Chapter 105: The Witch's Forest (3)

When Karnak first heard the news, his initial questions weren’t "How could the Brigade of Purification, with two red-tier aura users, a sixth circle mage, and a first-class inquisitor, be defeated?" or "What happened to Alius?

Instead, his thoughts were far more practical.

"Varos, didn’t they leave just yesterday afternoon?"

"They did."

"Then how did they know that they went missing after just one night?"

While the Witch’s Forest was less than half a day’s journey from Swindler Fortress, it was impossible to predict how long the search for the witch would take. A lack of contact for two or three days would be perfectly normal.

"What makes them so certain they’ve gone missing after only a day?"

There was an explanation.

"This time, two survivors managed to escape."

However, the survivors were half-mad, making it difficult to discern what had happened. Their responses to any question were vague and repetitive.

—It’s a witch! Aaaaaah!

—They’re all defeated! Everyone’s fallen!

—All of them were taken by the witch!

From the testimony, it was clear the witch was involved, but beyond that, no specifics could be determined. There were no corpses, and the survivors kept mentioning people being

taken

, leading to the assumption that they were missing, not dead.

"Hm..."

After a moment’s thought, Karnak asked, "One of the survivors isn’t Alius, right?"

"No, it’s not him."

Other people’s fates were of no concern to him, but Alius was a different matter.

"We need to speak with the local commander."

***

For a wanderer—especially one from the Eustil Kingdom—to meet the head of a fortress in the empire was no small feat. In chaotic times like these, it was even harder. Yet, Baronet Demetas readily agreed to meet Karnak and his companions.

"You’re companions of Inquisitor Alius?"

Their credentials were undeniable. The radiant crimson aura emanating from Varos and Serati’s blades spoke volumes—far more effectively than any official identification.

"You intend to find Inquisitor Alius, don’t you? We’ll provide all the assistance we can!"

An aura user and seasoned shadow hunter were the only hope for the desperate border garrison, especially after the loss of the Brigade of Purification. If these newcomers found their ally, it might also lead to recovering the missing soldiers. Of course, that was assuming they were still alive. Thanks to their position, discussions proceeded smoothly.

"Can we meet the survivors?"

"Of course. I’ll arrange it immediately."

The baronet's usual aristocratic arrogance was absent, overwhelmed by the urgency of the situation. He quickly summoned an attendant.

"Escort them!"

The survivors were quarantined in a small tower on the outskirts of the fortress. Inside, two injured men lay on shabby cots, staring blankly ahead. A medic tended to them.

"These are the two survivors. They’re not in their right minds, so I doubt you’ll get much from them..."

"Still, it’s worth a try," Karnak said.

He cautiously approached one of the men and spoke softly. "Excuse me, can you hear me?"

Despite his repeated attempts, the survivors offered no coherent responses. Instead, they muttered nonsense, their eyes glazed over.

"Monsters! It's a monster!"

"Oh, goddess, protect me..."

Serati clicked her tongue in frustration. "They’re completely incoherent. What kind of wicked witchery is this...?"

Suddenly, the survivors reacted to her words.

"Witchery?"

"It wasn’t some petty curse!"

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"The witch tears people apart!"

"Iron arms, iron legs, an iron cauldron..."

Varos blinked in confusion. Even with all the madness he had witnessed over the years, he couldn’t make sense of their babbling.

"What are they even talking about?"

After pondering for a moment, Karnak nonchalantly raised his index finger. "Well, let’s just take the convenient route."

He pointed casually toward the medic attending the survivors.

"

Snore

."

The soldier’s legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, snoring loudly. A sleep spell had done its work. Karnak then directed his finger at the two survivors. Their eyes rolled back, showing only the whites, before they let out strangled groans.

"Grrk!"

"Ughhh..."

Both men fell limp onto their cots, froth bubbling at their lips.

Karnak smirked. "It’s easier to just peer directly into their memories."

Serati grimaced, glancing between the unconscious medic and the incapacitated survivors.

"Are we even allowed to do this?"

"Well, it won’t cause any major harm."

"Which means it’ll cause

minor

harm, doesn’t it...?"

***

In a dense, misty forest, Chandler, a member of the Swindler Border Guards, stared tensely at the old woman standing before him.

"She really looks like a witch..."

It was as if she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale. Her mere presence made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Leocolt signaled with a sharp gesture. "Form a perimeter."

The soldiers spread out in a circle, surrounding the woman in a defensive formation. Yet the old woman didn’t move. She stood utterly still like a scarecrow, with her arms hanging limp.

Why isn’t she reacting?

Though puzzled, Leocolt and his men proceeded with their plan. Once the perimeter was established, Stronoff, the mage, and Alius, the priest, positioned themselves at the rear and front to block any escape routes. The two aura users led the charge from the front.

Drawing his sword, Leocolt muttered darkly, "Be cautious. Who knows what foul sorcery she’ll use."

Witches were known for invisible curses, far more terrifying than obvious attacks like flying blades.

"Understood."

In any case, Leocolt had been focusing on fortifying his aura shield. Lestane nodded and drew out his aura. Two streaks of crimson light illuminated the dark night, and the air hummed with energy.

And then it happened.

"Kehehehe..."

A faint, unsettling laugh echoed as the witch raised her head. Between her matted, blood-streaked gray hair, her glowing red eyes gleamed like twin flames.

"What beautiful children you are!"

With that, she leapt into the air like a grasshopper, her motion unnervingly fast. The eyes of the two front-liners widened in shock.

What the?!

She’s so fast!

In an instant, she was upon them, launching an aggressive assault. The witch’s hunched back straightened abruptly as she unleashed a rapid barrage of punches. Her wiry arms thrust forward, each strike hurtling through the air like a meteor. The soldiers watching from the sidelines gawked in disbelief. This wasn’t exactly what they had imagined.

"Huh?"

"Is the witch throwing punches?"

Leocolt barely managed to raise his aura-imbued sword in time to defend himself.

"Damn it! This crazy witch!"

Her bony fists slammed into the blade repeatedly. Leocolt turned pale. His aura blade was capable of even cutting through stone, and she was only using her bare fists. Even so, the aura blade began to waver, and tiny cracks began forming along its surface.

Boom! Booom! Boooom!

Thunderous impacts echoed through the forest.

Lestane quickly moved to assist. "Sir Leocolt!"

The two aura users and the old witch became a chaotic blur, locked in a ferocious exchange of attacks. Each clash sent shockwaves rippling through the air, shaking the very ground beneath them.

"Ugh!"

"Da-damn it!"

Even though it was two against one, the aura users were clearly being overwhelmed. The soldiers could only watch from the sidelines for an opening that would never come.

They muttered in stunned silence, "She’s... way too strong."

Her strength was shocking enough, but it was the nature of her strength that left them baffled.

"Why is a witch fighting with her bare hands?"

"And why is she so

brutal

?"

The witches they had read about cursed their enemies, poisoned their food, or threw bones to spread hexes. Witches definitely were

not

supposed to flip through the air and deliver spinning kicks like acrobatics. Though, technically, she did throw bones.

"I love feasting on plump little children!"

With an eerie cackle, the old woman reached into her ragged robes and pulled out a handful of bones. She wedged them between her fingers and flicked them with terrifying precision. To their shock, the flicked bones let out deafening explosions.

Bang!

One of the bones shot toward Leocolt like a projectile at a speed faster than an arrow.

"Gah!"

Leocolt barely turned his head in time to dodge. The bone whizzed past him and embedded itself in the distance.

Booom!

The bone ripped through a massive tree, shattered a boulder, and gouged a trench in the earth, sending dust billowing into the air.

Alius, standing back, muttered dazedly. "Should I be calling that a curse?"

Whether it was a curse or not, one thing was certain. Letting it land would mean instant death.

"I’ll create an opening!"

Stronoff, the mage, raised his staff high. Lightning surged across his body, forming a vast, crackling web of energy.

Rumble!

Thunder roared as bolts of electricity crawled along the ground like serpents, converging around the witch and trapping her momentarily. Her movements faltered, though only briefly. She broke free of the electric web in moments, but that short pause was all they needed.

Alius seized the opportunity, raising his voice in a commanding chant. "Light of Hatoba! Descend upon my staff!"

A radiant pillar of light illuminated the space above the witch, its divine energy pressing down on her. Her movements grew visibly sluggish under its weight. Leocolt took advantage of the opening, driving his aura-imbued sword down onto the witch. She raised both arms to block, catching the blade and locking them into a tense stalemate.

For a moment, everything seemed to hang in the balance.

"Take her head!"

Lestane sprang into action, his movements precise as he darted toward the witch and delivered a calculated slash.

Clang!

The sound of metal echoed through the air. Lestane's face stiffened instantly. He had struck the witch’s neck dead-on, cutting into what should have been flesh and blood.

But what is this feeling?

His aura-imbued sword hadn’t cut through. It simply stopped at her skin.

"Ke-he-he-he!" The witch let out a ghastly laugh, her glowing red eyes flaring with malevolence. "Let me see your hand! Let’s check how much meat is on it!"

In an instant, she surged forward and grabbed Lestane’s arm in her bony grasp. With one violent swing, she hurled him through the air like a ragdoll.

"Urgh!"

Lestane hit the ground with a sickening thud, unconscious after just one blow. The surrounding soldiers gasped in horror.

"Sir Lestane!"

But it wasn’t over.

The witch turned her focus to Leocolt next, sending a devastating mid-kick hurtling toward him.

"O-ho-ho-ho!"

Leocolt scrambled to raise his aura-forged sword in defense, but it was futile. The witch's frail-looking leg crashed against the aura blade, shattering it and slamming into his side with bone-crushing force.

Boom!

Were invisible curses truly scarier than straight forward attacks? If that were the case, it meant that the opponent simply wasn't strong enough. The blow sent Leocolt crumpling to the ground, knocked out instantly.

"Ugh..."

The soldiers were paralyzed with shock. She had defeated two aura users with ease.

"Oh, you two children are scrawny!"

She then turned her gaze toward Alius and Stronoff. The witch’s decrepit body moved with terrifying agility, closing the gap between her and the two men in an instant.

"Ke-he-he-he!"

They tried to retaliate, but her blows shattered Stronoff’s spell mid-cast and broke through Alius’s divine shield. Before either could recover, her hardened hand struck their throats with surgical precision.

"Urk!"

"Guh!"

As darkness clouded his vision, Alius gritted his teeth.

What kind of monster is this...?

He had to ensure they weren't completely wiped out. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, he managed to force out one last command.

"Everyone, retreat!"

But it was too late.

The soldiers didn’t even get the chance to run before the witch darted through their ranks. Her fists and feet rained down like a storm, mercilessly knocking out each one in mere moments.

"Argh!"

"No, please—ugh!"

"Help—"

One by one, they collapsed to the ground. The witch then pulled out a black rope. She unraveled its strands with eerie precision, then began tying up her defeated foes, binding aura users, mage, priest, and over ten soldiers alike in a tangled mass of rope.

"Too scrawny, all of you," she muttered.

Her eyes locked onto the last soldier, Chandler. Now, she was coming for him. In the depths of despair, Chandler silently prayed.

Ah, o goddess.

The witch, noticing him, tilted her head curiously.

"Eh, this one’s liver is rotten. How much booze have you been drinking, huh?"

Well, it was true that Chandler drank quite a bit.

"And this one’s the same."

She gestured toward Millard, Chandler’s closest drinking buddy and his rival in alcohol consumption.

"Tsk, these two are way too rotten to be of any use."

Even as terror gripped him, Chandler felt a different kind of dread. How destroyed were their livers that even this monstrous witch though they were useless?

After excluding the two of them, the witch deftly tied up the rest like winter herring, a writhing bundle of men. Then, dragging the entire human package behind her, she began her trek deeper into the forest. The unconscious soldiers were hauled along the ground like discarded sacks.

Her unsettling laughter echoed through the trees. "Ke-he-he-he! These ones will make a fine feast to nourish my old bones!"

***

The memory projection ended.

Karnak blinked with a dazed expression.

"What did I just witness?"