Damn! Ori...

Damn! Ori... (Please subscribe! 210)

Isaac's sudden move startled Noence Prince's daughter and Remington. They could not see the evil spirit above the girl's head, so they clearly did not understand Isaac's actions.

Filo, who was walking ahead, noticed Isaac's reaction. She turned back to glance at him, the corners of her lips lifting into a satisfied smile.

Clearly, she had already guessed that Isaac could see it, and she was quite pleased that he had gone on guard so quickly.

"Calm down. Don't act rashly. As long as you don't hurt Angel, the evil spirit won't make any sudden moves." Filo pressed her right hand down in the air, signaling Isaac not to be nervous.

"Hamon, Little Mouse, stand down." Only after having Little Mouse and Hamon lower their guard did Isaac look at Filo in confusion. "She's a summoning-type Witch? Doesn't look like it."

Though Isaac had not met many Witches, he knew quite a bit about contract magic. Even Witches had to rely on contract magic when commanding summons, so there would be faint connections between them and their contractors.

Yet he had not sensed such a connection between Angel and the evil spirit.

"Because she really isn't. Angel's magic is called the Annals of Time. It can change the past! That evil spirit was drawn here by her power and protects her of its own accord. No contract was made."

"Change... the past?!" Isaac froze, then his eyes widened as he looked at the girl slowly turning her wheelchair around. "Damn! An... an Origin Witch?!"

Seeing Isaac's shocked expression, Filo nodded in complete sympathy.

Origin Witches referred specifically to Witches whose awakened magic was extraordinarily powerful. Generally, only Witches capable of manipulating forces tied to the structure of the world—such as time, space, and fundamental forces—could be called Origin Witches!

They were given this title because their magical power was too immense to be contained within their bodies, causing it to condense into a Magic Book.

Moreover, unlike other Witches, Origin Witches could use that Magic Book to gradually master their vast power step by step, and would almost never lose control.

According to The Wizard's Path, Legendary Wizards had originally arisen by drawing inspiration from Origin Witches.

The power to control time...

Isaac looked at Angel with a complicated expression. Even he could not help feeling jealous when facing an Origin Witch. This was what it meant to be blessed by the heavens!

Still, Isaac did not remain immersed in his shock for long. He quickly came back to himself, let out a heavy sigh, and said to the girl in the wheelchair, "Hello. My name is Isaac Solomon. Unless something unexpected happens, we'll be teammates in the Divine Lamp Grand Trial. I look forward to working with you."

"Hello, I'm Angel. Filo has mentioned you to me. You're very impressive." Angel smiled faintly and waved her delicate hand. The evil spirit above her head instantly vanished without a trace.

"All right, all right~ Enough chatting. We'll have plenty of chances to get to know each other later. Right now, I'm the main character! Please clear some space!"

Before Isaac and Angel could speak further, Filo cut off their conversation with a wave of both hands. Then she skipped to the center of the ritual already arranged on the rooftop and began seriously carrying out one final inspection.

Seeing this, Isaac narrowed his eyes slightly and took several more steps back, completely withdrawing from the ritual's area of influence.

As a Legendary Wizard, Isaac was quite skilled with rituals. He knew very well that it was not only objects inside a Magic Array that could become ritual sacrifices. Sometimes, under a wizard's control, the power of a transaction ritual could extend beyond the Magic Array.

Just like when he had traded with the God of Black Orcs: most of the Black Orcs used as cushions had not been inside the Ritual Magic Circle, yet Isaac had still sacrificed them.

Likewise, if Isaac stood within its range, sacrificing him would be no more than a thought away for Filo. A wise man did not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Isaac understood such a simple principle.

Of course, the reason he dared to watch was that a ritual's effective range was not limitless.

The reason rituals were more potent than spells of the same rank was precisely because of their complexity. Their intricate rules granted them great power, but also forced them to operate within those rules.

For transaction and sacrifice rituals, there was a limited range and an absolute range. Within the limited range, as long as certain conditions were met, the ritual's effects could be extended outward. The absolute range, however, was an area that could not be reached regardless of the means used.

At that moment, Isaac was standing beyond that absolute range.

Not long after he stopped, Angel wheeled herself over to his side.

Isaac glanced at Angel, one brow rising. It seemed these two did not trust each other all that much after all...

Still, that was normal. Origin Witches were the Outer Gods' favorite sacrifices!

"You're a commoner?" Isaac turned toward Angel and asked curiously. He had noticed that Angel had not given a surname when introducing herself earlier.

In the Terra Empire, only commoners had no surnames.

Of course, it was also possible that Angel had fallen out with her family and been stripped of her surname, just like Remington, the original second brother.

"Yes." Angel nodded without hesitation, then smiled at Isaac. "Is that strange?"

"A little," Isaac admitted frankly with a nod.

Although Origin Witches could control their powers more steadily than other Witches, they were still Witches. Their powers could still go out of control. Thus, even Origin Witches rarely had happy childhoods, especially those born as commoners.

Yet Angel was far too calm. She lacked even a hint of the madness typical of a Witch.

Angel smiled faintly without taking offense. "I was lucky. I met Princess Filo early on. If not for her meticulous care, I might have ended up like other Witches."

"No wonder you two are so close."

"Yes." Angel said nothing more. She merely nodded lightly and turned her attention to Filo, her gaze becoming somewhat unfocused.

Isaac gave Angel a deep sidelong glance. That's more like it. That's what a Witch should be like. She'd been acting far too normal before.

But honestly, Isaac did not dare make any judgments yet. He did not know whether Angel was deliberately putting on an act for him. But one thing was certain: regardless of whether what she said was true or false, she was not a normal person!

That put Isaac much more at ease.

Soon, Isaac also turned his attention to the ritual Filo was working on. Then his brows slowly furrowed. The dignified princess of an empire was only this good?

However, Isaac did not say anything. What if this was some special technique of hers?

He would ask after it was over.

So Isaac buried his doubts and quietly watched Filo perform.