A slender, emerald-green viper struggled desperately.
It tried to break free with its incredible agility and the immense strength granted by magic.
Though small in size, its power was no less than that of a bull. And with its astonishing speed, even the keenest hunters couldnât track its movements with their eyes!
Yet, despite its strength and agility, the girlâs hand remained as steady as a rock, gripping the viper tightly, leaving it no chance to escape.
"My teacher was rightâdanger was coming. That old witch really made her move against us!"
Aurora clenched her right hand suddenly, crushing the viper to death.
Its emerald-green scales, resistant to many magical spells, proved completely useless against a warrior of her caliber.
Snap!
The viper exploded into a cloud of emerald-green mist, its deadly poison spreading, rolling and swirling in the airâan inescapable death trap.
This was the viperâs final attack, transforming into a toxic fog upon death to ensure it would take its killer down with it.
Its corpse, now lifeless, dropped to the ground, morphing into a broken wand.
"Tch, just like that old witchâs tricksâone after another. What a nuisance."
Aurora quickly stepped back.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Even so, a trace of the green mist managed to cling to her palm, corroding her fair skin.
The witchâs blessing protected Aurora from man-made and natural weapons, as well as magical and natural flames.
But the world had dangers beyond swords, claws, fangs, and fireâdangers the blessing could not shield her from!
"Aurora, we need to leave this room now."
The moment the golden-haired girl retreated, Rhineâs figure appeared behind her in a blur. He grabbed her shoulder, and in an instant, their figures vanished.
â"Teleportation!"
The two reappeared in a vacant room next door.
Rhine had long anticipated that the old witch, unpredictable as she was, might cause trouble tonight. Staying vigilant, he had used divination to foresee the next few hours. ð³ðâ¦á»ð±ÎS
Divination and prophecy werenât omnipotent; they only provided vague glimpses of the future. But even fragments of insight could be useful.
Just moments ago, at the first sign of danger, Rhine had teleported himself to the neighboring empty room, using magic to observe the original roomâs situation. He had been ready to intervene at any momentâeither to break the deadlock or to launch a surprise counterattack.
Meanwhile, Aurora, with her near-invulnerability, was left behind to face the enemy head-on.
A warrior and a mageâeach playing their role!
"How are you holding up, Aurora?"
Inside the empty room, Rhine looked at Auroraâs corroded right hand with deep concern.
"Itâs fine. It doesnât hurt that much."
The golden-haired girl forced a grin. With her uninjured left hand, she clenched her fist tightly. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead as she took deep breaths, pretending she was unaffected.
"You stubborn childâ¦" Rhine sighed.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out freshly prepared medicinal powder and carefully sprinkled it onto her hand. Then, he cast a healing spell, bathing Auroraâs palm in pure white light.
Now, after combining the Sea Hagâs potion-making techniques with his own healing magic, Rhine was confident that he could cure any poison, disease, or even lethal woundsâso long as the person wasnât dead on the spot, he could bring them back!
Within moments, the poison was purged, and Auroraâs hand was fully healed, looking as flawless as before.
"Next, we need to clear out that toxic mist."
Summoning wind elementals and using neutralizing herbal powder, Rhine swiftly dispersed the emerald-green fog from their room.
Once the air was clear, they returned.
Although her wound had been healed in less than a minute, Aurora still felt indignant as she recalled the attack.
"That old witch mustâve done it! She really tried to kill us!"
Her frustration only grew.
"I wish I could give her a taste of her own medicine!"
But halfway through her rant, Auroraâs expression darkened.
"The problem is⦠we donât know which room sheâs staying in. The Enderland delegation is scattered across multiple rooms. And⦠if sheâs anything like the Black Witch Maleficent, she might have ways to avoid divination and detection."
Rhine chuckled.
He pulled out his Tinderbox and struck it lightly.
Whoosh!
The door swung open with a gust of cold wind, and a massive dog with eyes as large as teacups appeared before them.
Rhine placed the broken wand under the dogâs nose, letting it sniff carefully.
"Find the owner of this wand!"
The Tinderboxâs summoned dogs were truly miraculousâwithin a certain range, they could track down anything their master sought, be it gold or a specific person!
The dog barked twice in understanding before leaping out the window, darting through the palaceâs garden.
It moved as described in the original Tinderbox taleâ
Stealthy as a shadow, slipping past every pair of watching eyes, its agility defying its massive size!
âIn the original story, these dogs had managed to sneak into a heavily guarded palace and snatch away a princess without any soldier noticing!
Since Rhine didnât know invisibility magic, he didnât follow the dog directly. Instead, he pulled out a crystal ball and tracked the dogâs movement from afar, pinpointing the old witchâs room.
Inside her chamber, the old witch sat alone, waiting for her precious viper to return with good news.
Then, a sudden chill swept through the room as the window flung open.
A massive, eerie dog stood before her, its eyes as big as teacups!
"What? Why is there a strange dog here instead of my precious viper?"
The old witchâs face twisted in shock. She immediately realized what had happened.
The dog lunged at her, aiming to pin her down. But she reacted faster, chanting a spell.
"Boom!"
A burst of black mist erupted, and in an instant, the dog transformed into a hideous toad.
"Hahaha! You thought you could take me down with this thing? Well, for the next seven days, youâre stuck like this!"
The old witch cackled triumphantly.
But then, her laughter abruptly stopped.
Her eyes bulged wide in shock.
Because at that moment, a rope had silently wrapped around her neck, suspending her mid-airâ
Strangling her before she could even react!
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