Release that Witch

After returning to the residential area of the Sleeping Spell, Ashes heard Tilly cough behind her when she attempted to shut the door.

”Ahem, do you understand what Roland meant by ’taking care of her’?”

A smile curling her lips, Ashes pretended she did not understand the implied meaning and asked, ”Don’t I just need to be with Leaf and attend to her needs like people would normally do to take care of a patient? Leaf’s hurt, so she’ll need a lot of help...”

”Oi!”

Ashes could not hold her face any longer.

”Oh, you were teasing me...”

”Don’t worry. I know what I should do,” Ashes answered as she turned around and blinked at Tilly. ”His Majesty wants me to stay alert for any fluctuations of magic power so as to warn Leaf beforehand when something happens — just like how you and I met.”

”If I didn’t have this ability, you probably would never have noticed me, who was so wretched and lost back then,” Ashes thought.

”I’m not a demon,” Tilly protested a little defiantly while folding her arms.

”Just an example,” Ashes said, waving her hand airily. ”Because I’m the only person who has fought the Magic Slayer.”

”What about after?”

”Find reinforcements of course, and repel the enemy together.”

”Really?”

”Unlike Princess Lorgar, I’m not keen on duels,” Ashes said with a smile. ”As long as her magic power isn’t interrupted, Leaf could cross the forest in a second, so there’s no point for me to remain at my post.”

Tilly breathed out a sigh and said, ”Don’t forget what you just said.”

”Of course not,” Ashes said as she walked to Tilly and looked straight into her eyes. ”I’m going to stay with you for a very long time. Andrea is a lady who has never taken care of people. She only cares about how to fight. How can I entrust you to her?”

”O-Oi, shut up!” Tilly snapped, shooting Ashes a cool stare, and stormed into the room, a little irritated.

When Tilly almost gained the room, she suddenly stopped and muttered, ”I’m glad... that you saved Leaf.”

Ashes was mildly surprised.

”It would be such a waste if you just protect me.” Tilly turned around and said, ”Although you always say the best for me is to return to Sleeping Island, you actually do like it here, right? Now, you smile more often than you used to.”

”R-really?” Ashes wondered, her hands uncontrollably rubbing on her cheeks.

”To be honest, you rarely smiled on Sleeping Island either. You always had a long face like you were ready to leave for a battle,” Tilly continued. ”Perhaps, you haven’t realized that the new witches are all afraid of you. Only a girl like Maggie who’s slow at guessing what people are thinking isn’t scared to befriend you.

”But now, you not only get along well with the Witch Union but have also got an admirer, if I’m correct?”

”Are you referring to... Lorgar? No, we’re just friends, probably because we often train together...”

”Alright then,” Tilly interjected. ” Compared to the ’avenger’ you, I prefer the current you, but...” she paused for a second and said, ”this doesn’t mean you’re allowed to pick on an individual fight rashly with the demons without thinking about the possible consequences. Do you understand?”

After a moment of silence, Ashes replied, ”Yes.”

”Very good.” Tilly nodded in satisfaction and said, ”Perhaps in the near future, I’ll fight with you on the battlefield together.”

”Oh, any progress on the plan of the Aerial Knight?”

”Roland says he’s trying to use a brand new engine on the glider. If successful, he might be able to create a new type of plane that doesn’t require Wendy’s ability,” Tilly said in excitement. ”However, he has to first create a plane tailored to my need. It’s probably going to fly even faster and higher than the Devilbeasts!”

”His Majesty would never allow you to partake in the war in person. Plus... he already made a promise to me,” Ashes smiled, leaving her words unsaid. ”I’ll watch you test it out.”

”Sounds good. I’m going to take a shower. I’m all sweaty after flying the ’Seagull’ all day. See you later.”

”Not together?”

”Absolutely not!” With these words, Tilly slammed the door.

Ashes sat down on the recliner in the living room, looking attentively at her palm.

She still remembered the feeling when she had swung the sword at the demon.

At that time, she had suddenly entered a new realm. Although it was just for a split second, the lingering memory persisted.

She felt everything, including her vision, thoughts and movements, had temporarily deserted the world around her, except for her magic power. The intense magic power seared through her body, making her feel invincible.

Ashes even had a feeling that her power was speaking to her invitingly, tempting her to go even further.

”Magic power doesn’t only affect our physique but also our character. If we plan to use our magic power to achieve something, it would guide us in the desired direction.”

”So what exactly... are you fighting for?”

Ashes remembered what Phyllis, the God’s Punishment Witch, had said to her the first time they had marched for the war.

”Why are you telling me this?”

”Because you’re an Extraordinary. You were born with incredible potential. However, you have to have an achievable goal and a strong will in order to go beyond your limit.”

”As far as I know, all the Transcendents in the Union upgraded in battles, and those who couldn’t successfully become Transcendents were all eventually killed by the demons. I hope you won’t become one of them.”

”Did the Transcendents... as well as the Three Chiefs of the Union also face the same decision at one point?” Ashes asked herself.

She clenched her fist.

At that moment, she dimly understood what she should do.

...

Roland returned to the office and called the headquarters of the Administrative Office.

”Please connect me to Barov.”

”Yes, Your Majesty!”

Immediately, he heard Barov’s voice on the other end of the line. Barov asked, ”How can I help you, Your Majesty?”

”When is the upcoming exam for elementary school?”

”Let me see... Based on the schedule, it’ll be next week, and there will be roughly 2,650 students sitting the exam.”

The schedule seemed to fit Roland’s plan. Roland thought for a while and instructed Barov, ”Draft a recruitment proposal for me. I need someone to help with my new project. For now, I probably need about 500 people.”

”As you command.”

The current Neverwinter was like a giant melting pot where people from all over the country came to receive primary education before being assigned to different posts. Experienced production line workers took in new workers and taught them techniques and knowledge. As workshops gradually diminished, those personal techniques transformed into public knowledge and further became a part of the system. It was thus natural for experienced workers to train newbies. Once the newbies became experienced, they were able to take in more trainees, and the industry expanded.

Neverwinter had currently created a virtuous cycle after years of development. When the population of the city reached a certain number and when resources were abundant, people would see the amazing power brought about by the rapid industrialization.

After hanging up the telephone, Roland took out a stack of paper from a drawer.

Ever since the night attack at Tower Station No. 1, he had been working on a ”universal strategy”. Most of the research materials were collected from the Dream World. Now what he needed to do was to localize his plan based on the situation in Neverwinter. Roland found there was one type of weapon that would suit Neverwinter’s current need.

”Do you have a new idea again?” Nightingale asked as she revealed herself from the Mist.

”Ah, yes...” Roland quickly went over the stash, stopped at one certain page and said, ”Yes, that’s it.”