The Witch and the Doll Swear

Jon is having a rough day.

Although the winery has been cursed with bad luck since autumn, today is particularly bad.

The prosthetic limbs that I can't get used to no matter what, the still heavy winery debt and the predicament that has not improved, doing the janitorial work in front of the winery gate that used to be done by hired women, because of the restless emotions in various senses He yelled at the young noble who came to the door to ridicule him.

He has seen too many scenes like this.

He thought it was some nobleman who came here to make trouble, and when he heard the little girl said that he wanted to buy wine, his first reaction was that he was talking about buying the winery again, so as to laugh at them.

He has seen too many people like this.

Otherwise, how can you say that nobility is a virtue? They are the ones who give gifts and clink glasses when you are prosperous, and they are the ones who ridicule and play tricks when you are declining. Courtesy is always just the cosmetics they put on their faces, no matter adults or children.

But what I didn't expect was that the little girl who seemed to be only 11 or 12 years old and her attendant actually came to buy wine.

While the bag of gold coins made him dizzy, it also woke him up. Realizing that this might be the only business deal since the beginning of winter, he didn't even bother to bandage him, and covered his nose with his prosthetic limbs. Legs rushed into Mary's office.

After he finished speaking quickly, the future hostess of the winery took the money bag from him and ordered him to treat the wound. At that time, Jon slapped himself ten times on the way to the medical room in the castle. Several slaps.

He liked to read some magazines when his legs were still alive, and the protagonists of many articles were workshops with a long history, and the plantation was completely bankrupt because of the success or failure of a business—Jon used to think that they were too Stupid, how could he do such a thing, but now, Jon couldn't laugh at the things that he once thought were ridiculous.

I have already messed up this matter, and now I can only pray that it is not completely messed up.

Well, at least the little girl didn't break the bridge of her nose, maybe that means she doesn't take her offense that seriously.

When he was in the infirmary, he could only comfort himself with such reasons.

Then, he knew that the girl with long hair that gradually changed from golden to white was not a guest, but the real owner of this winery and this territory.

After hearing the news, he petrified for a full ten minutes.

Holy Light and Holy Fire, what a stupid thing I have done!

If you are facing those malicious and contemptuous nobles, your actions can still be said to be protecting the winery, but what if the object of your words is actually the real owner of the winery?

Of course he knew that the current Furster family is not a real noble. They can call themselves Furster in front of everyone else, but only in front of the real owner of this land, they are just the people of Yamin Village. villagers.

Subjects who were hostile to and insulted their lord were at worst hanged, and at best cast out as refugees.

Jon felt that he was indeed cursed.

The curse called stupidity.

Almost desperately, after other colleagues left the conference room they were summoned to, he asked him one by one if the lord lady had said anything, but no one could answer him, because that little girl had no There is no mention of this offended own subject.

But this did not reassure Jon.

In a trance, he seemed to see the hemp rope on the gallows beckoning to him, and the 1.8-meter man was shaking like chaff at the head of the bed in the infirmary.

After applying the ointment, the swelling on the tip of the nose quickly subsided, and it is still hot and uncomfortable, but if the lord can forgive him, he is willing to kowtow and break the bridge of his nose.

However, the little lord seemed to have really forgotten him. Without her summons, Jon would not have dared to take the initiative to meet her, so he was worried until only a small part of Saigon's glow was left. The sky lights up.

At this time, the current manager of the winery, a man whose cultivation and taste are as good as a real nobleman, came to the infirmary and asked him if he would like to go to a banquet held by the lord somewhere in the manor, and if he did not go, he would go to the infirmary. Some old people had dinner together in the castle.

To Jon, who was terrified, it was like saying that he would be the main course at a banquet.

Jon, who had never kneeled before anyone, fell to his knees as soon as he saw Jester. He hugged Jester's leg and begged them to consider it as a gallows, and please don't send himself to feed the monster anyway.

"what are you thinking about."

Jester looked at him dumbfounded, and helped him up.

"Master Liliana did not intend to execute you. All of us were summoned there, including the fruit growers in the village. The priests of the Holy Church and the Holy Fire also notified the people in the town. Our lord said..."

However, when it came to the instructions and declarations of the little lord, Jester was also extremely puzzled.

"Miss Liliana said that there is going to be a banquet... In short, let's go, you are probably the only one missing."

"You really don't want to pursue my offense?"

"really not."

Instead, the manager of the winery looked at Jon blankly.

That young, wealthy and wise girl convinced all the senior staff of the winery with 1,000 gold coins. Why is it necessary to kill a worker who was disabled in the autumn disaster and worked hard for the winery?

"But……"

If she wasn't going to kill herself, then what was she going to do?

Banquet... At this time, what kind of banquet is going to be held?

With a foggy head, Jon followed Jester and left the castle, and came to a corner of the orchard.

A log bridge spans the river, and a thin tributary of the Holly River flows through. On the other side is the orchard that has not been completely cleaned of the golden magic tree.

In Firstland, those golden vines emerged from the ground lingeringly, and the winery, which was in financial difficulties, had no money to hire adventurers to clean it up, so they just surrounded it with a fence and hung it. Put up a slogan that strictly prohibits approaching, and no one will approach that orchard again.

Even among the vines and leaves of the fruit trees, the heavy fruits sway in the wind, filled with intoxicating sweet fragrance.

In stark contrast to this empty orchard, many people have gathered on this bank of the river.

"...What's going on with so many people..."

Jon froze.

Most of the people in this kind of rural territory know each other, but it is rare that the residents of orchard villages and townspeople in the territory gather together and sit at a dozen long tables set up on the road. chat beside.

A bonfire and a cauldron are set up on the river beach made of small oval stones. The chef is putting the cut meat, potatoes and onions into the uneven iron pan, adding spices, salt and butter.

Beside them were a few oak barrels, which Jon recognized as the only remaining wine in the mozzarella cellar.

On the road to the vineyard, busy people are busy and chatterers are chatting. Although Liliana directly notified Jester of the banquet matters and requirements, and he also handled the arrangement and rectification of the venue, but seeing these, the man Still a little dazed.

However, these people don't know much about the current situation than Jester and Jon.

More than half an hour ago, the messengers of the church came to the town and various villages, gathered them here in the name of the bishop and the lord, and announced that a banquet would be held, so they came here, someone greeted Jester, quietly Ask him what his mysterious plans are.

In the eyes of these people, this territory belongs to the Forster family, and Jester First is the lord of this land.

Looking around, Jester didn't see the little lord and her capable secretary. Among these people, a girl with gorgeous red hair is particularly eye-catching.

"Mary, my lord...are you really planning to hold a banquet?"

After settling Jon, the middle-aged man came to his daughter's side.

"Who knows what that little girl wants to do, she said that she will invite the nobles, church members and magicians near First, and go to the town to hire a chef for the [Big Horn Deer Pavilion], and go to the butcher to buy almost all the meat..."

When the acquainted butcher came to the gate of the castle in a carriage with a jaw-dropping amount of meat, Mary still had the strength to be surprised.

But then the uncle who sold vegetables brought a cart of vegetables, the father of the store pushed bottles and cans of seasoning, the aunt and her daughter from the bakery brought freshly baked bread in bamboo baskets covered with thick cloth, The waiters in the hotel lined up the tables and chairs, the chefs and the guys set up the stove, and a few named apprentices from the Magician Association lit the fire with magic, and the meat and vegetables were boiled into pot after pot full of meat. fragrant.

How much will this cost? Mary and I don't want to think about it. Although the dishes are not luxurious, they provide meat for more than two hundred people—and all of them are of good quality. Even the church has never done it.

She didn't know how rich her lady lord was, but she more or less guessed her intentions.

Obviously the little lord intends to buy people's hearts with a good meal, and then use the lord's power to make the fruit growers work for her after everyone is here.

There have been a lot of such things in the Holly Valley. Some lords forced the fruit growers to harvest their own vineyards in the name of the obligation of the people, without wages, and even asked the fruit growers to bring their own food and water. These laborers worked hard , but get nothing.

No doubt bishops and magicians were bribed by her.

"Dad, do we really want to watch that little girl ruin the winery's final reputation!"

"That's our lord, Mary."

"But!"

Jester sighed and stared at his stubborn daughter.

This temperament is very similar to him when he was young, but now, they are not the nobles who rule the First Territory.

"Miss Liliana is our lord, Mary, I don't want you to lose your respect and courtesy."

That girl who suddenly appeared was.

"But she, her family has never cared about us! Even in such a situation, she only wanted to give us a sum of money and let us solve all the problems by ourselves. It didn't seem to be complete until she knew that money could not make up for it. He said that these problems should be solved without seriousness, and he also said that he wanted to win the championship of the tasting, and now he took out the only remaining wine that was obviously not yet ready for a banquet!"

At the end, Mary almost gritted her teeth and growled.

She is a winemaker, and it is driving her crazy to drink wine that has not yet fully matured.

But she can't stop/

"Mary."

Jester's tone began to be a little harsh, perhaps because his voice was too loud and attracted the attention of people around him. After the well-dressed man smiled apologetically around, he pulled his daughter to the bank of the river. Reluctantly ready to explain.

Although he didn't know what the lord wanted, but as a leader, what he should do was definitely not such a sharp resistance.

"They're here!"

But Mary's attention was completely off here.

In the direction of the castle, several carriages came slowly. The one leading was an ordinary carriage, followed by gorgeous gold ornaments, and the carriage after that was made of mysterious black wood.

Starting with these three carriages, there are various carriages after that. The only thing in common is that the carriages all have the coat of arms of the nobles. As the carriages approached, some people recognized that these were small nobles without territories. There are more than a dozen.

Mary's face was not very pretty.

She remembered what the girl said before she left after the words "go get a champion", that she would invite all the nobles and nobles in the vicinity to come over. It seemed that it was not a bluff, and these nobles would come again at this time Here, nine times out of ten, it is also due to the lord's money... and then?

Are you going to use gold coins to buy the provincial qualifications for the competition, or even the championship?

The carriage stopped not far from here.

"???"

As soon as she got off the carriage, Tina immediately felt a strong gaze.

No, not feeling.

The hostile gaze and long fiery red hair are too conspicuous on the river beach.

"...?"

The witch who got off from another carriage turned her gaze to that side, her eyes swept over, and those fiery eyes turned away with a "hum", only to see the manager of the winery apologizing to her. The bowing witch hugged Alice and shrugged slightly.

"I feel completely hostile..."

"...it seems so."

"That, that, when Miss Alice and I left to get the money, did Miss Liliana and Miss Mary say something, feeling..."

"...I just told her an old proverb, the warrior is responsible for venting his anger, the leader is responsible for making profit, as for the honor, it is best to write it in a book. Especially in the case of life and death, if you can survive by throwing away the glory, then the best It’s better to throw it clean.”

Liliana still remembered Mary's expression after she said that.

Unbelievable and contemptuous, she left the meeting room without saying anything, and before leaving, she looked back with disgust and contempt.

"...It seems like a girl with a strong sense of honor."

After finishing speaking, the witch turned her gaze to the other side. After she got off the carriage, a young man in a clean white robe supported a young man and followed him down from the carriage.

Ting Na's relaxed expression immediately became tense.

It was a man about 30 years old, wearing a bishop's gown with simple patterns, and a choir boy walked out of the carriage. There were still unharvested grape fields on both sides of the road and rows of trees on the river beach. The iron pot made him fall into slight thought.

"... Then, Your Excellency, Bishop Marus, welcome to the orchard in Forster. It is a pity that we cannot entertain you with the best wine. The natural disaster in autumn really caused heavy losses to the winery."

At this time, Liliana spoke calmly.

"Please don't worry, Ms. First, the holy light and holy fire teach us not to pursue luxury enjoyment. The disaster of the golden magic tree has caused heavy losses to the river valley. Many nobles are also struggling this year. It's an admirable act of kindness to hold a banquet for the people at your own expense."

So the bishop of the church in the town smiled quickly, and drew a Holy Cross of Light with equal length on his chest. He also saw Jeste who came over to greet him, and after giving a slight nod to the man who had been running the winery well, he continued his conversation with Liliana.

He was born in an aristocratic family, and complimenting each other with flamboyant words is as simple as eating and drinking. Of course, this young girl who is holding the noble papers of the First family is also talking to him with flirty words. He also knows it well.

"...It is a bit embarrassing that the historic Marsula Winery has fallen to such a state, and there are even rumors that this land is cursed...but please don't worry, Your Excellency. , Jeste, bring His Excellency to the table, please enjoy this banquet."

— but this sentence is not.

"May the Holy Light and Holy Fire protect the First Family."

After finishing speaking, the young girl took her secretary to salute him, and then walked towards other carriages, including the head of the Wizards Association, including the knights and knights led by First, including the adjacent The lords of other territories in First Territory...

Marus still maintained that impeccable and kind smile, watching her walking away with emerald eyes, then smiled at Jester, and followed behind him with his assistant.

——It's really curious what she plans to do with this banquet.

"call……"

Realizing that the guy who made her most nervous was finally far away from her, Tingna, who had been froze with a polite expression, finally relaxed.

"Miss Liliana, is this really okay..."

There was still a short distance from the next carriage, and Tingna walked quickly to Liliana who was holding the doll, and asked with some palpitations.

Although the girl has always been unable to understand Miss Witch's behavior, what Liliana did this time completely baffled her.

At dusk, the witch who came to the church in the town told the bishop of the church that the two scriptures placed on the holy light cross and the holy fire statue were just cheap printed materials that could be seen everywhere, and could not compare with this unfinished but gorgeous enough place. When the church was well-suited, and it could not withstand the reading of the believers, nor could it arouse their admiration, Tingna was already too nervous to speak.

"Gospel of John 3.2: We use gold and scarlet jade to adorn the doctrine of worship. Readers will be in awe of its holiness, and thus teach them that the sacred proverbs are precious and beautiful."

When Liliana recited the words that are said to be from the teachings of the Holy Light without any hesitation, after quoting the words from the two scriptures, the man showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, the girl almost thought her heart was going to jump in her throat up.

But then Miss Witch took out two thick books from the space storage ring.

It used expensive monster leather as the cover, decorated with exquisite gold ornaments on the eight corners, and the crimson jade was carved into crosses of equal length horizontally and vertically, deeply embedded in the cover, and there was a golden chain on the spine of the book, Glittering in the evening sun.

The other book Tina didn't read carefully, but it was equally luxurious. Liliana took these two books and said to the bishop: Although I am a magician, I am also a devout follower of the Holy Light. The family also deeply respects the teachings of the holy fire, and was fortunate enough to get such two exquisite books, hoping to donate them to the church as a meeting gift, and invite all the clergy of the church to attend the banquet held in the orchard of First Winery .

Then, the bishop accepted the gift with a smile on his face, and warmly accepted Liliana's invitation.

Tina couldn't understand this at all. Isn't the Holy Church very hostile to magicians? And there is also Alice who looks like a living doll in their eyes, and the Shadow Demon in his own shadow...

"...Even the Church of the Holy Church has different styles in different regions. In the north, because it is located in the radiation area of ​​the headquarters of the Wizards Association, it is still trying to reorganize and assimilate the traditional Church of Eternal Fire in the North. Virtue The church is more powerful, so the teachings here seem less intense."

Liliana did not slow down, she raised her head.

"...After a while at the banquet, I will definitely entertain them at the table of the bishop and these nobles. If you feel that you really don't get along with the monks of the Church of the Holy Church, it is best for Miss Tina to go back to the castle. I will tell you Supper is ready in the castle kitchen."

"Eh? Uh, uh... But, what is Miss Liliana planning to do, to gather everyone together."

"...Miss Tina will understand when the time comes."

Liliana ended the short conversation with a mysterious smile. Then, she came to the carriages and began to entertain and greet the nobles she had invited.

The witch handed Alice to Tina, and apologized for the winery's inability to prepare special reception staff. She introduced them to the dishes prepared tonight, and Tina, who was the secretary, was responsible for smiling aside. When you are curious, briefly talk about the origin of this surname.

In short, it is all social rhetoric among nobles.

After the greetings were over, when Miss Witch led the nobles to the seats specially arranged by Jester, Tingna, who hesitated again and again, could not overcome her distaste for the horizontally and vertically equal crosses. On the way, if Liliana hadn't thoughtfully let her sit in another carriage, she would have been unable to bear it long ago.

She tried her best to control, but she could only show a not-so-sincere smile in front of the young bishop who was said to be good at divine arts.

"I'm sorry, Miss Liliana..."

"...It's not something to apologize for, Miss Tina."

"Alice will accompany Ms. Tina. Although the Holy Church here is not that dangerous, Alice will look like a living doll when she moves. It's better not to stay in front of them for too long."

Alice whispered in the girl's ear, and Miss Witch nodded to her peacefully, so she excused that she still had to deal with the manor's accounts as a secretary herself. Tina carried Alice and came to the castle from the orchard. .

The night that fell early slowly dyed the sky blue, purple and red.

As the girl approached the gate of the castle with Alice in her arms, the town's symphony orchestra played their accordion, and country notes floated in the evening sky.

The banquet has begun.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Either because of duties, or because of old age, not everyone went to the banquet venue, at least the guards in the town, the night watchmen in various villages, and some old people in the winery did not go there. far orchard.

The arrival of Liliana surprised everyone in the winery, and because of her resolute actions, those who were allowed to use the name of First, but failed to protect it, feared and worried—now, Tina understood why Miss Witch said that such an attitude was easy to handle.

At the same time, I also felt the awe and tension of the people from the winery brought about by such an attitude.

It's easy to understand.

Even at a critical moment, even if such a condescending and indifferent savior sprinkled a lot of gold coins, it would not make people feel so good after all. When Tina returned to the winery, she heard some young guards whispering, saying How could such a young girl handle such a thing well.

These people didn't go to the orchard, and when they saw Tingna, they lowered their heads suddenly, pretending to be respectful, but didn't say hello, and hid their expressions deeply with their helmets.

"It always feels like we're not very popular..."

It's not just the cold wind in winter in the Northland, this atmosphere is like the skin-clear air, which makes Tingna feel a little restless.

"I can't help it. Originally, Lily planned to spend the New Year festival in Sinai, and didn't plan to spend too much time here. That's why Lily used that attitude and method, and even planned to directly provide funds to let the winery solve it on its own. "

When the group of guards disappeared out of the corner of her eyes, Alice also showed a slightly troubled expression.

"If Lily had known about Jinbei from the beginning, Lily would have adopted a more gentle approach, but if she softens her attitude now, it will be regarded as easy to succumb, and it will be even more troublesome."

"sorry……"

"Miss Tina has nothing to apologize for. Lily and Alice also want to thank Miss Tina for bringing back the clues that Lily and Alice have been ignoring."

The little puppet showed a smile as warm as sunshine to the girl.

This made Tina couldn't help hugging this cute doll even tighter on the way into the castle.

Compared with the faint rejection of the young people, the old people are very kind.

In the restaurant of the castle, Tina and Alice, who felt a little sorry, took the simple but delicious dishes from them, and had dinner with the old people.

For Tina, Alice and Liliana—especially Liliana, these old people who have gray hair and can't live are very respectful and caring.

During the meal, they asked Tingna whether it was very hard for Liliana to become the head of the "real" Forster family behind her at such a young age. Suffered unimaginable suffering.

These laments clearly that the lord should still be playing with his peers, lying on the bed and dreaming of children's magnificent dreams, but he has to pay money and hard work for their problems, but these old bones can't help them. , so sorry for that.

"Because Jester intends to train Mary as the next manager of the winery, and that child is indeed very prestigious. Nowadays, young people don't listen to us old guys."

"Mary's child has always been doing very well, but due to the dire situation at the winery, she is very anxious and somewhat hostile to the lord and Miss Tina, and please ask Miss Tina to relay the story in front of the lord, I hope the two Forgive me so much..."

At first Tina thought that these old people were gentlemen in the winery and she was wary, but as they talked, the girl gradually discovered that these old people who can only cook for the castle and sew clothes are really Liliana cherished her like a granddaughter.

Maybe it's because Miss Witch's [Magic Charm] of [Wugou] is more effective for old people, or maybe it's the instinctive love of old people for young people.

While talking with them, the girl suddenly realized such a thing.

No matter how powerful she is, no matter how flexible her wrists are, the witch who has lived for a long time is just a cute young girl with no expression changes in the eyes of people who don't know it.

I'm used to the witch doing unimaginable things with such a slender wrist, isn't it abnormal?

"Does Miss Tina think so?"

After dinner, I bid farewell to the old people and came to the room prepared for myself and Liliana on the top floor of the castle. Hearing the girl's muttering, I was taking out a crystal bigger than myself from the space storage ring The little doll of Qiu sat on the big bed and opened his mouth without looking back.

This room is said to have been specially decorated, and it has not been used since the castle was built. It seems that this most luxurious room is reserved for the lord who has never met before.

Although it is not as good as the staterooms and expensive suites that Ms. Witch has been traveling in, the atmosphere created by the various shades of wood and silver candlesticks is very tasteful, and the beds and lounge chairs are also luxury items. Under the candlelight, the carpets and hanging pictures glowed with a hazy luster.

"Well, although I know that Miss Liliana is very powerful... but with such a body, it still makes people feel distressed. It makes me feel that I have to do more for her..."

As soon as she walked into the room, Tina wondered why she didn't sell these luxuries when funds were tight. As a result, Alice told this noble girl, who knew nothing about many attempts among nobles, that for those who have money to buy these luxury goods, they should choose either completely new products or antiques that have been placed for a long time.

Items that have changed hands only a few years after being bought in this way will be considered to be of unsatisfactory quality or bring bad luck.

"If Ms. Tingna has been in the world of ordinary people, such thoughts will not matter."

Rarely, the puppet who always smiled softly turned its head, showing a serious and serious expression.

"But if you want to travel with Lily and Alice all the time, don't judge what the other party can do by their appearance-this way of thinking, although young and immature, is a minority, but in the mainland An aesthetic that endures regardless of race.”

"Eh? I know this, but what does it have to do with aesthetics..."

"Many capable people will make their images fit their own aesthetics. This is widely seen among those who have the ability to change their own images, including but not limited to a considerable number of goblins, blood races, and demons with the ability to change their shapes. Like the fantasy species, there are also many orcs among the orcs who think that youth means innate vitality and use secret medicine and secret techniques to maintain their youthful posture. The most famous among humans is probably before the Thirteenth Holy War, known as no less than the alchemy sage Some man in Flamel, who at the age of one hundred took off the body of a demigod, one of the twelve crowns of alchemy, transformed himself into a young and beautiful girl—for no other reason than that It fits her aesthetics, well, by the way, she is also Lily's alchemy tutor, and she is now the director of the Alchemy Department in Glory City."

On the contrary, dwarves would never exceed 1.4 meters in height under normal circumstances. After gaining such strength, it is not uncommon for dwarves to raise themselves to more than 2 meters.

"...It feels a little disgusting."

Thinking of a hundred-year-old man transforming himself into a young and lovely woman through alchemy, Tina felt a chill. She had never met this Liliana's instructor when she was studying alchemy at Guanghui Academy. There was an indescribable feeling of repulsion.

"But it's not wrong to want to become what you like."

"Even though I said so..."

"Miss Tingna also remember that it is absolutely forbidden to do things beyond one's ability, otherwise Lily and Alice will be angry."

"Ugh...in the name of virtue."

Imagining the anger of a witch and doll she had never seen before, Tina shrank her neck, nodded, and drew a cross of virtue on her chest.

"Must remember"

The serious expression on the little doll's face gradually disappeared, and she looked back at the crystal ball on the bed, held by a silk tray, holding the golden cross pendant on her chest with both hands, and lowered her head, like a nun silently pray.

"【Intercept a piece of eternal starlight from the starry sky of fate, let the stars become Alice's eyes, what she looks at, what she hopes to look at, here.]"

What is chanted in prayer is the interpretation of magic. The dust sprinkled on the crystal ball merged into the emblem of light in the iridescent magic light, and in the crystal ball, a spherical magic circle began to rotate.

“【Even in the night without light, the stars will not disappear.】”

"[Shadow of Bruno's Stars]."

After the interpretation was broken, Alice raised her head, her golden pupils stared at the crystal ball, in which emerged vineyards, rivers, and long tables lined up along the road.

"Although it is a better choice to use the [Mage Eye] like Lily and then exchange bodily fluids with Ms. Tina to build a magic connection to share vision, but Alice also relies on the magic power that Lily supplements for Alice to act. To Miss Tina, Alice will be immobilized soon..."

After the magic was completed, the little puppet said to Tina apologetically.

Compared with the [Mage's Eye] which is directly reflected by the human eye, the scenery in the crystal ball is not so clear, and the sound from the ring of runes surrounding it is also mixed with a considerable degree of noise.

"It doesn't matter, I was the one who made the willful request and made Miss Alice waste her precious magic power. I'm the one who feels sorry..."

It is still difficult to guarantee the quality of the real-time image and sound transmission magic, which is also impossible.

Ting Na followed and sat next to the big bed, staring at the crystal ball.

"It's not a waste. Ms. Tingna is also very curious about what Lily is planning to do. Didn't she make an agreement back in Salt Sand City? Alice and Lily will definitely answer Miss Tingna's questions as much as possible."

"Although I said that, I don't know why that paladin suddenly became a cultist..."

"The truth about that, both Lily and Alice feel that Ms. Tingna can't simply accept it for the time being... Ah, the timing is just right."

From the crystal ball, came the flat voice of Miss Witch.

"Please be quiet, everyone."

Perhaps using the magic of loudspeaker, these short words overwhelmed all the noise from the crystal ball, and then fell into silence.

The girl quickly looked into the crystal ball with those golden eyes.

The vineyard chosen by Liliana as the venue for the banquet is a small hill. The road surrounds the orchard divided by fences, forming an irregular ellipse. Dozens of long tables are connected end to end on the road, and are being buried. The people who started with the potato and beef cream soup which is not usually available raised their heads and looked at the top of the hill.

Alice adjusted the position of the image.

There, Liliana asked Jester to prepare an exquisite round table and chairs with cushions for the nobles. Surrounded by grape vines and ripe and sweet-smelling fruits, the nobles who sat with Liliana Wiping the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, he praised the deliciousness of the wine and beef to Jester who was beside him.

After the nobles finished speaking, the little witch nodded to them—especially after exchanging glances with Bishop Marus and the person in charge of the Association of Magicians in Sula, she continued to speak.

"I am Liliana A. Forster, recognized by the honorable King of Olympion, the Holy Light and the Holy Fire, the legal and sole owner of this territory, but for some reason, I have been studying for many years Outside, because the ancestors of the family once handed over this territory to you in the territory, I was very relieved."

Although the voice was a bit distorted, it was still possible to hear that the girl did not have the usual faint murmur at the beginning of her sentence, and her words were mixed with a tone of dissatisfaction.

"However, the territory, which has been doing very well all along, has seen a sharp drop in sales, and even the production tools that I buy regularly every year have also stopped, which makes me have to interrupt the scheduled trip to come here, for the territory and wine. worry about the management of the village.”

As soon as the topic changed, the girl pushed aside the vines of the grapes, and let Jeste follow the top of the hill with a candlestick in hand, so that everyone could see her light brown face, eyes deeper than the night, and——

That mesmerizing beauty.

The beautiful queen looked down on her subjects from a high position, and those who were obsessed with that beautiful figure also lowered their heads and dared not look at her. The little queen swept everyone's face, and her cold voice softened slightly. .

"I know I can't blame you for this. I saw the bustling town and the majestic castle. The golden magic tree is a natural disaster. There is no reason to blame you for not doing better, but."

Immediately afterwards, when they seemed to feel the queen's benevolence and slightly raised their heads in agitation, the voice suddenly rose, and the severe reprimand was deeply carved into their chests.

"However, I can't stand one thing."

she says.

"Let's forget about other people's rumors."

The magic of amplification carries the girl's voice everywhere.

"However, I can't stand that you who have cultivated this land for generations, you who have been fed and raised by this land from your ancestors to now, actually feel that this land that has raised you for generations has been cursed! !"

No one whispered anymore. After Liliana's reprimand, everyone fell into silence. Even though the image of the crystal ball was not so clear, Tingna could still see that no one of them was stealing the bowl anymore. pieces of meat.

First is cursed.

In the afternoon, Mary, who took the gold coins given by Liliana to hire other fruit farmers on the territory to harvest the vineyards of the winery, said so, no one wanted to be infected with the curse of First, and no one wanted to.

Now Tina couldn't help but wonder if the person referred to by that pronoun might also include the red-haired girl herself...

Speaking of which, it seems that Mary's bright long hair was not seen anywhere in the image of the crystal ball...

"Ignorance brings ignorance, and ignorance will listen to rumours. If Furster, if Masura Winery is really cursed, why didn't the bishop send paladins and choirs to burn this cursed land, and just sit back and watch the curse Spread to other lands and even the entire valley?"

"...Oh, those people in the church are indeed indifferent."

Contemptuous sneers sounded from behind Tina and the puppet along with footsteps pushing the door open.

Turning around, the burning flame came down, and the girl who walked into the room naturally was startled for a moment, then immediately put that expression off her face, stopped, and stood by the door and spoke quietly to them.

"My father and I have always been devout believers. After the golden demon trees popped up one after another, we went to seek help from the church, but they said they couldn't help... Oh, thanks to the best way we gave when we built the town They build churches."

"Miss Mary also thinks, is this land cursed?"

"If not, then why on earth is this happening!"

Standing gnashing her teeth, Mary hugged her chest tightly, and the question she issued seemed to say that this was nonsense, but more than that, the sad voice also seemed to say it.

- That's right.

Only First led the golden magic tree to emerge one after another.

Only this manor paid the greatest price, but the disaster has not been eliminated.

No matter how pious the girl and the people in the winery are—no, it is precisely because of piousness that they are so desperate and confused, at least it seems that this is a curse.

at this time.

"If you can't even do this kind of thinking, then."

Liliana's calm announcement came from the crystal ball.

Although it was calm, it seemed hopeless to the ignorance of the people in front of them. Even Ting Na, who was separated from the crystal ball, could hear it.

"Just let me break this curse in front of you."

Mary, who was about to say something, froze the expression on her face.

The witch in the crystal ball didn't look this way. Maybe she had noticed Mary's departure, but even she couldn't predict the girl's position. After Liliana finished speaking, she walked straight down the hill, and the nobles followed her. Behind her, including the archbishop, including the head of the Magicians Association.

They walked down the hill and crossed a wooden bridge across the river. On the other side of the river, a five-member squad of paladins and several magic apprentices were already waiting here when Liliana started her speech. fence, in the orchard among them.

There are no stars and no moon in the night sky, but the starlight and moonlight are not far away from this land. Under the night sky that is darker than any other month of the year, there are about a dozen golden-colored, ferocious dragon beasts. Tengman, who opened his bloody mouth wide, writhed strangely among the grape racks.

"Oh, this monster should be burned ten thousand times by the holy fire."

Liliana brought the nobles to the edge of the orchard. Seeing these disgusting monsters, the nobles took out perfumed handkerchiefs from their pockets one after another, but they were stunned after taking them out.

The fruit growers and townspeople who followed them down their bowls also noticed something.

"It doesn't have that nasty smell!"

When the voice came out of the crystal ball, both Alice and Tingna were stunned. Although it was a little distorted, the person who spoke was... Jon?

"This is the Vineman of the Golden Demon Tree. I believe you are all familiar with it, but some people have also noticed that there is no such unpleasant smell of mud in this orchard."

Before the crowd began to slowly stir with such a discovery, Liliana's voice silenced all their words, followed by the voice of Bishop Malus.

"Knights, use the holy light to make monsters invisible!"

Alice adjusted the image of the crystal ball so that Tina and Mary standing behind Tina could see Liliana nodding to the bishop. Then, following the bishop's order, the five holy knights chanted a brief Prayer, and drew the long sword from his waist, making the steel blade shine bright white.

As they swung their swords, the light broke away from the blade. This is the most basic light of the holy light magic. The light born of firm belief illuminates this large orchard, and allows everyone to see clearly A place surrounded by golden yellow vines.

"...No flower buds?"

"That's right, Knight Kerim, I heard that you once led your followers to destroy more than ten flower buds. You should know what those are."

"That's right."

The middle-aged man wearing knight armor not far from Liliana nodded.

"I stabbed through a dozen flower buds with my spear, and I bet no one is closer to and understands what those things are than me except those adventurers and mercenaries who have left. Those are really goddamn flowers that should bloom in the lower world. They The diameter is always about two meters, and there are 6 or 7 petals, which are also golden yellow, and the stamen is a big hole, which spews out disgusting mud all the time!"

After finishing speaking with righteous indignation, the knight touched his chin in confusion.

"These bastard vines have left me with 32 new scars, 4 of which are permanent scars, but strange, they should cluster around that bud, like the most bloodthirsty wolfhounds, but... no ?”

"That's right, no, this is because when the golden demon trees were wiped out in the Holly Valley, they were also caused great damage."

The speaker Tina had some impressions. Among the people who greeted Liliana, he was the only one wearing a magic robe and a pointed hat. He was holding a long oak wand, exactly like the old magician in fairy tales. .

Hearing his voice, the corners of Mary's mouth twitched slightly.

"Oh, President Jamie, does he even speak for our lord?"

It was a long breath with extremely complicated emotions, Tina turned her head, but at this time, the complicated expression on Mary's face had disappeared.

"The golden magic tree is not stupid. The flower buds are its important organs. When it knows that the flower buds growing to the ground will be destroyed, it will change its mode of action, such as occupying an area with a large number of vines first but not Buds emerge, like a frightened river prawn hiding in the sandy beach at the bottom of the river, only sticking out two beards to warn the enemy, which also shows that it has no way to make large-scale flower buds and can only huddle here A corner of the orchard."

Having said that, the old mage cleared his throat.

"As for why they appear in this territory one after another... Bishop Malus, please let the knights pull out their roots, so that it will be clear at a glance. One or two on the outermost edge is enough, and there is no need for the knights to risk rushing. Into the place where the vines grow."

The old mage was referring to the two vines that were swaying around the orchard for some reason. Looking over there, Marus said with a smile.

"Knights who swear by light and fire have nothing to fear, but killing so many and gathering vines will destroy the entire orchard, and that is really not worth the loss. Go, knights, and reveal the truth of the rumors for us, may The blessing of light and fire be with you!"

"For the Holy Light and Eternal Fire!"

The bishop took out a golden water bottle and drank it in one gulp. Then he clasped his hands together and prayed. Following the solemn prayer, five golden flames wrapped around the silver armor of the five knights. They had already drawn out their swords and let out a battle cry. He rushed to the two vines outside the orchard.

"It's [Holy Light Armor]."

Alice looked at the five knights and said the name of the magic.

"Holy Light Armor is that...Holy Light Armor?"

"That's right, one of the most famous magic spells, the Church of the Holy Church relied on this magic spell to flood the empire of blood races with a sea of ​​people. It also used this magic spell to withstand the magic bombing of the ancient magic empire. It is a division of magic. It has a very strong defensive ability against the military magic, but it is a heavy burden on the user, and it needs to consume holy water. On the battlefield, a knight order needs five choirs to rotate continuously to ensure that they can fight within an hour. It has been maintained in the domestic war, of course, the effect is amazing."

Even using this magical technique, it seems that Lily's gift really hit the itch of the bishop.

Saying so, Alice moved the screen slightly to reflect the battle in the orchard.

Sensing their fighting intent, the two vines began to twist violently. The five knights rushed towards the vines on both sides in two groups, and the remaining knight knelt down on one knee and stabbed his long sword into the ground, shouting loudly. Pray for the protection of the Holy Light.

A long light curtain was erected between the grape trellises. The moment the light curtain lit up, in the distance, attacks from other vines also rained down.

What spewed out from the dragon-like mouth was mucus shells, which hit the light curtain and set off a whole wave, but they could not be shaken at all. They could only slide down slowly, and after contacting the soil or grape vine leaves, spittle burst out. The sizzling white smoke instantly turned the emerald green vines into black as charcoal.

At this time, the remaining four knights in the two-person group had also rushed to the side of the two vines, and were slashed at the golden poisonous snakes by the long sword protected by the light.

clang! ! !

The clashing sound was like a sword blade cutting against a sword blade.

"—————!!!"

A creepy howl came from the "mouth" of Vineman. There is no onomatopoeic word in human lingua franca to describe the scream of this monster. The moment after the swords of the knights fell on Vineman, all these caused The poisonous snake that plagued the entire river valley writhed crazily.

Fujiman's sweep was blocked by the knight shields in their hands. They were thrown away by the powerful force and quickly got up and got up, quickly engraving the black scorched marks on the side of the second round of offensive on Fujiman.

——Don’t think that these are just plants and take it lightly. The golden magic tree is stronger than cows, and the skin of vines is as hard as steel. The acid they spit out can melt the fattest pigs at once. Blades can cut chain mail! If you are not careful, only death will be ushered in.

In the autumn, River Valley summed up this experience with the deaths of dozens of adventurers.

But well-trained knights are not adventurers with varying abilities. Their equipment is more sophisticated, and they have powerful divine protection. Even steel will be cut off by their blades!

The battle didn't last long. A few minutes later, two groups of knights chopped off the ferocious big mouth from the top of Tenman one after another. When Tenman collapsed weakly, they quickly separated one of them to join the kneeling and praying knights. Let the veil of the holy light become stronger.

After doing this, they all took out the potion for restoring physical strength from the space storage props, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Bishop Marus, please let the knights pull out the Vine Man."

"No problem, I am also very curious about what kind of secrets these monsters hide."

Through the magic surrounding Liliana, the girl's words and the bishop's voice can be heard by everyone. After receiving this order, the remaining two knights who did not participate in the reinforcement of the divine magic curtain took a short rest, each grabbed He picked up Fujiman, who was no longer moving.

"Hey--"

"drink!"

The fertile and soft soil turned up amid their low growls, and the golden vines continued to stretch in their hands, one meter, two meters, three meters...

After a few minutes, the two knights stopped for a short rest.

"At this time, all the vines hidden in the ground should be pulled out, and the root system should be pulled out. The vines of the golden magic tree will also have a long section underground, which allows them to suddenly elongate or shorten."

The influence of the crystal ball projection is not clear enough, but Alice can always speak at the right time to explain the girl's doubts.

"At this time, it's going to be a slow tug of war, Miss Mary, have you pulled out these vines before?"

"...Of course, the roots of these vines are extremely strong. In order to get rid of the golden magic tree, we just poured the potion prepared by the alchemist into the buds that kept spitting out mud, and pulled them out and burned them after the buds and vines withered. Same as the rest of the valley, but other places where the golden magic trees have disappeared after doing this, only the orchards in First Territory, especially the winery, are still plagued."

Mary glared at Alice with her fiery red eyes. People say that she loves the house, but Tina thinks that because of the girl's hostility to the witch, she has no good feelings towards Alice and herself.

Tina believes that the little puppet must also know this, but she didn't say anything about it, she just looked at the image in the crystal ball and used that soft voice like the morning sun.

"So, what is the approximate length of the root system?"

"Some were three meters, some were five meters, they were huge, we tried our best not to leave any roots, but it was useless,"

"The reason will be revealed soon."

After Alice finished speaking, she adjusted the image of the crystal ball slightly.

"Next, can you please ask President Jamie to ask your apprentices to turn over the soil? This way the knights can pull out the huge root system better, and it will be easier to see what will happen afterwards."

In the crystal ball surrounded by magical runes, the conversation between Liliana and the head of the Magicians Association in Sula Town was transmitted.

"There are quite a few vine trellises that have survived there, and it doesn't matter if you remove the soil and they die too?"

"The truth is far more precious than rows of grapes."

Mary snorted softly.

—You didn't grow it anyway, she muttered.

"I understand, Richard, Van Helsing, Doom, you have heard the Lord Lord's request, let us help the knights save some energy."

"yes."

"clear."

"understood."

Outside the fence of the vineyard, the magicians who had been waiting for a while nodded. Magic light flashed around them. After the two knights responsible for pulling out the vines moved away slightly, they covered the land near the vines with a magic circle. .

"What did they do?"

Mary raised her equally fiery eyebrows.

"Although you can't see it clearly, it's probably [Transform Mud into Mud]. This is a derivative of the famous [Fossil to Mud Technique], which can quickly turn mud into a more pulpy mud."

"Of course I know about this level of things."

Tina looked at the red-haired girl's raised eyes and relaxed with some annoyance. It seemed that the topic of magic made her very anxious. Sensing the girl's gaze, Mary turned her face slightly. She stopped talking and just looked at the picture on the crystal ball intently.

There are two more huge golden brooms on the land.

……wrong.

It took Tina a moment to realize what it was.

Now that the two knights have retreated to the edge of the fence, the apprentices' magic should have saved them a lot of effort, and because Alice's adjusted perspective looks like the golden color of a giant broom, that's what Liliana said , [huge root system].

Indeed, it is extremely huge. Counting the parts pulled out by the knights underground, the vines of the golden magic tree are at least ten meters long, and the root system is already equivalent to this length - this is still not completely pulled out. Next, it is already so exaggerated.

"Blessed by the Holy Light, why is it so long!"

"I heard that some orchards also pulled out the vines after they died, but they were only one or two meters long!"

"Devil, this must be the devil's—!"

People watching around the orchard screamed in alarm. The golden color on the ground seemed to have a full impact, which exceeded their understanding. Among them, an old woman shouted in horror that this was something from the devil, but Before she could finish her words, Miss Witch's voice suppressed all their commotion.

"The golden magic tree is not a demon."

Liliana stood next to the knights Malus and Krim, who were much taller than her. As the lord of a territory, her height was really too short, but at that moment, she exploded from her petite body. The aura he showed made even these two people who have been in Vanity Fair for many years mistakenly think that they are standing next to a distinguished queen.

"This land has not been cursed. The reason why golden magic trees appear one after another in the First Territory and the winery and manor should be very clear to you who have been associated with the land and plants for generations."

The girl's tone was calm. She looked at the fruit farmers who were focusing on her and asked expressionlessly.

“In what kind of land do plants have deep and long roots?”

The orchard was quiet.

Crackling sound?

That's when the Golden Vinemen continued to spray venom and bombard the barrier of holy light.

Sizzling sound?

It was the venom dripping down the curtain that corroded the soil and made it sizzle.

Clatter?

It was a tributary of the Holly River, reflecting the flames of torches in people's hands.

Otherwise, everything is quiet.

Maybe they really never thought that their Lord would ask such a question.

Is this a joke or something else?

"Um...Miss Mary, is this question difficult?"

"Maybe it's hard for nobles who never farm."

Mary glanced angrily at Tina, who had a confused expression.

"But for us, this issue is common sense that we use in our daily work. Everyone knows it. Just because everyone knows it, no one knows what our respected lord is doing and how reckless he is. Will you get a reward or a gallows if you speak out? Rumors have spread among them that our lord will use gold coins to hit Jon with a black face because he is offended."

No one answered, even though the answer was in the hearts of most people.

If the image of the crystal ball could be clearer, maybe Tina, who could see people's expressions clearly, would realize that what Mary said was absolutely correct.

The air also seemed to freeze.

"No one answered? Or do you mean you don't know? Jester?"

Just when Liliana was a little impatient with the silence, she threw the question to Jester who was standing behind her holding a lamp.

"It's soil, noble and benevolent lord."

At the front of the crowd, a man spoke with an awe-inspiring tone.

"When most plants take root in soft, fertile soil, their root systems will grow luxuriantly, becoming long and deep, and when dug out, they will leave a large, tightly wound mass of soil with them."

"...Jon?"

Mary was stunned.

She didn't expect that the man whose nose was swollen by gold coins would answer.

The same goes for Tina. She remembers this disabled man whose nose was smashed by Liliana with a gold coin because he was impolite. Hearing his frightened voice, the girl and Mary were equally surprised.

"Jester, is he right?"

But the witch just glanced at him, seemingly not realizing that he was the citizen who spoke rudely to her.

"Yes, Lord, most plants are like this. The soil is soft and fertile, and suitable for growth, they can grow long and huge root systems. On the contrary, if the soil is hardened and barren, the root systems will be shallow and short, so farming needs to be done from time to time. Loosening the soil is to allow crops to grow better.”

The man holding the lamp answered respectfully.

After listening to Jester's words, Liliana let out a long sigh.

"Aren't you very clear? Where is the curse?"

The bewildered mood still enveloped the silence disturbed by the noise. People thought they would hear some kind of conclusion, but their lord answered with a question.

but.

Turning her head, Tina saw the surprise that suddenly bloomed on Mary's face.

"ah!"

Shocks gradually came from the crystal ball. It seemed that some clever guys had realized something, and the crowd gradually became noisy.

"Ms. Forster, do you mean... because the land in Forster's territory is the most fertile, the golden magic tree happens repeatedly?"

Beside Liliana, a noble also reacted.

"Mr. Parvasi, I heard that the towns led by Eswald are the granary of the river valley, so you obviously understand the truth. Only a warehouse full of wheat and honey can't catch the mice."

"...As you say, it is indeed obvious."

"Beyond that, there is something I want everyone to see. Bishop Marus, please ask the two knights to cut off the roots of Vineman."

"Oh, does this monster that makes the river valley restless have any secrets?"

Marus, who was listening without saying a word, narrowed his eyes a little at this time, and waved with great interest, signaling the knights to do what Liliana said.

The root system of the golden magic tree is not as tough as Fujiman, and the two knights who received the instructions swung their swords at will, and split the two big golden brooms lying on the ground into two. The spit of the vines in the distance gradually weakened, and the other three knights also turned their heads to look at the two pulled out vines.

Immediately afterwards, something happened that made the crowd uncontrollably scream.

Almost at the same time, those golden roots quickly drilled back under the ground under the eyes of everyone. In the blink of an eye, only the truncated and immobile Fujiman remained on the ground. .

Even well-trained knights almost rekindled the golden flame on the sword, because it looked so creepy.

At this time, the rain of acid bullets from the golden demon tree also hit the light curtain of the holy light again.

The timing was perfect, and even the most ignorant person could see that there was an unmistakable connection between the two events.

"This is also the characteristic of the golden magic tree. They seem to be scattered, but under the earth, they are a complete whole. When the vines and buds in one place are damaged, even the root system is in danger—just like you sprinkled At that time, the remaining roots will escape to a relatively safe place. And because of the fertility of First Territory, the roots that were wiped out in the entire valley will eventually gather here. First Territory, The truth about the golden magic tree appeared one after another in Masula winery, alas... I should have thought of it a long time ago, the golden magic tree is also a plant, if you want to escape, of course you have to flee to the most fertile land."

The old mage let out a long sigh.

Even Bishop Marus clasped his hands together and spoke as if praying.

"That's right, it is said that the west bank of the Holly River is the most fertile land in the valley, and the Marsula winery in Forsterland is the most fertile orchard on the west bank, but I never thought that the fertility itself would become the cause of disaster... this It is also a trial given to us by the Holy Light."

Of course, their words were sent to everyone's ears by the loudspeaker magic around Liliana, and the commotion in the crowd gradually calmed down.

- This is the truth.

From the noise, Tina could barely hear people talking about each other.

——There is no curse at all, the bishop and the magician both said so. In fact, it seems that no one really suffered misfortune after working in the Marsula winery.

Such voices gradually increased.

——This is just an unfortunate disaster, no different from what happened in other territories.

——Or because other territories in the river valley drove all the golden magic trees here, we encountered so many.

they said.

"I don't want to blame you for the current plight of the Marsula winery, but the ancient and glorious winery has not and will not decline since then."

There was majesty in the calm voice.

It was still the witch's words that suppressed the commotion of the people.

"In order to turn the winery from a bad situation, we will still participate in this year's tasting. For this we need ripe fruit and sweet grapes."

"I know that most of your harvest has been sold to other wineries, but it doesn't matter. Even if you give up this piece of orchard that is still occupied by the golden model, the winery can still harvest a lot of grapes, as long as these fruits grow from the branches. Before falling, so, I have a small proposal here."

But after a while.

"In the usual busy harvest season, the wages for everyone employed by the winery to pick grapes are two silver coins a day, but now this season has passed, so I will adopt another way of remuneration, that is, When each person harvests one kilogram of grapes that have passed the inspection of an experienced winemaker, I will pay 20 copper coins for it. The more harvested, the more money I will give. There is no upper limit. It will be valid until the dawn of tomorrow, and at that time, the winery will conduct statistics, and I will give more rewards to the person who has harvested the most grapes."

Also the witch next to the lamp, with a finger raised in front of her lips.

"A gold coin."

Set people's emotions on fire.