At midnight, the once slumbering residents of the harbor town were abruptly awakened by the fierce blaze and the cacophony of crows' cries.
"Fire... there's a fire!" "Help! Someone, save me!"
After years of peace, the sudden attack threw the town into chaos. The streets became a pandemonium, with screams and cries echoing through every corner of the town.
Lynn stood atop a rooftop, her eyes sharp as an eagle's, gazing towards the source of the flames.
This was the power of a first-circle spell—*Teek's Farsight*—allowing a wizard to possess the precise vision of a griffin for a brief moment.
During her days in the harbor town, Lynn hadn't just focused on gathering intelligence and making black powder. She had also devoted herself to mastering new spells, having nearly worn out her copy of *Basic Magic Compendium*.
"Is it Jonny and White Dove?" Lynn muttered to herself as she stared at the flurry of gray crows and the silhouettes flickering in the firelight.
Could it be that they escaped ahead of time?
Wait...
Lynn quickly noticed something amiss—the two witches didn't seem to be in the condition of someone tortured.
Perhaps... they hadn't escaped after all, but were instead preparing to infiltrate the prison to rescue someone!
The possibility dawned on Lynn instantly, and her brows furrowed in concern.
Before tonight's operation, she had considered dozens of possible scenarios, even predicting that the Church might set traps for her in the harbor town.
But she hadn't expected that Antheuk would dare to make such a bold move without having captured anyone.
The archbishop was clearly making a high-stakes gamble, betting that these apprentice witches hadn't reunited. If they had, tomorrow's public ceremony would turn into a complete farce.
In this world, where true gods exist, conducting a public witch-hunting ceremony with fake witches would be nothing short of blasphemy!
Evidently, the archbishop had won his bet. Though he hadn't fallen into the trap, Jonny and White Dove had stepped right into it.
But if the two witches hadn't been captured, then who had leaked the *Brotherhood's* information?
Antheuk's presence in the harbor town, along with the port lockdown and various measures against the *Brotherhood*, couldn't be a ruse, which is why Lynn believed they might have been captured.
As she pondered, the crows' cries grew weaker, signaling that Jonny and White Dove were running out of time.
Lynn didn't rush to act. The guards surrounding the two witches numbered only in the hundreds—neither Archbishop Antheuk nor his three thousand elite soldiers had joined the fray.
This too was bait, and Lynn was the big fish Antheuk wanted to catch...
"071, given the current situation, what are our chances of success in a direct confrontation?" Lynn asked quietly.
Her greatest trump card was the vast amount of black powder stored at the dock. By exploiting the element of surprise and the advantages of magic, she could lure Antheuk and his men to the docks and blow them sky-high. But now, it seemed this plan might be difficult to execute.
Because now she had to divert her attention to rescuing Jonny and the others...
*Estimated success rate falls below the safety threshold. As per prior agreement, non-Terran individuals should not be included in the protection objectives. According to the *Federation Citizen Life Safety Act*, you should prioritize your own safety!*
Lynn remained silent for a moment before asking again, "Can you deduce why Jonny and White Dove would risk their lives to enter the harbor town?"
*There is a 97% likelihood... that they came to rescue you, ma'am!*
"So, do you know, 071?" Lynn gazed at the distant flames, murmuring to herself.
"Sometimes, even non-Terrans are people too..."
...
Meanwhile, inside the harbor town's church, Archbishop Antheuk stood lost in thought, observing the chaos outside.
The faint sounds of screams and wails caused the priests to turn pale, but Antheuk seemed oblivious, turning to Adian and asking, "So, have you extracted any useful information these past few days?"
"Your Grace, a powerful psychic spell has been placed in York's mind. I've tried several methods, but none could break through the barrier," Adian explained with deep shame.
A few days ago, when the archbishop led the elite guards to hunt down the demonic followers, Adian had taken a squad to Ur Town. Based on the information obtained from Will, they raided the *Drunken Sailor* tavern and captured Old York before he could escape.
But to Adian's disappointment, York's mind was protected by some kind of psychic spell. When Adian tried to probe his mind, he nearly rendered him a simpleton.
The only gain was some information about the harbor town found in a secret room of the *Drunken Sailor*.
"No matter. We will soon have new sources of information," Antheuk said calmly, showing no sign of blame towards Adian.
"Your Grace, should we send more men? At this rate, the two apprentice witches might slip out of our grasp." Adian glanced cautiously at the commotion in the west of the town.
Due to someone using gray crows to ignite the harbor town's granaries, most of the stationed guards had been dispatched to extinguish the flames, leaving only two priests and three hundred guards to handle the pursuit.
If this continued, more and more civilians might get caught in the crossfire...
Adian swallowed the latter half of his sentence. He had never agreed with the archbishop's decision to set the battlefield within the harbor town, as it put the defenseless townsfolk at great risk.
"Now is not the time to act, Adian!" Antheuk's gaunt face took on a stern expression as he gazed at the priest before him. "A moment's mercy will only lead to greater calamities."
"The hellfire that burns outside Ur Town has yet to be extinguished. If we fail to capture the witch named Karl this time, such dreadful scenes may be repeated in every corner of Nordland."
"The Merciful Lord will forgive our sins..."
Antheuk turned his gaze back to the flames flickering above the harbor town, his voice rasping as he chanted.
"May their souls return to the Holy Land and find eternal protection. May their true spirits not fall into the abyss of the demons..."
The priests in the church shared a look of compassion and soon joined in the somber hymn, praying for the souls of those who perished in the conflict, hoping they would find new life in the Lord's sanctuary after enduring endless suffering in life...