This Time, I May Have to Be the One to Apologize to You

"Multiple—Blade of Ice!"

On a street in northern Harbor Town, Joanne spread her hands, and dense diamond-shaped ice blades quickly materialized in midair, shooting toward the guards blocking the way like a swarm of locusts.

Amid a chorus of wails, several guards who failed to dodge were killed on the spot, but more shield-bearing soldiers had already surrounded them from behind.

Joanne clenched her teeth, drew her sword to knock aside a guard's halberd, then rushed forward and spun her blade, severing his throat. Blood sprayed out, but at that same moment, another guard swung his saber down at her.

The sharp gleam of the blade filled her vision, but more than half an hour of continuous fighting had already drained the girl's stamina and magic power. She no longer had the strength to turn around and block the incoming strike.

Fortunately, a fierce camel charged out at that moment, instantly ramming the guard to the ground. White Dove, seated atop the camel, immediately raised the wooden flute in her hand and blew it.

The flock of gray crows circling above Harbor Town seemed to receive a command and crazily swooped down upon the shield soldiers.

Sharp claws and beaks scratched and tore at unarmored faces and necks, but they were only palm-sized birds. No matter how hard they tried, they could hardly inflict fatal injuries.

Taking advantage of the opening, the two changed direction. White Dove's face grew paler and paler, and she could only weakly brace herself against one of the camels, relying on it to carry her forward.

Joanne looked at her worriedly and silently sighed.

"This time, I may have to be the one to apologize to you, White Dove!"

"I never thought that not only would we fail to rescue Carl, but we'd also fall into the Church's trap..."

Joanne condensed a fireball and temporarily drove back the pursuing guards, regret already rising in her heart.

It was not that she regretted coming to save Lynn. She only regretted dragging White Dove into this.

A few days ago, after learning that the Church had captured Demon's Follower and intended to carry out the execution after Moon Day, Joanne had conceived the idea of breaking them out of prison.

But her strength alone was far too limited; she had no chance of success. White Dove's psychic magic, on the other hand, was extremely useful in such circumstances. With her ability to control creatures, she could gather intelligence, create chaos, or tie down the enemy.

That was how Joanne had devised the entire rescue plan: White Dove would first send gray crows carrying fire to ignite key locations such as the granaries, drawing the guards' attention and creating disorder. Then they would storm the prison and rescue him.

Yet once the operation truly began, Joanne realized just how terribly wrong she had been. Harbor Town's guards had long been prepared, and their response had been incredibly swift.

They had walked straight into a trap laid by the Church...

"No, it was me... I came of my own accord." Though White Dove trembled in fear atop the camel, she still forced the words out through gritted teeth.

She feared death beyond measure, but she also knew that it was because Lynn had willingly stayed behind to cover their retreat that they had escaped the castle and survived by sheer luck.

So when she learned that Joanne intended to risk everything to rescue Lynn, White Dove had resolutely followed her.

The two young Witches exchanged a glance and saw the determination in each other's eyes. Joanne tightened her grip on her sword and encouraged her.

"Their attacks are already weakening. We may still have a slim chance to escape."

White Dove nodded. Crystal tears welled in her eyes, but she still immediately brought the wooden flute to her lips and began playing again.

The flock of gray crows that had once been dense enough to cover the sky had dwindled to barely a hundred after several rounds of attacks. They could only barely handle scouting now and could no longer even restrain the enemy.

Almost all the pressure of fighting head-on had fallen upon Joanne.

As though her prayers had been answered, the number of guards hunting them gradually decreased, and the intensity of their attacks noticeably weakened. No one tried to rush forward and fight them to the death anymore.

Yet the expression on Joanne's face only grew grimmer. According to the intelligence White Dove had gathered, soldiers had completely surrounded them, leaving only a single route open.

If they strayed from that path, they would be met by endless shield walls and formations of blades. Even the most explosive fireball spell would find it difficult to break through.

Was the enemy trying to toy with them, or were they preparing to close the encirclement around them?

Joanne did not know, but she knew that stopping meant death. If they kept running, they might still find a way out, no matter how faint that hope was.

At the very least... at the very least, she had to get White Dove out.

As the girl thought this, White Dove, riding the camel beside her, suddenly began trembling violently and cried out in terror. "It's Antioch, the Archbishop of Nordland Territory! He came himself! He's... he's on our right!"

Joanne froze for a moment, then turned and saw a dazzling mass of white light rushing toward her at tremendous speed.

It was the second-circle divine spell—Holy Light Impact.

"Ice Curtain!" Joanne only had time to raise her right hand and create a wall of ice crystals in front of herself before the terrifying white light was upon her.

The hastily cast first-circle defensive spell was exceptionally fragile before the might of the divine spell. It shattered in barely a second or two, and the enormous impact instantly sent both Joanne and White Dove, who was seated on the camel, flying.

Joanne crashed heavily onto the ground, pain stabbing through her chest as a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth. But she ignored the pain, scrambled to her feet, and stood in front of White Dove, staring fixedly toward the direction from which the white light had come.

Steady footsteps approached from afar. Amid scattered ice crystals and drifting dust, an elderly figure clad in a gilt robe appeared before them, surrounded by a group of Priests.

Simply standing there, he gave off an indescribable sense of oppression...

Joanne's pupils contracted. Although the man before her looked vastly different from before and his age did not match at all, she recognized him instantly from his identity, attire, and White Dove's warning.

The man before her was Archbishop... Antioch!

The scene of being hunted in Ur Town remained vivid in her mind. There was no need to describe his strength and terror. He was simply not someone a few Wizard Apprentices could contend with.

What drove Joanne even deeper into despair was that several figures had also appeared to their left. The leader was not old, with a solemn face, and judging from his clothes, he should have been a Priest of the Church.

The two forces quickly formed a ring around them.

At that moment, Joanne and White Dove were like birds trapped in a cage, utterly cut off from any possibility of escape!