Cornflower Witch

Chapter 173 The Purple-Haired Figure

"Karl, do you remember the potion formula the teacher mentioned yesterday?"

A girl with light purple hair walked ahead, wearing a fitted black wizard's robe, exuding youthful vitality and beauty.

"I remember, it was sage in March, gecko tail, and the root juice of purple moonflower." Karl was only 15 years old at the time, while the girl opposite him was already 17 and a little taller than him.

“That’s right, you remember it very clearly.” The girl turned around.
Karl couldn't remember what they talked about afterward. The only thing that remained in his memory was the girl's cheerful smile in the dappled sunlight that day, and the faint fragrance carried on the wind.

The girl with light purple hair is named Luna, a very beautiful name, which is said to be related to the moon in ancient times.

She was the most talented of the teacher's apprentices and the object of Karl's admiration at the time. She was beautiful, knowledgeable, and would occasionally tease him, the youngest apprentice, but she would also teach him some extra things.

The teacher was once a very powerful wizard, but due to injuries and old age, his body gradually weakened, and he taught them less and less, so they had to start learning on their own.

Many of the apprentices taught by the teacher at that time began to worry about their future, so some of them gradually left to find other wizards to be their teachers.

In the end, only Karl and Luna remained by the teacher's side.

"Why don't you leave, Karl?" Luna had just washed her hair that day and was sitting by the window enjoying the evening breeze when she suddenly asked Karl, who was also in the room doing his research.

“I…” He didn’t know how to answer. In fact, the only reason he didn’t leave was because Luna hadn’t left yet.

He was attracted to the purple-haired girl before him, just as he was attracted to the bright moon in the night. She was a fantasy he could only dream of but could never reach, and an impulse he could not give up.

"I know, you must be wondering if the teacher left behind any powerful secret techniques, right?" The girl suddenly thought of something, held up a finger, and smiled at him.

At that moment, he didn't know how to answer, so he could only go down the aisle and admit it.

"However, I didn't expect Karl to be interested in this secret technique as well." The girl's fingers were long and slender, and her pale purple nails stretched out in the night breeze, beautiful and with a touch of allure.

"The Black Serpent of Tria-Lucia is said to have been improved by the witch Lucia from the 'Black Serpent of Tria.' It can be learned by extraordinary individuals of the two natures: 'Death' and 'Nightmare.'" She recounted the rare secret technique passed down by her teacher.

“It just so happens that I’m studying the ‘Nightmare’ aspect, while Karl is studying the ‘Death’ aspect.” She propped her chin up slightly with one hand, her eyes scanning Karl in the room.

"What a strange coincidence~" Her teasing look made Karl unable to look directly at her, and he lowered his head.

After that, the two took care of their seriously ill teacher and stayed in the gradually quiet wizard's mansion, each reading and studying. Occasionally, Luna would invite Karl to dinner and inquire about his study progress.

At the time, Karl considered her to be the best senior student and the object of his affections.

However, that beautiful scene still came to an end one day.

The teacher died, which was not unexpected; he was very ill and could pass away at any time. What was unexpected was that Karl saw Luna remove the teacher's head and dissolve the flesh inside, leaving only the black skull.

"Oh, it's Karl. Sorry, I scared you." Even while doing something terrifying, Luna remained calm and joked with Karl.

"As you know, learning 'Tria-Lucia's Black Serpent' requires the skull of a powerful creature as a medium for casting the spell. There's no other way; there's no better material than your teacher."

That was the first time Karl felt fear towards Luna, not from her cruelty, but from her natural, unconcerned expression.

He understood that wizards were cold-blooded and ruthless, but he had never truly experienced this cold-blooded trait until what happened that day, which made him completely doubt whether his choice was correct.

People who frequently deal with death eventually become numb. He didn't know who said that, but he had never felt it so deeply that day.

After that, he was too afraid to see Luna, and she was busy learning secret arts and didn't have time to see him. Until one day, this senior knocked on his door again.

Standing outside the door, the purple-haired girl bathed in moonlight was still beautiful, making his heart flutter, but Luna's words afterwards completely brought him to his senses.

"I'm sorry, Karl, that kind of secret technique is still too difficult." She glanced to the side, her fingers running through her hair, smoothing the purple hair that had been ruffled by the evening breeze.

"I think I'll need your help."

"What kind of help could it be?" Karl had a bad feeling.

“You probably need to learn that ability. You’re the only apprentice who has also learned ‘Tria-Lucia’s Black Serpent,’ right?” Her fingers twisted behind her back.

“This secret technique requires the simultaneous activation of two aspects. I can only control the ‘nightmare’ aspect at present, so I still need your help.”

"I see." Karl was slightly relieved.

"How can I help my senior?"

"It's very simple, just cooperate with my spellcasting."

For the next month, he lived with Luna again in the mansion where his teacher had once lived.

Unfortunately, even with his help, Luna was still unable to learn that secret technique, probably because the difficulty was too high and it was something they couldn't master at the time.

In the end, Luna chose to give up, and Karl breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to leave here and go to the Land of Aililian, the hometown of the witch Lucia. There are many witch organizations there now, so I should be able to find a way to learn secret arts." One day, Luna said goodbye and told Karl not to worry.

Goodbye, Senior Luna.

"Well, goodbye, silly Karl, hehe." The girl's laughter reminded Karl of his past dreams, but her words quickly interrupted those memories.

"Actually, I wanted to kill you back then." Luna carried her luggage on her back and looked down as she recalled.

"Karl, you're so stupid. Some things are so precious that people will stop at nothing to achieve them."

"However, I held back then. After all, Karl, you are my junior. If I killed you, it would be hard to find such a good helper again."

"Learning the teacher's secret techniques was also a long time ago. I was really annoyed and wondered if I should use you as a sacrifice."

"You know, there are some cruel methods that can extract the enemy's abilities, and I happen to have mastered one of them."

"Ah, I finally couldn't help but say it. My teacher used to say that I have a somewhat bad personality." Her bright eyes shone with a bewitching light as she looked up.

Goodbye, Karl, don't miss me.

"Oh, by the way, if you really still like me, please take good care of that kitten for me. It probably hates me, and I can never seem to take good care of it."

And so, amidst Karl's complex emotions, the girl's figure slowly disappeared into the night streets, and the two never saw each other again.

(End of this chapter)