Chapter 118: Under the March Moon

Withdrawing her hand from the still slumbering blue-haired girl, the Priestess quickly began to strategize in her mind.

If it were simply a matter of a magic power deficit, she certainly had plenty of ways to replenish it, but Tilysha’s body was currently like a funnel—no matter how much substance was poured in, it would all leak out in the end. Replenishing magic power was merely a stopgap measure.

In reality, Tilysha herself wasn’t at fault. The reason she couldn’t restrain the loss of magic power from her body was because, on one hand, she was in a sleeping state and therefore had less control over her body. On the other hand, the surrounding suction force was overwhelmingly strong.

Unless her room was completely isolated from the outside world or the cause of this situation was found, there was little hope.

The first method… was rather troublesome and wouldn’t fundamentally solve the problem, but it could serve as a temporary insurance.

At that moment, Miss Vilyric finally realized why the concentration of magic power in the air had suddenly spiked so high.

It was likely because the magic power originally residing in various living beings had been stripped away by this force, and under some influence, it had accumulated and could not dissipate. And it definitely wasn’t something Tilysha could manage alone; others were involved…

After confirming that Tilysha was not in immediate danger, Vilyric did not rush to wake her or set up barriers; instead, she left Tilysha’s room, closed the door, and continued forward.

The Priestess checked everyone’s rooms one by one—Leila, Renée, Edwina Cecelia, and Aiste from the Moonshadow Clan—each of these at least legendary-level fighters had been forcibly stripped of all magic power, sleeping in a half-conscious state just like Tilysha.

Even beings of legendary strength, which had already reached the peak of normal flesh, couldn’t withstand this…

As she reached the first-floor living room, Vilyric saw several Puppeteer Clan members, who were originally on guard duty, sprawled haplessly on the ground, eyes closed and motionless.

Puppeteers operated as bionic dolls powered by magic, and in an environment that forcibly deprived them of magic power, their state would be far worse than that of ordinary beings. They probably couldn’t even activate their mental core’s emergency mode like Iriush did earlier.

Although she didn’t know exactly when this situation had started, it did seem to have happened quite abruptly. The positions of those Puppeteer girls who had collapsed were very close, suggesting they had almost simultaneously lost their ability to act, either at a specific moment or as soon as they sensed something was wrong.

“……”

Vilyric crouched down, checking their conditions, confirming they were indeed just like electronic devices that had suddenly lost power—nothing appeared to be actually wrong with them—before quickly standing back up.

To be honest, the Priestess herself hadn’t felt any magic being sucked away, but it was likely her personal artifact—[Feather Garamaria]—had directly resisted that unknown force. It wasn’t until the concentration of magic in the air reached an utterly abnormal level that Vilyric was awakened.

She had no idea how extensive this abnormal zone was, but given the magic index was skyrocketing and neither Iwen nor Iriush nor any other Puppeteers had shown up to investigate, it seemed their states weren’t great either.

Puppeteers didn’t require daily rest like ordinary beings, so the prolonged silence likely meant they had all entered a dormant state like the ones here.

Was there an enemy who infiltrated under the cover of night, using barriers to envelop the Puppeteer Forest? But what kind of power could trap even legendary beings without them realizing it?

Wait a moment.

Vilyric suddenly realized an important issue.

She had just noticed the absence of that Moonshadow Royal Family pup referred to as the Source of Magic, Noviya Moonshadow?!

Under normal circumstances, as her caretaker, Aiste would never leave this little wolf cub’s side, bringing her along wherever she went. At night, she would certainly keep her nearby, resting in a little basket with a fluffy cover, or transform back into her original form to ensure she was protected.

However, when Vilyric looked into Aiste’s room where she had also fallen into a coma due to magic deficit, she hadn’t sensed Noviya’s presence in the infant basket she had seen there.

But since she had been in a hurry to confirm everyone’s states, peeking in from outside then rushing past, coupled with the low presence of the little wolf cub, the Priestess hadn’t immediately taken note.

Was the enemy’s target to abduct Noviya Moonshadow? But how could they know their exact location…?

No, that’s not right. It couldn’t be like that.

Now was not the time to hold anything back. Vilyric expanded her sp, spreading her soul net like waves across the entire Puppeteer Forest, then her elegant brows twitched as if showcasing her inner surprise.

She raised her hand.

“Contract Summon: Xiao Guang!”

A brilliant golden magic circle lit up instantly, and the Dragon Girl with a long tail appeared from it, rubbing her eyes in lingering sleepiness.

Just as the little dragon girl, awakened from her slumber, was about to say something, her dazzling golden eyes narrowed slightly, her fierce dragon gaze swiftly scanning the surroundings and then landing back on her Mistress.

“Master, are there enemies approaching?”

Upon retracting her sp, Vilyric, with an expression hinting at having seen something unbelievable, shook her head.

“No… it’s still too soon to say. I need to go out for a bit, Xiao Guang, I’m placing everything here in your care for now.”

It seemed the pervasive magic theft in the air had limited effects even on the level 100 Holy Crystal Dragon, allowing Vilyric to confidently leave Xiao Guang to guard the area, just in case.

With the powerful perceptive abilities of the dragon race, the little dragon girl quickly grasped the surrounding situation. She shivered lightly, her dragon wings and horns appearing naturally as she transformed into her most comfortable half-dragon form, nodding as if nothing were amiss.

“Understood, I will remain on guard here. If you encounter a strong enemy, please summon me immediately.”

“Okay, I have it covered. I’ll be back shortly.”

After a brief exchange, Vilyric set off alone from their temporary inn. She didn’t unfurl her white wings to fly through the night sky, but instead took swift steps along the dimly lit forest path.

The impact of the magic theft continued to deepen, and the entire forest felt as if it had fallen into a deathly silence. Whether the magic power remained or not, in such a heavy, oppressive environment, even the buzzing of insects had completely ceased.

Amidst the flickering shadows under the brilliantly shining March moonlight, eerie reflections danced, and combined with the excessively quiet forest, it felt like a dark phantom realm, inducing a sense of trepidation.

However, Vilyric did not feel afraid. Although she appeared to be merely a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, her solid mental strength from the divine race, her foundational strength, and the first scanning of the situation through her sp all became sources of her confidence. Compared to that, her memories from traveling to this world held much less importance.

The destination she sought wasn’t far, and even at a leisurely pace, Vilyric reached it in just three to four minutes.

It was a small lake.

The only lake in the Puppeteer Forest, serving as the main water source for the Puppeteers’ various needs. Though it wasn’t large, it was sufficiently clean and clear, fed by mountain spring flows from distant peaks.

The shimmering lake surface rippled under the silver glow of the March moon.

By the lakeside stood a girl.

   

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