novelraw Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter 16: The Young Lady’s Predicament
“Huff—huff—” Annie came to a screeching halt behind the two of them, one hand braced on her knee and the other clutching the breadstick, panting heavily with sweat all over her face.
Only after a few seconds did she catch her breath. She raised her head and handed the breadstick to Lina. “Sister Lina… y-your weapon! You f-forgot it at the entrance to the secret realm…”
Lina raised an eyebrow, took the breadstick, and put it into her storage ring. Somewhat curious, she asked, “Aren’t you going to claim compensation and arrange lodging? If I remember right, you’re not a local, are you?”
“Eh hehe…” Annie scratched her hair awkwardly. “That compensation doesn’t really mean much to me… I still have some gold dragons in my account, and I probably won’t be able to spend them all…”
Lina’s mouth instantly fell open. Good grief, so you, with those thick brows and big eyes, were also a little rich girl?
So I’m the only poor sap here, huh!
“Sister Lina… your expression doesn’t look too good?” Annie shrank back a little.
Lina suddenly grabbed Annie by the shoulders with both hands and stared fixedly into her gray eyes until the latter’s cheeks grew slightly warm.
“Want to buy lessons? Ten gold dragons, Witch crash course, guaranteed pass on the next exam! Honest business, twenty percent off for friends, only eight gold dragons! Buy it and you won’t lose out, listen and you won’t be fooled!”
Annie looked at Lina with sparkling eyes. “Okay! Sister Lina, when do we start?”
How does this little girl believe everything I say!
Lina resisted the urge to facepalm, when Sibyl’s voice came from behind her again. “Um… Lina, can I buy lessons too?”
Lina planted both hands on her hips. “Of course. Same friendship price, eight gold dragons!”
Annie immediately took out the ten-gold-dragon note Lina had just wrung out of Fennis for her and handed it back to Lina. “Sister Lina, when are we starting class?”
Lina waved her hand, her face full of righteous dignity. “No rush on paying yet. I’ll go back and draft a contract for you two. I’m not selling shady lessons, we’re doing this through the proper process!”
That was right, a D-rank Witch already possessed association-certified teaching qualifications and could recruit her own apprentices. Lina’s operation was completely legal and compliant!
The three of them made their way together to a hotel at the intersection by the association.
This hotel, called Tamel, was also property of the Sibyl family, and Sibyl smoothly handled Lina’s check-in procedures.
In the blink of an eye, dusk had already sunk low. The three of them came to a private dining room in the second-floor restaurant, preparing to enjoy dinner.
Since Sibyl was treating, Lina unceremoniously ordered every meat dish on the menu.
After gnawing on black bread for two months, she was absolutely going to use this meal to compensate herself for everything she had lost!
The first thing brought to the table was a plate of golden bread with an enticing color.
“This bread is made from winter wheat flour from Selernia Town, with honey produced in southern Stekuwa added to it. You can often spot it at the afternoon tea tables of Koberen nobles,” Sibyl introduced with a smile. “Go on and try it. We in Koberen don’t only have hard bread that can be used as a weapon.”
Lina grabbed the bread, and the golden crisp crust rustled down in flakes while the fragrance of wheat mixed with honey sweetness poured into her nose.
The bread’s outer skin had been baked crisp, yet the inside was as soft as a cloud. The blended taste of malt and honey sweetness spread through her mouth. Words of praise were stuffed back down her throat by the bread, and Lina could only respond to this delicacy by wolfing it down.
“Sister Lina, eat more slowly,” Annie said, pushing the sweet iced tea at the side toward Lina.
Lina threw her a grateful glance and swallowed the bread in great lumps together with the tea.
“Before the magic-guided revolution, not even royalty could enjoy food like this,” Sibyl said as she gracefully cut the bread with a dining knife. “All thanks to the magic-guided train.”
“I heard that the civilian magic-guided aircraft developed by Yunque was also going to be exhibited at the World Expo a month from now,” Annie said thoughtfully after taking a small bite of bread. “Maybe after that, we’ll even be able to eat salmon hauled out of Volgania’s glacial lakes!”
As she spoke, the second dish was also served up—the Valentia beef soup Sibyl had mentioned earlier!
A layer of beef marrow oil, thin as cicada wings, floated on the amber-colored surface of the soup. Chunks of potato, carrot, and lettuce concealed the tender, falling-apart beef beneath, while the aroma of pungent seasonings mixed with the scent of meat, constantly teasing Lina’s taste buds.
It was the taste of meat! Real meat!
“Miss Lina, I would suggest trying the potato in the soup first,” Sibyl said, maintaining her gentle and polite smile as she ladled out a small bowl of soup for Lina, blew on it by her lips, and handed it to her. “Be careful, it’s hot.”
Lina obediently scooped out a piece of potato onto the small plate in front of her, mashed it with a spoon, and stuffed it into her mouth. The soft, glutinous texture mixed with a faint meaty aroma and just the right amount of salt made her saliva rapidly secrete.
So fragrant!
Lina placed a piece of beef into her mouth and chewed.
The meat was tender and falling apart, yet the sinew still retained a satisfying chew. The faint saltiness mixed with the fresh sweetness of the vegetables elevated the meat’s aroma to another level. Rich juices flowed through the gaps of her teeth into her mouth, waltzing on the tip of her tongue together with the fat and spices.
This trip really wasn’t wasted! I was living this second life for this very mouthful of food!
That was what their former Great Witch young lady honestly thought.
At the dinner table, Sibyl told Lina and Annie about her current situation.
There were three children in the Sibyl family: Lainie Sibyl and her two older brothers, Derek Sibyl and Eric Sibyl.
After the magic-guided revolution, the Sibyl family had keenly seized the changing winds and established the ‘Sibyl Industrial Group Company’. Today, the Sibyl family owned two textile mills and three hotels in Koberen, and had also invested in Koberen’s largest magic-guided train company, holding five percent of its shares. In addition, they also had quite a lot of business in Solennam.
At present, the family business was managed by the eldest brother, Derek Sibyl, while the second brother was studying abroad in Solennam and was said to have already reached a long-term cooperation agreement with a local maritime trade company.
As for the youngest, Lainie Sibyl, she currently had nothing at all that would allow her to secure a firm foothold within the family.
But her father was preparing to formally retire in five years, and the position of family head would be contested by the three heirs. This was also the Sibyl family’s cruel tradition.
“...That’s about it. In the future, I’ll have to compete with my two brothers for the family’s inheritance rights.” Sibyl forced out a bitter smile. “My two brothers control most of the family’s businesses... What I’ll probably be able to rely on in the future are those apprentice Witches I recruit at the academy.”
“If you fail to obtain the inheritance rights... what will happen?” Lina asked tentatively.
“Perhaps I’ll have no choice but to marry a wizard with passable talent,” Sibyl said, rubbing her temples. “At least that way I can still preserve some basic rights—giving birth to a child with magical talent is the only hope left to a loser.”
Lina nodded, understanding where Sibyl’s manner in the examination hall, as ‘Miss Sibyl’, had come from.
It was merely a mask put on by a little girl struggling to survive in a great family.
She even felt a bit sympathetic toward this young lady.
Suddenly, she set down her fork and asked in a serious tone, “Sibyl, did any of your elders... ever mention a containment item called the ‘Door of Dreams’?”
Sibyl thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t remember... Is there something special about this containment item?”
“Their cultists seemed to think you were connected to that containment item, so they aimed their spearhead at you.” Lina’s index finger tapped lightly on the table. “I already suggested that the Witch Association strengthen your protection. After you return to your family, you’ll need to be more careful too.”
Sibyl was stunned for a moment. “Mm, I understand. Thank you for the reminder... By the way, Annie, where are you from? I don’t think I’ve seen you before?”
Annie, who was licking the sugar icing off the bread little by little, suddenly stopped. She said softly, “I... I came from Celestis...”
“Celestis?!” Lina and Sibyl both revealed expressions of disbelief at the same time.
The City of Magic, Celestis!
The headquarters of the Witch Association!
Why would Annie, who lived in Celestis, cross more than half the continent to come to Osselro, a small town in this fringe region, just to take a Witch test held by a local branch?
Annie seemed to notice their confusion as well, so she continued explaining, “M-my teacher told me to come here and look for something...”
“Look for what? I might be able to help.” Sibyl took a sip of the sweet iced tea by her hand.
“I don’t know either...” Annie lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer. “Teacher said... when I found it, I’d know what it was...”
Wasn’t that the same as saying nothing at all?
Lina grumbled inwardly. That teacher was really awful. Probably only a good little kitten like Annie would take words like that seriously. It sounded obvious at a glance that she was being toyed with.
“Then... Lina, who exactly are you? I keep feeling like your... background is much bigger than Annie’s or mine.” Tilting her head, Sibyl curiously sized up the black-haired girl, who showed no concern at all for appearances as she tore into a lamb leg in huge bites. Annie also cast over a similarly curious gaze.
Lina raised her head, licked the oil from the corner of her mouth, and blinked her big golden eyes. “Hah?”
“I used to be the strongest Great Witch in the world, and the founder of the Witch Association. But I was carelessly ambushed by a treacherous villain and lost all my magic and all my cultivation. Give me fifty gold dragons to help me recover the inheritance I once had. Once I rise to the peak again and purge the traitors, I’ll give you both a seat as S-rank Witches.... Wait no! Annie, put the money away! You’re really paying?!”
Lina hurriedly grabbed Annie, who had already started taking money out of her pocket, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Just how had this child managed to run all the way here from Celestis by herself! At this rate, if someone sold her off, she would probably help them count the money too!
Lina spread both hands. “There, everything I just said was made up. I’m just a lonely little girl. My father died, my mother ran off with my younger brother, and as for me... if I didn’t learn magic, I’d starve to death.”
The dinner table suddenly fell into silence. Sibyl and Annie had both once guessed that Lina lived in hardship, but they had never expected her to have such a tragic background as well.
“Uh... actually, it’s not that bad. Haven’t I already become a Witch now? Life will definitely get better from here on!” Lina hurriedly broke the awkwardness. She did not want the first meal with her friends to turn into a session of comparing miseries!
“...I’m sorry.” To Lina’s surprise, Sibyl suddenly stood up and gave her a deep bow. “About those things before...”
Why did it feel like the atmosphere had become even stiffer?!
“What, we’re all friends now!” Lina’s eyes shifted, and she suddenly thought of a way to ease the atmosphere. “Oh right, guess what my Witch name is?”
Annie raised her head and met Lina’s smiling eyes. This girl really did not seem to care anymore about the little friction that had happened between them earlier.
“I-it should probably be related to flames?” Annie guessed from the side.
“Mm, Miss Lina’s affinity element seemed to be fire, so it really is quite likely to be related to fire.” Sibyl sat back down, her expression relaxing a little. “But I think... with Lina’s personality, perhaps the name would be a bit more romantic?”
Then Lina, with a dark expression on her face, pulled out and displayed her qualification certificate.
“Uh... this name... um...” Sibyl held it in for quite a while before managing not to laugh. “Using the saying from Yunque’s side, it’s ‘returning to simplicity’. If you really savor it carefully...”
If you really savor it carefully, it becomes even harder not to lose it, right?!
“Salted fish... my teacher once said that salted fish and Witches had a very long history together!” Annie’s expression, however, was extremely serious.
“Ah? Let’s hear it.” Lina raised an eyebrow. This was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing too!
“My teacher said... um... some Witches who lived at sea all year round would get bored because they couldn’t return to land for such a long time, so they often liked making little toys that made them happy...”
“Alright, that’s enough, you don’t need to continue!” Lina and Sibyl shouted at the same time.
How could something that, if written down, could get a book banned outright come out of such a pure little angel’s mouth?!
“Oh right, Lina, now that you’ve gotten your Witch certificate, what are you planning to do?” Sibyl hurriedly steered away from this increasingly dangerous topic, and Lina smoothly picked up the conversation as well:
“I’m planning to stay in Osselro a while longer. Once I get my C-rank certificate, I’ll go to Saengra, the capital of Koberen, and find a job as a technical consultant at some big company,” Lina said as she thought it over.
“But... given Miss Lina’s skills, wouldn’t going into the military give you more of an advantage?” Sibyl asked.
“Hah? You mean Koberen’s military?” Lina deliberately said in an exaggerated tone, “The hardest thing in Koberen’s army is probably those breadsticks that can be used as weapons. When has it ever not been the case that they raised the white flag before the other side had even made it over?”
“Ahahaha...” Sibyl laughed somewhat awkwardly. As a noble of Koberen, she also knew very well the many glorious achievements of this country’s military.
“Ah, right, Sister Lina, I did hear that there might be a new opportunity in the neighboring Solennam Empire,” Annie suddenly said. “Apparently they want to build a new type of magic-guided ironclad ship and use it to open up a true around-the-continent sea route.”
“Oh? There’s something like that?” Lina’s eyes lit up, and she silently took note of this information.
“If Lina wants to make money, you might as well consider Volgania or Atum.” Sibyl said it jokingly.
“You mean go dig magic crystals on the ice plains, or have me search for ancient relics in the desert?” Lina curled her lips. “Not long ago, I saw in the newspaper that some mine owner’s company in Volgania had gone bankrupt...”
“But would Sister Lina be able to get used to Solennam’s food?” Annie could not help reminding her. “I heard the Witches over there can eat fish and chips for over a hundred years... and there’s also the legendary Stargazy Pie...”
“That’s true... if food is part of the consideration... then Yunque in the east is also a pretty good option.” A certain country with a style similar to the homeland from Lina’s life before the previous one surfaced in her mind. “The newspapers seemed to say they were preparing some kind of... Nine Heavens Plan, and were currently recruiting talent from all over the world.”
“I’ve heard of that too.” Sibyl nodded. “But I also heard housing prices in Yunque are very expensive...”
“Uh... that is a problem,” Lina said, rubbing her chin. “But that little island country next to Yunque, Yuejianqiu, could also be considered.”
“Ah, Yuejianqiu seems to have been a bit unstable these past two years,” Annie said softly. “Apparently, not long ago, the deity they worship, the Fox God, ran off to become a display fox at Yaoxin Palace Zoo in Yunque and absolutely refused to go back.”
Sibyl laughed quietly. “Right now, things are in an uproar in Yuejianqiu. They’re saying they want to go to Yunque and snatch their deity back... but according to unofficial rumors, the Fox God has already signed an employment contract with the zoo and won’t be returning to Yuejianqiu for the next ten years.”
Good grief, this Fox God was quite a character... uh, quite a godly character.
Lina had met that fox once in her previous life. It had seemed to be very fond of Yunque’s pork pies. Back then it had made quite a fuss and had not even wanted to eat the fried tofu offerings anymore.
Could it really have been because of that...
Still, after talking things through like this, Lina did indeed have a few more backup plans in mind. Next, she could only take things one step at a time and see how it went.
“I suddenly remembered... the neighboring city, Gaul City, seemed to be holding a magic-guided technology exhibition the week after next. Supposedly it’s to warm up for the World Expo in Saengra a month later,” Sibyl said with a smile. “Are you interested in going? Although the scale can’t compare to the capital’s Expo afterward, there will still be many countries and major companies attending that are also going to appear at the World Expo.”
“Of course we’re going!”
Lina and Annie answered in unison.
“Ah, right, Sibyl, Annie, do you know where in this town... there are cheap long-term rentals?”
……
“Hss ow ow ow...”
Tal lay face-down on the bed, his face wrapped in bandages. A middle-aged woman with long black hair was applying herbal medicine to his back.
“She hit that hard?” The middle-aged woman looked indifferently at the wounds on Tal’s back. “Why didn’t you fight back?”
“She ambushed me...” Tal complained in a muffled voice. “If I run into her again next time, I’ll make sure she pays for it!”
Knock knock knock!
A burst of knocking sounded at the door.
“Come in... ah! Isn’t this Master Sibyl!” The black-haired woman had only just seen the visitor’s face when she hurriedly set down the medicine jar in her hand and went up to him with a fawning expression.
A stern-looking middle-aged man with an upright build and sharply defined features walked into the room.
His brows were tightly knit as he stepped forward and asked, “What happened? I heard Tal was beaten up on the street?”
Tal wanted to get out of bed, but the intense pain coming from his waist made him unable to move. He forced out a smile at the middle-aged man. “My apologies, Family Head, for making a spectacle of myself before you...”
“What exactly happened?” The man looked at Tal with a serious expression. “I heard you were the one who provoked the trouble?”
“N-no, that’s not how it was.” The black-haired woman stepped forward. A faint, hard-to-notice dark green flashed through her eyes as she stared directly into the Sibyl family head’s eyes. “【This was not Tal’s fault】. The other side struck first and beat Tal.”
“R-right! This was not your fault!” The Sibyl family head’s gaze wavered for a moment, and he suddenly gripped Tal’s hands emotionally. “It was the family that failed to protect you properly. You are Lainie’s fiancé, after all. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and make the assailant pay the price!”
The black-haired woman turned back at once and gave Tal a look. He understood immediately and responded in the manner they had rehearsed beforehand. “I’m sorry... Family Head.”
Tal lowered his head and put on a pained expression. “I have an improper request...”
“Go ahead, child.”
“Please... do not continue investigating this matter,” Tal said in an exceedingly sorrowful tone. “The one who beat me... was precisely that elder sister of mine...”
“What?!” The man shot to his feet, his face full of shock. “You mean that...”
“Yes, exactly the one I mentioned before, that vile woman who was always being unreasonable and bullying the two of us, mother and son!” the black-haired woman chimed in from the side. “Tal was kind-hearted and could not bear to strike at his own sister, which was why she beat him into this state... Ah, child, at a time like this, you’re still speaking up for your sister!”
Tal understood at once and put on a helpless expression. “After all, she is still my elder sister... and Lainie is also her friend...”
“What?!” The man flew into a rage. “You mean that vile woman even approached Lainie?”
“Yes...” the woman sighed. “I don’t know what she said to Miss, but when she was abusing poor Tal, Miss was also standing by and watching...”
“This is outrageous!” The man furiously slammed a fist into the wall, shaking the whole room slightly. “That girl... just watch how I teach her a proper lesson!”
“Master, calm your anger, calm your anger...” The black-haired woman hurried forward to support Old Sibyl.
“Child, recover slowly from your injuries. I will get justice for you.” With a gloomy face, the man walked out of the bedroom.
……
The room fell silent once more.
“Mother... is this really alright?” Tal was the first to break the silence. “Aren’t we going a bit too...”
“Are you sympathizing with her?” the black-haired woman asked flatly.
“I-I’m worried that... if Master finds out the truth...” Tal said in a small voice.
“The truth?” the black-haired woman said coldly. “What the living say is the truth.”
“You mean to...?”
A vicious smile curled at the corner of the black-haired woman’s mouth. “Once we catch her, I have plenty of ways to make her keep silent forever.”
“But... according to the rules, using force against outsiders, something like that still has to be approved by Lainie...”
“Of course, of course it has to be approved by her, my dear little Tal,” the black-haired woman said blandly. “Aside from your sister, this disobedient young lady is also a problem...”
“But that doesn’t matter. Our ‘ally’ will grant her an eternal beautiful dream.” A strange curve rose at the corner of her mouth. “From now on, ‘Miss Sibyl’ will also become one of ‘us’.”