Inside the cave.
Just as Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti was about to drive his dagger into Ram's heart, Emilia's shadow ninja appeared in time, raising a shuriken in an attempt to stop him.
But the moment it drew close, it was shattered by the Unseen Hand, dispersing into a strand of black mist.
"How slothful—someone actually dared to launch a sneak attack!"
Petelgeuse merely hesitated for a few seconds at the ninja's appearance before preparing to continue.
Sensing the blade before her inching ever closer, Ram closed her eyes and waited for death to descend.
However, just as Ram had given up all hope and resigned herself to dying...
The sound of rock shattering suddenly echoed from outside. Within moments, the entire cave rang with the clash of weapons, as though someone had broken in.
"Lady Emilia!"
Realizing someone had arrived, Ram cried out in joy.
"I know. It must be Sister Shendu."
Emilia was overjoyed as well, a sense of relief washing over her.
This was not the first time. Twice now she had been saved like this, and those rescues had etched Shendu's presence even deeper into her heart.
Petelgeuse was equally surprised. He paused his movements. The sounds of battle outside ended quickly, and a trace of madness flickered across his twisted face.
As a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, Petelgeuse's Authority of the Unseen Hand was not to be underestimated.
Cutting through the enemy along the way, Shendu eliminated the Witch Cultists one by one, leaving none alive. They were hardly good people to begin with, and dealing with them was the simplest solution.
After entering with Rem, Shendu spotted the bound Emilia and Ram and revealed a faint smile, greeting them in a teasing tone.
"Yo. Still alive? You don't look to be in great shape."
Shendu waved casually and strode forward, completely ignoring Petelgeuse, the so-called Archbishop of Sloth.
"Ah... another silver-haired witch. Could this be the reward the Witch has granted me? So this is love—this is love!"
Petelgeuse stared in disbelief at the newly arrived silver-haired, red-eyed beauty, astonishment flashing in his eyes.
What followed was an overwhelming surge of ecstasy. He wanted nothing more than to seize her immediately.
"Oh? So you're the Archbishop of Sloth? You're quite ugly."
Shendu stared at Petelgeuse. It was hard to connect him with the Geuse in her memories. They seemed like entirely different people.
"Thank you for the Witch's praise. This must surely be her reward to me."
Consumed by madness, Petelgeuse showed not the slightest anger at her insult. Instead, he believed she was complimenting him.
At the sight of the person they had longed for, Emilia and Ram finally relaxed completely, joy blooming across their faces.
"Sister Shendu!"
"Lady Shendu, you've come."
Both girls were delighted. Shendu had arrived at the perfect moment and saved them, filling their hearts with gratitude.
"Of course I came. You've both worked hard. You must have been frightened, right?"
Shendu met their eyes with a slight smile, imagining how terrifying it must have been.
"We're not afraid. Because we believe in you."
Even bound in chains, the two girls showed no fear at all.
"Good. Then it's time to deal with this nuisance."
Shendu's gaze shifted to the Sloth Archbishop, Petelgeuse, considering how best to handle him.
Petelgeuse did not attack. Sensing her uniqueness, he merely observed her from afar, as though appraising this silver-haired witch.
"Petelgeuse, your original name was Geuse. You once despised the Witch Cult. You've forgotten many things, haven't you? Let me help you remember."
Looking at him, Shendu sighed softly. In her eyes, he was a pitiful man—the one he loved most had died by his own hand.
Now only madness remained. His mind had collapsed, and he had been manipulated, ultimately reduced to a blade wielded by the Witch Cult. A truly tragic fate.
"I have forgotten nothing. My greatest goal is to summon the legendary Witch of Envy. I will complete it—complete this trial!"
Petelgeuse's expression twisted violently, his eyes blazing with mania.
"I have no idea what you're babbling about. But let's have the sleeping personality speak instead."
Shendu's expression turned cold. A mass of white magical power gathered in her hand, gradually taking shape until it formed the image of a white tiger.
"Go—Tiger Talisman. Balance yin and yang. Separate good and evil!"
As Shendu invoked the power of the Tiger Talisman and struck Petelgeuse with it—
A cloud of black mist erupted from his body, and two distinct entities split apart.
The Tiger Talisman's power was far from ordinary. It could not only separate good from evil, but also balance conflicting forces.
Although Petelgeuse's consciousness had long since collapsed, another personality had remained buried deep within him, sealed away.
In less than a few seconds, Petelgeuse was divided into two. Aside from the twisted evil persona, the benevolent personality—Geuse—was separated once more.
He still bore the same handsome green hair, but the madness was gone. In its place were calm and intelligence.
"Hmph. Die."
Facing Petelgeuse's evil persona, Shendu condensed a shadow spear in her hand and thrust it straight through his heart, blasting a massive crater into the ground.
However, once he was destroyed, a yellowish light shot out from his body and fled toward the outside.
Shendu made no move to pursue it. Sooner or later, that thing would return to cause trouble again. That was her assumption.
After all, the Witch Cult would never willingly abandon a vessel for the Witch.
"All right. Let me free you."
After using the Tiger Talisman to separate the Sloth Archbishop's good and evil personalities, Shendu stepped forward and invoked the Rooster Talisman, twisting the iron chains behind them with ease.
Clang!
The chains were torn into several pieces and tossed aside. Emilia and Ram regained their freedom.
"Lady Shendu, who exactly is he? Why does Lady Emilia recognize him?"
Ram pointed at Geuse on the ground, astonished.
"He was the lover of Emilia's adoptive mother. But after the Witch Cult's attack, he became like this. I merely restored him to his original self."
Shendu did not conceal the truth.
Ram could not help but sigh. The man was truly tragic. To kill the one he loved by accident—if it had been her, she might have broken completely as well.
No one could endure such despair without shattering. Geuse's genuine kindness had only survived in the form of a sealed, sleeping personality.
"Geuse, wake up!"
Seeing the familiar figure from her memories, Emilia stepped forward and gently patted his face.
Freed by the Tiger Talisman's power, Geuse slowly opened his eyes at the sound of someone calling his name. He saw Emilia looking at him with concern.
"You are Lady Emilia... Ah! I remember—Fortuna was killed by me... by my own mistake."
"Ahhhhh! Why did this happen? Why?"
Pain filled Geuse's face as he relived everything once more.
Fortunately, he was currently in his benevolent state rather than a fusion of good and evil. After a period of anguish, his mind did not collapse again.
"It's my fault. It's all my fault. Fortuna died because of me."
Geuse was consumed by sorrow. Having lost the one he loved most, he felt utterly useless. To him, remaining alive seemed like a mistake.
"Enough!"
Smack!
Just as Geuse was drowning in regret over killing Fortuna, Shendu stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face.
"Mm!"
Struck so suddenly, Geuse looked up at Shendu in disbelief, his gaze lingering in surprise on her silver hair.
"Stop acting like a coward. I know you've lost the woman you loved. I know you regret it. I separated you from that body not so you could wallow in guilt and self-blame."
Shendu's presence was overwhelming as she stared at him coldly.
"Then what should I do? I no longer have the right to protect Emilia."
Geuse was in agony. He had killed Emilia's adoptive mother with his own hands. He had no confidence left in himself. Only despair remained.
"I have a way to save Fortuna. The only way. Swear loyalty to me, and I will bring Fortuna back to life. Are you willing to correct your mistake?"
Shendu spoke unhurriedly, her tone calm yet firm, as though resurrecting someone were not an impossible feat.
"What? You have a way to revive Fortuna?"
"Sister Shendu... is there truly a chance to bring my mother back?"
Upon hearing this, both Emilia and Geuse blurted out at once, their eyes brimming with excitement.
"Yes. But the method is special. After we deal with the Witch Cult, we will go to the Elior Forest and correct everything that went wrong."
Shendu's voice was resolute.
Seeing her confidence, a flicker of hope ignited within Geuse's heart.
In this world, resurrection was nearly impossible. Yet even the faintest hope was better than none.
That alone was enough reason for him to believe.
"By the way, Geuse, your true form is a minor spirit, isn't it? You're only maintaining this state by possessing this body, correct?"
With her True Sight, Shendu easily discerned Geuse's essence and asked calmly.
"Yes. I have lived for four hundred years. This body once belonged to a frail human who formed a contract with me, asking me to care for his family. In the end, he left this body to me."
Geuse did not conceal anything and recounted his past.
After speaking with him for a while, Shendu turned her gaze toward Emilia and Ram. Her displeased eyes swept over them, and both girls immediately lowered their heads.
"Emilia. Ram. Don't you owe me an explanation? Sneaking back to Roswaal's territory without telling me—do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Shendu's crimson eyes passed over them, startling the two into silence.
"I'm sorry, Sister Shendu. We just wanted to surprise you. You've done so much for me... so we secretly came back."
Emilia lowered her head, deeply embarrassed. The surprise had turned into a disaster instead.
Nearly being killed by the Witch Cult left her feeling utterly helpless about her own misfortune.
In simple terms, she had stepped out without checking her luck and paid dearly for it.
"I'm sorry. I didn't stop Lady Emilia. I even supported her decision. Lady Shendu, please punish me."
Ram knelt as well, not daring to meet Shendu's gaze.
What should have been a simple matter had turned into a crisis because of them. It was only natural for Shendu to be angry.
"You two are such idiots."
Speechless, Shendu reached out and pinched both of their cheeks. She applied a bit of pressure, and tears welled in their eyes.
It was clear she was genuinely upset. Yet neither girl dared to cry, waiting quietly for her anger to pass.
"Fine. We'll let it go this time. But if you ever pull something like this again, I will not forgive you."
Shendu glared at them before finally relenting.
"Hehe... Sister Shendu, you're the best."
Only after receiving her forgiveness did Emilia's expression brighten.
Boom! Crash!
Just as their conversation ended, violent tremors shook the cave. The sound of rocks splitting apart echoed from outside, as though someone was approaching.
"Is this the Witch's trial? How truly splendid."
A familiar voice echoed from the depths of the cave. It was undoubtedly Petelgeuse. After being destroyed, he had reincarnated into another vessel.
As the voice grew clearer, Shendu and the others looked toward the entrance. A middle-aged man stepped into view. His appearance was completely different from before, yet the madness in his eyes remained unchanged.
"Be careful. That was one of the vessels I prepared in advance. There are several of them. Dealing with him will be troublesome."
Geuse still retained Petelgeuse's memories. Since they had once been one, it was only natural.
"Is that so? Thank you for the information. He's as good as dead. I'll restore you to who you were meant to be."
Shendu turned her head slightly, confidence evident in her gaze as she looked from Geuse to Petelgeuse.
Compared to Geuse, she despised Petelgeuse. His madness had brought nothing but destruction.
"Thank you."
Geuse felt as though he had finally found redemption.
"Hahaha! Slothful me, you truly disgust me. The Witch must descend, yet you do nothing. You are unworthy of being part of me!"
Petelgeuse continued gnawing on his fingers, his madness undiminished. Emilia shut her eyes briefly, finding Geuse far preferable.
"To truly live, one must diligently summon the Witch! This is the trial. This is love. I will carry out the Witch's grace and complete everything perfectly!"
Petelgeuse roared in mania. The Unseen Hands gradually manifested around him, as though countless invisible arms were waving in the air.
"The Unseen Hand. When I fused with the Authority, I obtained that power as well. I can use it too. Miss Shendu, please allow me to help."
Geuse looked at Shendu, determined to correct his mistake.
Petelgeuse was his evil side—the embodiment of his collapse. Perhaps eliminating him was the best outcome.
He did not know what would happen to him if his evil half were destroyed, but he trusted that Shendu had already considered everything.
"Hmph. This trial granted by the Witch—how could I possibly abandon it? As my so-called good side, you should die!"
Without hesitation, Petelgeuse manipulated surrounding rocks and hurled them toward Geuse.
"Unseen Hand!"
Geuse activated the same Authority, shattering the incoming stones midair.
Watching the scene unfold, Shendu's expression turned slightly strange.
It really did look like someone fighting himself. But in truth, it made perfect sense.
The good and evil personas were fundamentally opposed. Geuse believed his collapsed evil half needed to be eliminated. The evil half thought exactly the same.
"Interesting. Fighting yourself."
A smile curved Shendu's lips.
"Geuse, step back. His opponent is me. Let me end this."
Shendu waved her hand and spoke seriously to Geuse.