The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 19

In the attic at the top of the castle lighthouse, Rocky Anastas held a glass of blood, standing side by side with Sophia Larissa by the window, looking down at the brightly lit Anastas City. Tonight, the sky was clear, with a bright moon and a few stars. Thanks to Adair Anastas, the whole city of Anastas was celebrating—but unfortunately, not everything was satisfactory.

"Has the West Sea Forest discovered something?" Sophia Larissa gripped her Light Scepter tightly. It had been a while since the fight, but half of her body was still numb.

Rocky Anastas lowered his eyes, twirling the wine glass in his hand, a faint smile curving his lips. "Even if they have, my plan won't change." He had waited too long.

"Heh." Sophia Larissa let out a cold laugh. "Are you sure the current Anastas City can take down the Dessey Witches?" It wasn't that she looked down on that group of turned Andros, but the Dessey Witches had clearly come prepared.

"If Anastas City can't, isn't there your Larissa Clan?" Rocky Anastas smiled, turning to look at the shocked High Priestess Sophia. "The Larissa Clan's cooperation with Anastas City is precisely to destroy the West Sea Forest, isn't it?"

Perhaps he hadn't been sure before, thinking that the Light Witch Larissa Clan was helping him only to deliver a fatal blow to the Dark Witches. But after what happened tonight, he understood—because of the arrival of the Twin Witch, if the Larissa Clan wanted to become the most powerful Witch Progenitor, they must first eliminate the West Sea Forest.

Sophia Larissa's expression changed several times before she suddenly smiled. "I swore that no more Twin Witches would be born in the Larissa Clan."

"Oh, really?" Rocky Anastas didn't believe her at all. He raised his head and took a sip of blood. The sweet taste instantly filled his mouth and nose. He closed his eyes in enjoyment, gently licked his lower lip, put the wine glass aside, and leaned against the window sill, looking far to the west.

"High Priestess Sophia, please be clear—I don't care at all whether the Larissa Clan will give birth to another Twin Witch. Right now, all I know is that the future ruler of the West Sea Forest is currently in my Lord's Mansion. You've also experienced the Holy Crow Spirit Dagger—we have a common enemy."

Although he hadn't planned to move against the West Sea Forest so soon, the Dessey Witches had come to him on their own—how could he not seize the opportunity to devour them?

Sophia Larissa fell silent for a long time before turning to look at Rocky Anastas. "Do you have a plan?"

That was exactly what he had been waiting for her to ask. Rocky Anastas smiled brightly, looking back at Sophia. "Actually, Lady Merlyn should have come alone this time."

As expected. Sophia Larissa looked Rocky Anastas up and down. "Earl Alexander Stirling seems to be quite fond of Thea from the Dessey Clan. Are you sure you can get around him?"

"He's my uncle." Rocky Anastas looked west again. "She's just a Dark Witch who can't bear children—do you think she holds that much weight?"

Sophia Larissa didn't think so. "I hope so." She took one last look in the direction of the West Sea Forest. The clarity in her pale yellow eyes was gone. She curved her lips and smiled. "It's getting late. I should leave too. If you need anything, feel free to contact me." He was right—they had a common enemy.

"Very well. I won't see you off." Rocky Anastas stood still by the window. Sophia nodded at him and turned to go down the lighthouse.

The breeze blew gently. Rocky Anastas fell into deep thought. His birth had been a surprise and an accident. His mother, Viscountess Ana Stirling, had only him as a child so far, and she loved him very much. But even so, he had no right to bear the noble surname Stirling.

Anastas City had originally been his mother's territory. After he expressed his desire to leave the royal capital, his mother had ceded it to him as a gift. He was lucky—among Andros nobles, only those who were granted titles could obtain territories, and cases like his were extremely rare.

Since gaining Anastas City, he had managed it diligently. For a thousand years, Anastas City had become brilliant, and his mother was also proud of it.

But he was hard to satisfy. He picked up the wine glass beside him and drank the blood in one gulp. Going out the west gate of Anastas City, it would only take two hours to reach the Luohe Plain. Beyond the Luohe Plain was the West Sea Forest. The West Sea Forest was vast, seemingly endless—ten times the size of Anastas City. It was extremely fertile.

His Anastas City was adjacent to it. How he wanted to ride a horse, lead his followers to hunt in the West Sea Forest. But the West Sea Forest had an owner—an owner who was extremely overbearing and evil, turning the entire fertile West Sea Forest into a f*******n land.

He tightened his grip. With a c***k, the glazed wine glass broke in two. Rocky Anastas didn't care. He grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth.

"What are you fantasizing about, getting so excited?" Alexander Stirling's voice echoed in the attic as he appeared beside Rocky Anastas. The buttons of his white shirt with a ruffled collar were still only half-buttoned, and his eye color was clearly purer than Rocky Anastas'.

Rocky Anastas' relaxed expression froze instantly. After a long while, he adjusted his mood, put down the wine glass, turned to face Alexander, raised his right hand to his chest, and bowed. "Earl Alexander."

"You still haven't answered my question." Alexander looked at the scene outside the window. "Did you have a nice chat with Sophia Larissa?"

Rocky Anastas forced a smile. "High Priestess Sophia Larissa is a guest I invited. She's leaving—I can't be rude as the host."

“So you didn't talk about anything else?” Alexander looked away, turning to Rocky Anastas. “Like the West Sea Forest.” He frowned as if thinking, then continued when he saw the smile disappear from Rocky Anastas' face. “And the Moon Glow.”

The attic fell silent. Alexander stared at Rocky Anastas. He admired this junior's ambition and courage—but unfortunately, he was too stupid and self-righteous.

When the Andrea Kingdom was founded, Selah Dessey had single-handedly torn the West Sea Forest away from the Andrea Kingdom. He had been very surprised by this once, but after ten thousand years, he had gradually understood—the Andros had never indulged and tolerated the Dessey Witches.

The reason the West Sea Forest had thrived for ten thousand years was entirely due to the Dessey Witches' power. Although there was no Witch Progenitor in the West Sea Forest, who among the few remaining Witch Progenitors dared to break into the West Sea Forest?

For ten thousand years, only one person who had broken into the West Sea Forest had come out alive—Progenitor Duke Austin Corell. But after leaving the West Sea Forest, Duke Austin Corell never mentioned what had happened after entering. Soon after, he disappeared.

After a long time, Rocky Anastas finally raised his head. “Are you asking this for Thea Dessey?”

“You're so smart—don't you know why I'm asking?” Alexander leaned against the window sill, crossing his arms. When he saw Rocky fall silent again, he let out a cold laugh. “Charlotte Witches, Annel Clan—you seem to have a lot of interest in the Dark Witches. Let me guess what you're planning?”

“For a thousand years, Anastas City has obtained Moon Glow through various means and channels. I've investigated—currently, as many as two hundred of the turned Andros who are attached to you are wearing Moon Glow.”

Rocky Anastas' heart tightened. “Have you been in Anastas City for a long time?”

“No.” Alexander shrugged. “You forgot about my bloodline.”

How could he dare to forget? Under Alexander's stare, Rocky Anastas lowered his head. "I do want to put the Moon Glow in the hands of the Andros." The Andros have been controlled by the Dark Witches because of the Moon Glow for too long—we can't just wait for death."

“Continue.”

Rocky Anastas clenched his left hand hanging by his side. "I hope that after this matter succeeds, I can bear the surname Stirling."

Alexander smiled. "Let me correct you—you don't want to put the Moon Glow in the hands of the Andros. You want to firmly hold the Moon Glow in your own hands." When he saw Rocky's cheeks twitch, he knew he had hit the mark. "What does Sophia Larissa want? The West Sea Forest?"

“I…”

Alexander raised his hand to stop him. "No need to say it—I don't want to listen." He patted Rocky's chest. "For the sake of your mother, Ana Stirling, I'll give you some advice." His gaze fell on his chest. "Protect this well—don't let anyone tear it out."

"Is Earl Alexander overestimating the Dark Witches?" Now that it was out in the open, Rocky Anastas no longer pretended. He lowered his hand from his chest, raised his head high, and stared directly at this noble Andros earl.

Finally, he no longer concealed his rampant ambition. Alexander stood up straight. "I'm not overestimating the Dark Witches—I really think you're too arrogant."

As soon as he finished speaking, a white light flashed. With a c***k, Rocky Anastas fell to the ground, his beautiful neck twisted backward at an extremely unnatural angle, his eyes wide with terror.

Alexander gently blew on his jade-like fingers. He didn't look down at Rocky Anastas lying on the ground, saying faintly, "You were too disrespectful." He let out a long sigh, looking back at the bright moon hanging high outside the window. "Let's make a bet. This time, you might be able to take down the Charlotte Witches and the Annel Clan, but you'll never set foot in the West Sea Forest."

"Ugh." Rocky Anastas lay on the ground, struggling to straighten his head. When he heard this, he suddenly stopped moving.

"In half a month, I'll leave Anastas City." Alexander took a deep breath, smiling as he walked toward the staircase. "Don't worry—I won't interfere in your affairs during this time."

On the first floor hall, Merlyn took Elara for a walk, feeling bored. She was about to go upstairs when a tall, extremely handsome man stopped her. "May Wilson Macadam ask Lady Merlyn for a dance?"

Elara sniffed. "What's that smell?"

"The smell of a lecher." Merlyn didn't care about Wilson Macadam's feelings—she was in a bad mood right now. "No need for the dance. I'll say it again—there are no Werewolves in the West Sea Forest. I don't know if your people are dead or if they went to the wrong place?"

Wilson Macadam, with silver hair and sexy stubble, bit his lip hard. Even though it had been so long, he still held out hope. "Lady Merlyn, may Wilson visit Lord Kelly in the West Sea Forest?"

"Of course." Merlyn knew what he wanted. "You can break in like Austin Corell—that's the only way." With that, she took Elara's hand, walked around him, and stepped onto the stairs.

Wilson Macadam couldn't help but smile bitterly. He wished he could. He turned to look at Merlyn's straight back. "I really want to dance with you."

Hearing this, Elara pouted. After entering the room, she couldn't wait to say. "Mother, he's not as good-looking as Father." Although Father's lifespan wouldn't allow him to accompany Mother for a lifetime, Father was still in his prime.

"What are you thinking about?" Merlyn pulled her into her own room and sat on the bed. "Werewolves have too much fur—I'm afraid they smell bad. Your father is fine—there's nothing about him that dissatisfies me for now."

"That's a relief." Elara kicked off her deerskin boots and sat cross-legged habitually. "Shall we talk about the dream I had?"

Merlyn had been meaning to bring this up. "Okay—you can skip the part about the happy little elf earlier."

"Hmm." Elara recounted the dream she had had during the day in detail. "Isn't it strange? I've had dreams before, but I almost forget them as soon as I wake up. But this time, I can remember it clearly—even the silver lines on the Holy Crow Spirit Dagger are so distinct."

"And the dream felt so real." When the blood splashed on my face, I seemed… I seemed to feel that it was warm." This made her very uneasy.

Merlyn frowned. "You had this dream after the Life Spirit Ring's 'Spirit Condensing.'” The words Haina Mullin had said earlier echoed in her ears again. "After arriving in Anastas City, Roxane has been having dreams. When she saw the Life Spirit Ring, she thought that wearing it would make the nightmares go away?"

Upon hearing this, Elara couldn't help but raise her left hand, staring at her thumb. Her eyes gradually crossed. "The Life Spirit Ring belongs to the West Sea Witch Ancestor." Had they missed something?

"The West Sea Witch Ancestor didn't commit suicide." Merlyn smiled when she saw Elara's strange expression, gently flicking her forehead. "Your eyes are almost crossed."

"How can you still laugh?" Elara was anxious. She put down her left hand, knelt on the bed, and moved closer to her mother. "If the shadow wasn't the West Sea Witch Ancestor, then wouldn't that mean…"

Merlyn smiled, pulling the anxious Elara into her arms. "It was just a dream."

In fact, what she didn't say was that being able to see the silver lines on the Holy Crow Spirit Dagger in the dark meant that the Witch Power contained in the Holy Crow Spirit Dagger had been activated. Suicide wouldn't require activating Witch Power—sealing did.

It seemed the Dessey Witches couldn't avoid the Twin Witch after all. But that should be a long time from now. She could still watch her little Elara grow up.