The Cornflower Witch Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The Lonely Girl

At night, after settling into their lodgings, the students gathered again.

“The accommodation was specially built by Viscount Xuefeng; he occasionally brings his family here for outings,” Komia said, in good spirits.

“Although it’s quite ordinary, it’s relatively clean, much better than those houses full of straw and the smell of livestock.”

“The three of us are sharing a room, and Iona and Valeni are in the room opposite.” Among the students this term, there were only five girls; the other dozen or so were boys.

Back in the village square, Scholar Hyde was still conversing with the village chief. Seeing Solin and Balun leading the students over, he waved to them.

“Today, you can walk around the village and get used to the environment, but don’t go deep into the forest, so you don’t get lost.”

“When it gets dark, gather back here. We’ll have dinner and activities together then.”

“Oh~”

Upon hearing that they could move freely and play around, all the students became happy.

After all, they were all young people. They had been studying and training for a long time, and it was a rare opportunity to relax and play in the wilderness.

Soon, the boys were strolling and running around the village in twos and threes. Some were planning to swim in the river, some wanted to explore the forest, and others wanted to ride horses around.

“Lord Iona, where shall we go now?” Valeni followed the blonde young lady.

Iona, however, was a little impatient and waved her hand casually, telling her not to keep following.

“I’m going for a walk by myself; you don’t need to follow.”

“Uh, alright, Lord Iona.” Valeni was a bit disappointed, but still watched Iona leave with eager eyes.

Walking on the country road, Iona was a little bored. She looked at the unremarkable village around her and did not have the same excitement and anticipation as the other students.

Such villages, from the Royal Capital Whitecliff City to the remote Burntstone City in the south, were countless. The villagers, to put it nicely, lived simple and peaceful lives, but to put it not so nicely, they lived ordinary, toilsome lives, spending most of their lives on barren land.

She had an inexplicable aversion and fear of such a life and future.

Many noble students envied her, but in reality, only she knew that her current situation was not good.

His Majesty not only stripped her father of his title but also confiscated his territory, wealth, and estate. A year ago, there were many servants and knights following them, but now almost all of them were gone.

She had lost her important territorial income and could no longer afford a large number of followers. Now, she could only stay with her distant uncle, Viscount Xuefeng.

Although Viscount Xuefeng treated her well, she didn’t believe this kindness would last forever.

If she couldn’t unleash her potential in these few years and enter the path of a true Transcendent as soon as possible, her final outcome might be arranged by Viscount Xuefeng for a marriage, marrying a small local noble and living an ordinary life in Burntstone City.

However, who was she? Once the dazzling flower of Whitecliff City, the Royal Capital, a coveted young lady from a prominent family.

The young nobles and ladies who used to follow her could fill an entire hall, and countless people adored and pursued her.

To ask her to willingly stay here and spend the rest of her life, she simply couldn’t accept it. The thought of a dull and bleak life felt like being entangled by something viscous and disgusting.

Her troubled mood was like the overcast sky, with layers of clouds that refused to disperse.

Iona, immersed in her own world, walked slowly along the small river until a burst of clear laughter interrupted her thoughts.

Looking up, she saw the three commoner girls who had come with her.

The short-haired, laughing girl, was her name Komia? She recalled Komia’s use of a special eye technique during the competition yesterday.

A ‘Mist Shadow’ aspect, rare in such a place.

The ‘Mist Shadow’ aspect was most restrained by ‘Glorious Moon’, and next by ‘Blazing Sun’, which she cultivated. So, she was only slightly surprised by Komia, not astonished.

In Whitecliff City, the Royal Capital, there were countless geniuses. Young prodigies cultivating various aspects could be found. She had even seen a boy of 15 who performed magic tricks for His Majesty, a prodigy who mastered the ‘Mist Shadow’ aspect.

On the other side, by the small bridge, Hylial, Komia, and Karen were trying their hand at fishing.

“Lia, look what I’ve caught!” Komia stood up, showing the wiggling worm in her hand to the girl, her expression excited.

“Yes, that’s it.” Hylial nodded.

“Cut a small piece of it and put it on the hook, then you can fish.” She said, recalling the experience she’d learned in her childhood in her previous life.

“Okay~” Komia carefully hopped on the stones by the river, walking over to Hylial.

On the other side, Karen, after searching for a bit, also found a few worms. She picked them up and walked over.

“These are enough, no need to look for more, Karen,” Hylial reminded.

Then the three found a suitable spot, sat on the rocks, and patiently watched the fishing line cast down into the water.

“What kind of fish will there be? I’m going to have a grilled fish feast tonight~” Komia happily declared her goal for the day.

…

The interaction between the three was seen by Iona from afar. She stood quietly under a tree, watching the three laughing by the river, fishing for fish they might not catch, yet still happy, even after a long time with no results.

Envious? No, she didn’t envy this simple happiness.

These commoner children were like weeds by the roadside, joyful with just a little dew.

Those who had truly experienced prosperity and seen a broader world would not be numbed by such crude happiness.

How long could their happiness last? She rested her hand on the tree trunk beside her. The hard, rough bark scraped across her palm, leaving a few specks.

The best fate for a commoner girl was probably to marry an official in the city and live a steady, uninteresting life.

Iona averted her gaze, looking at the still overcast sky.

Would that also be her fate?

No, she squeezed her fingers tightly, her nails digging into her palm…

After a long time, Iona released her fingers, glanced at the three by the river again, turned, and walked away, alone, down the village path toward the village square.

…

In the evening, Hylial stood up from the stone she was sitting on and looked at the almost dark sky.

“It’s time to go back,” she reminded the other two.

“Oh, already time to go?” Komia held her fishing rod, a little reluctant.

“Yes, if we don’t go back now, it’ll get dark.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Saying this, Komia placed one hand on Karen’s shoulder and struggled to stand up.

Then Karen also put away her fishing rod and stretched her legs. “Phew, the afternoon flew by.”

The few of them tidied up and walked up the riverbank.

“We caught five fish today~” Komia counted the five silver-scaled fish laid out on the grass by the riverbank.

“Lia, do you know their species?”

“I don’t know either.” She didn’t know much about the fish in this world. These five fish were slightly longer than her palm, not very big.

“Well, I’ll have to ask Teacher Hyde when we get back.”

Karen found a small wooden stick, threaded the five fish onto it, and then she and Komia carried them back.

“Actually, I can help too.” Hylial wanted to lend a hand, but there were only two ends to the stick, so it wasn’t suitable for three people to carry.

“It’s okay, it’s not heavy,” Komia waved her hand.

Although she said that, she still switched hands halfway. Then Hylial smiled and took over for her.

The three walked unhurriedly towards the village square. It was getting dark, and at this time, they also heard the beating of drums from the square.

At first, it was sporadic drumming, not continuous, but then the drumbeats gradually gained rhythm and cadence.

As they walked closer, the burning bonfire in the distance became visible in the night, and then ancient and long-lost chants spread through the flames and drumbeats.

Around the huge bonfire, villagers held hands and formed a circle. Their steps fell in time with the drums, their faces beaming and carefree. Accompanied by their collective chanting, the flames also swayed with the drumbeats, growing and shrinking, as if possessing some kind of life.

(End of Chapter)