Rewrite That Witch
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Chapter 907: Unveiling The Mystery (Part Ⅱ)

Roland and Lightning had both told Lorgar the same thing: if an enemy was too strong to engage alone, withdraw and report back to Neverwinter at once. She had always kept that instruction close.

When she saw the demon army in the ruins below, she decided immediately to return.

She had proven herself enough in previous battles—there would be plenty of opportunities to fight once the demons reached Neverwinter. She had no doubt of that.

But she did not leave immediately.

She stayed. She told herself it was for information—that if she could bring back detailed intelligence, even the great chief would owe her something. All this time, she had wanted his recognition, not his apology. Whether his words to her that day had been genuine concern or mockery hardly mattered anymore. What mattered was her honor, and what it would mean for the Wildflame clan’s standing in his eyes.

That was why she stayed in that dangerous place. And she would never say so to the witches—she would simply tell them she was curious.

“Near the ruins I found an abandoned stone tower,” she said, “covered in moss and vines. Half of it had already crumbled, but it was still the best vantage point nearby. I took off my clothes and stored them in my pack so I could transform and run at a moment’s notice. I wrapped myself in a cloak and climbed to the top.”

She coughed twice, rested a moment, then continued.

“At the top I found an opening in the wall, overgrown with vines—a perfect hiding spot. Many Devilbeasts flew over my position without seeing me. That was when I finally got a clear look at those massive creatures.”

She paused.

“They weren’t alive.”

“Not—alive?” Wendy couldn’t help herself.

“I don’t think so,” Lorgar said quietly. “They didn’t behave like any living creature. They were more like—”

“Like what?”

“Like the iron bridge your people built over the Redwater River.”

The witches looked at one another. “A bridge?”

“I couldn’t believe it either. But that’s what they looked like.” Another cough. “Straight backs like a bridge deck. On either side of the torso, two long legs like pillars holding it up. But the torso and the limbs weren’t covered in flesh—there were gaps between the bones and metal pieces. You could see straight through them.”

Wendy drew a slow breath.

A walking steel bridge. A new weapon the demons built?

After a moment’s rest, Lorgar went on. “Each one stood nearly thirty meters tall. Demons were secured to the top of them—from a distance they looked like insect eggs covering the surface. A huge sack hung from one side of the abdomen, pulsing—it looked like an organ that had fallen out of the body. Dark red mist surged under the skin.” She pressed her closed fist gently to her chest. “By the Three Gods, those things looked like evil incarnate.”

Ashes’s frown had deepened. “And then?”

“The monsters laid down beside the ruins. Hundreds of tubes emerged from the sacks and drove themselves into the ground. Within seconds the soil darkened and the plants around them withered—as though all life was simply drawn out of the earth. After that, most of the demons sank underground. What remained was a few hundred Mad Demons and perhaps a dozen Devilbeasts. Scouts or patrol teams, I suppose.”

Wendy looked up from her notes. “Have you seen a demon with many eyes and tentacles? One that stays elevated, looks like a writhing mass at first glance?”

“A Multi-eyed Demon?” Lorgar shook her head. “Lightning described something like that to me. I didn’t see anything of the sort in the army.”

“How did you get hurt?”

Lorgar’s expression shifted—something between shame and resignation. “I underestimated them. I hid at the top of the tower for three days. Many Devilbeasts passed over without noticing me, so I thought the patrol wasn’t serious. Then a Mad Demon blew a horn. I thought it wouldn’t draw the main force’s attention—but when I tried to leave, I found several demon squads had already been positioned around me, waiting.”

“They ambushed you?” Nightfall sat up. “How? Everyone said demons were simple-minded beasts—”

“The lowest-ranked ones are,” Tilly said quietly. “But a senior demon changes everything. There must have been a commander among those who surrounded you.”

“In the face of an unknown enemy,” Ashes said, “no plan is perfect. You escaped a trap set by a demon officer and made it back to Neverwinter alive. That alone is worth something.” She laid a hand briefly on Lorgar’s shoulder—Wendy couldn’t recall having heard Ashes offer such a thing before.

“Maybe.” Lorgar managed a weak smile. “Fortunately the senior demon didn’t come after me personally. When I realized I’d been spotted I transformed and ran under the cover of darkness. Their spear-throwers couldn’t hit me at night. I don’t know how many were chasing me, but Devilbeasts tracked me from the air the entire time.”

Tilly frowned. “You killed them all? The ones pursuing you?”

Wendy had been wondering the same thing. Lorgar’s injuries were severe—consistent with someone who had been unable to break free, only absorb the blows.

“No.” Lorgar hesitated. “They stopped on their own. I don’t understand why—if they had pursued me for one more day, I would have died from exhaustion. But they simply withdrew.”

“The Red Mist.” Tilly’s head came up sharply. “They couldn’t afford to burn through what they’d brought. Do you remember where they turned back?”

Lorgar pressed her fingers to her forehead. “Roughly two and a half to three thousand meters from the edge of the grassland.”

“Bring me a map. Quickly.”

While Tilly measured distances against the parchment, the pieces began assembling themselves in Wendy’s mind. The skeleton monsters—the tubes, the soil turning dark, the demons sinking underground—it echoed the Church’s Siege Beasts, those machines driven by magical power. If the great creatures were transport vehicles for Red Mist rather than living weapons, every detail of Lorgar’s account fell into place. The underground disappearance. The contaminated earth. It was the same as the Devil’s Town behind the snow mountain.

If the Devilbeasts that launched from Taquila can only reach the edge of the Barbarian Land—does that mean Neverwinter is still beyond their range?

The question sat with her as Lorgar finished speaking, exhaustion finally claiming what composure she’d managed to hold. Blood had begun seeping through the bandages again.

Wendy asked her to rest, told her Nana would be back soon, and led the others out, pulling the door softly shut behind her.

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