Chapter 77
The enemy, after retreating, did not resume their attack. Instead, they remained stationed at their camp. Flying invokeds—including Donovan—kept watch over the skies around the clock, but for over a week there was no significant movement.
A council was convened inside Aldehallow Castle.
“What if we leave and flee somewhere else?”
“They’ve blocked us on all sides. How exactly would we escape?”
“We can just fly out on brooms!”
A silver-haired witch slammed her palm on the table and raised her voice.
“This is our chance to cross the sea!”
Several others, who had been listening quietly, let out deep sighs. The ‘land beyond the sea’ was an old legend passed down through generations.
Long ago, the world had consisted of three great continents, aside from scattered islands. But a sudden tectonic upheaval a century ago caused two of them to sink beneath the ocean.
According to the legend, those lands had not truly vanished—they remained above water somewhere, inhabited by people. That was the myth of the land beyond the sea.
“Don’t you remember the curious witches who tried to find it and failed?”
“But still…”
“In the end, the land we discovered after crossing the sea turned out to be our homeland. We had simply returned to where we started.”
Someone quoted from an old witch’s journal. The silver-haired witch refused to back down.
“We can’t be certain that all the land has sunk. Fay’s lover is proof.”
“Fay’s lover? What about him?”
All eyes turned toward Fay.
Startled, she lifted her head from where she had been resting her chin in her hands.
“This friend of mine speaks every language currently known on the continent.”
The silver-haired witch said, pointing to the friend beside her.
“All fourteen of them. But she said she’s never heard the language that man speaks!”
“Ah… I said I’ve never heard it before. I didn’t say that means there’s land beyond the sea.”
Her friend hurried to clarify, but the silver-haired witch pressed on.
“He was definitely a foreigner with an unfamiliar tongue.”
“And that proves there’s another continent?”
“Fay, you tell us. Where’s he from?”
“I—I don’t know.”
Fay gave a vague answer. The silver-haired witch clapped her hands excitedly.
“He must’ve hidden it from Fay too! Because he has to keep his mysterious homeland secret!”
“Um… didn’t Fay say he wasn’t human, but an invoked…?”
A timid, hunched-backed witch spoke up, but her voice was too quiet for anyone to hear.
“By the way, the way that man looked at Fay was incredibly intense.”
With that comment, the discussion veered sharply off course. Even in the shadow of possible destruction, gossip about someone’s love life proved irresistible.
Fay could only let out an awkward groan. If she admitted he wasn’t a foreigner but an invoked, it would be difficult to explain the… atmosphere between them.
“Did you sleep with it?”
Virelda asked bluntly—the only one who knew the full story.
Fay stiffened, unable to answer. The way Virelda referred to him as ‘it’ stung. There was a clear implication: how could you possibly sleep with something that isn’t even human?
At Fay’s suspicious silence, Virelda let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“You really have the worst taste in men. It’s always the ones who end up betraying witches.”
“…You’re right. The last one, and the one before that too. Next time, I’ll run them by you first.”
Before her feelings grew too deep.
When Fay admitted it so easily, Virelda shook her head. She might find her exasperating, but she was still a longtime friend. Hoping that Fay would finally meet a decent man next time, she gave her a light pat on the shoulder.
Zynie watched the two of them with complicated eyes. Just weeks ago, Virelda had been snarling at Fay. Why had she suddenly softened? And why did Fay act as though it were perfectly natural?
“What’s wrong, Zynie?”
Fay asked, noticing her sulking expression.
“She’s jealous. Feels like her big sister got stolen by a friend. She’s still a kid—things like that sting.”
The ‘kid’ remark was unforgivable. Zynie shot Virelda a fierce glare, but Virelda brushed it off.
“See? Got angry instantly.”
Zynie almost shouted back, but stopped herself. Denying it loudly would only prove Virelda’s point.
With a dismissive snort, Virelda slapped her hand against the table to regain everyone’s attention.
“We’re not going anywhere.”
“You’re saying we’ll fight to the end?”
“I can control Lady Merga’s smaller stone golems. I’ll be able to handle the larger ones in a few days.”
They would defend the city and defeat the Emperor’s golden army.
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