At noon, some time after Shendu left, Rem strolled through the courtyard of the inn, recalling when Roswaal had appeared years ago.
Back then, their village had just been destroyed. Roswaal had arrived shortly afterward, perfectly on time. It had seemed like a coincidence.
But now, looking back, it was clearly part of Roswaal's scheme.
Thinking about how she had been manipulated by him for so long—and how her sister showed no intention of seeking revenge—Rem felt an intense surge of anger.
Flap flap!
Just as Rem was deep in thought, a white carrier pigeon suddenly swooped down toward her.
She raised her right hand instinctively, and the white bird landed on her arm. Taking the letter from its container, she read it carefully. The blue-haired maid's heart skipped a beat.
"This is bad!"
A sense of foreboding rose within her. Clutching the envelope tightly, she hurried toward Emilia's room.
By coincidence, Emilia had just managed to shake off her sorrow and was gradually returning to normal. With Sister Shendu's help, her heart had begun to grow stronger.
Knock knock!
"Lady Emilia, I have something important to report. Are you available?"
Rem's voice was concise as she inquired from outside.
"Come in!"
Almost immediately after Rem finished speaking, Emilia responded. The blue-haired maid pushed the door open without hesitation and handed over the envelope.
Seeing that it was a letter from the territory, Emilia felt a flicker of unease. She read it word by word.
In the end, a trace of tension appeared in her amethyst-like eyes. She turned to Rem and voiced her doubts.
"What about Count Roswaal? With his abilities, he should be able to resolve this. The Royal Selection has temporarily concluded. He should have returned to the territory, shouldn't he?"
Emilia found it strange. The Royal Selection had come to a temporary pause. As the lord, Roswaal should have returned to his domain. Yet his whereabouts were unclear.
As one of Roswaal's two maids, Rem should have received instructions. There was no way he would leave without saying anything.
"I'm sorry. When Roswaal left the royal capital, he told me he would be heading to the Sanctuary and wouldn't be returning for quite some time."
"He also said that certain matters could be handled by you directly. Other than that, he didn't say much."
Rem explained in detail. Notably, she no longer added honorifics when mentioning Roswaal. However, Emilia, caught in her anxiety, did not notice.
"Then... let's wait until Sister Shendu returns!"
Learning this, Emilia's emotions became complicated. The situation was slightly beyond her expectations.
After receiving Emilia's instructions, Rem said nothing more. She turned to find her sister Ram and explained the situation, which left Ram slightly tense as well.
They had only just left the territory, and already new trouble had arisen. It gave Ram a headache.
"Sister, that's the situation. Emilia said we should wait until Lady Shendu returns. There's no need for us to panic."
Rem looked at Ram and spoke calmly.
"Hmph. Those people dare to show themselves again? If I get the chance, I'll wipe them all out."
Ram was clearly furious. Learning about the situation in the territory left her in a foul mood, her emotions visibly unstable.
After finishing the forging of the holy sword, Shendu stored the completed Amaterasu Sword in her system space, waiting until it would be needed.
Upon returning smoothly to the inn, she found Rem and Ram already waiting. The moment she arrived, she noticed the two little maids pacing back and forth, visibly nervous.
It was obvious that something had happened.
This piqued Shendu's interest, and she greeted them.
"Rem, Ram, why do you look so nervous?"
"Tell me—what happened?"
As soon as Shendu finished speaking, the two maids stopped moving. Their eyes lit up as they hurried over.
"That's wonderful, Lady Shendu! You've returned just in time!"
"Let's go inside. Lady Emilia is waiting for you."
Seeing Shendu appear, both Rem and Ram were visibly excited. One stood to her left, the other to her right, guiding her inward to discuss the matter.
"Alright. Let's go in together."
Shendu did not object and readily accepted their suggestion.
In the sitting room, Emilia sat upright in her chair, her eyes fixed on the letter before her. Only when she heard footsteps from the doorway did she lift her gaze toward Shendu.
"Sister Shendu, you're back. Please take a look at the message from the territory."
Seeing the key person arrive, Emilia quickly handed her the letter Rem had received.
Shendu picked up the paper and read it carefully.
It clearly stated:
Recently, the Witch Cult has been active near the border and appears to have learned of Emilia's identity as a royal candidate. They intend to launch a large-scale attack on Roswaal's territory.
Emilia was urged to return immediately and assist in resisting the Witch Cult's assault.
The tone of the letter was matter-of-fact throughout, as though Emilia helping them clean up the mess was only natural. There was not a trace of respect in its wording.
"Can we abandon the residents of Roswaal's territory?"
After finishing the letter, Shendu's crimson eyes were filled with disdain.
It was merely the Witch Cult intending to attack Roswaal's territory. Let them.
Those people had shown no respect toward Emilia.
Last time, Shendu had helped the villagers of Arlam Village once. Yet those people had shown her no respect—and even less toward Emilia. It had already irritated her.
Since they annoyed her, there was no need for them to live. Shendu had no intention of indulging them. If the Witch Cult wiped them out, so be it.
Yes, she was no saint. That was impossible.
She helped Emilia for her own purposes. Staying close to her often triggered various events.
The same went for Felt. With Reinhard by her side, she naturally held value in Shendu's eyes. Even Elsa and Meili had their uses.
As for the villagers of Arlam Village, they were an eyesore in Shendu's view. Whether they lived or died had nothing to do with her. It was not she who would destroy them.
"No. As a candidate of the kingdom, if the residents of my territory are slaughtered, the other candidates will laugh at me."
"Besides, I still haven't gained the recognition of the villagers of Arlam Village. So I must continue trying."
Emilia clenched her fists, her gaze firm as she spoke.
"Sigh. You're impossible. What do you plan to do?"
Shendu's eyes grew calm as she looked at the silver-haired half-elf before her.
"Return to the territory and do my best to protect the villagers. That's my wish. Sister Shendu, could I trouble you to help?"
After a brief hesitation, Emilia looked at her earnestly and asked.
"No problem. I have nothing better to do anyway. I'll treat it as a way to pass the time."
Shendu was not particularly concerned about returning to save the villagers. However, she had a premonition that something even more troublesome was already in motion.
"Once the carriage is prepared, we can depart together."
Shendu spoke casually, utterly unconcerned.
If she remembered correctly, the White Whale incident should be approaching. She did not know the exact timing, as she lacked a precise sense of dates.
Meanwhile, as they spoke, Rem seemed to recall something. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Wait. We can't return smoothly for now. There's still a problem that hasn't been resolved!"
"What is it, Rem? What did you think of?"
Ram looked puzzled, unable to understand why Rem claimed they could not return.
"Before leaving, Roswaal told me that the Lifaus Highway—the main road leading back to the mansion—might become unusable."
"And this morning, that area was already shrouded in fog. Ordinary people cannot easily pass through it."
The moment Rem finished speaking, Ram understood. Her expression turned grave, and a single name surfaced in her mind.
The White Whale.
So it was that clown again. Following the Gospel's guidance, he had thrown all the trouble onto them without a shred of responsibility.
Originally, the only route to the border count's territory was the Lifaus Highway. One could travel back and forth by dragon carriage, reaching the royal capital or returning to the domain within half a day.
But if that road was blocked, they would have to take a detour of two and a half days to return to Roswaal's mansion.
"When did this happen?"
Shendu did not ask what the fog was. Instead, she asked thoughtfully.
"Around this morning. The royal capital has already issued a notice. It aligns almost exactly with Roswaal's prediction. So the main route back has effectively been abandoned."
Rem explained simply, her eyes filled with worry.
They wanted to save the residents of the territory, yet they were being obstructed by 'fog.' There was no such coincidence in the world. Rem could not help but suspect that the clown had known all along.
"If it's the fog, we can't force our way through it," Ram added, her expression growing even more solemn.
"That's right. So far, no one has ever successfully passed through the fog and returned. That road is definitely impassable."
Emilia felt a pounding headache. Their luck could not have been worse.
They were facing the most dangerous situation, yet they could not return.
If they took the detour of two and a half days, the villagers of Arlam Village might already be slaughtered by the time they arrived.
If they charged into the fog, they would be courting near-certain death.
Neither option was good. Rem, Ram, and Emilia were all caught in a dilemma, their faces devoid of any trace of a smile.
"Oh? This fog doesn't sound like natural weather. Explain exactly what it is."
Suddenly, Shendu showed interest and addressed them. She knew a little about the Witchbeast of the Mist, but she could not appear omniscient. Sometimes, feigning ignorance was useful.
"Alright."
At Shendu's request, Emilia gathered her thoughts and, glancing at the two maids beside her, recounted everything she knew.
Combining Emilia's description with her own knowledge, Shendu gained a comprehensive understanding of the creature.
The so-called fog was the Witchbeast of the Mist—the White Whale.
One of the legendary Three Great Witchbeasts, created by the Witch Daphne. Alongside the Black Serpent and the Great Rabbit, it was considered one of the calamities plaguing the world.
Daphne's original wish had merely been to eliminate famine through the Three Great Witchbeasts. However, she had established a law of survival of the fittest, causing the Witchbeasts to run rampant across the world.
In essence, the Witch's wish had been good—but she had failed to limit the aggression of the Witchbeasts. As a result, for four hundred years, no one had been able to eradicate them.
The White Whale had no fixed territory. It wandered across the world. Anyone killed by it would have their very existence erased. No one would remember them.
From Shendu's vague recollection, the Great Rabbit was in the Sanctuary.
As for the Black Serpent, it remained sealed within the Elior Forest, frozen solid by Emilia's rampaging magic and unable to move.
In other words, the only matter they needed to consider now was the White Whale—the terrifying Witchbeast that struck fear into countless hearts.
"It sounds like that Witchbeast is quite formidable. I assume the kingdom has attempted subjugation?"
Shendu knew that the kingdom would not simply ignore such a threat. They must have dispatched forces to eliminate it.
"Yes. There have always been subjugation attempts against the White Whale. But its strength is overwhelming. Historically, there have been multiple expeditions, all ending in failure."
"The largest campaign took place fourteen years ago. Hundreds of troops were gathered, more than half of them powerful fighters. Even the Sword Saint participated."
"But in the end, it achieved nothing. The outcome was tragic. The Sword Saint of that era died in that battle."
Rem knew more details. After organizing her thoughts, she laid out the key information clearly.
Although Rem spoke matter-of-factly, Shendu knew the truth.
The Sword Saint back then could have slain the White Whale with ease. But the Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, had stripped him of his Divine Protection, preventing him from drawing the Dragon Sword.
Without it, even if the White Whale was powerful, he would not necessarily have perished.
It was all a conspiracy—manipulated behind the scenes by Pandora.
A faint sneer appeared on Shendu's lips.
The Witch Cult truly excelled at redirecting hatred. If she were to reveal this information to Wilhelm—the Sword Demon—then regardless of hatred or other motives, he would most likely become irreconcilable enemies with the Witch Cult.
In the original course of events, Wilhelm had not known Pandora was behind it. Otherwise, he would never have remained so calm. He would have hunted down the Witch Cult long ago.
"So even knowing the White Whale blocks the road, the kingdom has no way to deal with it? They wouldn't even send Reinhard, the current Sword Saint, to fight it. Is that correct?"
Shendu reasoned that the kingdom was not foolish. Even though Reinhard bore the title of the strongest Sword Saint in the world, they would not risk him casually.
"Yes. That's why we can only take the long route. Two and a half days to return. There's no other choice."
Emilia was deeply troubled. The residents of her territory were in danger, yet she could not rush back in time.
"No. There is another way."
Just as the three girls were losing hope, a faint smile appeared on Shendu's face. Her expression remained calm, yet her eyes shone with interest.
"I'm rather interested in eliminating the White Whale's threat. Perhaps I could be the breakthrough."
Shendu was supremely confident.
The White Whale might be powerful—but it was not invincible.
Even if it was overwhelmingly strong individually... what if she summoned one million Shadowkhan ninja?
Or ten million?
Even an elephant could be devoured by ants. With the quality of her magic, initiating a large-scale battle posed no issue at all.
"No. I refuse."
"Lady Shendu, you absolutely must not take such a risk."
"The White Whale, when threatened with death, can split into three smaller whales to protect itself. Lady Shendu, please do not engage it."
The moment Shendu expressed her intention, the twin maids and Emilia rejected it without hesitation.
To them, the residents of the territory—no matter how important—could not compare to Shendu.
With her present, Emilia had finally begun to shine in the Royal Selection.
Even though Emilia was kind at heart, compared to Shendu, the villagers of Arlam Village were insignificant.
To risk eliminating the White Whale merely to shorten the journey was something Emilia did not wish to see.
That, too, was a form of her selfishness.