Only God

"First is the issue of money, but I believe that you are not worried about money, so there's no need to go into details."

"Then, what is the most important condition?"

"The most important condition,"

the dwarfish witch paused and said slowly:

"I need Her Highness the Princess to help lift the Witch Gathering's bounty on us."

Arsia immediately promised:

"Of course, that can be done, they dare not slight me."

In the darkness, the dwarfish witch smiled,

"Since it is so, let us sign a contract later. First, we must get to know each other and build trust."

After these words, the dwarfish witch slowly took off the peaked hat from her head and revealed her face.

Eden was slightly surprised.

Her skin was sky blue, her stature petite, with a clean and tender face like that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. But the elongated ears indicated that she was certainly not as young as she appeared to be; she was a Zor Elf!

"Surprising, isn't it.

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Mona, the Chief Witch of the Witch Gathering."

Arsia was so surprised she was at a loss for words:

"I remember... aren't you in opposition to the Zor Elves?"

Mona nodded slightly,

"Of course, but this does not mean a Zor Elf cannot become a Chief Witch.

Just like the other sisters here, I despise them and their kingdom, even though they are my kin."

After finishing, Mona looked at the other witches and continued:

"My real name is not Mona, but another name in the language of the Elves. I once witnessed the depraved days of my mother, indulging with all manner of men and, after getting married, killing her spouses, over and over again. I used to take pride in it, thinking that was a woman's most glorious moment. But now, upon reflection, how shameful it was.

The reason I turned out this way, joined the Witch Gathering, and became a witch is not for anything else, but because of... a sacred experience."

Eden looked at her with some curiosity:

"A sacred experience?"

"Yes, I was originally traveling by ship with my mother, prepared to go to Ausenco to carry out the wishes of Ghost King Rigongde, to oppose the Witch Gathering, but a storm suddenly arose at sea. I fell overboard and passed out clinging to a plank."

Mona's voice involuntarily rose a bit as she explained:

"I thought I was going to die, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself still alive, though it wasn't much different from death. One couldn't survive long alone in the boundless ocean holding onto a plank.

But then, when I was most thirsty, a beam of light fell from above the sea, seemingly at the horizon. It was like sunlight, yet not sunlight. Within it, a voice told me to seek Solamus!

After that, wave after wave came towards me, not to snatch my life, but to escort me. It pushed me over and over until I drifted to the shore, where, by chance, I met a reclusive witch."

Mona recounted her own story. After meeting the witch, the rest was straightforward, she joined the Witch Gathering and demonstrated an exceptionally high talent for witchcraft. In a mere twenty years, she became the Chief Mage.

A sacred experience...

Eden was uncertain about the authenticity of these words.

In this world, there are far too many who claim to have had a sacred experience. Who knows how many are real and how many are fake.

Even if the person isn't intentionally deceptive, it's hard to guarantee they aren't mistaking accidents or coincidences for miracles.

"Go seek Solamus..."

Eden muttered these words to himself.

Solamus…

Even though Eden was reluctant to admit it, out of all the prophets, the one he liked least, the one he least wanted to face, was Solamus.

Though, on many occasions, Solamus, who sounded the horn, was known as the most perfect of prophets.

Arsia noticed his complex expression but did not immediately inquire; instead, she kept it to herself.

"I believe this was God's arrangement. He used Solamus to save me, to guide me here,"

Mona said with emotion,

"To allow me to touch the legacy of Solamus."

As the echoes of their words faded, the witches almost unanimously turned their heads, glaring at Mona with a mix of severity and peculiarity.

The Chief Witch seemed to realize something and was about to correct herself,

but Eden asked before she had the chance,

"Solamus's legacy? What does that mean?"

Mona's lips trembled slightly; she looked around, somewhat at a loss, and, realizing she had let something slip, she lowered her head in embarrassment, her hands despondently intertwined.

Witch Rita spoke up immediately:

"The Witch Gathering, that's Solamus's legacy.

Mr. Eden, haven't you figured it out? I thought someone as perceptive as you would have noticed."

The Priest was somewhat puzzled,

"Noticed what?"

Rita slowly explained:

"You might not be aware, but... each generation's Chief Witch is named Mona.

It's not for any trivial reason, but because our gathering's founder was none other than Solamus's child—Witch Mona."

Eden's pupils contracted,

"That Mona?!"

In the "Book of Thousand-Year-Old Prophets," Solamus had taught a child named Mona, who later became a witch. Even though she was only mentioned briefly, Eden, who was well-versed in Scripture, immediately caught on.

This explained why the majority of those in the Witch Gathering were True Believers.

Arsia was also extremely surprised; she had not expected the Witch Gathering to have such a profound origin.

But then she thought of something else.

How could this Witch Gathering be so absolutely certain that their founder was Witch Mona?

There were more witch gatherings in the world than just theirs,

Perhaps they were fraudulently using the Prophet's name to gain credibility,

Or perhaps they were trying to attribute to themselves an impressive ancestry.

The crux of the matter must be "Solamus's legacy"...

Judging by the tone of that Zor Elf, Solamus's legacy seemed to be something specific.

At this moment, Witch Rita continued:

"The reason Mona spoke that way is due to our founder's identity, and the Witch Gathering is precisely Solamus's legacy."

Arsia found this peculiar.

While that could make sense, it also felt like something was being made up to fill in gaps.

Tsk, tsk... there might be a huge secret hidden within.

"Well then, I wasn't expecting your origins to be so significant."

Eden accepted the explanation,

"However, getting back to it, what is the reason for your animosity towards the Zor Elves? Is it because the Fahela Sect is heretical? Surely not? Forgive my boldness, but you don't seem like devout nuns."

Mona moved her lips, as though she wanted to say something, but after hesitating, she decided it was better to say less and thus gave a look to the others.

"Our initial conflict with the Zor Elves was without cause or grievance.

However... for reasons unknown, those Zor Elves suddenly attacked us, assailing not only us but also causing chaos in other countries.

We were initially baffled, thinking it was indiscriminate aggression, but after investigating, we discovered the Zor Elves had been plotting all along; they seemed to be vying for... a Holy Artifact."

Witch Rita took the initiative to continue the dialogue with Eden.

"What Holy Artifact, could it be... related to Solamus?"

"You're not wrong, and besides Ausenco, they also attacked another country, not far from Ausenco, called Rodo, an obscure little Kingdom.

But through our deductions and investigations, it seems that the land of this small Kingdom was once home to a great nation—Liboga."

Due to his thorough knowledge of Scripture, Eden immediately recognized the place,

"The site where Solamus became divine? She once battled the Fire God there."