Chapter 240: The Witch (8)

Chapter 240: The Witch (8)

Under the sky tinged with the light of dawn, Grace Steele stood atop a tall building in Arcanium, squinting as she looked down at the city’s nightscape.

This city was particularly famous for its beautiful night view due to the blinding neon lights that never went out and the floating objects wandering the sky like satellites. They continuously emitted light.

The official name for these objects, which were known for keeping Arcanium brightly lit, was 'Paharagal's Eyes.' However, their true purpose was to observe every movements in the city.

They observed the entire city 24/7 without a moment's rest. Yet, what’s the point if they couldn’t even detect a witch’s movements?

"Hmm... Captain, looks like something interesting happened."

At Grace’s words, Kaen narrowed his eyes. The Stella Knights were currently in control, and a team from Stella's Magic Investigation Unit was temporarily blocking off part of the area to investigate something.

Because of this, Grace and Kaen couldn’t approach, but there was no need to anyway. They already knew what had happened there.

"They're using the Compass of Memory? That expensive thing..."

The Compass of Memory was a rare ancient artifact, with only seven existing in the entire world. It could recall past events like memories, but it had a major drawback: the cost of using it is astronomical.

Even using it once to recall a very brief moment costs as much as a small country's monthly revenue. So, it was not something that could be used lightly.

However, the institutions that own them—Stella Academy, the Adolevit Kingdom, the Skalben Empire, and the Manwol Tower—were so wealthy that they could use the compass whenever they wanted without worrying about the cost.

From the perspective of Manwol Tower, which owned two of the three remaining compasses, it was quite...

"They’re just throwing money away."

It was a pathetic sight.

"They use the Compass of Memory so recklessly, and yet they get permission to do so? That's insane. Stella is either Stella or just plain stupid."

"Regardless of other matters, the principal of Stella is not a fool. There must be a reason for giving permission."

"Eh~ they just look like idiots to me."

Although Kaen disagreed, the idea of chasing a witch’s trail using the Compass of Memory seemed utterly foolish to Grace.

However, the fact that Baek Yu-Seol was involved made it worthwhile to keep watching, so they did not leave.

While the Stella Magic Investigation Unit was examining the scene, Baek Yu-Seok stood a step back and simply observed. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

“By the way, who do you think killed the witch hunter? It doesn’t seem likely that a witch could have done it...”

Grace recalled seeing a witch hunter only once when she was very young. Having experienced their overwhelming and terrifying power firsthand, she knew well.

A witch hunter couldn’t be killed by the power of an ordinary witch or mage.

Witch hunters, who gained monstrous power at the cost of abandoning their very existence, were at the pinnacle of the magical world’s food chain.

The fact that such a witch hunter was found dead was a significant event even from Manwol Tower’s perspective, and it was impossible to to ignore it.

Most importantly.

"Baek Yu-Seol, that kid seems to have some idea about the witch."

While the Stella Knights were desperately trying to track the witch, Baek Yu-Seol remained calm and observed the scene.

Given that Baek Yu-Seol was no ordinary student or mage, it was only natural to suspect that he knew something.

"Maybe we should follow Baek Yu-Seol?"

Since they had come to track the witch, Grace’s thought of choosing the most efficient method made sense.

"... Let's watch a bit longer."

Kaen said this and then leaped off the building, disappearing somewhere.

“Ugh... He could at least say something before leaving. Really!”

As a knight, Kaen could move freely like that, but being a pure magic user and a priest, Grace had to take the stairs down step by step.

When she climbed up to observe the scene, her thighs hurt so much. The thought of going back down made her feel dizzy, but the possibility of meeting the witch made Grace’s lips curl into a slight smile.

————-

The next morning.

“Hey! Did you hear? There was a murder at the witch’s restaurant last night.”

“They say the restaurant owner died.”

“No. I heard a black-robed dark mage appeared, and the waitress fought him to a standstill.”

“But isn’t it true that someone died? The Stella Magic Investigation Unit has been occupying the scene since last night.”

Eisel, who had arrived early in the classroom, overheard the strange rumors circulating among the students.

“Eisel! Did you hear? Did you hear?”

“Yes... Sort of.”

“What could have happened?”

Her friend Marlene exclaimed in excitement.

“I heard a legendary witch hunter appeared.”

“A witch... hunter?”

“Yes, yes. According to witnesses, the mage who attacked the witch's restaurant had a ghostly appearance with no limbs, and his eyes were glowing. They say it resembled a witch hunter.”

"Something on your mind...?"

It was surprising to think that even someone as straightforward as Edna could have worries.

Eisel sat down cautiously next to her, and Edna spoke with a serious expression.

"I'm debating whether to have cheese pork cutlet or rose pork cutlet for lunch."

"This is a serious issue. If I order the rose one and it tastes bad, it's a waste of money and ruins my appetite. But if I get the cheese one I always have, there's no risk, but it's the same old taste. It's a high-risk, high-return situation."

Is it appropriate to use the term ‘high-risk, high-return’ in this context?

"Why not try the rose pork cutlet for a change?"

"No. Now that I think about it, that doesn't seem right."

"... Then go with the cheese pork cutlet."

"I'm tired of that. I'll just have the tenderloin pork cutlet."

‘What does she want me to say?’

"This isn't what I usually get, so it's fresh, but the taste is guaranteed. Wow, I was really logical today."

As Eisel laughed at the absurdity, Edna’s expression darkened.

"I'm serious."

"I can see that..."

"Shall we go then?"

"What? Where?"

"We decided, didn't we? To go get pork cutlets."

"But it's still morning..."

"So what? We'll have brunch."

"Oh."

"Brunch means breakfast and lunch combined, by the way."

"I know."

Eisel chuckled and nodded. She realized she hadn't had a proper breakfast, and listening to Edna’s chatter had somehow lightened the weight on her chest.

10:18 AM.

It was a weird time to eat—too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.

Eisel found herself eating tenderloin pork cutlet in the academy cafeteria. She picked up a knife. How long had it been since she'd last used a knife to cut her food?

Holding the pork cutlet with a fork and cutting it with a knife, she noticed Edna across from her.

Edna simply stabbed her cutlet with a fork, cut it in half, and took a big bite.

Edna ate confidently, dipping the cutlet in the sauce instead of pouring it over.

Suddenly, she spoke.

“Want to go out tonight?”

“... What?”

“To Arcanium.”

“Oh... You mean go out?”

Maybe she wanted to have dinner together.

Eisel thought so, but Edna appeared to have a different idea.

“Yeah. I’m curious about what Baek Yu-Seol is up to, and I feel restless.”

“... Are you thinking of helping Baek Yu-Seol?”

“Maybe? Hmm. Yeah. You could say that.”

“But the opponent is a witch. There’s nothing we can do.”

They had to be realistic. No matter how much people called them genius mages, the world Baek Yu-Seol was dealing with was completely different. With their immature skills, they would be more of a hindrance than help.

“Do you think I’m crazy enough to take on a witch?”

“Then what exactly are you planning to do...?”

Edna hesitated and then closed her mouth.

According to what she knew, the ShadowBlade Division from Manwol Tower should be in Arcanium by now.

She planned to use them, but she couldn’t reveal everything just yet.

“I can’t tell you right now, but I’m sure it will be helpful. I’m certain.”

Eisel leveled her gaze to meet Edna’s eyes. The playful look from earlier was gone, replaced with a serious expression.

Although she couldn't be sure what Edna was planning or if it would even be effective... For now, she decided to trust her.