After some time, the moon was out from the sea of clouds that swept off the darkness, illuminating the world below for the night creatures to see. Celeste paused for a moment as soon as she got out of the woods, eyes lingering in the grassy field. She headed towards a small hill to look over at the Edelfort territory. Finally, it took her almost half an hour to reach her destination.

The night was bright that she could even see the Baron’s mansion from where she was standing. Under the full moon, Celeste looked so mystical as her glistening strands of white silver hair were smoothly carried by the cold gusts of wind.

“Now, where should I start?” She murmured.

She scanned the area, attempting to find something in the suspicious sheds where the Baron could possibly lock the children up. To her dismay, she did not find anything. Even when she summoned the wood faeries to help her survey the other part of the surrounding forest.

They found nothing at all.

That could only mean one thing; the children could have been imprisoned somewhere inside the Edelfort manor. ‘This is quite troublesome,’ she sighed.

She left the hill in a hurry to go near the mansion’s grounds. The wood faeries alerted her of the Baron’s guards that were stationed in their posts and some mercenaries lurking around the area. So, she took the risk of going around at the back.

The mansion was enclosed by a vast concrete wall and another set of guards was occupying each side of the wall. She also noticed that there were knights slacking off and gambling by themselves, so she thought of a way to get passed through them. The gates were heavily guarded hence the only way was to get over the wall.

Stealthily, Celeste commanded the vines to lift her on the wall and favorably reached the top without anyone noticing. The peak was narrow, so she tried to balance herself while looking around for a safe landing. She noticed the back garden was well taken care of and there was even a wide hedge maze and a medium-sized pond beside an aristocratic patio. Trusting her senses that no one was around, she carefully jumped to the trimmed bushes below while still wary of her surroundings.

Her breath was low as she heard the echoing waves of laughter of the passing guards in the open hallway facing the back gate that could be seen from where she was. She needed to inspect the place closely, so she called on the faeries once again. Non-mana users couldn’t see the spirits so it would be safer to scan the place with them.

‘Better to be cautious than engage in a fight.’

Before she could get to the building, she had to go through the labyrinth garden constructed from mixed evergreen herbs and boxwood shrubs. It would be easy for her to pass through it since the plants pointed her in the right direction, but the real problem began when the faeries came back with fear on their tiny faces.

“What happened?” She asked in a whisper, the squealing fays hovering around her. They told her about the incoming danger—monster hounds patrolling the premises. Her eyes widened creating small folds on her forehead as shock formed on her pretty face. How the hell did that Baron get himself some monster hounds?!

This was worse than she thought. Magical beasts were present, she needed to be extra careful now. ‘How can I get the children out without these beasts noticing it?’

Monster hounds had a heightened sense of smell compared to regular dogs. More so, these creatures were sensitive to magic. Although it was a C-class monster, and she could easily defeat it in one swing, it would be an inconvenience for her to face the knights and mercenaries for she would need to use her power. It would start a ruckus and attract Witch hunters all over the place. She wanted to leave Arkaean without those bastards chasing her.

Celeste lowered her magic defenses to avoid being detected by the hounds.

The Baron must have illegally brought those monsters. It was forbidden among the aristocrats and nobles to own magical beasts because of the accompanying danger. They abused their power using those dark creatures for mayhem and entertainment. Plus, the Eastern and Southern territories were supposed to be monster-free. If people knew about this, it would create terror and chaos among the citizens.

Celeste continued to walk through the maze garden and as she reached the end, she carefully looked around before sprinting toward the open hallway. She stopped ten feet away from the huge, decorative door when she noticed two guards coming her way.

Silently, she started incanting in an old language, using mana through her tongue and the knights suddenly fell to the ground—cast to slumber. It was a basic, old spell that witches used without requiring a huge amount of magic. Celeste ran to the door and swiftly opened it. At last, she managed to step inside the huge mansion, but her blood suddenly churned up and she almost fell on her knees to the tiled floor.

‘W-What is this excruciating black magic...?’ Celeste covered her mouth as she felt sick from sensing such horrid mana. It was very suffocating. Just how many souls did this creature devour to give off such a scent?!

She heard another footfall outside, so she hurriedly paced the corridor and hid at the back of a huge pillar that supported the ceiling. At the same time, a group of savage mercenaries entered the hall, and with them were unconscious kids tied and strapped like a sack of potatoes on their shoulders. Celeste gritted her teeth at the sight of it. They abducted yet another child from their homes!

“Could it be...” A suspicion aroused in her mind, a probability that Baron Iver was involved in a much more abominable crime. The dark entity inside this mansion and the kidnapped children... Celeste felt weak at the dreadful thought, hands trembling at the worst-case scenario.

“Baron Iver, you despicable son of a bitch!” She cursed under her breath.

She followed the mercenaries behind cautiously. Still feeling nauseous at the foul smell of black magic for she couldn’t release her mana to avoid getting detected by that dark user somewhere inside the mansion, her magic resistance was down. The rouge men proceeded to a narrow hallway and there was a thick wooden door leading to the basement.

It was a torch-lighted pathway with cobwebs and rats pestering the place. They reached the huge prison-like space at the end of the passage and Celeste heard the deafening cries of the youngsters while she stood beside the doorway. There were at least thirty of them there inside the filthy chambers separated by iron bars.

Celeste saw how the mercenaries recklessly threw the unconscious kids inside those cells which angered her. Those men laughed and even spat at the kids with their dirty mouths. Unable to suppress her emotions any longer, Celeste unleashed her mana. The moss and ferns that were sticking out on the corners of the room began to multiply, covering the ground and the cell so the children wouldn’t know what was about to happen. The savages saw her standing at the door and tried to get to her, but Celeste wouldn’t let them. The big roots crawled onto the mercenaries’ feet, immobilizing them.

“Fucking witch!” One man roared. They tried to fend off the roots using their knives and swords, yet they kept coming until their bodies were covered by moss and ferns. Roots writhed inside their holes; mouth, nose, ears, and even the parts that they could not imagine. Striking the flesh inside, creating burrows in the skin. Drops of blood splashed all over as the roots continue to skew their insides. Only muffled, painful cries echoed across the room.

Celeste stared at the wiggling bodies with no pity. They deserved the agonizing torture. Her emerald eyes glowed in enmity. A few minutes later, the roots smothered them to their death as a final blow. She took off her cloak and her white hair cascaded down her back. 'The kids shouldn't see this.' She thought to herself and swayed her hand to envelop the gruesome corpses of the mercenaries with the moss and fern roots. Hidden from the innocent eyes that should not have experienced such violence and pain.

Assuring the place was clean and safe, the white witch uncovered the prison cells. She saw the frightened children gaping at her—asking, wondering, and terrified. Something poked in her heart with sympathy and sadness.

"I'm sorry..." she said almost in a whisper, her eyes becoming a warm lush green again. “Don’t be scared, little ones. I’ll get you home, okay?” She told them gently putting a smile on her red lips. Her facial expression softened in assurance.

“Miss, are you here to save us?” One kid asked, quivering from cold and trauma.

“Yes, my dear.”

“Are you an angel?” A little girl asked innocently from the other cell.

She chuckled at the sudden question. The little girl looked calmer than the rest of the kids inside the chamber. “Yes, baby girl.”

“I know you are. Angels are pretty and have wings, that’s what mommy said. Your hair is also pretty! Like the white clouds in the sky but where are your wings?” The little girl continued; eyes full of curiosity. As much as she wanted to talk to this little cutie, she needed to get them out safely first.

“I’ll show you my wings later, will that be alright?”

“Hmmm, okay.”

She beamed at the kid’s reaction. Celeste raised her hand and the iron doors of the cells unlocked leaving the children amazed at what magic she’d done. She gathered the kids and instructed them to stay quiet and not misbehave. The hard part was getting the children out.

There were too many guards stationed outside the manor. Not to mention, the bloody monster hounds lurking in the shadows. Her plan might not work in grouping the children. Getting them out little by little would be a terrible idea as well because the black magic user could have sensed her mana already. She had no choice but to bring everyone with her in one go.

They exited the cellar and reached the wooden door connected to the main house when Celeste heard an uproar outside. The children slightly panicked at the sudden disturbance, and she tried to calm them down.

‘What is going on outside?’ She peeked through the cleft of the door to see what was happening, but she could only hear the knights yelling, “Intruder!”

‘Did they already find out?’ Celeste bit her lip in fret and prepared herself. She asked the children to back off and hide behind the pile of bricks, not far from the entrance when heavy footsteps were nearing the basement. Her heart started beating fast as she awaited the enemy. She needed to protect the children at all costs!

A kick burst the door open, and Celeste was about to summon the earth element when she saw a familiar figure. She stared in disbelief as she recognized those clear golden eyes who were now intently looking at her with a bloody sword in one hand. She shuddered and stilled upon seeing him as the memory of the past haunted her.

‘Archduke De Clarzus, what on earth are you doing here in Edelfort?’ Why is he always appearing wherever she goes?

“Hmm, so you were here, Ms. Private investigator.”

“A-Archduke... why, what... how, Uhm...” The only words that the white witch could mutter at the moment.