Release That Witch - Chapter 475

Chapter 475: The Light

This is a heavy machine gun. It uses the same bullets as a bolt rifle. You can pull a bullet out of this pouch and shoot it from the new rifle,” the prince said and patted the big machine gun. “Its mechanism is far more complicated than a rifle, so I won’t bother giving you all the unnecessary details. I named it Mark I type HMG. I’ll show you how to use it.”

He sat behind the firearm and pulled the trigger. What happened next was hard for Iron Axe to comprehend.

All of a sudden, flames shot out of the muzzle, and the strong airflow caused by the gunfire shot the fluffy snow into the air. The strip of bullets seemed to be constantly pulled into the gun. Simultaneously, hot, empty bullet shells were rapidly ejected from the other side one by one. Several dozen shells fell to the ground in just a second.

This machine gun sounded fiercer than a whole team of riflemen in the Flintlock Squad. No pause could be heard between the gunshots. The prince aimed at the ground in front of him instead of the distant targets and shot continuously into the snow. Before the snow in one place could fall back to the ground, the snow in another place was propelled upward, making the snowy ground look like the surface of boiling water. The hail of bullets formed a web of death and anyone attempting to break through it would be riddled with bullets.

“It’s, it’s amazing,” Chief Knight murmured.

Carter was not the only one who was astonished. Iron Axe glanced around and saw that all the witches were dumbfounded, and only Lady Nightingale, who always stayed beside Roland, seemed quite calm. Ashes, the black-haired witch carrying a giant sword, showed a mixture of shock, confusion, and frustration.

Iron Axe could not help but feel the same way. He had become Chief Bodyguard of the Osha Clan because of his proficiency in knife work and archery, skills he had honed with regular practices since childhood. Like him, the most powerful warriors with outstanding talent were popular among clan leaders in the Southernmost Region. However, even the quickest and strongest fighter in the world could never escape these bullets that moved faster than sight. Astoundingly, the Mark I didn’t even have the flaw of requiring a pause to reload bullets. If the First Army was equipped with 20 heavy machine guns, the enemy’s fighting skills acquired from more than ten years of hard work would become a joke.

A fighter would naturally find it hard to accept the fact.

Fortunately, he found a new path.

---

Leaf moved rapidly through the heavy undergrowth of plants to drive the demonic beasts that had intruded into the Misty Forest towards the city wall.

Now, she could control an area almost as large as the town. The trees and foliage in the area were like her eyes and limbs. They could grow according to her will and form a defense line against enemies, but His Highness kept telling her to inform the army whenever she found any demonic beasts or demons instead of directly fighting against them, especially demons. If demons sensed her existence and destroyed the whole forest, it would be a significant loss, as the town now counted on her to provide early warnings, and a forest that could be adjusted on demand was a great asset.

Leaf reclaimed an empty lot near the town and planned to grow “Golden Ones” wheat on it as soon as the Months of Demons ended. This time, with the Heart of Forest to provide her with magic power, the seeds of the wheat would grow continuously and produce enough seeds for all the farmers in the Western Region.

Suddenly, she sensed a group of demonic wolf hybrids approaching from the edge of the forest.

Leaf immediately turned to look at these invaders and saw eight strong demonic beasts fleeing into the deep forest. As she was about to send out a carrier pigeon to inform the First Army and meanwhile drive them to the city wall, she felt something strange.

They did not look as ferocious as usual. Instead, they seemed to be driven by something. Even her branches and vines could not stop them now.

Could it be demons returning?

Leaf frowned, and as she was about to widen her range of sight, she felt a hint of warmth on her head.

She promptly looked up and saw golden rays of light peep out from several cracks in the cloudy sky, shining down on the snowy white land of the Western Region.

---

“How do I deal with this one here?” Tilly pointed at an equation in a book.

“Well… you put in equation four to create a new equation, and then you’ll derive it to get the one in the book.” Anna quickly wrote down the derivation process on a piece of scrap paper. “That’s it.”

“I see.” Tilly clapped her hands and said, “If you put this variable in, the result should be close to 1.”

“Impressive! You can calculate the result in your mind,” Anna gasped with admiration.

“That’s just because of my ability. You’re the amazing one. You can learn everything in the prince’s new books so quickly,” said Princess Tilly with a smile.

Anna gave her a soft smile. Only the mention of Roland Wimbledon could bring a smile like that to her face.

Every time Tilly saw that smile, she could not help but think that it was impossible for a simple, honest girl like Anna to like a wicked man. “Roland must be different now,” she presumed, regardless of whether he was the real Prince Roland or not. Actually, Tilly herself felt that the new Roland was totally different from all the nobles in this world as if he were from another world. However, at the same time, she felt comfortable around him and liked his unique charm more and more as time went by. Looking up at the cloudy sky, Tilly even hoped for the Months of Demons to continue like this so she could learn all his knowledge. That way, she might be able to truly understand the new Roland, even if he never wanted to talk about himself.

She shook her head to dismiss these thoughts. Tilly pointed to the next question. To her astonishment, the book was suddenly lit up.

The two witches looked out the window simultaneously. Traces of light had mysteriously appeared in the snowy sky, and the long lost sunshine now rimmed the clouds with golden light. The locals bustling about in the town sensed the change, too. Soon, a growing number of people poured into streets, cheering.

Tilly looked at the sky in a daze, all sorts of emotions welling up inside her.

---

When the gunfire stopped, empty bullet shells were piled up beside the prince’s feet. A dull, light tint of red could be seen on the muzzle of the gun, and white smoke was coming out of the barrel.

Even the drop of a pin could be heard now as nobody aired their opinions. Words were unnecessary since the fixed look on their faces told the shock brought by this new weapon.

Iron Axe could not control his excitement any longer and knelt down in the manner of the Sand Nation.

“The world is yours, Your Highness.”

He firmly believed that his new path was to lead the First Army which was equipped with brand new firearms to expand the territory for His Highness Roland.

A hand reached in front of Iron Axe.

The prince pulled him up and did not look as content as Iron Axe had expected. Instead, he looked at the Impassable Mountain Range and said in a deep voice, “Our real enemy are the demons.”

“Even so, I’ll still fight for you until I die.” Before Iron Axe could speak his thoughts, a dazzling ray of light pierced the cloudy sky, illuminating the world below. The witches behind exclaimed in amazement, and Roland looked up and smiled. More and more rays of light came down from above and became brighter and brighter. Soon, it was hard for them to stare at the light. Meanwhile, dark clouds silently melted away as the ice did with fire. The sun appeared again in the sky.

The Months of Demons ended.

Chapter 476: The Victory Day

…

It was still dark outside, and someone had been knocking endlessly on Cacusim’s door. He yawned and subconsciously reached out to grab his coat, and then he realized he no longer needed a coat.

The thick brick wall kept the chill away, and the incredible heating made the inside warm. No matter how heavy the snow was outside, the house no longer let the cold in like it used to, and the roof no longer leaked. Such a high-quality house was only fit for the nobles in Valencia. Of course, it was a little smaller.

He opened the door and found a young boy, his assistant Pike, standing outside. “Why aren’t you up yet? We have to hurry, Captain! Otherwise, we won’t get a good spot!”

“Do we need to leave so early?” Cacusim stuck his head out and looked at the sky. The dawn was peeking through the clouds, and soft morning sunshine lit a small section of the sky.

“Of course!” the boy exclaimed. “My neighbors told me there would be a performance from the Star Flower Troupe during the celebration, and we won’t get into the square if we’re late!”

“All right, wait a minute.” The old man shrugged and returned to his bedroom to change. He looked at the other empty bed and sighed softly. “The Victory Day… Is there any celebration like this in Longsong Stronghold? If not, Vader would miss it.”

They went to the square and found that there were banners strung up on ropes and tied to the trees on both sides of the street. The small town looked bright and new under the morning sunshine. Every now and then, people joined them from the pathways into the main road and walked alongside them. It seemed that they were going to the square too.

Cacusim had heard about the celebration from Pike. The prince had named the first day after the Months of Demons as the Victory Day to celebrate passing the months safely. On that day, everyone in the town had the day off and enjoyed a grand bonfire party in the square. Cacusim’s assistant had learned about this and invited him to go to square with him. After some thought, the old man agreed.

As they entered, they found a fenced-in area in the center of the square and policemen with black uniforms maintaining order. Quite a few people had arrived early and were standing around waiting. The two quickly found a place near the stage and chatted as they waited for the celebration to begin.

At noon, crowds gathered in the square and the prince appeared in the center of the theater. As soon as he showed up, Cacusim heard overwhelming cheers. The people around him excitedly raised their hands and shouted, “Long Live Your Highness!”

Prince Roland smiled. He waited for the cheers to pass, raised his fist, and said loudly, “We have defeated evil once again!”

The square exploded in instant cheers, the deafening sound shook the old man’s heart. He had not seen such a respected lord in a very long time.

“My people, no matter where you come from, the Western Region, the Northern Region, the Eastern Region or the Southernmost Region, as long as you have made a contribution to our town, the glory belongs to you! This glory belongs to everyone who gave their blood and sweat to Border Town!” The prince’s calm, emotional voice seemed to have magic power and could be heard without him having to shout. “Today is the Victory Day. It was set by all of you. Evil has not been completely eliminated and will come back sooner or later, but no matter how many times our enemies come, victory is ours as long as we unite and work together!”

The old man had never heard a nobility refer to the civilians and himself as “we”, but His Highness didn’t seem to mind. He looked at the people naturally, without arrogance or scorn. In the prince’s eyes, he and his subjects were together as one.

It was incredible, but unexpectedly… harmonious.

“Now, let’s cheer for this hard-won victory and raise our glasses to celebrate!”

“Long live Your Highness!”

“Long live Victory!”

The cheers rang throughout the square, and the people raised their right hand to show their respect, including Cacusim.

“This is a Lord who is worthy of my loyalty!” Pike said passionately while thumping his chest.

Next, it was the Star Flower Troupe’s turn, and many people whistled excitedly.

“We haven’t seen their performances in such a long time.”

“Ms. Irene is still so beautiful!”

“But compared to Miss May, she still lacks lasting appeal.”

“It’s Ms. May now. Haven’t you heard the news? She’s about to marry Chief Knight, and the prince has already sent a wedding gift.”

Listening to the people around, Pike asked in wonder, “The name of a troupe is usually either the same as the theater or the name of the town, so why does the troupe of Border Town have such a strange name?”

“You aren’t a westerner, are you?” asked someone immediately. “Ms. May and Ms. Irene are both from Longsong Theatre, and Ms. May is called the Star of the Western Region, while Ms. Irene is called the Flower of Tomorrow. Now, they both live in Border Town, so the troupe’s name is Star Flower Troupe.”

“Look, it’s beginning!”

This was not Cacusim’s first time watching theatrical performances, but the story was quite unique. Instead of a normal love story between nobilities, it told the history of the Western Region. The actors played ordinary people living in Border Town. In the beginning, they were helpless, confused, and chased around like lambs during the Months of Demons. Then they decided to stay in the town and fight against the demonic beasts. The whole story was full of twists and turns, which were very gripping. When the characters died from hunger and cold or were killed in the line of defense to protect their families, the audience felt as if they were there.

The old man was quickly captured by the performance, and even people who had just come to the Western Region could feel the sacrifices that citizens of Border Town made and their unremitting efforts for survival.

When the play was finished, a thunderous applause rang above the square.

Cacusim was dumbstruck by what he saw next. A girl with long flaxen hair held a black line in her hand. She cut the wood stage into various parts, and used them to light a giant bonfire.

The crowd wasn’t scared by this, and they even chanted her name. “Miss Anna! Miss Anna!”

As sheep baked on the bonfire, the atmosphere in the square reached its climax. The locals spontaneously stood in a long line and then began to dance strangely, the last part of the celebration. According to the people standing around Cacusim and Pike, as long as the dance continued, the barbecue would continue until midnight.

“Captain, let’s go together!” Pike gulped. He was eager to join.

“I’m too old to dance,” Cacusim shook his head. “You should join them.”

“I’ll go then.” He stuck out his tongue. “I’ll share some barbecue with you when I get it.”

Looking at the boy dancing with the crowd, the old man couldn’t help but laugh. He had been wondering how to make the name of the Concrete Boat assigned to him memorable and unique, and now he had an idea.

“I’ll name it Victory,” he thought.

Chapter 477: Love and Affection

..

Just like last year, the witches held the feast in the castle.

Leaf turned the backyard that had been expanded several times into an open-air campsite fenced by olive trees. Around the raging bonfire, the witches could appreciate the starry night sky anytime.

Compared with the last BBQ feast which was only attended by five witches, this one was much more crowded, reaching a total number of 25 witches. All the witches from the Witch Cooperation Association came, along with the seven witches from Sleeping Island, as well as Maggie, Lucia, Agatha, Spear, Paper, and Summer.

Plates of finely cut food and various sauces were put on a small table by the bonfire for the witches to eat freely. After the territories of the rebel nobles were completely cleared, the supply of meat and cloth in Border Town had greatly increased. Also served on the table was the low-alcohol fruit wine brewed by Evelyn, as well as the ice cream provided by Agatha.

While Lightning was enthusiastically demonstrating to the crowd how to grill a chicken foot, Maggie had begun to enjoy a hot-roasted steak. Having spent a year in the mountains and jungles with Lightning, Maggie had got familiar with all sorts of grilled food, and she filled her waist pocket with various spices, just as Lightning did.

“I think this is a waste of time.” Agatha smeared honey on the roasted meatballs in her hand. “The demons are bound to attack us, but we’re not seizing this precious time to prepare… instead, we’re just celebrating the latest victory. When the enemy breaks into our city… everything is done for,” she said while chewing the food.

“Take it easy. It’ll be OK.” Roland handed her a bunch of stuffed beefballs—obviously, she was very fond of the juicy meatballs. “A proper balance of work and rest will increase the work efficiency. Besides, resting for one day won’t prevent us from defeating the demons, and even if we lose, at least we’ve enjoyed the sweetness of life.”

“Nonsense!” Agatha said while rolling her eyes. She then took the beefballs and put them over the bonfire after dipping it in a bowl of oil—with the help of her freezing ability, she could keep the meatballs at just the right temperature regardless of the heat from the fire. Clearly, her recent work with the process of cooling nitrogen had helped her to perfect control of her magic powers.

On the other side, the newcomer Summer apparently hadn’t seen so much meat in a long time. Although she could not stop swallowing saliva, her hands kept still. Fortunately, after noticing Summer’s timidity, Wendy pulled this newly awoken sister to her side and shared the food that she roasted with Summer and Paper.

The three witches from Sleeping Island, Ashes, Andrea and Shavi, began to play poker games while waiting for their food to be grilled. In the past few months, they had learned all the variations of poker that Roland was familiar with. As long as there was no attack from the demonic beasts, they would get together and play poker in the castle hall.

And the other witches from Sleeping Island, such as Candle, Evelyn and Sylvie, who had got familiar with the witches in the little town, were having a good time talking with Leaf, Echo, Soraya and others, just like a family did.

Looking at the harmonious scene, Roland felt quite gratified—after a year’s effort, changes in the Western Region began to emerge. The people’s enthusiastic cheers at the square at daytime and the heartfelt smile on the witches’ faces were all payback for his efforts.

Such kind of payback was so sweet that Roland could not help but feel intoxicated by it.

As the bonfire gradually died out, the time approached midnight. Roland asked Nightingale and Ashes to escort Nana and Summer home respectively, while he stepped onto the second floor of the castle, waiting for Anna to appear.

He decided to take the initiative instead of waiting passively, or rather, postponing.

Silver moonlight cast into the castle through the corridor window. In the moonlight, Roland saw Anna’s blue eyes. The scene was quite familiar to him, but their positions were reversed from the last time. Half hidden in darkness, Anna’s pupils reflected a faint luster, like stars in the night sky where all the other stars could not be seen. The sky only belonged to her tonight.

Roland did not speak, but walked forward. Holding Anna’s hand, they went to the third floor.

This was not the first time that Roland had kept this close to Anna, but still, his heart beat fiercely. Through the hand he was holding, he could tell Anna was nervous too. Nevertheless, she followed him without any hesitation.

They entered Roland’s bedroom. When Roland closed the door, turned around, took a deep breath, and wondered what to say, Anna kissed him.

The tip of her tongue softly pried open Roland’s mouth. Roland felt lost in her luscious breath.

At that moment, the title of a song popped into his mind, Sealed with a Kiss.

When you don’t know what to say, kiss; when you’ve no idea how to express your feelings, kiss. Kissing is the speech without a sound and kissing is scorching affection.

When their lips finally parted, Anna’s cheeks had turned red.

“I have a present for you.”

From his pocket, Roland took out two red Magic Stones, which had been polished, rimmed with gold and strung together by a thin, red thread at the top.

“Is this… a Sigil?”

“Yes. After being connected together by magic power, a Stone of Pathfinding and a Stone of Positioning make a Tracking Sigil.” Roland helped Anna to put the Stone of Pathfinding around her neck. “Now no matter where I go, you can find me with the help of the stones.”

Anna must have sensed something unusual because she stared at Roland, motionless.

Just then, Roland carefully spoke each word while softly holding her cheeks with his hands, “Will you marry me, Anna?”

The peacefulness of the clear blue lake was interrupted by a pouring rain.

After a long pause, Anna nodded and said, “Yes.”

…

What followed next was so natural—the long held emotions broke through the last barrier at that very moment and entangled with one another.

Roland picked her up by the waist and put her on to the bed. He kissed her from her forehead down to her neck with tenderness, and clumsily unsnapped her buttons. With her eyes open, Anna stared at Roland as if she wanted to imprint every single move of his into her brain.

When the girl’s fair and smooth body was exposed, Roland hugged her gently in his arms and covered them up with a quilt.

Without the barrier of clothes, he clearly felt Anna’s rhythmic heartbeat, as if her heart was about to pop out of her chest.

“This time…” Anna whispered in Roland’s ear.

“What about it?”

“I won’t fall asleep again…”

Roland couldn’t help but burst into laughter, which eased the tension between them. He lightly brushed her nose and said, “Even if you fall asleep, I won’t leave you alone.”

Their mouths searched for each other once again, their bodies became one, and their hearts merged together.

…

Chapter 478: Witnessing the Establishment of the New City

fter m*king love, Anna rested her head in Roland’s arms and nuzzled up against him like a cat.

“Your Highness, it’s so good… to have met you,” she whispered to him. Her breathing had just returned to normal from all the excitement.

“Call me Roland.” He stroked her long hair and smiled. “There isn’t anyone else around anyway, and I’ve never heard you call my name.”

“Ro… land.”

“Good girl.” He tickled her ears until she laughed, and then he exclaimed, “Actually… it’s me who should have said that. In the past, I never imagined that I would meet such a brilliant girl like you.”

“Not even in the palace?”

“No.” Roland shook his head faintly. “Sometimes, I even think I’m dreaming.”

Anna remained silent for a while, and then cuddled closer to Roland before saying, “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

These words aroused his thoughts. He recalled that she had said the same thing to him before.

“…living like a normal person, but I do not care about that. I just want to stay at Your Highness’ side, nothing more.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.”

She’s the petite and frail lass who was rolled up in a corner of a prison cell, the diligent girl who practiced her ability in maids clothes, the daring young lady who conjured a huge fire and sealed up the city wall, the diffident maid who raised her head and kissed me, and the lovely young woman who asked me to accompany her on the Day of Awakening…

Such scenes flashed in front of Roland one after another.

Without realizing it, the two of them had built up so many memories together.

“… it’s true.” He slid his hand down Anna’s silky hair and caressed her slender back. “You’re right here with me.”

“Feelings are really intriguing,” he thought to himself. “Though these are nothing but meaningless and silly words, they warm and melt my heart like nothing else can.”

An even longer period of silence followed. Then, just as he thought she had fallen asleep, she spoke,

“I’m a witch.”

“I know.”

“Sister Wendy told me that witches are infertile,” Anna muttered. “This will be troublesome for you.”

“I’m not afraid,” Roland replied assertively. “Compared to the impending third Battle of Divine Will, this is nothing.” He once spent time considering how to arrange his succession, but discontinued it after hearing Agatha’s report. The battle that would decide Man’s fate was around the corner. All kingdoms would be completely decimated if they were unable to defeat the demons. Compared to this, the succession issue was not important.

He paused momentarily when he thought of this. After a while, he continued, “Actually, I was a bit worried earlier on.”

“About what?”

“I was worried that you would use this reason to reject me.”

“Why?” Anna looked puzzled. “I want to be with you, no matter I’m a witch or not.”

Roland guffawed when he heard her reply. “Indeed, since I met Anna, she’s always been like that… straightforward, never beating around the bush, and expressive of whatever idea she had. With her, there would never be a Korean drama case of ‘I mean well for you, but I can’t tell you’ misunderstanding. I’ve thought too much.”

As they chatted, Roland began to feel his body revitalize. Sensing the changes, Anna kissed him on the neck and climbed on top of him…

The night was still very young.

…

The next day, Roland woke up much later than usual. When he opened his eyes, the sun was already directly above the castle.

He looked beside himself and was slightly shocked. Anna was nowhere to be found. “Could it be that… what happened last night was merely a dream?” He bent his body down and breathed a sigh of relief. Strands of flaxen hair were left on the pillow, and he could smell a faint fragrance on one side of his clothes.

“What’re you doing?” Anna’s voice suddenly came from overhead.

Roland raised his head and felt awkward—he must have looked unglamorous sniffing all around while lying on the pillow. “Ahem, I was just counting the strands of hair you left. Hey, when did you get up?”

“I went to bring breakfast to you.” She placed the plate she was holding on the bedside table. Her actions and movements seemed a little unlike her usual self. “I saw you sleeping soundly when I woke up and didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Sorry,” Roland said apologetically, “I should have helped.” After so many physical activities during the night, Roland feared that she was feeling uncomfortable despite her exceptional recovery capabilities.

“What nonsense.” Anna laughed meekly. “You’re a prince.”

He shook her head and did not say one more word. Instead, he pulled her into his arms. After embracing for a while, she patted him on the back. “Alright, that’s enough. Since you’re awake, hurry up and eat your breakfast. I still have work to do today.”

“Shouldn’t you rest for a few more days?”

“That won’t do,” Anna replied earnestly. “We have to face the demons soon. Miss Soraya and Miss Agatha are working really hard, and thus it won’t be right for me to slack off.” She smiled sweetly. “You too… Roland.”

…

After kissing goodbye to Anna, the prince strode to his office in buoyant mood. When he pushed open the door, he was surprised to see Tilly waiting for him and sitting by the table.

“Good morning.” he greeted. “Is there an issue?”

“Look, it’s already noon.” Tilly smiled back at him. “And you look like you had a good dream.”

“Do, do I?” Roland placed a hand around his mouth.

“Of course, you’re all smiles today.” She shrugged her shoulders and the smile on her face disappeared. “This time I came to say goodbye to you.”

Roland was stunned. “Goodbye? Are you returning to Sleeping Island?”

“I’ve stayed here for too long. Even though I’ve kept in touch with the Fjords by letter, but… I’ve to go back sooner or later. Now that the Months of Demons are over, the objective of my trip can be considered done.” She stood up and walked over to the French window. “Don’t worry. Even though I’ll be across the sea, I’ll give you my full support in fighting the church and the demons.”

“Can’t you settle here in the Western Region?” Roland made a last-ditch attempt to persuade her to stay. There’s a huge amount of vacant land on the south bank of the Redwater River. It can accommodate all of the witches.”

“We’ve discussed this before.” Tilly sighed lightly. “This is not a problem of finding residence.”

“It seems like she has made up her mind,” Roland reckoned. Though he understood that the decision was a sign of her political maturity and responsibility as a leader, he was very unhappy about it. “At least stay for another week. I’ll prepare a few useful things for the witches in the Fjords.”

“Oh?” Tilly turned and faced him. “What are they?”

“Books, courseware, and a few exercises.” He said while flicking his fingernails. “This will not only save you the trouble of making copies but also enhance their learning effectiveness. Also, I’ll pack a few revolvers. These can be used for self-protection in case you encounter enemies equipped with the God’s Stone of Retaliation. There’ll also be two steam engines which can be used to pump water for irrigation and salt extraction.”

“I see…” Tilly turned away and said. “Thank you very much.”

“And there’s the Groundbreaking Day.” Roland said, emphasizing every word. “I hope that on that day, you can join me in witnessing the establishment of City of Neverwinter.”

Chapter 479: Choice of Nightingale’s Heart

ecently, Wendy spent her life in an exceptionally fulfilling way.

True to her name, Paper had quickly absorbed the knowledge regarding witches and magic power. She made great progress in learning how to read and write as well as knowledge about the natural world. At present, she was already able to learn new vocabularies on her own. There was only a bit of concern about her tutoring. On occasions, she would raise questions that even Wendy could not answer, and that meant either Anna or Roland had to be consulted.

Compared to Paper, Summer’s progress was much slower. This was perhaps a matter of age. Every word had to be recited a few times to her before she could remember its spelling. Furthermore, she seemed confused by natural knowledge. But Wendy was okay with it. After all, what she did not lack at the moment was time and patience. In fact, it would be more problematic for her if her students were all as smart as Anna.

Every morning, she would call her two students into the living room to go through the homework that was assigned the day before. This was in line with what His Highness had told all of the Department of Education’s teachers: The knowledge that was learned without practicing would be forgotten quickly, and only through regular practice would the knowledge be committed to memory. Wendy agreed very much with this statement.

The next lesson was practicing magic power. For this, Paper could assist Agatha to produce acid, or go to the shipyard to help in accelerating the hardening of cement. Hence, Wendy mainly tutored the newcomer, Summer. She had heard that Summer would soon be joining Nightingale in the Security Bureau and help His Highness to recreate crime scenes. Thus, the most important thing to learn was how to precisely control the reversal of time.

Fortunately, using magic ability was as natural as breathing to witches. Even the slowest students could not go very wrong once they felt the operation of magic. Wendy often raised the example of Maggie in order to encourage Summer not to be disheartened by her lack of natural proficiency in magic power. If even a pigeon was able to evolve, surely a regular witch could also do so? Of course, after that, she would secretly bring a few pieces of honey roast meat to Maggie as compensation.

Elementary classes were conducted in the evenings. In consideration of the different learning paces of incoming students, His Highness had sorted the Witch Union into two classes. The early comers would continue to receive lessons from Scroll and also begin to learn knowledge about elementary physics and chemistry, while the new arrivals would receive extra tuition from Wendy after their usual lessons.

This was the most relaxing part of Wendy’s day.

As the earliest witch from the Witch Cooperation Association to join the Union, she had increased the gulf between herself and the other top-scoring sisters after a period of learning. She would feel a great amount of pressure on her shoulders whenever she remembered that His Highness had conferred on her the role of manager of the Association.

Only while teaching the newcomers did she feel free and able to put her heart and soul into the tutoring.

After assigning homework to the two students, Wendy went to have a hot bath. When she returned comfortably to her bedroom, she was surprised to see Nightingale sitting by her bed and dazing while holding a copy of Natural Science Theoretical Foundation.

She’s definitely dazing. If she was focusing on the book, she would have fallen asleep within minutes.

“What’s the matter?” Wendy uncovered her quilt and climbed on to the bed, sitting next to Nightingale.

The latter shifted her head slightly and briefly glanced at Wendy, who gasped when seeing Nightingale’s vacant expression. Wendy had seen such an expression on Nightingale’s face only in Silver City, which was the first time they met. At that time, Nightingale was walking alone spiritlessly through the snowy streets, in complete disregard of the snowflakes that fell on her shoulders.

“His Highness Roland’s together with Anna already…” she muttered, “and it was I who encouraged him.”

“…” Wendy was at a loss for words. She had also noticed that Anna and His Highness had grown closer recently, but this was acknowledged by everyone and thus it was not surprising. Anna was the first witch that His Highness met, and was impeccable in all respects. Apart from her inability to give birth, she was considered by Scroll to be the most suitable person to be Queen. The only surprising thing was that the recent development was facilitated by Nightingale.

“I had made preparations and knew that this would be the outcome. Yet, seeing them together, why… why do I feel so painful?” Nightingale grasped Wendy’s hand tightly. “I’d resolved about this long ago…”

Wendy also began to feel bad as she looked at Nightingale’s appearance. Her deepest impression of Nightingale was her strength and courage. Whether it was stabbing and capturing her own distant relative in Silver City, or fighting against the church, she was able to keep her cool and fight on despite the difficult circumstances. She even showed no sign of fear while facing the menacing Cara. Yet, on this relationship matter, she once again became a helpless child. And Wendy was unable to provide any help.

There’s no right or wrong with regard to feelings.

All that Wendy could do was to embrace her and pat gently on her shoulders. “If you feel bad, cry it all out and you’ll be fine.”

Nightingale shook her head in disagreement and mumbled. “Since I left the Gilen family, I vowed… never to cry again, never again…” Her voice progressively lowered until she became inaudible. Wendy gradually felt a warm and moist feeling in her bosom, but even so, Nightingale did not make a whimper. Because she was restraining herself greatly, her shoulders began to shudder and she held on to Wendy even more forcefully.

“I didn’t cry…”

“Yes, you didn’t…. I know.” Wendy closed her eyes and started to regret what she had once said to Nightingale. Staying around His Highness was a simple solution. In fact, the majority of witches would choose to stay around him… because they did not have anywhere else to go. They were also aware that there was only a minimal chance that Roland would accept and marry a girl who could not give birth and thereby could not carry on his bloodline. However, the problem with staying around him was the distance. Just like with the sun, anyone can bask in the warmth and glory of the sunshine, yet it was easy to get burned if one tried to move closer. And Nightingale’s intention was obviously not to gaze at him from a distance.

This was not an easy road to follow.

“How about giving up?” Wendy asked softly. “If you take a step back, you’ll still have the sisters to accompany you.”

The ensuing long silence made time appear to freeze. Wendy felt as though she was awaiting a trial, and even though she was not the defendant, it was still extremely difficult for her to bear. A few times, she almost opened her mouth to ask more questions, but her words would slip back just before she said anything.

This continued until Nightingale raised her head.

Her eyes appeared slightly red, but tears could not be seen—the wetness on Wendy’s bosom seemed to be her own false perception. Seeing the expression in Nightingale’s eyes, Wendy could tell that there was a conclusion to this trial… but it was not the end.

“I won’t give up.” Nightingale shook her head and said, “No matter what, I’ll stay beside him until the very end…”

She did not mind being burnt to ashes by the sun.

This was her answer.

Chapter 480: The Wedding

hree days later, the wedding of Chief Knight Lannis Carter and Star of the Western Region May was held on castle grounds.

Besides family members, there were also members from the Star Flower Troupe, the City Hall and the Witch Union.

In this age, a wedding ceremony was always witnessed by the church. Weddings of royal families and the nobility were witnessed by a regional Bishop, while nobles and businessmen High Priest or Priestess. Ordinary citizens needed to go to the church by themselves and pay several silver royals to ask the Priest to preside over the wedding. Of course, people who could not afford it just lived together unwed.

Since there was no church in the Western Region, the City Hall was the wedding witness. Roland planned for the City Hall to dispatch officers to issue marriage certificates and do the registration for free. Carter’s wedding would be a great role model—he had already thought of the slogan, “Convenient, legitimate and free of charge”.

When the bride appeared in her wedding gown, everyone was impressed. She was not a witch, yet she was a big star, and this drew crowds. Even Roland had to admit that Carter had a good eye. If it were not for the publicity and pleading from the knight, Roland would not have shown the wedding gown.

Dressed in his handsome black attire, the bridegroom Carter Lannis looked extraordinary. The two of them standing together were like a heaven-made match.

“They look so great together.” Anna said.

“We’ll have our day eventually,” Roland squeezed her hands gently and said, “by then, everyone will know you.”

“Mmm.” She smiled sweetly.

Marrying a witch was easy, however, getting the recognition of subjects was difficult. It could only be achieved by those with absolute might and great prestige. Hence, the most fundamental thing was to subside the civil war within the kingdom and become the only king of Graycastle. After that, he could marry Anna—he did not want others to think that Anna was his hidden plaything, like previous nobles.

However, Roland believed that it would not be too long. Since the Months of Demons had finished, the town was fully preparing for the coming spring attack. Soon, there would be a fierce attack and Timothy’s throne would be destroyed completely.

“The rings, please. Er, next…” The officer from the City Hall was unfamiliar with the new wedding process written by Roland. He lowered his head to look at his notebook, “you may kiss each other now.”

“Wow!” Assembled guests broke into a round of applause, especially Irene, a member of the Star Flower Troupe. She excitedly grabbed Morning Light and swayed from side to side, and then grabbed others to clap and cheer for May.

“Just kissing,” Lightning twitched her mouth, “each time, my father returned from an expedition, he was kissed several times.”

“Coo…” Squatting on Lighting’s head, Maggie turned her head away. She put her wings in front of her face, however, the eyes of a pigeon are on both sides of the head.

“Is this wedding procedure really suitable, Your Highness?” Scroll put her hands on her forehead.

“It’s a particular case. Not every couple needs to do this,” Roland smiled. “After all, it’s used for publicity, the more attractive, the better.” Speaking of this, he turned to Soraya. “You need to paint this moment in detail!”

“Rest assured, leave it to me.” The latter watched the two newlyweds without blinking, the Magic Pen in her hands was shining.

Carter was obviously nervous. After his initial shock had subsided, May stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Applause broke out in the yard.

“Please welcome His Highness. He’ll give his blessing!”

Roland left the crowd and joined the newlyweds. He patted Carter’s shoulder and said, “Well done.” Then he turned to May, “May you be forever happy.”

“That, that’s it?” Carter hesitated.

“Of course! Now go home and rest. I’ll give you two days off.” Roland smiled. “Vader should arrive in the town this afternoon. Leave your work to him.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” the newlyweds answered in harmony, smiling at each other.

The wedding ended in the sounds of fireworks, which were simulated by Echo.

In the afternoon, Barov and Karl came to the castle office to report the progress of the Three Supplies Project to Roland.

“So far, the water supply equipment has been installed in all the living quarters and more than half of the heating pipes have been laid,” Karl said. He pointed to the town planning map and continued, “but the power supply will need more time. Except the factory district under your guidance will complete the installation soon, the four residential areas are still in the phase of trenching and slotting. After you went to Longsong Stronghold, this part of the work almost stagnated.”

Roland nodded and knew they could do nothing about it. No one other than him understood what a circuit was or how electricity operated. Maybe in April, possibly May, all the townspeople would have electric lighting. Roland said, “It doesn’t matter. Now that the Months of Demons is over, the heating can wait for some time. Next, the most important thing is the power supply program and the building of Kingdom Main Street. The former concerns the efficiency of time use, and the latter is the key to strengthen the relationship between the two areas once the city building is completed.” He continued, “In addition, don’t dismiss the redundant workers after finishing the construction of Kingdom Main Street. We need them to build the road to the shoal.”

“Do you mean the spot towards the southern mountain area?”

“That’s right. It’ll be the entrance to the sea.” Roland affirmed. After Tilly and her group returned to Sleeping Island, Lotus would come back to the Western Region. At that time, with the help of Countess Spear, it would take less time to break a new path in mountains. “In addition, once the City of Neverwinter is established, these redundant workers will be my subjects and I want to confer citizenship on them as soon as the construction of Kingdom Main Street is finished.” He turned to Barov, “I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Don’t stop the construction of communities. You can expand them to the space between the town and Stronghold or the south bank of the Redwater River. The population expansion remains to be a major priority, and I want to triple the urban population by the end of the year.”

Barov sucked in a breath. “My lord, that will be close to 100,000 people.”

“I believe we can afford them in the Western Region,” Roland said with a deep voice, “you can take it as your goal.”

Indeed, the Kingdom of Graycastle had population potential. A big city of 20,000 inhabitants could afford a suburban population of at least 100,000. The more prosperous a city was, the bigger scale the latter was—this phenomenon could also be seen in modern agriculture. There was no limit in the Western Region, plus since the steam engine had come into use, there was no need to have so many people working on the material supply.

“Lastly, since electric lighting is now available in the factory district, you’ll need to switch to working eight hours a day in three shifts once the city construction is completed, especially the ammunition processing department,” the prince said to the supervisor of the City Hall, “The salary of each shift should be calculated according to the past daily wage. The more they do, the more they get. You can promote it from now on and I hope the factory can operate constantly until we unify Graycastle.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Barov answered and made a bow.

Chapter 481: The City of Neverwinter

n the designated Groundbreaking Day, Roland got up very early.

He shaved the stubble on his face, tied up his long gray hair with a simple band, and used a small pair of scissors to trim his brows. After a year of living in this world, he was very experienced in grooming himself and did not need a maid’s help.

Looking at his blurry reflection in the silver mirror, he felt that he somehow had the divine manner of a reclusive Taoist priest, if he put on a wide robe.

Roland nodded in satisfaction and left for his office.

There was Barov waiting for him in the room.

“Your Highness,” he said with a bow, “a flying messenger has already been sent to Longsong Stronghold and will probably arrive at the Stronghold castle in half an hour.”

“Uh-huh, is the venue set up?”

“It was all completed by yesterday afternoon, and right now it seems enough to hold the entire population of this town,” replied the City Hall Director.

“Great job.” praised Roland, and he slowly walked to the window.

The Impassable Mountain Range and the Misty Forest in the distance were still blanketed in white, and the rising sun scattered rays of golden light onto the snow. He saw moving figures on nearby town streets heading for the rubble city wall area in the West of the town.

As a defense line against demonic beasts last year, this rubble city wall that was hastily constructed with concrete played a principal role in the fight. However, it had now become a border between the inner and outer areas of the town. Roland didn’t like this kind of clear separation between the rich and the poor, so he decided to tear it down sooner or later, except the symbolic gap area and gate tower. However, before that, he could still utilize it. He chose the middle section of the rubble city wall as the site for the Groundbreaking event since it could hold far more people than the square.

According to his plan, in order to strengthen the impact of the Groundbreaking event on citizens of both cities, Longsong Stronghold would hold a Groundbreaking announcement at the same time, which would be synchronized by flying messengers. When the first messenger reached Petrov, Roland would step on to the stage to give a speech.

“Right now, the gray falcon carrying the news must be soaring among the mountains and over the Redwater River, with a paper slip fastened to its claw as usual,” thought Roland, “but it doesn’t know the significance of the news it’s carrying. From the moment it lands, Border Town and Longsong Stronghold will become history.”

“Let’s go.” He collected his thoughts and turned around.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Barov said with a smile.

…

Petrov Hull walked slowly onto the constructed wooden stage and looked around.

There were not that many people on the square, at least not as many as during the oatmeal distribution last week.

This was not surprising, since people were mainly only concerned with food and clothes. Compared to the free oatmeal, a Groundbreaking ceremony would not matter that much.

It seemed rather unnecessary to even Petrov himself.

The Months of Demons had ended, but the City Hall still did not receive as many applications for jobs as they had expected. The notice calling for handymen and construction workers was put up a week ago, but the number of recruits hadn’t even reached half of the target amount. Meanwhile, Rats seemed to rise back from the ashes, as the police department received more and more reports every day and only verifying these reports was a painstaking amount of work. His friend Rene Medde complained to him that the arresting team needed twice the men to handle its workload.

This actually met Petrov’s expectations.

The people were just like that, lazy, greedy, and unintelligent… His Highness spent so much time and efforts on them, but what could he get in return? The thing confused him the most was that Roland Wimbledon was clearly a member of the royal family, so where did that strange confidence in the people come from?

No matter what, he was firmly tied to the prince’s chariot, so all he could do was to follow him faithfully.

An eagle cawed in the distance, and a gray figure appeared in the sky.

Petrov opened his prepared speech draft.

…

“Your Highness, it’s almost the time.” Barov reminded.

The sun had risen halfway into the sky, and the sundial’s shadow pointed to nine o’clock. Roland nodded and walked to the tower railing. As soon as the people saw the prince, their chatter turned into warm cheers, and they all raised their hands to create waves throughout the crowd.

Area on both sides of the city wall was packed by a dense crowd of over 20,000 people, which meant that most of the town’s residents were gathered here. Roland was glad that he was not holding this Groundbreaking ceremony in the central square, since it obviously could not offer enough space for such a huge, excited crowd.

He waved his hands to silence the cheers. “Greetings, my subjects.”

Echo’s magnifying ability allowed his voice to reverberate over the entire town.

“I believe you already know what’s about to happen today. This small town, which was built for the North Slope Mine, is soon about to become a real city.”

“In the past, the Months of Demons was a nightmare for Border Town, and everyone had to escape to Stronghold for shelter. Now, we have built a strong base here. Osmond Ryan, who wanted to ruin the Western Region, has fallen; the church, which wanted to harm witches and enslave the people, has been banished from this land; even Timothy Wimbledon, who dared to attempt to destroy me, failed—even if he set the entire Southern and Eastern Regions on fire, this town would still be safe and sound. I’m sure the refugees who fled here know this best.”

Roland’s words were quickly met with the crowd’s responses.

“That’s right. He burned down the Eagle City and plundered the Port of Clearwater!”

“The new king cleaned out Valencia. His knights acted no differently from burglars, sometimes even worse!”

“He took away my son, saying he needed to join the King’s City guards. Heavens… he’s only fifteen!”

The prince reached out his hand to quiet them. “And these tragedies will never happen again. This is why the new city is being built! Only by uniting more people, can we face our evil enemies and show them the consequences of their recklessness.” He paused. “And this is my city, too. I vow that Roland Wimbledon will never leave any of his people behind, and even if the Kingdom of Graycastle is united, he’ll never leave this place!”

A wave of cheers erupted at the foot of the city wall.

“Your Highness, you…” Barov exclaimed from behind him.

Roland waved his hand to silence him. “That’s right. This will become the new capital of the Kingdom of Graycastle, and the kingdom will be reborn! I believe that even if an endless winter arrived, this city would still be as warm as spring!” He paused for a while and raised his right hand. “From this day on, Border Town and Longsong Stronghold will become one, and its name will be…”

“Long live the City of Neverwinter!”

“Long live, long live the City of Neverwinter!”

Everyone became excited, and the deafening chants rang through the sky. A mist of snow erupted on the mountainside, and the echoes rolled endlessly through the peaks…

Roland looked at the cheering subjects and felt a great anticipation growing inside him. The sparks of revolution had been ignited, and one day, he would see these sparks turn into a giant flame that would engulf the entire land.

Chapter 482: Zero’s Will

he upper level of the Pivotal Secret Temple was brightly lit up with dozens of Magic Stones that made the circular library as bright as day. When one was in this room, it was difficult to believe that it was underground.

This area was equivalent to the Tower of Babel of the Hermes Cathedral above ground, and it was Zero’s favorite place. She could easily see all of the Pivotal Secret Area through the window. Watching over the figures bustling around the God’s Stone of Punishment Pillar like ants, she felt a great joy in having control over all of these lives. It was as if she was the Lord of the Kingdom of God, and the people walking slowly in the dark were the believers that built the kingdom.

When she had free time, she would take a book containing the history and secrets of the Union from a shelf and read it by the window. Of course, she also had to have a cup of black tea with coltsfoot in it next to her.

After she became the Pope, Zero was actually more relaxed. She did not worry about the impending Battle of Divine Will, but looked forward to it. After more than 200 years, her life had become quite dull, and the Senior Demons that were recorded to be unbeatable seemed like exciting opponents. “I wonder if I take them into the Soul Battlefield, will they still be as fearless and terrifying as they appear?”

However, this battle was still years away, so she needed to set a new goal for herself to pass the time.

There were few people Zero concerned, and Roland Wimbledon happened to be one of them… he was the only mortal to interest her so far.

He was belittled by everyone, but he came out on top after the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince, fighting extremely well with his tiny territory against two strong contenders for the throne. This was undoubtedly very rare. Also, she discovered some interesting clues in Garcia’s memories.

The Queen of Clearwater once placed a maid next to Prince Roland to feed him a deadly poison, but it completely failed, and then the furious queen executed the unlucky alchemist who made the poison. However, Zero had a member of the Secret Pivotal Area replicate the poison according to the recipe in her memories, and the product turned out to be just as the alchemist had promised. It was odorless, colorless, soluble in water, deadly upon intake and incurable.

“So, did the maid deceive Garcia, or is the current Roland Wimbledon not the same Prince Roland as before?” According to the information she had gathered, Zero was more inclined to the second guess. “The question is… if he isn’t Prince Roland, who is he? Why had no one doubted his identity before?” The more she pondered on this issue, the more intrigued she became. He was able to change his ways to earn the love of all his subjects, single-handedly redistribute the power in the Western Region, and make both the church’s emissary delegation and crazed army disappear… If such a man was simply the lord of a small territory, it would really be a pity.

Thus, Roland Wimbledon had to be included as a member of the church, or in other words, become part of her. Zero could not help but lick her lips. It was also why she changed the sequence of attack. If her guesses were correct, then conquering the Kingdom of Graycastle would bring in more benefits than she could imagine.

Of course, as a lord with great authority, he would stay behind the lines during battles, so it was important to figure out how to force him out.

Just as Zero was contemplating how to avoid the direct battle and go straight to Roland, Isabella pushed open the library door and walked in.

“Is the meeting over?”

“Yes.” She rubbed her neck. “Lucky you, sitting here reading and sipping tea all day, while I have to lie to those old men… no, it’s actually one old man and two madmen.”

“It’s not simply lying. It concerns the operations of the church’s lower level,” Zero said with a shrug. “Although witches are the actual core of the church, without these men, we wouldn’t be able to collect so many resources to achieve our ultimate goal.”

“Whatever.” Isabella yawned. “Anyways, they said that we have to wait until the second month of this summer for the resources to attack the Kingdom of Dawn to be relocated to the battle against the Kingdom of Graycastle, and even this is an optimistic estimate.

“This amount of time isn’t too long, but it isn’t short either,” thought Zero, “so the wait will both be torturous and make the reward even more enjoyable.” “How’s the pill production going?”

“I think there are about 300,000 to 400,000 pills in storage right now,” replied Isabella. “But do you really plan to send all the civilians to battle against the demons? Millions of people would completely exhaust all of Hermes’s resources. Also…”

“Also what?”

“Also we might not win.” She shook her head. “There are so many people that they’ll cause trouble no matter where we place them. Not to mention, their days are numbered after they eat the first pill, so what if the demons don’t attack us in time? If we feed too few, then they’re useless; if we feed too many, we might waste them. Even if the demons all attack at once and are defeated by the crazed army, these people won’t be able to fight anymore.”

“You don’t understand.” Zero stood up, walked over to a large table, and lifted the cover off of it, revealing a map of the Wild Places. “I never planned to use the crazed army to protect Hermes, and the location for the final battle should be somewhere on the Fertile Plains… I think it’ll probably take place at the ruins of the Holy City of Taquila, since it’s closest to us.” She pointed at a spot on the map.

“Do you want to… initiate an attack?” Isabella froze in shock.

“We’re desperately lacking time,” said Zero calmly. “I’ve never dreamed of completely wiping out the demons. The Holy Book says that only when the Bloody Moon arrives and the Gates of Hell open can the demons build a black spire. Actually, the spire isn’t built… it grows.”

“Are you saying that those stones are actually alive?” Isabella asked in disbelief.

“This information can only be found in the personal notes of the Union’s Three Chiefs… the demons’ expansion depends on the black spire’s ability to produce Red Mist, and currently spires are founded in areas with many God’s Stone mineral veins, so their range of influence will continue to grow. In the beginning of the Second Battle of Divine Will, an Extraordinary once led a division of soldiers to approach the Red Mist area underground, and they found a startling sight—an enormous monster was writhing under the spire, and its body was even larger than the Taquila tower itself,” Zero said slowly. “That enormous monster was decomposing God’s Stone and turning it into black crystals, which gave off Red Mist. Considering the demons had Chaos Beasts that turned God’s Stones into Magic Stones, it wasn’t difficult to comprehend that they also had this kind of ability.”

“…” Isabella opened her mouth and finally spat. “That’s disgusting.”

“Unfortunately, once the spire is formed, small surprise attacks will be ineffective, so our best bet is to attack them directly. I don’t know how long it takes for the decomposed God’s Stone to grow out of the ground, but it probably doesn’t happen overnight. During this time, demons can only transport Red Mist from their backup resources, so they’ll have very limited strength. We need to use a crazed army that is large enough to defeat the demons to create a path, so the God’s Punishment Army can kill the underground monster,” said Zero with great conviction. “If we’re lucky enough, we’ll buy ourselves another 400 years.”