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

Chapter 155 Return to Riskan

Silent all night.

Roland slept very peacefully that night.

There were no assassins, no out-of-control Kalia, no strange dreams, and no Iluvia or Kalia lurking in his bed.

When he woke up the next day, he was even a little unaccustomed to such a peaceful sleep.

After getting dressed and getting out of bed, Roland checked the date.

12 month 30 number.

This damn December is finally coming to an end.

Roland let out a soft breath and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the streets of the capital in the early morning.

Throughout December, Roland was like a spinning top, forced to keep turning.

Just when you think you can stop and rest for a while, fate whips you into continuing to spin.

But thankfully, this damn month is almost over.

The year 1029 is also coming to an end.

Before meeting Kalia and before the system appeared, Roland thought he would spend the New Year in the capital, not in Riskan.

But as things stand, it seems I'll probably have to spend the New Year celebrations in my hometown.

However... this time, there will be many more people around me celebrating with me.

Dressed neatly and having tidied himself up, Roland pushed open the door and, led by a servant, arrived at the palace gate.

When Roland saw that Kalia and Iluvia were already waiting in front of and behind the carriage, he couldn't help but be taken aback.

Now he knows he's the last one to arrive.

"So slow, Roland! You can't believe you're late!" Kalia yawned as she expressed her dissatisfaction.

Roland scratched his head awkwardly, then got into the car with the two women, who were watching him.

Before long, the three people and the cat arrived at the station, where they saw Flam, who was already waiting there, and Cellina, who was carrying a suitcase.

Upon seeing Roland, Cellina handed him the briefcase.

"Aslan asked me to give this to you. There's a letter from him inside."

"Senior brother? You finished so quickly..."

Upon hearing that it was something Aslan had asked Cellinina to deliver, Roland immediately guessed what it was.

He was simply surprised that Aslan had actually produced a finished product before he left the capital.

Roland took the box but didn't rush to open it.

Flam looked at the group of people in front of her, and even stared at Iluvia for a while.

Then she quietly spoke up: "Ten hatters are traveling with us this time. This train is also our special train."

"The hatters are already on the train. Come to carriage number three, I have something to say to them."

Fram's words made Roland realize that this trip was unusual.

He didn't believe that these ten hatters were simply accompanying Ilúvia as her bodyguards.

After boarding the vehicle and settling their luggage in their respective compartments, everyone gathered in the conference compartment.

Cellina managed to snatch a seat next to Roland before Kalia and Iluvia could.

Roland, noticing Cellina's somewhat strange behavior, asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"

“No.” Cellina shook her head. “What, you don’t welcome me sitting here?”

"I don't have any objection..."

Roland pointed to the two menacing women behind Cellina as he spoke: "I just think they have something to say about it."

Cellina turned and glanced at the two of them, then said calmly, "If I were you, I would be fighting for the remaining spot right now, instead of just staring at me like this."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kalia darted to that spot.

The speed was so fast that even Roland was stunned for a moment.

He only felt a gust of wind, and then Kalia sat down next to him.

Clearly, Iluvia was a step too slow and missed a golden opportunity. She could only sit down angrily in the seat opposite Roland.

Then a hatter walked into the conference room.

Although he was wearing a mask, everyone present recognized him.

“Mr. Delan?” Roland asked, looking at the hatter.

"Yes, it's me... Um, where should I sit?"

He surveyed the room; well, three women, one man, and a cat, and the atmosphere was thick with jealousy and rivalry.

It seems I've arrived at the wrong time.

It would be better if he went out first and waited for Ms. Fram to arrive before coming in together.

This way, it will seem like you're not there to watch the spectacle, but rather to attend a serious meeting.

Unfortunately, he was already inside, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to leave now. Besides, he didn't know when Flam would return.

Leaving your fate in the hands of others is not a good habit.

Under everyone's gaze, Delan quietly chose the most secluded corner and sat down.

Fortunately, Flam wasn't too late.

Shortly after the other person took their seat, Frum came in carrying a thick file folder.

"I didn't expect them to arrive so quickly."

"Alright, hurry up and finish."

“The hatter’s representative… Ah, we’ve arrived. What are you doing sitting so far back? Move forward a bit.”

Urged on by Fram, Delan reluctantly moved a few places forward.

"Okay, now let me explain the situation."

Frum first slammed the file folder on the table, then stood on the chair and began to speak: "In short, the purpose of the Hatter's trip is to thoroughly investigate the shipwreck from back then."

"Based on the Hatter's and the Inspectorate's investigation into the Chaos Brotherhood, the Iris, the ship involved in the shipwreck, may not have sunk yet."

"Or rather, it is drifting on the Storm Ocean in an unknown state."

"Of course, this is just speculation, since this information was guessed from the Chaos Brotherhood's intelligence."

"Given that their objectives conflict with ours, I also shared Roland's intelligence with them."

"In short, once we arrive in Riskan, our first goal is to find every possible clue about the shipwreck."

"Also, beware of the Chaos Brotherhood."

“Especially you, Your Highness. This is your first time leaving the capital, remember to stay with Roland.”

"Lia too, you two just need to follow Roland's orders."

“Celinina, once we get to Riskan, you’ll be traveling with me.”

"I'm going to check if anything's amiss at your old friend's house."

"As for Roland... you can stay in Riskan for a couple of days with Iluvia and Lia. We won't need you for now."

"Hatmaker, go and investigate the Governor's Office and the City Hall, and find all the records related to that shipwreck." "Also, you are to contact the Society's branch in Riscany. They have very comprehensive observation data on the Storm Ocean; perhaps we can find some clues in it."

"Okay, that's all for now, meeting adjourned."

Everyone present was stunned by what Furam said.

"Is it over just like that?" Kalia asked, somewhat surprised, while holding the cat.

"Well, it's over."

Frum, still standing on the chair, nodded: "I already said, it was just a few words."

"If I said I'd say something, then I really meant it!"

Roland was also somewhat speechless.

Seeing you bring in so much information, I thought you were going to share some important clues or give some orders.

Is this the result?

Alright, alright, it's better to end it sooner so he can go see the magical props his senior brother made for him.

After leaving the conference room, for some reason, Kalia, Iluvia, and even Cellina followed Roland to his private room.

In the room, which suddenly felt unusually crowded, Roland looked at the three people and the cat and asked, "What are you doing here?"

“I want to see what’s in that box,” Cellina answered first, and her reasoning was quite valid.

After all, she had been carrying the suitcase all the way, so her curiosity wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Even Roland himself was very curious.

Kalia and Iluvia then looked at each other.

Both of them were waiting for the other to speak first, so that they could both come up with the same excuse.

Unfortunately, neither of them could come up with a good excuse, so they could only look at each other blankly.

After all, they simply came to watch Roland because they didn't know what to do.

Finally, Roland couldn't stand it anymore: "Fine... you're just curious about what's in this box, aren't you?"

"Mmmmmmm!"

"Yeah!"

After hearing Roland offer a way out, Iluvia and Kalia both nodded in agreement.

Roland sighed, then stepped aside: "Alright, alright, you can watch it then."

As he spoke, he opened the metal-cased briefcase.

Inside were two transparent boxes filled with bullets, and two long-barreled pistols.

One is black, the other white, and both are engraved with complex runes.

Roland immediately recognized that these runes were used to amplify the power of spells.

But its appearance...

Roland felt that the two guns looked somewhat familiar.

It's somewhat like the white oak and black ivory used by Dante in Devil May Cry.

However, the barrel is rather long, making it look more like the two pistols used by Alucard in Hellsong.

"Hey, what are you going to do with the pistol and bullets, Aslan?"

"You don't need this much with your current strength, do you?"

"Oh, I see! This is a New Year's gift from Senior Brother Aslan, right?"

Kalia was a little curious.

Even she knew about the Empire's magical weapons.

Such handguns and repeating guns are not uncommon in the empire today.

It could even be said that firearms have become the standard equipment of the imperial army today.

At least most soldiers fought using weapons such as guns and magic cannons.

Unless one's strength reaches the third ring or above, the power of firearms is greater than that of mages and warriors of the first or second ring.

However, for Roland, although these two pistols looked exquisite, they were not very useful.

However, it would make a decent New Year's gift.

Roland, who had already read the letter Aslan left for him, laughed: "It is indeed a gift, but it is not a useless decoration."

Iluvia became curious upon hearing this: "There are runes on it, could it be an amplification staff made to look like a gun?"

“There are indeed some people in the Empire who like to do this now.”

"After all, it's just a change in appearance, it won't affect the performance boost much."

After listening to Iluvia's speculation, Roland nodded: "Very close."

"These two guns do indeed have the ability to amplify the staff, but... these bullets are the key."

Roland then explained the spell-engraved cannonballs and his thoughts on the matter with Aslan.

After hearing Roland's explanation, Cellina retorted, "You...sometimes your imagination is surprisingly rich."

"I wonder what Mashu's expression will be when she finds out you stole her ideas."

Roland smiled without saying a word, then said, "Alright, your curiosity has been satisfied. Do you have anything else to do here?"

Cellina shook her head: "I won't bother you anymore."

After saying that, she walked straight out of Roland's room.

Iluvia thought for a while, but unable to come up with a better excuse, she left with Cellina.

The same goes for Kalia. She mainly came with Iluvia, so there's no need for her to keep a close watch on her now that Iluvia is gone.

Roland's room suddenly became empty.

After everyone had left, Roland closed the suitcase.

The gift was very nice; at least Roland was very satisfied.

Aslan's gift is both aesthetically pleasing and performs well.

This pleased Roland greatly.

He looked at the scenery rushing past the car window, but felt a little melancholy and afraid.

Yes, afraid.

The once familiar hometown and past were now shrouded in an unknown shadow in Roland's eyes.

Beneath the veil of mystery, what secrets are hidden within Riskan, the Storm Ocean, and even his own father and himself?

A city for merchants, a paradise for the greedy, a hell for the poor...

Recalling how outsiders called the city, Roland fell into reminiscence.

Greed and the pursuit of profit are the defining characteristics of this city; its people value wealth more than so-called memories.

Will I be able to find the answer I'm looking for on my own?

(End of this chapter)