Chapter 225: Another Familiar Face?

During the 3-day journey, Magna managed to bring his mana reserves back up to 8%, mostly thanks to his natural regeneration, now around 1% per day, and the food he ate.

The Witches had no mana-rich food, only ordinary provisions such as dry bread and smoked meat. They didn’t even have anything to drink, since preserving drinks in this region was impossible.

Still, their provisions were much more nutritious than ordinary food, giving him enough nutrients to convert into mana and noticeably increase his reserves.

"At this rate, we’ll arrive in 2 hours," Renna told him, checking the pocket watch she had taken out of her dimensional storage.

The watch was an artifact that caught Magna’s interest, but he was more interested in the dimensional storage that all the Witches and Shadows seemed to have embedded in their armor and clothing.

When he asked how he could get one, Renna laughed and told him he would have to wait until they returned, when he could request one from the Artifact Research Department.

The Witches had always run their society through a well-organized system of government. Apparently, even after such an apocalyptic collapse, they had maintained that structure, complete with departments and administrative divisions.

Unfortunately, the shortage of resources meant that not everyone could get a dimensional storage artifact anymore, but she thought Magna would have no trouble.

After all, he was now a powerful ally, physically as strong as Arthas and capable of casting spells on top of that.

Someone who combined a Shadow and a Witch in a single body would surely receive generous support from the 5 Grand Witches, as long as they were willing to invest in him.

The 2 hours passed quickly, and by the time they finally saw the camp, the whole team was exhausted, their steps faltering as they struggled on, badly needing rest.

It wasn’t as big or as well-equipped as Magna had expected, consisting of only a few large tents surrounded by many smaller ones on a broad stretch of ashen ground.

There were 4 large tents in total, each a different color. Red, blue, green, and white.

"The red one belongs to our unit. We’re currently the camp’s main attack force. Including our Shadows, there are 41 of us, making us the largest unit here," Renna explained beside him as they approached.

She added that the green tent belonged to the Life Witches, whose task was to find fertile soil in the region where they could grow resources. Including their Shadows, they numbered only around 20.

The blue tent housed another unit of around 20 specializing in Water, mainly responsible for supplying the entire camp with water, while the white tent belonged to the Order Witches. With only 10 members, theirs was the smallest unit, responsible for defending the camp.

As soon as those in the camp noticed the Fire Witch unit returning, they began gathering out front to welcome them.

Magna could see both relief and curiosity on their faces.

They were relieved to see that the unit hadn’t lost anyone and had even brought back an extra person, and curious to learn whether the mission had succeeded or failed.

A Witch in a blue robe stepped out ahead of the others.

She looked no older than anyone else, in her mid-20s at most, but the way everyone made room for her was enough to tell him she was in charge.

Another detail set her apart. Her hat had 3 golden lines, 1 more than Renna’s.

’Wait, I know her.’ Magna narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied her dark skin and emerald eyes. It didn’t take him long to remember her.

She was Melisandre Iceberg, the woman who had suddenly attacked him with her owl years ago and then turned him into a kebab with her ice spears.

She gave Magna a brief look, then turned her attention away as if she hadn’t recognized him. "Renna, I’m glad to see you back safely."

She pulled Renna into a tight hug, clearly relieved and happy to see her comrade return unharmed.

"Yes, Lady Melisandre. We successfully completed the mission," Renna replied tiredly, returning the hug.

At her words, everyone’s faces lit up, and they rushed forward to welcome and embrace the returning members of the attack unit.

Laughter and cheerful voices filled the air, turning the reunion into a celebration.

The mission had been crucial, since the Devoring Desolation would have soon reached their camp if left to roam freely, giving them plenty of reason to celebrate.

No one even seemed to notice or care Magna standing there half-naked.

Melisandre finally released Renna from her hug. "Let’s go inside. You must all be tired." Only then did she look at Magna again and add, "You too. Come inside."

Now Magna was certain from her look that she remembered him, but for some reason, she showed no shock or surprise at seeing him.

Though confused, Magna followed her anyway. The rest of the Fire Witch unit dispersed to their tents to rest while he and Renna went with Melisandre.

They soon entered the large blue tent.

It was mostly empty, with only a large table in the middle and maps and books stacked around it, much like any commander’s tent.

Magna was the last to enter, and as the entrance flap fell closed behind him, Melisandre suddenly turned toward him. "Are you Magna, by any chance?"

Even Renna looked surprised at the question. "You know him?"

Melisandre laughed. "Why wouldn’t I? Have you forgotten that I was the one who visited Winterborne years ago to see whether the 3 of you were worthy of training in the Tower?"

Renna remembered, of course, but she was still surprised. Magna had been only a child back then, so different from the way he looked now.

Even she had struggled to recognize him when she first saw him.

Of course, Melisandre had another reason to recognize him. "The truth is, we’ve been waiting for him to return all this time."

She turned her attention to Magna, looking him up and down, studying every detail and line of muscle until her eyes settled on his golden ones.

"Tell me, what’s so important about you that I was assigned a 12-year mission here just to look for you?" For some reason, she sounded rather frustrated.