Perhaps it wasn't just Ian's illusion.
After all.
Although the Witch looked extremely furious, she didn't choose to make a move. She just glared angrily at Pandro and Ariana as if she were about to breathe fire.
"Ian! We're here to rescue you!"
Pandro shouted, brandishing a longsword aggressively.
Perhaps.
Only the more perceptive Ariana noticed that Ian and Mara didn't seem like prisoner and criminal, and she displayed a guilty expression that said, "Now we've caused trouble."
"Pandro... Ian doesn't seem to be captured..."
She quietly reminded Pandro.
"Huh?"
Pandro showed a puzzled look.
"Impossible! I heard she loves eating children the most!"
The Super Heroic Swordsman still wanted to insist on his judgment.
"Creak creak creak~"
That was the sound of Mara Witch grinding her teeth.
"Sorry, Teacher, I forgot to find them and tell them about my situation here." Ian snapped back to reality and quickly stepped in to mediate.
"Get your friends off my land!"
The Witch redirected some of her anger at Ian, though it seemed she indeed was wary of Pandro for trespassing on her territory.
"Huh?"
Even Pandro, slow to react, heard Ian's address to Mara Witch, and his eyes immediately became bewildered while his face visibly flushed.
"Did I guess wrong..."
This "old ghost" with the appearance of a boy was momentarily at a loss.
Pulled out his sword and looked around, his mind a blank.
In that moment, it seemed like a clear picture formed.
The previous aura of wanting to chop down everything had long vanished.
"Miss Mara, we're sorry, we'll help repair everything here." Ariana, overwhelmed with guilt, began bowing and apologizing to Mara Witch non-stop.
"With his empty head, and you, this ignorant little one? You'll be grateful just to create a chair someone can sit on!"
Mara Witch scowled, turning her gaze to Ian again.
"Make them leave! They're not welcome here!"
After saying that.
The Witch turned and walked into the depths of the castle with an ugly expression on her face. Though her gown didn't drag on the ground like a mop, the missing corner was still quite noticeable.
"I don't want to stay here! The monsters are back!"
"So scary! So scary!"
"He's surely trying to harm us again!"
The tables and chairs with legs followed behind the Witch.
"That woman really has a temper!"
After the Witch left, Pandro immediately began to complain.
"Pandro, say less, it's our fault after all, we damaged a lot of her property." Ariana weakly reminded him from the side.
"Hmph, she tried to catch me before, so this at most makes us even."
Pandro was somewhat unconvinced.
Obviously.
He had dealings with Mara Witch before.
"I don't think Teacher Mara is that bad, right? She's taught me quite a bit." Ian, curious, walked to the door, finally taking in the scene outside.
All around, there were scattered pieces of armor, some half-body armors crawling pathetically on the ground, desperately trying to distance themselves from Pandro.
"Maybe, or maybe there was a grudge when I was alive?"
Pandro replied, uncertainty in his voice.
Just like Ariana.
He remembered only that he was waiting for someone here when alive.
But he had never waited long enough.
The longer souls stayed in this mysterious place, the more their memories of the human world faded, until they completely forgot, and they had to embark on their next journey.
"Anyway, we've definitely caused a big mess this time."
Ariana sighed with anxiety.
"At worst, we'll compensate her with a giant dragon, like the one we met to the north. It looked fierce as can be and has only been dead a few years. It sure beats these bits of scrap metal she has." Pandro, while still stubborn, was somewhat aware he had made an error.
"I'll find a way to make it up to Teacher Mara."
Ian patted Pandro on the shoulder.
He was quite moved by their "rescue" attempt.
No matter what.
To care for his safety so much truly marked them as real friends—of course, perhaps these two friends didn't realize that in the Misty Illusion Realm no one could imprison him?
Once the time came.
He would be forced back to the real world anyway...
"Are you learning magic with Mrs. Mara?" Ariana asked curiously.
Ian nodded.
"Teacher Mara is knowledgeable, helping me get quite the head start over other little wizards at the learning starting line." He wasn't just flatteringly speaking without sincerity.
"That's wonderful."
Ariana expressed happiness for Ian, though she felt a touch of envy as well.
"Maybe I could bring you some magic textbooks next time."
Ian remembered Ariana always held a bit of longing for Hogwarts.
"Teaching her is useless, in here, magic doesn't mean anything."
Pandro shook his head beside them, speaking in a rather proud tone, "Better to learn swordsmanship with me, slice whatever you want."
With that.
This Super Heroic Swordsman gestured with his ordinary-looking sword.
"Once, I conquered the Misty Illusion Realm without rival, even that... that Godric Gryffindor from your school barely managed to face me for a few moves!"
Wow!
Did he duel the founder of Hogwarts with a sword?
"Do you know Godric Gryffindor?"
Ian's curiosity was piqued.
Though Teacher Mara seemed very cautious of this friend, how could Teacher Mara compare to Gryffindor? The renowned Sword Saint of Hogwarts!
There may be no records of how strong Gryffindor's swordsmanship was, but as a legendary wizard evolving towards "Gandalf", an ordinary swordsman likely couldn't be his opponent.
"Encountered him years ago, but he soon left, that guy had some decent sword skills, so I remembered him."
Pandro raised his head proudly again and began waving his longsword, spinning out a few cool sword flowers, before turning to persuade Ariana to learn swordsmanship with him.
"You've all been dead who knows how long, swordsmanship and magic are equally pointless, no?" Ian nearly got his little toe cut by Pandro's adjacent sword.
"Yes indeed."
Ariana, standing nearby, nodded helplessly.
For the souls here.
They didn't mind discussing the fact they were already deceased.
"There'll be a use, trust me."
Pandro declared confidently.
"Ugh, when you led me up the mountain earlier, you also told me to trust you..."
Ariana spoke from the side, smiling with exasperation.
"Not the same, not the same."
Pandro laughed awkwardly.
Perhaps to change the subject.
He turned immediately to Ian with bright eyes.
"Heard from Ariana you've started learning magic, so we fetched you an enrollment gift, take a look, it's good stuff, I usually wouldn't waste time on this for just anyone!"
With that.
Pandro pulled an object from his pocket—an apple, it appeared to be made of gold, shining with dazzling brilliance even in the dimly-lit castle.
It seemed like a fragment of the sun fallen to the human world, or the masterwork of the gods.