Chapter 64 Curiosity
Three days later, in the castle back garden.
“Sister Anna …” Nana pulled at Anna’s gown and called her name to get her attention.
“Yes?” The latter turned around and asked.
“What do you think about Sister Nightingale … don’t you think she has been behaving a little weirdly?”
“Weirdly?” Anna was confused, “Do you mean how she has been dressing herself lately?”
Nightingale stood at Roland’s side, just like the many times before, but this time she was not wearing her usual gown with the strange pattern. Instead, she was now dressed like Anna and wore the strange clothing His Highness had invented. Although Anna did not want to admit it, the new attire accentuated Nightingale’s tall figure– her shapely legs, slim waist, as well as her long curly hair most vividly. Together with her cloak and pointed hat, anyone would let their gaze roam all over her body.
“I wasn’t talking about her clothes.” Nana muttered, “Don’t you think that her tone of voice when speaking with His Highness and the expression in her eyes when she looks at him have become different compared to before?”
“Have they?”
“…” Nana didn’t know what to say, but then she gave up, “Well, sister Anna, later when it’s too late, don’t come to me and say that I didn’t warn you.”
Unable to make head or tail of it, Anna shook her head and ignored Nana, focusing on the two new witches’ bodies instead.
The first one she looked at was named Lightning. Her general size was the same as Nana’s, but she wore particularly unusual clothes. When Anna roughly counted, she discovered that Lightning had at least twelve seamed pockets on her piece of rag-like coat.
As for the other witch Wendy, she didn’t wear the same body-concealing clothes Nightingale wore before, but on her ordinary and casual womens clothes she had the exact same pattern that Nightingale’s previous clothes had printed on them. However, she had something that didn’t sit right with Anna. The other one’s chest was … too grand.
“Since you both have agreed to sign the contract, we can now start with your training for the first time.” Roland was finally at ease and started the training of his two new witches, issuing instructions. “Lightning, you go first.”
“Yeah!” Lightning was so happy to start first that she threw her hands in the air as she stepped out of the shed.
At the moment, only a few snowflakes floated in the air and no wind was blowing, so the little girl gently floated in the air and waited for Roland’s next command.
“Show me your fastest speed!” Roland looked upwards and shouted to her.
“All right, look at me.” she gave him a thumbs up, went into a starting position, and then quickly flew around the castle.
Roland visually calculated her flying speed and came to the result that her flying speed should have been between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour. These numbers were based on his own experiences of driving back in his old world. For a single flight, this speed couldn’t be counted as fast, since it was similar to an ordinary dove. However, Roland had heard that she could carry Nightingale and Wendy during their journey back to Border Town. That feat was a lot more impressive compared to her speed.
What would that mean if she could lift up a weight of more than 100 kilograms? In Roland’s eyes, he could already see Lightning carrying a 100 kilogram bomb…
However, the next trial broke his wishful thinking.
When the weight was more than 50 kilograms, Lightning’s flying height decreased sharply. From the previous hundred meter altitude, she suddenly fell down to only ten meters. While carrying nearly 100 kilograms of weight, she could only reach a height of 2 meters.
That is to say, if he turned Lightning into an incarnate bomber, even when only carrying a few kilograms of explosives, she would enter the range of crossbows and become an easy target to shoot down.
So Roland came up with new ideas for this young witch – whether it was as a scout or as an investigator for the right place for a bombardment, she would be an excellent candidate. Previously, Roland seemed to have hit a wall with his plans, but now he could see a glimmer of hope again.
*
While the Prince tested Lightning’s flying abilities, Wendy stood by quietly at his side, closely analyzing Roland’s every expression.
In the fifteen years of wandering after her departure from the monastery, she had seen many different kinds of people. Commoners, farmers, artisans, soldiers and nobles, it didn’t matter who it was, but they would all have the same reaction. As long as they didn’t know that she was a witch, they showed her desire and love, but when they became aware of the fact that she was a witch their desire and love would instantly convert into fear and hatred. Every time she saw this despicable behavior, Wendy wanted to vomit.
She thought she would only be partnered with witches for the rest of her life and never be accepted by a man. This was also the reason why she refused Nightingale’s offer … not out of mistrust, but because she was afraid of getting her heart broken once more.
However, Roland Wimbledon had already changed her opinion.
He looked at them with the same expression as he looked at common people – like he had already seen witches thousands of times. When she met Roland for the first time in Nightingale’s room, she had thought that he hid his aversions towards witches extremely well. She also believed that another reason he didn’t show any contempt was because Nightingale stood directly beside her. However, during the next few days she discovered that the expression on his face was still the same.
Could it be that the ability of a member of the Royal Family to hide their true intention is much better than us commoners?
Another changing point was the contract. Previously, Wendy had thought that it would only be a formality. But when she began to read it, she found it filled with dense clauses. It didn’t only list their responsibilities, but it also stated their own rights.
This is simply inconceivable! It still put the witch in his army, but it didn’t deprive them of their liberty. Instead, it was quite generous to them. Could this still be called a contract?
For example, Article 2.1 (It was the first time that Wendy saw such a structure), the witch could have paid leave, which meant that she would still get money even on the days she didn’t work.
Next, the witch should complete experimental projects according to the employer’s orders, but when part of the project was too difficult to complete, wasn’t timely possible, produced discomfort, or caused the witch to feel that it was too dangerous, the witch could ask for changes or reject the experimental project.
Then, the next clause said that the employer should provide for and guarantee the safety of the witch. The employer was responsible for the witch’s accommodation, food ,and salary. When one part of the condition was not met, the witch was allowed to unilaterally suspend the contract.
Wendy thought these articles were a bit prolix, but they expressed their meaning very clearly. After signing the contract, the witch wouldn’t be turned into the Prince’s possession. Sure, she had to do his biddings, but she also had equal rights and was always able to say no. Due a contract like this, she finally felt the sincerity of the other side – if it was only for appearance, it wasn’t necessary to write such a detailed list of treaties.
Coming to this conclusion, Wendy couldn’t help herself from looking at Nightingale. Wendy was very clear of everything Nightingale had to go through, and she also knew how deep the other one’s disgust of nobles sat. But now, when Nightingale spoke with Roland, her tone and demeanor showed so many different kinds of emotions – I’m afraid even she isn’t aware of these changes.
Two months ago, she left the camp of the Witch Cooperation Association in the direction of Border Town. Only in two short months, Nightingale has already begun to completely trust this man.
She would rather cut off all her relations with the Witch Cooperation Association than to never see Border Town again. In her heart it was very likely that she already saw the place beside Roland Wimbledon more as her real home than the Witch Cooperation Association.
It’s very sad about what happened to Mentor Cara. She, as the founder of the Witch Cooperation Association, had forgotten how important every surviving sister was.
Wendy knew that there was no way she could ever go back. Since fate had brought her to this place, why shouldn’t she believe in the choice Nightingale had made? Just the same, like she always believed in the choices I made –
“Wendy?”
“Ah …” With this shout, Wendy was brought back out of her daydreams, only to discover that Lightning had already finished her tests and that now everyone was waiting for her.
Giving everyone an apologetic smile, she walked out of the shed.
You have already made your decision, so now you have to go through with it. Plus, you cannot lose to the younger generation, right?
But at this moment, the horn call could be heard from the west again. The sound echoed in the mountains, breaking the tranquility of the town.