That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 62 Each with their own ulterior motives

"Medale!"

Ronan called to the girl after locking the office door.

"Is there something you need, sir?"

She turned her head back expressionlessly and spoke in a tone that was impeccably polite but somehow made one feel resentful.

"Is something wrong with you?"

After spending time together, Ronan understood Madonna all too well—her mood was directly proportional to how often she called out "Ronan," and inversely proportional to how often she called out "Sir."

"no."

The girl pouted slightly and said.

"Why are you unhappy? Can you tell me?"

"I'm fine, thank you, sir."

"Is it because I made a contract with Scarlett?"

"no."

Meidel silently turned her head to the side, her little mouth pouting even more.

If a girl says no, then yes... Even though Ronan is a lifelong single dog, he's never been ignorant, has he?

He walked up to Maddie, both amused and exasperated, and circled around her several times before saying, "It was my fault. I should have discussed such an important matter with you first. I'll be more careful next time, don't be upset."

"No, I'm happy that more and stronger witches are willing to pledge their allegiance to you. It's just..."

Maddale suddenly looked up. "There are good and bad witches, just like there are good and bad mortals. I don't mean to say Scarlett is bad; she's a very good witch. But you must keep your eyes open and not be fooled by bad witches."

"Okay, I promise I'll keep my eyes open!"

Ronan raised his hand, feigning seriousness. "Otherwise, you can do whatever you want with me!"

The girl then smiled.

"It's getting late, go back and get some rest. You're always busy until very late, take advantage of this victory and catch up on your sleep."

"Yes, you too."

Goodnight, Ronan.

……

In the heart of the western border, in the Purple Pass.

In just three days, the Marquis's mansion had been transformed into the rebels' front-line command post.

Well-equipped and disciplined rebel patrols replaced the lax private soldiers of the lords, and the figure sitting in the mansion was no longer Marquis Humphrey, but the former Duke of the North and now the rebel marshal Manstein.

Only the witch Nora, who stood guard beside the seat, remained unchanged.

Despite the citywide curfew and the fact that anyone entering or leaving a place would be checked by sentries, a figure shrouded in black robes appeared before Manstein as if he were in an empty place.

"It's been a long time, Your Grace."

A hoarse female voice came from beneath the black robe, "Or rather, Marshal?"

"Long time no see—whoever you were working for, please convey my gratitude to him. Without your help, I really wouldn't have been able to plant so many spies in the Western Territory. In fact, even I didn't expect to achieve the feat of conquering six territories in one night."

Manstein laughed. "Let me guess, do you represent the East and South, the Frostwolf of the North, or... the Church?"

The black-robed messenger spoke in a flat, emotionless voice: "It doesn't matter who I represent. What matters is that we share a common goal: to eliminate the royal family. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't it?"

Yes, provided there is a common enemy… Manstein nodded in agreement.

Before he even intended to raise an army, this mysterious force had already made contact with him. They not only provided crucial intelligence but also a collection of ancient instruments with various functions—it was with the help of these creations left by the ancients that he was able to quickly dismantle the resistance of the anti-rebellion coalition.

The other side's goal was simple: to storm the capital of the Blackstone Empire and overthrow its regime—which was also Manstein's objective.

He could vaguely guess what the other party was thinking: whether it was the northern barbarians or the church, they both hoped to see a fragmented civilization rather than a unified and powerful empire.

However, this contradicts Manstein's ultimate goal, which is to replace the old order, not to leave it in ruins.

However, he was confident of a swift victory in the war and the rebuilding of the kingdom according to his grand plan. At that time, whatever the Church and the Frostwolf Clan might have, they would only be able to watch helplessly.

He certainly understood the principle that taking from others inevitably leads to being controlled by them, but he was willing to take the gamble.

Hesitation often means defeat, while decisiveness is the only way to survive—the swift victory in the North is proof of this.

"I will conquer the entire Blackrock Empire and wipe out the imperial family."

Manstein leaned back in his chair and said.

"The outdated old order should be buried—this land will witness the rise of a new and powerful empire, which will crush all enemies with absolute power."

May your wish come true.

The black-robed messenger took out a small, square, silver metal box.

"I am here to provide you with the energy needed for those ancient instruments. I believe you have already discovered that they cannot be powered by magic, but can only be activated by special crystals stored in the ruins."

"That's true, thank you for coming."

Manstein ordered his personal guards to keep the small metal box safe.

At this moment, a messenger came to report the military situation: Under the cover of night, the Duke of the West had gathered his forces and launched a breakout, and was currently engaged in a tug-of-war with the rebel-deployed garrison in the Rainbow Territory.

Manstein frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed. He leaned back in his chair and let out a hearty laugh.

"My lord, I am willing to lead the army to crush those overconfident cowards!"

Seeing this, Gorman clasped his hands and said, "The Duke of the West is inferior to our army in terms of the number of soldiers, morale, and witches. Moreover, field battles have always been our forte. Last time, our night raid was hampered, which allowed them to barely survive. Now that they have chosen their own doom, we can wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"No. You're playing right into Henry's hands. He'd love for you to launch a full-scale attack."

Manstein said slowly, "Henry has always been a pragmatic and cautious man who never takes risks, almost the complete opposite of me. He would never risk everything like a gambler to break through."

Seeing Gorman's bewildered expression, Manstein looked at the strategist Anthony.

"I agree with your assessment, sir. The Duke of the West's breakout is most likely a feint: he amassed a large army to attract our attention, thus covering a small group of troops in the shadows to escape our encirclement. His intentions may be a decapitation strike, a surprise attack, or a plea for reinforcements. This can be seen from the fact that he did not launch a fierce attack, but instead focused on tying down our forces."

"That's right—it's a pity that his overly cautious nature ruined him. He could fool others with this kind of act, but he couldn't fool me."

Manstein then gave the order to the messenger:

The defending troops need not take the initiative to attack; they can simply hold the line and wear down the Western Border Army. Increase the number of troops to block and patrol all major transportation routes and mountain trails. If any suspicious persons are found, send witches to kill them on the spot!

After the messenger left, Anthony said thoughtfully, "My lord, what I'm more worried about is Thorn Territory—we know too little about it, and our previous defeat was due to a lack of information. Ronan is also an unusual lord, and it's difficult for us to predict what he will do next."

"Yes, that's actually something I'm also concerned about. What I'm even more concerned about is that such a small territory as Thorn Territory actually harbors three witches. That Ronan is quite capable. Although his army may be inferior to ours in open field battles, if he sends witches to harass our army, we will still suffer a lot."

Manstein pondered for a long time.

"Let Evelyn keep an eye on the Thorn Territory. She's fought them before and has more experience than the other witches."

·

·