Witch Ellie and Male Wizard Gab turned pale simultaneously and grasped their Short Wands, taking on an attacking stance.
During this escape, the two of them had stuck close together and hadn’t encountered anyone else. Thus, it was difficult to determine whether the newcomer was friend or foe.
Their expressions were tense, ready to act at any moment as someone approached the entrance of the cavern amid the sound of footsteps.
The newcomer was clad in a Black Robe and exuded a chilling aura, unmistakably a wizard from the Supreme Order Divine Society. Previously on the battlefield, Richard had killed many but couldn’t ensure all were dead; this one was a survivor.
At this moment, the newcomer seemed to be in better condition than the two from Deep Blue Castle, at least his clothes were clean and his complexion was normal. As he walked into the cave and glanced at the two from Deep Blue Castle, he said expressionlessly, "There’s no need to be so vigilant. We’re still on the same side, aren’t we? I’m just like the two of you now, also on the run, so there’s no need to guard against me."
Hearing this, Witch Ellie and Male Wizard Gab exchanged a look, quickly communicated through their gazes, and finally lowered their Short Wands as they nodded at the Black Robed Wizard.
The Black Robed Wizard said, "That’s more like it."
With these words, he strode to the front of the campfire and took a seat between Witch Ellie and Male Wizard Gab, disregarding their expressions, and conjured a piece of bread out of nowhere with a wave of his hand.
With another wave, a dinner knife appeared.
The Black Robed Wizard used the knife to cut the bread into two thick slices, and magically produced jerky, ham, cheese, and jam which he sandwiched between the bread slices. Then he brought the "stuffed bread" to his mouth.
He bit into it and chewed with a "smack smack" sound; occasionally, a silver bottle appeared in his hand, contents unknown, which he brought to his lips.
He ate and drank, oblivious to those around him.
The expressions of Witch Ellie and Male Wizard Gab became rather lively.
They wouldn’t have said anything if the Black Robed Wizard was merely eating bread. But his variety of food made it an indulgence, hardly the behavior of someone in flight.
Compared to their own predicament, it was night and day. During their escape, to minimize leaving traces, they dared not approach any human settlements. Eating a saltless roasted rabbit was considered a feast; a stark contrast to the Black Robed Wizard’s excess.
As the sound of "smack smack" from the Black Robed Wizard continued, Witch Ellie couldn’t help herself and turning to the Black Robed Wizard asked, "Hey, how can you carry so much stuff with you? Do you have any extras you could share with us? We could trade with Crystal Coins or something else."
The Black Robed Wizard continued eating his bread as if he hadn’t heard.
Witch Ellie’s face darkened slightly, her tone becoming stern, "Hey, I’m talking to you. Did you hear me? Where did you get these things from..."
"I heard you the first time; no need to repeat yourself!" the Black Robed Wizard suddenly interrupted, swallowing a bite of bread and glancing at Ellie, "I heard you wanted to buy some food, considering your current conditions, it’s understandable. But the problem is, although we’re still on the same side, I have no interest in selling anything to you. First, I’m not short of money. Second, I don’t think you are worthy of the food I have!"
"You!" Witch Ellie’s eyes widened, and she prepared to take action.
At that moment, Male Wizard Gab spoke up, advising, "Ellie, don’t act rashly."
"This isn’t me being impulsive, this guy is out of line. We let him into the cave, and this is how he treats us!" Witch Ellie was extremely dissatisfied, food aside, it was the Black Robed Wizard’s attitude that made her feel humiliated.
Male Wizard Gab sighed softly, "Then think about Dark."
"Dark?" Witch Ellie paused, looking at Male Wizard Gab. Their gazes met, and her expression suddenly became complicated.
Dark was a place name, also a code between her and Male Wizard Gab, this code was...
"Witch Aili sighed," Witch Aili breathed, her expression slowly becoming composed, and her tone returned to normal, "Okay, if it’s not for sale, it’s not for sale." It seemed as though she was no longer planning to entangle herself with the Black Robed Wizard, closing her eyes to meditate and regain her strength.
On the other side, Male Wizard Gab cleared his throat.
Three seconds later, Witch Aili and Male Wizard Gab, without any warning, suddenly struck toward the Black Robed Wizard sandwiched between them. At that moment, the Black Robed Wizard was eating, clearly unable to defend himself.
But... they had clearly miscalculated.
Just as they were summoning scorching energy in their hands, ready to burn the Black Robed Wizard to a crisp, "thud thud" two sounds rang out, and both of their bodies were pierced together.
Both of their eyes widened in disbelief as they looked towards the Black Robed Wizard, only to see two bizarre bone spurs growing out from under his ribs like longswords, piercing into their bodies and frantically sucking their blood.
"Thunk, thunk, thunk..."
"Hey!" the Black Robed Wizard said with a face full of mockery, shaking his head, "Did you really think you could deceive me with your little schemes? It’s really laughable. You might think you’re smart, but in reality, I saw through you long ago. By the way, let me tell you something: even before entering the cave, I had no intention of letting you live; so, even if you hadn’t attacked me, I still would have made my move. You don’t need to regret anything."
After saying this, the bone spurs emerging from the Black Robed Wizard’s ribs violently retracted, causing Witch Aili and Male Wizard Gab to fall to the ground with a "thud," their eyes wide open in death—dead with eyes unshut.
The Black Robed Wizard was completely undisturbed by the two corpses and continued to eat his bread.
Several minutes later, taking his time, he swallowed the last bite of bread and lightly clapped his hands, slowly standing up.
His expression became slightly serious, his hand flipped, and he took out a crystal ball, took a deep breath, and began to channel magic into the crystal ball.
The crystal ball vibrated, and a faint golden light flashed inside, signaling an imminent successful connection.
The Black Robed Wizard’s expression became solemn, a rare glimpse of nervousness showing because he had to report the current situation on the East Coast to the headquarters.
He was unsure how many of his peers surviving on the East Coast remained, but if he was the only one left, he would be the sole messenger. He needed to make sure the headquarters understood the cause and effect to adjust their plans and respond appropriately.
As more mana infused, the vibrations in the crystal ball grew more intense, its golden light becoming more and more dazzling. Just as it was about to connect successfully, suddenly, there was a "crash."
A crack appeared abruptly on the surface of the crystal ball, the golden light inside instantly dissipated, turning blood red.
The blood-red color, like mist, slowly morphed into a bizarre shape, and the Black Robed Wizard instinctively looked and saw a Clown grinning eerily at him.
"Hee, hee, hee, hee!"
The Black Robed Wizard was shocked!