Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 5 Catherine's Past

After a night, Catherine bid farewell to Lorraine and walked into the snowstorm.

The bizarre events outside the door were not yet over, but the swirling snowflakes dissipated automatically when they came within three feet of her, as if an invisible barrier of lightning separated her from the mortal world.

Catherine disappeared into the white snow, leaving only a string of shallow footprints.

The northern snowfields were deathly silent.

Catherine walked alone on the ice field, and with each step, the silver lines at the corners of her eyes twitched slightly.

That was the curse left behind after the soul contract was broken, constantly reminding her of her past foolishness.

"Blind loyalty..."

She murmured to herself, her voice carrying a hint of confusion she had never felt before.

The reason she wanted to take on a disciple was because she had witnessed almost everything that happened after Lorraine and her group arrived here.

That little maid who endured hunger to ensure the lord had good food was just like her back then.

Back then, she was still the kingdom's third prince's personal witch, "Kitty," and she once looked at the man she had sworn allegiance to with that same unreserved gaze.

She thought it was a bond, a salvation.

Driven by that man's ambition, she exhausted her life force, pushing the power of the storm to its limit, all to help him clear the obstacles on his path to the throne.

Even when His Majesty the Prince deliberately created failed witches to be dropped on the battlefield as bombs.

She chose to remain silent.

"On the day of your coronation, you will be the Empire's sole 'Storm Guardian'."

He once made that promise under the moonlight.

However, on the eve of the coronation...

What awaited her was not glory, but a cold operating table and a spirit-locking potion mixed with alcohol, which sealed away magic.

She would never forget the man's condescending gaze:

"Katie, the princess from the neighboring country has arrived with a sixth-rank tribute. For the sake of the alliance, I cannot keep a witch whose hands are stained with sin and whose merits overshadow the lord."

"Once I ascend the throne, I will have many more and stronger witches to serve me. Katie, I will not need you anymore."

"Offer up your storm core; this is the last time you will serve me faithfully."

At that moment, the innocent girl named "Katie" died.

Instead, there is the avenger Catherine, who forcibly reversed magic on the operating table, blew up half of the palace, and escaped.

From then on, she became convinced of one thing—

Lords are all vampires who treat witches like consumables.

The so-called "bond" is nothing but a lie used to tame livestock.

But today...

Catherine stopped and looked back at the White Wolf outpost, which appeared as faint as a firefly in the wind and snow.

She saw an "outlier".

Despite being a destitute young master exiled by his family and possessing nothing, he possesses the "Nirvana Echo" theory, which even the royal family is unaware of.

Despite being starving and freezing himself, Lorraine was willing to give the last of her meat to her maid.

"That perfect magical closed loop..."

Catherine suddenly remembered the spirit origin that Anna had drawn.

She clutched her chest, where the wounds left from forcibly violating the contract were throbbing with pain.

"If only I had encountered a lord like this back then..."

She immediately extinguished the thought as soon as it crossed her mind.

There are no "what ifs" in this world.

She pulled a map from her bosom, her gaze falling on Frostwolf Castle, three hundred miles away.

That was her original destination.

According to intelligence, a fragment of an ancient scroll is hidden in a secret room of the Frostwolf Clan's library, which may contain a method for repairing soul damage.

In order to infiltrate that place and obtain this ancient scroll, she was even prepared to suppress her strength and disguise herself as a first-tier witch to apply for a guard position.

This is a risky move, with a slim chance of survival.

but now……

"Sizzle."

Catherine's fingertips ignited a spark of electricity, burning the "Frostwolf Castle" marker on the map to ashes.

She doesn't need to take any risks.

The bastard son who was discarded like trash by the Frostwolf family clearly harbored far more secrets than those hidden in the decaying family castle.

"Lorraine..."

Catherine gently chewed the name on her tongue, a playful smile curving her lips.

"One month."

"If you survive, perhaps... you are the one who can unlock the shackles on me."

A storm suddenly broke out.

Purple lightning enveloped the gray-robed witch, sending her soaring into the sky and disappearing into the depths of the clouds.

She no longer needs to lie low.

She was going to find some real "gifts" for the meeting.

Since the decision to invest has been made, as a fourth-order great witch, one cannot be too stingy with one's efforts.

-

The next day.

Inside the wooden cabin, Lorraine slowly awoke from her sleep.

I slept exceptionally soundly.

Without the threat of the demonic fire that could be extinguished at any moment, and without the biting cold, the long-lost sense of security made him feel relaxed and at ease throughout his body.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Anna standing guard at the door.

The little maid clutched the coarse cloth bag tightly to her chest, staring at him with bright, sparkling eyes that were incredibly endearing.

"Young Master! You're finally awake!"

Seeing Lorraine stand up, Anna eagerly approached, revealing a crack in the cloth bag, and spoke in a low voice, her excitement barely concealed:

"I just counted three more times! Including what that great witch gave me, and what oozed from the insect corpses last night, minus the portion used to maintain the demonic fire today..."

"We now have a total of nineteen magic crystals!"

Nineteen pieces.

Anna's face flushed with excitement; she had never seen so much money in her life.

"One more piece is needed."

Anna counted on her fingers, her voice full of longing: "Just one more piece, and we'll be able to build that legendary 'Witch's Tower'! Then, we'll have a real home!"

Seeing the girl's happy expression, Lorraine reached out and ruffled her hair, but inwardly she was secretly complaining.

Last night's terrifying explosion must have killed at least tens of thousands of live snowflakes.

And the result? Only six magic crystals were obtained.

This is like grinding monsters all night in a game, only to find that the loot isn't even enough to buy mana potions.

"No wonder no one wants to clean up the live snowflakes," Lorraine thought to herself.

"Without a low-cost way to clear the map like chain explosions, if it were an ordinary witch, throwing out a few big fireballs would not only deplete her mana bar, but the profit wouldn't even cover the cost of potions. It would be a losing proposition."

"Gurgle—"

An untimely noise shattered the warm atmosphere.

Looking back, I realized it was Anna's stomach rumbling.

The maid immediately covered her stomach and lowered her head in shame.

Are you hungry?

"No... I'm not hungry... I'll go cook!" Anna tried to cover it up in a panic and turned to run to the cellar.

"Come back," Lorraine called to her, his gaze sweeping over the empty stone table. "How much food is left in the cellar?"

Anna paused, then stammered, "Eat sparingly... I can last another ten days or so."

Lorraine frowned slightly.

Magic crystals can be obtained by killing monsters, but bread won't drop from monsters.

If we want to survive here in the long term, we need a sustainable food source.

He skillfully placed the magic crystal on the witch's grimoire and asked telepathically:

In the current environment, what is the fastest way to obtain food?

As the pages turned, a line of golden text appeared.

Lorraine looked closely and raised an eyebrow.

[Visit the Snow Eagle Outpost, located five miles to the west.]

[Requirement: Sit at the entrance for 15 minutes, then return immediately.]

That's it?

There were no specific action guidelines, no suggestions for robbery or trade, just... go sit for a while?

Despite his doubts, Lorraine decided to do as instructed, trusting the secret manual.