Once the four of them were seated around the campfire, Shade did not speak immediately. Instead, in front of the three women, he took off his coat and draped it over the hand holding Mia's cat plushie. As he moved the coat, a small orange cat clinging to Shade's arm appeared.
The reddish-gold campfire illuminated Mia's orange-and-white fur. Having arrived in the forest, the domestic pet cat looked at the unfamiliar surroundings in panic, then let out a "Meow~" toward the three women by the fire as a form of intimidation.
The witches all smiled at the tiny orange cat; the charm of cats worked just as well in the Fifth Epoch. However, little Mia only liked Shade.
Shade detached the cat from his arm and placed it on his shoulder. He scratched its chin with his fingers before finally looking up at the three strange women.
They were all wearing similar styles of grey robes with hoods. In Shade's eyes, all three were absolutely beautiful women, possessing an extraordinary charm similar to Miss Galina, and they appeared to be quite young. However, their true ages were certainly not their apparent ages; there were many ways for high-level transcendents to maintain their youth.
"How should I address you?" Shade inquired.
Under the quiet giant tree, the firewood crackled. In the firelight, everyone's faces appeared slightly distorted.
"Moon Witch, a Twelfth-Tier Witch," the witch on the right said without hesitation. She was the type of person who seemed rigid and serious at a glance.
"Giant Tree Witch, a Twelfth-Tier Witch," the witch on the left said after a moment of thought, her voice very gentle.
"I am their teacher, a Thirteenth-Tier Witch. You may call me 'Teacher'; I like that title. Additionally, since you come from the future, let us not reveal our real names to one another to avoid unnecessary trouble. We must respect time," the witch in the middle said.
Shade nodded. While the three of them scrutinized him, he scrutinized them in return.
"Thirteenth-Tier is..."
"The limit of mortals. Teacher is the strongest witch," Moon Witch stated.
"One of them," Teacher corrected, her golden eyes casting a reproachful glance at her student before turning back to Shade. "Now, person of the future, you surely have your own purpose for coming here. What is it you wish to do?"
"I have come to assist you in completing the God-Summoning Ritual—contacting the 'Gate of Flare.' Someone asked me to do this."
The two young witches looked puzzled, while Teacher frowned. The Old God [The Innocent Creator] could tell at a glance that Shade's appearance was related to the Ancient Gods, but the witches were merely mortals. Even as the strongest of their era, they could not conceive of the Ancient Gods.
"Can you only come here once?" Teacher asked.
"Three times. This is the first."
"I will give you a list. When you return to your era, investigate some information regarding that deity."
She seemed unwilling to reveal too much about herself or the preparations for the ritual, nor did she intend to share their ritual data with Shade. Just as Shade was wary of them, they were wary of him.
The evidence lay in the fact that they did not ask why Shade could travel through time, and Shade did not ask why they wished to contact an Old God.
To Shade, this was simply something that had already happened. If the other party had no intention of establishing further trust, he would not waste time on superfluous actions. After all, the past was not absolutely safe.
"I request a reward in return."
"Very well. What do you need?" Teacher asked.
"I am facing danger. Upon returning to my time, I must face an Evil God. Furthermore, that Evil God and I have a grudge; I have... offended Him."
The three witches looked at him with strange expressions. After a long silence, someone finally spoke.
"Wait a moment."
Teacher directed her two students to return to the tent, and this time, she brought out three books and handed them to Shade.
The text was certainly not the familiar common tongue of Delarion, but he could still understand it—
*Small Tips: The Correct Way to Respond When Facing a Saint*, *Witch's Adventure Guide III: Beings Best Left Unprovoked*, and *The Mana Adventure Story Collection*.
"Um... the last one is clearly a novel," Shade pointed out hesitantly.
"Yes, I wrote it. It's adapted from my real experiences," Teacher said with a blink.
Shade was startled. "You have also faced an Evil God?"
The witch smiled and nodded. "Only a Saint, and the opponent was not complete. We also had the help of a deity. That time... Mr. Person from the Future, I have encountered deities several times in my life and have traveled with Saints. Although this book is a novel, it will be very helpful to you."
Shade was delighted and looked down, intending to flip through the book, but the woman spoke again.
"Of course, knowledge in books is just knowledge. If you wish to escape safely from the hands of an Evil God, or even save the people you wish to save, you can tell me your current situation, your strength, and the relics you possess. We will write a detailed plan for you."
Her tone was soft and gentle; she likely wasn't trying to trick him, but Shade hesitated. Although the time span was nearly five thousand years, he still did not want to leak his information—especially information regarding divinity.
"You can tell me privately; my two students will step aside. If you still don't trust me, I can tell you things about myself in exchange for your secrets. I am very curious about the form of power in the Ring-Wielder system."
"This..."
The history books of Saint Byron clearly stated that the witches of the Fifth Epoch were generally stronger than the Ring-Wielders of the Sixth Epoch—stronger on average and stronger at the peak. The woman before him, who had two Twelfth-Tier students and was a Thirteenth-Tier witch herself, was clearly one of the strongest mortals across the two epochs.
After all, a Thirteenth-Ring Wielder might not necessarily be able to face a deity, yet she admitted she had done so.
Telling her about his奇术 (Oddities/Miracles) and relics wasn't a problem. What Shade needed to consider was whether he should mention the divinity to allow her to formulate a more detailed plan.
His eyes fell upon the book in his hand. The firelight illuminated the entire cover of the novel *The Mana Adventure Story Collection*. While petting the cat with his left hand, Shade's eyes unconsciously scanned the text on the cover. His expression froze as he suddenly realized why this Thirteenth-Tier witch seemed familiar.
His expression became stiff. He looked up, the firelight illuminating his shocked face.
"You are..."
He pointed to the author's name written on the book, his voice somewhat incoherent.
Teacher looked at the book cover in confusion, her beautiful brows furrowing. "Yes, oh, my name is here. You know me? It's impossible for me to have left descendants, and you don't look like a descendant of the Felianna family. So, could it be that I myself am very famous in the future? Or perhaps my students are famous?"
The young witches laughed bashfully, but they also seemed very interested in the answer.
"You really are Mana..."
Sitting by the campfire, Shade truly didn't know what to say.
Teacher looked at his strange expression. Her dazzling blonde hair draped loosely behind her head, yet it was exceptionally aesthetic. She nodded, the firelight illuminating her face as the leaves of the giant tree swayed in the night wind. Her smooth long hair fluttered behind her, and her golden eyes looked at Shade as she spoke softly
"Yes, my name is Mana Felianna."