Witch Hunter Rhapsody

"Oh dear, how am I supposed to explain this? My father told me to do this properly."

Liena's words made Vitas laugh.

"Miss Gallipoli, you went to Otham alone, without any guards or servants. This in itself goes against your father's wishes."

Liena pouted and complained, "My father is always like this, afraid that something will happen to me. He raised me, and I'm a knight, how could something happen to me so easily?"

"Miss Gallipoli, when you're out and about, it's always good to listen to the advice of your elders."

"Alright, stop calling me 'Miss,' just call me by my name. Hmph, you're not calling yourself 'Miss Ether' anymore either, are you?"

Vitas did not delve further into the matter; he suddenly began to consider the possibility of seeking the Duke's help.

To be honest, the possibility is not high. Anyone with eyes can see that the Duke and the wizard are in a political alliance, which is actually the case in most countries.

Wizards offer knowledge, power, and a guarantee not to cause too much trouble in exchange for legitimate existence and a convenient, fast, and efficient exchange market, which is a good thing for both parties.

Considering that the Duke preferred the two powerful mages to keep each other in check and there was no possibility of one helping him eliminate the other, Vitas did not seek the Duke's help immediately.

However, upon closer reflection, his situation was no longer as simple as simply seeking refuge. He had killed Maximus and Alistair; Maximus was secondary, Alistair was the most important.

If I were to seek Draco's protection again, he might be able to read my mind and expose me.

As for Nexus, Vitas would rather die than submit to such a guy!

Therefore, working under the Duke for the time being and seeking the next opportunity is at least a way to avoid having one's secrets discovered by mind-reading.

Not to mention that getting closer to the Duke also gives one a better chance of getting closer to Nectus.

Now the Duke's daughter was standing before him, just as Maximus, Draco's student, had stood before him.

Maximus was indeed a student, but he was an undervalued one.

But now standing before me is the Duke's eldest daughter, a woman of genuine status.

After a brief moment of thought, Vitas continued to answer.

"Okay, Liena, I'd love to be your friend. Well, you might not know me, but I'm quite well-known around here."

"I know you. Ether told me about you before. Sigh, I thought you were the kind of guy who would cheat on young girls in small towns, but now it seems that's not the case."

Vitas didn't bother discussing with her where this impression of injustice came from; he only hoped that Liena could cooperate with him as soon as possible.

"So..."

"Hmm, let me think. It's probably our former chief wizard, Drak, who is now resentful of being replaced by Nectus and is preparing to come here in person."

"What?"

Compared to Ether's shock, Vitas's reaction was much calmer.

He could have foreseen this happening.

Then, Liena turned to Vitas.

"Although there is no specific explanation, we have heard some unpleasant rumors. It is said that some students from Draco died in this city."

"Students? I think I've heard of that before."

"But I feel it's definitely not that simple."

Liena was suddenly launched into a long-winded explanation, and she began to recount her deductions with great seriousness.

"Listen to me, that Draco is definitely not the kind of person who would do something like this for his disciples. He wouldn't be this responsible towards his students."

"Is Draco that kind of person?"

Vitas only knew that Drak was an absolute scholar, in whose eyes magic and knowledge were more important than anything else, and he was the quintessential scholar.

"Draco has a rather strange temper. Well, how should I put it, he's quite cold-blooded and ruthless. He doesn't show much emotion to his students, regardless of how close they are to him. Uh, more like a tool? He treats them like tools. He'll make some gestures that seem like he cares, but it's just to make his students, who are tools, perform their duties better."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, look at how many students Draco has. New students join every year, but the total number isn't growing fast. My father sometimes thinks it's such a waste. But Nectus, as the chief wizard, is completely different from Draco."

Nectus was a gentle and refined man, a very polite scholar—that was Vitas's first impression of him. But it was precisely this kind of person who could commit such cruel acts, making them all the more chilling.

Liena continued speaking.

"Nexus has fewer students, but each one learns magic under his diligent tutelage. The rest... well, they're just expendable resources. However, Nexus doesn't give them any hope; if they don't want to be expendable resources, he'll let them go. Of course, it's also possible he won't let them go..."

Liena rambled on and on, and Vitas finally concluded that it was a story of a true villain and a hypocrite.

"In short, it's quite strange that Draco came in person this time. Even if he wanted to get involved personally, he should have sent a magical clone or something, but he told my father that he wanted to come in person, so my father hurriedly sent someone over."

"What? Why? Can't this guy suddenly have a change of heart and show some remorse? Or was the student who died here his tutor or someone like that?"

"I don't think it's possible. After all, that guy has changed his reading guide quite a few times. Of course, it's also possible that he had a change of heart."

After Liena finished speaking, she stretched.

"However, after considering everything, perhaps it really was that wizard who created a spell that even our duchy's most powerful wizard wanted to glimpse its secrets?"

"In fact, what she made has already been destroyed by us."

"Huh?"

Ether and Vitas exchanged glances, then confirmed that neither the young lady nor the duke had received any news of Via's monster rampage in the city last time.

That's too complicated to explain.

Vitas sighed and said.

"This will take quite a while to explain."

Liena responded.

"I don't lack time, at least not now. Draco won't be here for about a week."

Liena rested her face on her hands and looked at Vitas.

"Besides, haven't you already done a lot of work?"

"He may not seem very bright, but his intuition is exceptionally sharp."

"Hey! What do you mean by 'doesn't seem very smart'?"