The Old Witch whispered to Yveta, "The place where this wizard is sealed is still too close to our territory, Your Grace. We can't let him out."
"Besides, there must be something unusual about the place where that wizard is sealed."
"Your Grace, it's just like digging up an ancient ruin. There'll be plenty of treasures inside for us to uncover."
"Besides, every wizard has magic they specialize in. Some knowledge is passed down only between masters and apprentices, or between fathers and sons. So if we can capture a wizard, we can pry plenty of useful things out of him."
Yveta nodded.
He had the same plan.
Protecting his territory was a lord's duty, while taking every last scrap he could was his own way of doing things.
There was no helping it. He was poor.
After all, he was no longer on his own. He was a lord responsible for managing a vast territory.
Every one of his subjects was waiting for him to bring in money.
He really was terribly poor.
Lolita hesitated. "Should I take you there?"
In her heart, the wizard in the crevice was her last hope. It wasn't that she hadn't considered the possibility that he was deceiving her; she simply didn't want to dispel that hope.
Seeing Lolita still hesitate, the Old Witch grew so angry she grabbed her by the arm and dragged her outside.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Do you think all you've done is commit a few evil deeds? You've put your soul and your son's soul on the line. At the end of this blood sacrifice, the wizard will take the souls of the travelers he's eaten and turn them into servant wraiths."
"That wizard told you to take the new clothes and burn them at