Chapter 150: Magic Crystal

Inside the Tower, an ancient spiral stone staircase wound its way upward into the clouds.

Along both sides of the stairs, plain wooden doors appeared from time to time—occasionally replaced by heavy stone ones embedded into the walls.

Perletti counted silently as she climbed.

By the time she finally reached the top, the total number of doors had settled at seventy-six.

Seventy-six…

Did that mean there were currently seventy-six witches living within the Tower?

“Ta-da—ta-da—ta-da—ta-da—ta-da! We’re here!”

Walking ahead, Isabena cheerfully pushed open the only door at the top.

But the moment the door swung open—

Something changed.

The “Isabena” before them suddenly blurred, her form dissolving into countless firefly-like motes of starlight that silently faded into the air.

At the same time, a weak yet smiling voice came from deep within the room:

“Come in… let me take a good look at you.”

The room had no ordinary light source. It was dim and shadowy.

Only countless tiny points of light floated within, slowly circling—like a miniature galaxy.

At the center of those starlights—

A white-haired girl leaned weakly against the ground.

Her body was loosely wrapped in thick white cloth strips, now more like a casually draped blanket. Her face was pale to the point of translucence, her lips nearly devoid of color.

Only her eyes—

Still shone with gentle curiosity.

“So this is your real body… The one just now—was it a clone? Or an illusion?”

“Mm… close enough.”

Isabena’s voice was faint and intermittent, yet she tried to keep it steady.

“But there’s a small mistake. That ‘me’ wasn’t an illusion… it was another ‘me’ I truly shaped out of starlight—one with a physical form.”

“I see…”

Perletti recalled fragments she had heard before.

The Witch of Stars possessed magic with an extremely wide range. With the help of a star chart, she could project her power across the world.

Someone capable of that—and acknowledged as the leader of witches—

Should be the strongest among them.

And yet, the fragile figure before her, as if she might shatter at a touch…

Was this really that legendary Witch of Stars?

Or was this overwhelming range of power bought at the cost of an extremely weak body?

She subconsciously turned to confirm with Feiye—

Only to find that the girl stood silently outside the doorway, unwilling to step in even half a pace.

Her hands even gripped her skirt slightly—a subtle habit she only showed when tense or wary.

“Feiye?”

Perletti frowned slightly, suspicion rising in her heart.

“Why are you standing outside? That’s not like you.”

In the past, Feiye would always stay close, like a shadow.

“N-No need…”
Feiye’s voice was stiff. She lowered her gaze, avoiding the flowing starlight inside the room.

“Feiye… will just stay here.”

She could feel it—

An invisible yet overwhelming pressure filled the room, sending chills down her spine.

This feeling was deeply uncomfortable for her.

“Oh my, is little Feiye feeling shy?” Isabena chuckled lightly, trying to ease the atmosphere.

“My place isn’t some demon-infested hell. What’s there to be afraid of?”

As she spoke, she tried to raise her hand to gesture Feiye in—but the motion was slow due to her weakness.

Perletti stepped forward, naturally positioning herself between the doorway and Isabena.

“Wait.”

She didn’t look at Isabena. Instead, she focused entirely on the subtle changes in Feiye’s expression.

“There’s something in here… that makes you afraid, isn’t there?”

She knew Feiye well—this kind of avoidance wasn’t normal.

A vague guess flashed through her mind.

Perletti suddenly turned her head, her sharp gaze locking onto the pale face of the white-haired girl surrounded by starlight.

“Isabena.”

She spoke directly, her tone leaving no room for evasion.

“What is your relationship… with Masha?”

Isabena’s condition resembled anemia.

But how could a witch suffer anemia for no reason?

The only explanation—

She was deliberately draining her own blood.

And related to that…

Perletti could only think of the witch who had died eight hundred years ago.

“She…”

“Eh?”

Isabena froze, a flash of surprise crossing her pale face.

She hadn’t expected that during their very first meeting, she would hear that name—one nearly buried by time—from Perletti’s lips.

Strange…

Even among witches, the name “Masha” was known by very few.

Where had Perletti learned it?

Or… was this just a coincidence?

“Masha. The Blood Witch, Masha.”

Perletti repeated clearly.

The usual light smile on Isabena’s lips slowly faded.

The way she looked at Perletti changed.

Less playful admiration—

More deep scrutiny.

As if reassessing this newly born Witch of Light.

“…Where did you hear that name?”
Her voice remained gentle, but now carried an invisible barrier.

“That’s not important,” Perletti insisted.

“…I see. Then I suppose I have no choice but to explain.”

Isabena let out a soft sigh. In the quiet room of starlight, it sounded especially clear.

She slowly raised a hand.

The countless tiny lights around her seemed to respond, accelerating in their flow before gathering above her palm—

forming a delicate, complex, slowly rotating illusory astrolabe.

“Regardless of how you came to know the title ‘Blood Witch’… as someone who has lived longer than you, I’ll explain.”

Her gaze swept across the countless motes of light in the room.

“Every single point of light you see here is not an ordinary luminous object.”

“They are ‘Starlight Crystals’—formed from highly condensed and compressed magic power.”

“To create even a single speck of such a crystal… would almost exhaust all of my magic.”

“Divining the future, creating external bodies capable of movement, or projecting magic across great distances…”

“All of these require continuous consumption of these starlights.”

“For hundreds of years, I have had to completely drain the magic generated within my body every day… converting it into these starlight reserves.”

“Remaining in a state of magical depletion for so long—weakness is inevitable.”

She paused, then glanced toward Feiye outside the door, her tone softening slightly.

“As for why Feiye feels fear—it’s even simpler.”

“Her perception is extremely sharp. She instinctively senses potential energy threats in her surroundings.”

“Unfortunately, the total density of magic contained in this room… far exceeds what her senses can comfortably process as ‘safe.’”

“The pressure and fear she feels… are simply her body’s most honest response.”

Perletti processed the explanation, but her doubts hadn’t completely disappeared.

“I understand most of it… but why do this?”

“By solidifying your magic like this, you’re forcing yourself to remain weak all the time. Is your magic insufficient?”

“More or less.”

Isabena curved her lips slightly. There was a faint bitterness hidden in her smile—quickly concealed beneath her usual lightness.

“Although my magic can ignore distance… distance itself is the greatest cost.”

“The farther I project it, the more the consumption grows exponentially.”

“Without these starlight reserves accumulated over hundreds of years as ‘fuel’ and ‘relays,’ my own magic reserves would only be enough to stably cover… the entire Elven Forest.”

“…The entire Elven Forest?!”

Perletti couldn’t hide her shock.

“You already possess power at that level… and you still say you can’t oppose the elves? Isn’t that a bit too modest?”

“That’s not modesty, Perletti.”

Isabena shook her head. Starlight flickered across her pale face.

“That’s reality.”

“Since you’ll also be one of the witches in the future, there’s no harm in telling you.”

Her voice lowered slightly—calm, matter-of-fact, yet heavier than any impassioned speech.

“Among the witches at present, not a single one has reached the level of 【Rising Sun】.”

“And the current Elven King—the second ruler of their kind…”

“…is a true peak powerhouse of the continent at the Second Stage of the Rising Sun.”