A slender, emerald-green viper struggled desperately.
It tried to break free with its incredible agility and the immense strength granted by magic.
Though small in size, its power was no less than that of a bull. And with its astonishing speed, even the keenest hunters couldn't track its movements with their eyes!
Yet, despite its strength and agility, the girl's hand remained as steady as a rock, gripping the viper tightly, leaving it no chance to escape.
"My teacher was right—the danger was coming. That old witch made her move against us!"
Aurora clenched her right hand suddenly, crushing the viper to death.
Its emerald-green scales, resistant to many magical spells, proved completely useless against a warrior of her caliber.
Snap!
The viper exploded into a cloud of emerald-green mist, its deadly poison spreading, rolling, and swirling in the air—an inescapable death trap.
This was the viper's final attack, transforming into a toxic fog upon death to ensure it would take its killer down with it.
Its corpse, now lifeless, dropped to the ground, morphing into a broken wand.
"Tch, just like that old witch's tricks—one after another. What a nuisance."
Aurora quickly stepped back.
Even so, a trace of the green mist managed to cling to her palm, corroding her fair skin.
The witch's blessing protected Aurora from man-made and natural weapons, as well as magical and natural flames.
But the world had dangers beyond swords, claws, fangs, and fire—dangers the blessing could not shield her from!
"Aurora, we need to leave this room now."
The moment the golden-haired girl retreated, Rhine's figure appeared behind her in a blur. He grabbed her shoulder, and in an instant, their figures vanished.
—"Teleportation!"
The two reappeared in a vacant room next door.
Rhine had long anticipated that the old witch, unpredictable as she was, might cause trouble tonight. Staying vigilant, he had used divination to foresee the next few hours.
Divination and prophecy weren't omnipotent; they only provided vague glimpses of the future. But even fragments of insight could be useful.
Just moments ago, at the first sign of danger, Rhine had teleported himself to the neighboring empty room, using magic to observe the original room's situation. He had been ready to intervene at any moment—either to break the deadlock or to launch a surprise counterattack.
Meanwhile, Aurora, with her near-invulnerability, was left behind to face the enemy head-on.
A warrior and a mage—each playing their role!
"How are you holding up, Aurora?"
Inside the empty room, Rhine looked at Aurora's corroded right hand with deep concern.
"It's fine. It doesn't hurt that much."
The golden-haired girl forced a grin. With her uninjured left hand, she clenched her fist tightly. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead as she took deep breaths, pretending she was unaffected.
"You stubborn child…" Rhine sighed.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out freshly prepared medicinal powder and carefully sprinkled it onto her hand. Then, he cast a healing spell, bathing Aurora's palm in pure white light.
Now, after combining the Sea Hag's potion-making techniques with his healing magic, Rhine was confident that he could cure any poison, disease, or even lethal wounds—so long as the person wasn't dead on the spot, he could bring them back!
Within moments, the poison was purged, and Aurora's hand was fully healed, looking as flawless as before.
"Next, we need to clear out that toxic mist."
Summoning wind elementals and using neutralizing herbal powder, Rhine swiftly dispersed the emerald-green fog from their room.
Once the air was clear, they returned.
Although her wound had been healed in less than a minute, Aurora still felt indignant as she recalled the attack.
"That old witch must've done it! She tried to kill us!"
Her frustration only grew.
"I wish I could give her a taste of her own medicine!"
But halfway through her rant, Aurora's expression darkened.
"The problem is… we don't know which room she's staying in. The Enderland delegation is scattered across multiple rooms. And… if she's anything like the Black Witch Maleficent, she might have ways to avoid divination and detection."
Rhine chuckled.
He pulled out his Tinderbox and struck it lightly.
Whoosh!
The door swung open with a gust of cold wind, and a massive dog with eyes as large as teacups appeared before them.
Rhine placed the broken wand under the dog's nose, letting it sniff carefully.
"Find the owner of this wand!"
The Tinderbox's summoned dogs were truly miraculous—within a certain range, they could track down anything their master sought, be it gold or a specific person!
The dog barked twice in understanding before leaping out the window, darting through the palace's garden.
It moved as described in the original Tinderbox tale—
Stealthy as a shadow, slipping past every pair of watching eyes, its agility defying its massive size!
—In the original story, these dogs had managed to sneak into a heavily guarded palace and snatch away a princess without any soldier noticing!
Since Rhine didn't know invisibility magic, he didn't follow the dog directly. Instead, he pulled out a crystal ball and tracked the dog's movement from afar, pinpointing the old witch's room.
Inside her chamber, the old witch sat alone, waiting for her precious viper to return with good news.
Then, a sudden chill swept through the room as the window flung open.
A massive, eerie dog stood before her, its eyes as big as teacups!
"What? Why is there a strange dog here instead of my precious viper?"
The old witch's face twisted in shock. She immediately realized what had happened.
The dog lunged at her, aiming to pin her down. But she reacted faster, chanting a spell.
"Boom!"
A burst of black mist erupted, and in an instant, the dog transformed into a hideous toad.
"Hahaha! You thought you could take me down with this thing? Well, for the next seven days, you're stuck like this!"
The old witch cackled triumphantly.
But then, her laughter abruptly stopped.
Her eyes bulged wide in shock.
Because at that moment, a rope had silently wrapped around her neck, suspending her mid-air—
Strangling her before she could even react!