Volume 2 Chapter 27: The Witch’s Cottage

“Stop!” Odo raised his hand. After splitting from the main group, the five of them, hauling the iron cage cart draped in black cloth, had been walking for nearly half a day.

Odo halted the group and then ran ahead alone to scout the area beneath several exceptionally thick trees in the woods.

“Lord Odo, found anything?” Qin Lun and Bonnie strolled up behind him.

“Look beneath these trees!” Odo replied, a faint smile in his eyes as he pointed ahead.

The Demon Hunters had entered the Maiar Forest three days ago. Now, deep within the vast forest, the canopy overhead had grown denser. Even under the blazing sun, only a fraction of light managed to pierce through to the forest floor.

Qin Lun peered forward. The trees stood tall and thick, ground littered with overlapping fallen leaves, dappled with shade. Nothing seemed particularly unusual at first glance. The only thing different from other areas was that the big trees here grew covered in all kinds of mushrooms. They lay densely packed, like a layer of tiny umbrellas covering the forest floor.

“We got this close, and she still hasn’t noticed us,” Bonnie murmured, a flush of excitement coloring his face before he suppressed it. “Seems the Witch poured all her focus into controlling the Magical Creatures, and Lady Nova didn’t launch any signal flares… Our assessment was spot on!”

“You… mean we’ve already reached the Witch’s lair?” Qin Lun caught on immediately.

“Mmhmm, I read in a book,” Bla chimed in, walking up from the rear with visible excitement, “most forest-dwelling Witches cultivate mushrooms near their dens since forests don’t yield rice. Mushrooms are a great source of food.”

“Sir Bonnie, release him now. He will definitely help us find the Witch!” Odo turned back to the cart driven by Frank, his voice grave.

“Fine! I’ll release him this instant!” A sharp glint flashed in Bonnie’s eyes as he strode toward the cart and ripped off the dark covering.

Clang! Hidden beneath the cloth was indeed a large iron cage. Bonnie undid its massive lock and coaxed something inside to emerge.

The creature possessed well-muscled legs, standing upright, its arms long and extending past its knees. Sharp talons like knives covered each finger, and thick black fur blanketed its entire body. It seemed to have just woken from a deep slumber, its vision still somewhat hazy, yet its green pupils radiated unmistakable cruelty and aggression.

Spotting Bonnie before it, the beast instantly hunched low. Its chest puffed out, pointed ears shot upright, and it bared long dripping fangs, letting out a low, threatening growl.

“Beast, stay still!” Bonnie commanded. Somehow, a long whip had appeared in his hand. He cracked it through the air with a sharp SNAP!

Whining softly, the wild beast flinched, a flicker of fear crossing its eyes. Its ears drooped, and it obediently sank into a crouch on the ground, like a tamed hound.

“A Werewolf!” Bla gasped, eyes wide.

So these creatures truly exist! Qin Lun observed the Werewolf crouched before Bonnie, a complex, unreadable emotion flickering in his gaze.

Since arriving in this world, Qin Lun had constantly heard tales of Witches and Evil Creatures. He’d even witnessed Gargoyles and a fleeting white apparition that resembled a Ghost. Yet, it always felt faintly unreal, shrouded in haze. The appearance of this Werewolf felt like it finally lifted the last layer of mist, forcing him to accept the stark darkness underpinning this world.

Could the Epidemic Disease plaguing the Aodia Region truly be the handiwork of the Witch? Perhaps there was no clear truth to what happened to Stephen? Or could Stephen even now be imprisoned deep within some Witch’s lair? Qin Lun couldn’t help but ponder other grim possibilities surrounding Stephen’s death!

No. Even putting Stephen aside, Little Miller’s bizarre illness must have close ties to the Albert Family itself. And how to explain that white figure? That definitely did not bear a Witch’s mark!

Fragments of thought whirled in Qin Lun’s mind. Regardless, another one of his instincts was proving correct. This scouting mission would deliver crucial new clues, letting him finally unravel Stephen’s demise and uncover the true root cause of the plague.

“Go! Find where the Witch hides!” Bonnie murmured into the Werewolf’s ear, giving its head a rough pat.

A flash of predatory instinct shot through the Werewolf’s pale green eyes. It dropped onto all fours, bounded forward a few strides, then leapt onto a massive tree trunk. Its razor-sharp talons dug into the bark as it scrambled up, disappearing into the thick foliage after just a few powerful leaps.

“Follow it!” Bonnie seemed to share an uncanny connection with the Werewolf, always knowing its position. He waved the others forward and took the lead along the trail.

“Sir Bonnie, I hadn’t guessed you were also a beast-tamer,” Qin Lun ventured, moving closer and keeping his voice low. “Managing to tame even a Werewolf!”

“Heh, I wouldn’t call myself a true beast-tamer,” Bonnie smiled, unusually forthcoming. “This Werewolf has served the Albert Family since before I could even talk. It’s usually kept locked in the Dungeon Sub-fortress; very few know about it.”

Seeing Bonnie’s elevated spirits, Qin Lun pressed carefully, “Sir Bonnie… you seem particularly eager to engage the Witch directly. Could this be… your first encounter with a real Witch?”

“Of course not. Though… it is the first since Stephen…” Bonnie’s expression darkened abruptly.

“Your brother Stephen Albert?” Qin Lun feigned surprise. “My condolences. I heard his passing happened while he was attempting his solo trial. A profound loss. Though… why had someone his age never undertaken the trial before?”

According to the headstone, Stephen Albert had been in his thirties at his death and was Bonnie’s elder brother. Yet compared to the seasoned Demon Hunter Bonnie was, Stephen sounded in stories like a reckless, inexperienced novice. It was one of the inconsistencies Qin Lun couldn’t shake.

“Stephen wasn’t like me,” Bonnie started, his face shifting restlessly. “Never cared for fighting, even less so after he married.” He paused, then added roughly, “Truth be told, when he… when the incident occurred… I was traveling away from the Albert Castle. Father recalled me home only afterward.”

“Oh? That truly is strange,” Qin Lun murmured, keeping his eyes slightly narrowed, cautiously trying not to provoke. “Forgive my bluntness… are you truly convinced Stephen died by a Witch’s power?” He quickly amended, “My apologies, I shouldn’t doubt your brother.”

“No matter,” Bonnie cut him off with a grim smile. “I know what troubles your thoughts. Hearing the news, even I could not believe that Stephen, the man who hated fighting, would suddenly decide to challenge a Witch alone!”

“There’s a reason.” Bonnie’s voice lowered. “Stephen’s wife was attacked by Magical Creatures while they were traveling… protecting their two children, she sustained heavy injuries.” His shoulders slumped. “She passed the next day… so…”

Qin Lun nodded slowly, seeming to grasp the tangled knots of this secret sorrow. The sudden, brutal death of his wife. The son infected by plague carried by Magical Creatures. No wonder the conflict-averse Stephen went mad with grief, storming into the Maiar Forest where Witches dwelt. Resulting only in his own death and leaving behind two orphans.

The Albert Family’s public explanation seemed plausible enough. No wonder the Demon Hunters were so utterly convinced the plague was the Witches’ doing. Willing to bypass the ancient Millennium Pact and bear the significant cost to capture a Witch.

“Stephen’s wife… was her name Mary?” Qin Lun asked, confidence lacing his tone.

“Mary? Who might that be?” Bonnie frowned in genuine confusion. “Stephen married Nina.”

“You don’t know Mary?” Qin Lun stared, pupils sharply contracting. But before he could press further, a sharp cry erupted beside them.

“Aaah!!” The panicked shout came from Bla, the youngest hunter. The others tensed, whirling toward the sound.

Bla, who had been walking a short distance to their left moments earlier, was gone. Where he had been standing stood several monstrously large plants. Each bore more than a dozen palm-sized green leaves laying flat against the ground. At the center, brightly colored stamens pumped out an intensely cloying scent surrounding the group. They resembled enormous lotus flowers pressed onto the forest floor.

One of these plants had coiled a broad leaf inward like a rolled pastry, trapping Bla from head to toe inside a large, stifling package.

“Giant man-eating flowers!” Bonnie identified grimly. “We must sever its roots quickly! Or Bla suffocates!”

“That boy should never have joined us!” Odo muttered, unslinging a heavy machete strapped to his back as he strode toward the cluster of carnivorous flora.

Five giant plants huddled tightly together. Reaching the one binding Bla meant hacking through two others flanking it. Saving the young man within this timeframe seemed improbable.

“I promised his mother,” Odo declared, determination warring with hesitation on his face. He glanced sharply at Bonnie. “I gave my word he wouldn’t die on this journey.”

“Do it! We haven’t sighted the Witch yet,” Bonnie weighed the options, eventually nodding. “We can’t just abandon our comrade.”

Their exchange left Qin Lun baffled. But their next action instantly cleared their unspoken strategy, only deepening his sigh. Both Odo and Bonnie drew flintlock blunderbusses from concealment.

These wide-bore scatterguns packed devastating force, chambers crammed with pellets. Two shots could obliterate the two plants blocking their path. They could save Bla before suffocation claimed him… but at the cost of sheer, thunderous noise echoing through the silent woods…

Bang! Bang! The paired booms shook the forest floor. The adjacent two man-eating flowers shredded instantly into a pulpy mess peppered with shot. Their leaves convulsed and snapped back into the core plants, clearing a path to the bloom containing Bla.

Watching Odo and Bonnie rush forward, chopping desperately at the trapped plant’s roots with their blades, Qin Lun inwardly sighed. Even if the Witch were deaf, she must have felt that boom. She might’ve been preoccupied commanding Magical Creatures to monitor Lady Nova’s group before, but now she’d clearly know intruders had breached her sanctuary unannounced.

“T-Terribly sorry!” Bla gasped for air when freed. He wiped thick slime off his face, bright red with embarrassment. “I got distracted…!”

“The Werewolf found it! The Witch’s Cottage!” Bonnie suddenly snapped his head up, eyes blazing with intensity. “It’s five hundred meters that way! Right in front!” He pointed fiercely through the thick trees to their right.