Release that Witch

”Scroll” quickly scanned through the entire examination paper, then wrote down at the front of the paper the total score of the three subjects: 17.

The result was missing an entire 100 points.

”Well... so the problem lay with Maggie?” Nana tilted her head.

”So, that’s the result?” Mystery Moon was greatly disappointed. ”So it wasn’t Scroll who purposely gave a high score to Maggie in exchange for honey grilled meat—oh!”

Lily slapped the back of Mystery Moon’s head, ”Shut up!”

”Should we continue to watch?” Summer asked timidly. ”We should leave as soon as possible so that we won’t get ourselves found out.”

”Let’s wait for a second,” said Candle. ”Perhaps something went wrong when it was copied.”

”There’s no need. I already know the result so it’s fine...” Evelyn shook her head. If it were the original method of writing, it would indeed be possible to confuse the figures in a compact arrangement. However, in the universal education popularized by His Majesty Roland, the figures were replaced by simple, easy-to-remember single strokes, so the chances of committing mistakes were very slim.

”I think it was Maggie who flew in from the window, making the jerky—stop!” Mystery Moon covered her head, ”Don’t do it. I will stop talking.”

They saw ”Scroll” check all the papers and begin to copy the scores onto a form. Maggie’s column still reflected a score of 17 points.

”The problem really didn’t lie with Teacher Scroll,” said Candle relievedly.

”Can we go now?” Summer said anxiously.

Evelyn was about to reply, but ”Scroll” suddenly stood up and looked toward the doorway. Six people immediately followed her gaze, then they noticed that the door was opened and a town hall apprentice appeared in the doorway.

”What are they talking about?” asked Mystery Moon.

There was no sound in the illusion, so they could only judge the conversation between the two by lip reading.

”It appeared to be Lord Scroll... His Excellency Barov... is sending for you?”

Then ”Scroll” nodded, and followed the apprentice out of the office.

The moment the door closed, perhaps because of the air current, a cold wind suddenly picked up within the room. All the papers were blown and scattered messily all over the floor.

”Ah... the window,” Lily mumbled.

Evelyn saw it too—the window that was previously closed was now open with a small gap. Scroll did not shut the window tight, and hence the open door generated an air current that forced the window to open. The autumn wind outdoors caused the window to swing back and forth, and open wider and wider. It was not long before a strong wind severely smashed it back to the window frame. Although the sound could not be heard, one could imagine the strong impact from the glass tremor.

Something unexpected happened.

An air current swept through the office again and caused the pen holder to fall on the desktop. The quill that was in the ink bottle suddenly flew up and landed exactly on that exam sheet.

After crossing an arc in mid-air, the tip of the pen dropped on the table, leaving a stroke on Maggie’s column and turning the original 17 into a three-digit 117.

Probably someone heard the loud noise coming out of the office, so the door was pushed open again. That apprentice reappeared to have a quick look around, and then came in astonishedly.

She went to the window, shut all the windows tight, and then crouched to clean up the office for Scroll.

She did not leave until she was satisfied that all the documents had been re-organized and neatly placed on the desk.

”Was this what had happened?” Evelyn and Candle looked at each other.

It was neither Scroll’s error in copying the marks nor Maggie’s intention to lie but an accident caused by the unexpected wind?

Evelyn was then able to guess what happened next. Scroll received the order of His Majesty to make a trip to Longsong, so she passed the score sheet to Wendy. Wendy was not the person in charge of marking the exams, and even if she was puzzled by Maggie’s performance, she would not question Scroll’s judgment.

”Ha, under the insistence of Mystery Moon, the truth has finally been revealed,” Mystery Moon looked up and said, ”the culprit was... Teacher Scroll!”

”It was the wind!” Lily gritted her teeth.

”But if Scroll had closed the window tightly, the wind would not have been able to blow the tests, nor the quill, right?”

”How could you say this!”

”No,” Nana said thoughtfully, ”in that case, it would have been His Majesty Roland’s fault. He built the City Hall here, and not only did he expand it, he also built two more stories. Without this additional second story, Scroll would not be able to mark the papers here.”

”Uh... you’re right, so the culprit was—His Majesty Roland?”

”Enough, all of you!”

”Excuse me... can I stop now?” Summer seemed like she was about to burst into tears.

”Sorry, that’s enough,” said Evelyn patting her shoulder. ”Thank you, let’s go.”

”Hey, should we just leave like that? Maybe we can find the next quiz in the office?” Mystery Moon stood in front of everyone to stop them.

”This was the real reason you wanted to come here!” Lily rushed forward, ”I will never let you make trouble!”

”I, I was just kidding!”

…

The investigation ended in a farce. After bidding farewell to Candle, Evelyn returned to the Witch Building alone.

Although the truth had come to light, her mood was not calm at all.

Somehow, the flying paper and the falling quill continued to emerge in her mind—both actions were erratic and yet at the last minute formed ingenious and perfect results.

The paper, the pen, the airflow caused by the door, and the time when the apprentice went in and out, all led to this result. Without any one of these conditions, the change of the score could not be achieved.

However, these conditions were unconscious and chaotic.

In that case, this could also be applied to mixing cocktails.

A variety of ingredients are added to the alcohol, but you can’t taste each and every ingredient. They are fused in the liquid and affect each other, creating a new taste that can be accepted by people after numerous attempts. Sometimes, a rare combination that happens by chance could also create those unique tastes.

Evelyn could not help but think of the microscopic balls that His Majesty Roland mentioned —they continually make disorderly disturbances, each of which seemed irrelevant yet could portray marvelous traits.

She closed her eyes and felt that something in her heart was ready to burst out.

The world was full of chaos.

But the results were hidden in the chaos.

As if it were all meant to be.

Evelyn forced her eyes open and reached for the cup on the table.

Ripples appeared in the cold water, and then the color changed as if a drop of paint fell on them. The water gradually turned into a reddish orange, and a fragrance she had never smelled before drifted into her nose.

She hesitated for a moment, then started licking the liquid.

An indescribable sweetness suddenly covered her tongue—slightly bitter, with a strong mellow flavor, that was unmatched by any type of drink.

It was not only like a mixture of fruit juice and milk but also like a mixture of tea and honey. Evelyn could not accurately describe the flavor, but she was sure of one thing.

This was definitely not wine.