Chapter 1268: Party

“Welcome our new members! Cheers!”

The long table had appeared in the Witch Building’s yard as though conjured — laden, candlelit, already pulling witches from across the building and garden at the smell of it. Wendy and Scroll raised their glasses and the rest of the yard followed with the unified enthusiasm of a crowd that had been waiting for a reason.

Thylane and Momo raised theirs, bewildered.

Thylane had barely processed that Wendy had taken her immediately for a hot shower, that someone had appeared with clean clothes — underwear, socks, shoes, all of it — that she had dressed in a fog of mild disbelief and been led back outside to find the yard transformed. The candles, the table, the noise. All of it real.

“You have to drain it,” Lorgar told her, and demonstrated. The wolf girl had a rosy flush already high on her cheekbones and an expression of deep personal investment in the proceedings. “Like this.”

“Ch-cheers,” Thylane said, and closed her eyes, and drank.

The yard erupted.

“She actually kept up with Lorgar,” Mystery Moon said, watching from across the table. “I’m impressed. That’s Evelyn’s strawberry white wine — it’s deceptively strong.” She pointed with her glass. “She needs to join the Detective Group.”

“Your team is half drunkards and the other half lazybones.” Lily crossed her arms.

“You’re on the roster!” Mystery Moon pointed.

“I’m not! You still owe me ten royals!”

“Let’s call it even and start fresh.”

“Stay away from me —”

Thylane set her glass down and felt the wine bloom warm across her chest. She had drunk with nobles — had been required to drink, had been punished for drinking too little, had spent years associating the whole act with watching for danger over the rim of a cup. This wine was not bitter. It was not a tool. And the wolf girl was already refilling Thylane’s glass with the transparent joy of someone who simply loves a party and has found a worthy partner.

Something in Thylane’s chest unlocked — not the wine, or not only the wine. The witches around her were laughing at nothing that required explaining. They had not made her justify being here.

A tall woman appeared at her elbow.

“Welcome to Neverwinter. I’m Annie — also from the Kingdom of Wolfheart. I also went looking for the Bloodfang Association.”

Thylane went still. “You were sold too?”

“Yes. I escaped eventually.” Annie drew forward a woman who had been standing half behind her, watching the table with an expression of quiet uncertainty. “This is Iffy. She was actually a member of the Bloodfang Association — but she didn’t know what Heidi Morgan was doing to the witches she gathered. The association has been gone for two years now.”

Two years. The Bloodfang Association had filled every nightmare Thylane and Momo had shared on the ship south — the persistent fear that they would be found, retrieved, returned. Gone for two years, and they hadn’t known.

The thing she felt was not quite relief. It was larger than that, and it moved through her slowly, like heat reaching cold stone.

“Sorry,” Iffy said, looking at the table. “If I had known, if I had stopped her earlier, none of this —”

“This wasn’t your fault,” Momo said.

Thylane nodded. “Even if you’d tried, you couldn’t have stopped the nobles. If it hadn’t been Heidi, someone else would have done it. That’s how people who profit from a thing behave.”

She had watched enough of them to know.

“I told her you wouldn’t blame her,” Annie said, and smiled and raised her glass. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Thylane returned. She meant it.

“My turn,” Lorgar announced, appearing with a full bottle.

“Wait for me!” Lightning, flushed and determined, pushed forward. “I’ve come of age. I can drink now.”

“Coo, coo, coo!”

“Pigeons can’t drink.”

“Coo?!”

“Eat something with it!”

“Nana, you haven’t come of age! Don’t follow them!”

The yard was full of voices all talking at the same time, none of them requiring anything from her.

Thylane sat in the middle of it and felt, for the first time she could date precisely, that she was somewhere rather than nowhere.

At the end of the long table, Wendy poured herself a glass of Chaos Drinks and watched the yard.

“Two at once,” Scroll said. “Everyone’s overexcited.”

“I don’t mind. I took them to the Witch Building on purpose.” Wendy smiled. “I gradually understand why His Majesty does these things. He calls it sugarcoated — I can’t remember the rest of the phrase.”

“You’re becoming more like a leader every year,” Scroll said. “I remember when you couldn’t manage a single meeting without second-guessing yourself. Now you’re out-strategizing the king.”

“It’s an analogy. You were already a leader before any of this — you have experience I don’t.” Wendy watched Lightning fail to drink half her cup without coughing. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be tired of this kind of evening.”

“We can’t really join them.”

“No.” Wendy’s voice was quiet. “But I’d guard them forever, if it were possible.”

They sat with that for a while. Two women who had known each other long enough that silence between them was not empty.

Then Nightingale materialized from the Mist beside the table.

“His Majesty wants to see the one called Momo. After the party.”

Wendy’s smile faded.

Scroll said, “He read your report.” A pause. “You knew this would happen when you wrote down her ability. He’s the most curious one among us.”

Wendy stared at the table for a moment.

“Take her to him,” Scroll said. “And if you don’t want to know the answer — you can leave the room. He’ll understand.”

A silence.

“Whatever the answer is, we’ll always support him,” Scroll said. “Won’t we.”

“Yes.” Wendy looked up. The yard was still full of light and voices. “Whatever it is.”

Chapter 1268 - Party

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn “Welcome our new members! Cheers!” A long table was placed in the yard before the Witch Building in the evening, and a raucous party began. Wendy and Scroll made toasts and drank for the two new witches. “Cheers!” all the other witches rejoined. Thylane and Momo raised their glasses in bewilderment. Thylane had not expected that Wendy would immediately force her to have a hot shower after she joined the Witch Union. She put on new clothes, including underwear, socks and shoes. Before she could thank Wendy and confirm that everything she had experienced today was real, she was again taken back to the yard. This time, however, the back yard had looked completely different. “You should say ‘cheers’ and drain your glass,” Lorgar said as she showed Thylane what to do. “Like this…” “Ch-cheers,” Thylane imitated a little clumsily. She closed her eyes and raised the glass. A loud wave of applause broker over the back yard. Someone even whistled in the crowd. “Lorgar is pushing people to drink again,” Lily said while twitching her lips. “Who says that you must drain the glass at one shot? I think she just likes revelries.” “But this is the strawberry white wine brewed by Evelyn. I’m impressed that the new girl can actually compete against the wolf girl,” Mystery Moon said while clicking her tongue. “She must join the Detective Group.” “That’s why all your team members are drunkards and lazybones. A perfect match for you.” “You’re a member too!” Mystery Moon returned while sticking out one finger. “I — I’m not! You still owe me ￥10!” “Forget about it. Let’s scrach it out and start all over again.” “Stay away from me!” Thylane burped loudly. After finishing one whole bottle of wine, her vision blurred. She had been forced to drink with nobles in the past, but no wine was as spicy as this one. The wine was not bitter at all. Instead, it was mellow and much more tasty than ales. But the biggest difference did not lie in the wine but in her current feeling. Watching the wolf girl refill her glass in excitement and the laughing witches around her, Thylane, for the first time in her life, found that drinking did not necessarily have to be painful. She wanted to join the others and relax herself. Just at that moment, a tall lady walked up to her with a glass in her hand. “Welcome to Neverwinter. My name is Annie, also from the Kingdom of Wolfheart. I also went to seek the Bloodfang Association for protection.” Momentarily stunned, Thylane asked, “You were also sold by the Bloodfang Association?” “Yes, but I escaped in the end. Many witches traveled from the Kingdom of Wolfheart to Graycastle. For example, this one…” With these words, she pushed one witch who looked pretty shy to the front. “This is Iffy. She used to be a member of the Bloodfang Association, but she didn’t know that Heidi Morgan was selling witches at that time. Fortunately, the association is now over.” It took Thylane a while to learn how the Bloodfang Association had been founded. It appeared there were also many other witches like her and Momo who had been forced to travel to Graycastle because of the betrayal by Heidi Morgan. The abhorrent Bloodfang Association had, in fact, been disbanded two years ago. At these words, Thylane felt profoundly relieved. On their way here, Thylane and Momo had had numerous nightmares where they had been caught by the Bloodfang Association and sent back to the nobles. Now, hearing that this organization was gone, they did not need to worry about it anymore. “Sorry,” Iffy said while lowering her head. “If I could stop Heidi back then, nothing like this would have happened…” “This isn’t your fault,” Momo said while shaking her head. “Even if you tried to stop her, you couldn’t stop those nobles.” “Exactly. It doesn’t matter whether the leader was a witch or not. If not Heidi, someone else would have also done it,” Thylane agreed. She knew perfectly well how avarious people were. Once they benefited from the deal, they would not easily let it go. “See? I told you that they wouldn’t blame you,” Annie said smilingly. “Now you’re in Neverwinter. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you encounter any problems. Even Iffy has no problem in living here. She’s pretty slow at many things. I think you’ll be just fine.” “Cheers,” Annie said while raising her glass. “Cheers,” Thylane returned quickly. “It’s my turn now!” Lorgar exclaimed, a rosy flush on her cheeks. “Don’t forget about me!” Lightning rejoined. “I’ve come of age and can drink now!” “Coo, coo, coo!” “No, you can’t. Pigeons can’t drink.” “Coo?!” “Oi, eat something with the wine.” “Nana, you haven’t come of age, so don’t follow them!” The back yard was filled with laughter. “It has been a long time since we had new members. Now we suddenly have two. It appears that everyone is excited,” Scroll commented at the end of the long table. “I did the right thing to show them the Witch Building. Now I gradually understand why His Majesty did that,” Wendy said with a smile. “Even if they first contacted the Sleeping Spell, I would also have a way to win them over. His Majesty calls it sugarcoated… something along that line.” “You’re more and more like a leader,” Scroll joked. “I remember at first, you found it hard to manage. Now, you even intend to compete with Princess Tilly.” “It’s an analogy. You were a leader back in the Witch Cooperation Association, so you have experience,” Wendy said while pouring herself a glass of Chaos Drinks. “But to be honest, I’ll never be tired of this kind of party.” “Unfortunately, we can’t join them,” Scroll said, shrugging. “I don’t mind it at all. I would like to always protect and guard them, if possible,” Wendy said quietly. Both of them became silent. They watched the noisy witches while savoring the delicious food. For them, they did not necessarily have to talk to understand each other, for they had been working together for years. Then, suddenly, a familiar voice said to them, “His Majesty wants to see the witch called Momo after the party.” Nightingale revealed herself from the Mist. Wendy immediately understood Roland. Her smile instantly faded away. “Well…” “Take her to him,” Scroll spoke. “You knew this would happen when you wrote down her ability. His Majesty is always the most curious one among us.” After a moment of silence, Wendy replied, “Alright.” “If you don’t want to know the answer, you can leave now. I think His Majesty will understand.” Scroll paused for a second and then went on, “Whatever that answer is, we’ll always support him, right?” “… Yes,” Wendy confirmed to Scroll as much as to herself. “Whatever that answer is.”