The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 9: Another Impression

Two days later, an armored steam vehicle stopped in front of No. 89 School. Shortly after, a school instructor notified Sylutia that someone was looking for her.

So, during the ten-plus minutes of class break, Sylutia went to the office. After finishing the conversation, she walked out and then returned to the classroom to continue her lessons.

Most of her classmates didn't notice this incident during that time. Only a few students from the same class were a bit curious and made some inquiries.

"From what the instructor said, it seems Hedra encountered a robbery while shopping. They probably caught the people now and refunded her some money," one student speculated.

"Ah, do things like robberies still happen in the Asra District?" a new student asked curiously, not quite understanding.

"Of course there are. That kind of thing happens everywhere in the world, doesn't it?" other classmates looked at her as if she were an unknown creature.

"But the Asra District is, after all, a place where new students gather. The Mage Alliance has very strict requirements for public safety. If any misconduct occurs, once discovered, they will be expelled. Also, such incidents are categorized by severity."

"If it's just asking for some money, countless such incidents happen every single day across the entire Asra District. As long as the amount isn't large, the police don't have the energy to deal with them."

"But once a life is lost, it's different. Especially if it's a new student who has been here for less than three years. If they die in an accident, the police station will be held accountable by the mages, so naturally, they will operate at full capacity to catch the murderer."

"So that's how it is. I was wondering, Hedra goes to and from school normally with us every day, and we haven't seen her absent any day. How did she suddenly get called in for a police talk? Probably the money she was robbed of before couldn't be recovered.""As for Miss Lovier's roommate, as long as she acts a bit spoiled and asks her, that generous and simple-minded young lady would probably just give it."

"Probably isn't even necessary. I bet Lovier would give it without even needing to be asked," someone said softly.

After saying this, the surrounding students burst into joyful laughter.

"That young lady really does have that kind of personality. Although sometimes she seems a bit foolish, it's genuinely hard to dislike her." Since coming to this class, Lovier had already treated the entire class to lavish meals several times. When giving gifts, she gave them to the whole class. Almost every student had received her kindness. Apart from a few who complained that this young lady was a bit silly, no one had complained about or disliked her. If there was any feeling, it was only envy.

On the other side, the sturdy, armed steam vehicle started up and rumbled back to the police station.

Before even reaching the office, the sound of lively conversation and talking could already be heard from inside.

"Ah, you guys have no idea how much panic and shock Carter experienced that day," a clerk said, holding a teacup and slowly recounting the news he had heard.

"What exactly happened? Seems like everyone's talking about this," a member who had just returned from a mission asked.

"It's fine, just listen slowly and you'll understand."

"That day, Carter—also my good buddy—was sitting in the police booth reading the newspaper around six or seven in the evening. A sound of knocking on the window made him look up, and then he saw a figure over two meters tall, covered in blood, standing quietly outside. That beastman's face was ferocious, his neck and body covered in wounds and bloodstains."

"Carter said he was scared stiff at the time. It took him a while to resist pressing the button to alert the police station, because behind that tall beastman, a petite figure walked out. She had threads on her wrist, the other end tied around that tall beastman's neck."

"I don't know how to describe it. Carter said his first feeling at the time was like a noble young lady with sadistic hobbies, leading a terrifying and ferocious giant hellhound, appearing before you. Even though that young lady's attire was quite normal and cute, with many frills, floral ornaments, and ribbons on her clothes, because of the presence of that ferocious giant beast beside her, you simply couldn't ignore the dripping blood droplets and the dangerous heat it emitted. It only made you feel even more terrified."

"And then? What happened then?" The people in the office were all roused with curiosity and a desire to know.

"Then that young lady said she had been robbed. Carter was dumbfounded at the time. Could there really be someone daring enough to rob this young lady in front of such a dangerous beastman? The other party was a 'Second Tier·Beast Fang' Aspect. One punch could probably dent the police booth's sheet metal and send it flying."

"After quite a while, Carter finally understood. It turned out the beastman beside her was the one who had robbed her. But the question was, how did this young lady subdue the other party, even tying him up with a rope and bringing him over?"

"Filled with confusion and doubt, Carter put on his coat and went to the scene of the incident. There, he discovered several more beastmen lying by the roadside. By the time he arrived, those beastmen were already barely breathing, with more air going out than coming in."

"After examining them, Carter found that those beastmen also had wounds on their bodies, deeper and more fatal. However, they had been stitched up with threads at the time; otherwise, they would have died on the spot from excessive blood loss."

"Then came the time to record the process. Carter said his hand was shaking so much while writing that he ruined several sheets of paper. Only under the surveillance of that young lady did he shakily write down the process and experience. He said these past two days he's been having nightmares almost constantly, and whenever he dreams, he dreams of that rain-soaked draft paper and those wounds that were opened and then meticulously sutured closed."

"Actually, murder cases and the like, we've seen them before, but most were due to heated passion or had rough processes. You could tell at a glance the criminal was very panicked. But this time was clearly different."

"After finishing the record, that young girl asked Carter for some clean water. Carter watched as she made that tall beastman, who couldn't speak, squat by the roadside, tied the thread to a railing, stood under the rain shelter herself, and used the clean water to rinse the bloodstains off her clothes. Then she carefully rubbed them to disperse the bloodstains, and rinsed them once more."

"Even while doing that kind of thing, you could see she was very serious, without any other emotions. It was as plain as buying a fish on the way home to cook."

After doing all this, both parties were supposed to go to the police station for further filing and questioning. But that young lady said very directly that she needed to go back home, saying that returning too late would make her family worry. It was the kind of talk that clearly came from a good child. When it came from someone with blood on their fingers, it created a huge sense of dissonance. Especially when Carter recalled it later, he said he even felt that the young girl before him was gentle and quiet at the time."

"But, thinking back on it afterwards, a normal good child should have been scared stiff by then, right? Crying and wiping tears would be normal. So that huge sense of dissonance made Carter even more uneasy. But at the time, he didn't dare offer any rebuttal, because the bloody beastman right in front of him was a ready-made example."

"That invisible sense of pressure made the other party's words seem taken for granted. In the end, Carter could only watch as the other party, holding an umbrella, disappeared into the night. And that tall beastman collapsed and fell unconscious less than a minute after she left. The timing was so precise, as if she had anticipated it all along."

"At that moment, Carter knew this was absolutely no ordinary case. It was a threat and a warning."

"You've been talking for so long, what exactly did that girl look like? I'm having a hard time picturing it," someone nearby couldn't help but ask.

"According to Carter's recollection, she was a young girl with beautiful black hair. The hair in front formed a slight curved arc, falling on either side of her collarbone, while the hair behind reached her lower back. She had very fair and slender, delicate fingers. When she first stepped into the light, you'd be startled by the bloodstains on her, but upon closer look, you'd be drawn in by the aura she exuded, forgetting the terrifying scene beside her."

"However, this gentle impression would be shattered again upon later recollection. Once reason regained the upper hand, you would realize how terrifying the other party was. At that point, it would make people uneasy."

"Because of this incident, Carter has already taken leave. He said he needs to vacation in the warm south to soothe his overly frightened and worried mood. The bureau chief investigated and approved it today."

"Wow, the bureau chief, such a serious person, actually approved leave this time."

"The bureau chief said he personally examined the wounds on those beastmen and inquired about their recollections. He felt giving Carter leave wasn't excessive. Then the bureau chief said today he still needs to go pay a visit to that girl himself, hoping she won't act recklessly in the future."

Just as they were saying this, a steady, powerful knocking finally sounded at the office door. Everyone turned around and saw the bureau chief with a somber expression standing behind the door. No one knew how long he had been listening.