The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 225: Gentle Sea Breeze

Vol 2 Chapter 225 Gentle Sea Breeze

Reciting theory, sketching runes, understanding principles, Sylutia kept busy studying. Nox's trove of secret-arts knowledge was vast; most of it was beyond her current ability to master or practice. To avoid wasting those precious two months, Sylutia had to force herself to memorize whatever she couldn't yet digest.

Fortunately, the Secret Word aspect offered many methods to aid memory and recording, and she used every available technique during this period.

Night Reflection Tea, Mnemonic Method, Thread-Weaving Memory Technique, and so on.

Among them, the Thread-Weaving Memory Technique was a special skill. It used pictographic strokes to outline many patterns and symbols, and those patterns were connected—drawn with a single continuous line from start to finish. That approach allowed quick associative leaps: one or two pictograms could convey a tremendous amount of meaning. By remembering the image, one could rely on muscle memory from the pen strokes plus the visual scene to store the concept, converting abstract theoretical ideas into multi-dimensional sensory information and making the memory far deeper.

Learning this technique initially required a lot of groundwork, such as studying what each pictogram represented, how to draw them fluidly, and how a single stroke could string together various pieces of information. It was the kind of skill that started painfully slow and difficult, but once familiar, provided immense convenience.

With these methods and techniques, Sylutia's learning speed steadily increased. She barely kept up with the plan. By the end of the two months, she expected to have at least a rough mastery of the bird runes Nox taught.

A month later in the evening, it was time to leave school again, but the girl still sat in the lighthouse study, quickly writing down what she had learned that day. Black ink on pale yellow paper formed a single flowing line as she sketched patterns and symbols, then used them to reinforce her memory.

Nox descended slowly from upstairs in his wheelchair and watched the black-haired girl at the desk.

"Hedra, it's getting late," he reminded her."Okay, I'll finish this paragraph right away." Sylutia wrote the final lines from memory, finally exhaling, then stood up.

She glanced at the purplish-red sunset outside the window and hurried to pack her books.

"Take tomorrow off, go for a walk, and get a good night's sleep," Nox said, unusually proactive about granting a day off.

Although surprised, Sylutia gladly accepted. After a month of intense learning and memorization, she was indeed tired.

"I understand, instructor."

The next day, Hedra unusually didn't go to the lighthouse and stayed home, sleeping until noon.

After lunch, she strolled in the courtyard. At this time of year, the pear trees in the yard had already flowered and were bearing fruit, gradually ripening.

Staring at the green pears up on the branches, Hedra tried to reach them with her foot, but still came up short.

She stepped back a few paces, opened her palm, and pale blue filaments of light appeared, tracing out a lifelike little bird. The bird darted across the branch, its wingtips slicing the stem above a pear, causing it to fall. The bird flew back and forth again and again, so that one by one the newly ripened green pears dropped from the treetops.

This was the Bird Technique, the signature spell of the Bionics School. Though not overly powerful, it was extremely nimble and formed the basis and prototype for many higher-level spells.

Compared to direct attack spells like Blade-Feather or Sharp-Claw Strikes, the Bird Technique's offensive power was low, but its difficulty was several times higher and it was exceptionally flexible in use—picking fruit, placing objects, pulling lines—behaving just like a real bird.

At present Hedra had only just grasped it. To truly use the spell well required at least Second Tier aspect power to unleash its full potential.

When the fruit on the ground were ripe, she walked over and picked them up one by one, planning to take them back and share with others in the manor, since she couldn't eat that many alone.

Footsteps sounded from the front yard, and when someone saw Sylutia gathering fruit they hurried over and spoke.

"I'll help, Hedra." Ecor quickened his pace and came to assist, gathering the remaining pears and carrying them with Sylutia to the kitchen for the maidservant to wash.

While they waited, the two chatted.

"I didn't expect Hedra to be resting today," Ecor said; he knew the girl had been busy lately, spending long hours at the lighthouse and in her room studying.

"The instructor gave me a day off," Sylutia explained simply.

"That's rare." He rubbed his jaw, thinking. "How about I take you out for a walk? There's a casual seaside get-together tonight—just a meal and a stroll afterward."

Thinking it would be good to see people and leave an impression to reinforce her identity, Hedra agreed.

At dusk, Ecor called a carriage and took Sylutia out. On the way they discussed the incident from a month ago.

"What happened afterward?" Sylutia hadn't had time to inquire while she was busy.

"The City Lord stepped in and ruled on the punishment," Ecor recalled.

"The servant had their aspect rank stripped, was given corporal punishment, and was then exiled to a remote mining district to labor. I heard they won't be free until ten years pass."

"Hoth, as the ringleader, even though the Pollock Family protected him, still paid a heavy price. I heard they compensated the Sandra family several shops and a small sea vessel."

"And you?" Sylutia thought that if the investigation had not been thorough that day, Ecor's future might have been ruined and the Griffin Family's reputation heavily damaged.

"The Pollock Family compensated me two hundred gold coins," Ecor said, shaking his head slightly.

"Not much, but it was a face-saving gesture. Our family's standing in Quebec isn't that high."

Is the gap that big? Sylutia wondered.

But when she thought about it carefully, Alanfude had started with nothing and, after a decade of struggle, achieved his current status and wealth very quickly. The Pollock Family, by contrast, had moved to the Quebec port centuries ago when it was first founded, and had a much longer lineage.

"Afterward Hoth was sent away by the Pollock Family to study far from here. They said he won't be back for at least ten years," Ecor added.

"And Virelna?" As the Sandra family's second young lady, she was now among the most beautiful girls in Quebec's upper circles.

"To avoid suspicion, she has since tried not to be seen with me, but the Sandra family still sent someone to convey goodwill and gratitude. They said if you hadn't stepped in decisively, Hedra, this would have been a huge blow to Virelna."

"The Sandra family transferred one of the shops the Pollock Family compensated to us, but our family hasn't found the right person to manage it yet, so the Sandra family is helping run it for now. Their forces are large and their personnel plentiful."

"Since it's on the way, after the dinner I'll take you to see that shop. It's on Parsley Street, a small accessories store."

Their carriage passed through the streets and arrived at the venue for tonight's gathering.

Because it wasn't a very formal banquet, both of them wore casual, comfortable clothes. Ecor wore a white shirt with a brown jacket and trousers suitable for movement—what he'd trained in that afternoon—and he hadn't changed.

Sylutia wore a white feminine blouse, casual in style with a thin black ribbon tied in a bow at the collar, and a black over-the-knee pleated skirt—simple and understated.

They entered a brightly lit restaurant and saw many young men and women chatting at tables. When they noticed Ecor, some waved from a distance.

"Hey, Ecor!" a few youths called, laughing; they were his usual training companions.

When Hedra walked in behind him, surprised expressions crossed their faces.

"Is that Hedra?"

"Yes, that black hair is a rare sight in Quebec."

"Didn't expect to see her today."

"If it weren't for her decisive intervention when Ecor was framed last time, who knows how that would've ended."

"True, you can't judge a book by its cover. Hedra looks so quiet, but she slapped Dudu that day and shut him right up."

"That slap left a deep impression. Dudu was stunned and I was shocked too."

Hearing them discuss her, Hedra hesitated for a moment. Looking back, she had indeed overstepped that day, but fortunately everything had been resolved perfectly and no one pursued it further.

Ecor pulled out a chair for her to sit and quickly caught up with his friends.

"This is Hedra; you all should know her," he introduced her to the group.

The girl nodded politely and cast a brief glance around. Most of the young people gathered here were, like Ecor, from families that weren't particularly prominent.

It seemed Quebec's upper class was further divided into smaller circles. Ecor appeared more relaxed and at ease with these people.

Once everyone was assembled, the restaurant staff began serving dishes. That evening Sylutia had the chance to taste several local Quebec specialties, such as oil-braised sea prawns, Anrus fresh meat, chrysanthemum greens with black sausage, and maple-roasted apples.

After the meal, the group laughed and left the restaurant to walk along the seaside. A few curious girls gathered around Hedra.

"Hedra, do you usually never go out?"

"What type of boys do you like, Hedra?"

"How are you connected with Miss Rosalie?"

These topics exposed the girls' curiosity and the gossip that excited Quebec's youth.

Sylutia answered patiently; if she didn't want to say something, she simply skipped it. In this way the group reached the beach, their footsteps slowing as they enjoyed the cooling summer sea breeze.

Hedra quieted as well. She leaned against the railing and gazed at the night sky. The water of Meteorite Lake shimmered faintly under the moonlight.

Unconsciously, she felt familiar with this place now—the local climate, the customs, the boisterous young people, the slightly vulgar yet vigorously youthful social scene.

Compared to remote Scorchstone City, the climate here was pleasant, and she could encounter new things from afar, buy fresh fruits and foods, and see passersby dressed in various styles and colors. If one stayed long-term, it would be a very good choice.

Well, she could stay for another month, then she would head to more distant places, the girl silently reminded herself.