novelraw Chapter 205 - 204 - Mira's Inquisition
Chapter 205 - 204 - Mira's Inquisition
Fey was sweating as she swiftly applied her skill to concocting a mid grade 2 pill. She had finished grade 1 fairly quickly but had only marginally continued in the 6 years Lind had been presumed dead. She had focused her grief on mastering the sword instead.
Now that Lind was back, she had wondered what to do with her life, but Mira had taken her away and felt so much like her Big Brother. The gentle smile and patience clearly came from that woman.
"Very good. You really do have a gift for it. Do not waste it." Mira's words were not cold but they were not able to be ignored at all. A mid grade 3 alchemist was far above Fey in skill so she bowed and kept working on her assigned tasks.
"I am going to step out for a bit, but keep working on these 4 pills. I expect 5 of each when I come back." Fey nodded and saw Mira clean herself up before leaving the concocting area of the courtyard.
"Good luck big sisters." Fey spoke a prayer to the spirits and focused on her task.
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Cyntilla felt an itch she could not reach. It was her instincts screaming at her that a great foe was coming but she could not run away. She had faced odds of 10 to 1 and never flinched but now she felt nerves like her first battle training. She knew what was coming and was at least comforted that Shoti seemed to feel similar to her.
Suddenly, the aura of a mid Iron Tier swept over them but none of them even remotely felt like resisting. Mira Frey emerged from her concocting area with a blank look. It broke as she smiled at the simple herbal wreath hung on Lind's doorway.
Her tanned skin was flush and beautiful. Lind's looks were not entirely from her but his spirit was from that woman without doubt! She was a healer. Lind's elixirs were primarily healing or restoring in nature and it was clearly inspired by that woman.
"So, you are interested in being the wives of my son?" A single question had varied reactions. Annabelle blushed deeply. Her gold and blue pallor was so appealing even Cyntilla could not deny how adorable she was. Qing was calm but clearly pulled her confidence from her long association with Lind as a solid reason for her presence.
Shoti was flinching and clearly nervous as she had met Lind the earliest but her interest had only come later. The changes in her methods was directly in response to Lind's suggestions over the years.
Cyntilla was the worst as she had known Lind at the Lotus Academy but had not done more than given him puzzles for nearly 2 years. Aside from the moment the Demon Empire nearly sent Lind spiraling into possession, she had done very little. In fact, she had marked Lind without his permission or understanding.
Of the 4, she was the most worried how she would be received. Demons were not well liked in the greater part of the Lotus Empire. There were few reasons for demons to be in such a backwater power save for nefarious reasons.
Shoti and Qing had a bit of a relationship from what she had been told but that was only in the capacity of Maidens working with Lind or trying to build a bridge between their sect and him. Annabelle was likely the one with the least reason to worry as she had been sweet and kind all her life.
Cyntilla found it hard to not like her and she only knew her for a little over a year now.
"U-um, I love Lind!" Annabelle was the first to speak up and she blushed deeply after speaking and Mira looked at her before her face softened a bit. The woman walked over and patted Annabelle on the head.
"I have heard a lot about you, Annabelle. I am glad you love my son and I could hear the smile in his voice when he wrote or spoke about you." Annabelle now blushed so deeply and hid her face in her robes. It was so adorable Cyntilla wondered if it was some Heaven sent technique.
"M-madam Frey. I know I did not talk about it before but I really fell for Lind. He is kind and forthright but most of all, he saw me not the image I put out there." Shoti looked nothing like the fierce and teasing warrior she usually was. She was holding her crimson face that made her short green hair stand out even more.
The battle dress seemed ill matched to the Maiden in front of them now. Cyntilla internally nodded at Shoti's evaluation of how Lind viewed them. Most men were simple creatures that only saw the temptation of flesh and cared little about the details of a woman's character.
Unlike with Annabelle, Mira remained stoic as she turned to Shoti. The fact they were more powerful than this woman did not seem to matter at all as they were cowed by her stern visage.
"I appreciate all you did for my son, but I have also heard several things about you. Can you swear you will stop making such rumors?" Shoti winced as her past came back to haunt her. She looked pained but then Qing stood up between the 2 women.
"Mother, I know Lind has talked about all of us at one point or another. I know we failed to protect him and nearly lost him, but Lind also cannot be babied by us either. He has to find his own way forward. Shoti and I hid ourselves away in different methods over the years but Lind healed us by just accepting us." Cyntilla once more internally nodded. Lind was strangely bereft of pre-conceptions and ideas common to humans.
It was as if he found such things silly to rely on. He judged people not by rumor or race but by his own interactions. It was why he hated the Demon Empire now whereas before he was simply cautious. It was also why he seemed to hold humanity not as an ally ever and judged each group based on encounters.
It burned him at times but led to surprising friendship in others.
Mira stared very hard at Qing's use of 'mother' but said little as she only nodded for a bit before turning finally to Cyntilla. She felt flustered under the similar dark green eyes of the man she loved but was then stunned when she was put into a hug!
"You must be Cyntilla, dear. I have heard so much about you! Lind was so worried about you and how powerless he was to be of help to you when you were so wonderful to him! I cannot thank you enough!" The other 3 were just as stunned as Cyntilla at the warm reception she was getting. What was going on?
"U-um, Mada–" Cyntilla was about to use the formal address when Mira bopped her on the head! Mira was a head shorter than Cyntilla but she felt tiny next to the woman!
"Mom, you call me mom." Curse the spirits, why were things going this way? She felt so lost.
"Uh, M-mom, I am not sure why you think I did so much. I have been off on my own most of the time he was with the others and–" The hug tightened and Cyntilla could not deny it felt much like her own mother's hugs. She missed her mother dearly and wondered if she was still safe.
"Silly girl. I know about the puzzles and defying the orders of Darkmoor, not that I care one whit about them at the moment." The 3 Maidens flinched at such words but considering they were from an equal power, they were hardly ones to talk! "I could not reach my son during that time and I know how lonely he was after but he still has those puzzles. He showed me."
Cyntilla knew that as well. One had been sacrificed to save his life from the Sky Realm Tribulation but it was well worth it in her mind. Even so, it was clear how precious such things were to Lind that he had kept them all that time and protected them so much in his storage ring.
"You just go by Annabelle while I have a talk with these 2." Cyntilla was guided over to Annabelle who pulled her into a hug too in happiness. They had clearly passed whatever criteria Mira had set for her son's brides.
She was still absorbing it when she felt the pressure of a mid-Iron Tier flood the room.
"You 2 are older than Lind and while I appreciate so much what you have done, you can't seriously expect me to believe no one caught your eye?" Cyntilla ducked down as she had met a few demons that had piqued her interest when she was younger but they all were hollow shells when she spoke to them.
"I had been just shy of taking vows in my sect to never marry when I was assigned to Lind." Qing was calm and placid but Annabelle seemed to be cheering her on for some reason. Was Qing actually nervous? "I saw a struggling young man but I also did not realize I was coming to care about him until it came time for him to leave the Lotus Academy."
Qing finally cracked her calm as a smile crossed her face.
"It was not a single moment but the realization that I enjoyed being with him and my negative views of being with someone faded away in his presence. His determination and love for his family were in equal measure." Qing was now looking serene as she talked about what attracted her to Lind. It made it very clear that the calm face was a facade she wore and her emotions were a bottomless pool when ignited.
Mira was looking harshly at her at first but then it softened as she nodded at Qing's words. Suddenly, Qing realized she had been talking about how much she loved Lind and blushed deeply. With her bright blonde hair, the crimson blush was very clear to see and endearing.
Mira then turned to the last one of their group who seemed to shrink in on herself. Cyntilla was almost fascinated to see Shoti retreating from a mid Iron Tier when the woman, herself, was at mid Gold Tier.
"You said you fell for my son because he sees you as an equal. Is that all? His character is already known to me but is that really all you see in him?" Cyntilla was confused why Shoti was being treated so harshly but Qing stopped her from rising up to defend Shoti.
Shoti's hands became fists as tears fell from her face. She looked like a supplicant begging a God for mercy. What was the cause of this severe confrontation?
"I-I am sorry. I did not come to you right away as I promised." Cyntilla glanced at Qing and Annabelle but both of them looked confused. They did not know what Shoti was talking about so what was going on? "I know I promised to come back when Lind died but I just, I just could not come back here."
Qing now looked harshly at Shoti. Annabelle, though, jumped up and hugged Shoti hard. Cyntilla thought it over and saw the issue. According to what she had been told, Shoti and Qing had been making trips to the Frey Clan to meet with Mira, especially as their relationship deepened with Lind.
Qing was fairly busy as a healer and mental confrontation was her specialty. Heart demons were not the only issue cultivators faced so her excellent skills were in high demand just within her own sect.
Shoti, on the other hand, could often use missions or recruiting runs to justify her trips south. It would not be surprising that Mira was familiar with Shoti. The rumors she mentioned earlier were likely mentioned by those wanting to sow discord between the Heavenly Maiden Sect and Lind Frey indirectly.
"You swore to stand by us but the Kingdom of Altair came to harass little Shi. They flaunted there was nothing anyone could do to stop them. You claim to love my son but did nothing to stop them. Have I said anything incorrect?" Mira's voice was cold and Shoti wilted with each sentence. Annabelle wanted to speak but Qing waved her off that time. Cyntilla felt it was unfair as the Heavenly Maiden Sect was powerful but they could not dictate how other powers worked on a whim.
The closeness of Lind Frey might have worked as justification for the Frey Clan but such backwater powers often have marriage alliances to other clans or guilds. At what point would the intervention end? Cyntilla then saw a glint in Mira's eyes. They were tears!
"Did you think I would not understand?" Shoti's head shot up and saw Mira crying. "My son spoke of how frustrating it was to have powerful friends but be unable to help our clan due to the ramifications enemies would jump on. You are an impulsive but good hearted person. I suspect you tried to come but were stopped, am I wrong?"
"So that is what happened." Qing spoke up instantly and moved towards Shoti. She looked stern but then pulled Shoti into a hug as well. "Why didn't you tell me?! I knew you were punished but not why. Elder Sister Tyr would not speak of it to me. You tried to come to Mother?"
Shoti broke down and nodded as her sisters hugged her tight. Cyntilla understood. Shoti had come to keep her word but the higher ups of the sect had interfered. They must have kept a close eye on all the Maidens close to Lind when he 'died.' A sect's prestige is only as good as its regulation of its members.
"Are you done feeling guilty and can look me in the eye now?" Mira was smiling while crying and all 3 Maidens pulled her in. Cyntilla felt a bit left out but enjoyed the touching scene. "Do you think you can stay out of this, young lade?"
Mira then turned and Cyntilla was buried in bodies! Her guard fell away completely as she felt the connection to her new sisters and a new mother figure in her life. She had a home again!