The Cornflower Witch Chapter 12

New day.

After breakfast, Hylial and Talil went to Winnie’s house. Little Randy was also playing in the living room, holding a large ball of yarn.

“You’re here.” Winnie walked out of the kitchen, bringing freshly baked cookies and offering them to the two.

“Have some.”

She then picked up Randy, took him back to his room to play by himself, and began their first formal lesson.

“First, I need to assess Miss Lia’s mastery of text.” She placed a thick book on the table.

“This is *The Annual Rings of the Fir Tree ~ Tales of the Mountain Kingdom*, a graduation gift from Scholar Hyde. It was written by Acanash, a famous scholar from 300 years ago. This book tells the early history of the Regas Kingdom, how Knight King Regard Buylie conquered the mountains, and how he established laws and appeased the various mountain tribes to gain their allegiance.”

“Now, Miss Lia, please try to read the chapter ‘Battle of Snowfall Mountain’ on page 235.”

“I understand.” Hylial took the thick book with interest.

She quickly found the specified page and tried to decipher the text. Most of the words she recognized; a few phrases were obscure, likely terms her previous self hadn’t learned.

‘The heavy snow fell for five days and four nights, breaking the branches of the pine trees under its weight. We had no choice but to dismount and trudge through the deep snow, the landscape a vast expanse of white…

Sid, the Wind Hunter accompanying us, told me that there was a lingering scent of ‘Sleepy Winter’ in the wind, and that this heavy snow might have been artificially created, which filled me with apprehension.

Marang and Pliss said they would find a way to help me with the blizzard, but I wondered what these Scholars of Candlefort could possibly do. They are only suited to organizing knowledge from books and transcribing ancient markings. The only thing they are good for, I suppose, is their excellent math skills and their knack for building siege engines, which has solved many problems for me.

…

For two months, we wandered the mountains in vain, unable to find the enemy’s main force. Many froze to death in the cold nights. Today, Knight Holen reported to me again that 13 soldiers did not wake up last night.

I think we are probably lost.

…

Facing the corpse of Knight Reid, rage filled my body, making me want to burn and explode like the Blazing Sun, but alas, I am not ‘Blazing Sun,’ and could only plunge my sword into the rock beneath my feet.

I can’t wait any longer. I can’t continue like this. I asked Scholar Marang to leave my tent for a moment, then walked towards the birdcage covered with black cloth, inside which stood a strange bird. It would convey my determination…

…

The Black-Crowned Magpie cried, the 432nd annual ring of the Brown-Blooded Fir scarred. I executed Keshale under the black pine of Snowfall Mountain. He fell with a curse, and my heavy sword was full of nicks.

Regardless, we achieved victory, defeating the last and strongest tribe in the mountains and beheading their leader. Those snow mountain crones who assisted Keshale were also nailed to stakes, bleeding dry.

From twenty-one years ago, when I brought my family’s retainers south and settled in the small town by Ear Lake, to opening new territories, uniting, and conquering,

and finally sweeping away all obstacles, this long journey has finally come to an end.

It’s time to go back; my family is waiting for me, and so are the warriors.

We shall build a city where these mountains converge, make a covenant with the cornerstone, and establish our kingdom.

May it be as evergreen as the fir tree, may our knights’ armor always be strong, and their swords always sharp.’

After reciting the almost poetic end of the passage, Hylial put down the book.

Winnie clapped her hands, showing approval: “Not only is your pronunciation exceptionally standard, but Miss Lia’s voice is also so melodious and rhythmic, drawing one in.”

“If a perfect score is 10, I would give Miss Lia 9.6 points.”

“Oh, that’s not a perfect score?” Talil questioned, puzzled.

“Well, Miss Lia probably wasn’t born in the Regas Kingdom, and doesn’t know some of the local unique words and slang. She skipped a few words, so I had to deduct points,” Winnie explained.

“I see.”

“However, it’s reassuring that Miss Lia read some of the less common and obscure words in the book accurately. You know, Scholar Acanash, who wrote the book, had a habit of showing off his textual prowess, preferring to use obscure words to demonstrate his vast knowledge and taste.” Winnie shook her head slightly as she spoke, as if she had faced many difficulties when studying this book before.

“So, Miss Lia’s literary skills need no further assessment. Next up is arithmetic.” She took out a sheet of paper with various arithmetic problems and handed it to Hylial.

Before receiving the paper, the young girl felt a little nervous, after all, most of her math knowledge from university, especially advanced calculus, was long forgotten.

However, after seeing the problems on the paper, she immediately relaxed. These were just elementary school problems, maybe with a touch of middle school knowledge added.

She wrote down the answers almost without thinking, finishing a whole sheet of problems in less than a minute.

Winnie had been planning to assess Talil while Hylial answered the questions, but to her surprise, Hylial was already done. She had to first check Hylial’s answer sheet.

“All correct.” Her voice held a hint of hesitation, almost disbelief.

Talil, meanwhile, leaned over and, seeing the various numbers and problems on the paper, immediately felt dizzy and turned her face away.

“Now I don’t have to worry about Miss Lia’s foundation,” Winnie said, relieved, and asked the young girl to wait for a moment while she assessed Talil’s situation.

During this free time, Hylial, intrigued, continued to flip through *The Annual Rings of the Fir Tree ~ Tales of the Mountain Kingdom*.

This book was written by Scholar Acanash 300 years ago. It cites parts of the autobiography of ‘Knight King’ Regard Buylie, records from early military scholars, and accounts from local people. Finally, it pieces together a long epic describing the founding of the Regas Kingdom.

Regard Buylie came from the Gulunga Mountains in the central continent, the second son of a local minor noble. Although he couldn’t inherit the title, he was exceptionally talented from a young age, becoming a ‘Level 3 – Castle’ Knight at 24. Afterward, he gathered a group of like-minded companions and retainers and came to the southern mountain lakeside. From there, he gradually expanded his territory until, at the age of fifty-six, he cleared all obstacles and established the Regas Kingdom. The knights and companions who followed him in his campaigns also became the first group of nobles in the Regas Kingdom.

The establishment of the Regas Kingdom was not smooth sailing. ‘Knight King’ Regard spent twenty-one years conquering the mountains, and after establishing the kingdom, it took him almost another twenty years to stabilize the country. The various public order, economic, and construction problems that arose during this process often overwhelmed the Knight King. Fortunately, the ‘Candlefort School’ that supported him continuously sent scholars to this harsh mountain region for decades. Serving as advisors, consultants, and mentors to the local nobles, they gradually educated, taught skills, and built castles and towers, ultimately solidifying the country.

Scholar Acanash must have also come from the ‘Candlefort School,’ Hylial thought at the end, guessing the author’s stance and background. Although there was some complaining and teasing about the ‘Candlefort School’ at the beginning, the subsequent praises and compliments made those earlier flaws seem more like a rhetorical device to build up to a strong conclusion.

Perhaps there was some personal bias, but if it weren’t for the records kept by these scholars of the ‘Candlefort School,’ future generations would have no way to understand past history. Overall, Hylial had a good impression of the ‘Candlefort School’; they truly expanded the boundaries of civilization and improved the living environment of the local residents.