Moonlight was like frost, and the wild wind howled.
Celeste did not wait for long before a cold figure appeared on the opposite roof.
Her white dress swayed like a blooming night-blooming cereus.
A playful arc curled at the corner of Celeste’s mouth.
Her voice stretched in the wind, carrying a hint of sighs as she spoke.
“The Inquisition truly arrives quickly. I’ve only had the Heart Gem for a short while, and you’ve already caught up… especially you, Mephia.”
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze flickering as if she were truly curious.
“Are you really a Silver-level Inquisitor?”
Mephia stood still, choosing not to answer the irrelevant question.
Instead, she asked, “You aren’t running?”
“Running?”
Celeste let out a light laugh as if she had heard something amusing.
She then extended her index finger, lazily wagging it in the air.
“I stayed behind specifically to make a deal with you.”
Seemingly sensing the Magic Power fluctuations beginning to gather around Mephia, her smile remained unchanged, but her voice gained a sugary hint of warning.
“Hey! Don’t move. I’ve already set up a ‘tiny’ Magic Array here. Even if you are an esteemed Silver-level Inquisitor, catching me… is impossible~”
She blinked, her tone becoming light and coaxing once again.
“So, why not listen to my deal? It might be beneficial for both of us.”
Mephia’s expression remained calm, showing no emotion, but she seemed to abandon the plan to capture the Witch in front of her immediately.
“What deal?”
Celeste held the Heart Gem in her palm, its bright red light filling her eyes.
“It’s simple. I stole the Heart Gem, and you certainly want it back, right? Then, exchange it for my Witch’s Tear.”
“In addition, you must immediately retract the wanted poster regarding me! Also, you must publicly clear my name!”
Mephia’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Clear your name?”
“Of course! One of the crimes on that wanted poster is murder, but I, Celeste, have never killed anyone to this day! Your Inquisition is incompetent, failing to find the truth and pinning this filthy label on me. You’re absolute jerks!”
Stamping her foot, Celeste took a deep breath and raised the Heart Gem again, her voice steadying.
“How about it? This deal is quite fair, isn’t it? As long as you agree, I’ll return this Heart Gem to you immediately. After all, I only want my things back, along with my innocence…”
“I refuse.”
Before Celeste could even finish her sentence, Mephia gave her answer.
That reply caused Celeste’s pupils to dilate slightly.
‘Wait, seriously?’
‘Did she answer that fast and that firmly?’
Mephia slowly shook her head, her silver hair cutting a cold arc under the moonlight.
“The owners of this Heart Gem are Viscount Silas and the Hela Auction House. Whether you return it or not has nothing to do with me. However, if you are willing to give up your resistance now and obediently let me take you back to prison…”
Pausing for a moment, Magic Power fluctuations began to drift around her once more.
“I can exercise my authority to revoke that wanted poster. As for returning the Witch’s Tear, that will depend on your performance in prison.”
“If you are willing to cooperate and give up your accomplices or the organization behind you, there might actually be hope of getting it back.”
With the conditions completely reversed, Celeste clicked her tongue, a trace of annoyance appearing in her eyes.
These conditions were practically a mockery.
If she ended up in prison, what use would it be even if she got the Witch’s Tear back? Not to mention, Witches who were captured always met a miserable end.
Inquisitors were truly a bunch of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Stowing the Heart Gem away, Celeste said coldly, “Then… there’s nothing more to say?”
In the next second, Mephia’s figure disappeared from her spot without warning.
Afterward, she suddenly appeared in front of Celeste, the cold longsword in her hand tearing through the air and falling toward the girl’s head with a piercing screech!
However, the blade only touched a shattered afterimage.
Celeste’s true body materialized quietly on another roof.
Although a few strands of her hair were sliced off by the sword’s residual force and drifted away in the wind, she still did not feel any panic.
On the contrary, she raised her chin as if she held total control of the situation.
“I told you, I already set up a — “
Her words were interrupted as several strands of Magic Power that had been lying in ambush lunged from the roof like vines.
In the blink of an eye, they wrapped around her ankles and shins, spreading upward at high speed!
After binding her body, the vines quickly tightened, simultaneously emitting Magic Power that could restrict her strength and movement, trapping her completely.
Mephia’s voice came from ahead, sounding flat and indifferent.
“Did you think I was just wasting time with you earlier?”
“Tch!”
Truly troublesome, but…
Celeste let out a cold snort.
Her body, bound by the vines, shattered like a mirror.
Witches were all insidious and cunning.
That wasn’t her real body.
At almost the same moment, she reappeared on another roof.
Following that, Magic Power surged, and many complex Magic Arrays that had been laid down one or two days ago suddenly erupted with blinding red light!
“FIRE RAIN! DIVINE THUNDER!”
She sharply shouted two short, ancient magic syllables.
In an instant, small meteorites burning with crimson flames fell like a rainstorm, enveloping the area where Mephia stood.
At the same time, a pale bolt of thunder representing destruction tore through the clouds and crashed down!
The speed of these two spells was so fast that Celeste was confident that even if her opponent was a Silver-level Inquisitor, she wouldn’t be able to escape!
And that was indeed the case.
Mephia did not choose to dodge.
She swung the longsword in her hand, and the Magic Power around her surged like a tide, eventually gathering into a wall above her head.
The Fire Rain and Divine Thunder struck the wall and exploded violently.
Terrifying Magic Power scattered in all directions, but to Celeste’s shock, the wall that had completely blocked both spells didn’t have a single crack!
The gap in their strength was too wide.
It was so vast that even with her preparation, she couldn’t hurt Mephia at all…
While Celeste was in shock, Mephia took a step forward and disappeared.
When she reappeared, she was already behind Celeste.
Raising her hand, she pressed it against Celeste’s back with seemingly casual ease.
But along with a dull thud, Celeste felt a terrifying, irresistible force enter her body.
Her protective Magic Power was instantly shattered.
She fell from the roof like a meteorite, smashing through the awning below and finally crashing heavily onto the hard, cold stone pavement of the street.
Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Celeste didn’t even have time to get up from the crater before Mephia arrived behind her.
She used her knee to pin Celeste’s back, forcing her against the ground so she couldn’t move.
She looked down from above, her voice cold.
“I’ve caught you.”
The dust in the surroundings slowly cleared.
The massive commotion from the battle had drawn many people out of their homes, and they approached the vicinity out of curiosity.
It was at this moment that all the indignation and anger suddenly faded from Celeste’s face, which was stained with dust and blood.
In its place was a pitiful expression, even carrying a humble, pleading look.
Water quickly welled up in her eyes, and her voice became choked with sobs.
Her words, filled with sacrificial despair and entreaty, spread across the silent street:
“Lord Inquisitor… I, I’ll agree to it! From now on, I will be your slave… No matter what you do to my body, I won’t resist…”
Tears fell at the perfect moment, her voice trembling in a way that was heartbreaking.
“I only beg you… please show mercy and let my family go…”