“You really know how to cause me trouble.”
That night in the southern suburbs of Tobesk, in the Duchess's manor, Miss Jialinna said to Xia De, who was sitting on the sofa, holding a teacup.
Xia De had just returned from Huntington City. The murder case at the White King Club concluded with Miss Masha's arrest, the tobacco merchant and university lecturer being taken away, and the deceased Earl's reputation ruined. However, Xia De still visited Mr. Bernhardt's manor as agreed.
Holding the cat, Xia De thanked Tifa, who was pouring tea, with a very worried expression on his face:
“I don't know how I ran into her. Now that I think about it, rashly touching a relic that brings good luck is really not a good idea. I feel that ever since I walked out of that wine cellar, fate seems to have guided me to be involved in that inexplicable matter, and then I met Miss Sylvia. Is this considered good luck or bad luck?”
“Meow!”
The cat opened its mouth and meowed, dissatisfied that Xia De's petting speed had slowed down.
“This should be considered good luck. That young Great Witch seems to have a very good impression of you.”
Miss Jialinna had already finished listening to Xia De's description, took a sip of tea with her red lips, and then added:
“All the Great Witches who have seen you so far have a good impression of you.”
“Oh, Miss Jialinna, please don't tease me.”
Xia De said, and then heard Tifa laughing. But when he looked up at the beautiful black-haired maid, she clearly had no expression, instead, her pretty big eyes widened and blinked twice in confusion.
“Speaking of good luck, can I stay overnight at the manor today?”
Xia De asked, and Miss Jialinna raised an eyebrow:
“What does good luck have to do with staying overnight? Are you planning to try your luck in my bedroom while your luck is good today?”
She was definitely teasing. Their current relationship was still intimate, and this level of joke was not excessive.
“No, no, I used the relic 【Golden Lucky Rabbit's Foot】 today, and I'm worried that something might go wrong tonight. If I stay overnight at the manor, you can help me if I encounter trouble.”
“Of course, that's no problem, but is 【Golden Lucky Rabbit's Foot】 the Secret Keeper Level one? You're really amazing, to even find something like that.”
“However, why did the Pantanal Voodoo Society use an ordinary person to poison and murder the Earl of Huntington City?”
Xia De asked again.
“According to your statement, that Earl's social and financial connections were so complex, there must have been many people who wanted him dead. However, the Pantanal Voodoo Society was also unlucky this time. They specifically arranged for a Hexacle Ring術士 to provide support to prevent any accidents, but in the end, the Earl died in front of the Princess, and even ran into you, and then ran into Sylvia. I can't think of anything more unlucky than that.”
The Duchess chuckled. She had nothing to do with this matter, so she could treat it as a amusing anecdote to tease about:
“However, a Ring術士 organization attacking ordinary people, and being discovered, directly violates the rules set by the Orthodox Church. The Huntington Diocese will probably not be peaceful for some time to come.”
Miss Jialinna looked at Xia De lazily:
“I'm not sure if you went to Huntington City for anything else besides bringing me a few bottles of local red wine and pastries.”
Xia De didn't come empty-handed at that time, and those red wines were gifts from Mr. Bernhardt.
“But Xia De, you should try to avoid getting involved in matters concerning nobles and Ring術士, otherwise you will get into big trouble.”
“I understand. I went to Huntington City to find something, not to cause bigger trouble.”
Xia De nodded, but it wasn't until he rode the carriage back to the White River Valley Vineyard that he remembered why he had gone to that unfamiliar City today. Fortunately, Mr. Bernhardt's Vampire clan had very good intelligence locally and could help inquire about information, so Xia De didn't waste his time today.
Outside the study was the brilliant starry sky of an early winter night. As the frost descent month passed its halfway point, winter had truly arrived. However, Tobesk's first snow usually appeared at the end of the frost descent month, so it hadn't snowed yet, and the night temperature was not unbearably low.
At least in the manor's study, even without a lit fireplace, it was still warm and comfortable. Miss Jialinna chatted with Xia De again about running into Leia at Yodel Palace today, and then asked Xia De about preparing for the next time key.
After these topics, Xia De also mentioned the bounty for “Poison Ivy Maggis”, saying with some uncertainty:
“Is Miss Emma · Sylvia very short on pounds? It's probably my illusion, but she seemed a bit concerned about that 3000 pounds bounty.”
“She is different from us. Although the young Thirteenth Seat inherited a large inheritance from the previous generation of Witches, she doesn't yet have a continuously profitable industry. I once told you that Sylvia is a very smart girl who plans far ahead. If viewed solely from an asset perspective, she isn't particularly short on pounds, but from a future perspective, she is indeed short on pounds. After all, Witches also need to spend pounds to develop their followers.”
Miss Jialinna smiled at Xia De:
“Moreover, she shouldn't be particularly concerned about a small sum like 3000 pounds. The 3000 pounds you mentioned should only be the bounty from the Natural Church. For someone highly wanted by the Orthodox Church, there will definitely be more than one warrant on them. Calculating it this way, that Pantanal Voodoo Society Ring術士 is worth at least five digits of pounds.”
“Oh, that's really not a small sum.”
Xia De sighed softly, but he didn't feel that Miss Sylvia had taken his pounds. After all, she caught that bald man alone, and she also had to figure out how to get the bounty herself, things that Xia De couldn't do.
Miss Jialinna, who was looking at the starry sky outside the window behind Xia De, asked her personal maid, Tifa, “What time is Sylvia and I scheduled to meet?”
Tifa replied, “Miss, it's exactly eight o'clock.”
“Five more minutes.”
Xia De reminded.
“Xia De, then you come to the Council with us. Sylvia asked to meet me alone, and the other members of the Council won't enter at this time. You don't need to worry too much. The young Sylvia is much easier to deal with than Xi Wei and Grandma Cassandra.”
Miss Jialinna said confidently, stood up, took off her golden necklace, and had Tifa hand it to Xia De:
“This time, you open the door.”
With the cat on his shoulder, followed by Tifa and Miss Jialinna, the three of them entered the long ancient passage in the corridor to the tune of Xia De's slightly off-key singing.
After passing through the fog door at the end of the passage, they entered the white fog. Tifa and Miss Jialinna reached out and grabbed Xia De's arm, and Xia De, holding the Witch's necklace, whispered:
“May the hidden chaos protect me, who is also a Witch!”
The white fog dispersed, and an unknown light illuminated the somewhat dim interior of the Council. In the center of the circular flat ground was an old stone round table, surrounded by steps leading upwards. The Council was empty now; it seemed Miss Sylvia had not arrived early.
“We discussed something when we had a meeting a while ago.”
Taking back the necklace from Xia De, Miss Jialinna found her stone-backed chair and sat down:
“Sister Devlin has become an important partner of the Council, and His Excellency the Speaker is discussing with us whether to grant her the qualification to attend Council meetings.”
There were far more true Witches in the fifth epoch than there are now. Although only thirteen were qualified to have seats, other Witches could also obtain the qualification to attend meetings, but without voting rights.
“Attending meetings? What's the benefit for the Sister?”
Xia De asked, looking around.
“They can participate in our discussions on important issues and gain limited independent access to the Council.”
Miss Jialinna said, Tifa stood behind her, the cat on Xia De's shoulder looked around, and Xia De looked suspiciously at the Witch:
“Independent access to the Council?”
“Yes, besides the thirteen golden ornaments, Ring術士 attending meetings can enter the Council with restrictions through a credential issued by His Excellency the Speaker. Oh, Xia De, don't look at me, I'm not the Speaker, and even if I gave you a credential, what could you do here?”
She believed she had seen through Xia De's thoughts:
“Entering the Council requires singing that song completely in an uninhabited environment, so it cannot be used as a temporary refuge when encountering enemies. Even if I gave you a credential, you wouldn't be able to use it here.”
“I understand.”
Xia De nodded. He was just thinking that if he could enter here at any time, then the voting rights he obtained through the two Witch echoes might allow him to explore more uses.
As the two were talking, footsteps sounded, and Miss Emma · Sylvia, with short black hair, appeared in the Council as if stepping out of thin air. She was still wearing a red long dress, but it was a different style from the afternoon, and in addition, she had a long-sleeved white half-length wool shawl on her upper body. The night in Huntington City must have been quite chilly.
She first saw Miss Jialinna, who had already taken her seat, and bowed respectfully. She was not surprised by Tifa's appearance, but upon seeing Xia De, her brows furrowed deeply:
“So, this gentleman is really a lady?”
She said, finding her seat. And when the second Great Witch took her seat, the surrounding light became a bit stronger.
“No, of course, he's a man; I've checked.”
Miss Jialinna said, and seeing Miss Sylvia look at her suspiciously, she added:
“It's just confirming he's male from a physical structure perspective, but I think my judgment should be correct. So, let me tell you what the situation is now.”
Miss Jialinna motioned for Xia De to come over, and then under Miss Sylvia's gaze, the red-haired Duchess raised her arm, had Xia De lower his head, then put her arm around Xia De's neck and kissed him. After a long while, she looked back at the surprised young Witch:
“Xia De · Su Lun · Han Mi Er Dun, male, a male that Witches can also touch, a male that can use Witch power. In the rumors of Tobesk, he is my lover.”
Miss Sylvia didn't expect to hear such news right away. She hesitated:
“So the reality is…”
“It's similar to the rumors, but not as exaggerated as the rumors.”
The red-haired Duchess laughed, but it was a terrifying look with a smiling expression but completely unsmiling eyes:
“Sylvia, I think you should know what the existence of Mr. Hamilton means to the Council.”
