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Witch.

Unlike demon followers, who are treated as subordinates of demons, this term refers to spellcasters who have formed an equal contractual relationship with genuine demons.

“Gabrielle, did you foresee anything about this?”

[……. ㅠ_ㅠ]

Sophia asked her spirit Gabrielle, but it seemed even Gabrielle hadn’t anticipated this situation, as she looked flustered and could only babble incoherently.

“If the spirit’s foresight is being blocked, it seems the opponent is a higher-ranking witch than expected.”

Hildegard spoke with a grave expression. Her spirit Ariel also failed to foresee this anomaly, which indeed indicated a serious problem.

Spirits, transformed from the souls of benevolent creatures of the Golden Age, could read foresight from the flow of the world, guiding Paladin knights to places where misfortune or demonic activities occurred.

If someone could block the foresight of these spirits, it meant they could deceive the flow of the world. Such a spellcaster would be extremely rare among humans, perhaps only those granted the title of “Grand Sage” by the major guilds of each spellcasting faction, who might attempt such a feat once in their lifetime.

Even among non-humans, the conclusion wasn’t much different. Only the so-called “Monarch-class demons” and the seven sisters known as “Grand Witches” could deceive the world’s flow and block the spirits’ foresight.

‘Hmm, indeed. What could it be?’

Sophia tried to assess the situation but soon gave up. If the messenger’s words were true, she had to act to save Agnon. That was the duty of the Knight Templars and Nun Knights belonging to the Paladins.

‘Let’s go and see. We can verify the truth upon arrival.’

If the messenger had deceived her, it wouldn’t matter. She could just show them the might of the Church Order. But if the messenger was truthful, Sophia had no choice but to help them.

In the end, Sophia didn’t need much deliberation to decide to head to Agnon.

“If a witch can deceive the spirits and occupy an entire castle, she won’t be easy to deal with. Are you really planning to leave right away?”

Hildegard asked with concern. Sophia smirked and replied.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Of course!”

Sophia, still smiling, said.

“The strength of the opponent shouldn’t be a reason to hesitate. If you hesitate to act just because the opponent is strong, the result will only be failure and giving up.”

Hildegard sighed briefly, then also smiled boldly.

“Haha, I think I like you after all. Agnon, I’m coming too.”

“Huh? Hey, Hilde. Agnon is in Franquia territory, not the Empire. You don’t have any obligation to help there, do you?”

“Come on, what obligation did you have to help in Baden-Baden, which is Empire territory?”

“……Hah, I said something foolish. Sorry.”

With Hildegard’s decision to join, Conra spoke up.

“Master, I’ll prepare for departure.”

As Conra hurried to pack, Sophia suddenly said.

“Conra, how about you stay here and wait?”

“What kind of nonsense are you suddenly spouting, Master?”

Conra looked at her with a puzzled expression. But Sophia’s face was serious.

“The place we’re going to is occupied by a witch whose strength I haven’t even gauged yet. I can’t imagine how many undead and chimeras she controls. There’s no need for you, still young, to follow us into such a dangerous place.”

Sophia felt a sense of responsibility. After all, Conra was a child entrusted to her by Setanta and Kali, whom she met in the forest. While she could handle dangerous areas herself, she couldn’t force Conra to follow such a path.

But Conra’s attitude was unexpectedly straightforward, as if he had heard some absurd nonsense.

“You just said that the opponent’s strength shouldn’t make one hesitate, didn’t you, Master? Surely you didn’t think I’d stay quietly in a safe place after hearing that?”

Hearing this, Sophia had no more to say. She eventually groaned and allowed Conra to accompany her.

“Ugh. You chose this. Don’t blame me later.”

“As you said, it’s the path I chose. I’ll endure it no matter what.”

Thus, Sophia, Hildegard, and Conra decided to head to Agnon.

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

Suddenly, the representative of the administrators stepped forward and asked the Nun Knights. They didn’t want to send Sophia, a master of administrative procedures and holder of a Free Pass Token, alone to such a dangerous place. They were even considering handing over the military authority of the Baden-Baden council and the lord.

Of course, Sophia had no intention of accepting such things. Against the witch’s minions, conscripted soldiers would only be a hindrance. Instead, Sophia requested something else.

“Since the situation is urgent, we’ll head to Agnon first. After we leave, please request support from the adventurer guilds.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll split the costs equally between the council and the Baden-Baden lords.”

Sophia looked slightly concerned at the enthusiastic administrator’s response.

“……Is that possible? Maybe we should charge part of it to the Church Order…….”

“Isn’t it our job to persuade them somehow? We’ll make it seem like we’re putting a debt on Agnon, so trust us.”

Despite Sophia’s concerns, the administrator representative smiled confidently. No, he seemed even more determined to succeed. Seeing this, Sophia nodded in agreement.

“Then, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

At Sophia’s agreement, the administrator representative smiled resolutely and turned around, shouting.

“Alright, administrative slaves! You all heard Sophia’s request, right? Get to work immediately!”

“Don’t worry! We’re already prepared to work to death! You better be ready to work to death too!”

“…….”

And so, the next day, Sophia, Hildegard, and Conra, with extra horses prepared for continuous travel, set off for Agnon.

+++++

Agnon, a bustling town with a sturdy Lord’s Keep. But now, it could no longer boast of its bustling streets or sturdy keep.

The people who once roamed the streets were gone, replaced by a gloomy, eerie atmosphere. And the source of this atmosphere was clear.

Flying through the sky were wraiths seeking the warmth and life force of the living, while the ground was crawling with revenants craving the flesh of the living. The animals and plants outside the castle had all lost their original forms, twisted and stitched into chimeras.

At the top floor of the Lord’s Mansion, with the best view, the witch Farelina looked down at the town square. An unfamiliar scene unfolded there. People who should have been freely roaming the streets were bound and driven towards an altar.

“Please! Please, even if you kill me, spare my child!”

“Waaah, Mommy, I’m scared!”

“P-please, spare me… I want to live!”

As the people bound to the altar became sacrifices one by one, spilling hot blood and screams of pain, Farelina let out a delighted moan.

“Oh, indeed. Those demons, hogging such a good thing for themselves, truly are trash, aren’t they?”

Feeling the turbid main strength rising within her, Farelina cursed the demons. The rational thought that the Church Order would surely send assassins to eliminate her for her actions didn’t exist in her mind at that moment. The pleasure of the life force engraved into her flesh from the sacrifices’ pain and blood was too great.

And so what if the Paladin knights of the Church Order came? Although she had once been a witch who couldn’t even meet the eyes of the seven sisters, thanks to an artifact she recently obtained from a dungeon, she was now confident that even the seven sisters couldn’t touch her.

The Nun Knights arrived at Agnon Castle just as the complacent witch was fully immersed in the pleasure of the sacrifices’ life force and power.

 

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