While Souta and the others conversed, a knock echoed from the door, prompting them to turn their heads in curiosity.

Alice rose to her feet and inquired,

"Who's there?

"

Upon opening the door, she beheld a man with long black hair dressed formally. An eye patch concealed his right eye, while his left eye emitted an unusual aura of dark green.

"Dear guests, I'm Yonvi. Elder Amulgu has extended an invitation to her residence. She wishes to speak with you,

" the man introduced himself, elucidating his purpose for being here.

"Very well,

" Souta acknowledged before standing up.

The Walpurgis Night held sway over this enigmatic realm with formidable power. At its helm was La Befana, the witch who occupied the esteemed position of matriarch.

La Befana had disappeared from the sight of the witches decades ago, yet her presence lingered through her life candle, which continued to burn in their Ancestral Hall. Although unseen, they knew she still lived.

Within the Walpurgis Night, two major factions vied for dominance: the Silver faction and the Gold faction. Presently, they engaged in a struggle for the position of matriarch, sensing that La Befana's life candle was waning. Once the flame extinguished, it would signal her demise.

Elder Amulgu, an executive of the Walpurgis Night, aligned with the Gold faction, which sought to preserve the status quo of their clandestine existence. They preferred to remain hidden and disinterested in worldly affairs.

Beneath the matriarch were two supreme elders, representing the Silver and Gold factions respectively. Below them stood six elders, further stratifying the hierarchy of power within the Walpurgis Night.

Souta, Alice, and Amanda found themselves facing a woman of striking beauty. Her long green hair cascaded gracefully, and her eyes, pure white, exuded a sense of nobility and gentleness. Draped in a light-colored robe adorned with the insignia of the Walpurgis Night, she introduced herself as Elder Amulgu.

"I summoned you here to convey my intentions. I harbor no ill will toward any of you, dear guests,

" Elder Amulgu spoke with a soothing voice, one that seemed to possess a calming effect on those who heard it.

"For centuries, the Walpurgis Night has had no visitors from the realm of reality. Please, refrain from actions that may lead to misunderstandings.

"

"Misunderstandings?

" Souta arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

"That's correct. I'm here to urge you not to take any action before tomorrow's banquet,

" Elder Amulgu clarified, casting a pointed glance at Alice and Amanda beside Souta, presuming him to be the group's leader.

"So, you suspect that one of us visitors, such as myself, is the murderer? If the killings began only after our arrival, it's understandable to consider us suspects,

" Souta acknowledged. He then shrugged and added,

"That's acceptable. We'll remain in our room until tomorrow.

"

Elder Amulgu gave a slight bow and expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you for your understanding, dear guests. We will swiftly apprehend the suspect. Additionally, I must ask you to refrain from interacting with other witches. Do not involve yourselves in the internal affairs of the Walpurgis Night.

"

"In that case, why were we invited?

" Souta inquired.

"The truth is, I am uncertain as well. I received the same invitation as you did. None of us were the senders,

" Elder Amulgu admitted, pausing briefly before continuing,

"We suspect that the one behind the invitation is Matriarch La Befana. Apart from her, we can't think of anyone else.

"

"Hmm...

" Souta rubbed his chin thoughtfully, surprised by the revelation that the witches themselves were unaware of the invitation's origin.

Elder Amulgu continued her explanation,

"There is a high chance that it was sent by the matriarch, but it doesn't necessarily mean that other witches weren't involved. We are currently investigating the origin of the invitation, but there has been no progress. Everything was concealed perfectly.

"

Both the Silver and Gold factions began investigating the moment the invitation appeared. Despite their efforts, they had yet to uncover the truth. Hence, they decided to host a banquet for the visitors, hoping to gather clues about the mysterious invitation. The gathering scheduled for the following day was intended to be a simple discussion aimed at uncovering any leads.

Following their meeting with Elder Amulgu, the group returned to their room. Souta opted to heed the elder's advice and avoid conflict for the time being. However, he couldn't shake off his curiosity about the events unfolding within the Walpurgis Night. It seemed that someone among the witches was vying for the position of matriarch, and the mysterious invitation was likely linked to this power struggle.

There's one more thing that intrigued Souta: when Elder Amulgu claimed they didn't know the identity of the murderer, Souta sensed she was lying. It suggested that they were aware of the suspect's identity but chose not to address it, likely to avoid external interference.

Turning to Alice and Amanda, Souta inquired,

"What do you make of this? You've been quiet, simply observing.

"

Amanda shook her head and replied,

"I'm not certain. But I've felt as though someone has been watching me. It doesn't seem to be isolated to just me, though. I suspect all the witches may be experiencing the same.

"

"Are you certain?

" Souta pressed.

"I can't say for certain. It's just a gut feeling,

" Amanda responded with uncertainty.

"Hmm... If that's the case, then something significant must be unfolding in the shadows,

" Souta mused with a grin.

Alice gave him a pointed look before cautioning,

"Don't let your curiosity lead you into trouble, Souta. Remember, your inner consciousness...

"

Souta interrupted her with a reassuring gesture.

"Don't worry, I'm just intrigued by the prospect of uncovering more about the Walpurgis Night. Most factions across the world have little information about them since their isolation.

"

The events of the past marked the decline of the witches. Morgan Le Fay, revered as a powerful being even among gods, spearheaded the golden era of the Walpurgis Night. However, their glory days came to an end with the intervention of Organ the Faith and Sanaamon the Purity.

"Organ Assielin and Sanaamon Agres...

" Souta muttered, recalling his numerous encounters with them in the game. He had faced repeated defeats at the hands of the Bringers of Calamity, due to him interrupting their plans.

"I understand,

" Alice replied, her expression softening.

"Just remember to prioritize your well-being. We're in a delicate situation here, and we need to tread carefully.

"

Souta nodded in agreement.

"Of course, I won't forget. We'll proceed cautiously, especially given the circumstances.

"

With that, the group settled in for the night, preparing themselves for the events that would unfold at the banquet the following day.

...

In the dark alley of the city, two figures could be seen standing in front of a corpse. One was a bald man wearing a white robe, and the other was a short, petite woman with blue hair and eyes.

"Amithaba... What a grim fate,

" the monk said as he closed both of his eyes.

"Someone is killing these people,

" the petite woman said, her tone tinged with disdain.

The corpse in front of them was mangled brutally, with almost every bone broken and countless tiny holes dripping blood visible on its skin.

"Is this normal in this place, Edeya?

" the monk asked the petite woman.

"Back when I was living here, none of this was happening. It's been a long time since I've been here, so I don't know its current state,

" the petite woman named Edeya shrugged her shoulders.

"If this is not normal, then the culprit is probably one of the guests like us,

" the monk said.

"We don't even know what the Walpurgis Night are planning, and someone is already targeting them. What should we do next, Zhang Ren?

" Edeya sighed.

The monk, Zhang Ren, turned his head in a certain direction before saying,

"For now, let's leave this place. The witches are coming. We'll plan our next action later.

"

Zhang Ren and Edeya left the scene. After a while, several witches arrived and saw the bloody corpse on the ground.

The leader of this group of witches was Harlon Aradia.

Looking at the corpse, Harlon couldn't help but frown. He turned to his subordinates and said,

"Clean it and investigate the surroundings. Find any clue to track the culprit. Don't tell the public yet. We don't want them to panic.

"

"Yes, sir!

" The other witches nodded.

Harlon looked at the backs of his subordinates. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Tsk, what are the higher-ups trying to do! Are they planning on letting the culprit go just like this? They even invited outsiders into this land.

"

The higher-ups were hiding something from them. Harlon could feel it. The murders occurred after the guests arrived. He was confident that he could find the culprit, but the higher-ups insisted that they couldn't take this incident to the public. They could only mobilize a small troop to investigate the matter to avoid causing commotion.

The question was: how many guests had arrived in the Walpurgis Night? He didn't even know the exact number of the guests, but there were quite a lot of them.

Tomorrow, at the banquet, it felt like something was going to change. It sent shivers down his spine.