Chapter 25: Commission completed, the shadow of fear in my heart

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, their rustling sound whispering softly in the ear.

“Is that so? They ran away, huh.”

On the quiet street, Hilxi sighed helplessly, her vacant eyes fixed on a fallen leaf she lightly pinched between her fingers.

Next to her, Aiyan shrugged, then smiled as she said, “Don’t worry, actually our commission only requires us to rescue the person to get paid. We don’t need to capture the Witch of Difference.”

“Hmm…”

Hilxi continued to gaze blankly at the leaf in her hand, her golden hair falling over her forehead, partially covering her eyes.

They ran away… which means there will likely be more victims in the future.

Others might suffer as brutally as Aiomis did. Sigh, the thought weighed heavily on her heart.

“Phew…” She exhaled, her deep blue eyes turning toward Aiyan. “So, what’s next?”

“Next, we just need to escort Aiomis back to her hometown. The Witch of Difference has fled and probably won’t stay in this country any longer, so don’t worry too much. I’ll report this commission’s situation to the Magic Unification Association and let them figure out how to deal with Domoer. Rest assured.”

“All right.” Hilxi nodded, then turned to look at Aiomis.

Her Magic Robe had been changed again—still blue, and her golden hair still shining—but her complexion was poor, forever shrouded by a dark cloud.

It seemed this ordeal had left a deep psychological scar… Hilxi sighed.

“Shall we leave now?”

“Yeah… I’ll go tell the King about what happened here. After all, we can’t be completely sure the Witch of Difference has left the country.” Aiyan said.

“Then we’ll wait for you at a nearby coffee shop.” Hilxi suggested.

“Got it. I’ll be back soon.”

After saying this, Aiyan summoned her broomstick and flew off toward the tallest building in the country—the Palace.

“Aiomis.”

Hilxi patted her shoulder.

“Yeah… I’m here.” Aiomis responded after a moment’s delay, but Hilxi could still feel her trembling.

Should she dispel Aiomis’s fear?

The thought crossed Hilxi’s mind but was quickly dismissed.

She hadn’t fully understood how that magic worked yet, so it was better not to use it rashly.

“Let’s go have some coffee.”

“…Okay.”

Inside the coffee shop, at a table by the window.

Hilxi, wearing a pink coat, turned her face slightly to look outside, her cute cheeks reflected on the glass.

“The coffees for you two.” The waiter quickly placed the coffee and sugar on the table.

“Thank you,” Hilxi replied casually, then picked up not just one, but several sugar cubes to stir into her coffee.

“Do you want sugar, Aiomis?”

Aiomis, sitting across from her, stared blankly at the table, not responding.

“Aiomis?”

Only after Hilxi called her again did Aiomis come back to herself, offering a faint apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I was distracted. I don’t want sugar.”

Hilxi stared into her eyes, remaining silent.

“W-why are you looking at me like that?”

“If you don’t add sugar, it will be bitter.”

“Well, a little bitterness isn’t…” Aiomis began, but before she could finish, Hilxi pushed her cup over and took Aiomis’s coffee in return.

“Then you can drink mine.”

Your cup has three cubes of sugar, right? It probably doesn’t even taste like coffee anymore… Although she thought this, Aiomis still picked up the coffee and took a light sip.

She frowned.

So sweet… definitely too much sugar.

“Is it good?”

“No.” Aiomis shook her head.

“How come? I thought the more sugar, the better it tastes.” Hilxi chuckled lightly.

Then she looked at Aiomis, her blue pupils calm like still water but filled with determination.

“I will never forgive the evil deeds of the Witch of Difference. Though I’m not her match now, once I become a Witch, I will bring her to justice.”

“…Mm.”

Aiomis took a sip of her coffee, trying to hide the fear deep within her heart.

She knew what she was afraid of.

Even after leaving that place and no longer suffering torture, whenever she thought of that woman… her body would tremble uncontrollably, and she couldn’t even use magic.

“You can tell me about yourself. Speaking out might make it easier.”

Hilxi took a sip of her coffee, the bitterness making her frown.

Definitely better with a little sugar.

“…I… I’m scared.”

Aiomis closed her eyes and tightly gripped her robe.

“I might not be able to become a Magician. I tried so hard… I finally became an Apprentice Witch, went abroad to find a master to gain recognition, but… but…”

But she met that evil witch, Domoer.

Ah, I want to catch that hateful witch right now and torture her!

Hilxi lowered her eyelids, hesitated for a moment, then gave a faint smile.

“You’ve already left that place. You don’t need to be shackled by the pain of the past anymore. Well, I know saying that won’t help you much.”

“Sorry… Hilxi, I really… don’t want to…”

Aiomis’s hand trembled on the coffee cup, unwilling to meet the gaze of the one who had rescued her from the abyss of pain.

At a time like this, any consolation would be meaningless.

Hilxi understood perfectly that words alone couldn’t sweep away the shadows in this girl’s heart.

So she reached out and held Aiomis’s trembling hand, her eyes, shaded beneath her hair, fixed on Aiomis.

Her voice became a little hoarse.

“I can make your fear leave for a while, Aiomis… Do you trust me?”

Aiomis looked up into Hilxi’s blue eyes—the same color as her own.

Her lips parted slightly, and she spoke a few words.

Pakaroton Kingdom.

“Then, let’s set off.”

Aiyan, now back in her Magician Robe, smiled and was the first to mount her broomstick.

The commission was complete; the following investigation would be handled by the country’s authorities. It was no longer their concern.

“Mm.”

Hilxi summoned her broomstick and sat sideways upon it.

Aiomis’s broomstick had been destroyed by Domoer, so she could only sit behind Hilxi.

Her complexion remained poor, but a faint smile lingered on her lips.

Hilxi glanced back once at the country, then guided the broomstick into the air, reminding Aiomis, “Hold on tight.”

“I won’t fall off.”

The commission was simple: rescue Aiomis and escort her safely back to her homeland.

Her hometown was not far from Pakaroton Kingdom.

After about two hours of flying, Hilxi and Aiyan arrived there.

It was only after entering the country that Hilxi learned who had posted the commission worth a hundred gold coins.

“Her father? Must be really wealthy.”

Riding the broomstick through the air, the cold wind slapped Hilxi’s cheeks.

She looked toward the horizon, where the reddish sky merged with the plains dyed in scarlet.

The colorful sunset was breathtaking.

“Yeah. Hey, you just earned fifty gold coins at once. What do you plan to do with it?”

Aiyan, also riding her broomstick beside Hilxi, asked as they flew back home.

Hearing Aiyan’s question, Hilxi answered casually.

“Save it for future travels.”

“Hmm… not bad. By the way, I noticed Aiomis seemed really off when I visited the Palace earlier. How come after just one coffee with her, she seems fine? What did you talk about?”

Aiyan’s curiosity showed; this was something she couldn’t understand.

Hilxi glanced at her, the crimson glow of the sunset painting her cheeks.

She gave a very gentle smile.

“It was just a cup of coffee. Nothing special.”