Lanos, upon seeing Adeline the sorceress emerging from the bushes, had a surprised look on his face. Like him, the man wearing the mask, who was now struggling to free himself from the branches and vines, seemed even more shocked at the sight of Adeline. Neither of them knew why Adeline was there. Adeline, clearly aware of this, said, “It’s pretty strange for me to be here at this hour, right?”

Lanos glanced at the man in black and said, “Of course, but I’m more curious to know who was following us.” However, before he could approach the unknown, thin man, Adeline stepped forward and removed the mask from the face of the one caught in her spell.

When the mask was removed, Lanos and Adeline were faced with a pale young man, panting and covered in superficial wounds from the sharp branches. Adeline sighed and muttered, “I thought it would be you, Freud.” Her gaze shifted from his face to the surroundings, seemingly making sure no one else was nearby.

Lanos scratched his head and asked, “Freud... why is this fool following us?”

Adeline paused and said, “We’ll find out now.”

At her gesture, the branches moved and tied the man in black to a tree.

Freud, the brother of Farand, had lived with Dalkisince childhood. At that time, Dalki had found them and taken them under his care. However, they were his subordinates and treated him with respect, like a boss. Initially, Adeline had thought Dalki had sent him, so to be sure no one else was around, she placed her hand on the ground and whispered a spell. As her spell took effect, a circular wave spread from beneath her feet and extended as far as the eye could see.

After a few moments, Adeline stopped and looked at Freud’s disheveled face.

“It’s strange that Dalki only sent you. Where’s Farand?”

Freud, his breathing calmer but still pained by his wounds, said, “I-I came alone...”

Adeline immediately rejected his response, saying, “You expect me to believe that?”

“Believe it however you like. I only came for Lena and Malwa.”

Adeline tilted her head. She didn’t understand the situation. Therefore, she looked at Lanos, who was trying to avoid direct confrontation with Adeline. She asked, “Lena and Malwa are with you, Lanos?”

Lanos looked at the carriage and hesitantly said, “Something came up, and we had to bring Lena and Malwa along with us.”

Adeline shook her head and stepped closer to Freud. Then, she whispered in his ear, “What the hell did you want to do with Lena and Malwa, huh? Don’t you know that if Lady Aysa finds out, she’ll burn you alive?”

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Freud coughed dryly and clenched his teeth. Apparently, the branches were coated with poison, and it was slowly starting to take effect.

“Of course I know. Especially with what we did to them, but...”

“What did you do?”

Despite Adeline’s question, Freud didn’t answer. It seemed that the slimy substance on the branches had knocked him unconscious. Instead, Lanos took the opportunity to say to Adeline, “We better wait for Lady Aysa to arrive. She’ll tell you what happened.”

Adelin nodded slightly and, using her branches, dragged Freud toward the cave entrance, propping him against a spot. As Linus arrived with the others, Aisa emerged from the magical gate she had entered earlier. There was a hint of haste in her behavior, but when she saw Adelin and Freud, she froze in her tracks.

In the brief time before Aisa’s arrival, despite Linus trying to stop her, Adelin glanced at Lena and Melva, who were unconscious. She quickly realized the severity of their condition and illness. With furrowed brows and wide eyes, she reacted sharply. Linus, without saying a word, lowered his head and waited to see how Adelin and Aisa would confront each other.

As soon as Adelin saw Aisa, she ran toward her with anger and shouted, "Do you even know what you're doing, Aisa?! Do you realize what’s happened to Lena and Melva, and you’re helping them escape?"

Although Aisa was stunned by Adelin’s presence, she collected herself and replied firmly, "I know exactly what I’m doing, Adelin. Stay out of my business and go back to your little dungeon to experiment with your spells."

Adelin shouted even louder, "There are monsters growing inside those two that could easily destroy this entire region! If we don’t stop them soon, it could end in disaster!" Her voice echoed through the cave, but before the echo returned, Aisa calmly said, "I know all of that, but I also know how to get rid of those monsters. Adelin, I can’t just abandon them and kill them with my own hands. Especially because…" At that moment, her gaze locked onto Freud, still trapped in the branches. For a fleeting second, rage boiled inside her. She grabbed a dagger gifted by the lord of the northern territories and, with fiery eyes, rushed toward Freud.

"I’ll kill you, you bastard!"

Despite Aisa’s quick movement, Adelin managed to lift the unconscious Freud into the air, keeping him out of reach of Aisa’s sharp blade. The dagger, aimed at Freud’s neck, only cut through a few intertwined branches before striking the tall stone wall, the sound of its impact echoing loudly.

Without hesitation, Adelin positioned herself between Aisa and Freud, saying, "Calm down, Aisa. Killing this cowardly dog won’t change anything." She tried to soothe her.

Aisa, seemingly deaf to Adelin’s plea, raised her dagger again for another attack, but this time Linus intervened.

"Control yourself, Lady Aisa. Now is not the time for quarrels. We need to think about Lena and Melva. For now, Freud is more useful alive than dead."

Adelin nodded in agreement. "He was following you. He must know something about Lena and Melva. Either way, are we permitted?"

Aisa took a few deep breaths and lowered her dagger, suddenly remembering what she needed to do. She nodded in acknowledgment and immediately asked Linus to pour some of his blood onto a stone where she had previously spilled her own. Adelin, understanding what was required, made a small cut on her hand and let her blood spill onto the same stone. She then took some of Freud’s lost blood and repeated the process.

Shortly after, Linus, holding his magical staff, Aisa, pulling a cart carrying Lena and Melva, and Adelin, carrying the unconscious Freud with her branches, passed through the magical gate of the cave. Once they left, the gate disappeared, leaving no trace of any of them.