Chapter 24 The Brand: They were servants of the Hazlitt family.

Nothing much happened in the next few days.

Catherine finally got to eat food made by humans here. The first time she ate it, she even hid in her room alone and was moved to tears by the delicious food.

And it was upon taking that first bite that Catherine became absolutely certain that the Lucas family hadn't just entered the Devil's Forest willingly, but had come prepared. Otherwise, they wouldn't have brought seasonings along—of course, compared to what they brought in Vilandel City, the variety of seasonings they brought wasn't very complete, only basic ones like sugar and salt. But for Catherine, who had already spent nearly a month in the Spider Cave, this was already a delicacy.

This made her even more curious: what was the reason that made them enter the Devil's Forest without hesitation, even knowing how eerie and terrifying it was?

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

After three rhythmic beeps, a young woman's voice rang out: "Sir, the evening meal has been delivered."

Catherine got up and opened the door. Looking down, the first thing she saw was a simple plate with a bowl of broth on it. Judging by the amount of meat in the bowl, they had probably given her more than half of their hunted prey.

Catherine looked away from the soup and noticed the girl handing her the plate.

She seemed quite young; her shy face was hidden under the plate, revealing only a glimpse of her fair skin. She didn't look much like the girl who had delivered food a few days ago.

Catherine raised an eyebrow: "What about that little girl from a few days ago?"

Upon hearing the word "little girl," the girl was clearly taken aback.

She recalled the person who delivered the food a few days ago; it was a robust woman in her prime, hardly someone who could be called a "little girl." But she had been the one delivering food to the witch for the past few days, so it was clear that the witch was asking about her.

The girl hesitated before speaking, "My lady, it's her turn to go hunting today. The hunting party went out early this morning."

She answered in great detail and seemed quite calm and composed—if you ignored the uncontrollable tremor in her voice.

Catherine raised her hand and gently touched the girl's chin, seemingly pleased with her honesty, and smiled, "Good girl, go back now."

The girl nodded somewhat awkwardly, her head held parallel to the ground, and didn't lift it up again.

Watching the girl's hurried departure, Catherine's smile widened. But just as she was about to go inside with the plate, she suddenly noticed that the girl's collar had been pulled up slightly as she ran, revealing a brand that had been hidden by the fabric.

Catherine had seen that brand before, back when she was at the Papacy.

In the city of Verandel, there were many nobles and wealthy merchants. To ensure their comfortable lives, they owned many servants. The high-ranking nobles did not remember the appearance of their servants. In order to avoid mistaking servants from other families for their own, they would engrave their family seal on a branding iron, heat it up, and then burn it onto the servants' bodies.

For them, this is like marking their possessions. It's like stamping a book, an object, or something else.

The brand on the girl's body belonged to the Hazlitt family.

Previously, the Duchess of Hazlitt had come to the Vatican for prayers as usual. That day was also the first time Catherine had attended, led by elderly nuns.

The Duchess knelt on the ground, her eyes closed in devout prayer. Her maidservant, carrying a gift wrapped in red velvet—a gift for God—slowly approached.

At the time, Catherine wasn't very familiar with the prayer process—yes, although they had been taught countless times by the older nuns beforehand. However, when learning, she had a purely casual attitude, thinking she could just get by. Therefore, although she roughly remembered the overall process, she would sometimes experience memory lapses.

For example, right now.

It was only when the nun beside her, her brow furrowed, that she suddenly remembered what she was supposed to do and quickly stepped forward to accept the gift. The maid's wrist was slender and fair, possessing a delicate beauty, which made the dark red brand on her wrist, with its intricate floral vines intertwined, particularly striking.

Even as Catherine respectfully placed the gift at the feet of the idol, her mind was still preoccupied with that intricate brand.

Memories transcend time and space, pulling us back to the present. On the shoulder blade of the girl who ran away, there is this intricate mark.

They were servants of the Hazlitt family.

At least, it used to be.

-

Before we knew it, the first full moon night arrived.

Beyond the dense vegetation, the faint, indistinct howls of wild beasts echoed, sending chills down one's spine in the darkness. Inside the room, Catherine unconsciously tightened her grip on her clothes.

When the witch came to see her before, she asked how to find her. The witch said that the plants in the forest would guide her.

But when she asked how she could safely see her amidst so many wild beasts in the Devil's Forest, the witch simply smiled and looked at her, offering no assurances.

Catherine took a deep breath; she had no choice but to believe that the witch would protect her in the shadows.

After all, since the witch demanded to meet her every full moon, she must possess something the witch needed. Catherine could only gamble that the witch wouldn't let her die until she obtained it.

Night deepened inch by inch, and the outside gradually quieted down. After seeing the last flame in the tent go out, Catherine pushed open the door, carefully avoiding the watchmen, and walked deeper into the Devil's Forest.

A few minutes after she left, the bushes beside her rustled a few times, and then a burly man emerged from them. He frowned deeply, staring in the direction Catherine had gone, his long scar on his face contorting into a deep frown.

Benson was woken up in the middle of the night by the urge to urinate, so he left the tent and found a secluded spot to relieve himself. Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon the so-called witch leaving late at night.

He stood there quietly for a while, and then, as if he had suddenly made up his mind, he walked into the room where Catherine lived.

-

Catherine strained her eyes in the darkness, searching for a path to take.

The witch hadn't lied to her; most of the roadside plants wouldn't attack her, and some would even shake their leaves to guide her when she approached.

Catherine didn't know how long she had walked, narrowly avoiding two hungry wild beasts along the way, before she saw a tree trunk.

The trunk was very wide, and it looked like it would take at least a dozen adult men to encircle it. It must have been a tree, with its trunk stretching upwards. Catherine craned her neck to look up at it, almost as if it were about to break, but even then she couldn't see the top of the tree.

Catherine looked behind her. There was a large open space around the giant tree, with no vegetation or animals.

Animals, intimidated by the vastness of the giant tree, dared not approach. Plants, too, dared not compete with it for nutrients, and could only grow further away, their branches low, looking as if they were reverently bowing to the giant tree.

Catherine looked at the tree hesitantly. The plants had led her here but hadn't given her any further directions, and she suspected this might be the place where the witch wanted to meet her.

Thinking of her long green hair, Catherine suspected that her story for deceiving Lucas and the others might have been a lucky guess.

She is the Forest Witch.

So she was able to use plants to guide her and to live on this eerie giant tree.

"You should be glad you kept your promise, little girl~" A seductive voice rang out from above, and the witch suddenly appeared out of nowhere. By the time Catherine looked in the direction of the voice, she had already floated lightly to the ground.

"I've kept my promise, what about you?"

With a grin, the witch raised her hand, and something arced through the air before landing on Catherine's chest.

She took the object out of her clothes and examined it carefully for a long time in the dim light, barely managing to confirm that it was a pendant. Catherine looked up at the witch in confusion.

"You just need to press down the center part."

Just as Catherine was about to try it, she heard the witch add in a low voice, "It can only be used three times, but each time it can kill a ferocious beast."

She awkwardly withdrew her hand and carefully placed the pendant away.

This was the self-defense tool she had asked the witch for. After all, the pearl hair ornament wasn't exactly a weapon, and relying solely on it made her feel uneasy.

But now that she has this pendant, things are different. Although it can only be used three times, the attack power guaranteed by the witch is enough to put her at ease.

"Why do you want me to see you every full moon night?"

The witch rolled her eyes rather inelegantly: "It's all because you're too weak. If I wait for you to grow stronger on your own, I don't know how many more years it would take..."

"Therefore, I've decided to give you special treatment."

The witch grinned, revealing her sharp teeth hidden deep within her mouth. Catherine then realized that the witch possessed a mouthful of teeth as densely packed as a shark's.

Catherine's heart began to pound involuntarily; her sixth sense told her danger was imminent. She immediately turned and ran back the way she came, and almost simultaneously, countless vines sprouted from the giant tree behind her, surging towards her.

Those vines were incredibly fast; almost no one could escape them at that speed.

Catherine was no exception. She was quickly caught by the vines, and the dense branches bound her up like a dumpling in an instant.

Then Catherine felt a tremendous force pull her backward, and the vines tightened even more. Blood rushed to her head due to the pressure, and her snow-white skin slowly turned a vibrant red.

Just as she felt she was about to suffocate, the vines brought her back to the witch's side.

"Why are you running, little girl?"