Free Web NovelChapter 2011: Chapter 2011: The Witch’s Joke and the Changed Fate
The originally leisurely breakfast atmosphere on a snowy day suddenly felt as if it were invaded by cold wind, turning incredibly chilly. Tifa paused her elegant tea-making motion, and amidst the silent tension between the two witches, the black-haired Head Maid set down the teapot, signaling to the other maids in the dining room to leave together. However, the Duchess raised her right hand, indicating there was no need to avoid.
Her lazy demeanor completely vanished:
"Tifa, no need to prepare breakfast for Ms. Edwards."
"Ms. Edwards was yesterday’s title; calling me Ms. Edwards now is more accurate."
Megan looked at the Duchess coldly yet with a smile:
"It doesn’t matter whether breakfast this morning is eaten or not; anyway, my sister and I had our fill of midnight snacks last night."
She winked at Miss Galina:
"Duchess, you do know that the strong dessert is quite delicious, don’t you?"
The Red-Haired Witch took a deep breath, instantly realizing it was Megan’s revenge for the "little joke" played during the banquet at Green Lake City:
"Megan, what have you and your sister done?"
"Of course, we did what you’ve done, or do you want me to describe the details?"
She acted as if she didn’t understand Galina Cavendish’s emotion:
"However, I must admit, Shard’s taste is quite nice after all."
The maids tried to control their expressions, preventing punishment from the wrathful Duchess even after the guests left, for stepping out with the left foot first. But Miss Galina wasn’t angry... or was a little angry, as she adjusted her breath slightly and looked at Megan with a frown:
"You act like a child who’s stolen someone else’s toy and is now boasting about it. Megan, oh Megan, where have you put the dignity and elegance of the Grand Witches? It’s laughable to use such childish methods to retaliate against me."
She pointed at herself:
"Look at me; I was the first, yet I never boasted to anyone."
As she spoke, she nodded towards Megan:
"Yes, I was the first."
Megan just smiled and said:
"Wasn’t your last joke childish too? But you underestimate me. I didn’t come to gloat; that truly is too childish. Galina, perhaps we had unpleasantness before, but at least now we are genuinely sisters, aren’t we? Although you had something good and kept it from us, at least now, we all know this sweet enticing secret."
"Megan, Audrey, what are you trying to say?"
The Red-Haired Witch picked up the teacup, gently sipped at the porcelain edge, and waved to the maids, signaling them to continue preparing breakfast.
"Both you and I can see, Hevy, Emma, Vanessa, and those young witch apprentices..."
Megan glanced at the well-shaped Head Maid standing on the side:
"Many are eyeing Shard; I’ve gotten ahead of those hesitant girls, but I still hope we can keep this secret, and perhaps we can cooperate, at least both of us are standing together now."
"I didn’t expect you to have such courage. I originally thought Vanessa or Emma would be next."
Miss Galina said, sizing her up and down, then shook her head:
"I thought your courage before the Battle of Green Lake was driven by the pressure between life and death, yet after the battle, you’re still thinking of this."
"No, no, I don’t have as much courage as you, Duchess of Saradiel."
Megan said with a smile, also picking up the teacup:
"Is this Lady Peacock’s black tea? How luxurious, only a noble manor of Tobesk’s court could have it. So now, Galina, do you agree for us to advance and retreat together?"
Miss Galina thought for a moment: freёweɓnovel.com
"How would you address me?"
"Galina... sister?"
The Duchess’s face blossomed into a smile, not mentioning that even though the other was a half-elf, her age far exceeded hers but rather extended her hand:
"If Hevy learns of this matter, she might explode with anger; she is the second Grand Witch to know Shard."
Megan reached out and shook her hand, and then a second hand appeared at her wrist, also grasping hers:
"In my view, though the Sixth Era witches have shed most of the extravagance and debauchery of the Fifth Era witches’ shortcomings, they are lacking the past witches’ boldness and courage when it comes to virtues."
"After all, this is no longer our era."
The two let go of each other’s hands, and Miss Galina lowered her head to look at the breakfast on the plate before her, then suddenly lifted her head to ask Megan:
"I’m curious about something, hoping you can answer me, as it concerns our Knight."
"What is it?"
Megan asked curiously, suspecting she might inquire about changes in her body after spending a wonderful night with Shard.
The Duchess looked at her seriously:
"So, since a second hand can appear from your wrist, and your eye can appear in any peculiar place, can a ** tongue stretch out from you?"
"Pfft! Cough cough, cough cough." freёweɓnovel.com
Megan truly spat out a mouthful of black tea, but she couldn’t be blamed for losing her composure like that; even the usually composed black-haired Head Maid showed a strange expression at that moment.
The other maids quickly replaced the tea set, tablecloth, and breakfast on the dining table while Miss Galina held the teacup, her little finger gently tapping the porcelain, tilting her head to look out at the snowy landscape outside the window.
"Galina, you! You!"
Her lips curved into a smile, feeling that the morning wasn’t too bad after all:
"See, I’m better at joking than you... You forgot to call me sister."
(Mia running...)
Not only is Tobesk experiencing snow, but Green Lake City also sees snowfall; however, it is just a fine dusting of snow, so early in the morning, just putting on a thick coat is enough to ward off the chill.
The snow does not affect the bustle of the Green Lake City Train Station. After the Green Lake negotiations ended, this ancient city did not have as many outsiders as in the past few months. However, this Monday at the train station, it remains exceptionally lively. Army soldiers in uniforms who were called up will bid farewell to their families today and go to where their country needs them.
Similarly, this morning is also the day Dr. Schneider and his three companions depart. Their train is scheduled to leave at 9 a.m., so the three of them, along with Shard, arrived at the train station early and coincidentally met the young recruits gathering at the entrance of the station with their backpacks.
Thanks to the generous witch, the tickets Shard booked for the three were for the first-class carriage, with each person having their own private compartment, making for the most comfortable traveling experience. Everyone had quite a bit of luggage, so Helena Green, the lady owner of the Green Lake Hotel, who recently was rumored to have inherited an island with her brother, sent the hotel’s attendants to help transport the luggage.
The departure time of the train carrying the young soldiers is twenty minutes earlier than the train the three companions plan to take, so the two groups entered the train station together. Coupled with other passengers in the station, the noise from all directions made the snowy morning seem rather lively.
Beside the platform, the troop transport was already parked on the tracks, and the white steam mist spewing from between the wheels beneath the carriages made the scene on the platform appear somewhat dreamy and mystical.
All around were people saying goodbye — young wives hugging their husbands, elderly mothers advising their sons, little girls holding their father and mother’s hands, and lone but ambitious young men carrying backpacks, imagining their futures.
Among the steam mist, voices seemed to be coming from everywhere, and Shard and his group standing next to a pile of luggage were not very conspicuous. Durut Giles, wearing a black deerstalker hat, helplessly dealt with Laster Edwards’ questions floating nearby; the girl could not quite grasp the workings of a steam train; Priest Augustus was talking with the hotel’s attendants, advising them to carefully move his luggage.
Although the priest arrived with just two suitcases, he left with four more boxes — nobody knew what was in the boxes he brought back from the wilderness.
The group’s luggage was piled on the platform, while Shard and Dr. Schneider, in a black long coat travel outfit, conversed on the other side, verifying the train timetable and their arrival time in Tobesk.
The pervasive steam mist almost obscured their view of the priest and Durut Giles on the other side, and the surrounding clamor and farewells required everyone to amplify their voices while speaking. Next to Shard, placing the doctor’s black briefcase on the pile of luggage, was Little John, whom Shard was very familiar with.
The boy who previously lived in a trash bin with his puppy had now completely settled down in Green Lake Hotel. Cleaned up and wearing decent clothes, along with a brown flat hat, the boy had adapted to life at the hotel. Learning that Shard was also leaving this city and would only occasionally return in the future, he enthusiastically joined the team helping transport the luggage.
In truth, due to his physique, he could not carry much luggage, but Mr. Soren Green knew the story between him and Shard, so he agreed to let the boy come to say goodbye and instructed the other attendants to keep an eye on him, as a train station is too dangerous a place for children.
"Sir, this is the last luggage box."
The boy reported to Shard with a smile, to which Shard also smilingly asked:
"Great, you’ve successfully completed your work. Do you need me to tip you?"
He said, reaching for his wallet, which startled the boy into waving his hand hurriedly:
"No need, no need. I’ll go check if Old Jeff has parked the carriage correctly. I heard people say before that parking a carriage in the wrong place incurs a fine. Oh, sir, Ms. Green asked me to give you a letter."
He said, pulling out a letter and handing it over to Dr. Schneider, then temporarily departed with another attendant.
The doctor held the letter, watching the boy disappear into the misty fog:
"Is he the boy you mentioned?"
"Yes."
Shard also watched Little John’s silhouette.
"Detective, you know, you’ve changed a person’s fate."
The doctor admired and said:
"If he hadn’t met you, the chance of him living to adulthood, I wouldn’t dare quantify."
Though cruel, it’s the reality of this era.
"I’ve changed more than just his fate."
Shard did not deny what he had done:
"I can’t save everyone, but at least I can help those I know. If he had not lived in the dumpster behind the Green Lake Hotel, but in another dumpster a street away, I might not have done those things."
"Helping people you encounter is already the most goodness the world allows one to do."
The doctor evaluated, adjusting his hat, and took out his notebook to calculate time. He had been away from Tobesk for too long; upon returning, he must manage the patients he hadn’t seen... providing psychological guidance.
"Then what does one call those who can even help people they haven’t met?"
Shard asked with a smile, the humid steam mist left the skin feeling grimy. The gentle snowflakes from above temporarily withheld from reaching the platforms beside the tracks.
"They are called saints. Each of us has limited power; trying to help everyone in need is too greedy. Even being a good person can’t be too greedy; we must understand our limits rather than give indiscriminately."
This middle-aged psychologist indeed has a unique way of viewing the world and life.
Shard nodded thoughtfully, feeling the doctor’s words made sense. He then noticed that the young soldiers saying their farewells by the train were beginning to board, and the steam mist grew denser as if the train was about to depart:
"Is this mobilization in Green Lake City a routine one or an emergency reinforcement?"
"Unclear."
The doctor shook his head, also looking at the steam-enveloped train; this is the steam boiler releasing excess steam to prevent overheating or pressure from rising to dangerous levels:
"But these young men are surely about to face the real battlefield. As tensions between the two countries grow, if war breaks out, who knows how many of these young souls before us will be weary but return to their hometowns."
The young men boarding the train waved their arms toward the windows, while their friends and family shouted final advice in farewell.
Priest Augustus, Durut Giles had completely vanished in the thick steam mist, as if the world had only Shard and Dr. Schneider standing together.
The scene was magical and mystical, like a dream, yet more real than any moment:
"What does war mean for children like Little John, for these young men still unaware of the battlefield’s cruelty, for us temporarily outside its scope?"
"Detective, that topic is a bit too vast."
Doctor Schneider sighed as he looked at the scene before him:
"But at least for that boy, you’ve helped him avoid future famines, wars, and plagues, avoided the possibility of becoming a gangster, avoided dying from illness and hunger. He may grow up to be a mechanical engineer, a university scholar, or just an inconspicuous ordinary person, but he will thereby affect more people, meet his lover, marry, have children, live through a life either ordinary or extraordinary."
The blue-eyed middle-aged man gazed into the steam mist, smiling as he arrived at this thought:
"Fate, it truly is alluring. If you or he had chosen a different option, he wouldn’t be here at the train station helping me move luggage."
"Speaking of luggage, Doctor, aren’t you going to open that letter and take a look?"
Shard queried again; the letter that Ms. Helena Green had Little John deliver was tucked into the doctor’s notebook.
