Isaac’s sudden move startled Prince Norns’s daughter and Remington. They couldn’t see the Evil Spirit above the girl’s head, so they clearly didn’t understand his actions.

Philo, however, who was walking ahead, noticed Isaac’s action. She glanced back at him, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly in a satisfied smile.

Apparently, she had already guessed that Isaac could see it, and she was very satisfied with how quickly he had taken a defensive posture.

"Calm down, don’t be rash. As long as you don’t hurt Angel, the Evil Spirit won’t make a move." Philo held up her right hand, signaling for Isaac to relax.

"Harmon, Shushu, stand down." After having Shushu and Harmon drop their guard, Isaac looked at Philo in confusion. "Is she a Summoning Class Witch? It doesn’t seem like it."

Although Isaac hadn’t met many Witches, he knew quite a bit about Contract Magic. Even Witches had to rely on Contract Magic to command their Summoned Creatures, which meant there should be a faint, elusive connection between the creature and its Contractor.

But between Angel and the Evil Spirit, he couldn’t sense any such connection.

"Because she really isn’t one. Angel’s magic is called the Chronicles of Time, and it can change the past! This Evil Spirit was drawn to her by her power and protects her voluntarily. They don’t have a contract."

"? Change... the past?!" Isaac froze for a moment, then his eyes widened. He stared at the girl slowly turning her wheelchair. "Holy shit! An... an Origin Witch?!"

Seeing Isaac’s shocked expression, Philo nodded in understanding.

The term Origin Witch specifically refers to a Witch whose awakened Magic is exceptionally powerful. Typically, only a Witch who can manipulate forces that concern the very structure of the world—like time, space, and fundamental forces—can be called an Origin Witch!

They earned this title because their Magic Power is too strong to be contained within their bodies, causing it to condense into a Magic Book.

And unlike other Witches, with this Magic Book, an Origin Witch can gradually gain control of her immense power, from the superficial to the profound, making it almost impossible for her to lose control.

According to the *Path of the Wizard*, the very origin of Legendary Mages was inspired by Origin Witches.

The power to control time...

Isaac looked at Angel with a complex expression. Faced with an Origin Witch, even someone like Isaac couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. ’Now *this* is what you call being blessed by the heavens!’

Isaac didn’t stay immersed in his shock for long, however. He quickly came to his senses, sighed heavily, and said to the girl in the wheelchair, "Hello, my name is Isaac Solomon. If all goes as planned, we’ll be teammates in the Divine Lamp Grand Trial. It’s a pleasure to work with you." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Hello, my name is Angel. Philo has told me about you. She said you’re very strong," Angel replied with a slight smile. With a light wave of her delicate hand, the Evil Spirit above her head vanished without a trace.

"Alright, alright~ That’s enough small talk! We’ll have plenty of chances to get to know each other later. For now, I’m the main character! Clear the stage for me!"

Before Isaac could have a deeper conversation with Angel, Philo cut them off, waving her hands. She then skipped over to the center of the ritual that had already been set up on the rooftop and began a serious final inspection.

Seeing this, Isaac’s eyes narrowed slightly. He took a few more steps back, completely exiting the ritual’s area of effect.

As a Legendary Mage, Isaac was quite adept at rituals. He knew very well that it wasn’t just items inside the Magic Array that could become offerings. Sometimes, under a Wizard’s control, the power of a transactional ritual could extend beyond the Magic Array itself.

Just like when he’d made a deal with the Black Orc God, most of the Black Orcs used as fodder hadn’t been inside the Ritual Array, but Isaac had still sacrificed them all the same.

By the same logic, if Isaac were standing within range, Philo could sacrifice him with a single thought. A wise man doesn’t stand under a crumbling wall—Isaac understood a simple principle like that.

Of course, the only reason he dared to watch was that the ritual’s effective range wasn’t infinite.

The reason a ritual’s power surpasses that of a Magic spell of the same Level is its complexity. The intricate rules grant it immense power, but they also force it to operate within those very rules.

For rituals involving transactions and sacrifices, their effective range has a conditional limit and an absolute limit. Within the conditional limit, if certain criteria are met, the ritual’s effect can be extended. But the absolute limit marks a domain that cannot be reached, no matter what methods are employed.

Right now, Isaac was standing outside that absolute limit.

He had barely settled in place when Angel wheeled herself over to his side.

Isaac glanced at Angel, raising an eyebrow. ’Looks like the trust between those two isn’t so high after all...’

Then again, that was to be expected. After all, Origin Witches were the favorite sacrifice of the Outer Gods!

"Are you a commoner?" Isaac turned to Angel and asked curiously, having noticed that she hadn’t included a surname in her introduction.

And in the Terra Empire, only commoners had no surname.

Of course, it was also possible that Angel had a falling out with her family and was stripped of her surname, just like the original Isaac’s second brother, Remington.

"Yes," Angel nodded without hesitation, then looked at Isaac with a smile. "Is that strange?"

"It is a little strange," Isaac admitted bluntly.

Although Origin Witches could control their powers more stably than other Witches, they were still Witches at the end of the day. There would inevitably be times when their powers spiraled out of control. Therefore, even for an Origin Witch, childhood was unlikely to be pleasant, especially for one of commoner birth.

And yet, Angel’s current demeanor was just too calm. It lacked any of the madness typical of a Witch.

Angel smiled slightly, not taking offense. "I was just lucky," she said. "I met Princess Philo early on. If it weren’t for her meticulous care, I probably would have ended up like the other Witches."

"No wonder you two are so close."

"Mhm." Angel didn’t say much more, just nodding slightly before turning her attention to Philo, her gaze growing a little hazy.

Isaac shot Angel a deep look from the corner of his eye. ’Right, *that’s* more like a Witch. She was acting way too normal before.’

To be honest, though, Isaac couldn’t make a judgment just yet. He didn’t know if Angel was putting on an act for his benefit. But one thing was certain: whether her story was true or not, she was not a normal person!

And that put Isaac much more at ease.

Soon, Isaac also turned his attention to the ritual Philo was busy with. His brow slowly furrowed. ’The grand Imperial Princess... and *this* is her skill level?’

But Isaac didn’t say anything. ’What if this is some kind of special technique of hers?’

’I’ll ask after it’s over.’

And so, Isaac pushed his questions down and quietly watched Philo’s performance.