Chapter 41: The Hunter Walks Alone (1)

Deep within the heart of the witch’s cottage.

Luna slowly straightened, drawing a steady breath as she regained her composure after restraining Ethan’s curse.

The black-haired witch wrapped a simple strip of cloth around her injured finger to stop the bleeding.

She had bitten it repeatedly during the ritual—so many times that her nail had cracked and part of her fingertip had worn raw.

It had hurt.

But Luna had endured it without complaint.

In truth, she was happy.

She had successfully completed the task her mistress entrusted to her.

“Master !… I’ve successfully restrained his curse…?”

She turned toward the place where Vanessa had stood overseeing the ritual.

But by the time Luna regained full awareness ..

Vanessa was already gone.

Luna took a step forward, intending to follow her teacher ..

Only to stop when she sensed someone standing behind her.

It was Ethan.

He had risen.

And his face looked ten years older than the last time she had seen it.

He lifted a trembling hand and retrieved his long crimson coat, slipping it back over his shoulders.

Luna stared at him in disbelief.

“I can’t believe it… The restraint process exhausts both mind and body. And you carry the strongest curse imaginable. Yet you’re still conscious as though nothing happened!”

Her shock was so genuine that she blurted it aloud.

Ethan closed his eyes, wincing.

“Would you lower your voice? I’m on the verge of losing my mind here.”

He looked at her with sunken, reddened eyes .. as if he had spent the past hour weeping bitterly.

“Your endurance is extraordinary. I’ll grant you that much,” Luna admitted.

Then she gestured for him to follow.

“Come. My Master is likely waiting for us in the cottage.”

Ethan nodded faintly.

“Give me a moment… to catch my breath.”

He immediately bent forward, placing both hands on his knees, inhaling deeply—greedily dragging air into his lungs.

Luna watched him in silence.

Her hands rested behind her back, loosely holding her long staff.

“I heard you’ll be fighting in Maria’s Reckoning duel a month from now. Is that true?”

Her question came out of nowhere, her tone shifting as she began to take a more genuine interest in him.

Ethan gave a brief nod.

“Yes.”

“Your opponent will likely be Advanced Rank. A newly selected hunter. You’re still Level One. What’s your plan to win?”

There was curiosity in her voice.

Ethan straightened and began walking past her.

“Ask me that again in a month. I might have an answer by then.”

He paused briefly before adding,

“Let’s go.”

His ambiguous reply only deepened her curiosity, but she chose not to press him further.

When they ascended together, they found Vanessa already waiting.

She had returned to her rocking chair, calmly flipping through her book, seemingly immersed in it.

“My Lady , thank you for your assistance. I will not forget this favor,” Ethan said with proper decorum.

Vanessa closed her book and smiled at him once more .. mischief glinting in her eyes.

“There is no need to thank me. Luna did most of the work.”

She gestured toward Luna, who immediately looked embarrassed.

Not because of Ethan ..

But because she had always been weak against sincere praise.

“From now on, you will visit once a week. We must regularly check the stability of the barrier. Of course, Luna will handle it—since she is the one who created it.”

At that, Luna frowned faintly.

“I’ll have to see him once every week…”

She sounded distinctly displeased.

Ethan sighed.

“What kind of man do you take me for?”

“A cold-hearted one who enjoys playing with women’s feelings.”

Luna answered bluntly.

And Ethan froze.

Then he slapped his forehead.

“I truly lived to see the day when a girl mistakes me for a manipulative playboy…”

To hear such words ..

As a former shut-in gaming addict who barely left his room .. Ethan did not take it as an insult.

If anything ..

It felt like a medal of honor.

Watching the two of them, Vanessa burst into laughter, thoroughly amused by the interaction of youth.

“You may leave now, Ethan. Luna will guide you to the exit that leads directly to the forest gate.”

Luna groaned softly.

“Why me again?”

“There is no one else here.”

Vanessa laughed even louder before offering Ethan one final farewell.

“Good luck with your hunt, Ethan Heart. Go and rebuild your strength. And visit us anytime—truly, I enjoy watching your interactions with Luna.”

“We don’t !.”

Ethan and Luna responded at the exact same moment.

In the exact same tone.

Which only made Vanessa laugh harder.

She looked genuinely entertained.

Neither of them said another word.

They offered their farewells and departed.

Luna led Ethan toward the exit .. a concealed door within the magical barrier protecting their domain.

The Sorcerers watched from afar once more.

None approached him.

Their gazes were openly hostile ..

Even though Ethan belonged to the same clan.

“Don’t mind them,” Luna said without turning back.

“They’re just a bunch of cowards afraid of the outside world.”

“Anyone would choose to remain beneath this false blue sky rather than face the eclipse outside,” Ethan replied quietly, fully understanding their perspective.

It was never easy to abandon a place once it became your sanctuary.

’I was exactly like them once… I have no right to judge’ , he thought, watching the Sorcerers with an unreadable expression.

When he had been nothing more than a failure—good at nothing except games—he had confined himself to his streaming room.

Because it had been safe.

Because it had shielded him from the world.

“Yes… having a haven like this is comforting,” Luna said. “But it’s still an illusion. One day, we’ll have to face reality.”

There was unmistakable disdain in her voice when she spoke of her fellow witches.

“Soon, I’ll become a hunter myself—and leave this place.”

Her tone was firm.

It piqued Ethan’s interest.

“So you’re not a hunter yet… which means you’re more than two years younger than me.”

Ethan’s physical age was twenty.

To become a Heart hunter, one had to come of age .. eighteen. With the sole exception of Chai, whose extraordinary talent had granted him early status.

If Luna wasn’t a hunter yet ..

She was younger than that threshold.

“I’ll turn eighteen at the start of spring next month,” she replied. “It’s only a matter of time.”

It was winter now.

Spring was near.

Many among the Heart despised the title of hunter.

But Luna saw it as escape.

Escape from this fabricated sanctuary.

She was resolute.

Courageous.

Unlike the others.

“You’re truly strong” Ethan said with a faint smile.

Luna arched a brow.

“Where did that come from? Praising me out of nowhere…”

“I’m being honest. Not many people are willing to face reality the way you do.”

At that, Luna held his gaze for a moment.

Then she stepped aside, opening the path for him.

“It’s not difficult. All you need to do… is gather your courage and do what’s right.”

Rather than shrink inside a safe shell, it was better to step forward and confront the cruel world.

“Hunting alongside my sister is far better than staying here,” Luna added with a restrained smile.

“If I remained here… I’d only grow to hate myself.”

“Yes… I understand exactly what you mean.”

Ethan placed a hand lightly on her shoulder..

Then stepped past her without another word.

He vanished through the barrier gate before her eyes.

Luna remained standing there for several seconds, staring at the space he had disappeared into.

“He really is different…”

she murmured softly.

Then she turned back toward the witch’s cottage.

She would refine her magic.

Sharpen her strength.

Until the day she stepped into the real world .. And claimed what was destined for her.

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