Chapter 2249: Bathtub

Chapter 2249: Chapter 2249: Bathtub

The sound of the tide surged and crashed, the rain pattered down in a fine drizzle, and the campfire crackled and snapped. Her voice vanished, yet somehow left a lingering sense of loss, and the Bella Belindel in Shard’s arms had meant to raise her head—only to immediately hear a sound like a huge fish turning over at the surface of the sea, which frightened her back into Shard’s embrace, shivering.

But Shard knew that that "Mermaid" tail should have already left, because the bonfire in the little camp was swelling back to its original size, and at the same time the thick fog that had hemmed in the reefs below this Sea Cliff was rapidly dispersing.

In fact, it took only a few dozen seconds for that fog of unknown origin to vanish completely. The rain was still falling; sitting on the reef and looking off into the distance, one saw only the endless stretch of sea and the silhouettes of ships going to and from Moon Bay Harbor.

That indescribable Power of mental infection ebbed away, though its effects would linger for quite some time. But Shard had not encountered Desire for the first time, so he was experienced and quickly adjusted his state; only the soft, boneless-feeling blonde lady in his arms kept her head buried against his chest, unwilling to look up.

Although Desire had already departed, this place was not suitable for a long stay. Shard tried calling "Miss Belindel" a few times, but only got a small squirm and a shake of her head in response; then, amid the Witch’s sharp little cry, he simply lifted her up in a Princess carry.

Thus the two of them returned to the room at the bottom of the elevator shaft, where the Miss Maids lying unconscious had all begun to wake up. Miss Matilda, though not the one of the highest Level, possessed the most Witch Power by virtue of being a Witch Apprentice, and so she was the first to regain clarity.

Seeing Shard carrying her mistress, and with their posture and Shard’s expression clearly off, the Miss Maid’s lips moved a few times, but in the end she said nothing more, only softly inquired:

"Miss, are you all right?"

"I’m fine, don’t mind me, we’re going back now."

Only then was she willing to speak, but since her head was still buried in Shard’s arms, her voice sounded muffled.

The other Miss Maids also stood up one after another at this time; after a quick check, they found that they had simply fainted, without even dreaming. When Shard asked whether they remembered what had happened here, Miss Matilda answered for them:

"We came with Miss to visit Countess D’Armanin and then discovered the strangeness in the estate. Miss originally intended to take us away for the time being, and only make plans once she figured out what was going on here. Leaving went very smoothly; Countess D’Armanin even saw us to the estate gate. But when we came to our senses, we were clearly already stepping onto this elevator."

Countess D’Armanin was eccentric, but she did not have the ability to bewilder a Witch and these Maids; most likely Desire personally acted and cast an Illusion Technique.

"Once the elevator reached the bottom, we all blacked out. When we awoke, you were already carrying Miss over to us... Is it over?"

Matilda did not ask "what happened," but posed her question this way. Shard nodded:

"It’s over. Don’t dwell on what happened here—it was just bad luck, the Crow... It’s all my fault, I thought it would only pay attention to me. From now on, no one is to come to this estate again. Let’s go back."

The platform of the elevator was very large, and even with the whole group standing on it, it did not feel crowded. They returned smoothly to the basement of Earl D’Armanin’s Mansion, and when they stepped out of the basement, that beautiful Countess was already waiting for them with the maids.

She held a handkerchief to her mouth with her right hand, laughing lightly, and said to Shard:

"Satisfied now? I told you I could let you meet your Countess. Just tell me, in the end did you see her or not."

"Do you truly understand what it is you’re following?"

Shard asked, but the Countess only smiled and countered:

"Mr. Watson, you ask me that, but why don’t you ask yourself what you’re doing?"

With that, she gave him no chance to respond, and took the initiative to lead the way:

"Let me see you to the gate; you should be going back as well. Earl Belindel looks like she’s about to lose her composure. I’m a woman too—I understand how she feels right now."

She really did hold up an umbrella herself and escorted the group to the gate of the grounds. The coachman and carriage that had vanished without a trace were, surprisingly, parked perfectly well at the top of the slope before the mansion’s front door. And when Shard, still carrying Miss Belindel, boarded the carriage and turned back to look at the rain-drenched mansion and the Countess waving them off at the gate, he felt as if he had just awakened from a lavish dream.

Nothing else happened on the way back to Belindel Estate. The Miss Maids waiting in the estate’s antechamber for the group to return were relieved to see everyone safe and sound. It was only when they saw that Miss Belindel remained in Shard’s arms and refused to let go of him of her own accord that they all felt something was strange.

Emilia and the Little Unicorn had of course also come to the estate’s antechamber to greet them, and the Little Unicorn’s Perception was extremely keen. Seeing Shard, it had originally wanted to trot over, but immediately showed a wary expression.

It whinnied softly a few times, using its body to block Emilia, keeping her from going forward. Then it ran up to Shard itself, poked him with the horn on its head, and suddenly reared up, throwing back its head and whinnying loudly:

"Ang~"

The sound was loud, yet not at all harsh, and as it rang out, the horn atop the proudly raised head rippled with a ring of golden waves.

A gentle yet mighty Spirit spread out with those ripples, sweeping over the bodies of the returning group in the entrance hall. Shard felt his whole body grow pleasantly warm; all the dampness brought by the rainy day was driven away, and even his mood suddenly lifted.

[The Unicorn is dispersing negative Power.]

"She" whispered the explanation in Shard’s ear, and the other Maids also felt the vague, inexpressible oppression clinging to them swept away. From the Witch in Shard’s arms, a wisp of pink smoke drifted out. Even the Unicorn’s Power could not Annihilate that pink wisp, but fortunately Shard promptly took out the Perfume Vial.

The little vial had already been filled to the brim; once that wisp of smoke willingly entered it, the Essence began to emit an even more bewitching pink Glimmer.

"Oh~"

The Countess struggled lightly before leaving Shard’s embrace. She lowered her head, not allowing Shard to see her face. Miss Matilda came forward to support her, and then Miss Belindel, without even greeting Shard, let Miss Matilda lead her toward the third floor. Shard knew she was heading to the washroom to freshen up.

Naturally, Shard wasn’t so tactless as to follow; instead, he smiled and reached out to rub the head of that pure white little beast:

"You saw that we were carrying Evil Power on us, didn’t you? Thank you so much, you really are amazing."

The Little Unicorn let out another soft cry, then began circling Shard, happily darting back and forth. Emilia walked over at this moment, looking at Shard with deep concern. Shard gave a slight shake of his head:

"It’s fine now. I told you I can handle everything that happens here."

The Elf Girl nodded gently, yet the oppression in the depths of her heart only grew stronger.

It was already Friday lunchtime, but the returning group all needed to wash and tidy themselves, so the Estate’s lunch was postponed by half an hour compared to usual. During this time, Shard also washed up and changed his clothes.

The ancient Belindel Estate certainly had a heated bathing pool, but that was for the ladies. The Maids had prepared a wooden tub for Shard, so he could bathe in the guest room.

Shard rarely used a tub, but once he’d immersed his entire body and let out a soft sigh, he truly felt his whole body relax.

The tub was quite large; even with his legs stretched out, Shard could lie back comfortably. He closed his eyes, wanting to relax his mind, yet worried he might drift off to sleep, so he began going over the events of the morning instead—how he should explain things to the Witch, how their weekend operation should be carried out, and what he ought to do about the address given by that "Desire."

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard the door open. Footsteps entered the room and the door was closed again.

Shard assumed it was a Maid bringing him fresh clothes, but when he opened his eyes he saw instead the blonde Countess, wrapped in a white bathrobe.

He started in surprise, wanting to stand up, but thankfully remembered he was currently soaking in the bath. He spread his arms, gripping the rim of the tub with both hands to keep himself from rising.

Bella Belindel’s face, framed by the crimson birthmark between her brows and skin turned milk-pale after washing, was even more captivating than usual. She strode quickly to the side of the tub as if about to land Shard a punch, and Shard instinctively lowered his head toward the water, yet she simply leaned in toward him.

The two of them chased and dodged, and when Shard’s head had retreated entirely beneath the surface, the Witch’s head was already half submerged; her unbound golden hair floated on the water, and that was when she kissed him.

The kiss happened under the water. Shard’s eyes flew wide, only to see her golden eyes staring back at him. The fervent kiss, clumsy in the water, was followed by a splash as her arms reached in, wrapping around Shard’s neck, pinning him in place with a very difficult maneuver so he couldn’t squirm away.

"Hah~"

Only when the golden hair rose from the water did Shard, just now completely pressed beneath the surface, finally burst up from the tub, gasping for breath.

He scrubbed the water from his face haphazardly, truly feeling as if he’d been starved of air. By the tub, Miss Belindel’s hair was soaked through, droplets running down her cheeks. She too was breathing hard as she stared at Shard:

"I want to kiss more."

"What? No, no need to say it again, I heard you. The effects from this morning still haven’t worn off?"

As he spoke, Shard reached out a hand, intending to touch her forehead, only for her to bat his hand away in an instant.