Secret Orders

“Remember the essentials of flight magic,” Chen Zeyu instructed. “You must feel the mana flowing throughout your body, like the wind caressing your skin, and clearly visualize your destination.”

Chen Zeyu faithfully recounted the secrets of the [Flight] spell.

Yet, as Dona listened intently, her brow furrowed.

“Witch Sister… why can’t I feel the mana flowing?” Dona asked, opening and closing her small hands. “I could clearly feel it when I touched the cloak just now.”

Sitting on the bed, she struggled to even conjure a rudimentary spell.

“It’s not difficult,” Chen Zeyu replied, spotting a doll by the bed. “I’ll try to demonstrate for you.”

She waved her hand and silently chanted the spell.

[Flight]

Unexpectedly, mana surged for a brief moment, and the doll floated upward.

However, the effect was fleeting; it lasted only a second or two before plummeting back to the floor.

“Witch Sister is a prodigy! What about me, a normal person?” Dona couldn’t grasp it easily.

While she could channel mana with the aid of the Witch’s Tome, casting a spell barehanded was an entirely different feat.

“My talent isn’t all that great…” Chen Zeyu had barely finished speaking when a sudden tremor seized her heart, as if an invisible, sharp object had pierced her deeply.

“Ugh…” Chen Zeyu clutched her chest, the sharp pang seemingly guiding her toward a distant place.

“Witch Sister, what’s wrong? You look awful!” Dona worriedly shook Chen Zeyu’s arm.

Chen Zeyu shook her head, waving her other hand to indicate she was fine.

“I’m alright. I just had a strange feeling, as if someone was worried about me.” Chen Zeyu found it difficult to describe the sensation; it was like a strong intuition.

“Do you have companions, Witch Sister?” Dona gazed out the window, beyond the distant blue sky, where endless yellow sands, grasslands, forests, and rivers stretched.

“I do, but your summoning brought me here,” Chen Zeyu said, her brow furrowed as if to scold Dona playfully.

“I’m sorry. Dona won’t randomly recite spells from the book anymore.” Recognizing her culpability, Dona lowered her head, poking her fingers apologetically.

“Oh, well~ I can only hope the sandstorm passes quickly, and my companions aren’t too worried.” Chen Zeyu touched the cloak on her shoulder, wishing Dona’s reassurance would prove useful.

“Then, Witch Sister, what should I tell my brother about being grounded?” Dona asked.

“How about telling him you want to learn magic?”

“But my brother won’t agree.”

“What if it has something to do with this book?”

Chen Zeyu held up the Witch’s Tome.

Since the book was left by a witch, her interpretation could provide Dona with a legitimate reason to study magic.

All they needed was a plausible excuse, perhaps a crucial spell within its pages.

“My brother always dismisses me about this book, never letting me see it. Today, I secretly took this forbidden book. What will happen to Dona if my brother tells Father?” Dona was acutely aware of her family’s stance; no one supported her desire to learn magic.

“This place is protected by[Demon-Sealing Stones], so it’s rare to see magical beasts, right?” Chen Zeyu sensed the mana in the air was extremely thin, unsuitable for any magical creatures.

“That’s right. That’s why everyone believes magic is useless. Even if a magical beast occasionally slips in, it’s easily dealt with.”

Dona recalled the magic wolves that had strayed into Wahatu’s borders a few years ago; they were so weak that an old hunter easily killed them with a small knife.

“Magic is only restricted, not useless. If an exceptionally powerful magical beast were to enter Wahatu, one that could temporarily ignore the effects of the[Demon-Sealing Stones], how would Wahatu, armed only with blades, contend with it?” Chen Zeyu distinctly remembered the terrifying presence of the Abyssal Whale, its immense size having almost destroyed the fishing village with a single gulp.

“But no monster that terrifying has ever come here.”

“That doesn’t mean it never will. Help me take this book. I’ve already figured out what to say.” Chen Zeyu handed the Witch’s Tome to Dona, then stood up to straighten her clothes.

“What should I say?” Dona asked, looking bewildered.

“Just use what you summoned—those fragments of the giant scorpion are still on the roof, aren’t they? It chased you despite the mana suppression, right? But if you could master magic to control it, it could become a valuable asset for Wahatu’s defense. Who knows, it might come in handy someday.”

“That’s… that’s right!” Dona’s light blue eyes sparkled, seemingly gaining a new sense of confidence.

“You should tell your brother yourself that you can use this book to summon creatures to protect Wahatu. I’ll be there to support you. Although I don’t know your father’s personality, your brother worries about you so much that he should be willing to listen to your opinion.”

“Okay! Thank you for your support, Witch Sister!”

Dona jumped off the bed, her heart soaring.

She had never had the chance for her family to approve of her learning magic, and this felt like the closest she had ever come to her lifelong aspiration.

Chen Zeyu watched Dona’s joyful retreat, a strange feeling lingering in her heart.

‘This mischievous princess might just help me return to Evetti safely.’

Inside a large mushroom dwelling in Witch Village.

Evetti lay flat on her bedsheets, her brow furrowed, her expression etched with self-reproach and nightmares.

Viviem stood by Evetti’s side, watching her daughter’s distress even in sleep.

She couldn’t help but wonder about the origins of this new witch, Chen Zeyu.

Tei Lai and Lammiell’s reports had only mentioned that Chen Zeyu grew up in a mana-deprived region and was brought back by Evetti after being discovered due to an incident with the Dawn’s Prayer project.

Viviem crossed her arms, deep in thought.

The world she had visited lacked mana, meaning its inhabitants could only recover their own.

Perhaps Chen Zeyu, having grown up without sensing mana, possessed an extraordinary resistance to Wahatu’s mana-draining effects.

“I’m… sorry, Chen Zeyu,” Evetti mumbled in her sleep, her head restlessly bumping against the pillow, unable to find peace.

She couldn’t seem to sleep soundly.

“Evetti… Evetti, it will be alright, it will be alright,” Viviem murmured, setting aside her thoughts.

She knelt beside her daughter, stroking her face while contemplating how to rescue Chen Zeyu.

Perhaps she could commission a team to go to Wahatu to find Chen Zeyu, provided they weren’t afraid of the raging sandstorms and possessed strength that didn’t rely on magic.

A name surfaced in Viviem’s mind.

The Treasure Hunter Guild—Kosel.

However, Kosel didn’t have a good reputation.

Their members plundered treasures from various fallen kingdoms and trafficked precious items between nations, earning immense wealth.

They also served as double agents for numerous factions, including not only wizards but even remnants of the White Empire.

“I… I’m sorry… I promised… I’d protect you,” Evetti continued to whisper in her sleep, her small hands clenched tightly, as if embedding her self-blame deep within her heart.

“Sigh…” Viviem was ultimately swayed by her daughter’s distressed face.

From her robes, she drew out a scroll—a secret commission order from the Treasure Hunter Guild, confiscated during a journey through the Barnam Kingdom.