Aflra and her companions arrived at Blackwood Castle, the closest settlement to White Fang Mountain and the territory of Aurora and X's father. Despite being only half a year since a disaster had struck, the castle still bore the scars of its decline.
The once bustling Blackwood Castle now appeared desolate. Broken scarecrows stood abandoned in the windswept farmland, their tattered clothes flapping in the cold breeze. Crows perched atop them, their mournful cries echoing through the desolate landscape. Occasionally, they encountered a few farmers, shivering in their linen clothes. The farmers retreated to the roadside, bowing in salute upon seeing Aflra and her group.Aflra, however, was not bothered by the desolation of Blackwood Castle. Although she had seen similar scenes in the game, witnessing them in reality still felt novel. She looked around with great interest.Noticing Aflra's curiosity, Jerem hurriedly introduced, "This is Blackwood Castle, belonging to Baron X. However, Baron X is still young, and this place is quite desolate, currently managed by Sir Colt."Jerem's intelligence work was thorough, and he knew of Aflra's connections with the two children."Oh, is this the home of these two little guys?" Aflra asked."Uh... you could say that," Jerem replied.Aflra looked at the castle in front of her, exclaiming, "It's great, much bigger than my home."Upon reaching the castle entrance, a man with a few guards greeted them. He had red curly hair, greenish eyes that seemed somewhat turbid, a neatly trimmed mustache, an average appearance, a thin figure, and a stature shorter than Aflra's. Aflra, standing at a little over five and a half feet tall, was considered tall among women in the real world.At this moment, he was dressed in a well-tailored blue garment, embroidered with a white lion emblem. Due to the cold weather, he was warmly layered underneath, which made him appear slightly bloated. Despite his unimpressive appearance, he had a serious expression and meticulous manners, exuding a certain presence.After Aflra and her group dismounted, Jerem introduced them: "This is Lady Witch Aflra, and this is Sir Colt."Aflra nodded slightly: "Sir Colt, hello."Sir Colt was slightly taken aback by Aflra's lack of a lady's curtsy or hand-kissing gesture. However, he quickly recovered and stepped aside, waving his hand in invitation: "Miss Aflra, you must be tired from the journey. Welcome to Blackwood Castle."As the sky darkened, it was time for dinner. Led by a servant, Aflra arrived at the dining room, where a brass chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, casting a faint glow. Unfortunately, a single chandelier was not bright enough, and the entire dining room remained dimly lit, necessitating the placement of some candle holders on the table.The dining table was already set with food: fragrant white bread, steaming meat soup, a sausage, and a few vegetables. After Aflra took her seat, Sir Colt announced the start of the meal.Aflra picked up her knife and fork and tasted the sausage. It was her first time eating this kind of food, and she found the taste of the sausage very unique, as if it had condensed the aroma of the meat. After finishing the bread and soup, the maids cleared the plates and replaced them with small pastries and a glass of wine."I apologize, Miss Aflra, this place is remote, and the preparations are somewhat simple," Sir Colt began the conversation.Soon, Jerem joined the conversation, talking about various gossips among the nobility. Aflra listened with interest, then suddenly her ears twitched, interrupting the topic: "Excuse me, did you hear something?"Jerem looked bewildered: "No, I didn't!"Aflra said, "I heard a crazy roar.""Oh, you mean the roars of those wild animals outside?" Sir Colt asked.Aflra straightened up and said seriously, "No, it's a human voice, I'm sure of it, just below."Sir Colt explained, "Miss Aflra, you're referring to the dungeon, right? There is indeed a madwoman there who goes crazy and screams every night."Aflra asked, "Can you tell me more about the specifics?"Sir Colt nodded, "The day before yesterday, a peasant woman suddenly went mad, bit a chicken to death, and was later arrested by her neighbors. I suspect she was entangled by something, and I'm planning to invite a monk from the monastery to take a look."Jerem exclaimed, "What, it's already here."Sir Colt keenly noticed something and quickly asked, "Your Excellency, what do you mean?"Aflra also looked at Jerem, waiting for his answer."I'm not sure, it might be a plague, or maybe a curse, in any case, more and more people are going mad."Sir Colt quickly asked, "Has a monk been invited?"Jerem said, "Yes, but they only burn the patients, claiming it's the devil's arrival. Damn it, where there are so many devils."Aflra looked at Jerem and said, "This is the real reason you invited me, right."Jerem stood up and bowed, "I'm really sorry, Miss Aflra, this kind of thing is too strange, we suspect there is something behind it, maybe a wizard, or something else. You are a powerful witch, maybe you can solve this problem."Aflra sighed, "In just half a year, James has transformed from a warrior into a qualified politician."Jerem stood up and bowed, "I'm really sorry."Aflra shook her head indifferently and looked at Sir Colt, "Can I take a look?"Sir Colt quickly said, "Miss Aflra, you have worked hard."In Sir Colt's view, monks and witches were not much different, both possessing extraordinary powers, it's just that monks were not as crazy and were easier to deal with.The group walked into the dungeon with torches, and a foul smell rushed towards them, causing Aflra to cover her nose. There were four wooden cells in the dungeon, three of which were empty, and the other contained an old woman. She opened her mouth to reveal a set of rotten teeth and roared crazily towards Aflra, her hands and feet chained and the other ends firmly nailed to the wall, unable to approach.Aflra said, "Open the cell."The dungeon guard looked at Sir Colt, and after getting a nod, took out the key and opened the cell door. Aflra walked in, and the old woman immediately pounced, but was restrained by the chains and could only struggle in place. She opened her mouth and roared, spewing out a foul odor.Aflra frowned, with electric sparks flickering at her fingertips. With the aid of Quick Casting, after 4.5 seconds, Electric Claw was successfully activated. Aflra pointed at the old woman's forehead. With a "crack," the piercing sound suddenly stopped, the old woman was thrown backward, heavily hitting the wall, smoking all over, and fell on the straw pile, twitching.Aflra walked forward, opened her eyelids, and then pried open her mouth.