Witch Hunter Blainey

In the evening, within the slums outside the Nordland Territory of the Secas Empire, two unwelcome guests arrived.

The man in the lead was about thirty years old, clad in tight leather armor with a long saber at his waist. His dark golden hair cascaded down his back, making him stand out starkly against the dilapidated, decaying slums. Naturally, this immediately drew countless malicious gazes.

Hungry mobs and thieves lurked in the shadows, their gazes sharp as daggers scanning the two men.

Upon seeing the Holy Light Mark on their clothes, the covetous eyes instantly retracted.

In the Secas Empire, some might not recognize the empire's flag, but no one would fail to recognize the Holy Light Mark...

It was the symbol of an Emissary of God!

Besides the clergy wearing Temple Robes, the only others with the Holy Light Mark on their clothes were the witch hunters!

Legend had it that every witch hunter received a blessing from God, possessing skills far beyond ordinary people. No one was willing to provoke such individuals.

Noticing the disappearance of the figures hiding in the shadows, Andre chuckled disdainfully. However, the faint stench emanating from the dilapidated alley quickly made him frown.

"As Bishop Antioch said, these wizards are like rats, preferring to hide in these dark, smelly corners," Andre remarked, covering his nose as he surveyed the stains and excrement lingering in the dark corners of the street.

"We should be cautious, Andre. We're not dealing with ordinary characters this time," the man in the lead said, displeased with Andre's ostentatious demeanor.

A few days ago, a major incident occurred in the Duke Nordland's territory. A wizard named Coru attempted to bewitch the Duke's second daughter. Fortunately, the stationed guards discovered it in time, preventing the Duke Nordland's youngest daughter from being ensnared by a Demon.

The brutality of that encirclement battle was still vivid.

To capture this audacious wizard, Duke Nordland dispatched two full battalions of guards for the pursuit. Even so, they suffered heavy losses. If not for the arrival of a Lord Bishop from the Holy See, Duke Nordland would have been utterly disgraced!

And their target this time was the wizard's apprentice, also a wizard!

"Don't worry, Blainey," Andre said with a sneer. "We're only dealing with a wizard apprentice who's only been dabbling in Magic for a few months. These people usually only know one or two simple tricks. Believe me, a farmer swinging a hoe would be more difficult to handle than them."

In the more than half a year since joining the witch hunters, he had participated in several encirclement operations against wizards.

In the beginning, Andre had been deeply fearful of the wizards, who were rumored to be summoned by Demons.

However, after actual contact, Andre realized that those wizards were not as terrifying as he had imagined. Most of them posed no real threat. Their Magic was limited in power, and some were even less reliable than ballistae and longswords.

As for those apprentices with poor skills, they could only be described as trash. If they lost focus, they couldn't cast Magic in battle and were left to be slaughtered.

What pleased Andre the most was the high bounty for capturing these wizards. Duke Nordland was particularly generous; capturing an apprentice alive could fetch a full six Secas Gold Coins, enough for them to live luxuriously for quite some time!

Of course, killing them only yielded half the price.

Blainey glanced at Andre but didn't retort, though his vigilance did not waver.

In his experience, witch hunters who relied too much on intelligence rarely lived long...

The slums outside the Nordland Territory were not large, and there was very little foot traffic. Using their identity as witch hunters, Andre easily coerced a vagrant into revealing the target's hiding place.

It was a structure that could hardly be called a house. Its red brick walls were pockmarked and covered in green vines, and the door looked precarious, as if it would collapse with a gentle push.

The target they were looking for was right before them, yet neither of them made a move immediately.

Andre shot his partner a look, cursed him inwardly, then took the initiative to place his hand on the door. His calloused knuckles forcefully pulled the bolt. The seemingly precarious door remained unmoving, clearly blocked from the inside by something.

Andre gritted his teeth and kicked the door with all his might.

A violent crash echoed, and the door broke open, revealing the interior.

The cramped room was messy from neglect, with piles of garbage in the corners.

A candle flickered on a wooden table nearby. Perhaps disturbed by the wind from the forced entry, the faint flame wavered twice before extinguishing.

The once moderately bright room instantly became very dim, with only a sliver of light filtering in through the wide-open window. The worn blanket on the bed could be seen dragged onto the floor, extending all the way to the window.

Blainey, who had followed inside, scanned the room and was quickly drawn to a piece of paper lying on the floor.

Andre, who had entered first, also noticed this. He bent down and picked up the crumpled paper. After reading its contents, his face turned grim.

"Damn it, looks like we're too late. This kid has already gone to meet up with other apprentices!" Andre exclaimed in annoyance. Combining this with the state of the room, he immediately imagined what had happened.

The wizard apprentice they were pursuing had received word of their arrival and fled before they could even pack his belongings.

However, judging by the unextinguished candle and the lingering warmth on the bed, the target shouldn't have gone far.

With this thought, Andre became anxious and was about to move. This was six Secas Gold Coins, and he couldn't let him get away.

Once the target linked up with other wizard apprentices, it would be much harder to capture him. Of course, Andre was more worried about other bounty hunters getting there first.

"Wait..."

Just as Andre was about to hastily climb through the window in pursuit, Blainey reached out and stopped him. Amidst Andre's impatient expression, Blainey pointed to the desk.

Andre turned to look. Besides the extinguished candle, the desk was scattered with over a dozen copper coins and drafts covered in strange characters and patterns.

After a moment's thought, Andre quickly understood his partner's meaning. If the wizard apprentice had left after receiving the news, he wouldn't have left behind easily portable currency, let alone these "precious" Magic manuscripts.

With his experience hunting wizards, Andre knew very well that most wizards would rather die than part with their so-called research notes.

This meant the target might still be hiding in this room...

Andre sneered. The drag marks from the blanket on the floor, the open window, the dropped note – all of it suggested the target had fled.

Clearly, this wizard apprentice had played a clever trick, trying to mislead them elsewhere. It might even be a trap; he had almost fallen for it.

At this moment, Lynn, hidden in the darkness, was sweating profusely. His mind became even more agitated under the threat of fatal danger. His scattered mental energy, influenced by Magic, continuously spread outwards.

It could even affect the airflow to the extent of extinguishing a candle. He made no sound when breathing, which allowed him to hide right under the noses of the two witch hunters.

Blainey ignored the now-enlightened Andre and scanned the room, his gaze soon falling on a dark red cabinet standing by the window.

This cabinet was only shoulder-high, its surface covered in dust. It was very close to the open window and unremarkable in this dilapidated, drafty shack, yet it was large enough for a grown man to curl up inside...

Thanks to the book friend dsf23dd for the 1500 Qidian coins reward, and book friends 20180222162706940 and You Are Truly Lonely for the 100 Qidian coins reward.