At 8:13 PM, while passing through a swamp covered in heavy snow, the undead horse summoned by Miss Aurora had its hooves seized by skeletal hands reaching out from the mire. This did not stop the undead horse from moving forward, but it caused the undead mount to suddenly mutate, frantically attempting to throw everyone on its back.
While it took very little time to destroy these crazed undead, the mounts summoned immediately afterward remained frenzied. Left with no choice, Miss Aurora and Miss Galina inspected the swamp beneath the snow's surface, dragging out the horrific undead—consisting of hundreds of hidden hands in the silt—and incinerating them into black bone ash amidst the blizzard. Only then did the undead summons in this area temporarily return to normal.
The malice of the Great Swamp was becoming increasingly evident to the outsiders as the group pressed forward. Before departing, Shade had felt fortunate that the battlefield was far from human settlements, meaning they wouldn't have to worry about other matters regardless of how fierce the fighting became. But now it seemed that a combat location isolated in such a desolate region was actually disadvantageous to them; after all, Legins Prishia had the help of the Pantanal Voodoo Society, and Miss Pavlo was also in a cooperative relationship with them. For them, traveling to the island in the center of the lake was as easy as going home.
At 8:57 PM, without any warning, the horse walking at the rear vanished silently. Aboard were Miss Aurora and her follower, Miss Scarlett.
Neither Shade nor the other two Great Witches noticed when they had disappeared.
However, Miss Galina told the group to continue forward without worry
"Her summons still exist, and she is the strongest among us. Right now, rather than saying Sylvie and Scarlett have disappeared, it is more accurate to say that we have disappeared."
With Miss Aurora temporarily away from the group, this Eleventh-Tier Great Witch was the temporary leader
"I anticipated we would be separated along the way before we set out. We continue forward, and Sylvie will find us."
Around 9:00 PM, the group encountered a naturally formed area of spatial anomaly. Miss Sylvia and Shade used the power of space to temporarily suppress the looping space, allowing the group to escape.
Then, following another violent earthquake and a flash of light in the eastern snowy night, Shade and Miss Sylvia—who were scouting ahead to see if the spatial anomaly had expanded due to the quake—unexpectedly discovered that Miss Galina, who had been waiting behind them, along with the other two sorceresses, Miss Avril and Miss Catherine, had vanished into the blizzard.
"If we're counting by numbers, this time it should be us who disappeared."
Sylvia looked completely unconcerned. Tightening her scarf, she smiled and said to Shade
"If we are forced apart in a moment, just go forward on your own. Don't worry about me."
As she spoke, she took off the ring from her left hand and handed it to Shade. It was a Sage-grade relic, [The Ancient Witch's Golden Ring · Left Second]. Although the wearer would receive the Witch's Curse, it enhanced all supernatural powers in exchange
"You need it more than I do."
The young witch with black shoulder-length hair spoke. And just as she said, as they continued forward and reached a position two miles (approx. 3.2km) from the great lake at the deepest part of the Great Swamp, Miss Sylvia, who had dismounted with Shade to inspect the edge of the dense fog area, also vanished.
The Angel-grade relic [The Everlasting Mist] seemed to be cut off at some invisible line. While the thick fog lingered behind them, the ancient road of the Great Swamp in the midwinter blizzard was clearly visible ahead.
Shade, leading the horse that still followed him, crossed that line into the area where the mist did not exist. After feeling a moment of chaos and a throbbing pain in his temples, he immediately understood the situation
"The seals of the Pantanal evil entities—the Whisper elements and Profane elements—have developed a problem. The Angel-grade relic wasn't cut off here; it simply didn't dare to move forward. After all, it is only Angel-grade, not Unknowable-grade."
He looked down at the footprints Miss Sylvia had clearly left in the snow
"This is the third time someone has disappeared. This isn't a change in spatial power."
[Similar to a certain natural phenomenon, the power of sub-spatial evil entities has begun to affect reality. But there should be no danger; the Great Swamp still holds many secrets.]
"Regardless, I'll keep moving. The witches are stronger than I am; I should be the one they're worried about. However, it's back to just me again."
He thought silently to himself, swinging back onto his horse and pulling his scarf up to cover the lower half of his face.
[Isn't this better?]
"She" asked with a smile; the howling wind of the night could not blur her voice.
"That's hard to say."
Shade gripped the reins, preparing to set off, but suddenly frowned and looked ahead.
Visibility in the blizzard was quite low, but he was certain that before he mounted, there was no one among those frost-covered, horrific withered trees. Yet now, a lady still wearing a long dress despite the midnight blizzard stood not far away, clutching her large book.
The familiar dress—black on top and red on the bottom—and the silver book glowing faintly in the snowy night both reminded Shade of the other party's identity.
Miss Pavlo nodded and smiled at the man on the horse. The wind and snow tugged at her hem, making it sway backward, yet not a single snowflake rested on her. Looking closely, the shoes beneath her dress were standing directly on the surface of the snow rather than sinking into the thick drifts.
Shade dismounted again, holding the reins as he gazed at Miss Pavlo from a distance.
"My book tells me that arriving at this position now allows me to meet the person most likely to obstruct the ritual tonight."
Miss Pavlo's voice was somewhat blurred by the howling gale. She did not recognize Shade, as his entire face was currently wrapped, leaving only his eyes exposed; when riding in a blizzard, one must take basic protective measures.
"I thought I would encounter the first two Chosen, Miss Bias and Sister Daphne, or perhaps those madwomen from the Witch Council. I didn't expect to meet you..."
She surveyed the bulky-looking Shade and asked hesitantly
"A God-Caller?"
Shade remained silent. In the hand not holding the reins, silver-white lightning crackled—the casting motion for the奇术 (Oddity/Strange Art) [Lightning Spear].
Miss Pavlo smiled and took two steps back, appearing completely indifferent to her surroundings
"We met at Lake Schluch in the Lakeview Manor. At the time, your companions were a somewhat unattractive lady and a very ugly dog. I have quite a strong impression of your Lightning Spear. Sir, I have no intention of fighting you here."
She stepped slightly to the side
"I am simply curious as to who the most interesting person tonight is."
Shade still did not speak, quietly watching her. Without using other means, he certainly could not defeat the lady before him, and his trump cards were reserved for the Chosen; if possible, he did not wish to waste them here for nothing.
"Since I have already met you, then I believe I have almost forgotten one thing."
She smiled and said to Shade
"The Mad Seeker—Mr. Legins Prishia—is a man with a very strong sense of ritual. When he learned that the Voodoo Society, our people, and his other helpers were heading in different directions to intercept intruders, he asked us to give you a message..."
Clearly, the Ring-Wizards organization helping Legins Prishia consisted of more than just the Pantanal Voodoo Society and the Truth Society. Just as the Witch Council wanted to dominate the epic of the Sixth Epoch, as rumors of the Chosen spread across the material world, they were not the only ones with such ambitions.
"What did he say?"
Shade asked in highly proficient Carsonric.
"The Chosen of Knowledge and Wisdom, wishing to touch the Crown of Wisdom, must pass the five trials of the Secret-Keeper. And you observers, if you hope to witness the ritual of the Chosen and bathe in the enlightenment of the ritual, you naturally need to pass the trials as well. There are two miles remaining until the final ritual site; the dangers ahead are the trials."
She spoke with a smile, slowly retreating. Clearly, like Shade, she had no desire to fight an opponent she could not defeat.
"Observers? That's a fitting term... Do you know that the number of Sage-Glow Stones is five?"
Shade frowned slightly. Miss Pavlo's voice was remarkably clear in the wind and snow
"Yes. On a stone tablet unearthed on the eastern coast of the Old Continent this past summer, there was a section regarding this."
In poetic verses, the same content might be mentioned repeatedly in different stanzas, just as a normal poem might mention "bright sunshine" in multiple places. Therefore, while it was unexpected that Miss Pavlo knew about the "five stones," it wasn't strange. What Shade was curious about now was why she had been searching for the [Secret Art of Eternal Youth] if she already knew about the "five stones."
This lady did not do things without meaning. From chasing Margaret from Huntington City to Tobesk City, the secret hidden within the [Secret Art of Eternal Youth] seemed more important than Shade had thought. If Luvia's divination this time was as terrifyingly accurate as always, Shade could almost guess what was actually inside the [Secret Art of Eternal Youth].
The problem was, he didn't know how to get it out.
"Please wait a moment."
Shade called out to the sorceress who was preparing to leave, still asking in Carsonric
"You call Legins Prishia the 'Mad Seeker,' so how about I call you the 'Rational Mathematician'?"
"I am honored."
The sorceress gave a slight curtsy in the snow.
"You help the Chosen for the enlightenment of the ritual. Does the Truth Society know, then, that the Chosen of Knowledge and Wisdom is not necessarily Legins Prishia?"
"Just as the Chosen of Death is not our Joey Barton, but rather the blind nun?"
She looked up at the man leading the horse, her expression becoming slightly more serious
"After the Mi-Fort incident, speculations about the existence of a candidate system for the Chosen had already emerged. It seems you truly know more."
"I can tell you who the secondary candidate for the Chosen of Knowledge and Wisdom is, but in exchange, you must answer one question for me."
The dark clouds of the snowy night obscured the stars and the moon; there was no light source here. On the snowy surface of the ancient road between the withered woods, the young gentleman leading a horse and the young woman in autumn dress gazed at each other from a distance.
Both of their expressions were solemn. The doubt in Shade's heart needed verification. Miss Pavlo whispered softly
"Of course I can. In fact, more than the secondary candidate of the Chosen, I am more curious—God-Caller, exactly what question is worth you giving me such an important answer at this moment?"
PS: I want to state here that Miss Pavlo will not be the female lead, nor will she be forcibly whitewashed. There is always a need for important antagonist supporting characters who appear long-term. For example, the "Blood-Weeper Hermons" who left the story two volumes ago.
(End of Chapter)