Chapter 10: The Hidden Passage

“Come take a seat, Llyn and Luna… and please leave us.”
The guard left the room.

“So, what are you two doing at home, Llyn and Luna?”
The old woman finally noticed me. I don’t blame her — I don’t have much presence compared to my sibling witches.

“Ah, sorry dear, I didn’t see you there. What’s your name?”
“Oh, it’s fine. My name is Rissete.”
“You have a lovely name, dear. Please, take a seat.”

“So… are we in trouble?” Llyn asked, fidgeting with her hands.
“Well, that depends on the reason you’ve come here.”

The room fell into silence. No one made a sound.
“Alright then. If you don’t want to tell me, I might have to put you in the dungeon.”
“Eh—okay, okay! Please, Miss Lilywhite, don’t put us in the dungeon! We’ll tell you everything,” Llyn replied hesitantly.

Luna kicked Llyn’s foot, probably annoyed at how gullible her sister was.
“Alright then, tell me.”

Before Llyn could answer, Luna quickly spoke first.
“Eh… well, we came to… ehh… buy some ingredients for our beauty potion. Right, Llynete?”
“Oh, eh… yeah, we came here to look for ingredients.”
“Yeah, you see, Rissete, our client needs that beauty potion because of, uh…”

I quickly added, “Because people call me an ugly ogre. Even though I take good care of my skin, I started to worry and sought beauty consultation.”
“Yeah, exactly! We totally didn’t come here to look for trouble.”

Lilywhite sighed.
“Fine, you can go. It’s not like two maiden witches could cause big trouble.”
“Really? Thank you, Miss Lilywhite,” I said gleefully.

“Yes, please leave. You can use that door near the window to quickly return to the village gate.”

We went through the door and, suddenly, we were back at the village gate.

“Alright, back at the start. What now, Llyn? Luna?”
“First, we need to get rid of—or at least trick—the spell she put on us.”
“Wait… when did she cast a spell?”
“When we first entered her room,” Llyn replied.
“Really? I didn’t notice.”
“You see, Rissete, higher witches like Miss Lilywhite can cast spells without moving their hands or saying much of a mantra.”
“That’s quite interesting. But how do we cancel the spell, then?”
“It’s actually pretty easy… but first we need to find a more secure place.”
“Alright, lead the way, Luna.”

Luna led us to an inn.

Inside, we were greeted by a young woman with blonde hair. The inn was pretty small — more like a fast-food restaurant.
“Welcome, visitors—oh, is that you, Luna?”
“Ah, yeah. Long time no see, Kyra.”

The young woman looked at us.
“Oh, you didn’t bring your familiar with you, Luna?”
“Eh, no. Hey Kyra, is there an empty room we can borrow?”
“Yeah, there’s one upstairs.”
“Thanks, Kyra.”

We went upstairs to a small room. The wooden walls and hay ceiling gave it a rustic feel, but the most striking thing was the smell — like fancy perfume.

“So… what are we going to do, Luna?”
“Okay, take off your clothes, Rissete.”
“Wait, what? Why do I have to—” I clutched my clothes defensively.
“Nah, not really. I’m just messing with you since we’re in a… hehe… private place.”
Llyn slapped Luna. “Come on, be serious. We can’t stay here too long.”

“Alright, alright. I need to cast a long spell to counter the observation spell.”
“Why couldn’t you do that when we returned to the gate?”
“Because it’d look suspicious, and we’d probably end up in the dungeon.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Come on, hurry, Luna,” Llyn urged.

“Alright, let’s start.”
“Adu we hya myu hyoho—”

Luna spoke in a strange language I couldn’t comprehend—or even fully hear. Suddenly, my back felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted.

“Done. Feel lighter?”
“Yeah, I feel pretty good.”
“Me too. Now let’s go find Ramyrez and Ernandez,” Llyn said.
“Sure, but where do we look?”
“Well, let’s check around town,” Luna suggested.
“Alright, but stay vigilant, and try not to draw attention. I’m looking at you, Luna.”
“Hehe, I swear by the Mother.”

We left the inn and began walking through the town. Compared to the village before, this place was livelier and stranger. There was a potion shop, and various forest creatures wandered about — a lizardman here, a big green guy there… I think they’re called orcs, if I remember correctly.

Llyn touched my shoulder. “Hey, Rissete, stop staring. You’ll draw attention.”
“Ah, sorry, Llyn.”

Then I noticed Luna talking to one of the lizardmen. After a short conversation, the lizardman smiled and walked away. A few moments later, Luna returned.
“Aha! I have an idea where we can find them.”
“Really? How, Luna?”
“They usually hang out at the tavern. That guy told me Ramyrez and Ernandez were last seen there, probably gathering information and looking for a volunteer.”
“Volunteer?”
“Another word for soldier around here. Technically, their organization is illegal — a rebellion group. That’s why Miss Lilywhite seemed wary. She probably doesn’t want to harbor criminals or terrorists.”
“Eh… okay. Then let’s head to the tavern and look for them.”

We walked to a large wooden building with a mushroom-shaped roof.
When we opened the door, many of the patrons inside turned to glare at us threateningly.

Luna quickly pulled a small object from her pocket, and with a flourish, a rabbit appeared.
“Tada! Who’s hungry?”

For a moment, the tavern went silent — then laughter broke out. The tension melted away as people returned to their drinking and conversations.

“Come here, Rissete.”
Luna led us to the bartender — an orc, judging by his massive frame and visible muscles. Honestly, he looked more like a soldier than someone who served drinks.

“Ah, Azure Witch. How may I be of service?”
“Hey, have you seen the ‘Seeker’ around here?”
“Aye, they were here a moment ago. So, you’ve decided to be a volunteer, Luna?”
“Eh… no, not really. But thanks for the information.”

Luna handed the orc three gold coins.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Azure Witch.”

“Looks like we were late, Luna. Could we still find them?” I asked.
Luna smirked. “Really, Rissete? You’re asking the Azure Witch?”
“Cut the jokes, Luna,” Llyn grumbled, clearly annoyed at Luna’s popularity.

“Alright, I know what their favorite drink is. I’ll use a spell to track it.”
“Bavaragus oshii diem!”

Nothing happened from my perspective.
“Uh… Luna, are you sure you cast the right spell?”
“Luna did cast the right spell, Rissete,” Llyn said. “You just can’t see what we see.”
“Well, what do you see?”
“A trail of light from the drink’s substance that leads us to the person we’re looking for,” Luna explained.
“Oh… alright, I don’t quite get it, but lead the way.”
“Stay close, Rissete,” Llyn instructed.

We followed the invisible trail, leaving the tavern and walking for quite some time until we reached an abandoned building far from the village’s main hub.

“Well, looks like we found the Seeker,” Llyn declared.
“Yeah, guess we didn’t even need to go to the tavern,” Luna replied.
“I can see they picked the most obvious hiding place,” I joked.
“Obvious or not, they’re still dangerous,” Llyn warned.
“Alright, let’s investigate.”

The building’s windows were sealed with wooden barricades.
“I guess the only way in is through the door.”
“I’ll check it. Llyn, Rissete — cover me while I unlock it with a spell.”
“Okay, Luna,” we both said.

She examined the door and cast a spell.
“Huh… why isn’t my spell working?”
“Maybe the door’s sealed with runes or something?” Llyn suggested.
“No, I don’t detect any runes or seals.”
“Well… maybe it’s not locked,” I said.
“That’s impossible, Rissete. They wouldn’t be that careless—”

I lightly pushed the door. It swung open.
“…Wow. Guess they are that careless,” I said with a grin.
“Hehe… still, be careful,” Luna replied.

Inside, we decided to stick together and check each room.

The living room had only a few chairs, a couch, and a table — no people.
The dining room was worse: mold on the wooden table and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.
Finally, we reached the back room. It was completely empty.

“Did we go to the wrong place?” I asked.
“No,” Luna said. “The spell led us here.”
“Yeah, there can’t be a mistake,” Llyn added.

“Let me cast it again.” Luna chanted briefly, then stopped.
“They’re… below us?” Llyn said in disbelief.
“That’s what the spell says,” Luna confirmed.

I scanned the floor and noticed one section looked out of place.
“Look — that part of the floor seems loose, like it can be moved.”
“Good eye. Let me open it,” Luna said.

A short spell later, the planks shifted, revealing a hidden passage.
“A secret tunnel. Nice work, Rissete.”
“Eh… I’ve seen something like it before,” I replied sheepishly.

“I’ll go first,” Llyn said. “If I don’t call back, it means it’s dangerous. Don’t follow until I say it’s safe.”
“Are you sure, Llyn? You can’t use spells,” Luna protested.
“Don’t worry. I can use spells. And it’s not like I care about you or anything…”
“Ouch. Had to add that part, huh?” Luna muttered.

Llyn jumped down.
Seconds passed… then more seconds… too many.

Luna’s expression tightened. For all her teasing, she clearly cared about her sister.
“Rissete, I’m going after her. If I don’t come back, ask Miss Lilywhite for help.”
“Okay. Be careful.”

Luna jumped in after her sister.

I waited, but neither replied.
“No… what should I do? Follow them, or get help?”
I hesitated. I didn’t fully trust Miss Lilywhite.
“Fine. I’m going after them.”

I jumped into the hole.
The fall seemed endless — like it had no bottom. Just as I started to panic, I landed on solid ground.

Ahead of me, Luna and Llyn stood beside a man in modest clothes.
“Ah, Rissete, glad you could join us,” the man said.