Release that Witch

...

”Will Lady Tilly be responsible for writing the Flight Manuel?” Anna put down her book and laughed gently. ”Wendy won’t be frustrated, will she?”

”Perhaps, she will, but I think she can take care of herself.” Roland moved a little to get in a more comfortable position.

”Why are you so sure?”

”Nightingale asked for an advance on her next month’s Chaos Drinks, and Scroll applied for three ice cream rolls. I believe that with both of them being with her, Wendy will recover in one night. Besides, I also gave her two bottles of fruit wine to comfort her. I don’t think she’ll brood on her failure after she gets drunk.”

”Is the wine called ’Drink Yourself to Death’?”

”No, it’s called Vanilla Medium.”

”What? Such a common name...”

Nights like these were some of Roland’s most relaxing moments. The two of them, having washed off a day’s tiredness, leaned back against the soft, black velvet pillows and shared that day’s stories. Anna would often prepare a book for bedtime reading, such as travelogues and biographies, while Roland would lay on his side and enjoy her beautiful face.

This was one of the few times they could stay so close to each other ever since the construction of the railway in the Misty Forest began.

Every four days, Anna had to take the train to the northwest and process the rail that Leaf had paved, then she had to return by train that evening.

Besides welding the railway, she also had a lot of other work to do.

Such as: making critical components of the weapons,

Improving the new machine’s tools, while making replacements for the old ones,

Cutting aluminum bars, and assembling the glider.

The industry of the Western Region had grown dramatically since the time it began. The people were using primary metal materials and production tools without the witches’ assistance. No matter how fast the industry advanced, it was still slower than the speed of Roland updating the designs.

It made moments like these all the more precious.

”It would be nice to have the Flight Manual written by Lady Tilly.” Anna shifted the topic back to the flight test. ”After all, your invention is made for all people to use and her feelings may be closer to the ordinary people. Besides, as far as learning ability is concerned, she has mastered almost as much knowledge as I have. She can probably offer you more help than Wendy.”

”Yeah... this isn’t something Wendy is good at,” Roland said, nodding. ”I should have thought of it from the start.”

”Have you thought out the machine for the new aircraft?”

”Of course,” he replied confidently, ”this is my expertise after all. Now that there’s a dream world where I can find relevant materials, I’m able to draw the design for a prototype immediately. We can start to produce the aircraft directly after the oil fractionation tower is completed.”

After that, they talked about the other industrial problems of Neverwinter, including everything from technical details to development plans. The talk was comfortable and harmonious, Anna not only understood his meaning but also added many relevant comments and compliments. For Roland, it was refreshing to have someone so considerate and tactful.

As Roland was staring at the girl’s flashing eyes, his thoughts shot back to how few girls there were at his old mechanical engineering college and job. This would explain why he never saw any salary improvements and suddenly he felt that there must be a God of mechanics blessing him.

Ana laughed, probably after being stared at for too long. ”Do I look that beautiful?”

Roland did not answer. Instead, he let actions to express his feelings. He leaned over and kissed her ear.

”Had I known you were such a man, I would have acted earlier.” Anna smiled.

”Does she mean the night she intercepted him at the castle gate after the end of the first celebration of the Months of Demons?”

”What did you initially think of me?” Roland wondered.

”In my eyes, no matter how merciful you are, in the end, a prince is a prince. You were also above all the nobles, which are very different from us as it is.”

”Haha ... sorry to disappoint you.” He pretended to be sorry. ”I’m just an ordinary person.”

”No, it couldn’t be better...” Anna shook her head and raised the corners of her mouth. ”Because I’m an ordinary person as well.”

***************

Two days later in the Barbarian Land.

The main force of the First Army finally arrived at the station of Northbound Slope, on schedule.

Iron Axe could not help having doubts, for it was such a smooth and peaceful journey as they had not suffered any attacks they had expected, not even aerial harassment.

He had prepared to carve out a way through the many enemies, but he saw none of them. Their only battle was with a pack of hunting wolves. Apart from that, the entire plain was strangely quiet, as if all the watchers had been distracted by the sniper team.

If that were the case, he could swallow his disbelief. But the information that the witches told him was not correct.

In fact, the demons only strengthened their patrol forces in the first couple of days and then withdrew most of the Devilbeasts, leaving the outpost un-patrolled until now. It seemed that they had given up watching the area.

After the army camp, Iron Axe summoned a meeting in the central camp with the General Staff and the heads of the troops.

”Why do the demons stay quiet? What do you think?”

”It is indeed a little strange...”Agatha, who represented the Witch Union in this mission, mulled it over for a while and said, ”Only the red mist can restrict their movement, but Sylvie said the outpost was still under construction, which means the red mist supply line is still ongoing.”

”Their motives would be easy to understand if they were nobles,” Knight Morning Light said. ”It’s either because something happened in their rear or their reluctance to sacrifice a few Devilbeasts.” Then he turned to Agatha. ”Can Lady Sylvie see what’s happening in the Taquila ruins?”

”The ruins are too far away from the sniper team.” Agatha shook her head. ”They gave up luring the enemy yesterday and are heading toward us.”

”How long will it take them?” Iron Axe asked.

”At least four days.” Agatha glanced at the map. ”Although the Magic Ark is fast, they have been heading in the direction opposite from the First Army’s from the start. But if Lightning and Maggie move alone, the two of them will arrive by tonight.”

”There is no need for us to guess their intentions,” Edith suddenly said. ”Whatever they aim to do, it’s a great opportunity for us. We have arrived at the station without any losses, and the underground supply line is running smoothly. It’s the best start we could’ve hoped for. What we need to do next is set up the Longsong Cannons and raze the demons’ outpost to the ground.”

Her plan stated the obvious.

On second thought, Iron Axe asked, ”The Magic Ark is almost impossible to notice as long as it remains underground, right?”

”You can put it that way,” Agatha replied.

”Could Maggie bring Lady Sylvie here as well?”

”I’ll tell her.”

”Thank you.” Iron Axe quickly made a decision. ”Battalion commander Van’er!”

”Yes, Sir!” Van’er stepped forward.

”Set up the Longsong Cannons and get ready to fire,” he said clearly and carefully. ”The attack will begin tomorrow evening!”