It felt so good to be close to the witch!

While the Shadow Witch Lilia may have a chance to break through, the probability is low. In this situation, it's better to play it safe.

Having made his decision, Roy no longer hesitated, got up, and pushed open the door to leave.

Chapter 55 Matters that need to be discussed in detail in the room

"Squeak-"

The sound of the door being pushed open startled Lilia, the Shadow Witch, who was resting not far away.

The shadow behind Roy solidified into Lilia's slender figure, and she said softly, "Lord Roy, is there anything I can do for you?"

“It’s nothing.” Roy shook his head. “I have to go out for a bit. You don’t need to come with me.”

“…Yes.” Lilia nodded and disappeared.

Mounting a warhorse, Roy headed west towards Blackrock Manor.

A dozen minutes later, he arrived at "Vigor Village" after galloping all the way on horseback.

Roy waited quietly by a large tree on the outskirts of Vig village.

He knew that the Ice Witch Ais would definitely be able to sense his arrival through some kind of "method" left on him.

Sure enough, in less than a minute, a faint chill came from my side.

Roy turned his head and saw a girl in a deep purple dress standing under the tree, gazing at him quietly.

Her snow-white hair swayed gently in the breeze, and her long dress clung to her body, revealing her perfect curves. The Ice Witch Ais spoke calmly:

"Are you looking for me?"

“Yes.” Roy on horseback nodded and said solemnly, “Miss Ais, now that the war to merge territories is over, as previously agreed, I will provide you and Miss Elena with a place of refuge. Now, I am here to fulfill that agreement.”

"At the same time, there's something else I need to discuss with you."

"Speak," said the Ice Witch Ais, her words as concise as ever.

“Let’s talk about it when we get back to the lord’s manor.” Roy shook his head: “It’s not convenient here.”

Upon hearing this, Ais nodded slightly: "Wait for me."

As soon as she finished speaking, her body vanished like smoke.

A few dozen seconds later, Ais's body reappeared, and next to her was Elena, a fox-eared witch with a piece of white bread stuffed in her mouth and her cheeks bulging.

"Oh...is this...Roy, buddy?"

Because her mouth was stuffed full, the fox-eared witch Elena spoke haltingly, making it difficult to understand her.

Upon seeing Roy, her previously droopy furry ears immediately perked up, her eyes brightened, and even her large tail unconsciously began to wag gently.

“It’s me.” Roy smiled. Elena gave off the feeling of a cute little sister, and seeing her would make you feel happy involuntarily.

If they weren't so close, Roy would have definitely gone over and given the fluffy fox ears a good pat.

He tugged at the reins of his warhorse, said "Let's go" to the Ice Witch Ais, then turned the horse around and headed towards the Blackrock Lord's mansion.

Meanwhile, the Ice Witch Ais, holding the hand of the Fox-Eared Witch Elena, vanished from the spot in a flash.

……

Blackrock Lord's Residence.

"Sorry..."

With a long neigh from his warhorse, Roy dismounted, and the guard knight standing at the gate quickly stepped forward and respectfully led the horse away.

As Roy walked to the entrance of the courtyard, the figures of the Ice Witch Ais and the Fox-Eared Witch Elena finally appeared out of thin air behind him.

"Lord Roy...!"

In a corner of the courtyard, the Shadow Witch Lilia materialized. She looked at Roy and then noticed the Ice Witch Ais behind him. Her pupils contracted slightly.

Unconsciously, Lilia recalled the night a few days ago, the white-haired, silver-eyed girl radiating icy blue aura under the moonlight, and the bone-chilling cold that had pierced her chest and sealed her body.

“Miss Ice Witch Ais, you’ve met before.” Roy said to the Shadow Witch Lilia, then pointed to Elena next to Ais: “This is the Fox-Eared Witch, Miss Elena.”

"Brother Roy, my name is Elena, that's true, but I'm not some fox-eared witch. My title is the Phantom Witch!" Elena said angrily, hiding behind Ais with her hands on her hips.

“Alright, the Phantom Witch it is.” Roy said with a smile, “Elena, let me introduce you. This is the Shadow Witch Lilia, who is now my bodyguard.”

"Guards..." Upon hearing this word, Elena's little eyes rolled around, and then she looked at Lilia with a bright smile: "Hello, Sister Lilia, I'm Elena."

“…Hello.” Taking a deep breath and suppressing her emotions, Lilia didn’t dare to look at the Ice Witch Ais and nodded slightly to Elena.

"Don't be nervous, we're all on the same side now."

Roy was mainly saying this to the Shadow Witch Lilia.

Previously, when the two sides were at odds, he ordered the Ice Witch Ais to capture Lilia.

Now that we're all on the same side, the situation is naturally different.

"Hello," said the Ice Witch Ais to Lilia, her voice as cold as frost.

"...Hello." Ais's words eased Lilia's anxiety slightly. The moment she saw Ais, she even had the urge to run away into the shadows, as her previous encounter had left a deep scar on her.

“From now on, Miss Ais and Miss Elena will also be living in the lord's manor,” Roy said to Lilia, then his ears twitched as he looked towards the entrance gate to the courtyard: “Shanika?”

"Young Master Roy." Shanica, dressed in a pale yellow dress, walked in through the door. Her bright eyes swept over the Ice Witch Ais and the Fox-Eared Witch Elena, and she smiled gently. "I am Shanica, the Healing Witch, Young Master Roy's head maid. Greetings, both of you."

When Shanica greeted her, the Ice Witch Ais simply nodded indifferently, while Elena twitched her fox ears and exclaimed sweetly, "Wow, a big sister!"

"Sanica, please take Miss Elena to choose a room to stay in. Miss Ais and I have some things to discuss."

Roy felt a prickling sensation as Shanika's gentle gaze swept over him, and he quickly spoke up.

“…Yes, my young master Roy.”

Shanica emphasized the word "mine" slightly, and after responding to Roy, she smiled and gestured for Elena to enter.

"Miss Elena, please come with me."

The fox-eared witch Elena's small eyes lingered on Roy and Shanika, a glint of unfathomable light flashing in them, before she nodded: "Okay."

Shanika led Elena away, and the Shadow Witch Lilia silently vanished into the shadows. Roy let out a soft breath and opened the door to the room.

“Miss Ais, the following matter is very important. Please come to my room to discuss it in detail.”

After saying that, he went into the room first.

Behind him, the Ice Witch Ais's eyes flickered slightly.

The matter needs to be discussed in detail in the room...

Chapter 56 The Witch's Shackles

The sunlight streaming in through the window cast dappled, bright light on Roy and the Ice Witch Ais, who sat on either side of the desk.

He poured Ais a cup of freshly brewed black tea and pushed it in front of her. Under her cool gaze, Roy organized his thoughts and said slowly:

"Miss Ais, the main reason I invited you in for a detailed discussion is to ask you for a favor."

Before Ais could ask, he quickly added:

"I discovered traces of a highly dangerous magical item beneath the center of Star Lake."

"But it's too dangerous there, there's a danger that could even kill a Golden Knight."

"But this magical item is far too important."

"So I'd like to ask you to investigate this further."

"Of course, just to be on the safe side, before you embark on your exploration of Star Lake, I will give you something to help you break through to the 'Grand Rank'."

"This is it."

As he spoke, Roy took out a crystal box from his storage space, opened it, and showed it to the Ice Witch Ais.

"This is... a high-purity magic crystal? You actually have something like this?"

Ais's cool gaze flickered, like ripples spreading across a calm lake. She had assumed the images circulating on the black market were fabricated using special methods; she hadn't expected them to be real.

“Um… this high-purity magic crystal was obtained from Lord Denham’s treasury. It came from a deal between Lord Denham and the second prince of the empire.”

Seeing Ais's confusion, Roy offered an explanation. Then, he gave Ais a general account of the Second Prince's plot to seize Blackrock Territory, and finally earnestly requested:

“Miss Ais, as you can see, Blackrock Territory appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath. We must obtain the magical item beneath Star Lake in order to gain the upper hand.”

The Ice Witch Ais fell silent for a moment.

The crystal box was crystal clear, and on the red cloth, the crystal surface of the deep purple high-purity magic crystal reflected a dazzling light, also reflecting Ais's clear figure.

"Grand rank, huh..."

"I grant your request."

"The high-purity magic crystals are a reward, so this matter is not included in the three agreed-upon matters."

"But there's a problem."

"My current pollution is very serious. Even if high-purity magic crystals can dilute the pollution, I need to reduce the pollution to below 40% if I want to break through."

"This cannot be achieved with high-purity magic crystals alone."

Upon hearing this, Roy nodded seriously: "I had anticipated this. Don't worry, I will be by your side the whole time during your breakthrough to ensure that your contamination level is below 40%."

"In fact, unless time is extremely tight, it would be safest to make a breakthrough only after the pollution has been completely removed."

"Unfortunately, time waits for no one..."

"It's alright, this is enough." The Ice Witch Ais gently shook her head. "I'll adjust my condition and start my breakthrough at midnight tonight. As for the breakthrough location..."

“It’s in a hidden place within the treasure room,” Roy said. “It’s very safe there. Once the doors are closed, no one can get in without the proper method.”

"Okay." Aisyu nodded slightly.

"By the way, Miss Ais, there's something I've always wanted to ask you." At that moment, Roy suddenly remembered something and spoke up:

"Leaving aside the differences in talent, I've noticed that the total amount of magic power varies among witches. What causes this difference in total magic power among witches? Age? Or something else?"

The Ice Witch Ais didn't answer Roy's question immediately. Instead, she lowered her head and thought for a while before raising her head and looking at Roy with her pale silver eyes that held a hint of black:

"Individual differences".