Horn, upon detecting the signal, abruptly stopped his steps before turning the corner. Without changing his expression, he casually walked past the rendezvous point, realizing the area was no longer safe and someone was watching.
The moment he sensed the magical frequency, Horn spread his mental energy, detecting two presences stronger than ordinary humans — members of the North Wind Cult. Maintaining the pace of an average person, he put some distance between himself and those two individuals before breaking into a sprint.
The meeting place was not far, and it didn't take long for Horn to run back to Douglas Carpenter's Shop.
"Eh? How come you're back so soon today? This timing doesn't add up," Douglas remarked, surprised to see Horn rush back so quickly after leaving.
Horn had no time to answer Douglas's question. Enoch might be in the process of being captured, or worse, he could have already been apprehended. Enoch was the only person, aside from Douglas, who could discuss magic with Horn and knew Horn's true identity. Therefore, if Enoch hadn't been captured yet, Horn had to rescue him. And if he had been captured, at the very least, Horn needed to witness his fate.
Scouring the house, Horn realized he didn't own any clothes that could ensure his identity remained concealed during a fight. He ended up finding a pile of useless rags and quickly wrapped them around himself, securing them tightly. Covered in colorful rags, Horn resembled a vibrant mummy, his identity perfectly concealed despite the eye-catching appearance.
Douglas, taken aback by Horn's bizarre outfit as he emerged from his room, covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Horn's method of disguise was baffling to Douglas, who had never taught him how to camouflage himself, let alone to dress up as a ragged figure.
"Wait a minute!" Douglas called out to Horn, who was about to leave in haste.
"But I'm in a hurry!" Horn didn't want to wait, as each passing minute could lead to more severe consequences, especially since the North Wind Knights and Executors showed no mercy to wild witches.
"If you go like this, not only will you fail to save anyone, but you might also not return yourself. Just a moment," Douglas said, pulling Horn back with a serious look on his face.
Douglas seldom wore such a serious expression, so Horn reluctantly waited.
Fortunately, Douglas didn't make him wait long. After a short while, he handed Horn a small package.
"Put this on."
Horn opened the package to find a pitch-black robe inside. Without wasting time examining it, he quickly donned the robe and prepared to leave.
Douglas came over to adjust the robe slightly on Horn, who was growing impatient, before handing him something else.
It was an oak wand, different from the ones Horn crafted, as this one had a pale red crystal affixed to its tip.
"This wand can withstand about ten uses of tier-three magic. Use it if you encounter danger," Douglas said, patting Horn's shoulder with a complex look.
Though curious about the item Douglas provided, Horn had no time to delve into it.
It was time for him to depart.
Clad in the black robe, Horn ran alone through the night, returning to the prearranged spot, and began tracing Enoch's magical trail.
Compared to priests wielding divine power and witches controlling demonic energy, wild witches might seem insignificant in combat. However, their perception of energy was much stronger, perhaps because wild witches gained their powers through their own efforts, unlike priests and witches who received their powers as gifts from other entities.
Leveraging his keen perception, Horn made his way to the Black Street, finding Enoch's trace. In fact, upon reaching Black Street, Horn didn't need to search intentionally to know Enoch was there. The North Wind Cult always made a show of force, so wherever the North Wind Knights congregated, Enoch was likely to be found.
With over a hundred North Wind Knights cordoning off Black Street like a fortress and guards at every entrance, Horn found it nearly impossible to sneak in. As he had positioned himself as a mage rather than learning the art of stealth, his only option was to incapacitate a few less vigilant knights.
The North Wind Knights, being the cult's lower echelons, were not particularly strong, the best among them barely approaching tier one. For Horn, they posed no challenge beyond a few fireballs.
However, since this was a covert operation, he couldn't afford to make a grand entrance. Circling the area, Horn chose an entrance guarded by five knights who seemed particularly lax, their faces flushed from drinking, underestimating the threat they faced.
Their underestimation wasn't entirely unfounded; with a High Executor involved, what chance did a single, lowly wild witch have? The probability of their target attempting to break through this particular entrance was slim.
But what they failed to consider was that while someone inside might not attempt to break out here, someone from the outside might try to break in.