The Cornflower Witch Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Afternoon in the Rain

For an entire morning, Hylial and the other students listened to Scholar Hyde explain the key points and precautions of the “Bonfires and Dance Steps” ceremony.

“You’ve generally memorized the relevant matters now, but did you pay attention to the chanted songs and drum rhythms from last night?”

“Well…”

Many of them looked at each other, and a few noble students were exposed to music, but not deeply. It was still too difficult for them to immediately remember something they had only heard once.

Hylial sat on a tree stump by the side, recalling carefully. She could roughly remember parts of the rhythm, but still couldn’t explain it clearly, because she hadn’t studied music in her previous life, and although she might have in this life, she had no memory of it, so it was temporarily useless.

“Heh heh, you see, this is why it’s important to master several skills,” Scholar Hyde said, stroking his beard.

“The content and skills involved in ‘rituals’ are quite broad, and some rituals even require the conductor to perform a certain dance. The most famous of these is the elves’ ‘Crown of Flowers Dance’ ceremony held during the Vernal Equinox Festival. It demands exceptionally high skill from the dancers, but the effect is also obvious: this ritual can make a hundred flowers bloom and the earth revive, making it one of the few rituals that can change the environment.”

“Alright, that concludes today’s lecture. Regarding the chanted songs and drum rhythms in the ‘Bonfires and Dance Steps’ ceremony, I will have you transcribe the musical scores later. However, the best way to inherit this tradition is still to personally listen to the elders hum them, so you can remember their unique rhythm, atmosphere, and emotions.”

The lessons ended, and the afternoon was free time. However, before the students could go out and play, a drizzle began to fall.

Drops of rain trickled down the thatched roofs, dampening the ground, and the village roads, which had no stone paving, quickly became muddy.

“Can’t go out now,” Komia stood behind the doorway, looking out at the gray, misty world.

In the room, Hylial was sitting by the front hall window, reading a book. Karen was at her workbench, maintaining her tools and longbow. On the other side, Valeni stood with her arms crossed, looking somewhat annoyed at the rainy curtain outside. As for Iona, she was still in her room and hadn’t come out.

The five girls were all living in this house. Normally, nobles and commoners rarely interacted, but today they were forced to stay under the same roof.

After leaning against the doorframe for a long time, watching the rain and counting the falling drops, the tiny streams of water in the cracks of the stone slabs in front of the threshold, Komia finally got a little bored and turned around.

She looked at the few people in the front hall, wandered around Karen, asking about the purpose of various tools, then came to Hylial to secretly see what book the girl was reading that day, and then returned to the bedroom to try to continue her afternoon nap, but unfortunately, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

“I must have slept too well last night,” she said, somewhat deflated, as she came to the front hall and complained to her companions.

Hylial and Karen merely smiled at her complaints, finding them amusing but not taking them too seriously. Indeed, after a while, Komia was once again pacing around the room, looking everywhere for something interesting.

‘Creak,’ the other door in the hallway opened.

Hearing the sound, Valeni, who had been a little impatient, immediately changed her expression and trotted over, only to see Iona, who had just stepped out of the room.

This blonde young lady had styled her short hair well, with a red ribbon tied on one side, its color complementing her eye color. Then there was her uniform dress, which was out of place for an ordinary student; its style was sharp and elegant, the fabric of excellent quality, with a small leather belt cinching her waist, and cowhide boots suitable for outdoor activities on her feet.

Even though her circumstances weren’t as good as before, Iona was still quite meticulous about her appearance and grooming, though she could no longer afford the luxury of wearing different lavish outfits every day as she once did.

Her crimson eyes briefly scanned the others in the room. Iona looked at the rainy world outside, then came to the table in the front hall and sat down.

Because the house itself was not large and the front hall had limited space, the only things that could be called tables were a workbench against the wall, and the window-side wooden table where Iona and Hylial were sitting on opposite sides.

“Lady Iona.” Valeni followed with small steps.

Seeing Iona sit down, she looked at Hylial, who was also at the table, feeling a bit jealous and displeased. Why was this person also sitting next to Lady Iona?

But at this point, if she were to drive her away, she felt it would be a loss of face, making her seem not elegant or well-bred enough, so she glared at the girl several times with her eyes.

However, Hylial was absorbed in her book at the moment and didn’t notice the frequent glances from the side.

Valeni’s little gestures didn’t work, so she could only pace back and forth in frustration, wondering whether to go directly and ask Hylial to get up.

“You, stand there. Don’t pace around.” Finally, Iona impatiently waved her hand, telling Valeni to be quiet for a moment.

Upon receiving the command, Valeni immediately leaned against the wall, standing proudly. This fawning obedience puzzled Komia, making her feel it was rather foolish.

Is she not smart in the head? Komia secretly wondered, but dared not say it aloud.

The room fell silent for a while. Hylial continued to turn the pages of her book, Komia sat beside Karen, sometimes watching her oiling tools and adjusting their tightness, sometimes turning her gaze to others in the room. Valeni was silent and still, while Iona propped her head up, gazing out at the rainy scene, lost in thought.

Time flowed slowly, and apart from the occasional rustle of Hylial turning a page, the only sound in the room was the ceaseless patter of rain outside the window.

Half an hour later, perhaps tired of the monotonous grey rain curtain, Iona turned her gaze and looked at the quiet girl opposite her.

Her name is Lia, isn’t it? Iona recalled what little information she had about this girl. She didn’t pay much attention to her classmates, let alone someone who had always been so low-key, as if forgotten in a corner.

The only strong impression she had was probably when she first saw Scholar Hyde and noticed the bespectacled figure standing beside him.

At the time, she thought it was Scholar Hyde’s granddaughter, or an official apprentice, but later found out she was just an ordinary commoner student.

It’s not easy for a commoner to focus on academics, she thought, her eyes again turning to the book in Hylial’s hand.

“The Mountain Kingdom in Wind and Snow,” this book, in the form of travel notes, recorded the author’s experiences traveling the Kingdom of Winter centuries ago. It was a cold country located north of the Regas Duchy, positioned entirely in the mountains, with incessant wind and snow, and a sparse population. However, such a kingdom had stood for nearly a thousand years, and its national Fir Knights were renowned throughout the continent, a holy land in the hearts of many knights and warriors.

Is a girl reading this kind of book? That’s quite rare. Although Iona wasn’t interested in the book, she was exceptionally familiar with it, mostly because her father was particularly fond of the country described in the book, especially the legendary Winter Crown Knight.

The Regas Duchy and the Kingdom of Winter have many ties, because the founding monarch, Regard Bouvilly, hailed from the Kingdom of Winter. The Regas Duchy’s national Fir Knights incorporated many elements inspired by the Winter Crown Knight.

However, compared to the harsh geographical environment of the Kingdom of Winter, the Regas Duchy was much better, and its food was relatively richer.

Lost in thought, Iona turned her gaze to the girl reading the book. The girl wore glasses, had a delicate appearance, and upon closer inspection, her skin was very good, even fairer than her own.

Perhaps I’ve been training and sunbathing recently, Iona consoled herself. This one, always stuck in a corner reading, is so pale.

Speaking of which, she’s actually competing with a country girl, which made Iona feel an unpleasant discomfort, like the dreary, unending rain outside.

Taking a deep breath, Iona composed herself. She decided to go back to her bedroom and be alone.

However, before she left, she couldn’t help but speak to the bespectacled girl, who had ignored her presence and was immersed in the world of books.

“Can you really understand it?” She knew that because the book was written centuries ago, there were many differences in wording and language compared to the present.

“Ah, are you asking me?” Hylial looked up and replied,

“I can understand it. I probably read ‘The Annual Rings of the Fir Tree ~ Tales of the Mountain Kingdom’ some time ago. The publishing dates of the two books are similar, so they can be understood in connection with each other.”

Iona still didn’t quite believe it, because her father had read these two books to her when she was a child, and even he had to consult reference books for some words before he could explain them to her.

“Then I’ll test you,” Iona stood up, and Valeni also became excited.

Indeed, this was the kind of cool Lady Iona they knew.

“When the Winter Crown Knight was founded, where was it located, and what was their primary profession?”

When the Knight was founded, the leader was an old priest who had lived in the snowy mountains for many years and was skilled in the esoteric practices and abilities of the ‘Sleepy Winter’ phase. The foundation was also located within his small church.

“The earliest members of the Knight were only five young people, who had not yet reached the first rank. However, the old priest patiently taught them, allowing the five young people to eventually achieve the ‘Level 3 – Sleepy Winter’ strength, primarily as ‘Frost Swordsman’.”

“With these five knights as its core, the original Knight was established. They spread their beliefs throughout the mountains, uniting the scattered settlements on the snowy peaks to form a patrolling cavalry team that maintained local stability. This organization gradually grew, until Pereyne, the forty-seventh Knight Commander, with great talent and vision, integrated the areas maintained by the Knight into a nation, and he himself was promoted to the ‘Level 6 – Sleepy Winter: Castle’ rank, becoming a ‘Winter Crown Knight’ upon founding the nation.”

The founding process of the Kingdom of Winter was quite similar to that of the Regas Duchy, or rather, the Regas Duchy was founded by imitating the history of the Kingdom of Winter.

Hylial’s concise and appropriate explanation left Iona somewhat speechless, even feeling that the other person’s historical knowledge was richer than her own. But how could this be? She had grown up immersed in it, and even if she had neglected it later due to social gatherings, she couldn’t be compared to a commoner from the countryside.

Not only did she fail to create a gap, but she actually made herself appear less learned than a country commoner. This feeling triggered an inexplicable irritation and panic deep within Iona, making her restless.

She silently watched the girl in front of her, her fingers moving slightly, but then she put them down.

Seconds later, Iona finally spoke: “You read quite a lot.”

No, she couldn’t lose her temper here. She didn’t want to cause any more trouble and ruin the impression she had made on Scholar Hyde during this time.

Afterwards, Iona pulled the door shut and returned to her bedroom, no longer coming out. This action greatly surprised Valeni, and she consequently held a grudge against Hylial.

Seeing Iona’s angry retreat to her bedroom, Hylial pressed her eyebrows. She couldn’t help but notice what had just happened.

It seems she wasn’t low-key enough, damaging the young lady’s pride.

But even knowing it, pretending not to understand would be too affected and uncomfortable. Her nature was gentle, but she wasn’t someone who would distort her own character everywhere to accommodate others.

She hoped this young lady wouldn’t pay too much attention to her, otherwise, her future life would be unnecessarily complicated.

(End of this chapter)