Chapter 1266: The Past

Wendy rested a hand on Thylane’s head. “Believe it or not, Mystery Moon was shyer than you when she first arrived.”

“Stop — please —” Mystery Moon went rigid. “That was years ago.”

“Really?” Lorgar’s ears pricked forward. “I’ve never heard this.”

“There are so many stories it would take more than one evening to —”

“What is your condition, Sister Wendy?” Mystery Moon’s voice had climbed an octave.

Wendy paused, as though working through a decision she’d already made. “Scroll mentioned yesterday that the file room hasn’t been cleaned in a while, and she’s been very busy lately in the Administrative Office…”

“Going right now. We’ll continue tonight — please excuse the Detective Group!” Mystery Moon blinked once at the two newcomers, something between an apology and a promise, and was gone.

Lorgar watched her go, lip curling. “I’ll help too,” she announced. “Because I’m a decent person.” She moved off across the yard.

When the witches had cleared, Grayrabbit nudged Ring and murmured, “I think she didn’t want to be the one Ring was calling lazy.”

Ring blinked. “Was I? I meant —”

Momo made a small sound. Thylane turned. It was a laugh — brief and quickly suppressed, but real, the first one since before the escape. Thylane felt the absence of it more acutely now that she’d heard it.

“You’ll like it here,” Wendy said, “though it can be loud. You’ll get used to that.” She gestured toward the building. “Come — I’ll show you your room.”

The room stopped Thylane at the door.

Not because it was grand. It was not. Small windows, modest furniture, a few square meters of floor. But it was clean in a way she had not experienced as a matter of course — the kind of cleanliness that comes from caring rather than from covering something up. And the bed was extraordinary.

Wendy pressed her toward it and Thylane sat and immediately understood, on a purely physical level, why beds mattered. Her body sighed inward. The mattress gave perfectly in all directions, as though it had been designed around the exact distribution of her weight.

She had slept in a nobleman’s bed. She had cleaned other noblemen’s beds. This was better than any of them.

Momo sat on the edge of hers and said nothing, which was how Thylane knew she felt the same.

“Hundreds of springs under the fabric,” Wendy explained. “Whatever position you sleep in, the mattress compensates.”

Thylane had some vague mental image of springs as armor components, which made the concept simultaneously impressive and slightly absurd. She decided not to think about it.

The room continued to surprise her in layers. Water from the tap without a servant. A bathroom mirror so precise she could see each individual eyelash. Soft floor underfoot that resisted slipping. Lamp light powered by magic. Even the furniture — simple timber pieces, nothing ornate — carried some quality she couldn’t name, a deliberateness that made them feel inhabited rather than merely placed.

“The Witch Building has been refurbished several times,” Wendy said. “Many sisters helped with the work. What we develop here usually spreads to the Castle District and the new residential areas — but this building always has the latest version of things.”

“Can we actually… live here?” Momo asked, softly, as though the question might break something.

“Yes. You’d need to join the Witch Union first.”

Thylane looked up. “Is that mandatory?”

A shadow crossed Wendy’s face — old pain, quickly smoothed. “No. Many of us experienced things in the Witch Cooperation Association that… made the idea of forced belonging difficult. It’s your choice entirely. Do you remember what the officer asked you at the checkpoint?”

Thylane nodded. The questions had seemed random, almost baffling.

“We ask those of every witch at entry. Magic means capability for harm at a scale ordinary people don’t have. Once you’re confirmed as no threat to Neverwinter, you can live anywhere in the city without restriction. There’s also the Sleeping Spell — founded by escaped witches, led by His Majesty’s sister. Or nothing at all. I’ll help you settle regardless.” Wendy smiled. “The point is what life you want. Not what ability you have.”

She paused. Then, quietly: “If you don’t mind — will you tell me your past?”

The room held the question for a moment.

Thylane felt something she had learned not to trust: the pull toward a person who felt safe. She had trusted people before and been wrong. But she had also been wrong by failing to trust, and that error had cost her just as dearly. This woman with her red hair and her unforced warmth, who spoke of choice and didn’t lower her eyes when she said witch —

Even if it turned out to be illusion, she didn’t want to walk away yet.

She bit her lip. And began.

Before the awakening she had been an ordinary girl in an ordinary village. After it, the pattern that witches knew: banishment, hatred, pursuit. She’d heard about the Bloodfang Association as a rumor — a sanctuary, a safe harbor — and had crossed half a kingdom and survived the church’s dragnet to reach the Archduke Island and make contact.

What met her was a sale.

She had been sold three times before arriving at the master who saw the use in her ability. The “magic pill”: her power, applied to a physical object. She had never told the nobles she could infuse any object; she had let them believe pills were somehow special, which kept them from asking the obvious follow-up questions. Pain suppressed, pleasure extended, sensation amplified and held. The master had used her as an arrangement tool — loaning her to other nobles at parties, making alliances through shared indulgence. This was how she’d met Momo and learned that the Bloodfang Association had been selling witches systematically, that the “home for witches” was a joint enterprise between the association and the nobles who collected them.

One by one the witches stopped appearing at the parties. The church pressed into Wolfheart. Then she overheard the order: nobles were to surrender all witches to the church, or execute them privately.

She had listened to the forms of execution being described. She hadn’t slept for three days afterward.

When the church’s campaign tore the city open, she and Momo ran. Their escape method was simple and irrevocable: Thylane applied her ability to the food and drinks at the final party, held nothing back, and waited.

Chapter 1266 - The Past

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn Wendy stroked Thylane’s head smilingly and said, “Believe it or not, Mystery Moon used to be even shyer than you.” “Ah — S-stop!” Mystery Moon begged. “This was something a long time ago.” “Really? I’ve never heard of them,” Lorgar said while pricking up her ears. “At that time, she always came to look for me after everybody fell asleep. Therewere so many interesting stories that it’ll probably take memore than one day to — ” “Stop!” Mystery Moon yelled. “What’s your condition, Sister Wendy?” “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything… But Scroll complained to me yesterday that she has been so busy in the Administrative Office lately, and someone hasn’t cleaned up the file room for a long time…” “I’ll go right away. We’ll see each other again tonight! Now, please excuse the Detective Group!” Mystery Mooneven blinked at the two new witches before she withdrew. “That was boring,” the wolf girl said while twitching her lips and crossed the yard with the others. “I’ll go help her as well because I’m such a nice person.” Grayrabbit elbowed Ring after all the witches left and muttered, “I think Lorgar doesn’t want to be labeled as a ‘lazy’ person, so she went to offer help.” “Er… really?” Momo, however, at this point, burst into a laugh. Thylane was a little surprised. The smile faded away instantly, but it was the first smile since Momo had escaped from her master. “You’ll like it here, although it can be a little too noisy sometimes. But you’ll get used to it,” Wendy explained gently. “Come, I’ll show you your room.” Thylane was utterly astonished after the tour. She had never imagined such a comfortable room. Although it was not spacious by any means, it was equipped with everything. Even the mattress was soft and clean. Thylane had seen a noble’s bedroom before. In fact, although shackled, she had been staying in her master’s bedroom for years. Nevertheless, the bed and the cotton fabrics here were far better than those in her master’s room. When Wendy urged her to try the bed, Thylane could not help sighing comfortably. She almost succumbed to the fatigue that had been constantly trying to take her over during the trip, and, for a second, she did not want to get up. Momo also felt the same way. Wendy explained that the mattress was supported by hundreds of springs, which was whyit was so soft.No matter what your sleeping position was, the bedwould be able to support your body perfectly. Thylane did not know what a spring was, but she somehow understood that it was made of steel, a material normally used to make armors. She was not sure whether she should say this was a creative innovation or a pure waste of resources. The mattress was just one of the amazing things here. For example, water automatically came out from the tap. The mirror in the bathroom reflected every single hair on her body. There was soft anti-slippery floor. The lamp was powered by magic. Even the simplest wooden furniture looked somewhat different. Thylane did not know what made them different, but they were excellent. Compared to the noble’s grand mansion, this room felt more like a”home”. Wendy said, “The Witch Building went through several refurbishments. In the past three years, many sisters helped with the rennovations. Some of the technologies applied to the Witch Building are also applied to the Castle District and the new residential area. Of course, if you want to be the first person toexperience the latest technologies,the Witch Building would be the best option.” “Can we really… live here?” Momo asked hesitantly. “Yes, but you’ll have to join the Witch Union first.” “Is it optional?” Thylane asked in surprise. For a moment, Wendy looked sorrowful. “Because many of us suffered a lot in the Witch Cooperation Association. Well, let’s not talk about this. Anyway, it’s up to you. Do you remember the questions the officer asked you at the customs?” Thylane nodded. At that time, only she and Momohad beentaken to that room, so she had been nervous for quite a while. “These questions are only put to witches. People who possess magic power can bring more damage than ordinary people if they have an ill design. Once they confirm that you pose no threat to Neverwinter, you can live anywhere in the city. In fact, apart from the Witch Union, there’s also a similar organization called the Sleeping Spell, which was founded by escaped witches. The leader of this organization is King Roland Wimbledon’s sister.” Wendy paused for a second and then resumed, “Of course, you can also choose not to join any organizations and live on your own. I’ll also help you settle down, in my own capacity, of course.” “But our abilities…” “That isn’t the point. The point is what life you want to live,” Wendy said with a smile while shaking her head. “If you don’t mind it, can you tell me your past?” Thylane felt a warmth steal through her. She felt that she could trustthis red-haired woman. Even if this was just an illusion, she did not want to walk away. Perhaps, everything would disappear in the end, but now, she wanted to stay here a bit longer. Thylane bit her lip and slowly divulged her past experience. Before she had become a witch, she had been just the same as any person in the village. After she was awakened, like so many witches, she was banished, hated and persecuted. Just when she was about to give up, she heard about the Bloodfang Association and believed it might be somewhere she could settle down. Having a strong desire to seek protection, Thylane survived the relentless pursuit of the church and arrived at the Archduke Island where she contacted theagent of the Bloodfang Association. She had never expected that what awaited her was an even more terrible disaster. The Bloodfang Association not only turned her away but also sold her to a noble in the Kingdom of Wolfheart. In the next few years, she had been sold several times before she met her master, who used her ability as an entertainment. The “magic pill”could delay not only pain but also other emotions such as anxiety and pleasure. Nevertheless, the pill could not eliminate pain or provide treatment. Once the effect of the drug faded away, the pain would all come back and become even more intense. If a person sustained serious injuries in the first place, the second wave of pain might be fatal. Her previous master thus treated her simply as a plaything. He took her pill toindulge in more intensesensual pleasures. In addition to that, he also asked her to serve other nobles as a way to bond with them. This was how Thylane met Momo and some other witches betrayed by the Bloodfang Association. It was not until that point that she realized that the so-called “home for witches” was a fraud jointly created by the Bloodfang Association and the nobles. It was easier to wait for witches to contact the association themselves than going out to seek them voluntarily. Later, to Thylane’s great horror,fewer and fewerwitchesshowed up in this “secret party” after the church invaded the Kingdom of Wolfheart. Finally, there were onlyher and Momoleft. Then she overheard from one noble that the church ordered the nobles to hand the witches over to the church or execute them in private, and she quavered at the various ways of execution. Thylane thus decided to leave with Momo when the city descended to chaos caused by the Church of Hermes. Their escaping method was to make the nobles overdose the “magic pill”.