The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 61

Alexander unfolded the tattered cloth and twisted it between his fingers. The fabric was fine and light, with nothing special about it. He flipped it over several times and held it close to his nose. "Can this block sunlight and hide a person's presence?" His tone was doubtful, but he knew little Elara would not speak nonsense.

"Yes," Elara said, clearly disliking the object. "When I was ambushed outside the old Anastas City, it was already dark. Those Andros were wearing these cloaks. If I hadn't noticed something wrong with the wind, I never would have found them."

"Why were you ambushed outside the old Anastas City?" Thea steered the conversation. "Does this have something to do with the Andros who broke into the West Sea Forest?"

Alexander froze at her words, furrowing his brow as he recalled what Elara had just said. He tossed the tattered cloth aside and looked at her. "Kid, if you've found something, can you just say it plainly?"

Her aunt was quick on the uptake. Elara stopped beating around the bush. "At first, I was completely confused. I thought Ana Stirling hadn't learned her lesson, that she'd forgotten the pain before her wounds even healed. It wasn't until I returned to the West Sea Forest and found the remains of the intruders that I sensed something was wrong."

Thea picked up the tattered black cloth Alexander had discarded and sent a wisp of witch power into it. There was no reaction at all, meaning the light artifact no longer contained any light witch power. She unfolded another piece of tattered cloth from the table and probed it with dark witch power—still nothing.

Elara watched her aunt. "Before that faction of Andros ambushed me, they'd already sent a group into the West Sea Forest. Only after that group went silent did they come for me. Isn't that strange?"

It was certainly strange. Alexander pressed his lips tightly together. The last time little Elara left the forest after twenty years as Lord of the West Sea Forest, the commotion was so great that almost everyone on the Mal Continent knew her movements. Those Andros had broken into the West Sea Forest knowing full well she was not there.

"The West Sea Forest probably holds someone or something that faction cares about," Thea said, lifting the tattered cloth with one finger."The forging method of this light artifact is very unusual. Ordinary light or dark artifacts still retain some witch power even when broken, but this one has none at all."

Elara nodded in agreement. "Right. Once these cloaks are damaged, the light witch power inside automatically dissipates slowly until it's completely gone. Normally, when an artifact breaks, its power fades, but almost never this thoroughly."If she hadn't seen how effective they were, she would have thought the pieces scattered at the bottom of the Sunken Sun Pit were just worthless rags.

"Wait," Alexander said suddenly, his eyes fixed on the cloth Thea held. "You mean besides Moon Glow, there's now another artifact that helps Andros resist the burn of sunlight?"

"The key isn't blocking sunlight," Thea said gravely. "Concealing one's presence is what makes this thing terrifying." Everyone knew that in battle, strong warriors identified their enemies not with their eyes, but by sensing their aura with sharp senses.

"Right," Elara said, genuinely curious about the genius who had forged these cloaks. The appearance of these cloaks was a heavy blow to powerful witches of the Witch Clan who excelled at hiding their presence using nature.

Seeing the two women's grim expressions, Alexander didn't think hiding one's presence was all that useful. The Andros who had ambushed little Elara in the dark had hidden their auras, and they had all died anyway.

"Whoever forged these cloaks must be extremely meticulous," Thea said calmly, staring at the cloth."They not only know how to erase all witch power to hide their identity, but also control the dissipation speed perfectly. The power doesn't vanish fast enough to interfere with battle, but once the wearer is defeated and killed, the cloak becomes useless."

Alexander felt he needed a moment. "I've just realized how weak we Andros really are."

Werewolves were strong, but simple-minded enough. But the Witch Clan was full of geniuses—first there was the overlord Selah Dessey, then the Larissa family created the Twin Witches, and now the Light Witches had invented these unpopular cloaks. What about the Andros? Besides being beautiful and drinking blood, they had nothing worth mentioning.

Hearing this, Cinderaven drooped his eyelids sadly and muttered inwardly: "You're only realizing this now?" He had lived for a long time, suppressed the Andros, and suffered losses at the hands of the Witch Clan. He glanced down at his two claws; the red was gone from their skin, but his heart was still tight with tension.

"Do you have any other thoughts besides that realization?" Elara picked up Cinderaven and stroked his somewhat stiff feathers. "The Turned outside were only recently transformed. The Andros' bloodthirsty nature has been completely roused. During the night raid on the West Sea Commerce City, every one of them had sunken cheeks—they were clearly starving."

Alexander caught her meaning. "Who do you suspect?"

"I don't believe the Andros who broke into the West Sea Forest and ambushed me were taking orders from Ana Stirling," Elara said without hiding her contempt. "If Ana Stirling had a trump card like this, she would have played it long ago. She wouldn't have relied so heavily on the Larissa family."

Unless the cloaks had been forged by the Larissa family—but they were not skilled at making light artifacts.

"Go on," Alexander said. He already had a suspicion in his heart, but he would need to ask his father and mother before confirming anything.

"That's all," Elara said, taking out paper and a pen. She wrote down a number, capped the quill, and pushed the paper toward Alexander. "Go back and tell Duke Alexandra Stirling and Duke Lisandra Stirling: the Blood Pact has found a way to drain the life force from the seeds of the Saporaya Mother Tree." He—”

"What did you say?" Alexander shot to his feet so suddenly that his head banged loudly against the carriage ceiling. But the news was too horrifying to care about pain. He leaned forward over the table, his blood-shot eyes locked on her. Her expression didn't change at all. "Have you seen the bloodline of those Andros?"

To dare say the Andros had successfully drained the Saporaya Mother Tree's seed vitality, she must have identified it through their bloodline. And there was only one person in the entire Andros clan who could easily strip the bloodline of Andros nobles—Duke Austin Corell, honored as the Son of the Saporaya Mother Tree.

Elara blinked and dropped the subject. "You may return to the Stirling Manor. I'm going to the Andrea Kingdom's royal palace to find the generous and lovely King Sawyer."

Avoiding the topic was as good as admitting it. Alexander stared at Elara. His little friend knew where Duke Austin Corell was, and they might even be cooperating. Did that mean her trip to the capital with the Turned was not as simple as he had thought?

Once he realized that, Alexander did not delay. He told Thea briefly, then flashed out of the carriage. He glanced at Wilson, dozing on a stag's back, and strode away, vanishing in several blinks toward the end of East Street.

When only the two women remained in the carriage, Thea picked up the paper Alexander had ignored and shot Elara a sharp look. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" If she hadn't asked, would the girl have kept it hidden forever?

"It wasn't a big deal," Elara said, setting Cinderaven aside. She happily talked about the West Sea Commerce City and detailed the advice Polina had given her.

"I hired the Macadam Silver Wolf Tribe to guard the city. Once things here are settled, I'll go back to the forest to cultivate. The day I achieve the Witch Ancestor body, I'll have the city laws carved on the four gates of West Sea Commerce City."

After listening to her and Polina's full vision and plans for the city, Thea's feelings shifted many times—from disagreement to doubt, then finally to yearning. It sounded unbelievable, but she had to admit that if the "Pure Land Commerce City" was successfully built, it would be an extraordinary beginning.

"Am I going to have to start preparing Glass Cards for you?" Thea said proudly, her voice excited."The first Black Mandala Glass Card of the West Sea Forest is yours. The second and third will be for my sister and me. No one can take them."

Elara smiled happily. "Alright."

Cinderaven, coiled by Elara's legs, ruffled his feathers. Did the two of them even know how Blood Rose cards like the Blood Rose one were made? Could they just be forged casually? Would they even have value?

Take his own Saporaya Mother Tree Blood Core Seven-Petal Flower Glass Card—he had deposited a huge amount of gold into Moslin Bank before they made it for him.

These two women didn't mention money at all. Did they plan to forge Glass Cards themselves, take them to Moslin Bank, and expect the bank to recognize them just because they were beautiful and powerful?

After returning to Stirling Manor, Alexander rushed straight to the central castle. His mother, father, Duke Eliza Miller, and Duke Becky Cotton were all there. He waved for the head steward Carter to leave.

"What's wrong with you?" Duke Lisandra Stirling held a jewelry box inlaid with rubies. She watched Carter leave and turned to her son, still dressed casually. "Weren't you with Thea to meet Elara?"

"Let me be honest first—don't call her Elara so affectionately," Alexander said, walking over to grab a wine bottle from the glass table and taking several large gulps. He had figured out little Elara's goal on the way back. Telling him such important information was just to make the Andros ancestors weigh their choices.

Duke Alexandra Stirling, who had spoken to his son just yesterday, already had a guess. "Has Lord Elara sent you a message for us?" Alexander would not return in such a panic just because the sunlight was too strong.

Once he had calmed down, Alexander slammed the empty bottle on the table, licked the blood from his lips, and exhaled. "Little Elara brought all these Turned to the capital to point the sword at the Blood Pact."

"Blood Pact?" Eliza Miller laughed. "Looks like some fun is about to start."

"Don't laugh. The joke might end up on you," Alexander shot her a look, then turned to his father in the main seat. "Little Elara sent me a message: the Blood Pact has found a way to drain the life from the Saporaya Mother Tree's seeds." He watched his father's expression shift drastically, then glanced at the other three. So he hadn't been the only one to lose his composure earlier.

Clatter. The jewelry box in Lisandra's arms fell to the ground. She flashed in front of her son in an instant. At the center of her coagulated blood pupils, the seven-petal flower of the black-core Saporaya Mother Tree slowly bloomed. Her voice trembled as she confirmed:"You… you mean some Andros have drained the life force from the Saporaya Mother Tree's seeds? Then what about our bloodline?"

The hall fell deathly silent. Eliza's smile froze on her face, her mouth still open. Becky Cotton blinked repeatedly—he hadn't misheard.

Alexander sniffed and placed his hands on his hips. As much as he wanted to believe it was baseless nonsense, that was impossible. He nodded. "Don't doubt what I'm saying. You all know how to tell if an Andros has successfully drained the Saporaya Mother Tree's seed vitality."

"This is a message Austin sent her for you, Alex," Becky Cotton asserted. "It must be Austin. Besides him, the seven of us can't strip the Andros nobles' bloodline at all. Our ancestor's bloodline can only suppress it."

"Then it's true," Eliza said urgently once she was certain. "Has Elara Dessey fought those Andros?" After they drained the seeds' vitality, can… can they summon the seven-petal flower like we can?"

Alexander shook his head. "I don't know. She didn't say anything."When his father stood up, he quickly added: "But she did say those Andros became extremely hard to kill after draining the vitality. Beheading or tearing out their hearts won't finish them. You have to drain all their life force first."

"Is Elara going to the Andrea royal palace?" After the initial shock, Lisandra quickly calmed down, retracted her bloodline, and curled her lips. "Thea and you are getting married soon. I won't let rats hiding in the dark bully the West Sea Forest."She straightened her dress and flashed out of the castle.

"I'll come too," Duke Alexandra Stirling said. He now understood the West Sea Forest's stance. If Austin intended this, they would follow his lead. It was a perfect chance to eliminate the Andros who did not know their true master.

Great. His little friend had them wrapped around her finger. Alexander followed his father and Becky Cotton. "Do you know what grudge the Blood Pact has against the West Sea Forest?"

Thea had said the Blood Pact wanted someone or something in the forest. He thought hard—other than the deceased Dessey Witches, few living beings remained. As for objects… the Demon-Serpent Staff was a terrifying holy relic, but the Blood Pact couldn't use it anyway.

"Ten thousand years ago, before the Andrea Kingdom was founded, Selah and Austin colluded and killed nearly half of the Blood Pact's Blood Ancestor Kings," Eliza said, her mouth twitching at the mention of the two tyrants."Sometimes I really wonder if Austin disappeared because Selah died. Was he just too bored to go on without her?"

Otherwise, with Austin's odd and domineering personality, how could he tolerate Alex letting Ana and her son run wild in Anastas City for so long?

Lisandra turned to Alexander. "Has the Blood Pact targeted the West Sea Forest?"

“Yes. But it ended badly for them," Alexander frowned. "A group of Andros who drained the Saporaya Mother Tree's seeds broke into the West Sea Forest. By the time little Elara returned, they were all dead."

Becky Cotton asked an old question. "What secret is really in the West Sea Forest?" Why do almost every human or Andros who trespasses without permission die? The only one who came out alive was even friends with Selah?"

He twisted the Moon Glow Ring on his left pinky. If Selah hadn't ignored all clans for ten thousand years, he would have thought she faked her death.

Eliza was also curious and looked at Lisandra. Lisandra smiled awkwardly. "Selah and I were friends, but we never pried into each other's secrets. I don't know what's in the West Sea Forest. I only know she left the Dessey Witches holy relics powerful enough to protect their lives. The Demon-Serpent Staff is just one of them."

Eliza mocked. "She knows she made a lot of enemies."

The current Lord Elara had a personality nearly eighty percent like Selah—greedy and arrogant. She lowered her lashes, hiding her admiration. But Elara Dessey was more cunning than Selah Dessey, better at judging and using situations. Even knowing she was using them, they had to cooperate for the sake of their own bloodline.

The West Sea Forest carriage slowly traveled down the main street of the Andrea Capital. By the time it reached the royal palace, all seven Andros ancestor dukes had arrived.

Elara, holding Cinderaven, stepped down from the carriage. She turned to Wilson, still holding the reins on the stag."If you don't get down, you can keep the stag." Couldn't he see Becky Cotton staring at his mount?

"No way," Wilson said, having looked up the stag's worth. He quickly rolled off."When you go back to the West Sea Forest, save me a pair—one male, one female fawn."He planned to raise stags and let them breed endlessly.

"Little Dessey," Becky Cotton stepped forward, looking disdainfully at the stag Wilson had ridden for days. "Why is this stag much thinner than the female?"

Wilson quickly pulled the Turned aside to an open area. Poor people didn't deserve to talk to such nobles. Elara said expressionlessly: "Isn't that normal? Stags are lean and strong, does are plump. It's good for breeding."

Is that so? Becky Cotton crossed his arms. "But I prefer sturdy deer. This stag is too thin."

"Fine," Elara saw he was just looking for trouble. "I'll take these two back." In half a month, I'll sell them by weight, not by the head."

Pfft. Lisandra couldn't hold back a laugh.

Becky Cotton gave her a thumbs-up. "You're ruthless." With her around, the West Sea Forest would never be poor."These deer have traveled for days. Let's not tire them out. I'll take them back to live well later."

“Alright. I have no objections."

The deer matter settled, Elara turned to the seven standing at the castle gate. "Haven't seen you all in a few days, and you're the same as ever." I'm relieved."She waved to Wilson."Bring down the things from the carriage."

Seeing Elara again, King Sawyer's feelings were indescribably complicated. When she didn't come, he thought his life was full of trivial troubles but bearable. But two minutes after she arrived, he had already asked himself seven times: Why endure? Why not give up the throne earlier?

"Got it!" Wilson loved this job. He loosened the reins and trotted to the carriage. "Should I ask them to inspect it?"

Elara thought for a moment. "You may."

Alexandra and the others had expected her claim to be large, but when they saw the exact number, they still swallowed hard. She was using this as an excuse to openly rob… no, plunder them.

Amy Miller, who had learned her lesson, stepped back. This had nothing to do with her. She sympathized with Alex. The turned who raided West Sea Commerce City were definitely under Ana's orders.

Cinderaven, in Elara's arms, glanced at the recovered Brett Hall and closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.

Once their expressions had calmed slightly, Elara spoke again. "My aunt and Alexander are getting married, yet this farce happened. I have no choice. The thousands of merchants in West Sea Commerce City need to make a living."

Alexander took the account book his father held and flipped through it. "Little Elara, where did you hire this accountant?" I want one too."Truly a genius. A single small night raid had been calculated into such massive losses. If a wolf from the Leeds Tribe bit his head back in the day, could he even claim damages for the Manila Central Three Cities?

Duke Alexandra Stirling looked at the bound Turned and sighed, helpless. "Lord Elara, these Turned were not ordered by us to raid West Sea Commerce City."

"I know," Elara said, seeing they were willing to cooperate. She was being reasonable."Every debt has its debtor. These Turned did not target West Sea Commerce City randomly. My request is not high. I'm only here to ask you for a favor—summon all Andros nobles to the Andrea Capital here."

"Interesting," Brett Hall said to Alex. "It would be wrong of us not to help."

Elara nodded seriously and promised: "Don't worry. I just want to know who prepared such a generous gift for the West Sea Forest. I came here today to first thank them for their kindness, and second… to collect the gift money. No lives will be taken."

No lives? Alexander laughed. "Faced with a claim of 13,690,879 gold coins and 761 silver coins, who would care about their lives?"

Elara lowered her eyes, then reluctantly compromised. "You're right. For your sake, I'll be generous. I'll erase the change. I only want 13,690,879 gold coins."

How kind of her. Their dignity was only worth 761 silver coins.

Alexandra looked at her wife. Lisandra nodded knowingly. A black-core seven-petal flower bloomed in the center of her right pupil. In an instant, blood shadows poured into the royal palace from all over the Andrea Capital.