Horn had detected the monster approaching the yard early on, and even though it was not very powerful, he still had Enoch cast an illusion on it as a precaution.
The monster remained under Enoch's illusion the entire time.
It was expected that the intense pain from gnawing on the iron saw would be enough to snap it out of the illusion, but the monster remained engrossed.
It was unclear whether its sense of pain was weak or its astonishing instinct to feed overshadowed the pain.
It seemed that for this monster, eating was more important than anything else.
Watching the monster gnaw on the iron saw, blood and flesh flying, Horn's face showed both pity and disgust.
Pity for the monster's current miserable state and disgust because such a creature had no right to exist.
Better to die sooner!
It was dreadful to imagine what tragedy would have unfolded had it entered the home of ordinary people instead of Douglas's carpentry shop.
Horn's fingertips lit up with a spark of fire, releasing a first-level fire magic spell, Flame Touch. He intended to expedite the monster's departure from this world.
In Horn's view, gnawing on the iron saw was a form of punishment. As for why he didn't use his favorite spell, Lightning Touch, on this creature, Horn thought it best not to touch a caterpillar's body.
The tiny flame drifted lazily onto the monster, and upon contact, it spread across its body like it had hit gasoline, engulfing the monster in fierce flames. Now, breaking free from the illusion, the monster had no time to worry about anything else!
It could only struggle a few times before being burned to a crisp, its vitality even less than that of a normal adult man!
A first-level spell wouldn't end a normal person so quickly, yet this menacing-looking monster died so swiftly.
"Wow, this monster is incredibly weak. I've never seen such a weak monster before," Enoch said disdainfully.
Typically, a creature of such bizarre appearance would at least be a level one magical beast, but this thing seemed like something two or three well-trained farmers could easily handle.
Just as Enoch finished speaking disdainfully about the monster, the already immobile monster began to turn transparent, and the blood spilled everywhere also became transparent, vanishing in just a few breaths!
Horn's relaxed expression turned strange, a mix of solemnity and disbelief. Wasn't this the same disappearance mentioned by Big Brother Locke when he visited Aunt Meiz's house?
Weren't these creatures only appearing in the North District?
Are monsters now starting to appear in the West District too?
"Enoch, do you feel it?" Horn nudged the astonished Enoch's arm.
"Feel what? But now that you mention it, I did think the energy fluctuation when the monster disappeared was strange, like…"
Enoch carefully formulated his words to describe the sensation.
"Like the magical fluctuations when you and I cast spells!" Horn asserted.
"Impossible, could there be other wild witches in Lien City like us, capable of casting spells? Wild witches who can cast spells are rare," Enoch expressed disbelief.
"It's unlikely to be wild witches capable of casting spells. The knowledge you're learning is unique," Horn stated decisively, believing there couldn't be another like Douglas in the world.
"It might just be someone's talent awakening, confused. You've been through that phase too, right?"
"When my talent awakened, I only caused some minor illusions around me. But monsters appearing all over the city doesn't seem like something that would happen during a wild witch's awakening," Enoch found it even more incredible.
The confusion phase is a period every wild witch inevitably experiences, during which they continuously release small spells to the limits their bodies can withstand.
According to Douglas, it's because the human body isn't yet accustomed to the sensation of magic flowing through it, resulting in this phase of confusion. Once the body adapts to the magic, this phenomenon no longer occurs.
"It's still possible, just maybe this individual has an extraordinarily strong talent," Horn speculated after some thought.
"Strong talent?" After hearing this, Enoch, grinning, said to Horn, "Horn, how about we recruit him as a companion?"
"Eh, this guy has become the focus of Lien City. Isn't it a bit dangerous for us to approach? Plus, we don't even know what kind of person he is. What if he's trouble we can't handle?" Horn looked at Enoch in surprise.
"You're always hoping to find new companions, and now that we might have found one, you hesitate?
Besides, if he's not a good sort, we can just deal with him directly. Do you think such a thing could pose a threat to us?"
Enoch spoke boldly, now stronger than before and a bit inflated with pride after killing two black-clothed deacons last time.
"You make a good point. Let's check out the North Street tonight then. With your illusions and as long as we don't run into the head priest or more than one white-clothed deacon, we should be able to come back safely."
Horn, weighing the options, decided to listen to Enoch, looking forward to expanding their group of wild witches.
"Ha ha, then tonight, the infamous Evil-faced One will make his move!" Enoch said with a mischievous smile to Horn.
"Go to hell with the Evil-faced One! You're washing the dishes tonight." Horn, having lost his appetite after seeing the giant caterpillar, left the dining room immediately.
Enoch, making a sad face, elongated his complaint: "You can't do this to me!"
Horn, as if he hadn't heard, left Enoch behind, a smile curling on his lips. Not having to wash dishes felt good.
As the sun slowly set and the white moon climbed high, the night in Lien City was exceptionally quiet.
This time, Horn only wore a robe and covered his face with a piece of black cloth. He didn't want to wrap his face in cloth strips and be called the Evil-faced One again.
Enoch also wore a black robe similar to Horn's, obtained from who knows where. To an uninformed observer, the two of them together looked like no good.
What good person wears black robes, covers their face, and roams around at night?
"Enoch, where did you get that robe..." Horn felt somewhat embarrassed by Enoch's attire.
"Custom made at Walker's Trading in the North District. As a merchant, money talks. How is it? Does it match your outfit?" Enoch spun around in front of Horn.
"Aren't you afraid of being mistaken for an accomplice of the Evil-faced One by having such a style? Aren't you worried about being identified by people from Walker's Trading later?"
Horn thought Enoch must have lost his mind to have such an important garment custom made.
"I am an accomplice of the Evil-faced One," Enoch said with a cheeky grin, "And they don't know my true face."