The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 172

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Phantom Bride of the Forsaken Prince
Special Side Story 6

The Witch’s Forest.
It was a sanctuary built by witches who had scattered across the world, hunted and persecuted, only to find refuge here, gathering one by one.
Only witches could enter, and the moment the location was discovered by outsiders, the community would relocate elsewhere.
Years ago, after the Black Mages were annihilated in the Odrian Empire, the witches had enjoyed an unprecedented peace.
Today was no exception.
Until a peculiar group entered the forest seeking them out.
‘Witches…!’
“What on earth is that?”
A witch monitoring beyond the Barrier with a Crystal Orb wore an unimpressed expression.
“What’s happening?”
Behind her came a Grand Witch who had lived over a century.
Despite her long years, she appeared no more than thirty.
“Ah, Grand Witch. Some humans have arrived asking us to heal their child.”
“Their child?”
“Yes, it seems the child was born with a Mana Core.”
“Hmm… that’s unusual. Normally, only those born as witches possess a Mana Core.”
“Exactly. What should we do?”
The Grand Witch gazed toward the group pleading beyond the Crystal Orb.
Through the Crystal Orb they didn’t seem like ordinary folk, though her view was imperfect.
“…For now, keep watch. I must see them with my own eyes.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, we should…”
Just as the Grand Witch was about to step outside.
Boom-boom-boom—
Beep-beep-beep—
The chamber flashed violent red in sync with a tremendous tremor.
This was the alarm that sounded when someone breached the Barrier.
“A-a dragon! A Red Dragon!”
A witch cried out, her face draining of color. The Grand Witch’s eyes widened as she turned and peered beyond the Crystal Orb.
The Red Dragon roared and thrashed about wildly.
“Did a dragon suddenly appear?!”
“No! The red-haired man from before transformed into a dragon!”
So the ominous figure was a dragon merely at play!
The Crystal Orb allowed clear observation at a distance, but it was for viewing only—there was no way to gauge the visitor’s strength or abilities.
“Oh no! A Breath attack…!”
Soon flames gathered in the Red Dragon’s mouth. Even with multiple Grand Witches combining their power for the Barrier, a direct Breath strike would be catastrophic.
The Grand Witch hurriedly placed her hand on the amplifying Crystal Orb and cried out.
“P-please, noble Dragon! I beg you to stop!”
The Red Dragon froze mid-strike. The flames died, and the beast rumbled softly.
—There’s the forest, isn’t there? So why the hell are you ignoring me?
The pressure shouldn’t carry through the Crystal Orb, yet her spine chilled with primal terror.
“A thousand pardons! I failed to recognize your nobility! I shall welcome you inside—please grant us a moment!”
—If you don’t come out immediately, I’ll burn the entire area to ash.
The Red Dragon gradually transformed back into a handsome red-haired man.
The Grand Witch seized her flight Broomstick and stepped outside, calling back to the other witches before she departed.
“Announce to everyone at once—a dragon has arrived! Report this to Mother especially!”
“Yes!”
The Grand Witch took to the sky on her Broomstick.
‘I must never cross a dragon’s will.’
The most arrogant and noble beings in existence. They did not persecute her kind as humans did, but offending them meant no race escaped unscathed.
The Grand Witch recalled Mother’s earlier warnings and swallowed hard.
Once beyond the Barrier, she quickly located the dragon’s party.
Landing swiftly, she dismounted her Broomstick and dropped to one knee.
“Noble Dragon, I receive you with honor. I am Shura, one of seventeen Grand Witches.”
“If you’d been any slower, I’d have burned everything to—oof!”
The Red Dragon was setting his tone when a sharp, dull crack rang out, and he let out a yelp.
Shura flinched and cautiously lifted her gaze.
A woman holding a child had her fist raised, huffing with exertion.
“Here I’m trying to look good, and you start with threats!”
“Ugh… but I brought you here, didn’t I?”
“Quiet! Want another?”
At the woman’s rebuke, the Red Dragon hunched his shoulders.
When the woman’s gaze turned toward Shura, the witch tensed involuntarily.
Yet the woman offered a warm smile and extended her hand.
“Forgive my companion’s outburst. The situation is urgent, and I appreciate your understanding.”
“…No, it’s our fault for keeping such distinguished guests waiting.”
“See, even they admit—sorry.”
When the woman’s eyes flashed dangerously, the Red Dragon’s tail drooped at once.
“My child is currently suffering from a Mana Core condition.”
“…Yes, I gathered that from what the distinguished guests called out. But if you are indeed so noble, surely you would know the way to overcome it…?”
“This child is human, not a dragon. The dragon’s way cannot solve it.”
A white-haired man stepped forward from behind the woman.
Shura drew a sharp breath. The Crystal Orb hadn’t revealed it, but standing before him now, she felt an aura even greater than the Red Dragon’s.
The black-haired woman beside him radiated something similar.
The purple-eyed woman holding the child bore somewhat less, but still considerable strength.
The weakest-seeming was the brown-haired, brown-eyed man, yet even he was merely weaker than these—among humans, unmistakably formidable.
‘Purple eyes…?’
Purple eyes were the hallmark of witches in ages past, the mark of their golden era.
But now, save for Mother and a handful of others, not a single witch with purple eyes remained.
“The child is not yet a hundred days old. Please, I beg you to save my child.”
Shura snapped to attention at the woman’s plea and examined the infant in her arms.
Despite its age, the child possessed remarkable beauty and grace.
“Ooh…”
As the baby reached toward her with a smile, Shura closed her eyes and placed her hand on its forehead.
Boom-boom-boom—
In an instant, an overwhelming surge of mana erupted, and she staggered backward with a gasp.
“Could the child be a dragon hybrid?”
“No, a witch hybrid.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“Witches should recognize one another. Apparently, that’s not the case here.”
At the white-haired man’s words, Shura stared blankly at the woman before her.

* * *

“A dragon—what in the world is happening?”
“Have we done something wrong?”
“Could we have stumbled upon a dragon at play…?”
The witches of the forest churned with confusion at the dragon’s sudden appearance.
Young witches whispered and trembled with fear when—
“Hold reverence, but betray no fear. Have you forgotten that weakness invites contempt?”
A voice echoed directly into every witch’s mind.
“Mother has arrived!”
Luna, mother to all witches, their guide and matriarch.
Appearing as a middle-aged woman, she had lived over three hundred years and survived the Witch Hunts—a living witness to history.
Her lustrous red hair curled richly as her purple eyes blazed.
Where her footsteps fell, plants erupted from the earth and flowers bloomed in profusion.
Every witch watched her approach with reverent awe, bowing deeply.
Luna waved her hand dismissively, murmuring.
“…So you’ve come.”
Shura led the dragon’s party forward.
Luna immediately perceived three dragons among them and bowed in return.
“Noble beings, I receive you with the utmost honor. I am Luna, Mother of all witches.”
“I am Age, the White Dragon. Do you know why we have come?”
“I understand a child with a Mana Core requires healing.”
“Indeed. Time is short—examine the child.”
Luna raised her head slightly. Then she caught sight of Shura’s bewildered expression.
But the dragon’s command took precedence, so she turned her gaze away.
“The child is…”
The moment she saw the face of the woman holding the child, Luna’s expression hardened like stone.
“…Lia?”
“…Do you know me?”
At Lia’s cautious question, Luna’s brow furrowed.
Forgetting even the dragons present, she turned slowly to examine each face in the party.
Then she approached a young man with brown hair and brown eyes.
Without waiting for anyone to stop her, she reached for his neck.
Snap—
A fine Necklace shattered in her hand, and the young man’s features transformed.
Into white hair and golden eyes.
The witches stirred, and a terrible fury erupted.
“A dog of the Odrian Empire…!”
“Odrian royalty! Spawn of demons accursed!”
The witches, persecuted through centuries by the Witch Hunts initiated under the first emperor’s command, trembled with hatred at the mere mention of Odrian Imperial bloodline.
They forgot the dragons entirely and surged forward to attack.
At this critical moment, Kaiser unleashed a Pressure.
“How dare a mere witch threaten me with a Wand…!”
Red scales erupted across his skin, his eyes turned reptilian, and dragon wings unfurled from his back.
At this sudden shift, Lia paled.
If violence erupted here, conflict would spiral out of control, and the resentment would inevitably fall upon Lucian.
Desperate for at least Mother Luna to hear reason, Lia reached toward her when—
“Enough!”
Her voice rang out like a bell, and Vines erupted from the ground.
In one motion, every witch’s Wand and weapon was torn from their grasp.
“M-Mother?”
The witches stared at Luna in shock.
Luna’s agitation had settled, and she fixed Lia with an unwavering gaze.
Lia met eyes identical to her own—purple, luminous, and true.
“…Is that…?”
Gazing into those eyes, something yearning enveloped her entire being, and emotion surged up her throat.
Watching Lia’s tears fall, Luna closed her eyes.
“There was a rumor that the emperor’s twin sibling exposed the Black Mage conspiracy. You must be that sibling.”
Lucian nodded at Luna’s words.
“The liberator of witches has arrived! All witches, attend to our honored guest with utmost devotion!”
Luna’s proclamation sent shockwaves through the gathered witches.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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