Release that Witch

The sailboat coming from Longsong Stronghold slowly docked at the pier of Border Town.

After the gangway was lowered, the people on the ship began to walk down the gangway while carrying all kinds of bags. For most of them, it was the first time that they had set foot on this strange land, so they appeared to be somewhat at a loss by what they saw, but the sailors behind them urged them to move further and disregard their uneasy feelings.

When the crowd began to push forward, a middle-aged woman’s foot accidentally slipped. Her body became so unbalanced that she was already falling over the gangway. However, another woman quickly stepped ahead and caught the middle-aged woman’s wrist, stopping her fall.

“Thank… thank you,” the rescued woman’s chest was still rising and falling quickly, showing her lingering fear as she said thank you several times.

The other woman, however, just cheerfully waved her hand, indicating that a thank you wasn’t necessary.

Standing on the pier and waiting for the arriving travelers was Ferlin Eltek. he immediately saw that the skillfully acting woman was Irene, his beloved wife. She wore a white dress, and her long hair was coiled up on top of her head; she always looked beautiful and refined.

The knight was no longer able to suppress his excitement. The moment Irene finally set foot on the pier, he immediately began to quickly approach her, forcing the poor woman who was still clinging on to her away from her while totally disregarding the shouts of the people around him. Getting approached so unexpectedly, Irene became shocked, but the moment she recognized that it was Ferlin who had hugged her, she fell into his arms.

“When I heard the news of the Duke’s defeat, I got really scared. And when I later tried to meet you in Longsong Stronghold, I never got the chance,” Irene immediately began to speak, “Fortunately, you are safe now.”

“I was imprisoned in the dungeon of the Lord ‘s castle, and it was impossible for the guards to let you in,” Ferlin explained as he let go of his wife. “How was your time during the last half month, was it okay?

“…” For a moment she didn’t give him an answer but then she quietly said, “I left the theater.”

Ferlin immediately understood the meaning behind his wife’s words. During the time when he was still the First Knight in the Western Territories, only the Duke dared to lay his hands on her body. However, when he had become His Royal Highness’ prisoner, the men in Irene’s theater group no longer had to hide their malicious intents. They were only waiting for the right opportunity to assault her. So if she had still gone to the theater to work, it would be the same as sending a sheep into a tiger’s den.

“That does not matter, I got a job here, and the salary also isn’t low.” Ferlin tried to comfort her, “Let us first go home. There, we can talk in peace.”

“Home?” Irene was clearly surprised, “We do not have to live separately?”

Usually, the prisoners who weren’t killed during the fight and who weren’t bought free were mostly used as coolies. These prisoners were packed in bunches and had to live in tents or barracks, laying on the ground which was only covered with straw. At the same time, the families of such prisoners weren’t treated any better. The women had to live in special camps, where they also had to sleep on the floor. During the time the men worked, the women had to clean up the men’s homes and wash their laundry.

Thinking of this, Ferlin got a warm feeling within his heart. At the farm near the Longsong Stronghold, Irene at least had her own spacious room with a comfortable and soft bed. Yet, she still chose to come to Border Town on her own. Even though she knew that she had to live with other women in a small house or tent and would have to do forced labor every day she didn’t flinch.

“I am now a teacher.” in one hand he took Irene’s luggage and with the other he grabbed her hand. They walked side by side in the direction of the “New Civilization” district, “As a teacher, I get my own house for free.”

To tell the truth, when he had first heard the teachers’ treatment from the Prince, he hadn’t expected too much. As a prisoner, having his own room could be seen as good. Even if the room had leaks where the wind or the rain could come through, it would still be a good living area after repairing it himself. Thinking of this, the actual result was totally unexpected for him; he had never thought that the assigned houses for the teachers would be so… regular.

Entering the new district, the streets suddenly become spacious, and the ground became covered with gray gravel. The stones on the ground were smooth and flat and even after walking on them for a long while, their feet wouldn’t hurt. At first, Ferlin didn’t understand the reason for all of this; this was clearly a waste of manpower and the masons’ time. He didn’t understand the reason for it until he saw rainwater flowing along the gaps in the stones sinking into the ground on a day with heavy rain. The rainwater was lead into drainage ditches on both sides of the road. In Longsong Stronghold, every time when it rained, the streets became muddy and were covered with puddles, so the new streets in Border Town were many times better.

Irene, who was taking in her surroundings, showed a puzzled expression and asked, “Here all the houses seem to be new, are you sure you went the right way?”

“Yes, my dear, we’re almost there.”

Two corners later, Ferlin Eltek paused in front of a two-story brick house with Irene, “We’re here.”

“Where?” She turned around twice, only to see that her husband was still looking at the house directly in front of them. Not daring to ask aloud, she covered her mouth, “Is the whole house our home?”

“Of course not,” Ferlin laughed. “This is the teacher building, our home is in the middle of the second floor, now let us step inside.”

Taking the key out of his pocket to open the door, Ferlin pulled his wife by her hand into the new home. Their home contained a central hall, two bedrooms and two auxiliary rooms, which were freely available for them. Although the rooms were small, it was still surprisingly comfortable. Whether it was the central hall decoration or the bedroom layout, everything felt quite refreshing. And now with Irene at Ferlin’s side, the house was now even more perfect.

“Heaven, are you sure you were taken as a captive?” Irene couldn’t stop herself as she ran from one room to another, carefully looking at everything. She was as excited like a small child, “Will we actually live here?”

“Well, of course.” Ferlin answered happily and took some bread and cheese from the cupboard and placed them on the table. “You didn’t eat anything on board right? Let us first fill your stomach, I will have to go out to work later.”

“Right, you are a teacher now,” Irene ran back to her husband, “do you have to teach the children of the nobility?

“No, not the nobles, rather,I have to instruct His Highness’ citizens.”

“Citizens?” Irene couldn’t believe what she had heard, “teach them what?”

Deciding that an example would be better than his explanation, he took a book from the table and gave it to his wife, ” I have to teach them how to read and write. This was given to me by His Highness, my…’teaching material’”

Even so, he had chosen to become a teacher, but he was still worried that he would be unable to do the job. After all, normally it was always a white-haired old man who served as teacher. However, His Royal Highness’ s attendant had said that he should just teach according to the teaching materials. Looking at this so-called textbook, he realized that the concept of learning how to read and write could also be refined to such a degree.

From the teaching method to the course’s contents, everything was written down. On the first page, there was also a list of dozens of frequently asked questions by novice teachers, such as, “How to become a good teacher? How to awaken the student’s interest in learning? How to test the effectiveness of one’s teaching?” The answers were always short and easy to understand, giving the reader the feeling of having learned something new. Without realizing it himself, Ferlin had already been attracted to the book, even before the start of his career.

Irene was also clearly such a case, from early on she had lived in the theater and had read many books and the scripts for plays. Ferlin had lamented more than once that with his wife’s face and intelligence, if she had been born into an aristocratic family, her name would have certainly been known as an outstanding woman.

After turning a few pages, Irene suddenly raised her head and asked, “Previously you said… that the teachers are paid quite well?”

“20 silver royals a month, and an annual raise of five.”

“There is also no theater here, right?”

“No… there,” Ferlin hesitated, he had already guessed his wife’s idea.

Sure enough, the other side closed the book and laughingly said, “Then it’s decided, I will also become a teacher, Honey, just like you.”

TN: Release that Witch Fan Art Contest Voting