Lucien took a deep breath to clear his head and randomly walked around town to see how it was developing. This was the only thing capable of giving him some joy for the last few years.
Seeing everyone's lives improve every day due to his involvement made him believe for a second that what he was doing wasn't sending everyone to their deaths. That he was doing the right thing, that the longer and healthier they were, the more time it would take them to experience the pain of having their souls eaten by a demon.
"If only I was born during this period of progress, then I wouldn't have to worry about all of this mess. I can experience a peaceful life without any oppression and experience my life with my family."
"Mother, father, brothers, and sisters, I hope you are not watching my torment from above. Just watch the good side of the town, not the darkness I have hidden behind my back." Lucien's sharp blue eyes softened as he lifted his head to look at the clear blue sky and feel the sun's warmth.
"Hmmm, who is that?"
As he was trying to enjoy his last few days on this earth, something or, more accurately, someone immediately caught his eye. Standing a dozen feet away from him was a tall gentleman who seemed to be the definition of elegance. His tall, strong back, long black cane, and well-shaped body easily made the young man stand out amongst the crowd of townspeople.
Even though the young man easily attracted the attention of others simply from his great appearance, what truly attracted Lucien's attention was that the young man caused his Witch Identifier to pulse. Feeling the subtle pulsing next to his heart, Lucien pulled out his silver pocket watch and noticed that the minute hand and hour hand were pointing straight at that young man.
This a clear sign that the young gentleman had Dead Crystal Nerves inside his body, which meant he had the potential to be a witch. Seeing this young man suddenly appear at the perfect time, Lucien felt his heart rapidly beginning to race.
Without thinking about it much, his legs began to move toward the young man, as he didn't want to accidentally miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even though there was a chance that this young man was already a witch, he didn't care.
All he needed was for this young man to pretend to be his student for the next few days. As long as the young man could pull off a convincing act, he would reward him.
If the young man wasn't a witch, that would be even better; he could use the excuse that his student wasn't very talented in the craft to stall or cancel the check-in. As for whether the young man would want to continue to be his student after discovering his potential, he would respect the young man's choice and teach him as best as he could before sending him off.
This town was too small and dangerous for the growth of a new witch, so for his benefactor's benefit, Lucien wouldn't condemn him to an early death.
As he got closer to the young man, Lucien realized he was taller than he initially thought. He, himself, had a height of six feet and three inches which was quite tall for Justice Town's standards. Yet, he felt small in front of the young man, who was over seven feet tall.
"Cough, young man. Are you new to Justice Town?" Lucien loudly coughed to get the young man's attention which seemed unnecessary since the young man was already looking at him with curiosity in his eyes.
"You could say that. My name is Yoze Thunder. I'm a scholar from New Swampscott City. May I ask who you are?" Yoze smiled as he realized why he felt Lucien felt so familiar.
Inside the graveyard on Gospel Peak was a statue of a young man rumored to have become the Deity of Eternal Justice. He had always wondered who the young man was based on since it was the Slug demon who controlled the town.
But now that he saw Lucien had realized that they both shared very close similarities, which could only be possible if they were family members or the statue depicted when Lucien was younger. Either way, it showed that the man in front of him might have some connection with the Slug demon and could be the witch he was looking for.
"A scholar from the big city is coming to our little town. It seems that our reputation is growing faster than I expected. I am Lucien Mango, the mayor of Justice Town; it's an honor to be in your presence." Lucien felt surprised to find out that a scholar would visit them.
It wasn't every day that a scholar would visit small towns very far away from the cities. This was especially the case since Justice Town had only grown to this size recently, so on most maps, they would still appear to be a small village.
"I don't want to interrupt your time in Justice Town, but since you are a scholar, allow me to give you a gift. First, my most precious pocket watch, which is said to have been blessed by the gods to help identify chosen ones." Lucien smiled as he forcefully placed the Witch Identifier into Yoze's hands.
When he saw Yoze stare at his watch with a curious gaze, Lucien sighed with relief since it showed that Yoze was not an experienced witch. If he tried the same trick on another witch, they would have immediately given it back and thrown a dozen curses his way.
Before Yoze could speak and possibly return the watch, Lucien grinned as he activated his trap.
"Well, it seems that the watch has chosen you, which could only mean your future is bright. Allow me to accept you as my student so my knowledge of the arts will be passed down from generation to generation."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l