The two tiptoed, trying their best to make no sound as they hurried through the corridor, rugged like a mountain cave.

As they passed the room where the Old Witch usually rested, both Oqili and Saul held their breaths in tension.

Fortunately, the worst didn’t happen—they passed the Old Witch’s room without incident.

Even after Oqili used a potion to suppress the warding spell formation at the cave entrance and led Saul outside, the Old Witch still didn’t appear behind them.

They carefully crossed the threshold without triggering any alarms and finally escaped the Old Witch’s hideout.

Outside, it was already deep into the night. The starlit sky overhead added a faint glimmer to the dim world.

Ahead lay a few gently sloping hills and a barren stretch of wasteland.

Seeing the scene outside and glancing back at the cave entrance, Saul felt a pang of emotion. They had been imprisoned in a literal underground hole all this time.

When they looked back after leaving the cave, they discovered that from the outside, the cave appeared to be no more than several fist-sized mouse holes. Not a trace of magical energy leaked from within.

It seemed the Old Witch used this very trick to avoid those hunting her.

They ran all the way to the base of a nearby hill and hid behind a few lonely aloe plants.

“Alright, we’ll part ways here.” Oqili, chest still heaving, suddenly said.

“Part ways? But…” Saul started to speak, only to be interrupted.

“Since we’re out, it’s every man for himself. Now’s not the time to relax—the Old Witch is incredibly skilled at tracking people. I urged you to grow stronger, not just to escape the prison. The real danger is in the pursuit that comes after. If we stay together, we’re a bigger target and easier to catch. I’ll head that way. You go the opposite direction.” Oqili’s lips moved quickly as he explained to Saul.

Then, his entire body vanished into a cloud of black mist and drifted away in the direction he had pointed out.

Saul stared at the fading remnants of Oqili’s spell, standing still, not making a move to run.

He placed a hand on his right arm—the one Oqili had grabbed earlier—and murmured thoughtfully, “So… which direction should I run in?”

…

Throughout the escape, Oqili had acted composed, but in truth, his heart had been pounding wildly.

Locked away by the Old Witch for three years, he had longed for freedom every second, constantly haunted by the shadow of death.

He’d spent over a year planning this escape.

The materials Saul had stolen were only a small part of it. Oqili had started hoarding ingredients secretly a year ago in preparation.

But some of the more crucial components were too difficult to obtain—especially with the Old Witch always watching him closely. Without Saul’s cooperation, he could never have gathered the final few materials.

And now, he had finally made it out!

After running for most of the night, Oqili stopped in a mountain hollow. From his pack, he pulled out a root known to restore magic power and began chewing on it ravenously.

Ingesting unprocessed materials like this was actually somewhat toxic, but Oqili had no time to be picky.

Years of captivity had already left his body filled with toxins—he’d deal with that once he was truly free.

For now, he was racing against time. He had to reach the nearest Wind Sprite’s territory before the Old Witch used her scrying mirror to locate him.

If he could just report her whereabouts to one of the Wind Sprite’s subordinates, he would not only be safe but likely well rewarded.

However, even reaching the nearest Wind Sprite camp would take three days.

Too much could go wrong in that time.

Luckily, there was someone who could buy him some time.

As he waited for his magic to recover, Oqili turned his head toward the distance and slowly revealed a twisted grin.

“Run, Saul. Run with everything you’ve got. Try every trick you know. The faster and farther you run, the longer it’ll take the Old Witch to track you down.”

Oqili had prepared an additional ingredient while concocting the escape potions.

This material, when applied to the body, initially masked one’s scent. But if not wiped off with a special potion within twelve hours, it would begin to emit a very distinctive smoky odor.

And since the Old Witch often used this material to evade pursuers herself, she was all too familiar with that scent.

Once she woke up, she’d naturally go after the one who left behind a tail.

That would buy Oqili more time to flee.

He had specifically smeared this substance onto Saul’s arm when pulling him out of the prison.

As for the trace that got on himself—he had already washed it off the moment he left Saul’s sight.

As long as Saul could hold out for a day, Oqili was confident he could reach the Wind Sprite’s territory!

…

Three days later.

Oqili crouched in a patch of grass, peering toward a settlement ahead.

The settlement had no stone or wooden houses. Instead, there were only large tents.

At the center stood the largest tent, with the others arranged in a circle around it.

Since the Borderland was fraught with sudden danger, the Wind Sprite’s followers all opted for easily dismantled, mobile camps.

“This should be the Wind Sprite’s territory. Judging by the size of that central tent… there’s probably a Second Rank wizard stationed here.”

Oqili’s eyes lit up with joy. If only a First Rank wizard were here, at most they might make the Old Witch more cautious—but not truly stop her.

But a Second Rank wizard? That would make the Old Witch think twice before stepping in, lest she attract more enemies.

“Only three hundred meters left.” Still on high alert, Oqili crept forward, covering himself with his sand-dusted, gray-yellow robe.

He had applied a fresh coat of the scent-masking material, which wouldn’t wear off for some time.

“As long as I can just reach that Second Rank wizard…”

Suddenly, two people walked out of the camp, chatting and laughing.

Oqili didn’t dare show himself. He crouched low and cast an invisibility spell.

The two bore the aura of wizard apprentices. Perhaps because they were still close to camp, they were off guard, casually discussing recent news.

And it happened to be about the Old Witch.

“Did you hear? Someone spotted the Old Witch.”

“Ha! The Wind Sprite’s already sent extra forces to catch her. Once that old hag is caught, we won’t have to worry about people around us vanishing anymore.”

Then the first one lowered his voice. “Did you know? She actually injured the Wind Sprite the last time she showed up…”

Their voices grew lower and lower until Oqili could no longer hear them clearly.

Still, just from what he’d overheard, he knew he could now report the Old Witch’s location.

Perhaps the Second Rank wizard here would even reward him!

Oqili’s eyes gleamed as he prepared to rise from the ground.

Suddenly, his legs went numb—he couldn’t move them at all.

His heart pounded. A terrible thought surged into his mind.

He opened his mouth to shout—but all he could produce was a whisper, barely louder than a breath.

“No… No, no, no!”

“No! No! No!!”

The next second, the earth beneath him loosened—and he dropped straight down.

“What was that?” The two apprentices, who had just been chatting, immediately noticed something amiss.

“Hmph. Sometimes, being too alert isn’t good either.”

A cold voice rang out—and then the flesh of both apprentices began to fall away in chunks.

It was as if an invisible blade were slicing them apart—right down to the bones.

In moments, everything fell silent again.

Oqili lay prone in a pit of dirt, feeling a warm liquid trickling down from above, slowly soaking his face.

“You run fast, don’t you?” The Old Witch pressed down on Oqili’s back.

Her head hung low, and one of the tiny fingers woven into her braid rested right against Oqili’s nose.

“It’s over!” Oqili clenched his teeth, overwhelmed with despair.

He had gambled—and lost.

“That useless brat couldn’t even last a single day!”

He couldn’t help but curse his former partner, Saul. That little wizard was only good at research—useless at everything else.

The Old Witch heard his mutterings and slowly curled her lips into a grin.

“Hehehe… Oh? So, you escaped with Saul?”

Oqili froze. How did she know to ask that?

Her voice came again, right beside his ear.

“Did you know… that boy never even ran?”

(End of Chapter)

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