"Evil creature!" Aileixiya drew her two-handed sword, standing in front of Mila.

"...Evil creature?" Her tone was icy, almost devoid of emotion. "What are you, who transport orphans and abandoned children to monasteries to raise them and select witches from among them?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" The female warrior scolded. "The church takes them in out of divine mercy. Without the monasteries, how many of them could survive to adulthood? However, ever-present devils will always corrupt the weak-willed among them, leading a very few astray. Once someone is discovered to have fallen into witchcraft, the church will deal with them immediately. You're completely reversing cause and effect!"

Hearing the word "deal with," the witch's golden eyes dimmed significantly. She raised her greatsword with one hand. "I have little interest in persuading a dead person. Let's just do it."

Before she finished speaking, the owl took flight, and her figure was already charging forward. Aileixiya deeply remembered the tragic state of her teammate, who had been cleaved in two along with her sword. Instead of retreating, she advanced, lunging towards the transcendent's lower right – during sword training, the instructor had mentioned more than once that for right-handed people, their lower right was the most difficult position to defend, because the sword-wielding stance limited their ability to change the direction of the blade, requiring an extra half-breath's time.

Aileixiya's leopard-like pounce avoided the witch's direct slash. As she passed the opponent's side, she held her two-handed sword horizontally, attempting a counterattack. But the transcendent's reaction was astonishingly fast – with a light jump, she easily avoided this sweep, while turning to lift her greatsword upward.

By this point, Aileixiya hadn't even fully landed.

Everything happened in a flash. Half of her calf flew into the air with a spurt of blood. The tearing pain from below almost made her lose consciousness. Instinctively gritting her teeth, the female warrior didn't scream out on the spot.

The gap was too big.

Only now did she realize how powerful Abrams was to be able to exchange ten or so sword strikes with a transcendent, buying her time to escape.

Aileixiya struggled to turn over, just in time to see Mila take out a hand crossbow from her pack and aim it at the transcendent witch, who was focusing her attention on her.

This was the last chance, she realized. Perhaps she could attract her attention!

Just as the female warrior was about to say something, the greatsword swept over like a whirlwind. She only felt a tightness in her throat, and then the world turned upside down... no, perhaps she had flown up. She saw her body kneeling weakly downward, while also seeing an owl pouncing on Mila, but in mid-air, it transformed into a girl, smashing heavily onto the priest... Her vision quickly blurred, and finally she fell to the ground, sinking into boundless darkness.

…

"This darned stone, goo!" Maisie grumbled, rubbing the bump on her head. "You're too careless. If it weren't for me, that crossbow bolt would have hit you!"

"Don't worry, I noticed it, I just wanted a quick resolution," Ash quickly dug a shallow pit with her greatsword, dragged the two into the pit, and covered them with dirt. The God's Punishment Stone and the Gold Dragon were all put into her bag. With this, the travel expenses to Clearwater Port were secured. She also found a letter on the woman wearing the priest's robe. After briefly reading it, the general idea was that if Roland Wimbledon, the lord of the Western Territory, had not colluded with witches, then he should be asked to buy infant girls and orphans – prior to this, the other party in this transaction was Duke Ryan. As long as they were underage females, they were within the scope of purchase, and payment could be made at the "market price," or it could be offset with pills.

After reading it, Ash sneered and burned the letter on the torch, destroying it completely.

"Let's go, we still have a pile of corpses to bury."

"Goo." Maisie transformed back into an owl, leading Ash to the first attack location.

Digging pits, moving corpses, burying people... Maisie couldn't help much with these physical tasks, and the severed limbs and pervasive bloody smell made her a little dizzy, so she had to land on a branch, watching Ash busy herself.

"Why are you doing these things? Wouldn't it be terrible if the church found out?"

"By the time they discover that the envoy group has disappeared, it will be two or three months later," Ash said while shoveling dirt. "Generally, when the church sends an envoy group to investigate witch incidents, if the lord cooperates, it will last for more than a month, plus their return time, which is about two or three months."

"But His Highness the Prince definitely won't cooperate with them! Goo!"

"You should transform into a human form and talk to me," Ash sighed. "If the lord lets the envoy group enter the town, the witches of the Witch Cooperation Association will inevitably be exposed – the envoy group doesn't need to ask the prince himself, they can just grab the people and torture them to find out the answer. Roland will either betray the witches, claiming that all of this has nothing to do with him, or he will have to arrest them all. If the other side is prepared in advance, as long as one person escapes, Hermes will soon receive the news – you saw, they also carried pigeons with them."

"Pigeons can't see the road at night, I've already caught them all," Maisie patted her bulging waist bag. "When they're roasted tomorrow, we'll each have one."

Ash shook her head inwardly. She had never seen her catch birds to eat before, but after only a few days in Border Town, she had developed a strong interest in roasted bird meat. "If the church decides to send out troops, he'll only have about a month left. But now, as long as he's not too unlucky, he can have at least three more months... So, this is a gift I'm giving him, and it's also my revenge against the church."

"I see, as expected of Sister Ash," Maisie praised.

There was one more thing Ash didn't say. In this way, she was equivalent to making the decision for the prince. When the church discovered that the envoy group had lost contact, they would definitely blame Roland Wimbledon. Even if he wanted to betray the witches at that time, he would not have the chance.

When everything was tidied up, the sky was gradually turning white.

"Then, let's part ways here," Ash said.

"..." Maisie was stunned. "What?"

She touched her small head, squatted down, "You like Border Town very much, don't you? You'll definitely be happy here with Lightning and Wendy."

"But..." She lowered her head, looking hesitant. "I also like you and Lady Tilly."

"It's not about asking you to stay here all the time," Ash smiled. "Roland Wimbledon is different from Tilly. He is, after all, an ordinary nobleman. It's difficult to guarantee that he will always stand on the side of the witches. This is also the task I want to give you. Fly back once a month, tell us what's happening in Border Town, and bring our news back to the witches of the Witch Cooperation Association. In this way, the two sides can also establish contact. If the town encounters danger, you can also help them escape Graycastle and go to the Fjords."

"Is that so?" Maisie blinked.

"That's right," she nodded. "I believe you can do it."

Watching Maisie transform into a pigeon, gradually disappearing into the morning light, Ash mounted her horse and headed towards Clearwater Port. (。 )