Episode 175 Extra 3: The Black Witch and the Red Wolf
“Close your eyes.”
The first memory Elfride Hexe has of meeting him begins with this single command.
A growling voice, like the roar of a beast, resounding with authority and aggression. It carries such charisma that it commands everyone’s attention in an instant.
“No matter what sounds you hear, do not open your eyes. Hold this stone tightly.”
Since this was the start, Elfride only remembers the situation back then through sound.
If only she’d known that not seeing his face would make her regret it 20 years later. She should have ignored his words and peeked, even with half-lidded eyes. There are times when Elfride still thinks this way even now.
“KyaAAAAAAAA!”
“AhAAAAAAAAH!”
Wails of despair and screams coming from all around.
“CRAAAAH! Kill them! Stop them at any cost! They’ve crossed the moat!”
A mixture of terror and anger in the old man’s voice, clashing with the metallic sounds of weapons colliding.
“My… body… Priest… Someone, the priest… Hahk.”
“Help me… Please, save me…”
Twenty years ago.
The Resurrection Sect simultaneously summoned fragments of Astarte in four countries around the world.
A woman completely covered in sapphire blue flames, just like the nickname “Blue Flame Maou” suggests. Twisted joints. Fluffy white fur and a monstrous face. It looked like a grotesque mix of human and beast.
And it happened right in front of Elfride too, in an unnamed coastal village in southern Mittelrand.
“Uhh… Uhhh… Waaaah…”
At that time, Elfride was weak.
She had only been resurrected and summoned to this world for a month. Only twelve years old. Just an ordinary wanderer, barely surviving as a mercenary.
So she followed the unknown man with white hair, tightly closing her eyes, and clutched the purple glowing Rune of Concealment he had left her, crying endlessly.
“Ki… Ki.. Giiiick… Ah, paaa… I’m… hungry… I’m hungry…”
Elfride vividly remembers that chilling voice.
It was impossible to gauge the distance, echoing like a phantom. It sounded like it came from far away at times, and like a whisper in her ear at others.
It felt like her neck was being licked right behind her.
“No! Go away… Help! Someone please save me!”
It was so terrifying that Elfride soon covered her ears as well.
Time seemed to drag on endlessly. To her, it felt like an eternity.
And suddenly, something grabbed her arm.
Elfride’s eyes shot open as she flailed her limbs wildly, as if having a seizure.
“…It’s over. You’re safe now.”
The man with white hair stood before Elfride.
Completely drenched in red blood and monster gore, he didn’t even look human. He resembled a wild beast weary after a hunt.
“Aah…”
And at that moment, Elfride fell in love with him at first sight.
“This person…”
After this unprecedented event, people began to know him by various names – the Pale Night, the Crimson Devil, the White Grim Reaper – and his fame spread worldwide. The man with white hair known as Bershults.
Eventually, his nickname solidified as “Adrang”, meaning Red Wolf. Though nobody knows who coined it, Elfride always thought it was quite ingenious.
“Too… sad…”
Whether it was monsters, maou, or humans, Adrang always looked terribly lonely and sad after slaughtering anything, his body covered in their blood.
At least on that day, amidst the blood and corpses in the village, Elfride felt that way.
And much later, she came to realize it wasn’t just after killing living beings.
Ever since losing his companion to the Maou, Adrang constantly carried this atmosphere throughout the seasons.
…
“…”
Elfride suddenly woke up from her sleep.
She roughly tidied her messy hair and got up from the bed, staring blankly at the blanket for a while with a dazed look before letting out a deep sigh.
“Urgh. Woke up here again. I wanted to keep dreaming…”
It was a rare dream about Adrang. Elfride grinned wickedly in a mood of discontent while tossing around in bed.
A fresh wave of unforgettable feelings washed over Elfride’s skin. Looking at the wall covered with numerous portraits of Adrang, she muttered to herself.
“It’s already been… six months since I’ve seen him. I miss you so much…”
The black-haired youth with demonic charm she met in Markeuteuriseu.
It had already been six months since they worked together as witch hunters. Time flowed by quickly like an arrow.
Even though something significant happened to the remaining three witch hunters, the world kept turning as if nothing extraordinary had occurred.
Of course, the disappearance of the Cavalier and the sudden purification of the Blue Flame Cave, an old sore of Markeiteuriseu, caused quite a stir – both positively and negatively. However, since it had little relevance to Mittelrand, there wasn’t much domestic reaction. It felt unreal to Elfride.
“Really, time goes by too fast…”
Elfride muttered like an old woman.
Adrang was currently going through retirement procedures for various reasons. Before leaving the country, he was putting effort into final transfers of responsibilities and training the next generation.
Elfride remembered his appearance again, feeling rather gloomy. She buried her face in the pillow and kicked her legs.
“How upsetting… That his arm… How could it turn out like this…”
Losing an arm seemed to not bother Adrang at all.
His reaction was extremely different from Elfride’s, who had fainted right there.
He had gained something more precious. Acquiring the key Raven of witch hunting was worth losing an arm – it was a profitable trade.
Adrang smiled calmly, saying these words.
Indeed, he smiled. Elfride had rarely seen him smile in front of her, but this time he broke into an especially broad grin.
It seemed the gathering of prophetic elements made him genuinely happy.
“Really… nothing has changed at all… Brother…”
Ever since that day 20 years ago, she had always been watching Adrang’s back.
Elfride was curious about where his fervent emotion directed towards. She wished to keep observing him, to learn more about him.
“Maybe… I’m the same…”
From that day onward, Elfride decided to grow stronger.
Based on her investigations, at the age of 21 Adrang had already been a top-tier powerhouse in Markeiteuriseu with the status of a provisional Cavalier.
After the death of his wife, he devoted himself madly to training, showing an almost absurd interest only in formidable individuals. The world’s evaluation of him was as such.
“A wife’s… death.”
It was at that point Elfride realized.
The intense loneliness, sorrow, and anger surrounding Adrang all stemmed from this reason.
She immediately understood that no matter how hard she tried, nothing could replace the void left by his deceased wife.
“Aah… I should’ve died sooner in the original world.”
The intense feelings she felt towards Adrang were undoubtedly the same ones he had carried for his wife.
Without reversing time, there was no solution to this problem. There had been times when Elfride herself had fallen into despair.
“But, it’s still a good thing…”
However, Elfride did not stop.
Love-like emotions were merely a small part of it. Ever since that tragic day, Adrang had become her everything.
He was the sole purpose and joy in her afterlife in this strange world.
“— The 31st Supreme Mage to succeed the late Seven Mages, Marlene Zekarf! Come forth, Master Mage Elfride Hexe!”
Fortunately or unfortunately, Elfride had become the focus of love from this world.
The vast magical power and intelligence she had brought over from her previous life meant that she skipped the process of leveling up and allocating stats. She merely needed to learn skills to make them hers.
Moreover, Elfride’s obsession with Adrang manifested in an extraordinary level of concentration.
At just fifteen years old, she had absorbed everything from her master and immediately ascended to the position of Supreme Mage upon her master’s death.
“Actually… I wanted to become a Cavalier…”
There was no particular reason. Just because Adrang was a Cavalier.
However, the traditional “Chi Gong” techniques of Markeiteuriseu did not suit Elfride’s body. Thus, she reluctantly became a Supreme Mage despite her reluctance.
“Aah… Those days were truly innocent.”
Elfride did not become a Supreme Mage for any other reason. It was to enter Adrang’s field of vision.
As soon as she turned seventeen and became an adult, she started sending letters, messages, and couriers to Adrang constantly to make her presence known. She spared no means or methods in this endeavor.
—This letter began a hundred years ago in the Dragon Empire… Blah blah blah… You must propose to Elfride Hexe of Mittelrand. If you don’t, your home will collapse, society will fall apart…
From traditional letter magic to memory thoughts delivered through couriers to bewitched souvenirs, she exhausted all her efforts in seeking attention.
“When you come back, please greet me by breaking my head.”
Adrang promptly arrived as Elfride wished.
A spirited young man who had just become a formal Cavalier said this boastfully and stormed into the Mittelrand royal palace. It was close to becoming an international issue, but Elfride managed to defuse the situation by claiming they were “just very close friends fooling around.”
Black mage Elfride. Are you interested in hunting the witch Diana?
Enraged and furious, Adrang immediately asked this upon hearing that Elfride was a Supreme Mage. All her previous efforts to attract his attention suddenly seemed futile.
Elfride smiled wryly, recalling his unwavering gaze from back then.
“Such a real idiot… Whether it’s the past or present.”
He was so single-mindedly focused on one thing that he was completely oblivious to the thoughts of the person right in front of him. Annoying as it was, Elfride thought it made him endearing.
“I don’t know if I should be happy or sad that he still keeps my secret…”
Adrang believed Elfride didn’t know the exact details of the prophecy.
How could that be? She was the one who interpreted it. In this world, studying ancient Shultez language is fundamental for black mages.
Of course, she had meticulously researched ancient documents related to the prophecy, far surpassing the clumsy researcher Adrang, understanding everything inside out.
The impact of killing the witch, the fate of the summoned heroes…
“The prophecy… Was it right to reveal its meaning to him?”
This was one of the questions that constantly troubled Elfride.
She thought Adrang would give up if he knew the truth. Determining the fate of the world with his own hands – wasn’t that too immense of a scale?
At least Elfride herself had experienced intense fear, so she naturally assumed Adrang would too.
“Love truly is madness…”
However, that wasn’t the case. Adrang continued to be zealous about witch hunting.
Together with the mysterious young man with black hair, they successfully completed the first ritual.
The maou must be eradicated.
In Adrang’s heart, only this sentence remained.
Just as the monstrous blue flame creature rampaged that night, only Adrang remained in Elfride’s heart.
“If only there was a time-reversing magic…”
She looked aside.
On the table’s portrait, there was a younger Adrang smiling with his daughter, neatly framed. Each time she saw it, she thought this.
“Indeed, once you master the secrets of black magic, you can manipulate time.”
She was tricked by her master. Such magic indeed exists, but it belongs to the realm of gods. It requires complicated magical formations and vast magical power far beyond human capability.
She couldn’t even complain to her deceased master. She realized too late.
“Could the witch… Diana Espada?”
The witch who could devour worlds and transcend death. Could she have already conquered spacetime?
Black magic originally belonged to Diana. Could a master of it manipulate time?
Hence, could she know a way to undo mistakes, grievous wrong decisions…?
“Ah… Completely… Useless speculation…”
Elfride sighed and abruptly got up from bed.
Anyway, she had decided. Even if it meant following him all the way to hell.
If the world were to end, if an apocalyptic war were to break out, or if Adrang were reduced to an ordinary powerless civilian, she would still guard his back.
“Slowly… should he be coming soon…”
Elfride got up.
She combed her frizzy hair and applied makeup half-heartedly, then put on her ceremonial robes. Being a Supreme Mage was good in that regard – the robes meant she didn’t have to worry much about appearance. In her view, this was the only advantage of being a Supreme Mage.
“Master Elfride. The guest you notified is waiting in the reception room.”
As soon as Elfride exited her room, the statue beside her door spoke. It was a kind of voice mailbox using the golem’s residual memory transmission.
Finally, the expected visitor arrived.
Elfride wore her uniquely lecherous smile, then cleared her throat and headed towards the reception room.
Her steps were unusually light.
“Your Grace has been well. Supreme Mage Lady Elfride.”
As she entered the reception room, a middle-aged man knelt on one knee and paid his respects.
Elfride lifted the corners of her robe while grinning.
“Yes, indeed. It’s been quite a while. Lord Halsenberg.”
A middle-aged man dressed in dull black formal attire, with streaked hair and prominent features – that was Lord Halsenberg of the Johann von Halsenberg family.
He looked at Elfride with slight curiosity, probably unaware why he had been summoned here.
“You’ve heard tales about me. I’ve called for you today because… I have a matter of consultation…”
“What story? Whose tales have you heard?”
“Hmm… Mr. Park Jeong-yong. You know him, right? I met him in Martreiseu; he’s one of the main figures of the Eldritch Slayers. I heard much about your valiant deeds in the north…”
Elfride went along with the plan, casually throwing in Park Jeong-yong’s name.
The reaction was dramatic. Lord Halsenberg looked at Elfride with wide eyes.
His gaze carried intense joy and pleasure.
“Wow! You know Park Jeong-yong too? That’s truly amazing!”
A torrent of praise about Park Jeong-yong continued for quite some time, but after about ten minutes, Elfride finally couldn’t bear it anymore and signaled to stop with a wave of her hand.
“Uh… this kind of personality wasn’t what I heard about him…”
The Lord Halsenberg that Elfride knew was someone with a stone-cold nature and an unyielding spirit.
What exactly did Park Jeong-yong do to make this rock-hard man so melted? Elfride felt cold sweat and slightly tilted her head.
“Ah, my apologies. I’ve probably committed a faux pas. It’s just that I haven’t heard his name in a long time.”
The previously joyful expression of Lord Halsenberg slightly turned awkward. Elfride smiled lightly and accepted his apology.
Elfride cleared her throat again and brought up the matter.
“Anyway… the reason I’ve invited you here today… there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“Please speak. I’d be delighted to assist.”
“Have you ever considered becoming a Supreme Mage?”
Instantly, Lord Halsenberg’s previously cheerful face stiffened.
In a shaken voice with widened eyes, his repeated question verified it wasn’t a misunderstanding.
“Did I hear wrong?”
Shaking her head gently, Elfride repeated the broadcast.
Of course, the content of the broadcast didn’t change.
“Since I’ll have to stay in the Dragon Empire for a while… and I’m contemplating retirement from being a Supreme Mage, of course the successor is necessary. From before, I’ve always thought that the suitable person… is you…”
That’s right. What’s the point of being a Supreme Mage when Adrang has already retired as a Cavalier?
She decided to abandon this troublesome position. That’s why she summoned Lord Halsenberg all the way to my royal estate.
“Since it’s peaceful now after Eldritch’s elimination… isn’t it?”
“Yes, yes… it is peaceful, but…”
“Now, for such a talented person as you, Lord of the Border… to stay in such a remote place is truly a national loss. At least, that’s how I see it…”
It was indeed true that there were no suitable alternatives she considered except Lord Halsenberg.
He was actually a mage comparable to a Supreme Mage, an outstanding swordsman in Mittelrand, and except for being overly steadfast in character, there was nothing to complain about. Elfride was well aware of all this.
“Thank you… to Mr. Park Jeong-yong…”
The position of Supreme Mage is easy to obtain but hard to leave. You need to place a successor like how a mafia-run establishment operates before you can leave.
Because she had an alternative like Lord Halsenberg, she could even dare to think about retirement.
“Anyway… Personally… I’m looking forward to it too. Rebellion of the underprivileged nobility.”
Soon, the royal palace of Mittelrand will undoubtedly embrace Lord Halsenberg with open arms, regardless of whether the creatures driven by personal gain in politics want it or not.
Elfride subtly smirked to herself.
“Haha… come soon, Brother Wolf…”
Adrang would probably go to Unterland for the second prophecy, where the Maou Zadkiel resided.
Given that one of his arms was cut off, significantly reducing his combat power, it was natural for him to support Park Jeong-yong, one of the remaining two practical fighters among the witch hunters.
She occasionally heard rumors that he was helping Park Jeong-yong with training.
“During this time… I have to take the lead on the third…”
She would head to the Dragon Empire where the unknown Maou Shakiel rests, before Adrang and Park Jeong-yong finish the second ritual and arrive. She would prepare and lay the groundwork while she still could.
The Maou Shakiel as the protagonist of the third prophecy is a mysterious Maou. That title, “Maou of the Unknown,” certainly isn’t an exaggeration.
Simply investigating and gathering information beforehand would be of great help.
“If only… Would I be… praised again?”
This time, she was sure she’d faint from joy. The day of her marriage seemed to be drawing near no matter how she thought about it.
Elfride smiled foolishly, feeling unreasonably joyful, imagining the rosy future ahead.
