Fjord, Seadragon Bay.

The church's followers climbed the walls and shot crossbow bolts at the witches, but they were largely ineffective against Sylvie's invisible barrier and Morrell's magical servants. The arrows either fell to the ground or were swallowed by the servants. Only when the enemy fired magic-breaking arrows embedded with God's Stone of Retribution did they pose a threat.

The number of God's Stones of Retribution was ultimately limited. Witches who were unfortunately hit were immediately dragged to the rear for treatment. As long as the bleeding was stopped in time, their lives would not be in danger. After two or three rounds of shooting, more than twenty witches had advanced to the edge of the wall. Ashes jumped directly onto the top of the wall, clearing out the followers who dared to show their heads.

After several days of pre-war reconnaissance, they knew the weak points of this wall like the back of their hands. The pigeons in the sky chirped with varying lengths—that was Maisie indicating to everyone that they had arrived at the correct location.

Lian, who had experience from the previous battles, unhesitatingly used her ability, and the ground suddenly shook. The church followers wanted to rush over to stop her, but they were all killed by Ashes one by one. The walls without the protection of God's Stone of Retribution quickly collapsed. The witches swarmed in, using their abilities to attack the followers. Most of those who were not wearing God's Stones of Retribution fell instantly, while those who were still standing were cleanly harvested by Ashes.

This was the first time the church had been attacked head-on since it was built, and the enemy was the church's mortal enemy. The priest stationed here also knew that the final moment had arrived. He called on the remaining followers to take the pills and dedicate themselves to God. More than a dozen berserk followers used their flesh and blood to entangle Ashes, while the rest rushed towards Lian and the others.

Lian, who was prepared, raised a wall of earth from the ground, temporarily blocking the enemy. God's Stone of Retribution could not eliminate the already completed magic effect. When they went around the wall, they found it was empty behind the wall.

The frantic followers had to return to besiege Ashes, but the group of witches would suddenly appear behind them, knocking down the unsuspecting enemies. Each repetition would cause the opponent to suffer losses. After half an hour of fierce fighting, the church was filled with the bodies of the followers. In the end, only the priest was left.

He trembled as he put the pill to his mouth, but before he could swallow it, Ashes rushed forward and cut off his arm with a sword.

"You damned heretic! A monster cursed by the devil!" he roared hysterically, holding his severed hand, his eyes full of fear.

"Are you afraid? When you tortured and slaughtered those innocent people, did you ever think about their feelings?" Ashes said coldly, "Compared to witches, you are more like the devil's pawns, the scum who do all kinds of evil. So, go to hell and report." With that, the great sword fell, cutting off his curses in his throat.

"Did we win?" Morrell walked to her side, still somewhat incredulous.

"That's right," Ashes breathed a sigh of relief, "This is the last church in the fjord. From now on, there will be no more church strongholds on the islands. We won!"

Although the church's power in the fjord was very weak, with only a hundred or so followers in each church and no stationed Judgment Army, this was the first time the witches had won a victory against the church head-on. From being driven around by the enemy, trembling at the slightest sound, to now occupying the church and defeating the behemoth of the past, even an insignificant part of the church was enough to exhilarate the witches.

Just as she had expected, after confirming this long-awaited victory, everyone couldn't help but cheer loudly. The church was like a mountain pressing down on everyone's hearts. Now, they finally pried open the foot of the mountain, letting a ray of dawn shine in. From now on, the fjord will become their real home.

"We won!"

"Long live Tilly!"

"Goo goo!"

…

Returning to Sleeping Island by boat, Ashes couldn't wait to rush back to Tilly's residence to tell her the news that the witches had completely won. The latter brushed her gray hair behind her ears, revealing a bright smile: "Maisie has already told me. I heard that you are all safe and sound. That's great."

Indeed, she could fly much faster as a seabird than by sailing ship. Ashes looked around, not seeing that familiar figure, "Where's Maisie?"

"She left, right after reporting the victory," Tilly shook her head helplessly.

Ashes was stunned, "She...returned to the Western Region?"

"Yeah," Tilly smiled lightly, "She probably met some very good friends over there too. Only a few days, and she couldn't wait to go back. If it wasn't to help us defeat the church, she probably would have turned back to Border Town the same day she delivered the letter... I'm getting more and more curious about that place."

Ashes hesitated before saying, "Should I not have left her there?"

"No, it's good," the Fifth Princess replied in a firm tone, "It's because you let Maisie stay in Border Town that we can easily get in touch with the other side. I also had her take the reply to Roland Wimbledon with her." She made a face, "Guess how I replied to him?"

"Of course, it's a rejection. Crossing the sea is inherently risky. How could we send more witches to the Western Region?"

"No, I agreed to his request," Tilly curled her lips, "I also briefly introduced the abilities of the non-combat witches to him and said in the letter that as long as he can protect the safety of the witches, I can consider letting some witches go to Border Town—uh, what did he say? That's right—to inspect and learn, enhance friendship, and make progress together." She paused, "If necessary, I can even go to the town myself."

"Your Highness!" Ashes couldn't help but call out the honorific she used when she was a court guard.

"I know what you're worried about, but the biggest enemy of the witches right now is the church. For this, the more allies, the more strength. Dealing with the islands of the fjord is a matter of interest, while the mutual aid association of Border Town is a natural friend. Since they are friends, why not release some goodwill?" Tilly smiled, "And according to Maisie, witches can evolve their abilities again by learning knowledge. Aren't you curious? If the witches who are sent can also learn this skill, Sleeping Island will definitely benefit greatly."

"But if you go there yourself, what if the other party..."

Tilly reached out and interrupted Ashes, "Don't worry, I'm not saying I'm going to leave right away. I won't go to a dangerous place until the situation is clear. Don't forget, Sylvie can see through all disguises, whether it's exquisite makeup or magical illusions, she can't escape her eyes. As long as she goes to the town with the first batch of people, she can help me explore the truth about the Fourth Prince. Besides, even if we encounter danger, isn't there still you by my side?"

Ashes looked at her for a long time and finally nodded.

"Of course, the specific situation can be discussed when Maisie returns next month," Tilly smiled, "We have something more important to do now."

"What?" Ashes asked in surprise. Now that the church forces in the fjord have been destroyed, it seems that all that remains is to build Sleeping Island in peace... But the other party's expression didn't seem to indicate that.

The Fifth Princess pointed to the red gem on her white silk glove, "Not only on the kingdom's mainland, but also on the Phantom Islands of the fjord, there is an ancient relic. And most of the magic stones acquired from the islanders come from this relic. While the church is destroyed, I want to go and see it myself."

"Is it the Ghost Shadow Red River of folk tales?" Ashes had heard some of these legends after staying in the fjord for a while, "This relic appears and disappears in the sea, and it's surrounded by dangerous undercurrents and sea beasts. Ordinary people can't go there at all. And since it was first discovered, many explorers have unfortunately been buried in the Phantom Islands in order to catch a glimpse of this incredible spectacle. You don't know its specific location, how can you enter the relic?"

"I don't know its location, but I know who can take us there—in fact, this outstanding explorer is on Sleeping Island, and he was the first to discover this relic," Tilly smiled.