The Cornflower Witch Chapter 106

Chapter 106: Assessment Concludes

Under the moonlight, the black hair that the girl had used to conceal herself slowly receded, restoring her to flawless silver-snow long hair.

Amidst her hair, faint light spots flickered, then scattered around her, allowing some of her wounds to heal slightly and her physical strength to recover significantly.

Hylial’s breathing stabilized once more.

She slowly descended from mid-air, the two fluorescent green long swords in her hands now imbued with a faint silver glow, not dazzling, but exceptionally soft.

In response, the transformed Iona, with clouded eyes, instinctively charged forward, attacking Hylial.

However, this time, Hylial did not evade. Instead, she fixed her gaze on Iona’s movements, gripping her sword hilt tightly, and then—

A serene sword light flashed.

The blade, with its faint silver glow, pierced directly through Iona’s chest, bringing forth black blood.

Then, an invisible silver glow spread from the wound, constantly dissipating the [distortion] aspect on Iona’s body, causing the black and red blood that covered her entire body to lighten slightly.

“It’s no use…” Iona finally regained some clarity, her eyes looking helplessly at the night sky.

“It’s no use…” she repeated, unsure if she was referring to Hylial’s actions or her own.

Iona’s body became weak, and she slowly knelt to the ground. Hylial had to support her with one hand.

“I’m sorry,” her voice carried a hint of regret.

Iona shook her head slightly, saying nothing more, gradually becoming extremely weak, the color quickly draining from her face.

“I’m sorry, Lia,” she said, touching the girl’s shoulder with one hand.

“I said some harsh things to you.”

“It’s alright, Iona. Let’s go down the mountain. The teacher will figure something out there.” Hylial prepared to help Iona down the mountain.

But Iona remained unresponsive, her body as heavy as mud.

“It’s no use, the distorted aspect has corroded my entire body. Now I’m just a husk,” her voice grew weaker and weaker.

“It’s so sad… Am I going to die, Lia?” Her voice was broken and intermittent.

Hylial could only hold her tightly, comforting her back.

She couldn’t bring herself to utter such kind lies, so she could only accompany her in this way for her final moments.

“I have no family, no friends left, Lia.”

“It’s truly so sad… I’m so afraid of losing. Those who lose will be scorned and looked down upon, and no one will like them…”

“Father lost that war… I haven’t seen him since.”

“I’m sorry…”

Iona’s voice became too faint to hear after that.

A long while later, the figure in her arms slowly melted, dissolving into black sludge. This feeling of emptiness left Hylial with a sense of loss.

She shook the silver hair behind her and slowly stood up, gazing at the bright moon above.

The moonlight was flawless, yet the moon’s surface still bore traces of scars.

Glorious Moon, clear Glorious Moon, yet also a flawed moon that could not hide its scars.

The clearer one saw, the harder it was to find perfection. Perhaps the moon shrouded in mist was the most beautiful.

It was precisely because it was unattainable that it lingered in one’s mind, becoming an obsession.

…

Afterwards, Hylial returned to the mountain peak. The warm bonfire that had been burning an hour ago now only had a few lingering embers, and the lantern that the two had fought over lay casually overturned in the grass, like an ordinary stone, unnoticed.

Walking over, Hylial picked up the lantern and returned to the bonfire, gathering the firewood and gradually rekindling it.

The bright firelight illuminated her eyes. Looking at the bonfire, she recalled faces from her memories.

Those familiar people, one by one, drifted away, never to be heard from again.

Was it a disagreement between them? No, it was simply that their paths had diverged for too long, and they could no longer see each other.

…

The next morning, Hylial woke from her blanket by the bonfire. The sun was already rising in the sky, and she heard some familiar footsteps.

Soon, as she descended the mountain with the lantern, she encountered Mick and the others.

Everyone was surprised and curious that Hylial’s hair had turned a magnificent, pure silver, and also astonished by the blood-colored demon flower quietly blooming in the lantern she held.

“Lia, you got it!” Komia cheered in delight.

The others were also surprised and congratulated her. Although they also wanted the Blood Odd Flower, seeing Hylial obtain it filled them with joy.

“It’s better than that Solin guy getting it anyway,” Mick mumbled, walking ahead with his head resting on his arm.

Most of his swordsmanship had been taught by Hylial, so he didn’t feel it was inappropriate for Hylial to get the Blood Odd Flower.

It’s normal for the strong to come first, isn’t it? Besides, Hylial had already obtained it before they even arrived, which meant her strength far surpassed theirs. Trying to snatch it would only be humiliating.

Since they hadn’t held much hope to begin with, the group wasn’t too disappointed. Instead, they were curious about how Hylial had managed to get ahead of Iona.

“Did Lia see Iona?” Komia asked curiously.

“I did,” Hylial said, holding the lantern in one hand and gently stroking her hair with the other, her voice tinged with regret.

“However, she’s gone.”

“Was she defeated by Lia and then ran away?” The group was very curious.

“No,” Hylial shook her head, deciding to tell the truth, as it wouldn’t be hidden for long anyway.

“I mean, Iona is dead.”

“Ah, this…” A myriad of explosive scenes and thoughts immediately flashed through the minds of the others.

“Lia… you’re so amazing, so bold,” Komia said, her voice trembling slightly, but also with a hint of excitement.

“To think you could even ruthlessly eliminate that young lady,” Mick added.

“Indeed, Lia’s strength is formidable,” Kaelen chimed in.

“Cough, cough, what are you all thinking?” Hylial couldn’t help but complain, wanting to explain further.

“Things got very complicated, but that was the outcome.” She began to worry if Viscount Xuefeng would harbor resentment towards her upon their return.

…

Meanwhile, at the camp at the foot of the mountain.

Viscount Xuefeng, having woken up and cleaned his face, emerged from his tent with Scholar Hyde and sat down at the wooden platform to wait. The witch’s carriage was parked nearby.

Sparrows occasionally flew by. As the sun gradually rose higher, the witch slowly stepped out of her carriage. Her long black skirt, which had seemed so dangerous in the night, now appeared somewhat serene in the sunlight.

“What’s the outcome, Senior Sister Melinsa?” Scholar Hyde couldn’t help but ask for the first time.

“Oh, are you anxious too, Hyde?” Melinsa said, unfolding her black dress folding fan shortly after sitting down.

“The battle ended last night. The final victor has emerged.”

“Who won then?” Viscount Xuefeng couldn’t help but ask.

“I can only tell you that the black-haired girl lost,” the witch replied mischievously.

(End of chapter)