Chapter 592: A Long-Awaited Family Dinner

"Mirrorheart? When did you get back?"

Seeing Mirrorheart, Loren excitedly cupped her face, savoring the familiar touch.

"I'll answer you once you're done using the restroom."

"I don't need to go anymore, alright?"

There it was again, that familiar feeling. But this time, Loren's head didn't ache. Instead, he felt a bit delighted.

He pulled Mirrorheart into an embrace, catching the scent of her hair. Mirrorheart was generally very particular about cleanliness, and she always carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.

"It's enough that you're back."

"Did you get the key I left for you? If you don't need to use the restroom, I'd like to..."

"Could you not ruin the mood like this..."

Just when things were getting sentimental, Mirrorheart pulled one of her usual abstract stunts.

But in the end, Loren chose to indulge her, handing the key to Mirrorheart.

"You can undo it for me yourself."

With that, Mirrorheart lifted her maid skirt. The hem was a bit long, so she had some trouble gathering it up.

"You actually did lock it..."

Loren had only been guessing before, but at this moment, he was finally certain.

"Doesn't this lock get in the way of using the restroom?"

"A lock is a lock, holding it in is holding it in. Those are two different kinds of play..."

"..."

Loren was at a loss for words. After helping Mirrorheart undo the lock, he planned to step away for a moment.

"Wait, I haven't received your command yet. I can't..."

"Alright, you may go now."

Loren quickly issued the order. They had only been reunited for a short while, and already Mirrorheart was giving him a headache.

"Hold on a little longer. I can't go if you're not watching me..."

"Come on now, this is going too far..."

Seeing Mirrorheart's eyes welling up with tears, Loren eventually gave in.

She was crying dry tears, her expression completely unchanged.

"Fine, fine..."

Loren's heart softened. He had never seen Mirrorheart cry before.

...

"So many dishes. Did the master make all this?"

When she woke up, Veronica looked at the food on the table and felt a surge of excitement.

"Master Mentor's cooking isn't that good, is it?"

Anna sat down in her seat, took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Is it really that good?"

Seeing Anna's strong reaction, Veronica got excited too and quickly took a few bites.

"It really is delicious..."

She had never eaten anything good in her entire life. Tasting Mirrorheart's cooking now, she suddenly felt like she was about to cry.

"It's not because it's delicious. It's because it's familiar. Mirrorheart is back."

"Mirrorheart?"

Veronica had heard that somewhat familiar name before. Loren had mentioned her.

"She's the one you told me to stay away from?"

"Yes, that's her."

Anna could guess what Loren had told Veronica. But even if Veronica didn't join Mirrorheart's advanced class, there was still Anna's beginner class.

Anna was no longer all talk and no action. She had real combat experience now, and she felt her lessons would only be better.

"It's a pity Naclis isn't here..."

Anna had already gotten ahead, and now it was time to give her sister a boost as well.

After a few bites, Veronica set down her chopsticks. She wanted to wait for Loren to come back and eat together.

Anna didn't wolf everything down while Veronica was waiting either. She also waited for Loren.

But after waiting for quite a while, Anna still didn't see Loren come out.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Anna's mind, and she broke into a mischievous grin.

"Master Mentor probably won't be back for a while. You go ahead and eat. I'll go find him."

Anna walked to the restroom door and pushed. Sure enough, it wouldn't budge.

Perfect timing. She hadn't returned the High Tower card to Loren yet, so Anna used it to pass through the wall and enter the restroom.

Sure enough, she saw exactly what she had suspected, and a sly smile spread across her face.

"An... Anna..."

Loren felt embarrassed. Even though Anna already knew about all this, it was still the first time she had witnessed it in person.

"Care to join?"

Compared to Loren's fluster, Mirrorheart was completely composed.

"What nonsense are you talking about..."

Before Loren could even retort, he heard Anna's voice of agreement.

"Sure..."

...

"What were you two doing? The food's gone cold..."

Veronica sat by the dining table, chin propped on her hand, looking utterly bored.

"Nothing. If the food's cold, we can heat it up with magic. I recently came up with a fire spell that can warm up food."

Loren deftly changed the subject. He snapped his fingers, and a flash of fire swept over the food. The next moment, the dishes were piping hot again.

"Let's eat."

There were four people at the table, just like in the beginning. The only difference was that Naclis had been replaced by Veronica.

During the meal, Loren shared his concerns with Mirrorheart. He wanted to spread his name so the witches could find him, but he was afraid of being cornered by the Orthodox Gods.

As a wife, Mirrorheart was more than qualified. She was devoted to Loren, hardworking and capable, and when necessary, she could help him come up with ideas.

"We can spread your name in other places and leave behind some code that only we understand, hinting for the witches to return here."

After thinking for a moment, Mirrorheart offered a plan. But the plan still had some drawbacks.

"But what code could we use that only we understand?"

Conventional passwords wouldn't work. The witches could crack them, and so could the Church.

"How about using that nursery rhyme you wrote for me? You've sung it to all the other witches back home. They might be able to think of home through it."

"Besides, even if it reaches the Church's ears, they'll just dismiss it as a seditious verse. They won't think twice about it."

"There's no guarantee the other witches will think of coming home from it, but it's the best we can do."

"Let's use both approaches. We'll use this method while also actively searching for the other witches."

Only after coming up with a solution did Loren finally let out a sigh of relief and properly begin his meal.

This time, Anna didn't eat much. Instead, she piled food onto Loren's plate.

Ever since she parted ways with Loren that day, Anna's appetite had grown smaller and smaller, while her bloodlust had only intensified. The totem towers from before were proof of that.

Even now, the River of Blood still flowed around their home.

"Let's rest for a few days. In a few days, I need to make a trip to the Lost Snow Mountains. Along the way, we can spread that song."

Spreading the song wouldn't be a problem. With the Sun Card in Loren's possession, it would be a breeze to make it widely known.

Loren's life was steadily getting back on track, and the Orthodox Gods were steadily marching toward their graves.

For the next few days, Loren planned to rest for the first time in a while. But with Anna and Mirrorheart taking turns with him, he wouldn't get much rest anyway.

However, before such a life could even last a few days, someone crossed the River of Blood once again.

Anna could now sense blood, and she could feel someone approaching.

The River of Blood was the boundary line. Anyone who crossed it would be slaughtered by Anna. Countless people had already proven this with their lives, and it was common knowledge by now.

For someone to still dare cross that line, they must have some kind of confidence.

Loren immediately used invisibility to slip out and check the situation. What he saw were several familiar faces.