Chapter 04 - Secret Letter

In one of the grand castles at the heart of the imperial city—the capital of the most powerful nation on the continent—a middle-aged man sat in his study, buried under a mountain of documents. Despite the overflowing desk, his pen moved tirelessly across the pages.

A knock echoed through the room.

“Enter,” the man commanded without looking up.

The heavy door creaked open. A guard stepped inside and bowed slightly.

“Your Majesty...” the guard said respectfully.

The emperor finally looked up, his expression stern. “What is it?”

“There’s a message from the 55th Shadow,” the guard replied, handing over a sealed letter.

The emperor took it, broke the seal, and began reading. His lips curled into a smirk.

“Hoh…” he muttered, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha… HAHAHAHA!”

The guard remained still, face unreadable despite the clear confusion. Whatever was in that letter had clearly delighted the emperor—but it wasn’t his place to ask.

Moments later, the emperor’s voice rang out again.

“Summon that witch. Immediately.”

The guard flinched, surprised. Which witch...? His expression flickered briefly with hesitation.

Before he could speak, a sultry voice interrupted him.

“No need to search. I’m already here.”

Instantly, the guards in the room tensed, hands inching toward their weapons as they adopted a defensive stance.

“Oh my, so cautious…” came the seductive voice, now accompanied by the appearance of a stunningly beautiful and enigmatic woman—a witch.

She stepped into the room, her elegant dark robes shimmering faintly with magic, her alluring figure casting an eerie silhouette. Her gaze locked onto the emperor’s as she smirked.

“So… what’s the occasion, my emperor?” she purred.

The emperor leaned back in his chair and tossed the letter toward her.
“I’m calling in one of the favors you owe me. The details are in there.”

The witch caught the letter effortlessly and scanned its contents. A flicker of amusement crossed her face.

“Heh… interesting,” she murmured.
Then she looked up, her eyes gleaming. “Are you sure about this? He might end up receiving a very rare gift—something on the level of a 'Hero,' or perhaps… even more.”

The emperor’s expression didn’t change.
“No. Just give it to him.”

The witch’s smile widened as she leaned in slightly.
“Huh… what is this? You rarely care about your children. Yet now you’re willing to use one of my favors… on a distant descendant?”

The emperor remained unbothered, returning to his paperwork.
“No. It’s not sentiment. Just intuition. He will bring great change to this world—greater than me or any of my predecessors.”
He glanced up. “Right, witch?”

The witch chuckled, crossing her arms.
“It seems… the emperor knows.”

At that, the emperor’s brow furrowed slightly, irritation flashing across his face.
“Of course. Especially after reading that letter… and realizing you were already here.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you take me for a fool?”

The witch smiled slyly, resting her chin on one finger.
“Fool? Maybe… Just like that little incident four years ago during the celebration…”

But the emperor cut her off, his voice sharp.
“Enough. Just go and grant it.” He waved a hand dismissively, signaling her to leave.

With a sly grin, the witch turned away, her silhouette dissolving into the shadows.

“As you command… my emperor.”

And just like that, she vanished into the darkness.

The emperor watched in silence until she was gone, then turned back to the guard.

“Go,” he said curtly, resuming his work.

"Very well, Your Majesty," the guard replied, bowing respectfully before turning and leaving the room with soft, quiet footsteps.

And once again, silence returned to the emperor’s study—save for the scratch of a pen on parchment.

“Sigh… what a hassle,” the witch muttered as she walked into the harbor town.

She scanned the docked ships.
“Now, which one should I board...?” she mused, resting her chin on one hand.
“Ah… that one will do,” she said, pointing to a mid-sized ship that looked swift and seaworthy.

A sailor noticed the beautiful woman cloaked in black approaching the vessel and hurried over with a grin,
“Hey there, beautiful… what’s a lady like you doing here alone? This place can be dangerous, y'know…”

The witch simply let out a soft laugh, flicked a special coin toward him, and said with a sly smile,
“Call your captain. Make it quick.”

Upon seeing the emblem on the coin, the sailor froze—his face drained of color. His fellow crewmates glanced over in confusion but said nothing, continuing their work in silence.

Seconds later, the sailor snapped out of it and bolted toward the captain’s quarters, yelling,
“Captain!!”

The witch only shook her head with mild amusement.

A few days later, after passing BlackHarbor Island, the witch sat calmly at the edge of the ship’s bow railing and softly said,
“Head straight to SeaWatch Port…”

Though barely audible, her voice echoed across the entire deck. Every crew member—including the captain at the helm—heard it clearly.

Everyone froze.

The captain, trembling at the wheel, stammered,
“B-but… that route takes us near the Cursed Dragon Isle…”

The rest of the crew paled visibly.

The witch giggled softly, then replied,
“It’s fine. I’ll handle the dragon.”

Upon hearing the command, the captain and his first mate exchanged a brief glance and sighed in resignation.
The captain turned to the crew and barked,
“Change course!!”

Moments later, as the ship neared Dragon Isle, a thunderous roar shattered the air:

"ROOAARRR!!"

The terrifying sound echoed through the sea and rocked the hearts of every sailor aboard.

The witch, unfazed, smirked as she glanced toward the island,
“Still causing trouble, I see…” she murmured, stepping away from the railing and walking calmly to the center of the deck.

Everyone on board froze. Some dropped to their knees, shaking with fear.
Above them, a massive shadow burst into the sky—the dragon had taken flight.

Raising a single finger toward the beast, the witch whispered,
“[Dark Bullet].”

—WHUUM!—
A sphere of pitch-black mana began to swirl at her fingertip, dense and dark like a miniature black hole.
The surrounding air thickened, as if swallowed by a creeping fog of shadow.

"ROOAARRR!!"

The dragon hovered high above the ship, wings spread wide.

The witch spoke again, softly,
“Now.”

—THOOM!—
—ZWWMP!—
The bullet of darkness shot skyward like a jet of lightless fire.

—BOOM!!
A dark explosion bloomed in the sky, spreading mana like a storm of shadow.

"SKREEAAAGH!!"
The dragon howled in agony, even though the blast didn’t hit directly. The pressure and dread alone drove it back.

Seconds later, the dragon retreated, disappearing into the mist.

The witch grinned coldly, turning back to her perch. She sat again at the bow, letting the ocean breeze rustle her black cloak.

The captain, pale but steady, kept his hands tight on the wheel.
His first mate, trembling, whispered,
“C-Captain… she’s…” pointing shakily at the woman.

The captain gave a solemn nod, voice hushed,
“Yes… the Legendary Shadow Witch… Lady Lilith.”

From afar, Lilith caught his words, glanced back with a smirk, then returned her gaze to the endless horizon.