Chapter 79: Naomi's Confusion

An impending storm loomed over Alkhemia. Naomi Watts could not understand why her people insisted on staying.

What happened before had been her fault. She had trusted some so-called prophecy and ventured alone into the sewers of Alkhemia, where she nearly got her entire circle killed.

Naomi still didn't know why that prophecy had been so alluring to her, compelling her to rush headlong into danger without a second thought.

And though she had made a mistake, she had also risked her life to save all the druids she had implicated.

She would accept whatever punishment they doled out—but why did everyone suddenly seem so different?

In her memories, her druid circle had always been warm to her. Though she had no parents, the druids who took her in had treated her with genuine care.

But now... Naomi glanced around. The vast hall of the inn was occupied only by their druid circle. The people around her all seemed to be watching her, consciously or not.

The moment Naomi rose from her chair, every gaze snapped toward her. Someone even demanded to know what she was doing. She replied that she wanted a glass of water, though she was already having second thoughts about doing so.

The feeling of being closely monitored made her skin crawl. She wanted nothing more than to flee from her circle immediately.

Naomi suspected that something had gone wrong with the druids—perhaps there were lingering effects from the hag's illusions that hadn't been fully dispelled.

But what could she do?

She knew no one in Alkhemia. Even if she wanted to seek help, she had no idea where to go.

For some reason, Ambrose's face surfaced in her mind. That lich was terrifying, yes, but he also seemed... reliable. He could easily have slaughtered all the druids and taken the divine idol from her, but he had kept his word and escorted them all out of the sewers.

Naomi couldn't help but think that Ambrose would be able to uncover the reason behind the other druids' strange behavior.

The thought tempted her.

She had never been the obedient type anyway. Otherwise, she wouldn't have ventured into the sewers alone.

She began scanning her surroundings for an escape route.

"There's a window over there. If I turn into a cat, I can slip through the gap. Beyond that is an alley, and I'll be able to hide once I turn the corner!"

The plan seemed fairly solid. Naomi slowly edged closer to the window.

But just as she was about to reach the window, she heard a sudden shout from behind. "Naomi, what are you doing?!"

Startled, Naomi dropped the cup.

It hit the floor with a dull thud, like the sound of a hammer striking her head.

She turned around to see Van Jones, his face stern. The venerable druid elder was usually gentle. Why had he suddenly become so fierce? The look in his eyes was almost murderous.

"U-Uncle Jones, what's wrong?" Naomi said shakily. "I didn't do anything!"

Van Jones strode over, seized her wrist, and said coldly, "I sensed the change in your mana. You were about to shapeshift and run. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Pain shot through her wrist. The druids really were watching her—and missing nothing, too.

Naomi wrenched her hand free and cried out, "What are you all doing? Why are you watching me like I'm a criminal? If you think I was wrong, just tell me! I'll accept any punishment!"

Her words made several druids look uneasy. Faced with the young woman's clear, innocent gaze, some even turned their heads away, unable to meet her eyes.

Van Jones felt no shame at all. Nor did he bother to explain. He only warned her, "Don't think about running. Stay here and wait. You'll understand everything soon enough."

Unhappy though she was, Van Jones was an elder who had watched her grow up. Naomi swallowed her grievance and sat back down, puffing out her cheeks as she muttered, "I wasn't trying to run, anyway. When we get back, I'm going to tell the Supreme Elder about this! If you don't apologize sincerely, I'll never forgive you!"

At her words, a druid finally stepped up to Van Jones and whispered, "Is this really right? Naomi grew up with us. She's a druid too."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Van Jones replied firmly, "She is not. She was a transaction from the very beginning. All of you know that full well."

The druid's face darkened, but he still argued, "But Naomi is innocent. She knows nothing!"

Van Jones flew into a rage and punched the man to the ground, shouting, "Fairness is an illusion. Where humans tread, nature must suffer. Unity is a lie. Humans only wish to tame beasts and burn the wilds. We are thunder. We are the storm. We will wipe out those ignorant, reckless humans to make room for pure new life! Would you defy this oath?!"

The druid on the ground finally lowered his head and dared not speak again.

Only Naomi stared at the scene in bewilderment.

"Uncle Jones, have you gone mad? What are you doing?!"

She rushed to the fallen druid, helped him up, and said anxiously, "Are you alright? I can heal you."

Instead of gratitude, he shoved her hard, sending her tumbling to the floor.

"Don't pretend to care!" he snarled. "Stay away from me!"

Naomi looked at her circle in shock. The surrounding druids merely watched coldly. No one offered a single word of comfort.

Her eyes reddened at once. She truly did not understand what had happened, nor why everyone suddenly seemed to hate her.

Tears slid down her cheeks. "I... I know I ran off and put all of you in danger. I know I was wrong. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I really didn't do it intentionally."

But no matter how she apologized, the people who had once been her family remained unmoved. They watched her with icy eyes, afraid she might try to escape.

Naomi sat helplessly on the floor. What was she supposed to do?

Was this really part of the hag's illusion? Or had they never truly accepted her at all? What exactly was she trapped here for?

Just as Naomi sank into despair, the inn's door suddenly swung open. A man and a woman walked in side by side.

Naomi recognized the man at once. "It's you, Mr. Lich!"

Ambrose smiled at her. "We meet again. Why are you crying? Don't tell me you've already guessed that you're about to pay me again."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Naomi was so stunned by his remark that she even stopped sobbing for the moment.

Ambrose didn't explain further. He turned to the druids. "You should have left when I first rescued you. Instead you stayed here, working with those lunatics. Don't blame anyone else for what's about to happen to you."

Van Jones didn't bother responding to Ambrose. With a roar, he transformed into a massive gray bear.

The other druids followed suit. Some shapeshifted, while others began casting spells.

In an instant, several magical vines lashed toward Ambrose. Two ravens and three wolves lunged after him.

Yet such ferocious attacks could not harm him in the slightest. The undead queen at his side had already made her move.

Olive energy flared at her fingertips, rippling like water. Where it passed, life withered.

This was the most basic of necromantic spells: Chilling Touch, which dealt necrotic damage to living targets.

In the hands of ordinary necromancers, it was little more than a cantrip. But when Black Rose cast this simplest of necromantic spells, the result was indistinguishable from high-tier magic, turning a single-target spell into a wide-area attack and multiplying its power many times over.

The magical vines crumbled to ash the instant the necrotic energy struck them. The druids who had transformed into beasts howled in agony as the light illuminated them. They reverted to human form, only to shrivel up moments later as they fell dead to the ground.

Van Jones couldn't have imagined that Ambrose and his companion would be so strong. In panic, he reached for the Idol of Sylvanas, intending to call upon divine power to resist tht terrifying necromancy.

But the moment that thought formed, his body stiffened.

The gray bear collapsed with a thunderous crash. His mana spiraled out of control, forcing him back into human form.

But that was only the beginning.

Van Jones watched in horror as his skin turned gray at a visible pace. There was no pain, only numbness. It was as though his cells were dying one by one, and he was utterly powerless to stop it.

A faint stench of decay rose from his body and filled his own nostrils.

Only then did he realize that he was being transformed into an undead.

A spell that could directly turn the living into undead—he had never even heard of such a thing. How could this lich be so terrifying?

Van Jones looked at Ambrose in sheer terror, mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out. Most of his body had already withered away. Lifeless lungs could not push out air, and the vocal cords in his stiffened neck could not vibrate. In the end, his mouth simply hung open as his entire body faded to an ashen gray.

Naomi stared in shock as her entire circle was wiped out in an instant. She hadn't even had time to react. Fear and confusion drained all strength from her legs.

Ambrose walked up to her and said gently, "The truth is cruel. You should get some sleep first."

He flicked a spell at Naomi. The poor druid sank into a deep slumber.

Only after that did Ambrose turn to Black Rose and say, "Alright. Now we can negotiate with those alchemists."