Warlock Apprentice

After passing through the long corridor, Angel felt an expansive view open before him. A whimsical town brimming with fairy-tale colors stood in the distance.

Rotating windmills, colorful cottages, and crisscrossing streets made up the town’s appearance in the Earth’s Heart Kingdom.

This place was Windmill Town.

Angel and his group strolled leisurely along paths bordered with flower fields, as if they were shopping. Leading them was a parchment merchant named Kashew, one of the mortals who had sought their help earlier.

Though Kashew was walking in the front, he frequently looked back, yet he did not dare to fix his gaze on the Honorable Wizard; instead, he glanced hesitantly towards the rear of the group.

Yva, who suffered from madness, was following behind them step by step, behaving perfectly like a normal person.

When Kashew first saw him, he thought Yva might have been cured by the Honorable Wizard, but upon closer inspection, he realized Yva’s expression was still twisted; his eyes were eerie and crazed. Maybe the Honorable Wizard had used some method to make Yva ignore the people around him and follow obediently.

After examining Yva, Kashew slowly shifted his gaze to another person—old Hanmu.

Old Hanmu was not walking because he was currently unconscious. He was bound by the tentacles of a flying octopus, hovering in mid-air. As the group moved forward, the octopus walked too, carrying old Hanmu like a kite being flown.

Kashew had no idea what old Hanmu had experienced inside the cave earlier, but seeing the Honorable Wizard controlling him this way, Kashew had a vague suspicion.

Could it be that old Hanmu also caught the madness? Didn’t he escape just recently, and was he infected by Yva?

This suspicion shocked Kashew. If it were true, it would be terrifying! He had only heard that madness was contagious, but he hadn’t expected it to be so infectious, breaking out in old Hanmu in just a few minutes after their separation. It was hard to imagine.

This realization brought a wave of anxiety and concern to Kashew’s heart.

If his suspicion was right, should he remain in Windmill Town? Would moving to other villages or even to the capital be better?

As various doubts swirled in Kashew’s mind, a cold male voice reached his ears:

”Without identifying the source of the disease, running away won’t prevent a recurrence of Windmill Town’s scenario. Perhaps similar madness has already spread elsewhere.”

Startled, Kashew turned sharply to see the young man among the three Honorable Wizards speaking to him.

”M-Master, how did you...”

”You want to know how I knew what you were thinking?” Angel gazed at Kashew, who hesitantly nodded.

”You can think of it as a kind of mind reading technique,” Angel said casually. He naturally did not possess any mind reading ability; he correctly inferred Kashew’s thoughts through comprehensive information deduction and analysis, primarily by interpreting expressions. It was complicated to explain, and Angel did not bother with the details.

After finishing his words, Angel did not continue the conversation.

Kashew quickly accepted the notion of ”mind reading” and, setting it aside, began contemplating what the Honorable Wizard had just said.

Indeed, no one could guarantee that similar afflictions wouldn’t erupt elsewhere. If he wasted all his resources relocating only to discover madness spreading there as well, it would be a futile effort.

In the absence of certainty about controlling the disease’s source, moving wasn’t a feasible option.

Moreover, Kashew determined that outbreaks elsewhere would likely spread like a tsunami. Staying in Windmill Town afforded a greater chance of receiving help since the Barbarian Cave was just next door. Earlier, they had narrowly escaped infection from Yva and sought the Honorable Wizard’s assistance precisely because of this proximity.

With these thoughts, Kashew dismissed the idea of relocating.

However, although he decided not to move, he resolved to stay indoors as much as possible, given the terrifying nature of the madness. It was best to remain at home and wait for the Honorable Wizard to resolve the crisis before venturing out.

As Kashew considered this, they had already entered Windmill Town, and he could vaguely see his own house.

Despite this, Kashew did not head toward his home but instead walked toward the far end of Windmill Town.

There stood a special hospital designated for those afflicted with madness.

This time, his reason for returning to town was to lead the Honorable Wizard to this hospital.

...

Along the way, they scarcely saw any people. Windmill Town was eerily quiet, with every household’s windows and doors shut tight. Occasionally, a few people walked on the street, but upon spotting Yva in the group’s rear, they’d scatter in fright, revealing the intense stress response the madness had triggered.

Soon, under Kashew’s guidance, Angel and the others arrived at a hospital surrounded by high walls.

”Puppet Hospital.”

Greya read the hospital’s name aloud, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Sanders: ”It seems your organization has also noticed these people’s condition.”

Those infected with madness moved like puppets manipulated by a Puppet Master.

Using ”puppet” in the name indicated that the Barbarian Cave had noted the anomalies in these madness patients too.

”Spiritual power detection is being blocked; this hospital area has an energy shielding field.” Sanders said, ”Let’s go in and take a look.”

Angel and Greya nodded. Their purpose here was naturally to examine the situation in detail.

After bidding Kashew to leave, they walked through the main gate of the Puppet Hospital.

To be precise, it was the front hall entrance. This area wasn’t covered by the energy shielding field. Once inside, they found the hall empty.

Greya walked to a table nearby, picked up a cup and fiddled with it before setting it down again.

Greya remarked, ”There’s a faint human scent; not many people come here.”

”A bit strange.” It was Angel who responded, without elaborating on what was strange, but Greya and Sanders understood his implication.

According to their speculation, the madness behind this case wasn’t simple.

Such a complex matter warranted at least a few Transcendents for oversight, but finding no one here was indeed puzzling.

Unless there was absolute confidence in the safety precautions here.

But if the safety measures were truly secure, how had Yva managed to escape?

While they were pondering, a sudden gust of wind blew in through the open doors, with the rustling sound of wind echoing in their ears. A leaf was blown into the hall.

Like a floating feather, the leaf spiraled languidly in the hall’s air.

When it reached the space in front of them, the verdant leaf emitted a soft glow, and countless phantom leaves swirled down from above like a vortex of leafy shadows.

As the leaf shadows touched the ground, a nearly naked figure slowly emerged from the bottom up.

Once fully revealed, all leaves and illusions vanished, as if the person was made from the leaves.

”Hi, everyone. Especially you, Angel. Long time no see~”