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“In the past two days, more people, who we believed to be members of the Assembly of Silent Night, fled into the Red Goblin Mountains from the west, east, and north,” the black-haired Senior Witch began her report after receiving the order.

“Inquisitor Rosedriah attempted to intercept one of their group before they could flee into the cursed region, but the enemy was stronger than we anticipated. Two of our people were killed, and Inquisitor Rosedriah was also injured in the clash.”

“Inquisitor Rosedriah, a Peak-stage Senior Witch, couldn’t stop a small group of wolf-men even when she had the advantage of surprise and the full might of her magic?” Helia furrowed her brows with surprise.

If the Inquisitor Rosedriah had fought the wolf-men inside the Red Goblin Mountains’ cursed region, then she wouldn’t have been surprised.

But to think that Inquisitor Rosedriah got injured outside of it…

The Assembly of Silent Night’s members was far stronger than she had imagined.

If Inquisitor Rosedriah couldn’t defeat a small group of wolf-men in an advantageous terrain, then how could she, another Peak-stage Senior Witch, defeat them inside the cursed region?_.

She would be killed.

“Are you getting cold feet, Lord Helia?” Ember teased with a smile and said, “We already know the doggies in the deeper parts of the kingdom are much stronger than those operating in the outer parts. Inquisitor Rosedriah must have encountered more than one Peak B-rank Witch Hunter.”

“Anyway, this is why Headmaster Astoria’s strength is crucial to our punitive expedition,” Ember stated before she calmly turned to the survey team member. “You can continue the report.”

“Yes, Grand Inquisitor,” the black-haired Senior Witch complied with a nod.

“Although Inquisitor Rosedriah was injured, she still pursued the wolf-men into the mountains for some distance before she gave up the chase when it got too deep. However, that was also when we found something strange about the Red Goblin Mountains.”

“The green goblins didn’t attack the wolf-men; they actually let them flee into the deeper parts of the mountains as if they were welcoming them.”

“What? How is that possible?” Helia exclaimed with a startled look, interrupting the survey team member’s report again. “I’ve never heard of goblins serving humans or even working with them before…”

“Ahem, sorry,” Helia apologized with a cough, recovered her composure, and calmly said, “Please continue.”

The black-haired Senior Witch nodded.

“What we found stranger was that prior to that incident, we did find a trail of goblin corpses, which did suggest that an earlier group of wolf-men had fought the goblins when they fled into the mountains.”

“However, the trail of goblin corpses abruptly ended along with all traces of battle at some point as if the wolf-men group had suddenly vanished or the goblins stopped fighting them. When Inquisitor Rosedriah paired the two incidents together, she did suggest that the wolf-men and the goblins may have reached some sort of agreement and teamed up.”

“Or perhaps the wolf-men had somehow succeeded in bringing the goblins under their command,” Ember thought aloud for everyone to hear.

“Considering the goblins are creatures of the darkness and low-level minions for demons, and the wolf-men possess darkness attributes after fusing with Furhengir’s blood, it might really be possible for them to control the goblins.”

“What’s the estimated number of wolf-men in the Red Goblin Mountains now?” Ember inquired shortly after with a frown.

“Answering the Grand Inquisitor, the survey team estimated the Assemble of Silent Night’s members in the Red Goblin Mountains to be over fifty,” the black-haired Senior Witch replied.

“Over fifty, huh?” Ember knitted her brows with a deep look before she said, “It seems we will have to change our plans.”

“What kind of plan do you have in mind, Marquis Ember?” Helia asked.

“Didn’t you want to conquer the Red Goblin Mountains? That’s what we will do—No, we have to do it, Lord Helia,” Ember stated decisively.

“If those doggies indeed have the ability to command the goblins, the Red Goblin Mountains will become a new Dark Zone if we let their power grow. As such, we must wipe out the goblins before we take on the wolf-men, even if it takes us time to do so.”

“Right, it would be terrible if we cut straight into the depths of the mountains to face the wolf-men, only to be surrounded by an endless horde of goblins,” Helia added.

…

After grasping the situation of the Red Goblin Mountains, Ember and Helia started to revise their battle plan. At the same time, they also apologized to Headmaster Astoria for delaying her from entering the mountains.

“After all is said and done, I am still allowed to enter the mountain to slay goblins,” Astoria coolly said.

“We came to the Red Goblin Mountains with high momentum, but your spirit is wavering quickly, Marquis Ember. This is unlike you. The High Witch of Purgatory Flame that I know wouldn’t be afraid of the enemy’s strength or the Curse of the Purple Umbala. You would just burn everything away.”

“The dangers and desperation we experienced in the Holy War were far greater than something like this,” Astoria added impassively before she entered the mountains without hesitation.

However, at that point, neither Lord Helia nor Marquis Ember stopped her.

As they had decided on dragging out the battle as long as it was required of them to eliminate all the goblins on the Red Goblin Mountains, it was fine for Headmaster Astoria to hunt goblins as long as she returned and restored her strength before the main battle.

Nevertheless, Ember took Astoria’s words to heart and could not help shaking her head with a self-deprecating smile.

She did feel some pressure when she thought about fighting powerful wolf-men in the cursed region. But Astoria reminded her who she was, the High Witch of Purgatory Flame.

There wouldn’t be a problem if she burned away the Curse of Purple Umbala before it could affect her.

“Gather our troops. I will inform them of our battle plan,” Ember instructed her subordinate.

But before the subordinate answered, a sudden disturbance from the Red Goblin Mountains caught everyone’s attention.

Hundreds of black crows suddenly flapped their wings and took off from the trees in the mountains as if something caused all of them to flee…