Evening, Sekas Empire, outside the slums of Nordland Territory, two unexpected guests arrived.
The man leading the way was around thirty, dressed in tight leather armor with a long knife hanging from his waist. His dark golden hair trailed behind him, making him stand out against the decaying and filthy slum. Naturally, he immediately attracted countless malicious gazes.
Starving rioters and thieves lurked in the shadows, their sharp, knife-like stares sweeping over the two men.
But as soon as they saw the Holy Light Seal on the two men's clothes, those prying eyes instantly withdrew.
In the Sekas Empire, there might be some who didn't recognize the empire's flag, but no one would fail to know the Holy Light Seal...
It was the emblem of the Divine Messenger!
Except for the clergy wearing temple robes, the only ones with the Holy Light Seal on their clothes were the witch hunters!
Rumor had it that each witch hunter was blessed by the gods and possessed skills far beyond those of ordinary people. No one would dare provoke such targets.
Noticing the figures in the shadows disappearing, Andre sneered, though the faint stench from the dilapidated streets soon made him wrinkle his nose.
"As expected, Bishop Anluoke was right. These wizards are like rats, liking to hide in such dark and smelly corners." Andre looked at the stains and excrement lingering in the dark corners of the street, covering his nose distastefully as he complained.
"We should be more cautious, Andre. This time we are dealing with no ordinary characters," the man leading the way was somewhat dissatisfied with Andre's flamboyant behavior and couldn't help but remind him.
A few days ago, a major event occurred in the Duke of Nordland's territory. A wizard named Kro tried to seduce the duke's second daughter. Fortunately, the guards discovered it in time, preventing the young daughter of the Duke of Nordland from being beguiled by the devil.
The brutal scenes of that encirclement battle were still vivid.
To capture this audacious wizard, the Duke of Nordland dispatched as many as two squadrons of guards to pursue him. Even so, the losses were significant. If it hadn't been for the timely arrival of the bishop from the church, the Duke of Nordland would have lost face completely!
And their target this time was the wizard's apprentice, who was also a wizard!
"Don't worry, Blaine," Andre sneered. "This time we're dealing with just an apprentice who has only been exposed to magic for a few months. These people usually know only a trick or two. Trust me, a farmer with a hoe is harder to deal with."
He had participated in several witch-hunting missions during the past six months since joining the witch-hunting team.
Initially, Andre might have been afraid of the wizards, who were said to be inspired by the devil, but after direct encounters, he realized they were not as terrifying as he imagined. Most posed no significant threat; their magic was limited in power and sometimes less reliable than bows and swords.
As for those apprentices with little skill, they were nothing but worthless. Once distracted, they couldn't cast magic in battle and were only waiting to be slaughtered.
The most satisfying part for Andre was the high bounty for capturing these wizards. The Duke of Nordland was especially generous, offering six whole Sekas gold coins for live-capturing an apprentice, enough for a lavish period of spending!
Of course, if killed, it was worth only half the price.
Blaine glanced at Andre without rebutting, but he didn't lower his guard.
In his experience, those witch hunters who overly trusted intelligence often didn't live long...
The slums outside Nordland Territory were not large, with few people flowing through. Using their witch hunter identity, Andre was able to confirm the hiding place of their target with a bit of intimidation from a vagrant.
It was a structure hard to describe as a house, with a red brick wall full of green vines and a door that looked ready to collapse at a gentle push.
The target they sought was right in front of them, but neither of them moved immediately.
Andre glanced at his partner, cursing silently. He then stepped forward and pressed his palm against the door. His calloused fingers strained to pull the bolt, but the door remained immobile, clearly blocked by something from behind.
Angrily, Andre kicked the door with force.
The loud crash resonated, and the door broke open, revealing the interior of the hut.
The narrow room was a mess, with trash piled in the corners.
On a side table, a candle was lit. It swayed briefly from the force of the door burst and then went out.
The originally well-lit room became very dim, with only some faint light coming in through the open window, barely illuminating the tattered blanket dragged from the bed to the window.
Blaine, who followed inside, quickly had his eyes drawn to the piece of paper on the floor.
Andre also noticed it, bent down, and picked up the crumpled paper. His face turned grim after reading its contents.
"Damn it, looks like we came too late. The kid has gone to join the other apprentices!" Andre cursed angrily, piecing together events from the room's condition.
Their target, the wizard apprentice, had received a warning before their arrival and fled prematurely, leaving everything behind.
But from the still-warm candle and the warmth remaining on the bed, the target shouldn't have gone far.
With that in mind, Andre grew impatient, ready to move. After all, this was about six Sekas gold coins. There was no way he would let the target escape.
If the target joined other apprentices, capturing him would become even harder. More importantly, Andre worried some other bounty hunters might get him first.
"Wait..."
Just as Andre hastily tried to climb out the window, Blaine stopped him, pointing to the side table with a look of annoyance on Andre's face.
Andre turned his head to look. Besides the extinguished candle, there were several copper coins and papers with strange symbols and patterns scattered on the table.
After a brief thought, Andre quickly understood his partner's meaning. If the wizard apprentice had received a warning and left, he wouldn't have left behind easy-to-carry coins, let alone these "valuable" magic manuscripts.
With his hunting experience, Andre knew most wizards would die to protect their so-called research notes.
This meant the target was likely still hidden in the house...
Andre sneered as the scattered blanket, open window, and fallen paper suggested the target had fled. It seemed the wizard apprentice had played a clever trick, trying to mislead them elsewhere, possibly into a trap. He almost got fooled.
At this moment, Lynn, hiding in the darkness, was sweating profusely. In this potentially fatal crisis, his senses became highly alert. Under the influence of his magic power, his senses radiated outward.
He could even influence air flow to extinguish the candle and breathe soundlessly. Thanks to this, he was able to hide right under the witch hunters' noses.
Blaine ignored Andre's awakening, scanning the room until his eyes landed on a dark red cabinet against the wall by the open window.
The cabinet, shoulder-high and covered in dust, was unremarkable in the drafty, rundown room, yet it was large enough to hide a curled-up adult man...