Center of Attention

The brief period of dusk announced the witches that their afternoon activity had come to an end and it was time to rest. Be it the patrolling witches or those gathering materials and food ingredients, they steadily came back to the camp.

The cave might be dim and gloomy, but it was large and spacious for more than forty witches to pitch tents and rest. While it seemed they were careless, in reality, the few witches with offensive capability took position near the entrance to guard for any possible dangers.

Though, high up in the mountain range, there were only a few roaming wild beasts and much less in the deep area where they stayed. Their precaution was a habit from their worse days, but it was indeed a necessary practice that they willingly acknowledged. They had lost many sisters from simple carelessness, and they didn't want to repeat that at all cost.

However, for most witches especially the new ones that didn't experience the group's past tragedy, they were at ease. Drawing from the experience from living inside the cave for weeks, never an instance happened that something came could threaten them.

One of the reason was those dangerous wild beasts generally avoid fire, and inside the cave, there were two witches with the ability to directly forming a flame. Autumn and Shamhat, two small and tall figures were running around to lit more torches and the firewood gathered at several places. In such a cold and dark place, their presence was indispensable.

Some witches were in charge of processing ingredients to turn them into presentable meals. It was rare for witches to not have some degree of survival skills, especially cooking since they generally came from an average family where women learned how to cook as early as they were young. Even if they couldn't, many would be more than willing to teach them. Wendy can be said the most senior in that aspect, she skillfully handling a portion of the camp food as a lot of people gathered around her.

For many witches in the camp, Wendy always wore a smile that was as gentle as the spring breeze. She was not someone that could make them secure, but her care to everyone always made her a very likable person. If there was a reason for the camp to even grow their size was that many witches were recruited by her warmth.

However, after she finished preparing food Wendy looked at Nightingale in the distance with a concern expression. Nightingale looked normal and even merry, she chatted heartily with their new sisters and a few others, but it didn't cease the worry Wendy had towards her.

She didn't know why Nightingale came to her like that and it had been on her mind since. Perhaps, she really had no other intention besides telling the exciting adventure she had in Border Town. To the witches, especially a witch like Nightingale with her special ability that could separate lie and truth, someone who would honestly say he had no qualm in protecting fugitive witches like them while fully knowing the consequences for doing that was simply a fairy tale came true.

To others, Nightingale was a reliable figure as well as a big sister to many new and young witches in the camp. However, Wendy knew that deep inside, Nightingale was still Veronica, the young girl that still had nightmares over her past and easily hurted by others. While she was an easy going person, she was not someone so easily open her heart.

What kind of experiences Nightingale had in Border Town? Not counting her round trip that would take days, she probably only stayed there for around a week. Just a week, and she had a very good impression to the Lord of the town, the fourth prince who got infamously bad even in the whole history of Graycastle Kingdom?

If Nightingale said he was telling her the truth, then Wendy didn't have a reason to doubt it. However, there was a real possibility that it was a promise of hope that had no way of being fulfilled. She felt Roland was underestimating the threat of the church, not to mention how hard and much effort it would need to erase their influence to common people.

Having plenty of bouts with the church, Wendy knew to face them would be no less difficult than against a country. Perhaps, they were even more terrible just because the four countries had slowly integrated by their doctrine, which made them quite literally having reinforcement in all four territories. She also had heard many horrible rumors that the church took both subtle and radical effort to swallow them, which, if possible, going to make their presence a towering giant that no prince could endure.

Despite what she thought of Roland Wimbledon, Wendy was still very curious about this figure associated with nothing but being the black sheep of the current royal family of Graycastle Kingdom.

Although they had some years difference in age, they had met and traveled for years, forming a bond like that of real close siblings. Naturally, Wendy was very trusting of Nightingale and her judgment. However, If she could think a plenty of reasons that pointed out Roland being unreasonable, Nightingale should be able to do the same if not more. Just this made her puzzled what kind of soup he fed to make her like that.

But, no matter what, her words in the tent was like a bolt out of blue. Wendy was not prepared and as a result, can't just believe her story. Wendy also knew that Nightingale who left the tent in a hurry to the point she utilized her mist, was because she was fully aware of her old friend denial.

She was hiding it at first, but if there was someone she knew that would be so hard to fool, it was certainly Nightingale. Wendy regretted to not immediately made a proper talk with her and wanted to smooth things over in their dinner. She didn't know whether she was being avoided, but it was truly a rare case Nightingale didn't directly sit down near her.

It made Wendy quite sad.

"Is it fine to not distribute it all over the camp?" Nana asked with doubtful eyes.

The young witch looked at the flavor cubes that slowly melted in the boiling pot and gave a burst of an appetizing fragrance of chicken. She was hungry, but it didn't make her lost all reasoning and she managed to question why they didn't simply share their meal with others.

Nightingale who heard it tilted her head and let out a chuckle. "Share? Of course, we're going to share it though?"

Noticing that Nana had yet to get it, Tyre took over and explained in low voice. "We don't know till when we're staying here, and although we brought a lot, we can't simply use it in great amount each time."

"I see," Nana nodded with an enlighted face and said piteously, "I guess that makes sense."

Perhaps too looking forward to her dinner, Nana didn't notice a small bag that Nightingale carried. Nightingale opened it up under Nana's curious eyes and took out bowls, a lot of bowls.

"So many!" Nana gasped in surprise. The bowls were quite small, just right for a small portion of soup.

"Yeah, His Highness probably already predicted our course of action," Tyre said with a slight nod.

"Nah, that softy is probably planning to share a warm bowl of hot soup to others from the very beginning," Nightingale said with a smile. Of course, with how cunning he was in her eyes, she didn't exclude the possibility what Tyre had said.

"I don't quite believe you," Tyre revealed a strange smile as she pointed at the stack of bowls. "These are precisely the number of people present, no more and no less. Say, do you think it's just a coincidence?"

Tyre didn't know whether Nightingale had said the number of witches in the camp, but that was probably it. Yet, this accounted for Nana, someone that was originally supposed to standby outside with the chief knight and her father.

"Hahaha." Nightingale opted to simply laugh it away and not commenting.

Tyre rolled her eyes, but she wasn't irritated as shortly after she smiled. She similarly didn't say what's in her head either and returned to focus stirring the soup and occasionally put a handful of dried vegetables.

The way Roland acted sometimes left them wondering, whether it was intentional or not from his part. But no matter which, it was hard to find a fault in any case, so no one said anything further.

Beside some words that were spoken in very low voice, the group from Border Town that was not alone allowed the three other people to hear their lively conversation. Sitting beside to the left of Nightingale was Airy and Abby the twin as well as the self-proclaimed explorer, Lightning, that sat next to Nana.

However, the twins were preoccupied with their nervousness and didn't register much of their words, while Lightning was agitated for a different reason.

"Wow, what are those cubes? How come it smells like chicken soup now?" Lighting actually listened to their conversation attentively, but she couldn't quite understand it since she was missing some clues. But regardless of that, in time of dinner, the mysteriousness of the soup caught more of her attention.

Nightingale gave her and the twins their bowls before replying with a mysterious smile. "It's indeed chicken soup. It's also delicious."

Tyre was the one filling their bowls. Her movement was clearly excluded experience, giving awe to everyone, including Nightingale and Nana who had known her for some time. Tyre didn't bring shame to her head maid title, as her movement lacked hesitation to scoop and pouring yet the content for each bowl was practically the same.

Before long, the bowls were all full while the pot only had a little, barely noticeable leftover. Nightingale gave an exaggerated sigh before stood up and with a smile, asked Airy and Abby to help her. "We're going to share this now."

Not long before Nightingale and the twins went off, Lightning took a sip of the soup and her eyes widen. To be honest, it was not drop dead delicious, but the taste was pretty close to real chicken soup. And it was easy to see the vegetables had little to do with it, so the only probable reason was that cube.

For a self-proclaimed explorer, she understood the significance of such pocketable ingredients. She faintly remembered seeing and tasting something similar to the cube, but it didn't have such vivid imitation of a flavor from the real thing and certainly not as small in size.

Lightning quietly sipped a couple of times before suddenly leaned towards Nana as she bluntly said her guess. "Hohoho, I understand! You're trying to win our stomachs right?"

"How do you know!?" How can the naive Nana know it was just a guess? Fortunately, Nana managed to restrain herself and only came out with a strange loud whisper as the response.

"I'm really curious, I didn't know you and you shouldn't either. But you suddenly tried to pull me to your side as if it was a matter of course, I don't get it." Lightning didn't beat around the bush, she was very curious about this matter since she first heard about it.

"His Highness spoke highly of you and since we believe him, we don't doubt your character," Tyre said softly so to not make other overheard.

Lightning took the note and began whispering herself, but her face expressed her confusion clearly. She muttered the name of Roland Wimbledon for a few times but shook her head in the end and said with a strange expression, "I never met with him, I just became a witch not too long ago, and only joined this group recently. How could he know about me and my ability? It's weird!"

"I think so as well." Tyre gave a response and genuine smile that made Lightning dumbstruck.

The head maid wanted to say more before she noticed that Nightingale and the twins were walking back with a few plates and bowls full of food from the corner of her eyes. She stood up and pondered for a bit before purposedly stretching her body, at the same time she stealthily surveyed the surrounding and found that indeed many gazes were placed on their group and Nightingale.

Whether it was from curiosity or others, they were indeed in the center of attention right now. Talking about their plan as they eat? Even whispering might not spare the fact that somebody outside their circle might overhear it somehow with some of them clearly eager to go to their place. It might have anything to do with the soup they shared, Tyre noticed that a lot of them already gulped it down and only left empty bowls.

They got their attention which was good and all, but it also resulted in heavy restriction to both their movement and conversation that might last for a couple of days. Tyre pondered for a bit before muttering, "Later, Nightingale will invite you to our camp. Just don't refuse if you want to know."