Just became an evil god and was summoned by the saint.

Chapter 153 Murderous Intent Under the Cover of Night

It is October now. The ancient tower located in the eastern part of the Ishtar Empire should be in autumn. Even if it is cold, it is not so cold that everything seems to be frozen.

The temperature inside the camp remained pleasant, but outside it felt like we had entered the far north.

However, the ice in the far north is built upon the foundation of everything being frozen.

Here, the surrounding environment is no different from usual, without any frost, and it looks like autumn has just begun.

However, the strong winds snapped all the trees in half, leaving them teetering on the brink of collapse, as if they would be blown down at any moment.

Celia covered her eyes with her hands, and had to convert some of her magic into fire magic, which circulated within her body to ward off the cold.

"The wind is so strong, these trees look like monsters baring their fangs." Anke hugged his arms tightly, almost pressing himself against Celia.

"Wind Wall!" Benovia stretched out her hand, and a faint blue magic emerged from her hand, instantly expanding into a small shield that enveloped them and the puppet.

The wind was still howling around, but the biting cold had disappeared. Inside the enclosure, there was no wind, only a gentle breeze.

Anke looked at Benovia and asked, "Why do you learn all kinds of magic?"

Benovia smiled slightly: "Better safe than sorry."

The surroundings quieted down a bit, and the group continued on their way.

Benovia looked at Celia and asked, "Celia, how are we going to find Doris?"

Celia said, "I have a special way to sense traces, and we should be able to find it by following those traces."

“Okay.” Benovia nodded and didn’t ask any further questions.

Phil and Anko couldn't help but glance at Benovia.

They both had questions—

Why does Benovia trust Celia so much?

Could it be that these two made some kind of special deal in secret?
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

However, they didn't say anything, they just followed along.

Just then, Celia, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped, and then an ice blade shot into the depths of the nearby jungle.

"Ow!"

A wolf-like creature rushed out from the shadows, its eyes bloodshot and shrouded in black mist.

As it rushed closer, the wolf's head suddenly split open, and a flower resembling countless teeth emerged from the split head, about to charge towards Celia.

However, when it reached mid-air, it seemed to hit something and fell down.

Another icy blade flashed past, and it was split in two.

Celia went over to take a look. "So these monsters leave the ruins at night to hunt outside?"

Benovia said, "This is probably how the contamination spreads, emerging from the ruins and spreading to the surrounding area when the lighthouse shines brightly at night."

Celia said, "We're almost at the camp. So many mercenaries, and we still haven't been able to suppress them."

Phil said softly, "They don't have the ability to purify the pollution, and they can't stop its spread."

“These monsters are stronger than the ones we killed on the Gold Coast; they’re almost at Tier 3.” Celia stood up and continued forward, adding, “The wilderness is indeed dangerous at night. Stay close to me and don’t wander off.”

The three nodded.

Ross's phantom appeared beside Celia. Celia pretended to look around, then looked at him with a question in her eyes.

"Lord Ross, is there a problem with the surroundings?"

Ross said, "There is a problem, but it won't have a big impact. Don't worry about it."

Celia nodded slightly and led the three of them onward.

The number of monsters ambushing them along the way gradually increased, but fortunately, Celia's mage hand was already able to detect and sense the monsters' movements.

What they cared about wasn't the monsters. Although these monsters were stronger, they were only slightly troublesome for the four of them working together, requiring them to use two more spells.

What they cared about was the faint mist that appeared around them in the pitch-black night as they moved forward.

This fog resembled the black fog that enveloped the area behind one when entering ruins, but it was filled with thick pollution, and...

A faint, unsettling aura of killing intent emanated from it.

This mysterious killing intent made even the four people inside the wind wall feel their hair stand on end, as if something in the mist was about to attack them.

“The fog is getting thicker, let’s move closer,” Celia said. Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed that Ross, who had been leisurely following beside her, suddenly made a move.

Ross reached out, as if he had grabbed something, and then squeezed it.

She felt that a large portion of the magic power within her had been used up.

"What happened?" Celia asked hurriedly.

"Something tried to separate you, but I crushed it," Ross said calmly.

Celia's heart skipped a beat, then slowly calmed down.

I felt nothing at all.

If it weren't for Rose, they probably wouldn't even know they were separated.
Celia turned to look at Benovia and the others, and saw that their faces were shrouded in a light mist, as if they would disappear at any moment.

However, the fog quickly dissipated.

"What's wrong?" Benovia asked.

Neither of them noticed anything unusual.

“It’s nothing,” Celia shook her head.

Anke said, "After the fog thickened, it seemed like there were no more monsters around."

Celia nodded, about to say something, when she suddenly froze.

She looked up and around, feeling a chill run down her spine.

She discovered that, somehow, they were no longer on their way to the ruins, but instead...

It's right there in the ruins!

Not only that, but in the thick fog, she saw a huge shadow appear ahead.

That is--

lighthouse!

There was a door at the foot of the lighthouse, and at that moment it seemed to have turned into a giant mouth, mocking their overestimation of their abilities.

A faint, almost imperceptible laugh seemed to emanate from the surroundings.

There were also faint, almost imperceptible gazes, and a light, cool breeze gently blowing in my ear, as if someone were breathing in it.

Celia felt a chill run down her spine and stood frozen in place.

"Celia, why did you stop?" Anke's voice came from behind.

Celia didn't speak, but simply gestured ahead, letting them see for themselves.

All three looked up.

The thick fog around them suddenly dissipated, and the lighthouse appeared before them.

Benovia and the other two stared wide-eyed at the scene in shock.

"When...we were teleported in?"

"I don't know, but we can't move forward."

The lighthouse at night was like a giant monster, and Celia was certain that if she accidentally went inside, she wouldn't be able to get out.

Although a feeling lured them to continue forward and enter the lost lighthouse.

Benovia even said, "I have a feeling that Doris is in the Lost Lighthouse."

“I have one too,” Celia said softly.

She looked at the lighthouse standing silently in front of her, and just then, the light at the top of the lighthouse turned to them, turning into a crimson light that shone on them.

"Lower your head!" Benovia immediately hissed.

Everyone lowered their heads, avoiding looking at the lights.

“This is a bit of a problem, Mr. Ross…” Celia was about to speak to Ross when she suddenly paused.

A strong sense of fear rose from my heart and spread throughout my body.

She discovered that Ross was gone!
　As I wrote this last part, I imagined that scene, and it gave me goosebumps. Unfortunately, my writing skills are limited, and I couldn't capture that feeling in words. (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

　　
　
(End of this chapter)