VIP Chapter 367: Fleeting Fireworks (3k)
The Adventurer’s Guild was buzzing with activity. Middle-aged adventurers clinked their large beer mugs together and feasted on ice mountain snow pigeons—a specialty of Hollanda Town—with forks. Some tables even had someone playing a rather out-of-tune lute, singing along with a sway of their heads. Though many weren’t locals, they seemed to be enjoying the town’s festival. The entire Adventurer’s Guild was filled with an atmosphere of joy and prosperity.
“You don’t want to come in because you dislike the current Adventurer’s Guild, right?”
“A little.”
“I don’t really like it either.”
“Because it’s too commercialized? For example, they introduced a ranking system and are encouraging the ‘star-making’ of adventurers. They benefit from the resources adventurers bring in from ‘mining’, while also pushing them to invest their earnings back into the Adventurer’s Guild?”
Will seemed surprised to find someone who disliked the Adventurer’s Guild as much as he did, and spoke at length excitedly.
“I don’t overthink things like you do. This is just how times are now. Maybe the next era will bring a change.”
“That’s true. Then why?”
“Not telling! Want to guess?”
Little Liya was already leading him through the throng of drunken adventurers. As she stepped over a chair, some adventurers loudly called out, “Minors aren’t allowed in here yet!” only to be silenced by her scarlet magic eyes. They finally went upstairs.
The second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild used to be rented out for meetings. With the guild’s current extensive commercialization, the second floor now also provided dining services, especially private rooms.
“I’ve made a reservation. The surname is Witch.” Liya directly announced herself to the waiter.
“W-Witch, alright… Miss. Please follow me.” The waiter’s smile faltered upon hearing the surname.
“Who has the surname Witch?” Will couldn’t help but quip.
“My surname is very long, and no one usually remembers it the first time. It’s too troublesome to say it all.”
“Ferrarumel Ailemont.”
“…Okay, okay. I know you remember your teacher’s name accurately.” Liya turned her head to look at Will, who had stated her surname correctly, then turned back and continued walking. Her twin tails swayed slightly, the tips, dyed a gradient red, even swirling in front of him.
She stopped and pushed open a small wooden door. The moment she pushed it open, outside the window, one could see the ice sculpture-like entrance to “The End of Ice Abyss.” Beyond the entrance, a towering snow mountain reflected the moonlight in the night. On this balcony with an excellent view, two chairs were placed. Undoubtedly, Liya had secured the best dining spot.
“Please, have a seat.” It wasn’t until she turned to invite Will that he realized… Liya had been walking ahead of him almost the entire way, pulling him along. She no longer avoided him, nor did she refuse to integrate into human life as she used to. Now, she was a “Witch” who could walk through the human world, enjoying the festival with them.
“Teacher Liya, you’ve really gone out of your way. Hmm… This time, you’re not trying to use ‘money’ to buy a reward, are you?”
“N-No.” Liya waved her hand. “Am I that superficial? It’s just…”
Then, she looked at Will earnestly across the table. Her tone was more serious than when she was “acting cute”—”Will. After you left the Hysterm Family, you’re no longer the ‘Young Master’ you used to be, are you? You’re practically ‘poor’ now, aren’t you?”
Will realized. Liya had always been the one who was outwardly “tsundere” but inwardly very sensitive and perceptive, quick to notice the emotions and oddities of those around her.
“Your room doesn’t even have a bed, and you seem to be reluctant to enter the city, so you’ve been making do with food caught in the wild. How long has it been since you’ve sat down at a table and had a proper human meal like this?”
As Liya spoke, the pre-ordered meal—hot roasted ice mountain snow pigeon—was served by the waiter. The aroma made him nostalgic for perfectly cooked meat prepared by a professional chef.
“It’s nothing, really. I don’t miss the luxuries I enjoyed as a young master. Even if I lost them, it only adds a bit of… financial inconvenience to what I want to do.” Will noticed the waiter had already poured him a glass of wine—something he hadn’t drunk in a long time. It was the same reasonably expensive wine he often bought when dining with Liya in the past. He raised the glass and took a sip. It indeed tasted nostalgic; it was a daily drink when he was still a “young master.”
“And, what you want to do is actually… seek revenge on your father, isn’t it?”
The wine glass in Will’s hand froze. “…How did you know?”
“I accidentally saw your notebook—the one you’ve been writing in recently. You know, it’s really weird to write about the future as if it’s a guaranteed diary entry every day!” Liya chuckled and took a sip of her wine. “That’s strange… They poured orange juice into my wine again, even though I told them I’m an adult. Don’t these people recognize a Witch?” She set down the glass of orange liquid and continued. “So, your death… was actually…”
“That’s something that shouldn’t be discussed on the second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“…Heh, that makes sense.” Liya chuckled lightly, immediately understanding and stopping her unfinished sentence. “Oh, wait a moment. The most beautiful thing, the reason I invited you to sit here and watch, is about to appear—”
“What… ”
*Bang—*
Just as Will was midway through his question, he heard the sound of fireworks from the side, somewhat unfamiliar. He turned his head. Between the dungeon’s sign and them, against the backdrop of the beautiful, moonlit snow mountain, a small, but for such a remote town, grand single-shot firework slowly bloomed in the sky. Will seemed to understand what Liya truly wanted him to appreciate. On the balcony of the Adventurer’s Guild, they quietly watched the spectacular, fleeting fireworks show that the prosperity of the Adventurer’s Guild had brought to this small border town.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? When I was staying at the inn, I overheard the receptionist talking and learned there would be a fireworks show today.”
“Yes, it’s very beautiful.” Both looked towards the fireworks. In their deep blue and fiery red eyes, the exploding fireworks glimmered, their sound only audible a second or two after their appearance.
“However, what surprised me was… that a Witch would start to admire fireworks.” Will said, turning to look at Liya.
“W-What’s so surprising about that?”
“For Witches, things that are fleeting and not long-lasting shouldn’t catch your eye, should they?”
“Mhm. You misunderstand Witches.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“A sufficiently cute Witch should sit with the person she loves under the fireworks. For her, even a moment can be stretched to infinity by love.” Having said this, Liya turned her head to look at Will. Her intention was written clearly in her eyes. Will seemed to have a fleeting illusion. When her magic circuits were calm, a faint pink hue appeared beneath her normally red eyes, something that shouldn’t be there. What Liya truly wanted him to see… was her change. It was a “change” in her mindset from the first moment he saw her.
“Will. If you want revenge, you can use me to your heart’s content.” Liya suddenly said this. The wine she had asked the waiter to refill had also arrived.
“Liya…” Will thought about the reason Liya said this and remembered he might have forgotten to close his notebook before falling asleep.
“Isn’t that what Witches are for? Some use Witches for revenge, some use Witches to conquer empires, some use Witches for evil deeds—a Witch’s madness and cruelty are here to help you with that.” She raised her glass, swirled it gently, and then clinked it with Will’s glass on the table. The glasses were so full that a few drops of wine spilled onto the tabletop. “You should have told me about this sooner. You called me not direct, but look at you, you’re much more indirect.” Previously, she carried some arrogance and stubbornness, but now, towards Will, she had reconciled. What remained was a straightforward expression of care, a Witch who, despite her childlike appearance, acted more like an elder, even a mother. She brushed aside her ponytail, fiddled with a stray strand of hair at her neck, rubbing it against the bug on her neck, in an attempt to hide the blush on her cheek.
“I… I’ll help you. Even if… even if you don’t control me like this, I’ll still help you. After all… I’m still your teacher. I’ll look after my weak and pitiable student.” She held her wine glass somewhat unskillfully, propped her chin with one hand, and struck a rare “seductive” pose. “Anyway, after I get a good night’s sleep tomorrow, this teacher will get you that Snow Woman you definitely want.”
“Liya… Teacher…” Will picked up his glass, not directly answering her question, but clinking it with hers. He drank it down in one gulp. The current Liya was somewhat like the Liya he wanted, one who loved him. —Moving away from the relentless pursuit of physical experience, returning to her heart, expressing the emotions she felt after her Witch blood was stripped away.
“Are you trying to imitate a seductive female teacher with that pose?”
“I-I am not!”
“Do you want a ‘reward’? I can give it to you now.”
“In front of so many people?!”
“You can take the bottle back and enjoy it slowly?”
“I…” Liya hesitated, holding her wine glass, then drank it down. “Forget it. Trading a meal for a reward, I told you, I’m not that kind of person.” She turned her head, her face towards the rising, twinkling fireworks, illuminated by their light. Her red eyes, however, were cast sideways towards Will. “A fallen young master, who was once my student, comes knocking, and I, as his teacher, must take care of him. This is unrelated to physical reactions, mind you?” With this, a slightly mischievous smile appeared on her lips. “You’d better remember this!”
