Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 381: Isabella

As the highest point at the land, the holy mountain was always the first thing that enjoyed the first sunlight each morning.

Blurry aurora had given it a more sacred look. As the sun rose, all the Krakoks knelt down and prayed for their wellbeing.

The holy song came once again from the mountain peak, while hummingbird knights patrolled the sky while dispersing white petals among the crowd to strengthen the solemn atmosphere.

When the sunlight reached the altar, groups of choir singers moved around it into a perfect formation.

A group of clerics in gold-rimmed white robe emerged from the temple above them, led by the old priest.

“Hail the Grand Priest!” People called in perfect unison.

The old man slowly walked onto the platform on one side of the mountain peak and gazed at his people with the look of a religious dominator.

“May eternal peace bless us.” He prayed for his people before he began to present today’s ceremonial speech. “Mankind turned their greed-infested hands against us, and our ancestors almost perished. But the master of Citadel bestowed flourishing peace upon us… We hold the ceremony today to show our respect to our savior.”

While the old man talked, Shadow suddenly spoke to Angor while hiding on top of a large tree. “That old thing has some strong energy, but he’s still a mortal.”

Angor nodded. “Even a mortal who spent too much time near the core of natural law can get affected by godly powers.”

“Mortals know nothing about true strength, which helps them to resist the temptation. Isabelle did a really disgusting job by building the temple here. The Krakoks always come here to worship the broken souls of their ancestors, but they never realized it.”

“Ironic, yeah. But I don’t think that’s what Isabelle wanted. She wants something else.”

Asking mortals to guard the core of law made no sense at all. Angor believed that a “truth finder” level-3 wizard should have some other reason for building this place.

“Oh, he’s done? I thought he’d keep up that shit for hours like the other god and idol wannabes,” Shadow commented. It seemed the ceremony was starting after the Grand Priest spoke for one minute. “But isn’t that a little too simple for such a grand event?”

Angor noticed mixed emotions from the priest’s expression even though the old man had been trying to remain serious and solemn.

“Say… Do you think he knows about the magic array under Hippocrotee?” Angor asked Shadow.

“No?” Shadow snickered. “Now that would be fun… if he gave those pretentious speeches to his people while he knew about the secret business in the dark.”

…

As the ceremony officially started, the choir groups around the altar began performing their poems as well.

A team of armored guards carrying a decorated stretcher moved across the crowds and walked onto the central platform of the altar. The stretcher had a magic crystal as big as a Krakok individual on it. The four guards worked together and carried the crystal into a slot on the altar.

“Here it comes,” Shadow said when the altar began to shine brightly.

“You sure there are no wizards today?” Angor watched the familiar energy ripples that suggested a portal.

“No. The old witch isn’t here, that means no wizard will accompany them.”

They saw a short figure emerging from the portal.

Short, in the views of ordinary human women. To Krakoks, however, the visitor was still giant.

Black bubble skirt; black half-sided veil; long, black hair; pale skin; and a delicate face. Judging from the looks, the visitor was a little girl about 12 or 13. Angor didn’t sense any supernatural energy from her. She looked like a mortal.

The small girl slowly opened her eyes as the light of the portal died down.

She was looking directly toward where Angor and Shadow were hiding.

Angor frowned when he noticed her gaze. How could a mortal find them so quickly? It called for really superior perceptions.

“Who’s that, Diablo?” he asked through their Spirit Bond.

Shadow didn’t answer.

And Angor couldn’t see that Shadow had started to tremble all of a sudden while looking at the girl on the altar in fear.

“It can’t… It can’t be… Why would she come to this place?!”

The little girl grinned at them as if she sensed Shadow’s fear. She licked at her lips in a charming yet terrifying way as if thirsting for something. Blood, probably.

“Ooh, look at that. Little puppet lover Diablo?” A giggling and sharp woman’s voice invaded the Spirit Bond between Angor and Shadow.

Angor jumped a little at the sudden voice. He was very shocked to see someone “barge” into their Spirit Bond so easily. It was not difficult to break such a Spirit Bond, but no ordinary apprentice could join their connection easy-peasy.

“La-Lady Isabella, why-”

Angor heard Shadow’s trembling voice through the bond. Now, he didn’t need to see Shadow’s figure to know that the man was scared.

Isabella?

That sounded a lot like ‘Sundown Sultan’ Isabelle. Wait, Shadow mentioned that the “old witch” from Dark Castle imitated Isabelle in many ways…

Reaching such a conclusion, Angor felt his heart pounding harder.

“Oh, I just wanted to check if you’re fit to become my sweetheart’s student,” Isabella said while giggling. Her words somehow sounded loud and clear among those giggles as if she could speak with two voices at the same time.

Angor stopped regarding her as a “little girl” when he thought about her possible identity.

“Aw, look at you, chickening out like that. Am I so scary? Tsk. Minus point!” Isabella’s “double voice” came up in their Spirit Bond again. “Maybe the young handsome boy beside you is better.”

Angor quickly realized she was referring to him.

Before he could reply, however, Isabella’s voice suddenly turned louder and harsher as she snapped, “I HATE blond hair and blue eyes! Hey Diablo, kill him and I’ll admit you! Now! DO IT! KILL HIM!”

The Spirit Bond was now completely occupied by the repeating “kill him” line that assaulted their sanity.

Shadow’s eyes suddenly grew red. He slowly reached out a hand toward Angor’s location and began to gather mana.

Next, he shrieked in pain and stumbled out of his Optic Confusion effect while writhing on the ground helplessly.

The voice in the Spirit Bond was still ordering him to kill, but he was in no condition to heed that order now.

Angor silently watched as Shadow struggled. There was no doubt that their magic covenant just worked its wonders. Shadow would soon find his heart ripped apart if he didn’t give up on the idea of killing him.

But Isabella’s voice kept alluring Shadow’s mind, which prevented him from thinking rationally. He could not “unthink”, which in turn caused him his terrible fate.

As Shadow yelled painfully, Angor looked up toward the altar again.

“Little girl” Isabella was still smiling eerily on the altar. Time seemed to be frozen around her. The choirs weren’t singing anymore, and none of the Krakoks were moving.

Angor said to her, “I don’t know why you want to kill me, but you might as well come to get me yourself.”

Isabella didn’t answer. She kept urging Shadow to do the work.

“I see,” Angor said with a grimace. “You’re not ‘really’ here, am I right?”

He reached out a hand and released a trace of nightmare aura.

As the aura traveled around, the “frozen” Krakoks immediately began to move again. Meanwhile, Isabella revealed a surprised look before her body broke into fragments.

“Nice illusion… but it’s only something created by a small part of consciousness,” Angor muttered.

Once the illusion was broken, the Krakoks continued their routines again.

The portal was still shining, and it then gave birth to another figure. However, it wasn’t Isabella this time.

Angor looked at Shadow again. With a snap of his fingers, an Acoustic Illusion covered them both.

Shadow’s eyes quickly regained the vividness of sanity.

“Bah!” The man let out a painful breath and tried to endure the lingering pain on his body. “God damn that old hag. Almost died back there. Hey, thanks for the help.”

“She used her voice to hypnotize you. You wouldn’t have fallen for it if you don’t have any wrong ideas in your mind though.”

Shadow stood up without minding Angor’s hint. “Ahem! So someone has come? Oh, so I guessed right. It’s Fiona.”

“Well, whatever. Just remember, you owe me one.”