. I couldn't contact anyone."

Kayara looked at Eren with a grim expression, narrowing her eyes with a killer gaze before continuing.

"A few days after that night, you appeared at my doorstep. You presented your version of the story, which I couldn't accept or deny. I couldn't conduct my separate investigation at that time either.

I never believed for a second that you killed my sisters. But your timing was too suspicious. So, I decided to see what you were up to.

In hindsight, there were so many loopholes in your story. Gah, it's crazy they believed you. I have to hand it to you; you could really sell your lies well. You should have pursued a career in thievery and swindling. You would have had much more significant success.

Anyway, after a few days, I accepted the fact that something had happened to the remaining witches. I thought they had either left Onianum or gone into hiding to save themselves from pursuing forces.

Still, the fact that they didn't even give me a hint was odd."