Chapter 23 requires, "I just feel that the woman's words can't be entirely..."

After leaving the cave, Benson and his companions were still searching the vicinity and had not returned.

Derrick glanced ahead and, unsurprisingly, the witch found a place to rest, completely ignoring what they were planning to do.

Considering that it was Joan who ultimately made the suggestion to the witch, Derrick and the others felt that she would likely be more favored by the witch. They decided to let her stay and keep her company, while the rest of them went out to fetch their companions from nearby areas.

Catherine, however, paid no attention to their actions, staring intently at the dense, towering trees in the distance, as if something there was something that was very attractive to her.

Joan initially kept her distance from the witch, not daring to approach. However, after her companions had been back for a while, her attention was inevitably drawn to her.

Joan followed the witch's gaze to the giant tree, and in order to see what she was looking at, she took a few more steps up.

"May I have your name?"

A voice suddenly rang out from the side, and Joan involuntarily trembled due to tension and an instinctive fear of the witch.

Then she heard the witch beside her chuckle softly: "So afraid of me?"

Joan immediately lowered her head: "N-no. Witch... my name is Joan."

Catherine turned to face her: "Joan, you went into the Devil's Forest on your own initiative, and you're so eager to find the witch—or rather, the forest witch. What is your purpose?"

Joan looked up in surprise.

The Devil's Forest is so terrifying that most people wouldn't venture there willingly; most humans who do enter do so by mistake. How could the witch know they had entered voluntarily?

But when Joan met the witch's eyes, she couldn't help but fall silent.

She was looking at her, clearly still waiting for her answer.

Joan lowered her head again. Her lips were pursed, clearly hesitant to speak.

“Maybe after you tell me, I’ll find the story interesting…” Catherine leaned closer to Joan, her voice low and seductive, “I’ll help you.”

Joan's heart began to race.

We're back!

The shouts of their companions came from afar, instantly breaking the oppressive atmosphere. Joan immediately looked up and saw Derrick, along with Benson and the others, walking towards them not far away.

Joan gave the witch a standard farewell, and then walked toward her companions.

Catherine remained in the same position, but a hint of regret flashed deep in her downcast eyes.

What a great opportunity!

Unfortunately, they returned too quickly, preventing her from getting the answer she wanted. And in the current atmosphere, it would be inappropriate to ask again.

She turned around and looked at the group of people who were getting closer.

A child in the crowd recognized her face and immediately ran out of the crowd with joy. An adult next to him instinctively tried to grab him, but he nimbly twisted to the side and avoided the adult's hand.

"Sister, you really are the Witch!" The child looked up at Catherine, his face full of surprise. "In the snake pit, you said you couldn't even protect yourself. It seems you were lying to me!"

The child who stepped out was Lucas. His childish, casual remark alerted the adults around him, who began to scrutinize the witch before them, some openly, some secretly.

The Demon Goddess is all-powerful; surely she can protect herself?

Catherine faced everyone's gazes calmly, her expression unchanged. She chuckled, "That was a bet with Kandis..."

Everyone felt that the witch's next words were the key, and they all quietly pricked up their ears, wanting to listen more carefully.

Unexpectedly, the witch ended her story there, and after waiting for a long time, there was no follow-up.

They secretly guessed that it must have been another witch who made a bet with the witch as a pastime in their long lives.

After all, witches have lived for a very long time and don't die easily. What is a life-threatening moment for humans is probably just a slightly exciting game for them.

The more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Only after they came to their senses did they realize how presumptuous their actions of staring directly at the witch had been.

Thankfully... thankfully the witch wasn't angry about it.

Catherine raised an eyebrow inwardly as she watched their reactions.

Sometimes, lies need to be partially revealed. Telling the whole story at once can arouse suspicion, but by concealing half, others' imaginations will help you maintain the lie. And because it's their own speculation, they'll be more inclined to believe the conclusions they draw.

See, their reaction perfectly illustrates this point.

However, to Catherine's surprise, she turned out to be the very witch they had been searching for. And clearly, they had very high expectations of her.

-

Derrick and his companions had clearly already told their friends what had happened. So, instead of vying for the witch's help to fulfill their wishes, they gathered up the food and belongings around them and prepared to return to their temporary lodgings.

Lucas walked back to Benson with a smile on his face.

He hadn't expected that the person who had saved him in the snake pit was indeed a witch. It seemed that although the witch appeared unapproachable, she was definitely not someone who would stand by and watch someone die!

Benson was dismantling the makeshift tent when he caught sight of Lucas grinning foolishly. Children's thoughts aren't hard to guess; they're almost always written on their faces.

He sneered, "You really think that woman is a witch?"

Lucas was taken aback: "Uncle Benson, why do you ask that?"

"I just feel that you can't completely believe what that woman says."

After saying that, he picked up the dismantled tent and left, leaving Lucas standing there looking completely bewildered.

As evening approached, the group returned to their temporary camp.

The journey was uneventful, with hardly any encounters with magical beasts. Derrick and his companions became even more convinced that Catherine was the witch they were searching for!

Otherwise, on such a long journey, one would usually encounter at least two or more ferocious demonic beasts, so how could one be so unharmed today?

Although she said she wasn't the witch who made the promise, witches are all very powerful beings. They believed that if they tried hard to please her, perhaps one day the witch would be in a good mood and agree to help them!

So, although the temporary camp wasn't very large, they still cleared out the most spacious room possible for the witch to rest in.

Catherine did not refuse.

She arrogantly pushed open the door and walked in, paying no attention to the humans around her. It was as if this was their duty.

Most people around her thought it was only natural for the witch to act this way, except for Benson.

He remained hidden in the crowd, frowning as he looked at the witch's dwelling.

-

Because of the overly lush vegetation and the perpetual fog, time always seems to pass in a blur in the Devil's Forest. But after dusk, time flies by.

Late at night, Catherine lay in bed, drifting off to sleep. Suddenly, her nerves snapped open, and she abruptly opened her eyes, staring into a corner.

A gust of wind blew, and the smoke and dust materialized into a stunningly beautiful woman with waist-length hair. Her long green hair was so striking that anyone who saw her once would never forget her.

Catherine immediately sat up in bed: "It's you!"

"Hmm?" The witch raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "Not bad, you're quite alert."

She strolled around the room as if it were her own home, then a look of disgust appeared on her face.

“This place is much smaller than Spider-Man’s place. I was guessing that once you left him, you would move to a bigger place…”

The witch smiled and leaned closer: "I thought you at least had some feelings for that little spider. Now it seems it's just a pure relationship of protection and being protected."

Catherine listened quietly to the witch's words, without showing any emotion.

She looked up at the witch: "You came here just to tell me this?"

"Oh no~" the witch shrugged. "I just realized I forgot something, so I came to tell you."

"I want you to come see me every full moon night thereafter."

This was quite an unexpected request. Catherine's eyes darted around as she considered whether she should accept it.

She was currently in the Lucas family's temporary camp, surrounded by their people, and was also posing as a fake witch. If she had to sneak out to see the witch every full moon, the chances of being exposed were extremely high.

"I……"

Catherine had barely uttered a word when the witch interrupted her: "I believe you won't refuse me, will you?"

As she spoke, a seductive smile graced her face, but her eyes held a cold glint. Catherine had no doubt that if she were to refuse, the witch would not be as easy to talk to as she appeared.

Catherine paused, then smiled: "Of course I won't refuse your request, but... haha, I won't do anything that doesn't bring me any benefit."

When she said the last sentence, she lowered her head slightly, looking harmless yet slightly shy. It was this girlish demeanor that made one wonder if they had misheard, feeling that those audacious words just now didn't actually come from her mouth.

Catherine's words were so suggestive they were almost overflowing, and the witch naturally understood them perfectly.

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Negotiating with someone far more powerful than herself undoubtedly puts Catherine under immense psychological pressure.

But after enduring the first few minutes, she realized that the witch had no intention of making a move, and she knew that she had won her gamble.

Catherine raised her head and met the witch's gaze.

The witch raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "You're bolder than any human I've ever met. What do you want?"

Upon hearing this, Catherine felt completely relieved. She breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and began to state her request.

What she wanted was not difficult for the witch. On the contrary, it was easy to accomplish.

As she expected, the witch nodded casually and agreed to bring what she wanted at their next meeting.

In the end, both of them got the results they wanted from the conversation.

Catherine got out of bed, poised to see the witch off. But after only a few steps, the witch suddenly stopped.

She turned back to look at Catherine: "In all these years, you're the first human to dare impersonate me. Little girl, I'll remember you."

Catherine was taken aback, and instinctively wanted to make a few excuses for herself.

But the witch was too fast; in the few seconds that he was stunned by her words, she had already disappeared from the room.