Chapter 2214: The Arrival of the Unicorn

Chapter 2214: Chapter 2214: The Arrival of the Unicorn

The number of mermaid princesses in the fairy tale "Mermaid Princess" may vary in different versions, but there are definitely more than one. However, aside from the protagonist who eventually turns into bubbles and vanishes, the other princesses are all peripheral characters.

"No problem... What dragon? Is there a dragon in this story? How come I didn’t know?"

Shard asked again, and Dorothy’s smile on her blushing face became even more radiant:

"This is my adapted script, so of course, I make the calls. Besides, it’s definitely not appropriate to perform an opera where a princess dies at the King’s birthday banquet; the ending needs a bit of change. Don’t worry, you just need to appear once, with only a few lines, and you don’t even need to rehearse beforehand. I’ll arrange for you to come on stage when the time comes, and once you’ve said your lines, you can step down."

"Hmm... no problem."

After all, it is Lecia’s father, so Shard naturally had to show respect:

"So what gift should I give?"

"We’ll arrange it, you don’t have to worry about it. Lecia has specially designed a beautiful costume for herself, you’ll be satisfied on Tuesday night."

She smiled ambiguously, and Shard instantly understood what they wanted to do:

"Speaking of which, I got a new ’Ever-Youth Leaf’ yesterday, just in time to replace the one you consumed for me a few days ago."

With a gentle press of her hand, Miss Writer uttered a soft hum and lowered her head to offer another kiss:

"Alright. Lecia just said that she wants to test the effect of that new leaf tonight. It’s also kind of a warm-up for you for the events on Tuesday."

"Meow~"

Mia, lying on the desk, widened her eyes and looked at them, curious why Shard hadn’t come to pet her all night.

(Mia running...)

Early Sunday morning, Dorothy hummed a tune while preparing breakfast for Shard and Mia. After the family finished breakfast, Shard took Mia to Moon Bay.

As for why he brought the cat, it was naturally to soothe the Little Unicorn who might feel uneasy in an unfamiliar place.

Moon Bay always seemed to be covered under overcast skies. Even though "City of Steam" Tobesk had some light at eight in the morning, Moon Bay was as dark as if the sun had just risen.

Shard bought a newspaper at the city entrance before boarding the carriage. While going through the news, he was surprised to find that a joke he had made a few days ago had come true. City Hall had indeed called on citizens to minimize the use of gaslights on summer nights this year, citing "gaslight savings" as the reason.

A bewildered Shard flipped further through the newspaper and found two unusual obituaries. They were deemed unusual because the cause of death was not mentioned in them. The deceased were identified as a baron’s cousin and a Delarion language translator working at a foreign trade company.

"Two deceased appeared in one night?"

It seems the situation is deteriorating faster than Shard had anticipated.

On early Sunday morning, Miss Belindel, of course, had not yet gone out. Told by the maids that the man had arrived at the manor gate, she instructed someone to welcome him while asking her head maid if there was anything wrong with her attire.

When Shard entered the study, the Witch first gave him a hug and then, smiling, asked:

"You usually don’t come to see me this early. Look, it’s just past eight-thirty. What trouble needs my help this time?"

"This situation is indeed a bit troublesome... Is there a vacant room here where one person and a pet can be temporarily accommodated?"

So the witch, with a vermilion birthmark on her forehead, smiled at Shard, who was holding the cat:

"You’re asking if I can prepare a room for you here? Of course, my manor is quite large, and living here is very comfortable."

"No, not for me, for another young lady."

Fearing she might misunderstand, Shard hastily added:

"Do you remember the Elf girl troubled by malicious intentions I mentioned a few days ago? For certain reasons, I must arrange her lodging locally. So I thought... Of course, she will pay rent for staying here, covered by Saint Byrons, which can be reimbursed. However, if she stays here, she might learn about your Circle Sorcerer identity. While I assure you she won’t say a word, if this concerns you, I can look for somewhere else..."

"Hold on a second."

Bella Belindel raised her hand to interrupt Shard, and seriously confirmed:

"Can I understand that the Elf Girl and a little unicorn will be staying here for a week?"

Even Miss Matilda suddenly looked at Shard, so Shard nodded:

"That’s about right, the shortest would be a week, the longest maybe a couple of weeks. And there’s danger involved, remember the curse I mentioned?"

But the Countess wasn’t interested in discussing this, or rather she was confident that the curse wouldn’t harm others in the manor:

"Bring it here."

She extended her hand toward Shard, who asked puzzledly:

"What? Oh, the rent?"

He started to reach into his pocket, but the witch gently patted him:

"Stop playing dumb with me, who cares about your few coins? The unicorn! Where is the unicorn? I want to see it now!"

It wasn’t difficult to see the Little Unicorn right away. After getting Miss Belindel’s approval, Shard and she set off to the basement of the manor and took a photograph of a corner of the basement.

After developing those photos immediately using special methods, six photos were sent to Saint Byrons. A minute later, a door opened in the basement, with the Blonde Witch holding a handkerchief expectantly looking at Shard, who then entered the door with Mia.

Soon, the closed door was pushed open from the other side, with a golden horn appearing from the far end of the door, followed by the timid face of the unicorn. Afterward, the small creature whose fur emitted a holy white light awkwardly stepped through the door and came here.

On the back of the unicorn "Little Liana" stood a similarly small cat, and Shard, after waving goodbye to Miss Danester on the other side of the door, also stepped through back to the basement.

The six photos were sent back soon after, but the Great Witch of Destiny was too mesmerized by the small creature to pay attention to the photos. She watched the small beast in awe and delight, her body slightly trembling, and Shard felt that the silk handkerchief in her hand was about to be torn apart by her.

"Ngh~"

The small beast rubbed against Shard, as if trying to hide behind him, feeling unfamiliar and worried about everything around. But even though it was still young, its body far exceeded Shard, a standard adult male human, in length, making it appear... even more endearing.

Miss Belindel bit her lip slightly and then excitedly asked Shard:

"Is this a unicorn? It’s more beautiful than in photos and text descriptions! What’s her name, oh, is she hungry, can I pet her?"

Shard reached out and touched the fur on its back, as Emilia had previously mentioned that this was a way to express affection toward unicorns. And the Witch Echo knowledge from the Fifth Era also proved the reliability of this method:

"This is Little Liana. I have its daily food here, and once Emilia arrives, she’ll be responsible for its feeding. As for whether you can pet it, that would be up to its own willingness."

Besides Shard and the witch, there were also three of the most loyal maids in the basement, including Miss Matilda. The girls all watched the glowing creature in the dim basement intently, finding it even more wonderful than they had imagined, like something straight out of myths and stories.

The deep blue eyes showed more timidity as it stood timidly behind Shard, making the Countess feel like her heart was melting. She cautiously took two steps forward, and upon confirming that the small beast didn’t shy away, gently placed her hand on its luminous fur.

"Unicorn!"

The joy expressed on the Countess’s face at this moment was something Shard had never seen. She gently petted the small beast, which was gradually adapting to the environment, and then asked Shard:

"What kind of living environment does it require? How soft should the bed be? Does it need daily baths? How many maids do you think I should arrange to take care of it?"

"Well... it doesn’t need to be that exaggerated. Let Emilia take care of it; she’s very professional, managing an entire unicorn herd at the Academy. Also, it’s best not to let too many people interact with it."

That’s to prevent too many people from coming into contact with the unlucky Elf Girl and consequently becoming unlucky themselves.

The Countess nodded slightly, then eagerly looked at the cat on the unicorn’s back. Since seeing the unicorn, she obviously wanted to try riding it. She could even imagine herself riding the unicorn with Shard, welcoming other witches.

Of course, that wasn’t possible. Just like how Mia chose who could hold her, unicorns were also picky about who could ride them, and currently, that privilege belonged only to Emilia and Shard.

The train that Emilia and the other two were taking was expected to arrive at the Moon Bay North Train Station around 10 a.m. on Sunday. Hearing that Shard was going to meet the train, Miss Belindel arranged for a carriage for him.

The Little Unicorn definitely couldn’t accompany Shard, even though the Academy had prepared sufficient hiding talismans and special alchemical tools that could make an entire building seamlessly disappear from people’s view. However, Shard still felt it was better for the unicorn to stay in the manor. The "Capable Persons" in Moon Bay weren’t necessarily fewer than those in Tobesk, and being discovered would be quite troublesome.

Of course, as Shard prepared to leave, he had some concerns about the "scheming" witch possibly doing something to the small beast while he was away. But after considering, he thought Miss Belindel was just a bit overexcited seeing a unicorn for the first time and was still a very good lady at heart.

Thus, the carriage carried Shard away from the manor entrance, while the smiling witch in the manor presented an apple to the innocent-looking white creature in its new room.