allonlinenovel Chapter 215 8 years ago
Chapter 215 8 years ago
Eighteen years ago, in the year 185 of the Fourth Age.
Two young women hurried along the western shore of Lake Irinata, knowing they would be forced to camp in the wilderness if they didn't reach Half-Moon Mill to the south before nightfall. However, thanks to the black pine forest, the sunset here was an hour or two earlier than on the Snowdrift Plains.
The lakeshore was sparsely wooded, offering a wide view, though wild animals often came to drink. The two women were not afraid of the beasts; what they feared was something more cunning than a wolf, more cruel than a tiger, and more volatile than a bear—they were afraid to see people.
Because they are witches.
The locals held mages in hostility, and besides, the short girl walking ahead was clearly not Nord. She tossed her brown ponytail and impatiently interrupted the tall girl's rambling.
"I said no! Sister Camilla, I'm just an apprentice myself, how can I take you as my disciple?"
"Why not? You know magic, but I don't. You can teach me! I'm not stupid. I learned how to breathe fire from my palm in three days."
The girl curled her lips.
"I only needed one afternoon back then."
Camilla was speechless. She was eager to prove that she was qualified to learn magic. Just as she was about to speak again, the girl leaped up and covered her mouth.
Shh, keep your voice down, someone's coming.
The two hid in the bushes, holding their breath and peering out. The scene before them shocked the girl, and she couldn't resist the urge to share, so she leaned close to Camilla's ear and whispered.
"Wow! This is amazing! I've heard of werewolves, cat people, and lizard people, but this is the first time I've ever seen a pig person."
"He's just a fat guy."
"How could a person get this fat? They must be a pig."
"If not, you must take me as your disciple."
"A word is settled!"
The pig-man, leading a large contingent of soldiers, escorted the staggering mother and daughter. They stopped by the lake, and amidst the daughter's desperate cries for mercy, the mother was bound hand and foot and hung with two large stones. The pig-man roared wildly in an unintelligible language, then slapped the mother's face repeatedly with his slaps. Fifteen minutes later, panting, she stopped and fiercely swung her forelegs at the soldiers.
Four people came up, lifted the mother onto their shoulders, and walked towards the lake.
Camilla tried to rush forward, but the girl grabbed her collar.
"What are you doing? I'm going to save someone!"
"You will die."
"Esmoridae, you were able to save me from so many villagers, why won't you save her?"
“Those villagers only have pitchforks, these people have swords.”
The girl stated the facts calmly, without any expression on her face.
"You're so heartless! That woman will die!"
“If you go out now, two women will die. We might be able to pull her out of the water after they leave.”
Camilla didn't argue further, nor did she rush out of the bushes. She watched helplessly as the woman was thrown into the lake, and her daughter, too noisy, was punched unconscious by a pigman and carried away on a soldier's shoulder.
We can't wait any longer! Camilla shot towards the lake like an arrow released from a bow, disappearing after splashing water in the girl's astonished gaze.
The lake water was icy cold and turbulent, surrounding her like the villagers with pitchforks and torches. Camilla felt a tightness in her chest, her heart pounding as if seized. But she would not give up! She would dive down to the deepest part of the lake and bring that poor woman back to shore—just as Esmorida had led her out of the village.
Speaking of Esmeralda, she's quite an interesting little girl. Even though I'm four years older than her, I always find myself unconsciously obeying her orders. Like just now, I didn't want to stand idly by, but in the end, I obediently crouched in the bushes.
At the bottom of the deep lake, time lost its meaning; perhaps only a second had passed, or perhaps an entire century had gone by. Surrounded by the dark, icy water, Camilla, having lost her sight and hearing, could only grope with her bare hands. But she found nothing! No rope, no woman, only mud, sand, and pebbles everywhere, and the boundless expanse of the lake.
The last breath she took before entering the water was almost gone, and her chest burned with pain. The lake water, like a millstone, crushed Camilla's reason. She began to hallucinate.
In the vision, Esmeralda's hands and feet radiated a holy, silvery glow, like the fins of a fish. The little girl, transformed into a mermaid, swam to her side, exhaling a string of bubbles. Camilla knew she was complaining about her recklessness.
It's ridiculous.
A day earlier, Camilla would have faced death without regret. This world was vicious and cruel, and there was nothing for her to cherish. Even if it weren't for saving someone, she might have drowned herself—better than being caught and burned by those who claimed to be her fellow villagers. But just yesterday evening, a little girl showed her another side of the world: mysterious, dazzling, profound, and wondrous.
If only I could explore further! If only Esmoridar would take me as his apprentice…
A person who once had no will to live died on the very first day that hope returned.
How ridiculous is that?
Esmorida couldn't muster a smile. She was only seventeen, and although she had been studying magic for nine years, she had only scratched the surface. She had never been the most intelligent child in the tribe, which was why the chieftain had suggested she travel. Everything had been going smoothly until she meddled and rescued that foolish woman named Camilla.
Underwater breathing is a complex technique, and I wasn't proficient enough to begin with. In my haste, I made mistakes and wasted a lot of time. I don't even know if those two women who sank to the bottom will be able to breathe again once they're pulled out.
Regardless, she eventually found the two unconscious people by paddling with her magical flippers and guided by candlelight. Having grown up on the banks of the Kas River, she naturally knew how to save someone from drowning.
However, she certainly couldn't reach Half-Moon Mill by today. By the God of Ravens, that was merely the first stop on her journey; her true destination lay in the dense forest to the southwest. There, a rare, singing plant was said to grow by the local river. Normally, the entire plant was poisonous, but the most experienced alchemists could extract its essence to create wondrous potions that granted invisibility.
Esmeralda had no idea that she would be forced to live at the Half-Moon Mill for the next three months. The woman who had been thrown into the lake claimed to be named Sylvia and was six months pregnant. What was even more infuriating was that, despite being the one who had saved her, Sylvia spoke up for Camilla, insisting that the pig-man was just a fat man.
The young woman had no choice but to fulfill her promise and accept Camilla as her apprentice. She then remembered the matriarch's teaching: it's better to spend the same amount of time tending a flock than tending one sheep. So, Sylvia also became her apprentice. With this, she had three people, enough to announce the formation of a witch's order.
Summer turned to autumn, and the small witch coven expanded to four members. The newest member was named Iya by her mother. Esmeralda was finally able to set off to find the singing grass.
"The Sylvia sisters inquired about their eldest daughter from various sources, but the answer they received was always the same: no one in that castle had ever heard of a girl named Emilia. She therefore assumed your wife was already murdered and poured all her maternal love into Iya, so it's no surprise that the child was spoiled. I will teach her a lesson, but she has never believed me. So, Baron Locke, it's up to you now."
Irina was a taboo subject in Baron Sengard's household; any sensible servant would avoid mentioning anything related to her, lest they incur the wrath of their masters and mistresses. After she was taken to Markars, she vanished without a trace. Sylvia, of course, had no way of finding out anything about her.
"What do you want me to do?"
I never imagined that such a kind expression would appear on the wrinkled face of the Crow Witch.
"As arranged by the teacher, the mother and daughter will move to your territory. After this incident, you are Iya's savior. Both Sylvia and Iya will respect you. You should make good use of this respect to guide Iya onto the right path. She is a highly talented mage, and if she can see the error of her ways, she will surely become your help in the future."
"I will convey Ms. Camilla's good intentions to Ms. Sylvia."
"Absolutely not! Baron Locke, swear on your honor that you will not tell either of them, mother or daughter, what we said."
I was startled by her intense reaction, but I still swore an oath in Talos's name. Camilla then gave a wry smile.
“I have always been a despicable woman. I was like that in the past, and I am like that now. I am grateful that Sister Sylvia doesn’t hold a grudge against me for my insistence on opposing the conversion ceremony.”
"From what you said before, it seems you were thinking of her, afraid she might lose her life."
"I'm not afraid to admit it, but although we were the first to follow our teacher, we were also the two least talented among our fellow disciples. Eighteen years ago, I was twenty-one, and the Sylvia sisters were twenty-seven. We were both of lowly birth and barely literate. Our teacher tormented us for a long time before taking in a few more decent disciples. Our magical abilities both reached their limit in our early thirties, making further progress nearly impossible. Later, with our teacher's help, I became what I am today and entered a realm that was previously unattainable..."
"I heard that this transformation requires the sacrifice of one person?"
Camilla smiled.
"Please forgive me for not describing the process. You only need to know that from that moment on, I could see a mixture of envy and jealousy in the eyes of the Sylvia sisters. She craved this power because she had an enemy, and she wanted to seek justice for her daughter. I can understand her feelings, and that is why I will never support her actions. That ritual requires absolute concentration, and she had too many distractions and was too impatient. Forcing it would only lead to disaster."
"But now that she has let go of this obsession, why don't you make things clear to her?"
"Don't you understand? They will never return to the Blacklight Tower. Her and Iya's future is in your hands. Only by making them owe you a debt of gratitude can you make your move!"
I stared intently at that ugly face distorted by magic, trying to find any expression on it other than sincerity.
"Eighteen years of friendship, a life-saving grace—you're just going to throw it all away like that?"
"It's not about giving them away, but rather transferring them to you."
"I don't understand."
"You are too young. When you reach my age, you will naturally understand my feelings today. I am thirty-nine years old, and I am destined never to have biological children. I treat every young person who comes to me as my own daughter. For parents, there are only two things they fear most: their children going astray or their children dying a violent death. I experienced both in one day. The dead are gone, and I am powerless to help them. But those who are still alive, I must try my best to save them. As long as I can help Iya reform, I am willing to pay any price. What is a little fame worth?"
I placed my right hand on my chest and bowed deeply.
“Lochl of Loristed will do everything in my power to fulfill Lady Camilla’s trust.”
"Your Excellency doesn't need to put too much pressure on yourself. Iya is just young and impetuous, arrogant and lacking in tolerance. She's not a truly wicked person. After this lesson, once she's with you and has seen more of the world, she'll naturally tone down her temper. Besides, even if she's still not good enough, with your status as Baron Locke, supporting a good-for-nothing shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"To be honest, I plan to open a school after the situation stabilizes. If Iya doesn't amount to much, she can become a teacher."
The crow witch and I looked at each other and laughed.
"That would be great. When the time comes, you can pick a few fights for her and let her experience what it's like."
"I think that one day, they, mother and daughter, will..."
Camilla seemed very reluctant to continue the conversation and quickly interrupted me.
"I don't mind. I've been like this for most of my life, and I'm used to it. Just let me know when she achieves something. I've kept you up for so long, so go and get some rest. I'm telling you, the Sylvia sisters won't be able to sleep tonight, so you'll be woken up by them before dawn tomorrow."
After days of traveling and almost having my heart pounded in my mother-in-law's ear, I was indeed exhausted. However, just as Camilla had predicted, I only slept for about four or five hours before Maggie shook me awake.
"Get up quickly, my lord. Your mother-in-law has already packed her things. Let's set off now."
This guy must have taken several naps during yesterday's meeting, he must have had a good night's sleep, but Sylvia's eyes are bloodshot, she must have stayed up all night. She's carrying a small bundle and leaning on her Fire Wall Staff, pacing back and forth outside my room. Judging by this, she can forget about going back to sleep.
The return route was the same as the way there; we took a boat from the Heartwood Mill directly to Ivastad. Because we went downstream and didn't stop at the Treva Watchtower, we saved a day. Sylvia would never have wanted to linger in town, but Maggie said she needed to buy honey for Irina, so we had to waste the time we'd saved.
After entering the town, we met a waiter who was delivering gin, which allowed us to take an oxcart across the Hosga Trail, saving my mother-in-law the trouble of trekking.
Regarding Irina, the little information I knew was completely extracted by Sylvia while we were still on the ship. On the oxcart, she was restless, sometimes anxious, sometimes expectant. She might be smiling westward in the morning, but by afternoon she would be gazing eastward with a furrowed brow. But when the rising sun illuminated the eastern gate of Helgen behind her, she could no longer sit still.
A pretty person stood by the city gate.