Release that Witch

Roland twitched his lips. The term ”annihilation” seemed a little barbarous for a society governed by law. Roland commented airily, ”Sounds like something extraordinary.”

”It isn’t as complicated as you think,” Garcia retorted as if having seen through Roland’s mind. ”There are precedents. Normally, the Association intends to gain more information about Fallen Evils through this kind of mission and kill them all at one shot. It’ll actually be much safer to have some preparation in advance than fighting an unexpected Fallen Evil alone.”

”Have you participated in any joint missions before?”

”Er...” Garcia faltered. ”I only heard about those missions from my master because I wasn’t qualified to participate in any before. This is my first time.” She paused for a second, her eyes fixed on the coffee cup in her hand, and said, ”Perhaps you don’t really mind that, but I have to make it clear first. When you got that hunting license, you surpassed me. The Association asked me to inform you because you’re relatively new, so you might not be very familiar with the transition. If you feel it improper, that’s fine. I’ll let the Association know — ”

”No, that’s OK,” Roland interrupted her. ”Since it was you who asked me to join the Association in the first place, naturally you should take on a leadership role, shouldn’t you?” Roland had no intention whatsoever to glorify the Martialist Association or become a leader. His main purpose of joining this organization was to simply probe into the mystery around the Erosion and the Force of Nature while at the same time earning some extra incomes.

Garcia stared up into Roland’s eyes for quite a while, a little bemused, and then burst into a laugh. ”A leadership role — you’re so strange... I know you don’t want to take the responsibility, so you make it sound like you offer the position to me,” Garcia said, apparently looking a lot more relieved.

”Yup, I just don’t want to say it out loud,” Roland said indifferently with a shrug. ”Back to the business. So, anyone else joining us this time? Who’s our target?”

”To avoid unnecessary information leak, we’ll disclose the plan once everyone has arrived,” Garcia said as she gulped down the coffee. ”But I’ve heard that some modern martialists will also join in this mission.”

Roland nodded understandably and asked, ”When and where are we going to meet up?”

”Tomorrow evening, 6:00, in the southern suburb. I’ll text you the details. You could go by yourself or I could give you a ride.”

”I’ll go by myself,” Roland said quickly. It would be impossible to take witches with him if he went with Garcia.

Garcia replied while twitching her lips, ”Up to you.” Then she waved at Phyllis and passed her a note. ”I’m Roland’s neighbor. I’m just living next door in Room 0827. If you encounter any problems in this city, feel free to contact me. I mean if you’re under duress or coersion, call me at this number. I’m happy to help.”

Phyllis winked and said, ”Th-thank you.”

”You’re welcome,” Garcia said while patting Phyllis on the shoulder with a smile. She waved at Roland at the doorstep and said, ”Well, see you tomorrow then.”

With another silvery clink and clatter, Garcia vanished from behind the door.

”She’s nice,” Phyllis remarked. ”Your Majesty, are you going?”

”Since the Association appointed me, I don’t think I could turn it down. I guess this is the price I have to pay for the hunting license,” Roland said indifferently. ”There are other people working with me as well, so it shouldn’t be very dangerous as long as we proceed with caution. It’s actually not too bad to partake in such an event once in a while.” With a group of witches around him, Roland could almost guarantee the victory. Killing was also an effective way to alleviate stress.

”Then I’ll inform Lady Pasha and bring some combat witches to assist you,” Phyllis said on a bow.

...

Roland selected four witches to come with him for this mission, who were Phyllis, Faldi, Ling and Dawnen. They could track enemies while at the same time covering up their traces, which was exactly what Roland needed to carry out this mission.

The next day, Roland drove his mini van to the designated spot.

They were meeting up at a remote but accessible rest area in the suburb, from where they would change vehicles to avoid unwelcome attention.

Roland thought the Martialist Association was indeed quite thoughtful.

However, when he reached the rest area, he realized that he had been seriously wrong.

The parking lot was lined with luxurious cars, attracting a lot of onlookers. A knot of people was congregated there, shrilling in excitement. It was evident that they had spotted some celebrated martialists.

”Luo Luo, look over here!”

”Can I take a photo with you?”

”Are you coming here to film a commercial?”

”Is that the runner-up last year, Mr. Youlong?”

”Wow, he smiled at me! He’s so hot!”

Roland rolled his eyes, wondering if these guys were really here for the mission. As soon as he parked his car, Garcia came up to him.

”Get under your veil.”

”Got it,” Dawnen muttered as she summoned the Veil of Invisibility and threw it over the three witches.

Roland got off the vehicle and waved at Garcia. ”You’re fast.”

”You have a hunting license now. Why are you still driving such a... battered vehicle?” Garcia asked in confusion. ”I understand that you like to keep a low profile, but... this is a little too much. This is shabby.”

”Really?” Roland said while spreading out his hands. ”I actually feel it quite convenient. You can use it for grocery shopping, and it’s large enough to store a large quantity of food. I don’t think other vehicles can do that.” Roland left the other reason unsaid, which was that you would never know how many witches you could hide in this van.

”Alright then,” Garcia said quite resignedly, ”if you really don’t mind how people look at you.”

”I don’t care it at all,” Roland said while smiling indifferently. ”Are those profligates also martialists?”

”Yes, but don’t say that to anyone else,” Garcia said while darting Roland a cold glance. ”They joined the Association earlier than you. So, technically, they’re all your seniors.”

”What about their titles in the Association?”

”That would be even worse because they know you represent traditional martialists,” Garcia sighed. ”They won’t miss any opportunity to embarrass you.”

”I thought martialists were all selfless heroes like you,” Roland mumbled. ”By the way, you’re also a modern martialist, right? Is that OK to stay so close to me?”

”Not everyone cares about the conflicts between modern and traditional martialists,” Garcia grunted. ”Plus, you asked me to take on a leadership role, didn’t you?”

”I did,” Roland said with a smile. ”Then I’ll follow your instructions.”

”Well, as your senior, let me briefly introduce them to you. You probably saw some of them at my father’s party, so I’ll just go over the three main figures,” Garcia said as she raised her eyebrows at several people at the center of the crowd. ”Luo Hua, a well-established martialist, with excellent combat techniques. He has a lot of fans and was ranked No. 10 last year, which was the best in this city. He’s only 22 but has already gained a lot of experience. That’s pretty impressive.”

”Mr. Youlong, not sure about his exact age but possibly between 30 and 35, was one of the representatives of modern martialists. His whole family is dedicated to martial arts, and that’s how he got his nickname. Mr. Youlong is an all-rounder. People say that he’s powerful enough to be a ’guard’. He was the runner-up last year, and I’m pretty sure he’s aiming for championship this year. I believe he’ll be the captain for this mission.”

Garcia broke off and looked around as if searching for something. Then she pointed to a pavilion outside the parking lot and said, ”The last one is probably the person that you have to approach with extra caution.”

Roland looked in the direction Garcia pointed.

”Fei Yuhan, one of the most gifted martialists in recent years, who entered the final match within only five years,” Garicia remarked half admiringly and half enviously. ”I didn’t expect to see her here. With her joining the team, this will probably be the best team combination.”

”So, what do I have to take extra caution for? Is she going to mess up with me?”

”Rubbish,” Garcia said while rolling her eyes. ”You and she are not even in the same league. I just want to remind you that you should be careful not to crush on her!”