Miss Witch, please don't leave your fragrance everywhere

100 The Secret of the Drais Family

In Staveren, John Drais, the second son of the Drais family, is a well-known gentleman with good manners, but he is still single. Every time he attends a banquet, there are many female nobles who flirt with John. In fact, John also wants to get married as soon as possible, but his mother does not allow it.

After John's father passed away, Mrs. Delais took over the entire family with a swift and decisive momentum. In front of other nobles, Mrs. Delais was relatively amiable, but only the Delais family knew that Mrs. Delais's desire for control was extremely twisted. She would loudly scold the servants for taking an extra plate when setting the table. John's eldest brother's marriage was also arranged by Mrs. Delais herself, and he married a woman five years older than him.

It was a purely political marriage, but both brothers had their edges smoothed out by their mother. The only one who dared to rebel against their mother was probably their ignorant sister.

John smiled bitterly and shook his head. He didn't want to think about Undine. It would only increase John's obedience to his mother.

Just as John and his servants were about to return home, John suddenly stopped. Near the residence of the Drais family in the wealthy area, there were two beautiful women who seemed to be in urgent need of help. The tall blonde girl with blue eyes was probably from the Knight Academy. Although she was not holding a sharp blade or wearing armor, she still couldn't hide her heroic temperament.

However, what really caught John's attention was the girl in a white swan-like dress. In just a moment of encounter, John even had the illusion that this girl had broken into his life.

"Master, she is the girl that everyone in Stavron has been talking about these days."

The loyal servant reminded John that he knew that a young girl from a foreign land had recently attracted the attention of the nobles, and he had always wanted to meet the girl in the rumors to see if she was really as beautiful as the rumors said.

Reality tells John that no man can resist this kind of temptation. After all, John has received strict family education, and staring at a lady for a long time is not a gentleman's behavior, and the girl in the white dress is obviously troubled by some problems.

"Hello, beautiful lady. I am John Drais of Stavron, and you seem to be in need of assistance."

"Hello, my name is Angelica. I was invited to a banquet today, but..."

Angelica raised her skirt with a distressed expression. Her translucent black stockings had been scratched by a branch or something, and a tear had appeared on her calf. Although the hem of her skirt could have completely covered the torn stockings, the noble banquet could not tolerate any minor omissions.

She had to change into a new pair of stockings. Rather than wondering whether there were any replacements, the most urgent thing was to find a place to replace them.

"If you don't mind, the Drais family is willing to serve the beautiful lady."

"Master..."

The servant hurriedly stopped John. Normally, servants would not be allowed to interrupt a nobleman when he was talking to a lady who looked very noble, but the servant also knew Mrs. Delais's temper.

John held out his hand to signal the servant not to continue. In fact, John also had some doubts about Angelica. Angelica seemed to have too few jewelry, but Angelica's beauty was enough to make up for these shortcomings. John knew that doing so would make his mother unhappy, but if he missed this opportunity, he might never be able to pursue Angelica again.

Angelica and Victoria, who was disguised as a loyal servant, followed John and his servants smoothly and entered the Drais family's house in a dignified manner.

The interior of the Drais house was no different from other luxurious aristocratic mansions. The only difference was that other aristocratic houses probably didn't have unhappy ladies sitting in the hall.

Mrs. Delais, the real ruler of the Delais family, is a fat and slightly short woman, with fat accumulated from all the delicacies under her gorgeous clothes. Angelica used Victoria's family to conceal her identity and claimed to be a noble from afar.

Since they were nobles whose names she had never heard of, Mrs. Delais did not give them a good look, but she adhered to basic etiquette and agreed to let Angelica and Victoria use the changing room temporarily.

"John, you're one minute late."

"Mother, I don't have any other important arrangements today."

"Indeed...but you've exceeded the agreed time, John. We have something to talk about."

Mrs. Delais's attitude was not like talking to her son, but like an inquisitor interrogating a criminal. John opened his mouth and seemed to be about to say something, but then he thought that his mother's character might not let him go, so he decided to just accept the scolding. John felt sorry in his heart that he would not have the opportunity to continue communicating with Angelica, and he didn't know if he would have the chance to see her again in the future.

The servant took Angelica and Victoria to the dressing room. The nobles' homes all had special dressing rooms equipped with large enough floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

"Sloth, Sequence 7: Light Sleep of the Mind."

The witch easily hypnotized the maids who came to help, and their tense nerves finally relaxed.

"It's so troublesome. I have to keep my smile at a certain length and the distance of each step must be careful."

"At least we managed to get into the Drais family... although this method seems to take advantage of Mr. John's kindness..."

"He was attracted by the girl, just like me when I see a cute girl."

"… Should I say that you have a thorough understanding of yourself or that you are ruthless in your evaluation of yourself?"

In Angelica's understanding, the biggest loss after sneaking into the Drais family mansion should be her stockings. After all, her inventory was full of high-end stockings. It was also because of this that John did not find any flaws in the style.

Anyway, Angelica and Victoria successfully sneaked into the Delais' house, but Mrs. Delais' attitude was even worse than the rumors. John was delayed for a minute just to invite Angelica and Victoria, which was not a big deal. Mrs. Delais and John had no other plans today.

However, Mrs. Delais stubbornly believed that if John dared to be late for one minute this time, she would not dare to imagine what he would do next time. For this reason, Mrs. Delais spent an hour scolding John to emphasize who is the master of the family.

"There are servants guarding the door... They are treating us like prisoners. How should we investigate?"

Victoria confirmed that there were still servants standing guard outside the dressing room. Mrs. Delais did not seem to be happy to welcome outsiders. She did not immediately drive the two away. It was probably because Angelica had really deceived her.

Angelica responded to Victoria with action, of course using magic.

"Clovers Sequence V. Regional Search."

【Witch TIPS】

In the history that has been passed down, the notoriety of witches was mainly created by "Orange" and "Blue", and these two witches are generally believed to have been conquered and killed by their fellow Beyonders.

101 Caged Bird

Area search magic is not applicable to highly intelligent creatures. Angelica deduced that Miss Undine's body was most likely buried underground in the Drais family mansion.

Although it was a bit unethical to say so, the remains of highly intelligent creatures after death could be detected by area search magic. Usually in towns, the use of magic had to be strictly controlled, but the witch was inside the Drais mansion, so she could minimize the coverage of the area search magic and only detect whether there was anything unusual inside the Drais family.

"……it's over."

"How about it?"

Seeing Angelica's subtle expression, Victoria thought that Angelica must have gained something. She had already prepared herself mentally, and Miss Undine was probably in danger.

But Angelica shook her head.

"I didn't find the remains of the Drais family buried underground, but..."

"but?"

"There seems to be a cellar under the Drais family. I don't know how to describe it... The things inside make me feel a little uncomfortable."

"???"

Angelica's sudden appearance of the Riddler left Victoria confused, and Angelica suggested that Victoria could leave if she felt unwell. Victoria refused, because saving the princess captured by the dragon has always been the knight's mission, and even if he failed to do so, at least he had to complete the revenge.

"Virgo Sequence 5. Spring goes and winter comes."

After Angelica chanted the magic, she and Victoria were coated with a layer of optical camouflage, so that the two were invisible to the naked eye. Although it was a sequence five magic, it looked very powerful at first glance, but Angelica's evaluation was that it could only bully ordinary people. A slightly more powerful magician could easily detect the abnormal flow of magic power.

It was applicable at this time. Angelica used area search magic to memorize the three-dimensional layout of the Drais family mansion in her mind. Angelica's memory was not very good, but she thought her short-term memory was acceptable.

Angelica took Victoria and jumped out of the window into the courtyard, using the magic of invisibility to avoid the eyes and ears of the gardener.

The entrance to the Drais family basement was located in a remote corner. Angelica and Victoria went around the back garden of the mansion and found the entrance to the basement at the edge of the garden maze. Victoria lifted the lid of the entrance and immediately covered her mouth and nose in disgust.

"What...what's this smell..."

A pungent stench wafted from the basement. The mission of the knight princess was to fight the enemy, but Victoria had never seen a corpse that was too rotten, so she couldn't be sure whether the stench was coming from a corpse. Angelica could vaguely tell that it was definitely not the smell of a corpse.

Angelica cast the Nighthawk Song magic on herself to allow her to see clearly in the dark, and was the first to enter the basement. Victoria was not willing to be left behind and followed closely behind by doing the same.

The basement was designed like a dungeon, and it was probably used to store miscellaneous items. However, there was a door directly opposite the basement corridor. The closer one got, the stronger the stench became. It was obvious that that was the source of the stench.

Angelica put her hand on the door and with a little force, the door was easily pushed open. It seemed that someone came in and out of the room from time to time, so the door was not locked at all.

Then, Angelica and Victoria saw an unforgettable scene.

There was a man locked in the basement.

But...is that really a person? Judging from the body shape, it was undoubtedly an adult, but the locked person was so thin that only skin and bones were left. The shriveled skin was covered with mud and excrement, and it seemed that it had not been cleaned for a long time.

The floor was covered with filth, reptiles and moldy food. The locked people were deprived of even the right to use the toilet normally. They had to eat and defecate in this small basement to complete their physiological cycle.

“Ouch… Ugh…”

Victoria's stomach churned and she vomited. After all, she was born into an aristocratic family. Although she had been to places like slums before, the scene before her completely shattered the limit of Victoria's mental endurance.

However, what really shocked Victoria was what Angelica said.

"You are... Undine...?"

Undine?

The missing person they are looking for is the beautiful girl who was once regarded as the apple of Stavren's eye?

Her figure was so thin that she looked almost like a mummy, so Victoria couldn't tell whether the half-human, half-ghost being was a man or a woman. With the help of the Nighthawk Song magic, Angelica saw the locked person's messy long hair that had been indistinguishable for a long time and was covered with flies.

I could barely make out Undine's iconic long chestnut hair, and then look at Undine's eyes... This is a basement, and her eyes have been in darkness for so long that they have lost their azure blue glow.

She couldn't see who was coming, and just smiled weakly and foolishly twice in response. Was it because she hadn't spoken for too long? She seemed unable to even make a sound.

Who would have thought? Who could have thought? Undine was still alive. She had been locked in the basement of the Drais family garden. Angelica didn't know if Undine had tried to call for help at first, but there was a silent enchantment magic here, so it was impossible for Undine's call for help to be heard by anyone.

She was locked up for twelve years... During those twelve years, someone came to the door and threw food inside, which kept Undine alive at a minimum. Undine was locked up and couldn't commit suicide. No one came to clean for her. She couldn't see the sun and was always in the darkness of despair...

All these factors drove Undine completely crazy. Her shrunken body was covered with her own excrement. This was the scope of her activities: rolling in her own excrement. This incomprehensible self-blasphemy was undoubtedly proof that Undine's mind had fallen into a state of disorder.

The dirty environment inevitably attracted insects. Some creatures, not sure if they were cockroaches or something else, were crawling around in the small basement. Some even danced on Undine's skinny body, but Undine had no intention of driving them away.

She just smiled foolishly with a dazed look in her eyes. Having said that, she didn't even have the energy to laugh. The food she was given every day was just enough to keep her alive, and it couldn't provide any nutrition at all. Angelica didn't know whether the bread at Undine's feet was something she had forgotten or the freshest food provided to her. The traces of mold on the bread were clearly visible, and these were exactly what Angelica detected with magic.

Angelica seemed to feel the turbidity in the air at this moment and began to cough violently. She couldn't stand the choking smell for even a second.

Undine... lived in this environment for twelve years...

102 But is it worth it?

It took Victoria a long time to suppress the urge to feel sick, she was still a little frightened.

"Angelica...can we still get her back?"

"No, I don't know..."

If Victoria had stayed in touch with Angelica for a while longer, she would have discovered that this was a rare panic in Angelica.

Angelica was indeed experienced, but every race in this world could bring something new to Angelica. It was the first time she saw a noble being tortured alive and left with only skin and bones. Magic was not equal to the rotation of a magnetic field with a force of 990,000 horsepower, and it did not have the power to directly reorganize Undine's cells.

"Just give it a try."

Angelica didn't care about the filth on her dress. Victoria took out the silver sword from the storage space that was overloaded with magic and broke the chains that tied her up without hurting Undine.

Angelica used central nervous system suppression magic to maintain Wendy's disordered mind, and then used magic to clean up the turbid air in the room and the dirt on Wendy's dry skin as much as possible.

Victoria put away the silver sword, took out a blanket and wrapped Undine's body, and looked at Angelica for help on what to do next.

"I will use magic to keep her alive, but a professional doctor is needed to treat her. Fortunately, Stavron is a town where rich people live, and there is definitely an experienced medical team."

Victoria carefully picked up Undine and covered her eyes with a piece of cloth. Her eyes had not seen the sun for twelve years, and immediate exposure to the sun would have serious consequences.

Angelica and Victoria leave the basement and run into someone waiting outside.

Mrs. De Rais and her servants.

Angelica and Victoria spent a lot of time rescuing Undine. The servants waiting outside the dressing room found out that Angelica and Victoria were missing when they saw no response from inside. The guards did not see anyone coming in or out, and searched the mansion without success. Mrs. Delais concluded that they must have gone to the basement.

"You made a wrong decision."

Mrs. Delais saw Victoria wrapped in the blanket in her arms and immediately understood everything.

"You shouldn't mind your own business."

"Minding other people's business...? Mrs. Delais, you are the one who needs to explain, right?"

Victoria was so angry. As a believer in chivalry, how could she tolerate such injustice?

"Answer me, Mrs. Delais! Why did you treat Undine like this? Just because she fell in love with a bard, you locked her up in the basement for twelve years, torturing her in a dirty and claustrophobic environment?!"

"Miss?"

"Is the young lady still alive?"

The servants were shocked. They had no idea that Undine was imprisoned in the basement of the mansion. The more people knew about it, the greater the possibility of leaking the secret. Only Mrs. Delais and her two sons knew the fate of Undine.

Mrs. Delais glared at them coldly, and the servants immediately stopped talking. They were afraid of Mrs. Delais. However, Victoria had nothing to fear. She wanted to draw her sword and confront Mrs. Delais immediately.

"Because of a love that you don't approve of, you are willing to destroy your own daughter! Is it worth it?!"

"worth!"

Mrs. Delais' eyes suddenly widened in anger, and a thunderous roar erupted from her small body.

"Undine is my daughter. I have the right to decide who she should marry! She is a woman of the Drais family. She must accept the fate I have arranged for her and live the life I have planned for her! Otherwise, she will be meaningless!"

Mrs. De Rais gnashed her teeth, and Victoria even suspected that the person she rescued was not Mrs. De Rais's daughter, but her enemy.