The Cornflower Witch Chapter 228

Inside the tent, Hylial knelt on a thick毯子, her slender feet splaying out to the side like a duckling. She gazed at the magnificent precious sword before her knees. Even though only a sliver of it had been drawn, the overflowing “Castle” aspect brought immense pressure upon her.

Such a holy sword was not something she could wield at her current level. Even if she could forcefully draw it, she wouldn’t be able to control its vast power, only able to slice and hack with its mere form.

At the very least, one had to be at Tier 3 or above to use this Steelbreaker Blade, and it required a knight of the ‘Iron Knight’ class to truly unleash its power.

Fine, thread-like patterns subtly appeared on the snowy-silver blade, inscribed with delicate calligraphy. It didn’t resemble the oath of a powerful knight, but rather the prayer of a young maiden. In fact, these patterns were the words Emers had written in her youth.

To commemorate his younger sister and to honor her prayer, Emerson inscribed these words on the blade, which later gradually became part of his legend.

The sword was heavy; Hylial had to hold it with both hands to handle it properly. Holding it with one hand would be too much.

Her fingers slowly caressed the sword’s scabbard, the girl carefully sensing the rhythm emanating from it, as if listening to an ancient ballad, feeling the profound emotions it exuded.

Night deepened, and the snowstorm raged outside. Inside the tent, a small candlelight flickered. Hylial placed the sword beside her, wrapped herself in a plush blanket, and slowly fell asleep.

…

In her dream, she heard a song from a distant land.

Vaguely, she ran down a slope in the wilderness, surrounded by waist-high straw. Light yellow tassels and fluffy white wisps brushed her arms, causing a slight itch, and the wind blew from ahead.

She kept moving forward, pushing aside the straw in her path.

The distant singing grew clearer and clearer.

Until a certain moment, her blurry and indistinct vision suddenly cleared.

She saw a figure with its back to her through the parting straw leaves.

It was a girl about her height, with flaxen braids and simple cloth clothes. She stood in the fields and the wind, singing with her eyes closed.

Hylial reached out, and an unfamiliar call echoed.

‘Emers…’

It wasn’t her voice, but probably the voice of someone in her memory.

Hearing the call, the girl with flaxen braids turned around.

Her appearance was not striking, as ordinary as the wild straw.

But in the young girl’s eyes, a kind and warm emotion arose.

This was probably the tenderness that the original owner had preserved for so long in her heart.

Slowly walking to the girl’s side and standing shoulder to shoulder with her, they basked in the country breeze, gazing down at the village below.

This was where they grew up, and it was an exceptionally ordinary place.

They laughed and talked about mundane things in life.

Aunt Brun made delicious pie today.

Little Dis caught a big black fish.

Uncle Fong would bring delicious honey and small toys from afar in the evening.

She wove a sun hat herself and gave it to her busy brother who worked outside.

These seemingly ordinary things were remarkably clear in her memory.

‘What does big brother like?’ The girl beside her turned, looking at her with gentle eyes.

The words spoken then were already blurred, and Hylial didn’t hear what the answer was.

‘Is it just for living and taking care of me? That won’t do.’

‘Big brother should also have things he wants to do.’

‘Whether it’s for someone he loves, or something that makes him happy.’

Later, the original owner couldn’t remember what else the two said.

Finally, the girl clasped her hands together and prayed to the wind and wheat fields in the distance.

‘I hope big brother can live his own happy life.’

…

The dream ended, but its lingering aftertaste swirled for a long time, immersing her in that distant memory.

The next morning, Hylial woke up and sat up from the plush blanket.

She rubbed her eyes and shook her hair behind her head, allowing it to naturally fall back into place, no longer messy.

Her gaze returned to the ‘Steelbreaker Blade’ beside her, and the girl’s fingers slowly caressed it.

Although it was a weapon used for combat, the thoughts and emotions it contained were without malice, only a profound and gentle nostalgia, like an ideal homeland in a dream.

Anyone who holds this sword for a long time would surely be warmed by the emotions within it. Even when facing the harshest winters and difficulties, they would remain steadfast and unshaken. …

After a good day of rest in the camp, everyone had recovered a lot of their strength, but it wasn’t yet time to leave and return.

Hylial led everyone to inspect the various parts of the camp, clearing out the faint ‘Gray Mud’ that had appeared. Afterward, she and the others reinforced the camp’s facilities to ensure that both people and horses could withstand the severe cold and storms.

“Is Dorothy still sleeping?” It was almost two o’clock in the afternoon, but Hylial hadn’t seen the golden-haired alchemist emerge.

“Yes, Lady Dorothy said not to disturb her, she wanted to sleep in and be lazy.” The student beside her reported helplessly.

“Is that so?”

Hylial pondered for a moment. Indeed, Dorothy had been very busy recently, searching for solutions, mixing powders, and then accompanying her to the Iron Wall Cliff.

“Just let her sleep and rest. She’ll come out when she’s hungry.”

“Yes.”

In the afternoon, Hylial and the students in the camp cooked together, making some dumplings,烤餅, bread, and vegetable meat soup. They had been on the road for several days and hadn’t eaten well.

In the evening, Dorothy, drawn by the aroma, finally emerged from her tent.

“Lia, I’m hungry.” She ran to the silver-haired girl and tugged at her sleeve. Though tall, she acted childishly without any self-consciousness.

“I know.”

Hylial led Dorothy to a small stool by the bonfire, telling her to sit there and wait. Then she went to get food.

Soon, Hylial returned with a sumptuous dinner, including freshly grilled celery steak, pie, and a bowl of hot milk mushroom soup.

“Eat up.” Hylial placed the food on the small table in front of Dorothy and handed her cutlery.

The golden-haired beauty, like a primary school student, happily picked up her knife and fork to taste, then joyfully began to eat.

Hylial sat beside her, watching Dorothy eat heartily, feeling a peculiar sense of cuteness.

At night, Hylial and Dorothy sat together on the tent floor, gazing at the ‘Steelbreaker Blade’ before them.

“So it’s this sword?” Dorothy carefully and curiously touched it with her finger.

“Dorothy, have you heard of it?”

“Yes, after all, it’s a legend that circulated throughout the continent. Of course, I’ve heard of it,” she nodded.

“The Steel Furnace Knights, led by Emerson, though not considered powerful, were the most willing to share their experience with the poor and train young cavalrymen.”

“He taught his life’s knowledge almost free of charge, only requiring them to vow to use their skills to resist the invasion of twilight beasts.”

“Such an oath, for various factions and organizations, did not conflict with their interests and did not require them to bear great responsibility, so many people accepted it.”

“He was a chivalrous knight in the hearts of commoners, a night watchman who drove away monsters from the wilderness, a fire protector who traveled thousands of miles to guard the borders of civilization. Even though his power remained at Tier 6 throughout his life, many remembered his name.”

“After his death, many bards composed poems about his deeds, circulating them far and wide. The manual for the ‘Iron Knight’ class he created was also made public for free, spreading across the continent, until recent centuries when nobles gradually collected them and reduced their dissemination.”

“The Steel Furnace Knights he founded had long since disbanded, but those who studied the ‘Iron Knight’ class and followed him established the ‘Ironwall Crown Furnace’ to commemorate this legendary knight.”

“Even though the ‘Ironwall Crown Furnace’ is not considered powerful, it is still highly renowned within the Woodland, surpassing many large organizations,” Dorothy recounted.

“Large organizations?” Hylial was a little curious.

“Which organizations are considered large within the Woodland now?”

“Hehe, little Lia really doesn’t know anything,” Dorothy playfully flicked the girl’s nose.

“Currently, the ‘Four Seasons Alliance,’ which you are closely associated with, is one of the top large organizations in the Woodland. Even my ‘Rainbow Glazed Bottle’ is a bit inferior.”