I am the Enchantress!

Chapter 154 The Premise of All Inferences

Monk had only recently returned to Ironweave Town from the border forest.

After separating from Wilder, he, Hollen, and Harris investigated all the way to Area X on the outskirts of the Border Forest, the location where the research team fought the Red Dragon.

The result was nothing.

Could the red dragon have escaped into the heart of the forest?

Monk couldn't help but have this conjecture.

But he clearly saw the red dragon fly away in the opposite direction.

Of course, it's also possible that the red dragon changed direction after the survey team left and hid in the heart of the border forest.

However, the probability of such a thing happening is very low.

As one of the survey team members who participated in the entire battle, he knew that the Red Dragon was seriously injured and had almost no chance of having the strength to change its flight direction.

It needs rest.

Similarly, Monk and his two companions also needed to rest.

The overnight search left them quite exhausted, and given the low probability that the red dragon had hidden deep within the territory, they decided not to continue their infiltration and returned to Ironweave Town for the time being.

Monk was very unwilling to accept this.

How could it not be there?

Logically, the red dragon should have crashed on the search route, and it would most likely have been unconscious, making it an excellent opportunity to hunt it.

hateful!

With such resentment in his heart, he, Hollen, and Harris arrived in Ironweave Town at noon.

Hollen and Harris returned to the guild first, while Monk, who had been burned by dragon breath in the battle, went to the medicine shop alone.

Unexpectedly, I ran into that familiar young man here.

It seems to be called ————

Wilder, right?

He's a young mage that Hollen really thinks highly of.

Although Monk recognized him, he wasn't interested in greeting him. If the other person had been more enthusiastic, he would probably have nodded to indicate that he had heard him.

But a strange thought, born of intuition, suddenly swept through his mind.

The thought had crossed his mind when they met in the border forest at night, which is why he asked about Wilde's friend's injuries then.

Could it be a sword wound?

Could it be frostbite?

His friend happened to fall on the route the red dragon was taking to escape.

The injuries on his friend's body.

Is it possible that the injury was inflicted on the Red Dragon?

However, because the girl was "not wearing any clothes underneath," he temporarily put aside his thoughts.

Now, that thought slowly resurfaces in my mind.

Is there a possibility that—

Did the red dragon transform into a human?

So he couldn't help but turn his gaze to the medicine that Wilder was about to buy on the counter.

As a high-ranking mage, he had excellent eyesight and immediately noticed the labels on the two small gray bottles.

Ice Curse Lifted.

Magic Jelly Cream.

His pupils immediately trembled, and the suspicion in his mind grew stronger.

Both of these bottles of medicine are for treating frostbite, and they are expensive potions specifically for treating frostbite caused by magic.

What does Wilder need these drugs for?

Was it bought for his friend?

The girl who collapsed along the red dragon's escape route, if she also happened to have been injured by a freezing spell—

Is it possible that she is the Red Dragon?

This inference sounds utterly absurd because the premise of this conjecture is extremely ridiculous.

How can a dragon turn into a human?

What horrified Monk was that if this premise was correct, then the subsequent details all matched up.

His intuition has always been very accurate.

This time, his intuition was exceptionally strong.

So, he casually probed, "Are you frostbitten?"

Behind his calm tone lay an extremely strong premonition.

Wilder definitely didn't have frostbite!

Absolutely not!

However----

At this moment, Wilder's left arm, clearly frostbitten by an ice spell, was right in front of him, perfectly visible.

"What are you doing—"

Monk could barely conceal his emotions any longer, and asked in a slightly trembling voice.

"Oh, I got injured accidentally while practicing magic."

In contrast, Wilder's voice was so calm and composed, even carrying a very natural sense of embarrassment.

Even the best actors in the best theaters in Danube could not imitate such a realistic state.

He probably wasn't lying.

But Monk still couldn't completely believe it.

It's not so much that I can't believe it, but rather that I can't accept it.

What a coincidence!

It's as coincident as a meticulously knitted sweater pattern, with every stitch perfectly designed.

He was not reconciled.

Even though this was out of character for him, and despite being somewhat flustered, he still pressed on, "What kind of magic?"

"【Ice Blade Technique】".

Wilder answered almost without pausing, "I've been practicing this spell for a while, and I finally finished drawing it today. But when I released it, I didn't adjust the direction properly, and the ice blade exploded on my body."

Monk knew the spell.

Level 2 Spellcasting - Freezing spells.

As a high-ranking mage, he himself has mastered this spell, but he rarely casts it nowadays.

He shifted the light back to Wilder's injured left arm and stared at it for a few seconds.

Although the Ice Blade Technique is not high-level, its power is not bad, so it is not surprising that it caused such frostbite.

he----

Is everything you said true?

As if reading his mind, Wilder casually pulled a spell scroll from his pocket.

The scroll had long since become an ordinary piece of parchment, meaning that the magical structure within had been imprinted in the user's mind.

However, the handwritten label on the scroll still retains the writing, and it is indeed [Ice Blade Technique].

"It's quite difficult to learn."

Wilder said, showing the scroll.

Monk nodded slightly.

At Wilder's age, learning a level two spell does take some time; even with exceptional talent, it would probably take about a week.

Therefore, he didn't learn it on the spot.

Monk took a deep breath.

The conspiracy theory that had been slowly emerging in his mind shattered quietly, like a block of ice.

He assumed that Wilde's friend was the Red Dragon, and that his real purpose in coming was to help her buy medicine to treat frostbite.

But fearing suspicion for buying the potion, he hastily purchased a scroll of freezing spells and deliberately injured himself.

This gave him a reason to buy medicine to treat frostbite.

This was done to cover up the truth that his friend had suffered frostbite.

What meticulous reasoning!

But it was completely overturned.

Because it's simply impossible for Wilder to learn the level two spell [Ice Blade] in just one morning!

Even geniuses can't do that!

Munch's suspicious mind began to waver unconsciously until it finally calmed down completely.

Or are you overthinking it?

He was just there to buy two bottles of frostbite medicine, which is perfectly normal.

Since the pharmacy has prepared this medicine, people will naturally buy it.

What does this have to do with the Red Dragon?

"Um.

"9

Monk resumed his poker face and gave a brief reply.

Then, he picked up the bottle of flame-extinguishing tincture he had bought from the counter, turned around and left the medicine shop.