Chapter 21: Digging for Flesh - She seemed to vaguely smell a conspiracy...
"It's them." As she uttered this affirmation, a complex emotion flickered in the witch's eyes for a fleeting moment. But it vanished as quickly as a dragonfly skimming the water.
"But how could there be marks inside the Holy See that are the same as those on magical beasts?"
The witch stroked her face tenderly: "What do you think? Clever girl."
Catherine frowned. The Devil's Forest, a place feared and dreaded by everyone, had monsters there bearing the same markings as those on the Papal Piano.
What exactly does this mark mean? And who put this mark on the monster?
She felt as if she could vaguely smell a conspiracy.
But the witch didn't offer her any answers. Before Catherine could react, she spread her fingers, twirled them, and then clenched them again. The surrounding vines moved, thrusting their way into the vicinity of the mark and digging it out forcefully.
The intense pain caused Tarasco's eyes to widen suddenly. He wanted to open his mouth and scream, but because the witch had frozen him in place, he couldn't even do such a simple action.
Cold sweat poured down his back, forming small, dark patches on the ground. The intense pain had numbed his senses, and it was only after a long while that he felt a warm, gentle touch on his body. He slowly turned his eyes to look at Catherine, only to meet her worried gaze.
He stared intently at her, trying to etch her image into his mind... and then, he knew nothing more.
Seeing Tarasco faint from the pain, Catherine looked anxiously at the witch: "He'll be alright, won't he?"
Her tone was full of uncertainty. The witch was the only person in the cave who could still speak, so she had no choice but to confirm with her.
The witch's subordinates continued their work: "Of course~ you need to trust me."
"But you stopped me from sticking the hair ornament into the mark before."
The witch winked at her: "Little girl, you are you, and I am me... If you poke into this mark, this little spider will die. But if it's me, I can keep it alive."
Catherine had no choice; at this point, she had to choose to believe her.
The witch moved swiftly, stopping the wound almost before much blood had flowed out.
Strangely enough, despite Tarasco's strong self-healing ability, the wound showed no signs of healing and instead continued to spread to the side.
Not all the vines that had pierced her flesh were pulled out. At first, Catherine wondered what their purpose was, but now she knew.
The rotting wound continued to expand, and when it encountered the surrounding vines, it would climb upwards, like some kind of strange parasitic species. The vines quickly withered and decayed, eventually falling out of the flesh and landing on the ground. At the same time, the rotting wound stopped spreading.
It's as if those unseen things that cause the wound to fester have fallen out along with the vines.
The alien spider's powerful self-healing ability finally began to take effect. Although it was much slower than usual, it was at least resisting the injury and slowly allowing new flesh to grow out like spider silk.
The witch stood up and wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead: "See? I told you to believe me."
She bent down to pick up the piece of meat, still bearing the mark, that had just fallen to the ground, and waved it at Catherine: "I'm taking this with me. Don't forget what you promised me~"
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared from the spot, giving Catherine no chance to stop her.
Catherine: …………
Catherine walked to the cave entrance. Outside, it was still as quiet as ever, without a breath of wind. But she had a premonition that the outside world might soon descend into chaos.
-
Somewhere in the Devil's Forest, a small group of people were slowly advancing.
In the middle of the group, a child, exhausted from walking for so long, felt his eyelids drooping uncontrollably, and his steps became unsteady. After swaying for a while, he finally twisted his ankle and fell to the side.
The adult who had been watching her immediately reached out and caught her, preventing her from falling to the ground.
After all that, Idisa was fully awake.
She rubbed her eyes and looked around. They were now surrounded by lush vegetation, a stark contrast to the environment near the stone house they had previously lived in.
A few hushed voices came from ahead—
"The witch should live around here, right?"
"Lucas said that when he parted ways with the witch, she mentioned going in this direction. It feels like she might be nearby!"
"I think the scenery here is beautiful. I think witches might like places like this."
"..."
Several days had passed since they left the stone house and moved their family to search for the witch.
They often encountered wild beasts on the road; some they managed to drive away together, while others carried off their companions...
After walking for several days, the number of people in the group finally stabilized at the current number.
But unlike before, almost no one complained. They were filled with hope for the journey, because this time they had received news about the witch.
They were initially disappointed to learn that Lucas had encountered the witch but parted ways with her after they were safe. This meant they had once again missed their chance to meet the witch.
But it's okay!
In order to find their lost companions, they added a tracking potion to the beast-repelling powder—of course, in addition to finding their companions, the tracking potion could also help them find their prey.
Lucas happened to give one of the bottles to the witch.
Thanks to Jim for coming up with the idea of mixing the Tracking Potion and the Beast-Repelling Powder, and thanks to Lucas for not abandoning his benefactor! They still have a chance to reunite with the witch.
Although……
It seems the witch used the powder far too many times.
This is the fifth time they've changed course. But they also believe this will be the last.
-
Trasc was still asleep inside the alien spider's cave.
If it weren't for his occasional twitching feet, Catherine would have suspected she needed to find a suitable owner again.
Although the idea has now begun to subtly take hold of her.
Because this strange spider had been asleep for almost a whole day. And when the witch left, she vanished too quickly. Before she could even ask Tarasco how long it would take for him to wake up, she had already turned to dust and disappeared into the cave.
Just like her arrival, it caught everyone off guard.
Catherine sat on the bed against the stone wall, hugging her knees, and looked at Tarasco, who was still asleep, and couldn't help but sigh again.
If he doesn't wake up soon, she'll have to worry about food after the last bit of roasted meat in the cave is eaten.
Suddenly, a very soft rustling sound came from outside the cave. Catherine's nerves immediately tensed up.
Now that Tarasco is in a coma, she is unsure whether the sparse spider silk at the cave entrance and the lingering scent can keep out the hungry beasts outside.
If even one of them dares to break in, then she may only face death.
As the noise grew closer, Catherine carefully descended to the ground and hid behind a rock in the shadows.
Previously, in order to avoid the frenzied alien spider, almost no intact rocks remained in the cave; the ground was covered with shards of stone that Tarasco had cleaved. Now, ironically, this made it easier for her to hide.
The very next second after she hid, she heard familiar language coming from outside, accompanied by soft noises.
"Are you sure... it's here?" The voice was filled with doubt.
“This looks like a beast’s den!” another low voice followed. “I think you guys are really crazy to dare to explore the lair of a powerful magical beast. We might not even be a finger of his if we put all our bodies together.”
"Haha, likewise, Derrick. You may say that, but you still came in with us."
Catherine peeked out from behind the rubble.
Because sunlight couldn't reach this dark corner, the humans who had intruded were completely unaware that one of their kind was hiding there.
Five people entered, mostly adult men, and one woman who looked very strong. They carefully surveyed their surroundings, not missing a single nook or cranny, as if searching for something.
"It looks like there's been a fight here... Be careful." The only woman spoke the first words after entering the cave.
“I know, stop nagging!” Derrick rolled his eyes and continued, “This is the last trace of beast-repelling powder we’ve found. The witch should only be around here. Everyone search carefully. If you still can’t find it here…”
He didn't continue, but everyone else understood what he meant.
If they still can't find the witch in this area, it means they've lost track of her once again.
For a moment, the atmosphere among them became somewhat somber. But neither of them was tactless enough to speak up and shatter this illusion. They all sincerely hoped that they could find the legendary witch in this cave, the one who could grant travelers' wishes.
Catherine, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
Witch?
They actually came for the witch... and it seems they tracked her down here using some vague clues.
But Catherine recalled the way the witch had appeared and disappeared. It was hard to imagine what clues she would have left behind that would allow anyone to find her.
In order to eavesdrop on more of their conversation, Catherine quietly moved behind another piece of rubble when they weren't paying attention.
Then she heard sounds coming from further away...
"Lucas, why are you running around like that?"
A note from the author:
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Hehe, there will be three chapters updated on the day it goes live (yes, that's Monday, September 29th! [clapping][clapping]). Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy! [green heart]
After it becomes a paid service, I'll be updating daily regularly!
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[Green Heart] Start with an escape room game [Green Heart]
When Gong Xuansu took over her grandfather's inheritance, she only wanted to sell the drafty old house for money, but she didn't expect to be forcibly tied to an app that would deduct her life if she didn't work.
Thus, she was forced to travel to one strange and terrifying place after another, professionally performing exorcisms for all kinds of vengeful ghosts and wronged spirits.
Gradually, Gong Xuansu discovered...
The last meal prepared by the starving cook was even better than what you'd get at a five-star hotel.
The mirror-ghost head nurse's ability to create clones allows her to handle all the sanitation work by herself.
The two-headed infant spirit even has the ability to soothe babies.
...
Gong, penniless and forced to work for an app, Xuan Su: Wow!
Gong Xuansu turned her head to look at her own creaky, drafty old house.
Here comes the way to make money!
#The scumbag boss is taming ghosts online#
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[Green Heart] The Noblewoman's Deception [Green Heart]
When Mia was adopted from the convent, she never imagined that her legal father would intend for her to become a con artist.
However, her life was already nearing rock bottom, so if things got any worse, it wouldn't seem to make much difference.
As it turns out, this number one conman from the Ottoman Empire still has an astute eye for talent.
The girl he set his sights on ultimately used her superb deception skills to amass immense wealth for herself, and...
A countess's position
#The story of a master swindler and his henchman, pulling off a big heist#
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[Green Heart] Genius Girl [Green Heart]
In the twenty-first year of the Wanli reign, demons and monsters from Yuexi wreaked havoc on humankind.
In the same year, in the northwest, a baby girl was born in the capital city of Yudu in Wenzhou.
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"Heaven hears my will, earth hears my voice, the gods of the four directions understand my intentions, and the ghosts of the nine provinces enter my gate."
#The Growth Story of a Prodigy Girl from Yudu#
Genius Girl × Handsome Fox Fairy
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