Chapter 361: Sacrificial Lambs
Kneeling in front of Ivan were Carmela’s coven members, and they were roughly brought down to their knees by Ivan’s soldiers, their hands tied behind their backs. The hostility in their gaze did not waver, neither were they worried about being found– it felt as though they already expected it, and that ticked on Ivan’s suspicions even more.
His gaze darted to the tree where his soldiers had fished them out from, and he had to admit that it was one hell of a demonic tree, with the barks splitting open revealing a dark hidden passage from the root, deeper down the earth he could not see.
They’ll have to cut it down before the raw energy spreads even further. Ivan’s soldiers returned from their scouting, and they bowed their heads politely.
"We’ve checked every other place within the forest, your Majesty, but no sign of the demon and Carmela." the soldier in charge reported.
Ivan simply nodded and finally faced the five witches kneeling in front of him.
"Where is Marius, and that crazy woman who sticks with him?" Ivan had no time to prolong this discussion, whilst his chain materialized in his grip. The sight of it sent multiple cold shivers down the women’s spine, their gaze finally hinting at what Ivan depicted to be fear, cause who wouldn’t be afraid?
"I won’t ask for the third time, where is Marius?" Ivan’s eyes blazed at their defiance, but it was not enough to make them speak. Their loyalty to Carmela was unbelievable, and Ivan wanted to laugh at their stupidity, even if he did admire it.
Sacrificing themselves for useless souls like Carmela and Marius was equivalent to expecting diamonds from coal. They were basically throwing efforts into an already lost abyss, offering devotion to an unworthy cause, but he would put an end to that negative potential.
"Why don’t you just return to your land and leave us alone?" One of the witches dared to question him, having had enough of his intimidating aura. "You don’t belong here! Our Queen owns this part of the realm, and what you are doing is trespassing the southern borders. If you want to find them so bad then go look for them! Leave us out of it!"