Ashok first explained the power of Soul Possession possessed by the Witch of Rogues to the three in the room.
The Duke’s disbelief was clear, his words sharp, as if he couldn’t quite fathom the truth of what Ashok had just revealed. "Can such power truly exist?"
The Duke’s tone was incredulous, as though the very idea of soul possession, let alone being able to inherit the memories of a body and then swap among bodies, was beyond comprehension.
"You are questioning the authenticity behind the power of witches? If you doubt my words, then perhaps you should consider the actions of your own wife.
How can you explain how your wife, weakened as she was, managed to protect her honor from the hands of the Two Ascended, whose heads are lying beneath your feet?" asked Ashok.
"..." The Duke was silent at first, unable to answer the question, but suddenly he asked, "Wait! What do you mean by ’weakened’?"
"If you don’t know, then there’s no point wasting time on things that are meaningless right now. Focus on saving your daughter," said Ashok with a smirk.
’I will get the answer to that once the witch is dealt with,’ thought the Duke.
"The plan I have works on three objectives," Ashok continued, raising three of his fingers. "First, to kill that witch in your mansion.
Second, to make sure that no other witches come to take revenge.
Third, to divert the attention of the witches away from the Southern Duchy until your daughter is fully cured."
The Duke remained silent and continued to listen.
"For the first part, you have to provide me with certain items," said Ashok.
"Just name them, the cost doesn’t matter," replied the Duke.
"A Complete Transformation Scroll, an Attraction Potion, a Berserk Potion, a Poison of Sense Disruption, a Tasteless Potion, an aphrodisiac perfume, and finally a scroll with the Dark Magic: Vengeance," listed Ashok.
"The scrolls and the perfume are not a problem, but what about the grade of the potions and poison?" asked the Duke.
"All of them should be high grade, mixed together to look and taste like normal water.
Use the Tasteless Potion in a higher quantity to ensure the effect is not immediate and affects the user with a delay. Ah! and make sure to keep it inside a glass bottle," said Ashok.
’Every potion and poison was selected with a specific purpose.
The Attraction Potion, the Poison of Sense Distortion, and the aphrodisiac perfume will work in synchronicity on the witch, ensuring her focus remains on me while ignoring her surroundings.
The Berserk Potion will further amplify the effects of the previous two, making her extremely susceptible to my words. Finally, the Tasteless Potion is the icing on the cake.
Its only job is to make her unable to detect that any kind of poison has entered her body and delay the effects of the poison.’
"Tell the Head Alchemist to prepare it immediately," ordered the Duke, and the Head Butler disappeared.
"I can tell you will use that poison on the witch, but how will you divert the attention of the witches?"
"I am going to use the transformation scroll to disguise as the newly chosen hero of the church. So, if I were to kill that witch using that face, where do you think the witches will set their target?" said Ashok with an evil smirk on his face.
"Aren’t you scared of the Church, especially the Saintess? What if she comes to know of this?" asked Cassius.
"There is a difference between me and you. You are a scared little coward; I am not," said Ashok. Cassius fell silent, internally vowing never to question this kid again, no matter what he did.
"Do you hold any kind of enmity against the Church?" asked the Duke.
"Are my personal feelings toward the Church a greater priority than saving your daughter?" retorted Ashok.
Soon, the Head Butler returned and handed the glass bottle to Ashok.
"Give me a storage ring, or do you want me to hold it in my hand?" asked Ashok sarcastically.
The Duke immediately took out a storage ring from one of his own rings and handed it over to Ashok.
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Ashok wore the ring and promptly transferred the glass bottle inside it.
’Pretty simple to use, just like my Inventory. Just think about the ring and you can easily access the storage.
According to the description in the game, the ring has the function to automatically absorb a minute amount of mana to connect the storage inside of it. The amount of mana is very small and nearly negligible, so it doesn’t affect the user in any way. That is why it can be easily used to take out and store weapons during fights.’
As Ashok examined the ring, the Duke accessed the Duchy’s treasury with another of his rings and brought out two scrolls.
The Duke handed the two scrolls to Ashok and began, "The Transformation Scroll requires—"
"It’s fine! I know how to use the two scrolls. In short, the first one needs imagination, while the second one needs a condition," interrupted Ashok. He stored the dark magic scroll in his Inventory and placed the Transformation Scroll on the sofa.
The Duke had no other choice but to believe Ashok.
Ashok looked at the Head Butler and said, "First, it’s your job to bring the maid. Make sure to maintain your normal attitude so she doesn’t sense anything wrong."
He then turned to the Duke. "You have the least role. First, simply order the maid to answer the questions that I will ask her."
"After that, it’s my turn to feed the poison and ask her certain questions," said Ashok.
"What questions?" asked the Duke.
"You should hear them when I ask her, repeating the same thing twice is not my ordeal," said Ashok. The Duke sighed, not even getting angry at this point. What could he do? Both his hands were tied.
"Here ends the first half… Simple, isn’t it? Now comes the second and the difficult half. Let me warn you, if a single mistake happens from your side, I won’t be responsible for your daughter’s future," said Ashok.
The three became extremely focused on his next words.
"If you start noticing a change in the behavior of the maid, it means that the poison has started to show its effect. This is where your second role starts, old man," said Ashok, looking at the Head Butler with an intense glare.
The Head Butler swallowed hard under Ashok’s intense glare. Ashok continued, "You have to seal the entire room with your spatial magic during the time the maid is answering my questions. Make sure to leave no trace of mana when you are creating the isolated space."
"The maid serving the Young Miss is an E-Ranker. She won’t be able to detect any changes in mana," said the Head Butler.
"That’s where you’re wrong. The witch can use the prowess of her original body even in the body of the maid. Mana sensitivity is not the limiting factor of the witch.
Why do you think I went for poison? Just do as I say, and take your time. Since the poison is high grade and has an Attraction Potion mixed in it, I’m sure it will buy enough time for you to create an isolated space," said Ashok. The Head Butler agreed.
Ashok looked at the Duke and said, "Your only job in this half is to signal me after the isolated space is created."
"Even if the witch notices the signal, there is no need to worry because only after your signal will I start my role in the second half, which is bringing her true nature out. Once her true nature is out, she will attack me right away," said Ashok.
"Don’t you need a protective artifact then? Here, take one of mine," the Duke said, starting to take out one of his rings.
"There is no need. The witches will have information about the Hero. The Hero does not wear any protective accessories. Wearing one will only arouse suspicion," replied Ashok. He then looked at Cassius and the Head Butler.
"The finale is upon you two. The Sword Saint must cut off her arms and legs, while the Old Man has to place a sealing collar on her neck the moment her arms and legs are cut off. Don’t even waste a single second," said Ashok.
"Why not directly kill her?" asked the Head Butler.
"I AM WARNING YOU ALL, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, THE WITCH SHALL NOT DIE," shouted Ashok, suddenly glaring at both of them.
The three in the room were suddenly confused by Ashok’s outburst.
Ashok took a breath and then said, "I can only tell you one thing: if the witch dies without using a special means, then consider the entire plan a failure. Subduing her first so that she cannot escape is the primary goal.
Once that is done, I will take care of the rest. I am repeating once again—no matter what happens, the witch shall not die."
"Okay. We will do as you say, but there is still one thing missing. There is no mention of the Dark Magic Scroll in your entire plan," said the Duke.
"This is a measure for unforeseeable circumstances. Since you have asked, I will give you some advice: the moment I use the scroll, old man, create a barrier around to protect the Duke and the Sword Saint," said Ashok as he looked at the Head Butler