The Cornflower Witch Chapter 215

Burntstone City, Madame Faran’s mansion.

Talil and Lining, dressed in maid uniforms, were tidying up various items in the rooms, packing them into boxes, and sealing them.

“Madame, should the furniture on the second floor also be taken?” Talil came downstairs with a dressing box, placing it aside to be packed later.

“No need for the furniture on the second floor,” Madame Faran replied after a moment of thought from her wooden sofa.

“Those things are too heavy, let’s leave them here. And also pack up everything in Lia’s room, she might come back to live here someday.”

“Understood.” Talil nodded, remembering the silver-haired figure.

Speaking of which, Lia had been in the Woodland for two years now. She wondered how she was doing, if she had regained her memory, and if she was well there. She heard the Woodland was quite dangerous.

It was early winter, and Burntstone City wasn’t too cold yet. A fireplace burned in the mansion’s hall, emitting a faint warmth.

Madame Faran, dressed in a golden gown with gold thread embroidery, sat by the fireplace, daintily sipping tea, her gaze fixed remotely as she reminisced.

She had been in Burntstone City for four years, and it was time to leave. Although she was accustomed to constantly migrating after years of travel, she still felt nostalgic and remembered past events whenever she left a place she had grown comfortable with.

In these past few years, besides interacting with local Gardeners, attending gatherings and tea parties, and surveying local plants—all things she did regularly—her greatest gain and change was taking on a special ‘apprentice,’ Hylial.

Though Hylial was her student, in Madame Faran’s eyes, the girl was quite mysterious. Her talent was exceptional, and her character was remarkably good, so much so that it piqued Madame Faran’s curiosity.

Generally, a person’s character is shaped by their upbringing, but Madame Faran couldn’t imagine what kind of environment Hylial had grown up in.

If the other party came from a very good family background, they would exude a confidence and pride from within, which many would call ‘nobility.’ However, Madame Faran noticed a delicate cautiousness in Hylial’s character, probably a habit she spontaneously developed in an unstable environment during childhood.

Yet, it wouldn’t be accurate to say Hylial came from a poor background, either. She showed no strong desire for money or profit, and she didn’t care much for fame, status, or the adulation of others. She seemed to possess a natural wisdom and tranquility, qualities that usually only develop in good family environments, with proper education and intellectual nurturing.

She had both the shyness and purity of a young girl, and a foresight and intelligence far beyond her tender years, making her exceptionally easy to teach.

Though she couldn’t pinpoint how the girl’s character and temperament had formed, this didn’t diminish Madame Faran’s affection for her student. She hadn’t even considered taking an apprentice before, as she wasn’t one to be easily bound by emotions.

But this time, she genuinely felt a newfound fondness for her student—for Hylial’s presence, the subtle greenness of her familiarity with the environment and learning tasks, her talent for quickly understanding things, and the occasional cute expressions and actions she displayed.

Her departure was set, so she would leave this place for Hylial. When Hylial returned to Burntstone City in the future, she would have a small home of her own.

Madame Faran stood up, went into the courtyard, and further instructed Lining to lock and close all the mansion’s gates.

“Is the caravan ready?” she inquired.

“Ready, Madame. It’s the Oak Barrel Merchant Guild’s caravan, and they will be here tomorrow morning,” Lining replied, bowing.

“Good.” Madame Faran nodded, then handed a golden key to Lining.

“Take this key to the nearest Four Seasons Alliance branch and entrust them with its safekeeping. When Hylial returns, they will give it to her.”

“Understood.” Lining took the key and left the mansion.

The next morning, several carriages rolled out of the mansion, loaded with Madame Faran’s belongings and valuables, heading out of Burntstone City. At this moment, Madame Faran stood at the mansion gate, took one last look, and then boarded a carriage, following the caravan away.

On the road, the Anti Kingdom guards eyed the cargo with a hint of greed, but restrained themselves due to their commanding officer’s orders, allowing the caravan to pass.

A month later, the convoy left the territory controlled by the Anti Kingdom, heading further north. They would traverse several countries until they reached a small country in the northern part of the central continent, Madame Faran’s homeland, a wilderness where wind chime grasses bloomed.

…

Deep winter, Viscount Xuefeng’s mansion where he was under house arrest.

There were still a few guards from Viscount Xuefeng, and two of his knights standing guard, but the Anti Kingdom soldiers watching them from outside the walls were always like a sword hanging over Viscount Xuefeng’s head, making him uneasy.

Fortunately, Hailey and Fred had left Whitecliff City before its fall and were now by his side.

Hailey and Fred were Viscount Xuefeng’s daughter and son, who were studying in Whitecliff City. However, Viscount Xuefeng had a premonition and had them return early, sparing them from the war’s ravages in Whitecliff City.

Alas, even now, he couldn’t preserve the family’s honor. He could only gather his important people close, hoping to weather this tumultuous change peacefully.

He no longer had any aspirations for nobility. If he could find a quiet mansion in a foreign land and live out the rest of his days, that would probably be a good ending. He stood by the window, gazing at the night sky, thinking silently, but the current situation made it impossible for him to truly relax.

These garrison soldiers would come to him every three days, claiming that things were missing from the castle or raising various strange issues to find fault and demand explanations. Although Viscount Xuefeng was not a nobleman skilled in social interaction, he could see that these knights and soldiers from the Anti Kingdom wanted to squeeze benefits out of him.

Though he had some savings, if he was blackmailed like this every day, he would eventually run out of money. He wondered what face they would show then.

Thinking of this, his mood became depressed again.

He wondered when this situation would end, and what price he would have to pay to take his family and guards out of Burntstone City to another place.

Just as Viscount Xuefeng was lost in sorrow, a rapid sound of footsteps ascended the stairs.

“My Lord.” A familiar guard reported to him.

“What’s wrong?” Viscount Xuefeng took a deep breath, calmed himself, and turned to ask.

“Those Anti Kingdom soldiers are here again. They claim a thief stole their belongings in the city and might be hiding in our mansion, demanding to search it.”

Hearing this, Viscount Xuefeng’s anger flared, but he also felt a pang of powerlessness. If he resisted now, the many Anti Kingdom troops stationed in the city would have a perfect excuse to act.

So, he suppressed his rage, picked up his clothes, and walked downstairs.

“I understand, I’ll go see.”

Several minutes later, he arrived at the mansion’s main gate, where many people had already gathered. On one side were Viscount Xuefeng’s personal guards, and on the other was a group of Anti Kingdom soldiers reeking of alcohol.

The leader was a second-tier captain. Upon seeing Viscount Xuefeng, he stepped forward and said in a sarcastic tone, “Oh, Lord Xuefeng, did you go to bed so early?”

“Well, you are a lofty nobleman, and we are just commoners born from the mud, so of course, we cannot compare to your nobility.”

“However, you went to bed early with your beautiful wife, but you didn’t consider that the city’s public order is not good right now. Some thieves are causing trouble everywhere, stealing people’s money. Since you were once the lord here, you must know a lot about the local thieves.”

“We’ve searched everywhere in the city and found no clues. Now we can only come to your place to look.”

“We hope Lord Viscount Xuefeng will not hinder our efforts to punish criminals.” With that, he waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him surged through the main gate.

“Stop!” Viscount Xuefeng forced the group to halt, then stared intently at the captain before him.

As if making a huge decision, he slowly spoke.

“I know the Anti Kingdom military maintains strict discipline and surely harbors no ill will. However, this is my private residence, and there are many women and family members inside. It would be inconvenient for too many outsiders to see them.”

“I will conduct a self-inspection afterwards to check for any hidden thieves. Please understand.” After saying this, he whispered something to a nearby attendant.

Subsequently, several people brought out heavy iron boxes and placed them before the soldiers. Even without opening them, everyone could guess that they contained glittering gold coins.

Seeing this, the captain hesitated. If he could go in and perhaps loot more, that would certainly be better. But seeing Viscount Xuefeng’s reaction, if he pushed further, it might lead to a fight. Even if Viscount Xuefeng perished without a trace afterwards, the captain was only a second-tier warrior, and he couldn’t guarantee that no accidents would occur during a siege.

Considering this, the captain nodded.

“Alright, since Lord Xuefeng is so sincere, we won’t disturb you.” With that, he had his comrades carry the iron boxes and walked out of the gate, content.

With this money, they could live lavishly for a while. Perhaps they could even save up some capital, get married, have children, and become new noble lords in the Regas Duchy-occupied territories.

This was the greatest ambition of many ordinary soldiers when following the army, and it was this temptation of benefits that allowed the Anti Kingdom to launch multiple large-scale wars and conscript enough soldiers as cannon fodder in just a few years.

Since the Anti Kingdom occupied Regas territory, the status of the former Regas nobles plummeted. Even those who managed to transfer some of their assets suffered a severe blow.

Just as Viscount Xuefeng was worrying about his future predicament and safety, a knight in white armor galloped through the mountain roads and wilderness, rushing towards Burntstone City.

He was alone, yet his posture was proud, and his aura striking. The holy armor and feathers clearly indicated that he was not an ordinary soldier or mortal, but a third-tier knight, and moreover, a ‘White Knight’ who had completed his trials and possessed powerful core abilities.