Thankfully, Raye had left. Orek could clearly sense her hostility toward Shana, though he had no clue why. Current troubles were already overwhelming; he had no energy to dwell on more confusing matters. Better to think of something pleasant.
The Seer walked with Shana along the top of the wall, admiring her red-cloaked back while secretly comparing the witch’s figure to the female knight’s. Raye’s legs were longer, but Shana’s curves were far more graceful. Could that be why Raye was so cold to her? Orek stifled a laugh, feeling a rare moment of ease. Being a Seer meant maintaining a solemn facade every day, which was exhausting. Orek often regretted drawing the “Seer” card in life.
“You lied to me?” Shana suddenly turned around. Orek was caught off guard, his smile freezing instantly. “W-what…?”
“You said a Seer can only use their abilities at night.” Orek coughed twice; he’d thought Shana was referring to something else. “That’s not true at all!” Shana stated firmly.
Was he finally found out? Orek’s heart skipped a beat.
“I don’t know much about Seers’ abilities, but I just remembered something. Before coming to the Wall, I visited the Crystal Temple and asked the Archbishop how to learn Holy Light Power. He said talent alone isn’t enough; you need at least two thousand days of Holy Light Bathing to master it. I saw many young mages dreaming of becoming Seers, bathing in the light of the Holy Wood.”
“The Archbishop was right.”
“He said only those who undergo long-term Holy Light Bathing can inscribe the light within themselves, allowing them to use their abilities even in the dark—not become a ‘half-day Seer’ who can only act during the day.”
“Yes, the Archbishop was correct.”
“But then why did you say a Seer can only use their abilities at night?” Shana tilted her head at Orek.
Orek felt a moment of disorientation. Being caught in a lie put him in a tight spot. This genius magic girl… truly wasn’t easy to fool…
A memory flashed through Orek’s mind: thirty days before the witches arrived at the Frost Great Wall, he’d received a raven message from the Palace of Mandalas. It was sent by the palace’s leader, the Great Holy Mage, whose status in the kingdom’s magical community was second only to the Archbishop of the Crystal Temple. The letter stated that the Great Holy Mage, at the Archbishop’s request, was sending eight witches to assist the Frost Great Wall. The leader of the coven was Shana, who, though barely twenty, had mastered ten magical skills including witchcraft, earning her the title “All-Round Genius Magic Girl” at the palace. However, despite her great talent, she lacked practical experience and demon-slaying achievements, so the Commander was asked to give her special care and guidance to help her grow into an outstanding mage.
Orek hadn’t expected the Great Holy Mage to praise a girl so highly, so he’d treated Shana with great respect when she arrived. But he’d soon noticed her occasional childish remarks, which made him underestimate her a little. Now he realized Shana was indeed young, but not someone to be easily deceived—especially when it came to magic. While he had “exclusive” authority to interpret Seers’ abilities, what if she saw through another lie…? And she’d invoked the Archbishop as a backup, leaving him little room to maneuver. In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Orek’s mind. Sigh… It seemed he had to take a risky approach. After a brief awkward pause, the Seer finally came up with a plan.
“Why aren’t you talking?”
“You’re really smart, Sister Na—this couldn’t stay hidden from you.” The Seer forced a smile: “I did lie to you.” He’d realized that continuing to lie would only make things worse if she saw through it. Now, the only option was to tell a carefully crafted “truth.”
“Why?” Shana looked at him in confusion.
“It’s a strategy of mine.”
“You used a strategy on me? You don’t trust me?”
“Why would I doubt a witch? Even a Seer fears a witch’s poison.” Orek laughed casually, then lowered his voice: “This strategy is for the werewolf. I didn’t want you to know at first, but since you’re asking, I’ll tell you the plan.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll never tell anyone else!”
She’s always so naive… The Great Holy Mage was right about her lack of experience.
“For half a year, murders have been happening at the Wall, and I’ve been unable to find the werewolf. So I have a suspicion: a Hidden Wolf may have infiltrated the Wall.”
“Hidden Wolf?” Shana’s eyes widened.
“Yes. A Hidden Wolf isn’t afraid of scrying—even if a Seer uses Holy Light Power on them, the result will show they’re a good person. So if our enemy is a Hidden Wolf, we need a different strategy.” Orek thought to himself: This might not be the truth, but there’s no flaw in this story.
“I’ve heard Hidden Wolves are extremely rare—maybe one in a thousand wolves.” Shana frowned: “If it’s a Hidden Wolf, it’s really hard to track down.”
“That’s right. Hidden Wolves are hard to catch, but not impossible. All werewolves share similar traits; they’ll definitely leave clues in their words and actions. By telling everyone a Seer can only use their abilities at night, I’m confusing the Hidden Wolf, waiting for it to make a mistake—then I’ll use my experience and wisdom to catch it.” Orek spoke with such conviction, as if this were the absolute truth.
“Oh, I see!” Shana looked suddenly enlightened: “You’re truly an amazing Seer—this is nothing like what I thought!”
Orek frowned: This little witch… does she have something else to say?
“Sister Na, if you have any ideas, feel free to share them—we can discuss them together.”
“I do have some other thoughts, but don’t get upset when I say them, Brother Ray.”
“Of course not. I’d love to hear your honest opinion.”
“Alright, I’ll be straightforward.” Shana planted her hands on her hips, looking serious: “So far, four members of the Great Wall Legion have been killed, all with clear werewolf claw marks. Normally, you’d assume the killer is a werewolf. But I’m wondering—could it be someone pretending to be a werewolf?”
Orek was surprised. Shana thinking of this caught him off guard. She didn’t seem like an inexperienced rookie… Though they’d already considered this possibility.
“Uh, we discussed this after the first two murders. The conclusion was that the killer must be a werewolf—no one could be pretending. And the two subsequent murders confirmed this.”
“What’s the basis for that conclusion?”
Orek touched his nose: “First, motive. The four victims were Magician Peter, Dreamwalker Dawn, Administrator Camon, and Hunter Hanbatu. They had no common enemies; their identities and life experiences were completely different. No one but a werewolf would want to kill all four.”
“Hmm… anything else?”
“Second, capability. Camon was a civilian, Hanbatu a Bronze-ranked warrior—many people could kill them. But Peter and Dawn were Holy Light-ranked mages. The only person in the Great Wall Legion with the power to kill them is…”
“Who?” Shana asked, then realized: “Oh, of course it’s the Seer with Holy Light Power.” She smiled: “But you could never be the killer, Brother Ray.”
Orek forced a smile. In reality, with his current power, he couldn’t even beat Camon or Hanbatu. A Seer without Holy Light Power was no different from a civilian.
“So based on both motive and capability, the killer must be a werewolf.”
Shana rested her chin on her hand, thoughtful: “If that’s the case, could we find the Hidden Wolf by investigating everyone at the Wall one by one?”
I already tried that. The Seer sighed inwardly. Over the past half year, he’d secretly investigated everyone, including the Golden Knights. Using his years of experience hunting werewolves, Orek had concluded that none of the 400-plus people at the Wall were the killer. This werewolf was extremely cunning—far from easy to catch…
The werewolf was patient; after each murder, it would lie low until things calmed down before striking again. Only Hanbatu was an exception—his death was just a few days after Camon’s.
Just then, a sudden thought struck Orek. The witch coven!