Chapter 370: Encounter – The Witches of Sin
A warm breeze swept across the grassland, rustling the lush green blades of grass. As far as the eye could see, the land was an endless stretch of green, dotted occasionally with resilient wildflowers and tiny insects flitting between the blades, lending a faint vitality to the earth.
But aside from this faint trace of life, there was nothing else here.
"The location should be correct. We should have arrived by now."
Flugel frowned as he picked up the rough map he had drawn, straining to compare it with their current surroundings. "...Based on the information I gathered, this should be the right place. But as I suspected from the beginning, witches aren't so easy to meet. Otherwise, they wouldn't have become legends."
He scanned the grassland, searching for any clues, but found nothing.
"Could there be some kind of magical barrier here?"
Reid stood beside Flugel, also surveying their surroundings. However, as a swordsman, he couldn't detect anything unusual. Eventually, he turned to Roy behind him and asked.
On the surface, Flugel seemed like the most orthodox mage, but Reid's instincts told him Roy was the more reliable one.
Roy, too, was examining their surroundings. The dragon-drawn carriage continued moving slowly, entering this eerily silent grassland.
"There's a sense of spatial distortion here, as if someone has hidden something behind a barrier. But the person who set this up is incredibly skilled—I can't detect any obvious flaws for now."
Roy's power stemmed from divine Authorities. Though he had studied magecraft extensively, spatial magic was inherently esoteric, and even in the world of Campione, research in this field had never gone too deep.
"If nothing else, we should rest here for now and see if we can figure something out."
Having come this far, Roy had no intention of giving up and leaving. No matter where the witches were hiding, he had the patience and time to find them.
"Lord Roy..."
At that moment, Satella stepped down from the dragon carriage and approached Roy. She seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
"What's wrong, Satella? If you've noticed something, speak up."
Roy said gently.
His expression shifted as he recalled that Satella's true identity was the 'Witch of Envy.' Although Satella herself had no particular feelings about this title, as a fellow witch, perhaps she had a special sensitivity to the presence of another witch nearby.
Roy's gentle words seemed to encourage Satella. The silver-haired half-elf took a deep breath and pointed in a certain direction. "...Ever since we arrived here, I've had this strange feeling—like sensing a very familiar presence. That presence is coming from this direction."
Roy followed Satella's finger and looked, but there was nothing there—just the same empty grassland stretching endlessly.
After a moment's thought, he turned to Flugel and the others. "...Let's go check it out."
The others naturally had no objections. Standing here wouldn't yield any answers, so they might as well move around and see if they could discover anything.
Just as everyone took their first step forward, Roy suddenly felt a sense of alarm. He swiftly grabbed Satella's hand, pulling her into his embrace, while his eerie dual-pupiled eyes scanned their surroundings.
Space was distorting...
This time, wherever Roy looked, countless mirrors seemed to appear before his eyes. These mirrors formed a bizarre, kaleidoscopic tunnel, stretching the grassland infinitely. When the distance reached its limit, it rapidly shrank back.
Roy glanced at Flugel and the others, noticing their bodies warping as if reflected in a funhouse mirror—some elongated, others squat and wide. At the same time, he sensed the space around them shifting.
This was a spatial magic of some kind, and the caster's technique was highly refined. However, to Roy, this posed no real danger. If he wished, he could shatter this distorted space with his immense magical power and return to the normal world at any time.
But remembering that this was the witches' sanctuary, he suppressed the impulse and allowed the space to carry him away.
In the blink of an eye, the world before Roy and the others transformed.
It was still the same silent grassland, but now, inexplicably, a castle stood upon it. The fortress was built from ancient bricks and stones, yet it didn't appear dilapidated. On the contrary, the materials seemed fresh and full of vitality, creating a stark contrast between the weathered aura and the pristine masonry.
Roy and his companions now stood before the ancient castle, its front gate wide open.
Exchanging glances, they—bold and confident in their abilities—stepped inside without hesitation.
"Stay close to me and be careful."
Roy whispered into Satella's ear.
The warmth of his breath against her earlobe made Satella flush with shyness, her jade-like ears turning crimson. Biting her lip to suppress her embarrassment, she whispered back, "...I'll stay right by your side, Lord Roy..."
"Mhm."
Roy nodded without another word, taking Satella's delicate wrist as he led the way forward.
Upon entering the castle, Roy found its interior structure surprisingly uncomplicated—there was only a single path forward. The castle was eerily silent, devoid of any objects or even a trace of human presence. The group ascended the castle's staircase and soon found themselves bathed in light as they reached what appeared to be a central courtyard balcony.
At the heart of the courtyard stood an enormous, ornate lace parasol, beneath which rested a round white wooden table. A young girl with waist-length silver hair, dressed in pitch-black mourning attire, sat with her back to the group.
"Is silver hair the trend these days?"
Flugel couldn't help but mutter sarcastically upon seeing the girl. He glanced between her, Roy, and Satella, suddenly finding silver hair rather appealing. Though the girl had her back turned, her poise and the glimpses of her slender figure beneath the mourning dress suggested she was a stunning beauty. Both Roy and Satella were undeniably handsome and beautiful in their own right, leading Flugel to wonder if silver hair was the universal color of beauty.
As Flugel's thoughts wandered, the group drew closer to the girl. It was then that Flugel noticed a small girl standing near the edge of the castle wall to his right. She had short green hair and an innocent expression.
"Little girl, is this the witch's domain?"
Flugel greeted her cheerfully. The girl, barefoot, scampered over at his words. Up close, Flugel noticed her brown skin and the adorable light-blue dress she wore. Finding her harmless and cute, he instinctively reached out to pat her head.
Roy wanted to warn him about the dangers of being a lolicon, but he was too late.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH——————"
The moment the little girl's hand touched Flugel's, the so-called Sage let out a bloodcurdling scream. His entire right arm exploded into a mist of blood and gore!!