My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 140 How did you become so popular?
The night was dark, and even the only moonlight was obscured by dark clouds.

After everyone had fallen asleep, Kalia went to the balcony outside the treehouse alone.

Looking into the distance from here, you can see the scenery of the Thorn Forest and the faintly visible Blackthorn Lord City.

This familiar scenery has accompanied her through sixteen years.

Whenever she was in a bad mood, she would sneak here alone at night to stare at the scenery in front of her.

Whether you cry secretly, speak ill of Flam, or simply stand here looking at the scenery before you.

Although the scenery here isn't as good as her secret base, it's still the place she visits most often.

At this moment, Kalia didn't know how to describe her feelings.

After learning from Flam that she had unintentionally cast a curse on Roland, Kalia's spirits plummeted.

She didn't even listen carefully to what came next.

Leaning forward, Kalia rested her upper body against the railing.

Looking down, a terrible thought began to form in Kalia's mind.

Jump down.

Without a doubt, given her current height, she would certainly die without any protection or intervention, given her physical condition.

However, the thought had barely crossed her mind when Kalia suppressed it.

After that, Kalia's mood improved for some reason.

For some reason, Kalia felt a little relieved after putting aside the terrible thought of "jumping off here."

Even the moonlight shone through the dark clouds.

Kalia looked up at the few slivers of moonlight that were faintly visible, and once again asked herself the same question.

Why me?
Why do I have so many unusual traits?

Why do I always end up hurting the people around me without even realizing it...?

Step, step, step.

Light footsteps came from behind Kalia.

She turned around and saw Roland standing behind her with a blanket draped over his arm and a box of pastries in his hand.

Ignoring Kalia's thoughts, he went to the balcony on his own, took out a small coffee table and two stools from the corner, and sat down.

"It's so late, why aren't you asleep? Don't forget that we need to head back to the capital from a nearby town with a magic train passing through it first thing tomorrow morning."

"After I finish this, I still have to go to Switzerland."

"This trip is by no means easy."

"Get some rest, you'll be busy again soon."

Kalia, still leaning on the railing, turned back and smiled at Roland: "Roland, how dare you say that to me? You weren't asleep either, were you?"

“I’m different. You just need to eat and drink, but I have a lot more to think about.”

Roland shook his head, then opened the pastry box.

Inside were snacks and treats they had bought at the station when they first left Blackthorn Territory.

Fortunately, there are still quite a few left.

Tempted by the snacks, Kalia quietly sat down in front of Roland, and then, unusually, picked up a cookie and took a small bite.

When Roland saw the other person sit down, he draped a yellow blanket he had found in the treehouse over them.

After that, the two fell into a cycle of silence.

Roland propped his head up with his hand and watched Kalia eat, while Kalia focused on devouring all the snacks in the box.

From all kinds of cookies to small breads filled with dried fruit, she ate everything Roland brought.

"Hiccup~~~" Kalia burped unconsciously, then looked up at Roland and asked, "You're not staying up all night just to feed me, are you?"

“To correct you, I didn’t feed you, you ate it all by yourself.” Roland smiled and then stood up. “But seeing that you can really eat so much so late at night, I’m relieved.”

"At least you didn't fall into self-doubt over some trivial matters."

Kalia's face flushed slightly, and she stood up abruptly, still wrapped in a blanket: "Hey, do you think my mood is related to how much I can eat?!"

"Is not it?"

"No, no, of course not..."

Kalia's momentum weakened.

Although it wasn't of her own volition, Kalia found that she seemed to eat less when she was in a bad mood.

Roland flicked Kalia's forehead with his finger: "Alright, go brush your teeth and go to bed now that you're full."

"If you're still hungry, go to sleep. There's nothing else for you to eat in the treehouse."

After saying that, Roland picked up the empty pastry box and walked back.

But then Kalia called out to Roland, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Roland turned around, his face full of confusion: "What did you say?"

"Say something... In situations like this, when a boy comes alone to find a girl standing under the moonlight, shouldn't he say something?"

Listening to Kalia's slightly hesitant speech, Roland sighed and walked over to Kalia with the food box.

"Alright, then I'll say something."

"Hey! That's not how it's supposed to go! This completely ruins the atmosphere!" Kalia looked a little exasperated.

However, her actions did not last long.

Because Roland suddenly launched a sneak attack on her profile.

The fleeting warmth made Kalia freeze in place, as if she had been immobilized.

Even the body movements that were halfway through were frozen in that instant.

Roland smiled and pulled his head away from Kalia's side, then patted Kalia's shoulder: "Alright, go back to sleep."

"……Oh."

……

Early the next morning.

On the magical train from the neighboring town to the capital, Cherlinina and Nash looked at Kalia sitting in front of them with puzzled expressions.

The human and the cat exchanged a glance, then exclaimed in unison, "Kalia, your face is so red."

"..."

Kalia ignored her, but with dark circles under her eyes, she clearly hadn't slept well last night.

Of course, given Kalia's current reddish-brown outfit, it makes one wonder why she didn't get enough rest last night.

At least that's what Cellina thinks.

Nash, on the other hand, wasn't particularly interested in the topic of human reproduction.

Now that it had turned into a cat, it was more concerned with what its lunch would be on the train. As for Kalia… she had no idea what the two people in front of her were thinking.

To be precise, she herself is still confused.

Even this morning, it was Furam who dragged her out of the treehouse.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered something from a romance novel she had read before.

Taking the initiative and being passively accepted are two completely different experiences—that's what the book says.

Now, Kalia thinks that statement is quite insightful.

The feeling of being proactive and being passive is indeed completely different.

At least when I took the initiative to attack last time, I didn't have the same staying power as I do now.

But... but when she woke up in the same bed with Roland last time and he kissed her, Kalia didn't feel this way...

Why is that?
It was just a light touch on the side of my cheek, but I...

No, I can't keep thinking like this. If I continue thinking like this...

Nash, who was looking out the window at the scenery, suddenly felt something tap him. He looked down and saw that it was a tentacle formed from a shadow!

Nash: "!!!"

"Meow! W-w-what is that?!"

Almost instantly, Nash leaped onto Cherlinina's head, the demon he hated most.

Cellina leaned forward and patted Kalia's head: "Hey, calm down, Kalia. Your innate magic is out of control."

"Ah!? Oh, oh, oh, sorry, sorry!"

At Cellina's prompting, Kalia quietly withdrew her abilities.

Cellina also complained: "This time, because we were on a passenger and freight train, there were no private compartments available."

"You'd better take it easy, don't hurt the other passengers."

"Um……"

Although she verbally agreed, Kalia couldn't help but overthink it.
She just couldn't understand it!

I really can't understand it!
Could it be because Roland used a surprise attack tactic this time?

Am I the kind of woman who enjoys this kind of thrill?!
Cellina sighed silently, looking at Kalia, whose face was still as red as a boiling kettle, then turned to Roland next to her: "Hey, how about we switch seats?"

"I feel that she can stay calmer if you're around."

Upon hearing this, Flam transformed into a merciless吐槽 machine: "Why do you think I separated Roland and Leah?"

"If he sits down opposite Leah, her innate magic is really going to get out of control."

"You agree, right, the culprit?"

Roland said nothing; he simply drank his tea in silence.

This journey back to the capital from Blackthorn Territory is probably his last bit of free time.

In particular, he now needs to face a problem.

A critical problem that he had been ignoring for a while.

What should I do after meeting Iluvia?
Based on his understanding of Iluvia, he was certain that she would be waiting for him on the platform of the magical train in the capital.

It can be said that they leave themselves absolutely no control or free time.

Seemingly sensing Roland's worry, a special passenger patted Roland on the shoulder and said, "Your Excellency need not worry, I did not say anything to Her Highness the Princess."

"Um...who are you?"

Roland looked at the hatter sitting to his right.

He couldn't recognize who the other person was.

After all, each hatter concealed their face, and their identity and position could generally only be distinguished by the different hats they wore.

Roland knew that there was a hatter on the train back to the capital.

After all, hatters have a special role; nominally belonging to the military, they are now actually only responsible to the royal family.

It's like being a member of the Imperial Guard in another world.

But he genuinely didn't recognize who this overly familiar hatter was.

At this point, Cellina explained the other party's identity: "Roland, he was the hatter that the princess sent to protect you when you were in the capital."

“I’ve had some dealings with him.”

"Ah, you must be the mysterious person I met the other day? This is the first time I've seen your true face. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Delan. I apologize for any offense I may have caused you before."

Cellina waved her hand, not really interested in talking to the other person, and instead started playing with the cat and Kalia.

Yes, Kalia is really like a kettle now; if you tap her nose, she'll make a low, humming sound like a kettle boiling.

Quite interesting.

After Cellina's explanation, Roland finally understood.

"Ah, I see. It's a pleasure to meet you... But what did you mean by that just now?"

The hatter named Delan leaned close to Roland's ear and began to whisper, "About that passionate kiss you and Miss Kalia shared in the dormitory!"

"I have never mentioned this to Her Highness the Princess!"

"Your Excellency, please remember to keep this a secret! Don't tell anyone!"

Roland: "..."

No, you saw everything all along!?
Roland suddenly showed a look of horror in his eyes.

It's fortunate that the hatter didn't report this to Iluvia... no, he probably didn't dare to report it.

After all, Iluvia could very well take her anger out on Mr. Delan.

That's a way of protecting oneself, I guess...

But if you know the truth but don't report it, won't you suffer an even worse fate if it gets found out?
Roland silently mourned for the hatter for a moment and prayed that he wouldn't be exposed anytime soon.

But unfortunately... that's obviously impossible.

Because their whispered conversation had been overheard by the other hatters in the carriage.

As the saying goes, a person who keeps a secret must also keep the fact that he knows a secret.

Clearly, Mr. Delan has broken this rule.

Even if they don't yet know what they said to Delan.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Moreover, Delan herself realized that she seemed to have said the wrong thing.

Even through the mask, Roland could almost see the look of terror on his face.

Flam shook her head: "Foolish human boy. Good luck."

(End of this chapter)