76 episodes
Whoops!
A burning torch in the dark forest lit the surroundings.
It was Ethan and Blake who were revealed in the light.
The two had departed from the fortress at dawn.
However, when they entered the Black Mountains, it became dark everywhere as if it was night again.
As the name of the Black Mountains suggests, the forest was very dark.
Especially because of the recent events.
There was a long cobweb between the trees.
Whik!
Blake made a way by burning the web with a torch.
“Yesterday I hunted through the forest like this and caught a lot of monsters. But I haven’t been able to find any clues. You’re here today, so it would be nice if you could figure something out.”
Olivia Allen didn’t tell me to solve the catastrophe in the Black Mountains.
But at least I hoped to get a clue to the solution.
Other than that, there was no reason to hire a disciple of Cayden Hanson, one of the Seven Heroes, and bring in Ethan, who is famous as a saint candidate, with a huge donation.
“I never expected what you would find anyway.”
Ethan replied bluntly.
Blake was so simple and ignorant that he could even believe that Kaden Hanson had returned alive a hundred years ago.
In fact, if you’re really stupid, you won’t be able to properly learn Kwon-sik, and you won’t be able to properly perform operations as a mercenary.
So neither Kayden Hanson nor Blake were fools.
‘But apart from that, I’m not smart.’
So Ethan didn’t expect much from Blake.
Rather, it would have been strange if he had found the clues in one day by himself.
I think he went to the forest and was possessed by a witch.
Blake suddenly burst out laughing.
“ha ha ha! okay. I can’t do it alone, so you must have come this way! After all, you are a good friend!”
It wasn’t because of the money.
That was then.
Tuk!
“Well?”
Blake looked down at the floor as if he was kicking something.
“… … !”
His face hardened in an instant.
Whoops!
As Blake leaned over, the torch he was holding swayed in the wind.
Ethan’s gaze went down accordingly.
There was a body there.
“this!”
Blake covered his mouth and stepped back.
I could feel the terrifying magic in the body.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“The corpse has been engulfed by the magic of the Black Mountains.”
“In my opinion, I would like to take some belongings and give them to the bereaved family, but… … .”
“Then the family will die too.”
Ethan intercepted Blake’s words.
It meant not to be rude.
Blake nodded.
“I know. Ordinary people will die right away just by being exposed to this terrifying magic.”
Blake clenched his fists in anger.
“I can’t understand! The devil’s henchman, what the hell did that child do here a hundred years ago?”
He was scorned for something he hadn’t done, but Ethan was expressionless.
Blake suddenly turned his head and looked at Ethan.
“I cannot comprehend the thoughts of such wicked people. Ethan, do you know?”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
Ethan muttered angrily.
They only had to process the request and it was enough.
Even if I tried to empathize like this, it was of no use at all.
I never did this because I was cursed for something I didn’t do.
Blake nodded as if he knew everything.
“It’s bullshit… … . okay. It’s not bullshit.”
“… … ?”
“I asked a stupid question. A devout priest like you, of course, cannot understand the wicked.”
Ethan ignored Blake and approached the body.
Then, after sitting down on one knee, a divine power was generated from his hand.
‘If I let him do the job, it will take a few more days. I’d rather search quickly and leave the witch to him.’
Ethan purified the corpse with divine power.
Then something amazing happened.
The purified corpse turned into black ashes and was scattered in the air.
And the scattered ashes became embers in the air and burned and headed somewhere.
“What the hell is this?”
Blake’s eyes widened.
He had been a mercenary for a long time, but it was a strange phenomenon he had never seen before.
But Ethan was aware of this phenomenon.
‘The remaining life force is drawn to the witch’s place.’
Ethan shook his hand and stood up.
“First, follow that embers.”
Blake nodded.
* * *
Eventually, Ethan and Blake found a lake in the distance.
“Oh, there must be a lake here!”
Blake took the lead in admiration.
Ethan hastily pressed down the hood deeply.
The gold pattern on the hood strongly revealed that he was a priest.
The life force was directed to the witch, so it was clear who was going to be here.
good!
Blake turned his head at the sound of the lake.
and shouted in surprise.
“Sa, a man is walking on the water!”
It was.
A red-haired woman was walking on a blue lake.
Waves were created in the water surface where the woman’s feet touched.
Ethan’s eyebrows twitched.
‘Witch Scarlett!’
Scarlett soon came to the front of Ethan and Blake.
“hi.”
Then he tilted his head slightly and smiled.
“Does it smell familiar somehow?”
Scarlett slowly raised a finger and pointed to Blake.
“This place smells like ignorant Hanson. Hmm, are you a disciple?”
Blake was furious.
“How dare you insult the honor of my Master! Besides, who is ignorant? My investigator is wiser than anyone else!”
But Scarlett chuckled and burst out laughing.
“Ahahahahaha! It’s really completely the same, isn’t it? Regardless of how it looks, I would believe that ignorant man came back alive!”
“What, what?!”
Blake opened his mouth in shock.
It seemed that Yongke had never heard such a thing from anyone until now.
Then Scarlett opened her mouth, pointing to Ethan.
“And this one… … .”
Scarlett’s red lips closed.
She tilted her head several times as if strangely.
“Um, that’s weird.”
Ethan swallowed dry saliva.
Something similar had already happened to me when I met Fenrir in Pache.
So, the chance of his identity being discovered is low.
Even a divine beast who has lived for a long time doesn’t know who he is, but at least a witch couldn’t figure it out.
‘But this guy isn’t just an ordinary witch.’
Witch Scarlett.
A hundred years ago, she was a wizard belonging to the Nillum Empire.
Skills are also skills, but in fact, she was famous for traveling around and traveling.
That is why it was nicknamed the witch Scarlett.
‘It takes a certain amount of madness to be able to predict. That’s absolutely insane.’
Because of this, Ethan wore a hood to hide his face.
Scarlett glanced at Ethan and frowned.
“When you look at the traces of the divine power and the clothes, it is clear that he is a priest of the Church of Pars… … .”
“why? Is there any problem?”
Ethan asked calmly.
Scarlett crossed her arms in displeasure.
“Why do I feel as dirty as when I met that damn dark wizard?”
Ethan was heartbroken.
“A damn dark wizard? Are you talking about the Demon King’s henchmen?”
Blake, unable to contain his curiosity, asked a question.
But Scarlett lightly ignored Blake’s words and smiled.
“Well, looking at the dismal figure, it seems that he is not a kind person like a saint.”
“dare!”
That was then.
Blake, who had remained still despite being ignored over and over until now, burst out in anger.
“Look! Cancel that right now!”
“yes? what are you saying?”
“I can tolerate insults against me, but I cannot tolerate insults against my teacher or a friend!”
“Oh, you mean to call Hanson an ignorant and to call this kid a gloomy one?”
“Again, I’m reckless with the respect of the investigator!”
Blake almost looked like he was going backwards.
Then, suddenly, he glanced at Ethan and said,
“It must be because of that hood that she’s slandering you! Don’t you think it’s gloomy because you don’t show your face?”
swish!
Then, in an instant, he took off Ethan’s hood.
‘You bastard!’
Ethan stiffened at the sudden event.
Scarlett’s eyes widened as she looked at Ethan.
* * *
Scarlett.
It was only recently that she had awakened from a long, long sleep.
The first thing I noticed was a small sign.
There were occasional sounds of footsteps walking through the grass.
“There are too many herbs to deliver to the capital.”
“Can you fill your quota?”
“You should try it.”
“But doesn’t the forest seem a little dark these days?”
“Well. I don’t know?”
They were herbalists.
“Anyway, I don’t think there is a laboratory here.”
“Let’s do our best and look around a bit more. If it were the magic ingredient that the demon king’s henchman hid, would people turn on their eyes and run towards them?”
“Isn’t it possible that the laboratory was also cleaned up while running away during the final battle? Otherwise, there would be no traces like this.”
This time they were adventurers.
He could hear the sound, but Scarlett didn’t wake up right away.
After repeated waking from sleep several times, Scarlett’s consciousness became clear.
‘I have to get up, but it’s hard to get up.’
I had no strength in my hands and feet.
After falling asleep a few times and waking up like that, quite a bit of time had passed.
Then Scarlett realized.
The fact that he had been sealed for a long time.
“Ugh!”
Scarlett stretched and stood up.
She was lying on a clear lake.
“This time I am fully awake.”
Even after waking up from the seal, he repeatedly slept and woke up every few days.
“Being sealed, I was so stupid.”
Scarlett’s voice was relaxed.
But she was quickly thinking of the past.
Over a hundred years ago, the demon king’s henchman sealed her in the Black Mountains before the final battle.
– Your presence is disturbed.
It was a word I couldn’t understand even if I heard it.
‘Am I going to get in the way in the final battle?’
Those words could not be understood even after waking up from the seal.
She was one of the most powerful wizards in the Niilum Empire at the time.
If you want the Empire to win, the Demon King’s henchmen should not exclude her.
‘why?’
As Scarlett woke up and fell asleep repeatedly, she remembered the words she had vaguely heard.
– Let’s do our best and look around a bit more. If it were the magic ingredient that the demon king’s henchman hid, would people turn on their eyes and run towards them?
-Didn’t you clean up the lab while escaping during the final decisive battle? Otherwise, there would be no traces like this.
It was strange.
‘Isn’t he the man who was most faithful to the Demon King than anyone else? Besides, why did you run away from there after sealing me saying that the final battle was important?’
However, shortly after waking up from the seal, there was no information.
She first explored the Black Mountains.
And one day after finding out some information, a visitor came to the lake.