The Witch and the Doll Swear

As a result, Tina still failed to catch up with Mary.

When she returned to the castle, Mary had locked herself in the room again, and it was said that she was going to use the magic plant that she bought at the market in Shetis, which was said to be able to add incredible flavors to drinks and practices, to develop new recipes.

——Tomorrow night is the judging session, which means that there is still time until tomorrow night.

The boy at the door remembered what Mary said.

"Miss Tina."

He looked helplessly at the lord's secretary, who had been staying here these days. Like Mary, he also had heavy dark circles on his face. He looked like some kind of rare monster unique to the Eastern Kingdom.

Despite his exhaustion, he still stands here with his back straight, like a straight green pine among the mountains.

"I'm not going to disturb Miss Mary this time."

Tina shook her head hastily. Seeing Mary's appearance in Old Wenk's small bar, she didn't intend to, and felt that she couldn't say anything to Mary now.

"It's just, Miss Mary, are your bodies still able to hold on..."

"I'm worried about Mary too."

Hearing her words, the boy scratched his chicken coop hair.

"But tomorrow night is the judging session, no matter how hard it is...it's over."

"That's right..."

From a day ago, a tired and somewhat negative atmosphere enveloped the winery.

Neither Mary nor Mr. Jester has made any progress in the research of quick brewing. These people are all experienced winemakers, and they themselves are the judges of the wine before they are sent to the tasting.

And now there is not a bottle of wine that has passed their judgment.

They have never studied fast brewing, but now they have to come up with results that can participate in the valley tasting in a few days, which is simply an impossible task.

Although weak, there are already complaints of one kind or another in the winery.

Such complaints, to Tingna's ears, were more like desperate laments.

"And Miss Mary will have no problem! She hasn't given up yet, and is still searching for all kinds of magic plants to adjust the formula. I believe she will be able to brew a barrel of the ideal wine!"

"You trust Miss Mary very much."

"The young people in the winery trust her very much. She is capable, talented, and has a leadership-like temperament. We all believe that Mary can carry forward the glory of Marsula Winery and become the best wine in Olympian. village!"

The face of the boy who clenched his fist tightly in a confident tone turned a little flushed due to excitement or other reasons.

--Could it be that?

Ting Na, who was already planning to leave without disturbing the young man who had already written tiredness on her face, suddenly had such an idea.

She seemed to smell something sour and sweet.

"Could it be, do you like Mary?"

"Everyone adores Mary very much. Although there used to be nasty guys who made sarcastic remarks about Mary's bloodline, but thanks to the disaster of the Golden Demon Tree, those guys are all gone..."

As he said that, the boy suddenly covered his mouth in a panic.

"Bloodline?"

But Tina still heard interesting words.

"No, no, it's nothing, Miss Tingna, please go to rest, it's hard work to clean up the remaining golden magic tree for the winery every day... To be honest, I'm also a little sleepy, I want to take a lazy break... "

"Ah, that's right, then, I won't bother..."

The degree of bluntness of this topic change is almost as good as his own.

But now that she has said that, Ting Na can't continue to ask.

But... the lineage...

Originally, Tina was just curious why Mary was so obsessed with the most traditional craftsmanship——Mary is by no means the kind of person who sticks to the rules, but she insists on brewing fast wine with the traditional flavor of this winery. She probably didn't say all of it in Mr.'s tavern.

But after hearing this, Tina couldn't help but think of Mary's flaming red hair and red eyes, like her father, and the winery, and no one else in the town of Sula.

It's really not polite to rashly explore other people's privacy, but.

Really, it's very interesting...

……………………………………………………………………………………

After the lunch break, the afternoon schedule was still exercise.

The location is still the one that is occupied by the golden magic tree—it should be said now, the lingering vineyard. After cleaning up those vines in the morning, there are only less than ten vines left, and no new ones have emerged after noon.

"Tomorrow, some will finally grow back. Don't worry that there will be no one to practice tomorrow. Just wipe them all out."

After Alice said so, she told Tina to continue training according to the plan she made.

The first is physical training, followed by flexibility training, training to observe the environment and avoid attacks.

For arcane missile training, the hit rate is required to be above 80%.

The training of elemental magic requires the same requirements as arcane missiles, and it also requires the least number of times to achieve the greatest results.

"Finally... one shot!"

Tingna has also been completely used to this kind of training these days. Although it is slow, she is making real progress, and even has a somewhat proud thought in her heart that "magic training is nothing more than that".

But this kind of thought was immediately noticed by Alice, and was smashed to pieces during the temporary training of spell casting.

"Unless they are particularly large and cumbersome enemies, they won't let you stand there and aim leisurely."

When the girl keeps moving, the arcane missile's hit rate is only 10%.

Inscribed in [Elemental Crown], the sky system's [Arc Light] is better, after all, there are not many enemies that can be faster than lightning, and the dark system's [Shadow Attachment Bullet] is as horrible as the Arcane Missile.

"I always feel that the self-confidence that has finally emerged has been lost by Miss Alice..."

"Saigon taught us that self-confidence is very different from pride."

"yes--"

When you concentrate on doing one thing, the passage of time always makes people feel fast, although there are also seasons, in short. When the girl was sweating profusely, unknowingly, dusk had already arrived. Although the Saigon Sun was still hanging in the western sky, emitting warm orange light, the temperature in that light was gradually fading.

The flow of the wind brings more coldness. Clothes soaked in sweat need to be washed, and if you don't go back to take a shower quickly, you may catch a cold, so let's just stay here today.

Holding down the puppet that clasped its hands in prayer on its shoulders, Tingna took a look at the several pieces of charcoal that were bathed in thunder and still making explosive noises, and hesitated for a while.

"Hey, Miss Alice, if you use the magic [Arc Light] on people, you will die..."

"Of course, the essence of [Arc Light Art] is a strong electric current. Even Lily will die if she eats one shot without defense measures. Although she will be resurrected soon, she will really die. oh."

"...Is it such a dangerous magic?"

"Magic is dangerous, especially in the hands of those who are not good at learning, so, Miss Tina."

"yes?"

"Even though Miss Tina already has the power to resist and protect herself when she encounters danger, when the time comes, Miss Tina, can you make an appointment with Alice?"

Seeing the instant expression on Tingna's face, realizing what she would hear next, Alice quietly stared into the girl's eyes.

"Unless Lily and Alice are not around, unless you have reached the point where you will face death if you don't use it, you must not use any offensive magic rashly, especially the magic on [Missile Queen] and [Elemental Crown]."

"Eh?"

Tina looked at Alice. Behind the puppet with her slender waist in her arms, the soil smelled of scorched black charcoal.

It was a vine. Compared with humans, most monsters had a certain degree of different types of magic resistance, but under the baptism of the flickering electric arc, it instantly turned into this scorched and dry appearance.

What if it is yourself?

Because of Alice's words, Tina couldn't help thinking of this.

If the jumping electric arc was me, and I didn't set up the shield in time or couldn't set up the shield again for the time being, then I...

"Can you make an appointment with Alice?"

"I……"

A shudder ran down his spine.

At this time, she should nod without hesitation, but Ting Na was at a loss for words.

The girl looked at her hand, counting her space storage ring, five alchemy rings were worn on her fingers, this is a masterpiece of alchemy, they are beautiful and precious, and most importantly, they can also give her An immensely longed for power.

Finally, get the strength.

After giving up the path of merging with the Shadow Demon, I thought that in this life, I would never be able to stand beside the witch and the puppet as a partner who can face danger together, the radiance shining brightly from the boundless night.

"I……"

Is there any point if you don't use it?

If you have these powers but there is no difference from before, then how is the self wearing these different from before? Tina understood that Alice was worried that she would hurt herself if she used it rashly, but.

Even if you are still very novice, even if you are not so proficient in mastering, but the power...

Power is power...

Tina didn't understand why Alice asked her to make an agreement like this. She looked at Alice with blank eyes, not knowing what to say.

"It doesn't matter if you don't have an answer. Rather, don't answer rashly is the correct answer."

But the little puppet smiled approvingly.

"Isn't it better not to answer..."

"An answer that is too easy has no weight. How easy it is to answer, how easy it is to violate and change. How to use power after having power is a question that every magician... no, everyone can't avoid, So worry slowly, Lily's teacher often encourages her students to worry... because only the answers obtained through worrying have weight."

"Then what if, what if I encountered such a situation when I was still troubled?"

"At that time—"

Alice let go of the hands that were folded in front of her chest, and her small palm gently stroked the girl's hand wearing the ring.

"At that time, Lily and Alice were still there. If Lily wasn't there, then leave it to Alice."

—Leave it to Alice.

The setting sun at dusk is between the two, and the brilliant light illuminates the doll's smiling face.

At that moment, the girl felt her heartbeat stop.

"Miss Tina? Go back to the castle."

"Eh, um..."

It must be the setting sun's prank.

Although Alice is usually as cute as Liliana, the doll at this moment seems to be even cuter and more beautiful.

The girl's heart was pounding after a momentary pause, and even back to the castle, Tina said she was going to take a bath and hurriedly ran into the bathroom to immerse her body in warm water, her heartbeat gradually calmed down.

After calming down, I couldn't help thinking.

...What's wrong with me?

Although I have never had any resistance to cute things since I met Liliana, it is too strange to be shaken like this. Is it because Liliana is not around during this time? Although I feel like this is a helpless thing, but what I want to say is really...

"...a little lonely."

"Miss Tina?"

While whispering, the voice of the little puppet came from the bathroom.

"Alice thinks Miss Tina's state is a bit strange, what's wrong?"

The door was opened.

Only then did Tina realize her stupidity.

Ah, yes, even I can see the blush on my face in the mirror when I walk into the bathroom, let alone a doll that has passed through a long time?

On the way back to the castle with her in my arms, the heartbeat must have been clearly heard. It's not that Alice didn't notice it, but she was just waiting for the right time and place to speak to me.

Yes, for example, right now, when I just walked into the bathroom, the doll was standing by the door of the bathroom. This atmosphere is completely inescapable...

"That... actually... I'm homesick..."

When he realized it, he had blurted it out.

The brain seemed to be short of oxygen for a few seconds, and it was too late to make up for it when he realized it. Indeed, he was trying to talk about other topics to confuse the past, but...

"……miss home?"

The puppet's eyes widened.

"...Yes, but it's not the same as the time in the grassland."

Tina cursed her own stupidity and prayed to the true God, hoping that there would be some room for redemption.

But whether it is a curse or a prayer, it is meaningless in the bathroom where there is no third party, and even the true god will not watch. Seeing Alice's softened eyes, Tina simply gave up on herself and let the things that were suppressed in her heart go away. It's all said and done.

Anyway, Alice's words...

If it's Alice, it seems like I can talk to her about anything.

"...Well, originally, I didn't have a very strong consciousness. I just saw the timetable on the train to Hegu and suddenly thought, if I want to go home, how long will the journey be?"

It was an accident.

Ting Na suddenly realized how far away she was from home, and the distance between her and the hometown she used to live in is not only the distance, but also the long time.

But now, there is not much time until the Advent Festival and the New Year.

Tasting sessions in various industries have begun to be held in various places, and it is not so strange that the idea of ​​going home will arise.

"Moreover, after seeing the parents of those children hugging them and crying like that, I suddenly realized strongly...Although my parents probably didn't know that I was treated like a heretic, and I was tossed like that by the elves, because I won't tell them either, but... that way, it reminds me of the stupid things my parents did when Miss Liliana and Alice fought against the Lava Dragon Beast in Salt Sand City."

Not that long ago, it just felt like a long time ago.

Kannazuki.

The drakes of lava broke out of the volcano's shell and rushed towards the city by the sea.

When most of the residents fled under Liliana's plan, the idiot parents stubbornly refused to evacuate because their daughter had not returned, and turned on all the lights in the house, hoping that their daughter would take a look. As soon as she arrived, she knew that they were still at home waiting for her return.

It's just unimaginably stupid.

But at that time, the parents who finally saw themselves in peace and cried, for some reason, overlapped with those parents who hugged their son and cried loudly.

"Um……"

Alice climbed to the edge of the bathtub and nodded slightly.

"And this fall, the riots in Glory City, it is said that the safest city on the mainland has encountered large-scale riots for the first time in nearly a hundred years..."

The father and mother who traveled there seem to have been caught up in the riots.

Although Ai Lifu's letter later said that they were safe and sound, but...

Ting Na touched her nails and whispered.

"Family members will lie to avoid worrying each other... Is it really safe and sound as they say, or you have to see it with your own eyes... Besides, the so-called New Year is to go home It’s common to think of spending time with your family, right?”

"It's very common. Affected by the nature of race, human society has always been based on the family as the unit, so Alice thinks that this is a very common idea of ​​ordinary people."

The little puppet nodded, and pulled the nun's turban. She was still wearing clothes, but she took off her small round-toed leather shoes, dipped her little feet in hot water, and stirred them gently.

"Miss Tingna has decided to go back? When do you plan to go?"

"That is……"

Tina was speechless.

Suddenly, the castle cheered.

From the hall on the first floor of the castle, cheers—men's, young people's, and even old people's—the wind carried their voices to the girl's ears.

But it doesn't matter even without this Sylph's protection, their voices even want to overturn the thick rocky floor of the castle.

Alice and Tina lowered their heads subconsciously.

"F, what happened?"

"I don't know, but the puppet thinks it's probably not a bad thing."

"Would you like to see it?"

Ting Na, who couldn't answer that question, quickly changed the subject, did she decide to leave? If you want to say it, the balance in your heart is still wobbling.

"Miss Tingna, go, Alice still needs to pray... Anyway, it doesn't mean that I'm leaving tomorrow, doesn't it? From the Northland to the Southland, if you don't plan the itinerary, you will be very nervous in the remaining half a month." .”

After stroking Tina's hair, as if saying don't worry, the little puppet sitting on the edge of the bathtub folded its hands and began the evening prayer that must be done every day.

Looking at her, for no reason, Ting Na remembered such a passage.

"When I didn't realize it, everything was taken for granted, like the warm sunshine, swaying plants and flowers, the warm water in the cup picked up and the soft touch of lying on the bed.

And when you realize it, everything will never be the same again. "

I forgot which book I read it from, everything will never be the same... um...

Don't want to, don't want to!

The important reason why Tina has been able to live an ordinary and peaceful life is that she can always put aside the problems that she can't figure out. This habit made her math and magic scores mess up. But it is undeniable that this is very good for mental health.

A few minutes later, after taking a shower, Tina changed into that expensive and exquisite suit. Alice's prayer was not over yet, she pushed open the door and walked down the stairs by herself.

Just like last time, when Tina came to the first floor of the castle, people from the winery had already gathered in the main hall.

Even the number of people is much higher than last time. It is not the time for the workers to get off work, and many workers who will return to Sula after work are also here.

Perhaps out of concern for this, the father and daughter Mary and Jester stopped confronting each other. Two or three wine barrels were placed between them. If I guessed correctly, that was the reason for their cheering.

——As expected of Mr. Jeste’s daughter, she is very talented in brewing.

Someone said so.

——Let me just say that one failure can't defeat Mary, so it should be a certainty that she will inherit the position of Mr. Jester.

Someone said so.

——I didn’t expect that the blood of those red-haired people could give birth to such outstanding people.

—Mr. Jester will be offended if you keep talking like that.

Well, what does this mean...

Tina frowned, looking from the stairs to the corner where the voice came from.

But the two old men stopped talking after muttering this sentence.

Seeing Tina coming downstairs, Mary, who used makeup to cover up her dark circles, raised her hand high and smiled at her tiredly but proudly.

"I made it."

She only said four words, and these four words made the whole hall quiet. The young people looked at her with adoring eyes, and the eyes of the old people were full of relief. The whispering bass is all admiration and compliment to the red-haired girl.

Although there are words that I am very concerned about, it seems impossible and inappropriate to ask them now.

Tina put this question in her heart temporarily, and came to Jester and Mary.

"Wine, has it been brewed?"

Alice said that these winemakers themselves are the first judges when preparing wines for competition.

In this case, are the wines in these wooden barrels the works they also agree with?

"Ah, although it is just the last struggle, but blessed by the Holy Light, the final result is unexpectedly good. Although it is still not as good as decades of cellar maturation, it only fermented for two hours to produce a similar to the south side of the valley. , the faint fragrance of the red rosary varieties grown on the terraced mountains, the taste is very peaceful, easy to drink, and it is intoxicating to drink."

Mary looked at her father and smiled brightly, as if the big stone in her heart had finally been let go.

Pointing to these wooden barrels, she introduced the formula of these wines to Tina.

"At first, I just had no choice, so I bought the magic plant that was said to be able to add a unique flavor to food and wine, and I had never heard of it, but the effect was really good. My father immediately told me We have improved several recipes together, and now these three barrels...were all selected after tasting."

Speaking of this, she smiled at Ting Na as if she suddenly realized it.

"Ah, I forgot that Miss Tina is not familiar with these..."

"It's better to say I don't know anything than I don't know... May I have a drink?"

"Of course, you are the hero of the winery."

"Eh?"

Ting Na was taken aback, big hero? When did you do something amazing?

Seeing Tina with a dull face, Mary standing next to Jester grinned, and the man with a tired face nodded to her and poured fine wine into the glass.

"Miss Tinna helped us eliminate the vines of the golden demon tree, didn't you? The fruit farmers working nearby have seen it, Tinna, you use magic to wipe out those hateful monsters bit by bit."

"Eh?"

It seems that there is such a thing... Tingna remembered what she saw on the road these days.

Only a small part of the varieties planted in the orchard of Marsula Winery are special varieties that need to be replanted every year. After the harvest season, the fruit growers have to take care of these grapes so that they can also bear fruit in the next year. fruit.

On the way to the orchard occupied by the golden magic tree, I occasionally meet fruit growers wearing gloves and straw hats. When they see themselves, they will greet them in awe, and they always respond politely, but they seldom talk to them. Talk to yourself, and get busy with the work at hand after saying hello...

wrong.

Tina suddenly thought that what she should do now is——

"Actually, I didn't do anything... and I completely destroyed that orchard. I'm really sorry!"

It's an apology.

Even if Liliana said to use that piece of land for her own practice, it was still an orchard that the people of the winery worked hard to maintain, but now, there is no grass growing there.

A wine glass filled with red wine was handed to the girl. Tingna, who wanted to bow her head to apologize, quickly stopped herself because she almost hit the wine glass.

"It's really completely destroyed there."

The girl raised her head, and what Jester said sounded like a wry smile, but the manager of the winery continued.

"However, compared to completely eradicating the Golden Demon Tree, that is an inevitable and acceptable loss. Miss Tingna must not have imagined that in autumn, the whole valley is similar to that miserable situation, so don't blame yourself."

"Yeah……"

The middle-aged man nodded, and handed the wine glass to Ting Na who raised her head.

"When the spring begins, the land will be rebuilt and the vines will be filled with orchards again. This is all thanks to you, Miss Tingna."

"And the children were also rescued by Ms. Tingna. This is all thanks to Ms. Tingna. Now that we have sent that kid to study under a famous knight, that kid must be very grateful to Ms. Tingna."

Kreiser's father, who also had a red face while holding a cup while brewing wine.

The sound of gratitude and joy echoed in the hall, and the depression of the past few days seemed to be swept away.

"Hmm..."

Even though she made a mess of the land and the orchard, she still received thanks. A little embarrassed, Tinna took the wine glass.

Perhaps because the fermentation time is very short and it has not been matured, compared with other wines I have drunk here, the aroma of this glass is slightly weaker. It is like ordinary grape juice when it is first drunk, but after a while, a kind of aroma The pleasure from the heart followed the pink-purple liquid slid down the throat and slowly came out from the throat, with a faint floral fragrance.

Is this the taste of wine made from grapes such as Rosary Rouge after it has matured? Tina still remembered the grape variety that Mary mentioned just now. This subtle flavor slowly occupied the lips, tongue, and body, which was intoxicating.

"—delicious!"

For the second time today, the girl felt that all her rhetoric lessons in the academy were for nothing.

Soon, this feeling disappeared, and Tingna came back to her senses. She felt that everyone's eyes seemed to be focused on her, waiting for her judgment.

"No, but, in the end, it's up to Ms. Liliana to decide. I, I don't know what to say other than it tastes good."

She said so hastily.

Now that Liliana is not here, as a secretary, his own words and deeds may be mistaken for Liliana's attitude, so it is better to avoid it.

The people obviously understood this too, they discussed and poured out some of the other two barrels of wine and handed them to Tina.

"Do these casks have names?"

Of course, the two barrels are also very delicious. At least according to Tingna's tongue, she already feels that there is not much difference between this and the 30-year-old First Rose.

"I am going to leave the matter of naming to our dear little lord."

Mary patted the wine barrel triumphantly. This was the first time that Tina could no longer see any hostility towards Liliana from her face.

In its place is strong self-confidence,

Maybe for Mary, these few barrels of wine are the result of her victory over the witch, right? She didn’t abandon the flavor brewed in the time spent as a winemaker, and she produced such delicious wine. It seems that she and the young people can’t wait I want to see Liliana's expression.

After she finished speaking, she looked at her father again, and Jester looked at her daughter with a face full of relief. For some reason, Tina suddenly had a feeling that maybe her mother won her father earlier than winning Liliana. Her approval made her even happier.

Looking at them, even Tingna couldn't help but start to imagine what kind of expression Liliana would show when she drank such delicious wine.

Anyway, it's nice to see things turn around with so little time left.

"Okay, anyway, the hard days are over. It's been a hard time for everyone. Let's go to rest. I will wait here for our little lord to come back, and then announce our success to her!"

"oh--"

But.

No one thought of it.

"... Tell me, what formula did you use?"

No one expected that at night, Liliana, who had returned to the castle, sat on the first seat in the meeting room, watching the glasses of wine that Mary had been waiting for until now poured from the barrel, but did not reach out to pick them up.

Tingna noticed that when Mary opened the three barrels of wine on the conference table, Liliana's nose trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyebrows frowned.

"Just try it and see, don't you know?"

Pink purple, purple red, light red, the witch looked at the three glasses of wine, and also looked into Mary's eyes.

Today Liliana came back earlier than the previous few days. There were not many people in the meeting room, except for Mary, Jester and Tina, there were only a few young people, and the old people had already gone to rest in order to make up for the exhaustion accumulated from many days of all-night work, in front of them.

"...Tell me, what formula did you use."

Ignoring Mary's provocation, Liliana looked at Jester expressionlessly, and repeated the words again.

Tina hugged Alice nervously.

The witch's words were not requests, but orders. She stared coldly at the father and daughter, with emotions surging in her pupils...

Like anger.

It was well hidden, but Tina had a feeling that Miss Witch was getting angry. She lowered her head to look at Alice, but the little puppet also looked at the father and daughter and the brewer behind them, and remained silent. .

"The formulas of these three barrels of wine are different, and they are..."

Jester bowed and began to report the recipes of these wines, probably because things did not go according to Mary's imagination. Liliana took a sip of wine from the wine glass and was full of praise. The girl beside her father snorted, dissatisfied Lean back in the chair.

——I always feel as if I can hear her dissatisfied protest from the bottom of her heart, asking what recipe to drink quickly and then admitting that she was wrong, wouldn’t it be enough to admit that instant wine can also have a wonderful aging flavor?

Compared with the witch, Mary's mind is much easier to guess.

But Tina couldn't relax at all.

After Jester finished speaking, Liliana frowned, and the witch tapped the table with her thin fingers, lost in thought.

"...you all used a magic plant called [Snow Green Shell] in these three barrels of wine, and this is the only magic plant that I haven't heard of... What is that?"

"I heard someone selling a magic plant that can make food and drinks delicious at the alchemy market in Shetis today, so I bought it with the mentality of trying it out."

"... Shetis? I should have a purchase note for you from the Sura Magicians Association..."

"Two days earlier, we had tried all kinds of materials there, except those that the magician said were poisonous and could not be used for brewing, so I ran away from Shetis today."

"..."

The candlelight illuminated the three glasses of wine like precious stones. Staring at the glasses in front of her, Liliana fell silent.

In Tina's arms, Alice shook her head.

Immediately afterwards, the witch spoke again.

"...Is there any remaining snow green shell? I want to see."

"I said Lord Lord, don't you dare to drink these glasses of wine?"

The red-haired girl grew impatient.

"It doesn't matter what the snow green shell is. The important thing is not the raw material but the final wine."

"...Whether it is for a brewer or a magician, this is an unqualified statement. As a nobleman, I dare not drink wine with unknown ingredients into my mouth casually."

Liliana didn't seem to want to get entangled with Mary, and Liliana looked at Jester expressionlessly.

Wordless stares.

"...My lord, is there something wrong with this material?"

Unlike his own daughter, the man who realized what Liliana had repeatedly confirmed frowned, and waved for a young man to bring up the remaining materials.

Mary fell silent.

Although Tingna could still hear the muttering of "Obviously everyone has tasted some career, so what's the problem?", she seemed to realize something.

Soon, the [Snow Green Shell] wrapped in a small silk scarf was brought to the conference table by the fast-footed young man.

"Is this the one?"

Tinna, who was standing behind Liliana, moved closer, wanting to see the miracle material.

Those are a few fruits that look like oval or bottle-shaped ovoids, with a smooth and shiny appearance. The top protrudes, spread out on the handkerchief, with a slight fragrance.

"Is this the fruit of the violet?"

Ting Na asked curiously, she didn't know this kind of fruit, and had never heard of it.

These fruits have completely different colors inside and out. The shiny outer shell is a light snow-blue color. This color reminds the girl of the petals of violets, and it is also a similar bright color.

"No, Miss Tina, this is not the fruit of violets, this..."

Alice shook her head, and then sighed again. The little doll looked at Mary, folded its hands and began to mutter prayers.

"Great Saigon, please forgive the child who did such a thing out of ignorance under your light..."

The little puppet's prayers were not loud, but the meeting room was originally quiet. Mary, who heard Alice's prayers, was also a little nervous now.

"What, what! Is there something wrong with this holly shell? Everyone has drunk these barrels of wine."

"...How much did you buy and how much did you use in brewing? Most importantly, didn't you try this before brewing?"

Liliana looked at Tina who was staring at the dried fruit curiously.

"No, not many! Because I heard that this can add a special flavor to food, I bought it with the idea of ​​trying it out. These are a little bit left over, and I only used 2 for each barrel of wine! The businessman said that if you eat it dry, you won’t feel it, so you can just add it to your food!”

"...In that case, there probably won't be any serious problems. What about the price?"

"One 40 copper coin!"

"……Yeah……"

Liliana shook her head, and pushed the three wine glasses away from her face.

"... These wines are not for drinking."

"Why, why! Everyone thinks it's delicious, and there's nothing wrong with it! Right, Miss Tina!"

"Eh? Eh?"

The development of the situation was getting more and more out of the girl's expectation, but even if she was watched by Mary with that expression, Tina didn't know what to say.

If you want to say that you are at a loss, it is also here.

"...When something happens, Masura Winery will completely lose its credibility."

Although the other young men didn't speak, they also looked at the witch together with anxious and confused eyes. Of course, Jester did the same, but the man's expression was still calm, and he strictly abided by the duty of a retainer with the cultivation of a nobleman. , waiting for the lord's explanation.

"...It's no wonder you don't know it. In the northern part of the mainland, this is very rare, because the main production area of ​​this magic plant is in the south where the sun is abundant, the soil is humid but there is little rain, and in several high-lying areas, the seeds are legal in some areas but are used as medicines. It is regulated, of course, but the fruit, especially the fruit after pulping and drying, is poisonous."

"Poison—?! But we've drank this kind of wine before! It's all fine! After all, what is this thing!"

"...the poppy shells, of course, are dyed."

Mary's expression changed completely.

As if she had been hit in the head with a stick, she sat down unsteadily, with an incredulous expression on her face, and lowered her head in a daze.

poppy? She had never seen such a thing, but heard that its flowers were beautiful.

But she knows this, because, according to the regulations of the Brewers Association, this kind of addictive magic plant is completely prohibited!

Then, she suddenly remembered.

Red rosary... The fragrance of this kind of grapes after ripening is indeed described in the wine making book...

Smells like poppies.

"... Poison is not something that kills people immediately. Using it in large quantities can lead to addiction and poisoning. Miss Mary also knows that. According to the guidelines of the Brewers Association, although poppy seeds are safe and usable, but poppy seeds are safe and usable. The shell, juice and any derivatives of the two are prohibited. Take this kind of wine to the tasting. If any judge notices that it is wrong, the proud history of Masura winery will end here. gone."

Liliana calmly stood up from the chair.

She didn't touch the three glasses of wine.

"how come……"

He didn't look at the pale girl with her head in her hands, but at the man whose back was still straight.

When the witch looked over, Jester lowered his head and covered his expression with the shadow of candlelight.

"My lord, this is really my negligence..."

The gap between the current manager and the next manager is clear at a glance.

"...If you are in the mage's tower, you can at least avoid being deceived by such a poor disguise. However, in the Northland, poppies are rare. Compared with this, you may be more familiar with winter heart hemp. These are dyed, and you don't know it. There is no way, this matter..."

"I'll explain it to the people at the winery."

"Well, also, do you add these during the fermentation process, or do you add the soaking afterwards?"

"It's fermenting..."

"Then those wine tanks need to be cleaned repeatedly... No, just replace them with new ones. Of course, don't make it public that the snow green husks are poppies. Just fool them around. The two young people over there..."

"They are all direct descendants of the family."

"very good."

The witch nodded, stretched out her hand, hugged the little doll from Tingna's arms, turned around and walked out of the meeting room.

"In that case, my lord, tomorrow's judging meeting..."

"...No results at all?"

There was silence, and then, Jester was a little tired, and let out a breath.

"I'm very sorry, only the experience of failure has accumulated a lot."

This is really hard to say, but it can also be said to be expected.

It is a science that is no less obvious than traditional brewing in order to brew delicious wine quickly.

They are all skilled winemakers, but relying on the fine wines and recipes given by the lord, they try to restore those delicious results, and the best ones are just some "drinkable" wines.

No matter how much the lord can guarantee that this judging session has an unprecedented theme, works that meet the theme of "innovation" will have a big bonus, they don't think that such things can be favored by the judges.

"That's enough."

——?

Jester wondered if he had heard it wrong, but when he raised his head, he saw the little lord handing him a scroll.

"... After accumulating experience, this recipe can also be brewed, brew this, and then, tomorrow's tasting meeting, I will find a way."

Liliana said calmly.

"It's our secret weapon in winning the title."

"...Yes! In the name of the Holy Light, we will not fail again."

"……correct."

After handing over the scroll, Liliana hugged Alice thoughtfully as if she suddenly remembered.

"...Miss Mary, you bought it with the mentality of giving it a try because you heard that someone was peddling magic plants that can give food and drinks a special flavor, didn't you? You didn't just hear the merchant peddling it, but' I heard that a merchant is selling '?"

"...That's right."

"……Yeah……"

The witch nodded thoughtfully, and walked past Tina.

Soon, Jester also led the young people out of the conference room.

It was very late, but he needed to figure out how to explain to the people in the winery why these barrels of wine could not be brought to the tasting, and even the wine tanks had to be replaced.

Just as he opened the door of the meeting room with the two young men and left, the man glanced back.

"Mary...it's not..."

Jeste couldn't finish this sentence, whether as the current manager of the winery or as a father.

Perhaps it was because no matter who they were, they could clearly feel the heavy emotions of Mary, who seemed to have lost support after Liliana took Alice away, and was slumped on the chair.

Halfway through the conversation, the middle-aged man sighed and left with the two young men who were still showing signs of shame.

After they also left, only Mary and Tina were left in the conference room.

Tina has just recovered from this unforeseen situation, her mind is in a mess—the snow green husks are dyed poppy husks, using this violates the regulations of the Brewers Association, not only the brewed wine cannot be taken in the tasting , if found out, the whole winery will be in big trouble——

"...Why did it become like this?"

She doesn't understand.

Everyone in the castle was relieved in the afternoon, and now it seems to have become a ridiculous joke.

But what made her even more incomprehensible was the words that Alice suddenly turned her head and said to herself when Liliana held her in her arms.

——Miss Tina, just think and act like an ordinary person, and just do what Miss Tina thinks is most appropriate, whether it is persuading adventurers to cherish life, or cheering up a depressed girl, think, and then go Do it, that's fine.

That's fine... so what?

Tina focused her attention on the black pearl's ear clip, but neither Liliana nor Alice responded. The magic whispered "out of communication range" in the girl's mind with Alice's voice——Lilia Anna and Alice left the chateau's castle.

What are they going to do again?

These questions popped up one after another and could not be answered, which made Tingna burnt out.

"...you are still here."

At this moment, Mary looked over.

Ting Na was taken aback for a moment, and quickly looked at the girl sitting curled up on the chair.

"Miss Mary..."

"Blow out all the candles in the conference room, and then, please leave me alone."

"..."

Tina also had the idea of ​​wanting to hide in the dark.

The girl didn't say anything, she stood up, and the candles illuminating the conference room were extinguished one by one. In the end, except for the skylight in the moonless night sky, there was nothing to slightly illuminate the curled up figure.

After extinguishing the candle, Tina sat beside Mary, hesitated, and held out her hand.

Snapped!

There was a snap in the darkness.

The hand was waved away.

"I said, please leave me alone to calm down!"

"I won't do that."

Ting Na withdrew her burning and painful hand, and spoke without hesitation.

To be alone - it's not a universal way to calm down, never has been.

Some people can indeed calm themselves down through this kind of behavior, but that is because they are calm and rational enough, they know how to control their emotions, when to vent, when to suppress, they will lose their gains and losses alone Weigh on the balance until the most reasonable choice is finally selected.

And some people, leaving them alone is equivalent to giving them up.

They cannot break free from the emotional vortex alone, and the result of ignoring them will only make them look directly at the abyss called emotion until they are swallowed.

Which kind of Tina Mary belongs to is still unclear, but the darkness cannot hinder her eyes blessed by Knight, and she can clearly see Mary's eyes.

That fiery red, like dead charcoal, was even dimmer than when I saw it in that small bar today.

Tina has seen such eyes before. The last time a girl with such eyes pushed open the door of her classroom, looked around the classroom silently, then broke in directly and cut the throat of that handsome boy in front of Tina.

"I tell you to go away!"

"I am, I wouldn't do that."

Tingna repeated, she wasn't sure what effect such words would have, but she knew that the girl who broke into the classroom was extinguished by "hatred", and for this reason she wanted to kill the person she hated , free from "hatred"... But what about Mary?

To whom does she want to vent the emotions in her heart now, and to whom can she vent the dead silence in her eyes now?

The girl tightened the ring with the beautiful round diamond.

[Blunt Strike Arcane Missile]...No.

Then, as if reacting, he pressed his finger on the silver eight-legged spider.

If you want to use it, it should be used here, which can control people's actions without causing harm, [Spider Web Technique].

At least if you don't leave, you can still do something.

Mary stopped talking. In the darkness, she stared at Tina who was sitting on another chair, but the darkness made her unable to see clearly. She curled up again, put herself on that chair, curled up. It became a small ball.

"You don't understand...you don't understand..."

"..."

"It's the second time. Last time I tried desperately to make the winery proud, but I failed and let the winery fall into such a situation. This time I tried desperately to save the winery, but the result But it ruined the winery so much that they couldn't even participate in the tasting!"

"..."

The voice that came out of the girl's mouth was hoarse and weak. She might still want to drive Tina away, but that voice had no strength at all.

Tina just listened silently.

She can't speak eloquently, nor can she understand human nature.

She is very ordinary, so ordinary that it is difficult to understand what Mary said, but she can only listen silently.

"...Why is Miss Mary so obsessed with the glory and tradition of the winery?"

Only after Mary had finished speaking and fell silent did Tina try to keep the conversation going.

"Because Massura was so prosperous and glorious, so memorable...because...I want my father to be proud of me."

But this question made Mary giggle miserably.

"Want to hear a story?"

"..."

Intuition told Tina that it would be better to decline, but before the words came out with her breath, Mary had already opened her mouth. The girl raised her head in the darkness and opened her teeth-marked lips.

"Redhead, redhead, redhead from the east."

"Riding a horse, riding a cart, with a man lying on the bed in the cart."

"After dancing, get off the stage and continue dancing on the man's body."

A humming nursery rhyme.

No matter how you listen to it, it doesn't sound like a nursery rhyme for children.

The first few sentences are normal, but after that, certain obscene and obscene words start to take up most of the sentences.

After singing, Mary buried her face in her knees again, grabbed her hair, and in the darkness, the corners of her mouth twitched.

"...This is a children's song about the traveling people from the east. Baymore is very famous in the Holly Valley. It is said that that people have red hair, red eyes, and dark skin. Everywhere they go, they set up stalls and stages, selling wares, performing lascivious dances, and when the dances are over, their women take the men into their wagons and dance on their bellies."

Tina listened in silence.

"Although not everyone is like that, but that is indeed the impression that most people in the river valley have of them, and... my mother is that kind of woman."

"……Eh?"

"Whether it's loose or free, or simply irresponsible, she is that kind of woman. She seems to have slept with every man in every town, and then she doesn't know who she has a child with. After a great uproar, the Baymores left the valley, but the boy who didn't know his father and whose mother didn't want him stayed."

Has long fiery red hair that is rare in this kingdom.

It has fiery red pupils that are completely absent in this river valley.

The woman who came to the winery and insisted that it was a certain man in the winery—she didn’t know which man it was, but she just said that it was the child of a man in your winery, simply said “I don’t want to "Yes," the child who was abandoned at the gate of the winery, and the person who brought him back to raise him, had not inherited the winery at that time.

Mary's words stopped here.

Perhaps, she didn't actually intend to say these things, but the darkness is a veil that covers everything. Under this protection, people will always involuntarily say some things they are not good at saying.

But that's it. Mary didn't know that her expression would be seen clearly, but she could still sense Tingna's gaze. She didn't continue, she was silent, and hugged her tightly legs.

"Miss Mary..."

"There's nothing to sympathize with, it's not something to sympathize with. Sometimes I even think, if only my father hadn't picked up that girl back then."

"Eh?"

"In that case, wouldn't the winery become what it is now? After suffering such a disaster, owed so much money, and asked that little lord who has never been responsible to help wipe his ass, and even sent the wine for the tasting Can't get it out, really, the ancestors would be mad if they told such a thing."

"The disaster of the golden magic tree is not your fault, Miss Mary..."

"...No, no."

"No, it's..."

"What, has no one told you and our lord yet? The golden magic tree is indeed the last straw that broke the camel's back, but before that..."

Haha, after laughing dryly like this twice, even the sound of taking a deep breath was trembling.

Mary hugged her knees tightly, speaking in an unprecedentedly weak tone.

"I am the one who built the castle and Sulla against all suggestions, reducing the storage and funds of the winery."

Saying so.

………………………………………………………………………………

Conversation from a night long ago:

"Hey, Dad, why do other earls have majestic castles and bustling castle towns, but they only have endless orchards and a winery?"

"Because we are not real nobles."

"However, everyone pays taxes to us, builds villages and waterways, and they all come to us, and everyone respects us at the banquets of the nobles."

"We are just managing this land on behalf of the real lord. You must remember that although we have the name of First, our real blood comes from Amiens. The craft of brewing fine wine is our pride. , the way we can gain glory."

"How does brewing get glory?"

"That is probably to brew a good wine that is full of praise whether it is yourself or others, follow your own persistence and principles, and do not flatter anyone. Even so, it is still a good wine that everyone praises. Teacher's dream."

"Will Daddy be happy if it's brewed?"

"Of course, that's the happiest time for every winemaker."

"Then I will brew such delicious wine after I learn how to brew it well, and I will make the First family a real noble, with their own castle, and a bustling town next to the castle!"

"Haha, by then, I will be proud of you, and I will tell everyone that my daughter alone did such a remarkable thing."

"Ah, I'm not alone!"

"oh?"

"I want to brew the best wine with my father... Let the First family become the most glorious nobles in the valley..."

"..."

"..."

"... Ah, I will wait until that day, good night... my... daughter..."