Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam
Chapter 77 - 76: The Witch’s Thoughts

Chapter 77: Chapter 76: The Witch’s Thoughts

"She’s alive, she really is alive!"

Until the knights dragged her onto the horse’s back, Ave stood frozen in place, her gaze never leaving the figure enveloped in ice and snow.

She had always believed it so firmly, but never expected to see her in such a sudden manner.

Ave’s body trembled slightly. Despite her terror, a discordant smile tugged at her lips. The golden fur atop her head kept flailing against her scalp, but to little effect.

As Riverside Town was about to disappear from view, she saw Lance brandishing his longsword, charging decisively into the snow and ice, fiercely tearing open the three magic scrolls hung at his waist.

Instantly, the town was illuminated by the soaring flames. Fire and ice collided, dividing the entire world into distinct realms of red and blue. She couldn’t tell whether the gusts hitting her were heat waves or cold winds. One moment she felt her skin would burst from the heat, and the next she seemed to be standing in a frozen cellar.

The shockwave of the clash spread hundreds of meters outward, snapping every tree and plant in its path.

Then, everything returned to silence.

Ave heard Miss Keroy’s urgent "gugugu" sound as she charged ahead, with Ethan on her back, leading the horses forward.

This two-year investigation finally bore fruit, only to be followed by a blank uncertainty.

The Lindong Witch was still alive.

But, what now?

What should she do next?

Should she immediately return to the imperial capital, present irrefutable evidence to the Church, and expose the execution two years ago as nothing but a hoax woven by the Church through the Horned Owl Beast Daily?

Impossible.

Deep down, she already knew that those who wanted to do so were all bound to the stake. To avoid following in their footsteps, her family allowed her to leave the imperial capital and head alone to this border town, knowing full well that this was destined to be a fruitless journey.

Ethan too fell into deep thought; the witch’s appearance confirmed his vague premonitions.

Why did the witch know their battle plan?

Why did the witch take the blame for him?

And where exactly did that subtle familiarity come from?

If Miss Zhao Cai was indeed the Lindong Witch transformed, then it would all make sense.

However, he too couldn’t escape feeling lost about the future. Recently, he learned many things—his original plans and life trajectory would be shattered with the turmoil of the Empire.

Where would Old Sen’s future lead?

Excessive use of stimulator made him groggy, ensuring these questions couldn’t be immediately answered.

He decided to close his eyes.

When he awoke again, it was late at night, and he lay on a familiar bed. Next to it stood a glass bottle glowing softly. The apartment was lively, and he immediately heard voices arguing in the living room. As he flipped out of bed and exited the bedroom, members of the Knight Order were embroiled in debate over their next steps.

Ave had buried her head against her knees, the golden fur atop drooping listlessly. She didn’t seem keen on intervening in the knights’ disputes.

Listening a while, Ethan found out that the injuries on the other side were grave. Although they seized the opportunity created by Lance’s magic scroll to rescue the Knight Commander, it was already too late; the cold had invaded her body, plunging her into a coma. Even worse, the Lindong Witch remained unscathed and roamed freely outside.

This was the insurmountable chasm between mortals and saints. The Knight Commander had almost instantly succumbed to the witch. Everyone knew that when the Lindong Witch descended upon Ximu Town, it would spell destruction for the town.

Morale sank to unprecedented lows. One faction believed they ought to follow the last order from the Knight Commander—to evacuate the town and bring her back to the Holy Hall for treatment. Others felt they should never abandon the residents of Ximu Town and should adhere to the knightly code, battling the witch to the last moment.

Neither side could convince the other; fear made them irritable and prone to anger. It seemed a fight might break out at any moment.

Ethan’s mind was in turmoil; he didn’t wish to remain in this tension-filled place. He greeted Ave, who seemed asleep and ignored him. He entrusted Miss Keroy to look after Ave, then took the glass bottle and headed solo towards the cemetery outside Ximu Town.

It’s the quietest place in the town, where he’d fulfill his promise to Isean.

Having not visited in days, the tombstone of Luoxang had gathered a thick layer of dust. He transformed the ice elements into water, using them to wash away the dust, then sat down on the slope and unscrewed the bottle cap.

"I saw Isean, she is an excellent magician."

Beyond that, Ethan had no idea what to say.

Pale blue fireflies drifted slowly out of the glass bottle, flying into the night sky. To romantics, Luoxang’s family should be gathered somewhere without any pain at this moment. Ethan’s gaze followed the fireflies as they rose higher, until they vanished completely. In reality, he had no idea where departed souls went.

His mastery of fire elemental magic had made a qualitative leap; self-preservation in the looming chaos shouldn’t be a problem.

Was it finally time to leave the town?

"Meow~"

A soft cat’s meow caught Ethan’s attention.

Beneath the bright moonlight stood a Ragdoll cat with pristine white fur, gazing at him, half of her form still concealed in shadow.

What should come, will come sooner or later.

"Good evening, Miss Zhao Cai."

Ethan waved lightly, as usual, remembering how she disguised herself as a client to approach him at Fireplace Bay, asking for a bouquet made of ice elemental roses. Yet, he couldn’t confirm if it was a wicked joke of the witch, as all books mentioning witches described them as the most cunning, the most adept at toying with hearts; cruel women.

Appearing harmless to approach prey, tricking them into trust, playing them like puppets...

"Actually, this isn’t your true form, is it?"

The cat nodded at him.

Ethan patted the empty space beside him and asked, "Aren’t you going to talk?"

This time, he closely observed the entire process of the cat transforming into a witch. In fact, the entire transformation was shrouded by blinding white light. The white glow took the shape of a human silhouette. Clearly, Miss Witch had a good memory, recalling the crystal high heels they’d casually talked about in their last meeting.

Miss Witch came to his side, sat on the slope like him, hugging her knees.

Her silence accompanied by expressionless countenance made it hard to guess her thoughts. She merely turned slightly, staring at Ethan without a word.

"So, what exactly is going on?"

Ethan wasn’t adept at guessing others’ thoughts either and didn’t want to waste time and energy on such elusive matters, thus said, "I want to know your thoughts."

"A long long time ago... hmm, that’s not right."

Miss Witch took a deep breath, then revealed a slightly troubled expression. "On the far side of the ocean... that’s not right either."

It was a very distant story.

Both in time and place, it was.

However, she didn’t want to tell a story now, nor did she come to tell one.

After much contemplation, she finally revealed a look of realization. Yet this time, she didn’t speak; instead, she closed her eyes, relaxed, and rested her head on Ethan’s shoulder.

Turning his head, Ethan smelled that unique fragrance.

It came from the silky strands, a scent named snow cherry fruit aroma.

Miss Witch’s eyelashes trembled lightly, catching the moonlight’s arcs.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Not knowing how long had passed, Ethan heard her soft murmur tainted with a nasal sound, "Like this, do you understand?"