Ansu and Celia watched the distance warily.
Deep within the wasteland, a series of eerie, wolf-like howls suddenly rose one after another. Under the dim night sky, numerous massive shadows with glowing red eyes were rapidly approaching.
The appearance of these monsters made the horses of the entire team grow restless.
The captain immediately cast a Holy Light divine arts, and a soft, warm white light illuminated a large area around them, simultaneously dispelling the horses' unease.
"Monster attack! Monster attack!"
The vice captain flipped off his horse and shouted orders to the other clergymen. "Protect the horses! Maintain the formation!"
"They are shadow wolves." Celia recognized the figures in the darkness after observing them for just a moment.
"This type of monster is very common in the northern borders of the Empire. They have a natural shadow affinity, making them experts at hiding in the darkness to ambush prey, and they are extremely fast..."
Ansu noticed that four or five large shadow wolves had already approached the vicinity of the team.
Their movements were indeed very stealthy, almost blending perfectly with the night. It wasn't until they charged into the range of the Holy Light divine arts that their forms were exposed to everyone.
Ansu looked at Celia in confusion. "Since they are monsters that live on the border, how did they end up here? After all, Solan Province is the heart of the Empire..."
Celia shook her head. "I don't know, but they certainly didn't migrate here naturally."
While the two were talking, several shadow wolves that had flanked them from behind pounced with a roar. The two students hurriedly shielded the elderly Professor Duncan behind them, pulling him toward the center of the team.
There were too many shadow wolves; at a glance, the surroundings were filled with dense clusters of red eyes.
Celia winked at Ansu. "I don't know any magic, so you have to protect me, Ansu~"
Under the watchful eyes of the Church squad, Celia clearly didn't intend to take action. However, the vile witch's claim of "I don't know any magic" still made Ansu want to laugh.
Her saying she didn't know magic was like a world-class chef saying they didn't know how to cook...
Ansu nodded. "Fine, leave it to me."
He didn't plan on using magic either. Even low-level magic would be troublesome if that annoying vice captain saw it. Instead, he pulled out the fully loaded 【Mage Killer】 from behind him.
"Ansu! It's charging!"
Celia nervously huddled close to Ansu's side, pointing out the direction with exaggerated seriousness.
Ansu pulled the trigger. With a deafening gunshot, a hole the size of a bowl was blasted into the center of the large shadow wolf's head. Mangled flesh and filthy blood splattered in all directions along with the pungent smell of black powder.
"What a shot!" Celia nervously grabbed Ansu's arm and pointed in another direction. "Over there, over there! Hurry, shoot!"
Two more loud bangs followed. Because he was firing with one hand, the massive recoil made Ansu's palm go numb. Subsequently, two large shadow wolf corpses slumped to the ground not far from him due to their momentum.
"So powerful!" Celia clapped her hands happily. "These shadow wolves are so scary. I'm so glad I have Ansu's protection~"
Ansu looked helplessly at the actress-like witch before scanning the increasing number of shadow wolves. "Are you really not going to help at all?"
"I don't know magic, so how can I help?" Celia shook her head decisively, then emphasized with a beaming smile, "I just want your protection! Is that not allowed?"
Ansu sighed, finding himself completely unable to handle her.
"Fine..."
He really was just spoiling her!
...
The flashes of fire from the gunshots and the flickering Holy Light divine arts continued. Although there were many shadow wolves, this was an inquisition squad where every member was a transcendent. After about twenty minutes, the wolf pack's ambush finally ended.
The vice captain stepped on a monster corpse and pulled out his blood-stained sword. He and the other clergymen were also puzzled by the appearance of these monsters here.
The expedition team started a bonfire on a nearby hillside and set up a temporary camp. The students helped Professor Duncan sit by the fire as they studied the next route.
"Ansu, I'm thirsty!"
Celia and Ansu sat on a large rock not far from the bonfire. Ansu stared at the flames, still thinking about the battle that had just occurred.
"Here." Ansu pulled a water bottle from his pack, thoughtfully unscrewed it, and handed it to Celia.
Celia took the bottle and took two small sips.
"You said before that these monsters couldn't have migrated here naturally, yet there were so many of them..." Ansu furrowed his brows in thought. "So, they must have been intentionally driven here by someone with an ulterior motive."
He instinctively thought of the remnants of the demon army. After all, the northern border held the largest demon gathering place, and Barcas would later rise from there...
"Aren't you going to drink?" Celia handed the water bottle back to Ansu after finishing.
"I just feel the scent of a conspiracy..." Ansu's mind was filled with thoughts about this matter.
"A conspiracy is just a conspiracy!" Celia didn't care. "Our lives are never lacking in conspiracies. As long as we are strong enough, what conspiracy can threaten us?"
Ansu looked at the witch who didn't take it seriously at all and nodded with a smile. "You're right, but I think it's better to be cautious about everything. There's no harm in thinking a bit more."
"You... you're always so tense. Doesn't your brain feel strained being so wound up every day?" Celia disliked this about him most, as she was quite enjoying this "trip" with Ansu...
"It's because I'm forced to be..." Ansu grumbled inwardly as he glanced at her, seeing her hand the water bottle toward him again.
"Are you drinking or not? Or do I have to feed you myself?"
"I'll drink..." Ansu hadn't had water all afternoon and was indeed a bit thirsty.
He took the bottle and drank deeply.
Celia watched Ansu drink without any hint of distaste for sharing the bottle, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Ansu, I'm sleepy." Celia stretched and slowly lay down on the large rock.
Ansu looked at her, about to tell her to go back to the camp to sleep, but he saw her pat the empty space beside her.
"Watch the stars with me."
Ansu looked helpless but also lay down, accompanying her as they gazed at the star-filled sky.
"So beautiful..." Celia murmured at the brilliant night sky. "You can't see this many stars in Benalu City..."
"Benalu City has so many factories and smog every other day; it'd be a miracle if you could see stars..." Ansu laughed.
"Benalu City is still too urbanized..." Celia curled her lip in dissatisfaction.
The two watched the stars quietly until Celia suddenly asked again:
"Ansu, if we really find the demon army's treasure, what should we do afterward..."
Kill the old witch Samantha, of course, Ansu thought.
Just as he had thought before, as long as he and Celia took the initiative in finding the treasure, the balance of power would shift.
The current Celia was strong, but she was not yet the World Ending Witch who could suppress the entire Council of Elders single-handedly. Furthermore, the old witch had a secret weapon specifically designed to counter Celia—
That black magic ritual in the soul domain that could summon an ancient demon.
Under the witness of an ancient demon, by offering a delicious soul on the other side of the scales... once the contract was fulfilled, Samantha could occupy the fresh body she longed for. This sounded like an unsolvable problem because it involved high-level gods or demons, and mortals were simply not on the same level of existence before them.
But the Celia in the original plot had still broken the other party's black magic ritual.
The plot regarding this was relatively vague; in short, the witch had obtained a lost ancient magic inheritance in the ruins, thereby finding a way to break it.
However... in the original plot, it was the blackened version of Celia who found the solution. Ansu naturally didn't want her to blacken, so this time, it would require his secret manipulation...
Although it was a bit early to celebrate, Ansu was indeed determined to succeed in this trip.
The mysterious ancient magic inheritance and a massive amount of wealth... if he and Celia obtained these, they would have the foundation to oppose Samantha and her followers.
Yes, it was about time the Echoes of Truth cult found a new master.
Rate on N.U.
