[After a few days of not seeing him, that human being unexpectedly appeared before me again.]
[Clearly, his life had been stripped away by the curse last time, so why did he come back to life? And why did the black mist that clung to him dissipate? Is there truly someone in this world who cannot be killed by curses?]
[At the very least, I couldn't sense any trace of the black mist.]
[And he himself was completely unaware of this ability, claiming that he received a revelation and came here to save someone.]
[I don't believe in so-called revelations and destinies, and I certainly don't believe that there could be someone in this world capable of saving me.]
[That's how it should be... But ironically, in the end, I still took the initiative to test him.]
[Looking at the ugly, twisted black mist in my hand, he seemed to have completely forgotten how painful it was, and he reached out his hand without any hesitation.]
[And the reason was absurd: because it was my wish.]
[Strange human, irrational human.]
[After a brief hesitation, I witnessed life once again withering away.]
[But this time, I didn't have to wait long.]
[Soon, accompanied by the burning silver flames, he returned here in purity, without any trace of the cursed aura of the black mist. He politely greeted me, and this scene left me slightly distracted.]
[For countless years, no one has ever done anything similar; they only repeated death, adding to my sins.]
[But this human seems to be somewhat different.]
+Excerpt from "Witch's Diary," Abyssal Calendar, July 15th, 1249.
.......
When Char walked out of the flame passage once again, he saw the witch standing quietly not far away, her gaze fixed on him as if trying to confirm something.
Then, in those beautiful yet cold eyes, a rare expression of distraction appeared.
Char smiled silently and then slightly raised his arms, displaying his abundant vitality. He spoke softly, "Madam, as you can see, I have indeed not hidden or deceived anything."
The sound brought the witch back from her distraction, and her expression quickly returned to coldness. She swiftly turned around, seemingly not wanting Char to see her emotional fluctuations.
Under the swirling hem of her dress, her flawless bare feet were faintly visible.
After pausing in place for a while, seemingly calming her emotions, she gently took a step forward.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Char didn't say anything as he watched her graceful figure, walking aimlessly and slowly ahead.
He wasn't sure about the witch's mood, but his own mood was quite good because just a moment ago, a notification popped up on the system.
[Your level has been increased from LV.34 to LV.41!]
[Due to the experience gained this time exceeding the limit of experience points that can be obtained in a single instance, the excess will be considered invalid!]
[You have gained 21 free attribute points!]
To Char's surprise, the experience points this time still exceeded the limit, making it difficult to imagine the true strength of the witch.
It seemed that there were likely many more instances of such significant and rapid leveling up.
This made his gaze towards her become somewhat fervent.
However, Char didn't rush to allocate the free attribute points because there would be another opportunity for leveling up later.
After an unknown amount of time, the witch stopped in her tracks.
She gently lifted her head, her dark hair cascading slightly, revealing the graceful curve of her pristine white neck.
Following the witch's gaze, Char looked up at the top of the palace, where it was dim and profound, with no end in sight.
What was she looking at?
Or perhaps, what was she waiting for?
Char had his doubts but decided not to disturb her. After all, it was best not to speculate on the thoughts of a deity when one was merely a mortal.
After an unknown period of time, the witch, who had been facing away from Char all along, let out a very faint sigh.
Then, she turned around and slowly scrutinized Char. "You say you've come to 'save' me?"
"According to the revelation in my dreams, yes," Char replied.
"Dreams," the witch softly chewed on the word before shaking her head. "So, do you know what kind of entity you are supposed to save?"
Although the witch's expression remained unchanged, Char could distinctly hear a trace of a sigh in her voice.
Before he could respond, suddenly, a deep and solemn tolling of bells resonated from the dark and profound dome above, shrouding the palace.
Once, twice, thrice... twelve times.
The bells tolled twelve times before the sound finally ceased.
Char couldn't help but think that in the realm of mysticism, the number twelve represented misfortune, death, and the end.
Was this what the witch had been waiting for?
He immediately pondered the connection between their conversation earlier and the twelve tolls of the bell, casting a pensive glance at her.
But it was this single glance that made Char feel as if he had plunged into an abyss!
In a brief moment, the witch's slender and graceful body became enveloped in a much denser and profound black mist than before. Countless sinister lines, resembling serpents, extended chaotically and gloomily within the grand hall, dancing with madness and disorder. With just one look, it contained intense emotions of despair, madness, and malevolence, intermingled with countless fragments of memories that were enough to drive one to the brink of collapse. They rushed into Char's mind with a thunderous force!
Eerie murmurs and screams echoed in his ears, while countless pale hands emerged from the depths of the abyss, swaying around him, grasping every part of his body, as if attempting to tear him apart.
He covered his eyes, knelt down in agony, blood tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. His muscles convulsed and tensed, his mind in disarray, as if some evil presence within him was about to awaken!
These were the signs of corruption by an eldritch deity.
How could someone who is called a witch by the world and adorned with the title of extreme wickedness be the harmless kind of person they appear to be on the surface?
A cold beauty?
Clearly, she was an eldritch deity formed from countless abominations!
One must not gaze directly at a deity!
In a daze, Char heard a melodious voice emanating from the very center of the black mist, just as cold and calm as before: "This is my true nature, a sinner sealed in the abyss, an ugly being cursed. So far, the lives that have directly or indirectly perished by my hands number in the millions."
"I am not the deity you perceive me to be. Prayers directed towards me will only bring death and misfortune."
"You, who are too weak to even look directly at me, do you truly have the qualifications to save such an existence?"
In the midst of pain and madness, Char struggled to lift his head.
From a distance, the witch's feet were lifted about half a person's height from the ground. Her hands and feet were adorned with ethereal shackles, engulfed by surging black mist, resembling a cocoon pregnant with death and despair.
The black serpents entwined within the void, like channels, connected to the boundless emptiness, drawing in the black mists symbolizing death and curses from all directions. They ferociously transported these mysterious substances inward, gradually merging with the witch inside the cocoon.
Her already pale skin, under the influence of the black mist and curses, appeared even more devoid of color.
A flicker of pain passed through the witch's brow, skillfully concealed.
Char had initially believed that these black mists, like the ones described in the books, originated solely from within the witch's body—a sinister curse that had been present since her birth, spreading ceaselessly even when sealed in the abyss, indirectly causing the downfall of half the northern continent.
However, the actual situation seemed different.
To Char, the scene before him resembled a form of punishment, and the tolling of the bell earlier might have been a precursor to its execution.
Perhaps, for the witch, the pain experienced during the onset of the curse was on the same level as Char's... no, judging from the scale and intensity of the curse unfolding before his eyes, it was likely even worse.
After all, Char would only die after containing a small portion of the curse, while for her, who was eternally immortal, she had to bear it all.
It was difficult to fathom the countless eons she had been sealed here, enduring similar punishments at regular intervals.
How deep is this hatred?
"System."
With a single thought, a window appeared before Char.
He reached out his hand and allocated all of his available attribute points to stamina, causing the value to instantly soar to 88 points.
But when his stamina reached 60 points, another window popped up.
[Promote to "Great Knight"?]
"Yes."
In that moment, Char's physical abilities underwent a complete transformation as he ascended to the rank of a Great Knight. With the allocation of all his points into strength, he became one of the elite among them!
Naturally, his essence of life also underwent a qualitative leap.
An average adult typically has a stamina value of around 5 points, but Char had far surpassed that level at this moment.
However, in the face of the witch within the storm of black mist, he remained as weak as an ant.
Char covered his head, his expression manic as he stared at the scene before him and slowly stood up.
He walked briskly towards the black-robed woman in the center of the storm, and with each step he took, the black mist engulfing the entire palace surged like a pack of sharks detecting the scent of blood, overwhelming and pervasive!
Compared to his first visit here, Char was now able to attract curses many times more potent.
With his level increased, his overall strength and essence of life evolved, allowing him to withstand more black mist and curses naturally.
It was like bringing a top-tier Knight of the Church here; after being cursed by the black mist, they would survive for a longer time than Char could currently, and would attract more black mist and curses.
The difference was that they would inevitably meet their demise, while Char could resurrect and completely eradicate the accompanying black mist!
Char shed tears of blood, lifted his head, and stared directly at the witch in the center of the black mist. As he faced the black mist that could easily bring him to his death, a gleam of determination flickered in his eyes.
In his eyes, all of this was valuable experience points.
As he approached the witch's location, Char extended his hand to shield his face, blocking the surging black mist that was corroding his body, causing it to decay and wither, his life being slowly devoured.
Let the storm rage even fiercer!
"Though I may be weak, it doesn't mean I cannot face you, Your Excellency."
Char continued moving forward, closing the distance between them, while the black mist surged furiously.
The witch, suspended in mid-air, lowered her head and observed the resolute figure of Char, who staggered towards her despite being enveloped in curses. Her pupils slowly dilated.
Her hands, bound by shackles, clenched involuntarily, knuckles turning white.
"Even if you bestow upon me death and misfortune, I will accept them willingly."
Or rather, these are what I desire.
Standing before the witch, Char lifted his head, his body covered in cracks, resembling a fragile porcelain on the verge of collapse.
Not only that, as the distance between them closed, the malevolent black mist originating from the void seemed to have found another target, surging towards Char with an unprecedented force!
Countless black serpents and mist, like shackles from the depths of the abyss, enveloped Char's body. In a matter of seconds, they threatened to consume the newly ascended Great Knight entirely!
It was as if a great river had split into two tributaries, and as one tributary's water volume increased, the other tributary's volume diminished accordingly.
At this moment, the torment inflicted upon the witch by the endless black mist swirling around her visibly lessened.
Char was actively taking on some of her pain.
The witch lowered her head, observing Char, her gaze trembling. Her lips slightly parted, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately, her eyes returned to a state of calmness.
As he witnessed this scene before him, a nonchalant expression appeared on Char's pale and colorless face. "As I said before, why not smile a little?"
With that, Char mustered his last bit of strength and slowly raised his hand. He placed the tip of his index finger on his lips, gently lifting it upward, revealing a smile.
The young man's smile was bright and pure.
But he was about to die soon.
Soon, accompanied by the final consumption of the black mist, Char's figure gradually turned into dust and ashes, disappearing within the palace.
Only a statement, more like a declaration, lingered in the air.
"And... Your Excellency, from this day forth, I shall bear the wicked curse that brings you eternal misfortune!"
.......
After an unknown amount of time, the raging black mist that engulfed the entire palace finally began to dissipate.
As the shackles on her hands and feet disappeared, the witch slowly descended from mid-air, her face pale.
After a moment of silence, she, just like the last time, summoned a diary out of thin air. Opening it to the latest date, she found a blank space and prepared to record the events of the day.
Recalling the scenes that had just unfolded, she still seemed somewhat absent-minded.
After a short while, her slender fingers grasped the quill pen, and she gently wrote down her elegant script.
[It has been several days, and that human has unexpectedly appeared before me once again.]
...
[Looking at the hideous, distorted black mist in his hand, he seemed to have completely forgotten how painful it was, and without any hesitation, he reached out his hand.]
[The reason is also absurd, because it is my own wish.]
[Strange human, incomprehensible human.]
....
[For countless years, no one has ever done anything similar. They simply repeated deaths, adding to my sins.]
[But this human seems to be somewhat different.]
At this point, the witch paused for a moment, lifted her head, and recalled the journey of her heart. She glanced at the spot where Char had disappeared, and a hint of complexity flickered in her once icy eyes.
After a while, she continued writing with her pen.
[An extremely coincidental point is that he arrived on the day of retribution.]
[To make him realize how laughable his notion of salvation is, I unabashedly revealed my most wicked side before him, surpassing even the most terrifying of all evil gods.]
[However... he did not fear or run away. Instead, amidst the gradual decay of his body and spirit, he approached me step by step, just like the last time.]
[I am well aware that this process is extremely painful, yet he persevered until the end, his will unbroken.]
[Though he is just a weak human, when he stood before me, he spoke audaciously.]
[He said, "Your Excellency, from this day forth, I shall bear the wicked curse that brings you eternal misfortune!"]
[It was the first time someone said such words to me.]
[Having lived for so many years, I certainly have the means to discern whether the other party is lying... but the problem is, what he said seems to be the truth.]
[Strange human, incomprehensible human.]
[But he is also the first one, willing to actively help me bear the pain.]
[However, humans have good memories. Once he recalls the pain of being cursed after leaving this place, he probably won't come back here again.]
[Or... will he?]
As she wrote to this point, the diary came to an end.
The witch waved her hand, and the diary disappeared from her grasp. She then slowly sat down on the smooth steps, her slightly worn-out long skirt spreading out, concealing her slender and fair legs.
During this time, she furrowed her brow lightly, as if engaged in some internal struggle.
Glancing at the deserted and empty hall, the witch instinctively clenched her other fist, attempting to slightly lift the tension at the corners of her tightly pursed lips.
Perhaps accustomed to her usual cold and aloof demeanor, her expression now seemed somewhat stiff.
After attempting multiple times, she couldn't manage to smile successfully.
She gently closed her eyes.
What is laughter, and what kind of emotion does it contain?
She didn't understand.
She didn't comprehend.
But as she recalled the pure smile on that young man's face, the witch believed that she might be getting closer to the answer to this question.