Release that Witch

...

Lorgar did not know how she had exited the castle. She watched people pass by in a great haste, leaving her standing in the middle of the street at a loss.

The encounter with the king was beyond her expectation in every aspect.

She had thought the chief would have held a hostile attitude toward her because of her abnormal half-human appearance. An unkind king would not hesitate to conceal his feeling, whereas a calculating one would normally remain expressionless. However, she was certain that his attitude would change once he was informed of the purpose of her visit, because a free warrior was highly demanded everywhere, not to mention that she agreed to help Neverwinter defy demons. Who would decline such as a generous offer?

Lorgar envisioned that she would then settle down in the castle area, living in a hotel in the inner city and be treated as a clan guest. During her stay, she would get acquainted with more witches, especially the ones with great combatting skills, and obviously including Miss Nana. Although not everyone would like to know her, she believed there must be someone like her, who would like to advance their fighting techniques through dueling. This practicing method would benefit both parties and was certainly more efficient than punching sandbags.

When she got everything ready, she would then go find demons to further challenge herself. Ashes told her that those enemies were all hiding in the uninhabited Barbarian Land in the northwest. Lorgar was not afraid of camping in the wild, nor did she care about the treachery of the enemies’ hiding places, because wolves were the ruler of the wilderness. She believed her acute sense of smell and excellent hearing would help her locate their lair.

But the truth was a total reverse of everything she had pictured.

It was Lorgar’s first time to hear somebody praise her ears and call them pretty since her awakening. Even her father, who had never been averse to her appearance, had never appreciated her look. Often he said, ”You’ll definitely be one of the most stunning girls in Iron Sand City if you don’t have that deformity.”

Will wolf ears... really look good on her?

She had been so shocked by the unexpected comment that her head had been in the clouds during the latter half of the conversation. The chief had accepted her physical appearance but had refused her free service of fighting against demons. By the time she had left the castle, she had still not recovered from the blow.

”No, no, this is just a small defeat, ” Lorgar consoled herself. She patted her cheeks and took a deep breath. As long as she stuck to her path, nothing was impossible. Actually, when she thought it over, the rejection did not affect her initial plan very much. She could still explore the city, investigate demons and get to know other witches, except that it would take a little longer than she had anticipated. Although Roland had rejected her, he did not impose any restrictions on her and even hinted that she was welcome to the Witch Union anytime if she changed her mind. Since Lorgar had decided to act alone, this would probably work better for her plan.

At these thoughts, Lorgar pricked up her droopy ears, wagged her tail and clenched her fists. She thought to herself, ”That’s right! If demons are really that strong, why did the chief build his king’s city here? If demons come from the northwest, the first human city they come across will be Neverwinter. Isn’t it safer to stay as far away from such a danger as possible when there’s no guarantee that he can conquer demons?”

The words ”I don’t want you to die for nothing” were probably a feigned kindness to dissuade her from challenging demons individually. Nobody knew who would gain the eventual victory until he tried out! If she really got injured, the chief would definitely ask Miss Nana to cure her, because if he did not, he would then break his own words.

Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan cheered up again after thinking over the matter in her head.

She still had over 100 gold royals, more than enough to pay the hotel bills. Even if the medical expenses were insanely high, she did not think they would charge dozens of gold royals at a time. The money she currently owned would allow her to live here for several years without her worrying about expenses on food, drinks, clothing, herbs and desert guides. She firmly believed that without the support of the King of Graycastle, she would still be able to pick on demons by herself.

Lorgar felt greatly relieved after she had a plan. She looked around, starting to study the boards that hung above the surrounding premises. Since she had determined to take things slow, the first thing she should do was to find a place of abode.

As it was still bright and that she was not in a hurry, she decided to celebrate her safe arrival in the Western Region of Graycastle in accordance with the customs of Ironsand people of the Mojin Clan.

A tavern thus became her first stop.

No sooner had Lorgar set out than a pretty board caught her attention.

On the wooden board was a lifelike drawing of several glasses, in which there were colorful drinks, topped with some fruits whose names she did not know. They appealed to her just by their looks.

Underneath the glasses was the store’s name: Evelyn’s Complex Wine House.

At the end of the board was an additional line in a smaller font: New release of Chaos Drinks. 50% off on your first drink. Feel free to try out.

Chaos Drinks?

Lorgar’s brow went up. She thought this was a pretty lame name, for the two words bore no relationship whatsoever. A person who had never tried it out might not know what kind of drink it was. No wonder they had to put it on sale to attract people.

But the store name clearly suggested that it was a tavern.

Since the name suggested multi-flavor drinks, Lorgar believed they must offer wines. Judging from the spacious, bright interior and customers coming and going, she concluded the drinks should not be too bad.

Lorgar patted her money bag over her chest and headed to the tavern.

...

”She wasn’t telling all the truth,” Nightingale commented while chewing her dried fish, ”especially the part concerning the reason she refuses to join the Witch Union. I could sense a great fluctuation in her emotions. To make sure, it’d be better to ask Wendy to conduct a ’10-question’ test.”

Roland shook his head in amusement. ”That’s the screening procedure for an applicant. She hasn’t even submitted her application to join the Witch Union, so there’s no need to probe into her background. Plus, Lorgar came to Neverwinter to fight against demons and train herself, of which, you’re positive, right?”

”She didn’t lie on that for sure.” Nightingale twitched her lips.

”So that’s it. We founded the Witch Union initially to provide you with a place where you belong. There’s no point to force people to join. Plus, it’s normal for a person to take precautions when coming to a foreign city. Let her be.” Roland waved away the subject, pretending that he did not care, although he indeed felt a little disappointed.

He had an urge to stroke the wolf girl particularly when he saw her twitchy, fluffy, long ears. Also, her waggy tail intrigued him a great deal. Roland wondered whether his strength would leave him as it did in the modern world when he touched the root of the tail.

But he managed to suppress his incessant crazy ideas in the end.

He had to act accordingly with a majestic air, definitely not because of the presence of Nightingale, but because he was a king.

While Roland was thinking about checking upon the construction of the ”Miracle Building” at the scene, Barov, the City Hall Director, suddenly knocked on the door and presented himself.

”Your Majesty, the members of Joint Chamber of Commerce have arrived at the castle district. They wish to see you.”