Beast King's Crippled Mate-Chapter 244: Madam Harsetti’s Second Gift

It took Aria a while to fall asleep. She tossed and turned as she felt restless for the whole night. After all, she had harvested a total of 167 souls after the dysentery outbreak in the village. According to Necronomicon, that should be more than enough to grant her an audience with Madam Harsetti.

’But what if Madam Harsetti refused to meet me because I’ve failed her regarding the Saintess?’

The fear of being abandoned by the Great Witch gnawed inside Aria’s heart.

Thus, she prayed to the Great Witch in her heart, ’Madam Harsetti, please accept me back. There is a burning vengeance inside my heart, and I will not rest until I get what I want! I will trade my soul—everything I have as long as I can be a witch once more!’

*

Aria fell asleep after her prayer, and it didn’t take long for her to hear someone with a sarcastic voice calling her name.

"Open your eyes, little girl."

Aria opened her eyes slowly, and tears quickly welled at the corner of her eyes as she was really glad that Madam Harsetti answered her prayer.

"Why are you crying?"

"I-I just thought that you wouldn’t accept me back because I lost my witchcraft to the Saintess..." Aria muttered.

Madam Harsetti chuckled, "Why should I blame you for something you can’t control? I told you before, you can defeat anyone in this world except the Goddess and her incarnation, and that includes the Saintess. You’re simply outmatched."

Aria could hear her heart shattering into pieces right now. She had been doing everything she could as long as she could win in the end, so Madam Harsetti’s words were like a reality check.

Madam Harsetti grinned seeing the hopelessness in Aria’s face. She knew Aria must’ve been heartbroken, but even Madam Harsetti knew not to poke the bear.

"I told you before, I am the shadow of the Sun Goddess, Asmara. No matter how strong I can be, I am still nothing compared to her," Madam Harsetti said before adding, "I can restore your witchcraft ability. I am not going to leave you empty-handed after sacrificing so many innocent lives."

"M-Madam, please help me to defeat her—" Aria begged. "I can’t let that crippled bitch win! The Beast King is meant to be my husband!"

"I suggest you not play with fire, little girl, just like the cursed wolf who is immune to any dark spell. The Saintess cannot be harmed with mere spells as well, no matter how strong it is," Madam Harsetti replied. "It is the law of heaven."

"I don’t care about the law of heaven! I just want to defeat Swan!" Aria insisted. "That crippled bitch... she is currently having a blissful married life with the cursed wolf. How am I supposed to have a good sleep knowing that my archnemesis gets to have everything I ever wished for?!"

"Oh? The cursed wolf and the Saintess are married? Now that’s quite an interesting twist," Madam Harsetti chuckled. "Well then, I suppose I can give you something else as a reward for your hard work."

Madam Harsetti opened her palm, and a dark pink glow appeared before it slowly materialized into a necklace with a pink heart pendant.

She dropped it right in front of Aria, and the latter quickly picked it up and clutched it.

"Do you still remember the necklace I gave you before?" Madam Harsetti asked, and Aria nodded. "That necklace was indeed the representation of seven deadly sins. It represents envy because I can tell you are deeply envious towards that woman."

"I-I’m sorry, Madam. But that necklace has been destroyed by the Saintess..."

"I know. It’s no big deal," Madam Harsetti shrugged. "That pink necklace in your hand represents lust. If you activate its power, it will make anyone—be it a man or woman—fall in love with you immediately. They will lust over your body and will lose their minds if they cannot be by your side forever."

Aria’s eyes lit up, "Then, can I use it to Gale—"

"No," Madam Harsetti replied firmly. "The cursed wolf is immune to its effect... to a certain extent. You cannot make him fall in love with you, but maybe you can find a way around this limitation. I know you are a girl with an amazing willpower. I’m sure you can use that pink necklace to arouse him or make him doubt his love for the Saintess."

Aria stared at the pink pendant and began brainstorming on how to use this to seduce Gale, or at least weaken Gale and Swan’s relationship.

"I’ve fully restored your ability to do witchcraft as well," Madam Harsetti added. "I think this is a goodbye for now. I will watch how you use that lust pendant, and I’m eager to see your growth."

"W-wait, Madam! I have one more question."

"And what would that be?"

"I-I wonder what I should do to become the Ultimate Witch? I’ve been sacrificing a lot of people, but it doesn’t seem to be enough."

Madam Harsetti chuckled, "I’ve told you before. All you need is to sacrifice someone you love and love you back. I see that you have a mother who loves you as her daughter. You can sacrifice her in cold blood and make her feel ultimate despair. If there is a sliver of love in your heart for her, you’d also experience despair, and I will physically appear in your world, bestowing you with the knowledge of an Ultimate Witch. It will grant you an immeasurable amount of magical talent. You can defeat anyone in this world at ease."

"Including the Saintess?"

"That depends on how you use the power of an Ultimate Witch," Madam Harsetti smiled mysteriously. "Kill your mother, and experience a sadness that you’ve never felt before. Despair, jealousy, wrath, and greed are the few reasons an Ultimate Witch can be born."

With that, Madam Harsetti tapped her cane once, and Aria woke up from her dream.