Chapter 2210: Warm Home

Chapter 2210: Chapter 2210: Warm Home

[Outlander, you have returned to the present time.]

With "Her" gentle voice still in his ears, Shard, stepping once more out from the study door, saw the familiar sight of his own study lit up, saw the Tobesk nightscape outside the window, and of course saw the red-haired Duchess waiting for him to come home.

The peaceful house always let Shard’s taut nerves relax, and the gentle embrace the Witch gave him allowed his slightly exhausted body to truly feel at ease. Those forty minutes of adventure might not sound long, and the Tree Father had repaired all his injuries, yet he had just gone through an escape from an ancient Evil Object’s grasp—more dangerous and arduous than any battle.

Though Miss Galina did not know what Shard had just experienced, she could see from his expression that what he needed right now was a hug.

The Outlander did not say a word, only took deep gulps of air, while Mia had already leapt onto the desk, watching the two of them clinging tightly to each other. The scent of her perfume always made Shard feel at ease, and sensing Shard inhaling her fragrance, the Witch’s face also showed a smile:

"Want to eat something? I’ll have Tifa and the others prepare it."

She asked considerately, and Shard nodded:

"All right, then let’s have some supper. What just happened was really... I have a feeling my story with that Stone Statue in the deep sea is definitely not over yet."

He did not utter that Evil Object’s name at home; it would be inauspicious.

So Miss Galina did not immediately ask further. While Miss Maid and the others were preparing the late-night snack, she pulled him to sit down in the dining room. On the one hand they were waiting for hot food, on the other she hoped that the bustle of so many people moving through the house could ease Shard’s mind a little.

This worked extremely well, even better than drinking Holy Water or Magic Potions. After resting a bit, Shard spread the two paintings out on the clean tabletop, and while Miss Galina leaned in curiously to examine them, he also took out the two leaves he’d obtained this time.

Both leaves this time represented Arcane Techniques, respectively Magic - Dragon Roar and Magic - Corrupt Blood Fog. As usual he checked whether the veins of the two leaves were identical, and had just been about to lift one to his eye when the Witch caught him by the wrist.

Her golden eyes looked at him with concern:

"I remember you mentioned that using these leaves brings a mental burden. If it’s not urgent, leave it for the morning."

Shard thought for a moment, then nodded and gave up on learning an Arcane Technique right now. But immediately after, another interesting question occurred to him:

"All this time I’ve been the only one using these leaves. Do you think someone else could gain the Power inside them as well?"

The red-haired Witch gave Shard a light nudge:

"This is a blessing from the ancient Tree God to you. If you hand it over to someone else, it could practically be counted as a sort of Desecration. Don’t let your thoughts run wild."

As she spoke, she folded her arms on the tabletop, then rested her head on her forearms, tilting her head to look at Shard:

"More importantly, tell me the story this time. From these two paintings, it seems your guess about Miss Eles turned out to be true."

Since they were not short of Time at home, Shard’s storytelling was unusually detailed. The warm Glimmer of the gas lamps in the dining room made one feel they could set down all their troubles. He spoke of how he had "fished up" Professor Ivins, how he and the Witches had journeyed through the Illusionary Realm together, how he had gone alone to paint the Mermaid Oil Painting of the two young ladies, how in the final moments he transformed into a Dragon and escaped that lightless sea along with the Radiant Messenger.

The Witch listened very carefully. Even when Miss Maid and the others brought in the supper and Shard’s pace slowed as he ate, she did not urge him on. After all, more than the content itself, what the Witch liked was the cozy nighttime atmosphere at home, listening to her man tell a story.

When Shard finished, and Miss Maid and the others had taken away the plates, she smiled and said:

"You’ve definitely glossed over some details—like the part about painting the oil portraits—but I can roughly guess. All in all, this adventure turned out fairly well. However, have you decided how you’re going to handle your relationship with Miss Eles?"

She blinked at Shard:

"Or have you already made up your mind to forge another golden birdcage, just like the one you crafted for that pair of Butterflies?"

"I know you’re teasing me, but I still want to make it clear that I don’t have any improper thoughts about Miss Eles. I just feel that with her help, if I ever really need to go to sea in the future, I won’t have to worry about the problem of transportation."

The smiling Witch had been about to continue with something along the lines of "See, you do want to get on that ship," but thinking of how long Shard had been exhausted, she cut herself off:

"Yes, yes, Rejed’s Hamilton is always right. So then, Mr. Knight, now that you’ve had your late-night snack and finished your story, go wash up. It’s getting late, time to rest."

She paused, then added with a laugh:

"Don’t let Tifa take your cat to sleep in another room—let Mia rest in the bedroom too, otherwise it will hate me."

Shard looked at her in surprise, but the Red-Haired Duchess was already standing up:

"Tomorrow is Saturday, you still have a date with Lecia and the others. Next week is that special day of yours; I don’t want Little Lecia complaining that I dampened her mood in advance. Besides, she’s prepared something special this time. If you can’t sleep later, just hold me and tell me more about you and Bella."

Shard stood up as well:

"Since you’re not going to Moon Bay this time, I’m afraid you won’t get another chance to make those Green Lake jokes again."

The Duchess thought of the jokes she’d made with Audrey and The Megan Sisters when she’d first arrived at Green Lake a few months ago, and her smile grew even brighter:

"Who said I have to be there in person to tease them? Oh, I mean—Shard, do we need to have Tifa rest with us in the bedroom tonight? We won’t do anything, but you do seem to really enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by girls when you sleep."

Shard had no idea what expression that black‑haired Head Maid was wearing at that moment; he only knew that tonight it was necessary to let this Miss Witch understand that the owner of this house does not have an endless supply of good temper.

The night grew ever deeper. The Miss Maids retired to their own rooms, and in the master bedroom on the second floor, Shard and Galina, her hair let down over her shoulders, drifted into sleep. On that earthen ridge in the endless fields, the Outlander looking up at the vast Starry Sky could easily tell that he was already in a dream.

He liked the scenery in this dream, so in the past he wouldn’t do anything just because he realized it was a dream. Only now, with the blessing bestowed by that Old God, the Giver of Dreams, Shard was very curious to see what this "beautiful, pure Power" would actually manifest as.

He tried meditating under the Moon on some strange objects, but nothing appeared; then he tried to feel for some special Power, yet all he felt was the gentle wind of the fields softly brushing his cheek.

At last, "her" voice rose within that gentle wind:

[Your childhood, the beauty you have felt in this world, the things that have supported you all along the way—what are they truly?]

"Naturally, you and them."

"She" laughed, and in that laughter, Shard once again raised his head to look at the Moon. He still didn’t quite understand what kind of thing this "beautiful, pure Power" appearing in the dream really was, but he knew that from now on, no matter whose dream he was in, this Moon would always be there with him.

All in all, the Witch who stayed overnight at No. 6, Saint Delan Square was very satisfied with this Friday night. The evidence for this judgment was that early on Saturday morning, when she accompanied Shard to breakfast wearing a "cheap" nightdress that didn’t match her status at all, every Maid could see that whenever the Duchess looked at Shard, her eyes seemed to turn all melty and stringy.

Miss Galina did want to spend Saturday morning at home with Shard, but unfortunately, not long after breakfast, a Eunuch Servant from Yordle Palace delivered a letter, summoning her to quickly go and see that "troublesome" nephew of hers. As for how His Majesty the King in Yordle Palace knew that Miss Galina was here so early in the morning, that of course was because she was not like Lecia.

Every time Lecia came here, she had to conceal her movements and drag her own little sister out of the palace with her to help cover for her. But for the Duchess of Saradiel, she hadn’t needed such troublesome measures for a long time. After all, practically the whole of Tobesk already knew about Shard’s relationship with her, so there was no point hiding it.

Still, before she left she did mention one important thing: even though she herself would not be going to Moon Bay this time, the previously arranged plan for Tifa to lead her Followers to Moon Bay was already in place. The exact date was yet to be settled, but the Head Maid and the Maid Squad should be setting off sometime next week.

In other words, before Shard opened the new Time Key, it was quite possible he would already be able to meet visitors from Tobesk at Moon Bay.

Tifa herself didn’t show any particular reaction; in fact, whenever Miss Galina was present, she rarely sought much eye contact with Shard of her own accord. But Shard was still very much looking forward to meeting her in Moon Bay... and of course not for "having an affair." He was simply curious: when Tifa and Miss Matilda appeared at the same time, what kind of interesting interaction would there be between two equally loyal Head Maids?

[Yes, "loyal."]

It seemed "her" mood was quite good as well, early this Saturday morning.

Although there was a group meeting in the afternoon, Shard still planned to take a walk around Moon Bay in the morning. Since the matter of the Time Key had already been resolved, Miss Eles should take the initiative to show herself.

But before leaving, there were a few things to deal with. First, using the framing skills he’d learned while handling the Mermaid Oil Painting, he properly mounted the oil painting of the Blue Dragon and the Radiant Messenger, making it easier to preserve. The storage place was still the Space behind the Hidden Passage in the basement; Shard never considered moving these important "souvenirs" up to the third floor—after all, the basement was still the safest.

As for the second matter, it was naturally the two leaves that had gone unused last night.