The faintly sweet scent wafted through the fresh scent of grass and trees. It seemed to come from all directions, enveloping the entire forest.

It wasn’t hard to find the source. There were faint, blood-stained marks on the beaks of crows perched on various trees.

“Cute little trick.”

There was no doubt that someone had bled in this forest. To cover their tracks, she must have set the crows loose like this.

McClart looked up as a couple of crows flapped their wings and took off.

The effort to spread the scent of blood so thoroughly was proof that she was still here, or at least not far away. Judging by how desperate she was to escape, she had indeed bonded with the squirrel.

McClart looked at the squirrel he had locked in the iron cage. He’d seen the Great Witch bond with animals before, but he’d never seen what the connected animal looked like.

He also didn’t know if a connection could be made if the animal was unconscious, or how long it would be delayed if it couldn’t. This squirrel was the perfect specimen to answer those questions.

He remembered how the squirrel had reacted slowly, just after waking from the anaesthetic. It had looked around, as if inspecting its surroundings, and had locked eyes with McClart for a long time.

Then suddenly her body had shivered and she had quickly returned to her usual quick, cautious self. The bond must have happened in that brief moment.

Since the squirrel had been unconscious all the time since he had captured it, it was likely that the bond required the animal to be conscious. In that case, was the Great Witch asleep somewhere in this forest?

In any case, the presence of a red-eyed creature indicated that the Great Witch had passed through. This meant that it was becoming increasingly likely that the one he was tracking was the only one who had been in contact with the Great Witch.

Not only had McClart kept the demons who had attacked the camp alive, he had even let them go. In return, he had given them some clues about the Great Witch, and they had probably called in new demons to pass on the information.

According to the watcher who had kept an eye on them, the newcomer had turned away as soon as he saw his companions were safe. There hadn’t been a long conversation between them.

At first, McClart had intended to capture the newcomer, but he quickly changed his mind and ordered his men to follow him. And now he was closer to the Great Witch than he had expected.

It seemed that the Great Witch had realised that McClart was following her. If that was the case, would she still try to reunite with the demon? If he continued to follow her like this…

“Sir Inquisitor! The vanguard has been attacked!”

The soldier’s urgent report interrupted his train of thought. It was a message from the vanguard he had sent after the demon.

The vanguard wasn’t far from McClart, so he arrived on the scene quickly. The first thing that greeted him was the overpowering stench of blood, thick enough to mask any other scent.

McClart frowned as he surveyed the blood-soaked campsite, his eyes drifting in irritation to a nearby branch. One of the crows watching him was suddenly engulfed in blue flames.

“This must be the work of the demon.”

It was likely the work of the very demon they had been pursuing. Although the vanguard was small, consisting only of soldiers, to be defeated so swiftly… it was unsettling.

The one who guarded the Great Witch didn’t seem easy to deal with.

No, ‘guard’ wasn’t the right word.

It would be more accurate to describe him as someone who had taken her away. McClart tightened his lips.

Through her bond with the animal, the Great Witch must have sensed McClart’s presence, and it was likely that she had also warned the demon. It was clear that she had some kind of relationship with him.

A relationship.

“Find him.”

McClart’s harsh command sent the soldiers into action. He was about to turn away when he suddenly stopped.

McClart stood still, gazing blankly into the distance, his hand tightening around the handle of his greatsword. He felt its heavy weight as the once-dormant divine energy within him began to surge like a storm.

“No, there’s no need to search any further.”

Flames began to rise between the thick bushes and trees. The crows, who had been silently watching from their hiding places, suddenly took off, flapping their wings furiously.

The blue flames formed a circle, like a prison, surrounding the area. Beyond the flames, a shadow that had been hiding all this time flickered and revealed itself. The figure emerged, muttering in an irritated tone as he walked towards McClart.

“I wasn’t sure, but here we are.”

Even trapped in the flames, the figure seemed quite confident. He must have judged McClart’s strength by how easily he had defeated the vanguard.

The demon, with a smile mixed with hatred and mockery, clicked his tongue before continuing.

“I didn’t expect the mad zealot himself to sneak around like this.”

The one who had revealed himself with a sneer was Gentian, who had been secretly spying on them. He was drenched, probably in the blood of the vanguard soldiers, and his black eyes burned fiercely.

McClart was used to being the target of the demons’ hatred, but even he could see that Gentian’s feelings for him were particularly intense and unique. Of course, that didn’t change anything for him.

“If you had run away, you might have been able to keep your pathetic life a little longer.”

“Ah, I’m not really one for dragging a tail around.”

McClart was silent for a moment before speaking in a chilling tone.

“Are you the only demon who meets with the ‘Black Phantom’?”

Gentian, who had been crouched as if ready to strike, suddenly froze. He instinctively reacted to the mention of “Black Phantom” and bit his lip.

Given that “Black Phantom” was a name known only among demons, it was no surprise that he reacted that way. McClart had mentioned it deliberately for that very reason.

Noticing that his own expression had twisted, Gentian quickly tried to regain control of his face, but McClart had already noticed the change. Watching him impassively, McClart sneered.

“Amateur.”

Gentian gritted his teeth, seemingly provoked by the words. However, he didn’t charge recklessly—likely because of McClart’s mention of the “Black Phantom.”

McClart narrowed his eyes and snapped the fingers of his right hand. Blue flames erupted at Gentian’s feet, threatening him.

Instinctively, Gentian stepped back, grinding his teeth as he glared at McClart.

“Hey, no need to rush me – I’ll take your head myself.”

Despite his harsh words, his demeanour had changed completely. In fact, he was now cautious.

His eyes were filled with hatred, but he forced himself to hold back his emotions so tightly that the veins on his clenched fists were visible. It wasn’t hard to guess why.

“Were you planning to meet the Black Phantom?”

“Are you pretending to know who the Black Phantom is?”

From Gentian’s sensitive reaction alone, it was clear that the Black Phantom had some kind of influence over him.

Gentian’s attitude, as if he were close to her, rubbed McClart the wrong way, but securing a solid lead to capture her was still a gratifying result. As McClart silently suppressed his mixed feelings, Gentian sneered at him.

“The Black Phantom has a deep grudge against you too, so mind your own business.”

“A grudge, huh?”

If there was to be a grudge, shouldn’t it be McClart’s, not hers? McClart thought calmly as Gentian’s mocking voice reached his ears.

“If your family were killed, everyone would hold a grudge. Oh, but you’ve killed so many people, you probably don’t even know who’s who anymore.”

Gentian was clearly trying to provoke McClart. Since he didn’t attack and just kept talking, he seemed to be waiting for an opening to make his escape.

McClart had no intention of playing Gentian’s tricks, but there was something about his previous words that he could not ignore.

“Is that what she said? That I’m the enemy who killed her family?”

When McClart referred specifically to “her”, Gentian’s mouth tightened. He seemed determined to say nothing more, as if to avoid giving away any information, but it wasn’t hard to see the silent confirmation in his manner.

If the Great Witch had told this demon, “McClart is the enemy who killed my family”, then it made sense why she had allied herself so easily with the demons.

McClart’s tightly pressed lips turned slightly to one side. As he realised that she had lied to the demon, an inexplicable joy bubbled up from deep within him.

“You don’t know her at all.”

So that was it. The Great Witch had finally found no real place to lean.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

McClart reconsidered his intention to burn the demon before him. Instead, he spoke in an oddly generous tone, though laced with obvious mockery.

“She didn’t say anything else? Like how ruthlessly she sold her mother’s location to me?”

“Ha, that’s ridiculous…!”

Seeing Gentian react so sharply, almost jumping at his words, McClart’s smile grew a little clearer. He had thought of a way to use the demon more effectively than just killing him on the spot.

As he deliberately loosened his grip on his greatsword, Gentian’s eyes darted to the weapon before looking away. McClart pretended not to notice, a smirk playing on his lips.

Then he spoke a few words in a calm voice. At his low utterance, Gentian’s face twisted and turned pale.

Gentian immediately shouted that it was nonsense, but he couldn’t hide the flicker in his eyes. Seeing this, McClart lowered his sword with a haughty expression.

Gentian, whose face had become rigid, suddenly pulled his body back quickly. In that brief moment, the towering flames dropped in height.

With a surprising leap, Gentian jumped over the flames and disappeared in an instant. The soldiers moved to give chase, but McClart raised his hand slightly to stop them.