novelraw Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chapter 25: The Girls’ New Home
After successfully ‘sweet-talking’ three inexperienced little witch apprentices, Lina, feeling thoroughly satisfied, continued strolling through the market with her once-again-bulging money pouch.
They first bought two sets of quilts and pillows at a bedding wholesaler, and then casually picked up a set of cleaning tools.
Although with Lina’s current ‘financial power,’ she could completely afford to regularly hire a housekeeping witch proficient in cleaning magic to thoroughly clean the house, she insisted that cleaning the house was an enjoyable activity—a part of life.
As for why Lina’s memories from her previous life didn’t include cleaning magic...
The reason was simple: she had disdained learning any non-combat magic back then, and her daily needs had been taken care of by a certain maid.
But in this life, since she had decided to live properly, she would definitely max out her life skills!
As they wandered, the three arrived at the general goods market, where Lina immediately took a liking to an exquisite set of kitchenware.
Just as she was about to ask for the price, she suddenly noticed Sibyl holding a small notebook, constantly writing and sketching in it.
Curious, she leaned closer and asked, “Sibyl, what are you writing?”
Sibyl let out a small sigh and showed Lina the contents of the notebook.
On the neat and concise table, Lina’s expenditures and income for the day were clearly recorded, down to every single copper deer.
“Your account book, my dear young lady,” Sibyl joked. “I’ve noticed our dear Miss Lina doesn’t seem to have the habit of keeping accounts?”
“I-I guess so?” Lina took the account book and suddenly realized just how many things she had bought!
It was all the storage ring’s fault... this thing was basically like the shopping cart on some ancient e-commerce platform—you never knew when you had stuffed so many items into it!
Buying daily necessities, snacks, and all sorts of strange little trinkets had already cost Lina 7 gold dragons and 5 silver lions, and this exquisite set of tableware was priced at 2 gold dragons. Even after bargaining, it would probably still cost over 1 gold dragon... the spending really had gone a bit over budget.
Lina let out a soft sigh. It seemed that for an S-rank Great Witch to adapt to the ordinary rhythms of life, there was still a long way to go...
By the time dusk settled and twilight crept up the treetops, Lina and Annie finally said goodbye to Sibyl and headed toward their new home.
Pushing open the door, Lina kicked off her boots, rushed past the entryway, and flung herself onto the sofa, sinking into it as her slender legs swung back and forth in the air.
“I’m exhausted!”
Annie gently closed the front door, bent down, one hand bracing against the wall while the other hooked off her black leather shoes. Her lace-trimmed white socks lightly stepped onto the wooden floor, and the faint coolness beneath her feet made her toes curl suddenly.
The fading glow of dusk filtered through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, laying a warm, honey-colored light across the living room.
Lina was still lounging on the sofa like a lazy cat. Tilting her head, she saw Annie quietly arranging their shoes neatly in the entryway.
The slightly arched silhouette of her back, the curve of her slender waist flowing into the flare of her skirt, formed a moving outline in the hazy light.
“Annie, stop working already—come rest for a bit!” Lina patted the sofa cushion beside her.
Annie turned around and gently shook her head. “It’ll be done soon, Sister Lina. The magic in my storage ring is almost used up... I need to take the things to the rooms first.” As she spoke, she took out a suitcase from her storage ring that looked a bit too heavy for her, and walked with slightly unsteady steps toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
Lina smiled and hopped up, quickly catching up in a few steps. “I’ll help you! We agreed to decorate together!”
There were two rooms on the second floor. After some discussion, they decided to use the larger, south-facing master bedroom with a terrace as their shared bedroom.
As for why they were sharing one room... after weighing their options, Lina realized that bedding was really expensive—a full set cost 4 gold dragons! So after discussing it with Annie, they decided to squeeze together on one large bed...
The room was very spacious. Aside from leaving space for a large bed, there was also a small set of table and chairs placed by the window, and a tall wardrobe stood against the wall.
“Wow! Look at that river!” Lina rushed to the terrace door and excitedly pointed into the distance. Under the setting sun, the Rubis River looked like a golden ribbon, winding through Osselro Town and stretching all the way to the horizon.
Annie also walked over to her side and softly exclaimed, “So beautiful…”
The evening breeze brushed through her short blue hair. Strands lightly swept across Lina’s cheek, bringing a faint tickle and a subtle, sweet fragrance.
After admiring the view, the two began organizing their clothes.
Annie was in charge of sorting her smaller belongings. She stood on tiptoe, trying to place a wicker box filled with odds and ends on top of the wardrobe. The weight of the box exceeded her expectations—when she lifted it, it suddenly tilted sharply—
“Careful!”
Lina reacted quickly, stepping forward in a flash and reaching out from behind to steady the wobbling box. The motion nearly wrapped Annie entirely within her arms. Annie let out a startled cry as her back lightly bumped into Lina’s chest.
Through the thin fabric, Lina could feel the girl’s slender, soft figure and her slightly quickened heartbeat.
A scent like milk mixed with a faint floral fragrance quietly drifted into her nose. Annie’s ears turned red, and she tilted her head slightly; her soft hair brushed against Lina’s neck, bringing a subtle, tingling sensation.
“…Thank you, Sister Lina,” Annie said softly.
“Mm… it’s nothing.” Lina steadied the box and, with slightly hurried movements, placed it on top of the wardrobe. The warmth of that faint fragrance seemed to linger in her nose.
She cleared her throat, trying to dispel the subtle strangeness. “Leave the heavy things to me.”
Annie lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt as she softly replied with an “Mm,” a faint blush spreading even to her neck.
To break the delicate atmosphere, Lina turned and opened another suitcase. “Come take a look at the treasures I just picked up!”
She took out an exquisitely crafted glass orb mounted on a brass base. With a light press on a nearby button, the simple runes engraved inside the sphere lit up, steadily emitting a soft, bright glow that dispelled the deepening dusk in the room. “Look, a portable magic lamp! Now we won’t have to run downstairs to turn on the main lights when reading at night!”
Annie leaned in to observe. “So amazing…”
“And this!” Lina proudly took out a ceramic kettle engraved with temperature-regulating runes. “You can have hot water anytime!”
As night gradually fell, Lina switched on the magic lamps inside the house.
Under the warm yellow light, the two continued tidying up. Clothes were hung into the wardrobe one by one, and small items were each put back in their proper places.
When the last book was placed into the bedside cabinet, Lina straightened up and looked around at this new space that belonged to them. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
“Mm, now this finally looks like a home!”
Annie turned her head, meeting Lina’s gaze. In those pale golden eyes, the lamplight was reflected, along with Lina’s figure.
She pressed her lips together in a soft smile, sweet and gentle.
“Mm, because this is a home I share with Sister Lina.”
The lamplight lay sparse and gentle, reflecting specks of starlight and the girls’ smiling faces.