Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Speculations About Annie’s Background
The morning sunlight slanted through the tree shadows outside the window, leaving a string of mottled patches of light across the dining room floor.
Lina sat at the table, drowsy-eyed, scooping milk oatmeal from her bowl with a spoon.
The kitchen door was gently pushed open, and an enticing malty aroma slipped into the dining room.
Sibyl walked out carrying a white porcelain tray. She had clearly just woken up as well; her golden hair was tied into a side ponytail, draping smoothly over her shoulder.
She wore a silver-gray morning robe made of soft, flowing fabric, the collar slightly open to reveal a delicate collarbone and smooth skin.
On the tray in her hands were a few slices of lightly toasted bread, warm milk, and a small dish of jam.
“I heated some milk and toasted bread. You should eat a little,” Sibyl placed the tray in front of Lina, a hint of concern in her emerald eyes. “Annie… is she really alright? She’s been asleep for almost ten hours.”
Lina’s gaze inadvertently swept over Sibyl, who was dressed in her nightwear.
Completely unlike her usual spirited young lady self, this version of Sibyl exuded a mature and gentle… hmm, married-woman aura!
Lina forced herself to pull her eyes away from Sibyl’s long, fair legs faintly tinted with pink beneath white stockings, and refocused on the breakfast. “She’s fine, still sleeping soundly. It’s just mana exhaustion—she needs time to recover.”
She paused, her tone softening. “But you, Sibyl… having you stay here overnight, won’t there be any problems on your family’s side?”
Sibyl sat down in the chair beside Lina. “There’s no problem. I’ve already asked Sariel to take my token back and report… Though on your side… me staying here might bring you quite a bit of trouble in the future.”
Not troublesome at all, really not troublesome!
Since Sibyl had been repeatedly targeted by evil fiends and cultists, Lina decided to keep her by her side. It was unclear whether her family had also been infiltrated by such forces, and it wasn’t safe.
After some hesitation, Sibyl agreed.
Not only did she insist on paying one-third of the rent, she also took the initiative to handle the household chores.
Sibyl’s cooking skills were indeed excellent—far better than Lina, who could only fry eggs, and Annie, who could only bake potatoes.
Not only was the food delicious… Lina couldn’t help but sneak another glance at Sibyl in her sheer nightgown.
Visually, she was delicious too!
Lina never hid her appreciation for beautiful girls. Sibyl’s married-w—bah!—next-door big sister style hit all her preferences perfectly!
Lina silently thanked Sariel, who had delivered sleepwear for Sibyl in the middle of the night.
Good sister, I’ll definitely treat you to something nice next time we meet!
“Ding-ling~”
The crisp sound of the doorbell broke the morning’s tranquility. Lina stood up, bread in her mouth, and shuffled over in her slippers with soft pattering steps to the door.
“Teacher Lina, it’s me.”
Shirley’s voice came from outside.
Lina opened the door and almost didn’t recognize her prized student.
Today, Shirley wasn’t wearing her usual witch apprentice robe, but instead had changed into a very casual outfit.
She wore a brown beret, and her slightly heavy black square-framed glasses had been replaced with light, round gold-rimmed ones.
Her upper body was dressed in an off-white, waist-cinching dress with flared sleeves, paired with a linen shawl. On her hands were light brown lace gloves. Her lower half featured brown plaid stockings and black round-toe leather shoes.
My goodness, who are you, beauty!
Lina couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—clothes really did make the person. The usually serious, science-minded girl only needed a bit of dressing up to transform into a Victorian-style literary beauty!
Looks like I should get myself a decent outfit too… hmm, maybe even learn an instrument or something, like the cello?
After I get rich, I should have someone custom-make a violin-shaped staff. With this face, it’d be a bit of a waste not to play the violin…
“Teacher Lina?” Shirley waved her hand in front of Lina’s eyes.
“Ah, sorry, sorry, I spaced out a bit,” Lina gave an embarrassed smile. “What is it? Come in and talk.”
“Then excuse me~” Shirley bent down, hooking off her little leather shoes with her index finger, and stepped onto the soft carpet at the entrance.
“Good morning, Shirley,” Sibyl, seated at the table, elegantly took a sip of her morning tea and smiled slightly at her. “You all worked hard yesterday. Would you like to try some freshly baked bread?”
“Then I won’t refuse your kindness, Young Lady.”
Lina returned to the table with bread in her mouth and sat down beside Sibyl together with Shirley.
“Young Lady, the cultists who attacked you and the surviving evil fiend have already been taken back for interrogation by the Witch of the Moon. We should have results soon,” Shirley gently adjusted her glasses and continued. “Master has expressed regret over the recent… misunderstandings, and hopes to receive your forgiveness.”
“So Father thinks I’m not going home because I’m still angry at him?” Sibyl tilted her head slightly with a smile. “Where’s that useless boy? Although he’s also one of the victims, he’s done plenty of excessive things…”
Sibyl’s tone turned cold. “Framing and slandering my friend, and repeatedly causing her trouble… all of that was evil he committed of his own will.”
“Young Lady, that is precisely the most important reason I came to disturb you this early…” Shirley lowered her head. “He had already escaped before the incident last night. He left no clues, as if he… vanished into thin air. Also, there are some matters within the family that need to be reported to you…”
Lina, sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow. It seemed there were other informants within Sibyl’s family—likely someone who, after realizing the “fake” Young Lady had been defeated, tipped Tal off and helped him escape in advance.
But… why did the evil fiends value Tal so highly? And how had they cooperated with those cultists?
Lina swallowed her bread. She wasn’t interested in the trivial affairs of great families. She hopped down from her chair and walked into the living room.
Lina lay comfortably on the sofa, her legs crossed and resting on the armrest, her neck supported by a soft yet elastic cushion. Her hands were folded over her chest, her smooth black hair spread loosely, and her eyes half-closed like a dozing kitten.
The image of the last moment she saw Annie the previous night flashed through her mind again.
The entire staircase had been devastated beyond recognition by a powerful frost spell. The evil fiend had been firmly nailed to the wall by an icy spear, its ugly, twisted face still frozen with an expression of disbelief.
From the beginning, Lina had already noticed that Annie was far from simple. Her mana level wasn’t high—judging from the fluctuations, it was only around level 15—but her total mana was astonishing. Back when she froze the entire swamp with ease, her mana reserves had to be at least three to four times that of ordinary witches and wizards of the same level.
Based on Sibyl’s description, Annie yesterday seemed to have entered some kind of special state after being strongly emotionally stimulated. The most notable sign was the appearance of snowflake patterns in her pupils.
Even someone as knowledgeable as Lina had never heard of such a phenomenon, but she did have some of her own speculations.
Among the original Ten Great Witches, there were several beings who were half-human, half-divine. When they activated their divine side, certain parts of their bodies would display special markings.
For example, Sethriel Filin, the Witch of Wind—when she activated her unique bloodline, rune-like symbols resembling whirlwinds would appear on the side of her thigh. Her spellcasting ability and speed would both increase, greatly enhancing her strength.
Sethriel Filin was the High Priestess of the catfolk, and within her flowed the bloodline of the beastfolk’s guardian deity—the God of Freedom.
It was unlikely that Annie was a demigod; demigods were at least above level 90. However, it wasn’t impossible that she possessed some kind of special bloodline.
Looks like I really picked up a treasure!
A soft set of footsteps sounded. Lina lifted one eyelid and saw Annie, rubbing her eyes, walking down the stairs.