That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 63 Scarlett's Past

The next morning, news of the fall of the six territories in the western border reached the Thorn Territory via a caravan—in this era of limited information and inconvenient transportation, such speed was considered quite efficient.

While Bart was verifying the details of the message with the caravan in the mountain territory, Ronan was arranging training for Scarlett.

Previously, the two were just partners, but now that Scarlett has officially become Ronan's witch, he has to take responsibility for her.

"So your 'Master of Illusions' can transform into any animal?"

Ronan asked thoughtfully.

Although he had some understanding of Scarlett's magical abilities before, he mainly used her as a bird and had not really focused on developing other uses for her.

On the front lines, the abilities of Madale and Liyan are clearly more intimidating and oppressive.

"To be precise, I can transform into any animal that lives in the forest. And once I transform into a specific animal, I can amplify its outstanding abilities many times over, such as a wolf's sense of smell, a bear's strength, or a snake's venom, and so on."

At this point, Scarlett sighed softly, "Perhaps it has something to do with my experiences..."

This was the first time Ronan had heard Scarlett talk about her past.

It turns out that long before she awakened, she had lived in the Aurora Forest of the Eastern Realm for a long time. She was an abandoned baby who had never seen her parents since she opened her eyes—but unlike Meldale, she met a kind adoptive father, the "Golden Ranger" who was active in the Aurora Forest.

According to the knight's own account, he was originally a knight of the Duchy of Roses. Disgusted by the hypocrisy of the nobles and the church and breaking with his past, he decided to defend justice in his own way.

Scarlett learned hunting and fighting skills from him. She usually robbed the rich to help the poor and fought against evil, and enjoyed a high reputation in the Aurora Forest area.

One day, while going out as usual, Scarlett somehow triggered some mechanism or magic circle, causing a blue aurora that descended from the sky and suddenly enveloped the two of them.

The Aurora Forest is home to a legend of "divine light descending upon the world": the gods would bestow divine power upon those of pure character through the aurora, helping them to uphold justice.

Both the ranger and Scarlett were transformed by the magical blue light:

The former broke through the bottleneck of spiritual energy and rose to the rank of Seven-Star Knight; the latter awakened the magical power that allowed her to transform into animals and became a witch.

Scarlett was undoubtedly thrilled at the time, as it meant she had gained greater power to help more people.

However, the knight-errant left without saying goodbye the next day. He left a letter stating that he would return to the Rose Kingdom, and according to the kingdom's laws, his knighthood and territory could be restored by paying a ransom.

This incident was a huge blow to Scarlett; she felt she had misjudged him.

Nevertheless, she was grateful for his upbringing and inherited his will and the title of Golden Ranger.

During a bandit-suppression operation, Scarlett unexpectedly met a lord from the East. The lord expressed his admiration for her character and invited her to form a pact with him.

Scarlett, who had been lonely for a long time, thought she had finally met a soulmate, but little did she know that she had opened Pandora's box: after establishing a contract, the lord revealed his true colors. Not only did he frequently and unrestrainedly drive her around, but he would also imprison and even abuse her when he didn't need her, under the pretense of following the church's guidance to help her atone for her sins through suffering.

Scarlett endured the darkest two years of her life. Although she made progress during this time, her fate remained unchanged.

Things only took a turn for the better when she encountered Li Yan during an operation to exterminate evil beasts and joined the Witch's Eye through her.

Scarlett and the Witch's Eye worked together to eliminate the hypocritical lord and shatter the shackles of the contract.

After that, she followed the organization north as a member of the Witch's Eye and remained active in the Fallen Star Forest until she was dispatched to rescue Maddale, which led to her subsequent experiences.

"Each witch awakens her magical powers differently, but there are always clues to follow. Mine might be related to the forest."

Scarlett concluded.

"You have a story to tell too..."

After a moment of reflection, Ronan asked, "So how do you determine what the most outstanding ability of each animal is?"

"Shouldn't it be based on common sense?"

Scarlett scratched her head and said, "For example, isn't it common knowledge that wolves have a good nose?"

Ronan shook his head: "Common sense isn't always right. For example, while bears are incredibly strong, their sense of smell and speed are also top-notch. It's just that people's perception of bears is that they are all brute force but clumsy."

"That makes sense, so the bear is the final answer?"

"...I suddenly realized I've wasted so much time saying all that!"

"Hey."

Ronan explained his speculation to Scarlett in detail: she could amplify what she considered to be the most outstanding abilities of each animal, which likely meant that she could amplify far more abilities than that!

If she's willing to try, she might just be able to conjure up a sparrow with the immense strength of a bear, or a bear as agile and nimble as a sparrow...

In a sense, this can be considered a conceptual god-level ability.

However, what really caught Ronan's attention was the magical blue light that Scarlett had mentioned.

He recalled watching Armor Hero when he was a child, where the summoner transformed by transmitting energy through a satellite... This damned sense of déjà vu made him wonder if there was some kind of satellite silently hanging in the sky, but unfortunately, there was too little information at the moment, and the Aurora Forest was far away in the eastern region, so he had to put it aside for the time being.

"So for the next period of time, try to strengthen your non-outstanding abilities."

Ronan laughed, "I look forward to you conjuring up a bear that's fast, has a great nose, and is incredibly strong."

"Then let's practice together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Madale looked at her new colleague with a serious expression, "I practice controlling the iron sword to fly, and you turn into a bear to dodge my sword."

Scarlett gasped. "You... is your sword easy to dodge?"

"I don't know, it should be pretty easy to hide from."

"Who can prove it?"

"Anyway, nobody said it's hard to hide."

"hiss……"

Soon, Scarlett's cries of "Mommy!" came from the backyard.

Ronan was both amused and exasperated, but knowing that Madonna was sensible, he didn't pay much attention. Instead, he focused his attention on the unfolded paper packet, where a pinch of black powder lay quietly.

The machinery in the Mountain Territory has been deployed, and the first batch of goods is expected to be delivered in three days. The Thorn Territory will receive a steady stream of weapons, armor, and strategic materials, and with lathes of sufficient craftsmanship, Ronan's ambitious plan can finally be put on the agenda.

"If I remember correctly, this is how gunpowder is mixed."

Even the top student at the police academy in his previous life never imagined that the things he did during his student days would be done again in another world.

This time, however, it won't be as simple as blowing up a latrine with firecrackers...

"Sir! Urgent military intelligence!"

At that moment, Bart rushed into the office.

"The rebels broke into the heart of the western border from the Molten Bones Mountains the night before last, and six territories, including Purple Mist Territory, fell overnight. Now the rebel army is less than thirty kilometers from Frost!"

·

·