Witch Monastery

Chapter 412: Temporary Return

Back in the camp, after Charles finished his conversation with Sophia, everyone began to wake and pack up their tents and belongings, preparing to set out.

Willo, eyes filled with concern as she looked at the poor refugees, handed her own tasks off to Adele to help with. She herself walked over to Charles and asked quietly, "What about these refugees?"

"We can’t possibly take them any further into the Underdark, but it would be dangerous to just send them back to Willowwind Town alone, wouldn’t it? Should we have someone escort them?"

As she spoke, she’d already made up her mind: she and Adele, one of them should go, leading the refugees back to safety.

After all, a group doesn’t really need two druids at once. It made sense for mother and daughter to choose one to guide the refugees home. And personally, Willo hoped it would be Adele—partly to keep her daughter away from the dangers of the Underdark, and partly to give herself a bit more privacy with Charles.

But Charles shook his head.

"Let’s hold off for now. We’ll go back first," he said. "We should personally escort the refugees back to Willowwind Town and make sure they’re truly safe; otherwise, I won’t feel at ease."

"And besides, there are two other crucial people on their way who need to join the group before we delve deeper into the Underdark."

Willo’s eyes lit up, and it was only natural for her true feelings to slip out: "That’s great, but... won’t that be a delay?"

Charles considered for a moment, let out a long breath, and replied,

"No. If we headed underground now and blundered around blindly, it wouldn’t actually save us much time."

"Let’s go, trust me—this way is much safer."

Willo nodded gently. She called the others, and together they followed Charles, turning back toward Willowwind Town.

At the rear of the group, Dark Elf Hanni Harren tugged on Nymeria, asking in Elvish, "Weren’t we headed for that new market by Darklake? Why are we suddenly changing direction?"

"The Underdark isn’t this way. Shouldn’t we be going down?"

Nymeria explained, "Plans have changed. First, we’re going to the surface so we can bring these people somewhere safe, then we’ll go with you to find your family near Darklake."

Hanni immediately looked visibly flustered. "Huh? The surface? I’ve never been up there before..."

Her red eyes darted everywhere, glancing repeatedly at Charles, her face written with clear distrust.

Nymeria noticed and asked, "What are you afraid of? You can see for yourself—we’re good people, not like your kin down there."

Hanni bit her lip and explained, "I’m just... I heard that the sunlight in the surface world is blinding and could blind those of us from the Underdark..."

She lowered her head with real fear. Nymeria quickly understood and comforted her, "It’s alright, you can wear something to cover your eyes until you adjust."

"Don’t worry—even after the ancient elf empire split, plenty of Dark Elves made it to the surface. Some even became famous legendary Rangers—I’m sure you’ve heard the stories..."

The two elves chatted in Elvish, leaving the rest of the group bemused by their murmurs.

Up ahead, Charles saw them talking and frowned slightly, then asked Nymeria, "What is she saying?"

"Oh, she’s never been to the surface, and she’s scared the sunlight will hurt her eyes," Nymeria switched to Common. "I’m telling her she can just shade her eyes in the daytime and gradually adapt."

Charles nodded in understanding, but sensed her worry went deeper.

The two elves went back and forth again, but no matter how Nymeria tried to reassure her, Hanni’s expression barely changed.

Seeing this, Charles felt a rush of impatience.

He couldn’t understand the Dark Elf’s words, but her hesitation was clear enough. After a moment’s thought, he announced abruptly: "Nymeria, tell her—if she really doesn’t want to go to the surface with us, she can leave now and go her own way back to the Underdark."

"We’re followers of the Goddess of Life. We don’t enslave anyone, or restrict anyone’s freedom like those orcs."

Behind him, Hattie hid a smile, catching on to his real intent. Nymeria obediently translated—and sure enough, after hearing it, the Dark Elf looked terrified and shook her head hard, babbling frantically.

Nymeria turned to Charles. "She says she doesn’t dare go back alone; she’s willing to try going to the surface with us."

Charles’s mouth curled in a satisfied smile. "That’s fine, then—it’s her choice. We’re not forcing her."

...

South Harbor District, at the door of Malena’s old home beside the monastery.

Shapiro, finally seeing daylight again, stood outside, Sophia at his back to keep him from any reckless moves.

He was still wearing the same clothes as before, but his face looked drawn. His hands, awkwardly clasped behind his back, seemed restrained—almost as if he was actually in cuffs.

And in fact, although nothing was visible, there was indeed an unseen magical shackle around his wrists at that moment, restricting both his movements and any recovery of magical power.

These were Sophia’s handiwork—magical shackles that could only be placed with the subject’s full consent.

Basically, unless you were a barbarian with extreme magical resistance, once you wore these cuffs you were basically as helpless as a civilian. Unless you got outside help, there was no way to get rid of them.

Legends were an exception—legendary beings always had their own unique means of spellcasting, and the usual methods couldn’t restrain them.

But wearing these shackles made Shapiro less dangerous than even an ordinary person, and thus, under Sophia’s watch, he was finally released from the dungeon and allowed to see the sun again.

Now, standing in front of Malena’s old door, he was waiting to reunite with someone.

In the distance, two small figures walked hand in hand toward him. Shapiro recognized both: one was the nun Andny, who had brought him meals before; the other was his little niece, Lisa.

Seeing Lisa’s face, Shapiro’s pupils contracted slightly, emotions welling up inside. He reflexively took a step forward, almost reaching out to grab Lisa’s shoulder and ask what really happened that night.

But Sophia shot him a fierce glare, instantly snapping him out of it. He steadied himself, forced a smile, and called out gently, "Lisa, do you remember me? I’m Shapiro—your uncle."

At the sight of his face, Lisa, who’d been holding Andny’s hand, froze in place and hid behind the Insect Witch, fear all over her face.

Truth was, since her bloodline awakened and her diet improved over the past six months, she’d grown quickly—she was now hardly shorter than Andny.

Of course, that was partly because Andny was really short, but it also spoke to how much Lisa had improved physically over these months.

Yet even so, she was still hiding behind Andny, staring at her uncle with eyes full of terror.

She’d disliked him from the moment they first met, sensing a kind of murderous aura—a killer’s edge, a bloodthirsty wolf or demon. It scared her.

But she had to face it—her own mother wanted her to call him "uncle." She didn’t want to, but seeing her mother’s happy face, she forced herself to act proper and polite.

Sensing her unease, Andny turned, gently ran her hand through Lisa’s hair, then turned and fixed Shapiro with a chilly stare. "You’re scaring her."

Shapiro was at a loss. He could see Lisa’s fear, but had no idea what to do.

Years of living by the sword had left him with a fierce, intimidating presence. He really didn’t know how to deal with kids.

Luckily, there were others here Lisa trusted.

"Shapiro’s here because of what happened the night your mother disappeared," Sophia said softly. "He’s concerned about the incident and has been investigating. Our words don’t mean as much as yours—so Lisa, can you tell us what happened that night?"

Lisa nodded slowly. Facing Shapiro’s desperate gaze, she began, "That night, everything was normal. I came home as usual..."

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