Evening.
Anjelica left the academy, riding in a carriage, and headed alone to the Yol Bridge District located in the northern part of the capital city.
Standing there was a landmark building in the northern region no less significant than the Tower of Judgment—the Mage Tower, a place of worship for the Elemental Gods.
The overall design of the tower leaned towards a classical style, with countless symbols and patterns carved into the reliefs, representing various magical knowledge. Its height was astonishing, requiring one to tilt their head back to barely catch a glimpse of the divine markings emitting a mysterious radiance from the top of the tower.
It was a triangular symbol, visible even on the boundless plains far from the capital.
Anjelica looked up at the cloudless night sky and the immaculate moon shining above. She smiled faintly and walked towards the towering and rustic spire before her.
She was dressed in her usual knee-length rose-colored mage robe, stepping in mid-calf boots, revealing her slender and fair legs as she moved swiftly.
After verifying her identity with the gatekeeper at the base of the tower, Anjelica drew a clockwise triangle on her chest.
"May you be blessed with the pursuit of knowledge."
The gatekeeper, dressed in a thick mage robe, had a solemn expression and made the same gesture as Anjelica.
The triangle symbolizes the Elemental Gods, also known as the Trinity Gods, who are the controllers of wisdom, magic, and elemental authority. Almost all magic scholars are their followers, firmly believing that all knowledge in the world comes from these divine beings.
As one of the most outstanding magical talents in the capital, Anjelica naturally held her faith in this deity.
Entering the interior of the high tower, the majority of the first floor consisted of low-level mages coming and going. For them, it resembled a well-organized guild.
After registering at the front desk, Anjelica used the teleportation array to reach the 38th floor. As an advanced mage, this was the place dedicated to her teacher's daily practice.
The space before her was hundreds of times larger than it appeared from the outside, like a pitch-black curtain that faintly shimmered with countless sparkling specks, deep and mysterious, akin to the vastness of the starry sky.
Anjelica took a deep breath and spoke with a solemn tone, "Teacher, I have conveyed the request you made, but it seems he is unwilling to accept the conditions I proposed."
"I understand."
Though no figure was seen, from the depths of the boundless starry sky, a gentle and serene female voice faintly emerged, as if an angel's blessing enveloped Anjelica.
She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and continued, "Should I use force?"
"Don't bother with him. Perhaps tomorrow, he will inexplicably vanish on his own."
The ethereal voice came once again.
Upon hearing this, she was startled and quickly lowered her head, her golden hair falling around her ears, partially obscuring her profile.
The forceful measures she mentioned were limited to violent coercion or entering into gambling agreements at the arena. However, from the tone of her teacher's voice, it seemed that other arrangements had already been made.
Anjelica didn't want to dwell on it too much.
"Do we need to inform Nia about this matter?" she asked again after a moment of silence.
"No need. She is currently in a crucial stage of 'transformation' and should not be subjected to strong emotional stimuli," the voice paused for a moment. "By the way, remember to retrieve the letter of conferment."
"Yes."
Anjelica nodded, indicating her understanding.
The process of inheriting a hereditary title is quite simple. Once the palace personnel confirm that you are the current first in line heir, they will retrieve the letter of conferment from the previous title holder and issue a new letter of conferment to you.
In other words, without the letter of conferment from the previous generation of Viscount Adelaide, even if Nia is eligible to inherit the title, she will not receive recognition from the royal family.
............
After bidding farewell to Sylvasta in the afternoon, Char wasted no time and, through his secretive channels, managed to acquire the urgently needed powdered Voidstone.
Then, without delay, he left the capital city and hurried towards the stronghold in the lower city under the cover of night.
The security situation in the lower city was extremely poor. If one roamed the streets at night, dressed in fine clothes as an upper city resident, there was a significant risk of being robbed or even murdered.
With over ten thousand gold coins in his dimensional ring, as well as ritual materials worth over eight thousand gold coins, Char encountered and swiftly incapacitated at least three groups of thugs who had malicious intentions towards him along the way, throwing them all into the foul gutter by the roadside.
Char had no intention of using the remaining money; he only withdrew the minimum amount he currently needed.
Returning to the stronghold he had purchased in the lower city, he locked the door and entered the basement.
As he looked at the remnants of ritual materials and the sinister laughing symbols on the ground, he felt a sense of nostalgia. It had only been a few days, yet it felt like so much had happened, leading him to return to this place once again.
After making preparations, Char skillfully initiated the ritual.
Soon, a silver flame pathway rose within the cramped room, engulfing Char completely.
After a dizzying spin, a sensation of falling followed. This time, Char, who was prepared, adjusted his balance in advance and landed steadily on the ground. Aside from a slight discomfort from the spatial teleportation, he was unharmed.
Looking at the familiar hall and stone pillars before him, Char breathed a sigh of relief.
Instead of rushing inside, he opened the system and attempted to set this place as his respawn point.
[Due to unknown forces, this location cannot be used as a respawn point.]
The system's prompt caught him off guard for a moment, but he quickly understood.
After all, this was a place sealed by several deities, trapping a high-ranking entity like the wicked demoness. How could it be easily exploited for vulnerabilities?
However, he couldn't quite understand why he was able to be transported to this place through the ritual.
Could it be that the restrictions only apply to the witch herself entering or leaving?
Char shook his head and walked briskly towards the main hall of the palace. It didn't take long for familiar sights to appear before his eyes.
Today, the witch hadn't created any new scenes. Just like last time, she sat quietly on the top step of the staircase in her slightly worn-out black veil dress. Her bare, pristine feet and long legs were exposed, as she silently read a thick book in her hands.
Seeing this, he remained silent and stood quietly to the side, waiting for the witch to finish her reading moment.
During the wait, he couldn't help but cast his gaze beyond the pillars of the hall, observing the surroundings he had neglected during his previous visit.
Outside the palace, there were mostly dark and profound stone walls and rugged pillars. There was no hint of light, and a faint black mist filled the air. Everything exuded an aura of despair, and the overall atmosphere was incredibly oppressive.
If an ordinary person were to live here, they would likely go mad within a day.
It's hard to imagine the countless centuries the witch has been sealed in this place.
The black mist seems to possess its own intelligence, like a cold serpent that permeates and entwines everywhere. A slight touch would strip away one's life completely.
After staring at it for too long, Char suddenly felt dizzy, his body temperature rising, his mood becoming restless, and he faintly heard eerie murmurs in his ears.
He quickly looked away.
Suddenly, the witch in the black dress, who had been sitting high above, waved her hand.
Ripples appeared in front of Char, and the interior scene of the palace instantly vanished, replaced by a spacious room with several walls filled with an abundance of books. A red carpet covered the floor, and various exquisitely packaged books were piled up everywhere.
Spatial transfer? Or direct creation?
Indeed, the methods of divine beings are incomprehensible.
The witch tiptoed to place the books back in their respective spots. Her soles were delicate and snow-white, her ankles and calves slender and straight. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall behind her, complementing the slightly worn-out black veil dress. Her entire being was adorned with only these two pure colors, black and white.
From a distance, she appeared like a nocturnal goddess stepping out of a painting, breathtakingly beautiful.
A cold and alluring beauty with an aura of abstinence.
Char silently averted his gaze, feeling that his behavior was somewhat inappropriate.
It is said that one should not directly gaze upon divine beings. However, after coming here twice and despite the other party's aloof attitude that is hard to fathom, the witch seemed to have not actively harmed him, except for his own reckless actions.
On the contrary, various major churches, mostly led by the Radiant Church, mentioned in their scriptures that directly gazing upon divine beings is a blasphemous act.
After completing her actions, the witch's body floated slightly as she retrieved another book from above and slowly descended to the ground.
With the book held in her arms, she turned around, finally casting her gaze upon Char, who had been standing still in the same spot.
Feeling the icy gaze, Char bowed respectfully, "Respected Lady Agnes, good evening. We meet again."
"..."
The witch remained silent, staring at him, seemingly recognizing Char's identity.
After a moment, she suddenly spoke, "Who are you, really?"
Char was taken aback, but quickly understood.
She was questioning his identity, as he should have died from the curse. Why was he appearing before her again with the same face?
Because, in the witch's perspective, the lethality of the curse was absolute, and no one could survive it.
Therefore, she subconsciously believed that the person standing before her now and the young man who had unsealed her were not the same individual.
It was reasonable to have such thoughts.
So he slowly began to relay the prepared explanation with earnestness in his expression, "Your Excellency, what I'm about to say next may sound incredibly unbelievable, but please believe that I am unaware of the reasons behind it."
"At that time, I did indeed lose my life because death belongs solely to your authority, and there is no doubt about that."
"But after being cursed and killed, I... came back to life!"