Witch’s Night: Chapter 39 Farewell
Even though Illusion had an indifferent nature and always acted discreetly, there were matters of varying urgency.
A Saint’s visit meant that the situation had become serious enough that all human forces had to be aware of it.
Of course, the pressure couldn’t be too great either, so only Illusion appeared publicly, while Shadow assisted secretly.
Except for a few people involved, no one knew that two Saints were currently gathered in Lannister.
After several days of busy work, necessary receptions, and cumbersome etiquette, Illusion and the Holy Knights finally set off for Noah.
Accompanying them to Noah was a Lannister delegation of twenty people, and their leader was… Cecilia.
Near Lannister’s long-distance Teleportation Array, Illusion, in a plain white dress, stood on higher ground, overlooking the entire city, her indifferent expression unreadable.
Behind her was a squad of silent Holy Knights of Noah. Their polished armor and almost uniform height of over 1.9 meters exuded a heavy pressure, making it hard to breathe even just being near them.
This was humanity’s most elite force. Perhaps individual knights weren’t much different from ordinary ability users, but once they formed a battle formation, their power grew exponentially.
There were even rumors that a fully armed squad of Noah Holy Knights could directly confront a “Destruction” level ability user, but these rumors had never been confirmed, nor denied.
A little further away was the Lannister delegation, all in black suits and sunglasses, so uniform that it was difficult to distinguish between men and women without careful observation.
However, what was rather comical was that Cecilia, standing in front of them, was also wearing the same suit and sunglasses…
Her messy pink curls were tied into a ponytail, neatly gathered behind her head. If one ignored Cecilia’s age, she looked quite presentable.
But the shy Cecilia was still very uncomfortable in such a setting, so Luo Yan stood beside her, her arm being tightly gripped by Cecilia.
Luo Yan didn’t use “Envy” to create any new tricks. She just wore a simple dress with an old-fashioned flower pattern, giving her the air of a middle-aged woman.
She also wore a wide-brimmed white gauze hat, all she needed was a silk scarf in her hand.
This was the outfit Luo Yan chose herself, and after she chose it, Hua Qingling and Anna could only wail.
…After spending a few days with Cecilia, Luo Yan felt like she was becoming a mother, and her already terrible sense of aesthetics was further deteriorating in an indescribable direction.
Fortunately, Luo Yan’s beauty was powerful enough that no matter how old-fashioned the clothes she wore, it gave the illusion that the clothes were actually quite stylish.
“Sister Qingling, aren’t you coming with us?”
Luo Yan asked softly, her pale red eyes looking at Hua Qingling, a rare display of emotion.
The past few days spent with Hua Qiling’s older sister had been quite pleasant, and as they were about to part, Luo Yan felt a certain emotion stirring in her heart.
…It seemed to have happened before, when she witnessed the complete disappearance of Ghost Town.
But Luo Yan didn’t understand it then, and now she seemed to understand a little.
This feeling was called reluctance.
“I’d really like to, but… there are other things waiting for me.” Hua Qingling shook her head gently. “It’s not time for me to go to Noah yet, I’ll go when I have the opportunity in the future.”
“Alright, I wish you all the best.”
Luo Yan nodded, putting away her reluctance.
“Giggle… Miss Luo Yan is still as bad at expressing herself as ever. In this situation, you should try to persuade me a little more.”
Hua Qingling chuckled softly, a hint of teasing in her words.
“Would you come with us if I persuaded you?”
Luo Yan asked seriously.
“No.”
Hua Qingling’s eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly.
“Then it’s meaningless.”
Luo Yan’s tone remained indifferent.
Hua Qingling chuckled, a hint of emotion in her smile,
“Miss Luo Yan, sometimes, I really envy you, envy your… freedom.”
“Hmm?” Luo Yan was stunned. “Why would you say that, Sister Qingling? You’re not imprisoned.”
“Of course, I’m not referring to that,” Hua Qingling said helplessly. “We are all born destined to bear certain responsibilities, certain expectations. These are shackles we can’t put down until the end of our lives.
“Like me, concerned about Yan City, and Magistrate Norian, working hard for Lannister, even little Cecilia, who seems the most carefree, has responsibilities she has to bear.
“Only you, Miss Luo Yan, perhaps this sounds a bit offensive, but you seem… detached from the mortal world.”
Hua Qingling sighed and looked up at the sky slightly,
“I really want to know, what does this world mean to you?”
Luo Yan was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking seriously.
But after a long while, she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“In that case, you can try searching for it, perhaps you’ll find a different answer.” Hua Qingling waved her hand, then took out a small, palm-sized box.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. It’s rare for us to gather together one last time, and who knows when we’ll meet again in the future… How about we take a photo together!”
Devices that could record important information, like cameras, had been recreated in the New Era long ago, and their development was now quite mature.
The cost was so low that even Hua Qingling could afford it. Coupled with the need during her travels, Hua Qingling naturally carried a camera with her.
“A photo… alright.”
Luo Yan nodded and habitually adjusted the brim of her hat.
Cecilia looked curiously at the camera in Hua Qingling’s hand. She had never seen such a thing before.
For a powerful figure like Hamid, his abilities and memory could replace the recording function of a camera, so Cecilia, who had always stayed in the residential building, had never encountered one.
“Wait a moment, I’ll go and get everyone!”
Hua Qingling nodded and immediately left with quick, small steps.
Soon, Anna, who was in the corner, and Chris, who was teaching Anna the necessary etiquette, were dragged over by her, along with the Knight-Captain.
“I thought it was something urgent… Well, I have nothing to do anyway.”
The Knight-Captain sighed. A dignified Knight-Captain, why had he been living like a tool man recently?
He took the camera from Hua Qingling, found a good angle, the two-meter-tall armored man stooping down (the girls were all quite short), and aimed the camera at them.
Luo Yan stood in the center, her hands on Cecilia’s shoulders.
Cecilia seemed a little nervous, standing straight, her small face tense.
Hua Qingling leaned against Luo Yan’s left side, gently holding her arm, a faint, elegant smile on her lips.
Chris, mindful of her image, could only stand beside Hua Qingling in the most standard noble lady posture, her eyes fixed on Hua Qingling’s actions, almost glued to her.
Anna stood obediently on Luo Yan’s right side, so well-behaved that Luo Yan wondered if she had been possessed, perhaps because Chris had taught her etiquette well.
A gentle breeze blew past, the girls’ skirts fluttering slightly in the wind, and the Knight-Captain couldn’t help but marvel at how timely the wind was, creating a beautiful scene.
“Say… cheeese!”
As the shutter clicked, it wasn’t the Knight-Captain who shouted, but Anna, who suddenly sprang into action.
She jumped up on tiptoe, even throwing the etiquette notebook Chris had carefully prepared into the air.
Seeing this, Chris almost wanted to kill her.
Hua Qingling’s attention was drawn by the sudden sound, and Cecilia also looked up.
Only Luo Yan remained indifferent, and the photo captured this moment.
“Alright.”
The Knight-Captain, chuckling, looked at the now lively scene and returned the camera to Hua Qingling.
Chris was already chasing Anna around, even abandoning her usual noble image, waving the thick etiquette book in her hand and jumping around with Anna.
It seemed that teaching Anna etiquette had really pushed this well-mannered young lady to her limit.
Hua Qingling, taking the camera, looked at the photo displayed on it, a smile appearing on her face.
“It looks pretty good.”
Luo Yan leaned closer and nodded.
Cecilia stood on tiptoe, craned her neck, and also took a few glances.
“Only you look good, that girl Anna…”
Hua Qingling had a headache, but the smile on her lips didn’t fade much.
“Let’s end this pre-departure reunion. The Teleportation Array is about to activate, come over.” Just then, Illusion’s voice sounded. “It’s not like we’re parting forever, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future, don’t waste time.”
“Mm, coming.”
Luo Yan turned her head and replied.
On the other side, Chris and Anna, who had been making a fuss, had obediently returned to the Teleportation Array’s range.
Looking closely, it was Tina standing beside them.
Although Tina couldn’t handle Shadow, as a mother and superior, dealing with Chris was no problem.
Anna knew when to stop; she could still distinguish between joking around and serious business.
Luo Yan held Cecilia’s small hand and walked into the Teleportation Array with the large group.
She looked at Hua Qingling outside the array and waved.
Hua Qingling stood outside the array, a faint smile on her face, watching her friends leave.
With a flash of blue light and a violent spatial fluctuation, everyone within the Teleportation Array instantly disappeared, and the staff immediately began cleaning up the scene.
Hua Qingling stood quietly in place, undisturbed by the staff.
After an unknown amount of time, Hua Qingling finally sighed deeply and said with a sense of loss,
“They’re gone…”
She looked down at the photo on the camera and couldn’t help but smile.
“So beautiful.”
The silver-haired girl in the photo seemed expressionless, but only those who knew her could see the subtle emotions in her pale red eyes.
Miss Luo Yan was indeed very happy.
