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It is the main range of the Zeden Mountains, bordering the Jestarad territory, and also serves as the boundary between the Lacaenia Empire and the Kingdom of Yustil, encompassing a vast region.

In the northern part of these rugged Barakant Mountains, a well-armed force of 20 men was moving along the ridgeline.

They were the border patrol that guarded the Swindler Fortress, the gateway between the Empire and the Kingdom.

Looking down at the steep valley slopes spreading out on either side, the captain of the patrol asked,

“Is the pursuit going well, Felix?”

The man in his thirties, dressed in priest robe and scouting ahead while keeping a lookout, shrugged his shoulders.

“No problem.”

For someone like him—a priest of Saisha, the Goddess of Wind and Sky, and a second-tier inquisitor—the blatant traces of darkness were as clear as a signpost.

“It seems they’re not even bothering to hide their tracks.”

“Does that mean the aura of darkness is strong?”

“No, it’s weak. They’re just carelessly leaving it behind.”

“So you’re saying they’re weak and sloppy?”

“At the very least, it’s clear this isn’t the work of a high-level necromancer.”

The soldiers following behind smiled with relief at their conversation.

“Well, that’s good news.”

“Looks like it was just a petty thief, after all.”

“But still, they’re using dark powers, so it must be a witch, right?”

The captain put on a serious expression.

“Let’s not lower our guard too much. The damage is still quite significant.”

***

Esk, a mountain village near Swindler Fortress, which supplies goods to the stronghold.

For about a month now, strange incidents had been occurring in this village.

Strange if strange, but ordinary if ordinary.

“A witch stole my eggs!”

“A witch stole my chickens!”

“A witch stole my dog!”

An unidentified old woman had been appearing at night, committing petty theft.

The border patrol didn’t know about this from the beginning.

At first, the villagers tried to deal with the thief on their own.

The term “witch” didn’t seem out of place either.

The culprit was an old woman, and lately, blaming everything on the Darkness of Doom was all the rage.

But as time passed, the situation became more bizarre.

“A witch stole my pig!”

“A witch took our cow! Oh no!”

The scale of the thefts kept growing.

It got to the point where the villagers could no longer handle it, and even the Swindler Fortress had to get involved.

The border patrol began an official investigation and was taken aback.

The way the witch was stealing cows and pigs was anything but ordinary.

Why? Because she did it in the same way she stole eggs and chickens.

“She carried them off!”

“What? Carried them off?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying! She picked them up and walked off with them!”

The captain blinked in disbelief at the elderly villager’s testimony.

“…That big cow and pig? The old woman, by herself?”

“Yes!”

He could still see it clearly.

The terrifying sight of the old woman throwing a cow over her shoulder, scaling a wall, her blood-red eyes glowing in the darkness as she let out a crazed laugh!

– Kehehel! I’ll take this one to make sure I stay strong and healthy!

“…Is what she said.”

“…”

The captain fell silent.

The old man, flustered, continued speaking.

“I swear I’m not lying, sir!”

“Uh, I don’t think you’re lying either.”

The captain just wondered if the elderly villager’s health was declining or if his memory was fading.

“Doesn’t it seem a bit strange for this to be the wicked deeds of an evil witch?”

“What could be more wicked than carrying off someone’s cow!”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

In any case, it was undeniable that damage had been done.

It was also true that traces of evil energy and malevolent aura remained where the cows and pigs had disappeared.

The captain spoke seriously.

“Understood. We’ll handle it.”

***

One of the soldiers chuckled as they continued walking.

“If you think about it, this isn’t really our job, is it? We’re a border patrol, after all.”

He was suggesting they contact the Church of the Seven Goddesses to send a darkness hunter, since this was a matter related to the Darkness of Doom.

Priest Felix shook his head.

“We did contact them, but it’s unlikely they’ll send reinforcements.”

There are still too many cases related to darkness, and the personnel responsible for handling them are always in short supply.

From the temple’s perspective, strange stories about a witch in a remote mountain village wouldn’t be a high priority.

Other soldiers grumbled.

“So, what you’re saying is they’re ignoring us because we’re from the countryside?”

“They always focus on the glamorous cities and push us country folk to the back, huh?”

Felix tried to soothe the soldiers.

“Come now, the goddess’s grace is bestowed equally upon the entire world.”

“Then why won’t they send anyone to help us?”

“They have.”

“What?”

“That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”

Now that they thought about it, having Felix, a second-tier inquisitor, stationed at Swindler Fortress was unusual in itself.

They had just gotten used to seeing him around so often that they took it for granted.

“Well… now that you mention it…”

“We’ve been rude to the priest. Sorry about that.”

As they continued moving forward, the sun began to set.

Suddenly, Priest Felix pointed to the ridge beyond.

“I’ve found it, Captain.”

Amidst the darkened slope, in a meadow with swaying grass, stood a small, solitary figure.

It was an old woman, dressed in typical peasant attire with a shabby apron.

Upon seeing her, the captain muttered absentmindedly.

“…A witch.”

The other soldiers had similar expressions.

“Wow, it’s a witch.”

“It’s really a witch.”

“She looks too much like a witch!”

Their strange remarks had a reason.

Her tangled white hair, wrinkled and aged face, hooked nose covered with warts, jutting chin, and frail, small frame—all made her the perfect image of an old hag from a fairy tale.

Even if someone had intentionally dressed her up to play the role of a witch, they couldn’t have done it better.

The soldiers began whispering among themselves.

“She looks so stereotypical, it’s almost suspicious.”

“No matter how much of a witch she is, can anyone really look that much like one?”

“Maybe she’s just an old lady with a scary face?”

Felix also wore a perplexed expression.

“Well, we’ve followed the traces of darkness to get here, but…”

The old woman, who had been quietly watching the border patrol, finally spoke.

“You young men, what brings you to a place like this?”

One of the soldiers hesitantly started the conversation.

“Old woman, have you noticed anything strange around here?”

“Something strange? I don’t think so.”

Responding calmly, the old woman rummaged through her clothes for a moment and then pulled something out.

“Would you like some snacks?”

It was an eyeball from some creature, still shiny and fresh, with blood vessels and nerves attached as if it had just been plucked.

At the same time, the old woman’s eyes began to glow a blood-red.

“It’s delicious.”

The border patrol soldiers, shocked, recoiled.

“Ugh!”

“Yikes!”

“Damn! She is a witch!”

The captain drew his sword and shouted.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

***

While the Barakant Mountains serve as the border between the Kingdom of Yustil and the Lacaenia Empire, technically speaking, most of the mountain range belongs to the Empire. The Kingdom’s territory ends at the foothills of the mountains.

Swindler Fortress, one of the western gateways to the Empire, was also situated at the entrance of the Barakant Mountains.

Riding his horse toward the fortress entrance, Baros looked around.

“Wow, there are a lot of people here.”

With winter approaching, the weather had become quite chilly.

At the fortress entrance, a long line of travelers in thick fur coats had formed. Most of them were merchants traveling between the Empire and the Kingdom.

The Lacaenia Empire and the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, long-standing rivals, had been at war and peace in turns throughout history.

Currently, while there was no formal exchange between the nations, trade between civilians was allowed, which explained the long line of merchants.

Karnak grumbled as he adjusted his cloak.

“Do we have to wait in line too? It’s freezing.”

“It’s fine,” Alius shrugged.

“As servants of the Goddess, we have a few small privileges.”

Since the faith of the Seven Goddesses was spread across the entire continent, most nations granted clergy members priority when crossing borders.

Especially now, with the forces of darkness running rampant across the world, the presence of clergy was seen as a good omen, as it meant the weakening of the darkness.

A powerful priest like Alius was certainly someone to be welcomed with open arms.

Without hesitation, Alius bypassed the line and moved to the front.

No one complained about him cutting ahead. Even the soldiers treated him with priority as a matter of course.

“I am Alius, a first-tier inquisitor of the Hatoba Religious Order. These people are our allies, the Darkness Hunters.”

The soldiers briefly examined their documents.

There were no issues. All of their identities had been verified by the Hatoba Religious Order.

“You all are quite renowned Darkness Hunters.”

However, one soldier was a bit puzzled.

“But…”

He glanced at one member of the group and asked,

“Is that child also a Darkness Hunter?”

Standing behind Serati, curiously looking around, was the ash-haired girl, Laficel.

She was currently traveling with the group as Serati’s disciple.

Of course, at first, Alius had vehemently opposed this.

-Is that child going to the Empire with us? Isn’t she too young?

This wasn’t something a sensible adult should say.

In fact, Karnak fully agreed with that opinion.

But they couldn’t leave Laficel unattended just yet. What if something went wrong with her memory seal?

It was still a time when they needed to keep an eye on her.

But since they couldn’t say this openly, they came up with a plausible excuse.

-Dame Serati has decided to take her along.

-Oh, in that case, I suppose there’s nothing to be done.

The training of a disciple is the mentor’s responsibility, and it wasn’t for Alius, an outsider, to interfere.

Moreover, among knights, it wasn’t uncommon for squires to accompany them from a young age to learn on the field. The belief was that experiencing battle early helped one grow stronger more quickly.

The gate soldiers of the Empire were also familiar with such stories. So they didn’t question it further and allowed the group to pass.

They only looked at Laficel with some pity in their eyes.

“The Barakant Mountains will be tough for a child like that to cross…”

“Oh boy, the Kingdom of Yustil really puts their disciples through the wringer.”

Swindler Fortress was both a defensive stronghold and a trade town.

After passing through the gates and walking a short distance beyond the thick walls, they arrived at the fortress village.

Around the small central pond were inns, taverns, and general stores catering to travelers, with a few houses scattered nearby.

As they rode their horses toward an inn, a group of soldiers came running from the distance.

‘Hm?’

“What’s going on?”

Leading them was a middle-aged knight dressed in the Empire’s formal armor.

He approached the group and asked urgently,

“Are you Priest Alius of the Hatoba Religious Order?”

“That’s right.”

“I heard you’re a first-tier inquisitor. Is that correct?”

Alius frowned slightly. The tone was rather arrogant.

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

The knight’s commanding voice continued.

“I am Leocolt of the Evil Slaying Brigade.”

Baros and Serati exchanged startled glances.

[Evil Slaying Brigade?]

[Isn’t that the Empire’s version of the King’s Order?]

They hadn’t expected to meet such a figure in a place like this.

Alius quickly assessed the situation.

Not only the knight but all of the soldiers wore grim expressions.

“Is something the matter?”

“There is.”

The middle-aged knight, Leocolt, nodded with a stern face.

“A witch has appeared.”