Wizard: Scamming a Demon God

Chapter 186: Chapter 149: Witch? A Little Cook

Calling him by name wouldn’t hurt anyone, after all. Besides, Isaac was the kind of person who had moved beyond such trivialities; he wasn’t going to get conceited just because of a respectful title.

"Alright, Isaac... sir!" After a moment of hesitation, Lorna still couldn’t bring herself to use his name directly, tacking on the title at the end. Once she’d spoken, she watched Isaac cautiously.

"...I suppose that’s fine." Isaac was a little speechless, but he waved his hand dismissively. ’One step at a time.’

"Come on, let’s eat first." Waving his hand, Isaac stood up and led Lorna toward the dining room.

Lorna quickly and cautiously followed behind Isaac. This caused Liu Li, whom they encountered on the way, to furrow her brow slightly. Her gaze toward Lorna held a newfound hint of hostility.

Of course, all of these emotional shifts were purely internal. On the surface, Liu Li’s expression remained as icy as ever; you couldn’t have spotted the change even if you were counting pixels.

But even if the look was invisible, Lorna still felt a sudden chill and couldn’t help but shiver, her eyes darting around cautiously.

Unfortunately, she found nothing.

A short while later...

"Uh... I’m eating this again today?" In the dining room, Lorna stared in utter shock at the gourmet meal before her.

"What’s wrong? Not to your taste? Do you want to trade with me?" As he spoke, Isaac pushed his own untouched meal toward Lorna. Not knowing her preferences, he had simply ordered the restaurant’s signature dish.

"No, no, no!" Lorna shook her head frantically. She looked at the luxurious feast before her with a troubled expression. "It’s delicious, but it’s just too expensive! All I need is bread!"

"You like bread? No, that’s not it... You think it’s too expensive? Don’t worry about it, it’s not that much money. You can’t live on bread alone; you won’t get the right nutrients."

"But..." Lorna’s face was still a mask of conflict. "Eating this every day... it’s just too much! I can cook for myself!"

"Hm? You can cook?" At her words, both Isaac and Smith turned to look at Lorna with serious expressions.

"Uh... a little... When I was with the Dragon Mother, I always prepared my own ingredients. Later, when I was wandering, I worked part-time in the kitchens of many taverns because they provided meals!"

Isaac and Smith’s gazes softened with sympathy. ’This poor child... she’s really had it rough...’

What was most striking was that she could have easily used her Magic to steal food, and it was highly unlikely she would have faced any consequences. No one would risk offending a Witch over a few bites to eat.

So, for Lorna to have developed such a character under those circumstances was truly remarkable.

"Huh? Are you guys eating this because no one knows how to cook?" Lorna asked, stunned for a moment.

Smith shook his head. "Yes and no. Among us, only the Young Master knows how to cook."

Lorna paused, then understanding dawned on her. Of course. Isaac was the young master; it wouldn’t be right for him to cook for his subordinates. A look of delight crossed her face as she said, "In that case, why don’t I do the cooking from now on?"

’Finally, I can be useful!’

However, in her excitement, Lorna failed to notice Smith’s subtly frowning brow. In this day and age, not just anyone could be a chef—especially not for the Nobility.

This was, after all, the food Isaac would be eating. If she were to poison it, the consequences...

However, Lorna’s current status was that of Isaac’s companion, so while Smith was worried, he didn’t voice his concerns. He simply looked toward Isaac.

There were some things a man in his position shouldn’t say.

Besides, perhaps the Young Master wouldn’t mind...

"Alright, I’ll let you give it a try. We can save some money this way, too."

Just as he’d thought. Smith let out a faint sigh.

"Don’t worry! I won’t disappoint you, Sir Isaac!" Lorna declared, full of fighting spirit.

Isaac smiled faintly and said nothing. He hadn’t agreed just to save money; in his current position, such a small sum was beneath his notice.

He had simply noticed Lorna’s anxiety and unease. Her life had been too difficult, and—though he risked sounding boastful—Isaac believed he was treating her very well.

This level of comfort, compared to her past experiences, created a stark contrast that would be jarring for her. If she didn’t want to stay, it wouldn’t matter, but she did. That was why she felt so insecure.

Because her contributions and her rewards were not proportional.

If this continued, she might develop psychological issues. Therefore, it was necessary to find something for her to do.

As for the possibility of poison...

Although they had only known each other for a short time, Lorna had made a good impression on him; he doubted she would do such a thing. Besides, even if she did use poison, it was no matter.

As a Grand Wizard, there were very few poisons in this world that could still affect him, and colorless, odorless ones were rarer still. Moreover, as something of a Master of Magic Potions himself, he was more than confident in his ability to detect them!

After Isaac spoke, Smith, who was standing to the side, could only sigh and swallow his objections, even though he still had them. He would have to bring it up in private later.

Liu Li, on the other hand, watched the ecstatic Lorna with an even more malevolent gaze.

After dinner, Isaac went to check on the Saint Master’s Secret Mage training program. The progress was extremely gratifying. He estimated that in another week, these individuals would master several basic Secret Techniques and become true Secret Mages!

At that point, they would be granted their freedom. They would leave Isaac’s territory as free citizens, gathering intelligence for him while simultaneously teaching his Secret Techniques to more people.

He had actually considered forming a Secret Mage Order. While Secret Mages had their drawbacks, at the end of the day, they were still noble Mages. Before being completely consumed by the Erosion of Dimensional Power, they remained high-status Casters.

Their combat effectiveness as a group was by no means weak.

While he had no use for them himself, he could hire them out to other powers as enforcers—for instance, to his own family. The cost of maintaining them was extremely low, but the potential returns were enormous!

A Mage Order—few among even the great Nobility could afford to maintain such a force.

But after careful consideration, Isaac abandoned this tempting idea. Secret Mages were not, after all, orthodox Casters. Others wouldn’t know that their power originated from his Dimension, and even if they were told, they would be unlikely to believe it.

In this age, the power of a Demon God was synonymous with danger. The number of powers who would dare hire this force of Secret Mages from him would be few and far between.

Of course, Caesar would definitely believe him.

But it wasn’t necessary. For one, since his older sister’s promotion to Grand Arcanist, the House of Solomon already had the foundation to form its own Mage Order, and at a lower cost than other powers. The appeal of a Grand Arcanist was undeniable; there would be no shortage of young Wizards eager to join.

For another, he was the Mad Witch. And while his older brother Caesar had no intention of disassociating from him, both his father and older sister had made it quite clear, in no uncertain terms, that they didn’t want him getting too involved with the family’s domain.

Isaac understood this completely, so there was no need to cause them any trouble.

Finally, scattering them about would be more conducive to spreading his Self-Legend.

After checking on the Secret Mages’ studies, Isaac returned to his laboratory to brew two vials of his optimized Dragon Transformation Secret Medicine.

However, just as Isaac was about to begin, a Magic Book suddenly flew in front of him.

Isaac paused, momentarily stunned. A message had arrived on the Sect’s forum.

It was a notification mechanism he had developed recently, and it was proving to be quite useful.

Anything that triggered a notification was an important matter—at least, more important than brewing a Magic Potion.

So Isaac put down his materials, walked over to a seat, and began to read the Magic Book.

A moment later, Isaac closed the Magic Book.

The events in the Itra Kingdom were beginning.

The Itra Kingdom was a peculiar nation. Every year, like clockwork, an uprising would occur. And every year, at this exact time, the Kingdom would open its royal treasury and recruit powerful individuals from abroad to suppress it.

And within this year’s treasury was the very item Isaac needed: the Kaleidoscope Eye!

’A scheduled uprising... Is it a ritual, or a conspiracy?’