Witch Reiko was a kind and beautiful woman. Anyone who saw her would feel this way. She was dressed in white cloth and red pants, her knee-length black hair gently draped over her back. A pair of gentle and bright eyes smiled as if they were filled with starlight. People are willing to share everything with her when they were watched by her beautiful eyes.

At this moment, she was staring at Horii with such a pair of eyes. The gaze was gentle and calm. Reiko wasn't in a hurry to speak, so Horii wasn't in a hurry either. The things that made Reiko feel awkward were definitely not trivial matters. She never liked to be troubled. "Horii." Reiko said apologetically, "I need your help. I wonder if you're willing."

"It's Horii 's honour to be able to help Lord Reiko." Horii wrote on the paper. She respected the witch who had saved her life and worked hard to heal her. If she could, she would not refuse. "Speaking of this thing, it was my fault." Reiko smiled. "The witch of the neighbouring village passed away not long ago, but the spiritual power of the successor was too weak to protect the villagers. Recently, there were monsters attacking their village, so they had no choice but to ask me for help. I agreed, but …"

"It's impossible for you to leave the village. If you leave, no one will be able to maintain the barrier. At that time, the village will be attacked by a large number of monsters" Horii immediately guessed the reason for Reiko's hesitation. "Yes, I have already planned to let Mao go. Her ability is sufficient for this matter. However, Mao is not as stable as you. I really can't be at ease with letting her go alone, so …" Reiko hesitated. She also felt that such an arrangement was not reasonable. After all, Horii had only been a witch for less than a year, and it was difficult for her to protect herself in the face of danger. It was really difficult for her to take care of others at the same time.

"I will accompany Mao. Please rest assured." Horii agreed without any hesitation.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Reiko looked at the answer written on the paper and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I've flipped through the ancient books and made up a new medicine. You can try again when you get back."

Reiko had always felt guilty about not being able to recover Horii 's voice.

Horii touched the faint scar on her neck and nodded with a smile.

Although it was difficult for her to utter a single word in its entirety, it was much better than utterly being dumb. At least she could see the hope of recovery.

…

Before leaving, Reiko gave Horii a stack of talismans made by her. Horii carefully kept the talismans in a small bag at her waist. She had only just become a witch for a short time. So far, she had only learned how to use talismans, let alone her terrible archery skills. Her accuracy was so bad that her friend also might be assaulted by her arrow. Therefore, she did not envy Mao at all for having obtained the Demon Breaking Arrows that had exerted special power.

Although it was a neighbouring village, the Maple Village wasn't close at all. It took more than half a day to arrive there.

"So far." Mao 's face showed exhaustion. , "How long will it take to get there?" "We should be arriving soon." Horii held her hand and slowly wrote in the palm. In fact, she was exhausted as well. But thanks for her special physique, the burning sun did not affect her so much. So she did not feel as irritated as Mao.

"I don't know why I always have a bad premonition. I hope it's just my illusion … Ah, is it that village?" Mao suddenly pointed. Horii looked in the direction she was pointing at and saw a village that seemed to be enveloped in white mist. It only vaguely revealed a rough outline. Looks like there's something wrong. Horii thought.

…

It wasn't until the two of them reached the village that the things in the village became clear. Mao stood at the entrance of the village and straightened her messy witch costume. Then, she tied up her long hair with a white rope and put on a noble posture that was different from usual. After this preparation, then she walked in.

"As a witch, you need have to look like a witch." Every time Horii was surprised by such an evident contrast, Mao always explained like this. Unfortunately, Horii had yet to learn the ability to change her role as she pleased. "Lady Witch." The old village chief, who had been waiting for a long time, came forward and said, "Please help us …" His voice suddenly stopped when he saw Mao 's face. Obviously, he hadn't expected the witch was not Reiko but another young one.

Mao had always hated people who doubted her ability because she was young. She raised chin and snorted, "I was entrusted by Lord Reiko to eliminate Yōkai. Do you have any dissatisfaction?" Even if he was really dissatisfied, he wouldn't speak it out, not to mention that it was still a time for him to ask for help. After all, no matter how young a witch was, she was still a witch, wasn't she? The old village chief has been a slick man all his life. He knew much how to please someone. Knowing that Mao was unhappy, he immediately smiled and said, "Lady Witch is kind-hearted. We are grateful for receiving your help. How can we be dissatisfied?"

"There's no need for you to flatter me. Tell me about the current situation." Mao interrupted him. When it came to the condition, the old village chief's expression immediately became serious. "Ever since the Yōkai attacked our village, many villagers have been unconscious for some reasons. When they woke up, they seemed to have lost their rationality and attacked their relatives. It looks like they were possessed by some evil things …" he said.

"Where are the villagers with problems now?" Mao asked after listening to his narrative.

"They are locked up in a shrine in the village."

"Let's go and take a look at their situation before we make any plans." After pondering for a while, Mao said, " Horii, what do you think?" She turned to look at Horii, who nodded at her.

"Village Chief, please lead the way."

The old village chief smiled and made a gesture. He took the lead in walking towards the shrine in the middle of the village.

" Horii?" After walking for a while, Mao found that Horii hadn't caught up. She turned around and saw that Horii was still standing there in a daze. Immediately, she shouted angrily, " Horii!" This time, even the Village Chief turned his head and looked over. Strange, could it be that I was mistaken? Was that black shadow just an illusion? Horii muttered in her heart.

She stared at the village chief's face suspiciously. Seeing that there was nothing, she could only silently withdraw her gaze and quicken her pace to the side of Mao. "What's wrong with you?" Mao nudged Horii with her elbow. Shaking her head silently, Horii held her hand and slowly and solemnly wrote two words in her palm: Be careful.