“So, what does the Clan Leader want to do by researching these two things? Don't tell me you just researched them for fun; I don't think a line like that will fool me.”
Lan Qingyou wasn't surprised by Diana's question at all.
“How much do you know about the Demon Hunters?” Lan Qingyou asked Diana from her seat on the sofa.
“The Demon Hunters?”
The term immediately pulled Diana, who had been excited by the appearance of the magic book, back to reality.
“Did you encounter them during your trip?”
“Mhm. I didn't run into the Demon Hunters themselves, but I heard about them from Adele when I happened to meet her half a month ago,” Lan Qingyou nodded.
“I see. I was originally planning to report to you once Adele finished her investigation,” Diana sighed, setting down her notebook.
She then sat on the sofa opposite Lan Qingyou.
“It's not just us witches looking for them. Every other race with any shred of power has sent out people. Some have even put out bounties.”
“However, they're incredibly elusive. No one has been able to find the exact location of their base yet.”
“They're considered the hardest group to catch on the continent right now.”
As Diana brewed tea for herself, she gave Lan Qingyou a brief summary of what she knew regarding the Demon Hunters.
So, it wasn't just the witches looking for them.
It made sense.
After all, these people killed everything except other humans. It was only natural that they had incited public outrage.
She just hadn't expected things to develop to this point so quickly.
Though she had anticipated it, it had come much sooner than imagined.
This was likely due to the impact of the Abandoned War.
“I see. Adele's investigation was similar, but she was lucky. She found a place where people who might have traded with the Demon Hunters once lived and purged it. That's where I met her.”
“A trade... then perhaps some clues can be found there.”
Diana was excited to hear that Adele had found a point of intersection. Although the Demon Hunters hadn't caused much damage to the Witch race since their 'debut,' they were still a latent threat.
Finding clues early was naturally for the best.
Of course, another reason was the bounty.
A bounty meant attention.
While the amount was insignificant to the Witch race as a whole, it was at least a way for them to actively participate in 'world events.'
Diana had two main considerations for doing this.
One was to show the Witch race's stance regarding the Demon Hunter incident.
The other was to show everyone else that although they had gone through eight months of the 'Abandoned War' and lost nearly a hundred thousand people...
The Witch race was still here and had not been defeated.
“There are indeed clues, and big ones at that.”
“What are they?!” Diana perked up her ears the moment she heard there were real clues.
“The reason the Demon Hunters' stats are so high is because they are all using our Magic Eyes.”
!!!
Diana's pupils constricted rapidly at the mention of 'Magic Eyes.'
“Which means...”
“Some of the witches who died in the previous war had their Magic Eyes gouged out and implanted into others, eventually forming this group of Demon Hunters.”
Bang!
Diana couldn't help but slam her fist onto the coffee table, causing cracks to spiderweb across the solid wood.
If she had used any more strength, the table might have shattered instantly.
The fact that Diana, who was usually known for her intellect and composure, had such a strong reaction showed just how infuriating this matter was.
Especially since she was a witch herself, the sense of personal violation was even stronger.
“Those bastards... they must be made to pay. And the relics of the fallen witches must all be recovered,” Diana said through gritted teeth.
She had thought she had handled the 'defense' well enough.
While losing a quarter of the witches was heartbreaking, most had died during the initial stages of the war, a time when she was truly powerless to help.
Because of that, she had actually been a little proud of herself.
But who could have imagined that someone would do something like this amidst the chaos of the early days?
It was a disgrace.
A sense of shame dozens of times stronger than when she mistakenly thought Lan Qingyou had returned undetected surged in her heart.
It made the self-proclaimed intellectual witch tremble all over.
“We will certainly take them back, but simply taking them back would be quite boring, wouldn't it?”
Lan Qingyou didn't bother comforting her hand-picked Governor who was currently wallowing in regret.
Instead, she followed Diana's words.
At a time like this, any comfort would seem hollow.
Rather than hollow words, something practical was much more effective at motivating someone.
As expected.
Upon hearing Lan Qingyou's playful yet icy tone, the intellectual witch looked up.
“You mean...”
“This.” Lan Qingyou smiled and tapped the magic book on the table.
“A curse!” In an instant, Diana realized what Lan Qingyou intended to do.
“Exactly.”
Lan Qingyou smiled, then pulled out a ten-milliliter potion bottle.
However, there was no liquid inside. Instead, it contained blue, sparkling specks of light.
Diana didn't know what it was, but it certainly looked beautiful.
“This is...”
“Some unidentified mana residue I collected from the air on my way here,” Lan Qingyou said as she opened the Book of Curses to a page inscribed with a magic circle, then poured the mana residue onto it.
“...What are you doing?” Diana, seeing this for the first time, maintained her curiosity.
“Cursing, of course. An Over-the-Horizon Curse. Doesn't it sound cool? I came up with the name,” Lan Qingyou said proudly, sounding rather cocky.
But her hands didn't stop for a moment.
After activating the magic circle with her own mana, Lan Qingyou picked up the open magic book with one hand.
“With my mana as the guide, I engrave the patterns of eternal night!
Void, shadow, whispers.
Let my resentment turn to thunder, cleaving through the illusions of hypocrisy and crushing the crown of injustice!
Your soul shall sink into the bottomless purgatory, wailing in blazing flames, freezing in bitter ice. Every breath shall be etched with bone-deep pain; every inch of skin branded with the mark of the curse!
In my name, I proclaim the end—
Your existence shall be forgotten by time, becoming a fading echo annihilated in the dust!”
This was...!!!
When Lan Qingyou began to recite the incantation, Diana finally remembered that these words were written on the page next to the magic circle.
So that was an incantation?
She had thought they were just edgy lines for a side character.
Right, the title of this incantation seemed to be 【Pain Curse】.
Rate on N.U.
