Cornflower Witch

Chapter 258 The Flowers Scatter in Their Own Way

A week later, Hiltiya hosted Lucas at her residence.

In the tall, spacious, and magnificent hall, Hilti was dressed in a pale white and pale yellow dress, and even her headband was a pale white and pale yellow silk ribbon. When she sat on the sofa, those familiar with this place would probably have a sense of disorientation, because her temperament vaguely resembled that of Madame Fran.

However, amidst the similarities, there are subtle differences. Perhaps it is that Hilti has more of the unique beauty and charm of a young girl, and less of the graceful elegance of a mature woman.

“This is ‘Snow Orchid Tea.’ I wonder if you would like it, senior?” At Hilti’s prompting, Lucas picked up the teacup on the table and took a small sip.

"This is a very nice flower tea. Did Tiya make it herself?" He took a small sip and savored it.

“I can certainly make it myself, but what I’m drinking today is something my former teacher left behind.” Seeing that Lucas had some doubts, Hilti continued.

"While I was learning about secret history from Maester Hyde in Jiaoshi City, I was also learning related skills and knowledge from another gardener at this mansion."

"Many of my foundations were laid during that time."

Looking back on her career as a gardener, she learned her most important skills and secrets from Madame Fran, who truly deserves to be called her mentor.

"This is quite a good starting point," Lucas said, looking around with a touch of emotion.

He was born into a commoner family in Jiaoshi City. Although his parents were also employees in the city and were not poor, they were still far from being as well off as Xilutiya.

"Yes, I'm very grateful to Teacher Fran for taking me in and teaching me back then, otherwise I probably would have suffered a lot." The girl blew on the tea, recalling the past.

The two sat there reminiscing about many things from Jiaoshicheng. The two, who were originally strangers, became somewhat familiar with each other.

“I didn’t expect you to have studied with Winnie back then.” Lucas was slightly surprised.

"Does Senior know Winnie?" Shiltia asked curiously.

"I knew her, but she had just arrived at Hyde College back then. She was quite small, a bit stubborn and shy, and the teachers asked us older students to take care of her."

"However, after that, everyone gradually got to know her. She was one of the rare types of girls who could calmly read through books and even think about some issues."

"Over time, everyone has developed some impression of her."

"However, she was only so-so in terms of talent on the path of extraordinary appearance, which made Teacher Hyde feel a little sorry for her, but he still loved her very much and later helped her find a marriage."

"I don't know what happened after that. By then, I had already left Jiaoshi City and gone to study in the woods."

After reminiscing about the past, Lucas also felt a bit wistful and emotional.

That night, the two dined at a restaurant in Scorched Stone City with a group of old acquaintances. Here, Hiltiah met students from previous years of the Rihyd Bachelor class, many of whom were in their thirties and in the prime of their lives.

The crowd surrounded the two, thanking them for rescuing Jiao Shicheng from his crisis. During this time, they had gradually come to understand the truth behind Jiao Shicheng's transformation, as they needed their assistance to manage the city properly.

Here, Hiltia also meets her classmate Yero again.

This former chubby boy has become much darker-skinned, with some of his former fat replaced by muscle, which has changed his overall appearance.

“Tiya…”

Although Yero wanted to greet Hilti, he became somewhat reserved due to the influence of the sexual phase emanating from the girl.

"Senior Yero, it's been a long time." Hiltiya lifted her skirt and bent down, looking just as she had in the past, even a little more lively than before.

Seeing that the junior student didn't look down on him, Yero breathed a slight sigh of relief and then began to recount his experiences over the past few years.

"I first went to study in several other cities, but then the war broke out, and I hid in a village where I lived for nearly a year."

“Life in the village was poor and simple, but it also made me realize the true situation of many farmers. I probably grew a lot during that year,” Yero explained, scratching his head. “Now I work in Wheatfield Town, coordinating and guiding local farmers in their farming. The income isn’t much, but it’s quite stable.” He sounded a little unsure as he said this.

"That's amazing, Senior Yero." The girl clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with admiration. Yero couldn't bear such a gaze and quietly turned his face away.

The girl couldn't help but compare Yero, the senior, to the quiet, chubby boy in her memory.

“Wheatfield Town, I remember that used to be the territory of Knight Levin. How is Valeni now?” Hiltiya thought of the girl who took her notebook.

“Valenie…” Yero’s expression was somewhat wistful.

"She hid in the countryside when the war broke out, avoiding the most dangerous period. However, her father, Knight Levin, was killed in action, and the town that her family owned has now been occupied by the Antirians."

"She now lives in the remote town of Mossstone, where she has a distant relative, but it is said that she is not happy living there."

"It seems that an elder asked her to help with household chores, which she was very unwilling to do and felt wronged, leading to several arguments."

"Oh, I see. What about the other classmates?" Hiltiya was curious about the whereabouts of her other friends.

"The others are mostly in Jiaoshi City as well, but they are all quite ordinary and nothing special has changed."

“Baron, the former heir to Baron Hollin, who once tried to woo Iona, is buried in the mountains west of the city,” Yero recalled from two years ago.

"When Anti's army arrived, Jiaoshi City resisted for a while, but surrendered when it was no match for them."

"In that battle, Baron and his father, Baron Hollin, were shot by enemy archers and died on the spot."

"After Lei finished learning blacksmithing in Jiaoshi City for a year, he went to Duanshi City. At that time, the war broke out. Because Duanshi City had a large number of craftsmen, and the Anti people also needed these craftsmen, they adopted a policy of appeasement and should not have suffered much damage."

"Komia went to the witch organization north of Meteor Lake. I received a letter from her a year ago, saying that she was doing well there."

"Sorin went to Windcliff City, which was the front line of the fight against the Antirians and also the place most severely damaged by the war. I don't know where he went afterward."

“Mick went to another city to become an adventurer, and I haven’t been in contact with him for a long time. I don’t know where he is, but as long as he doesn’t directly participate in the war, the Antirians probably won’t target him. With his abilities, he can just go into some deep mountain and the Antirians won’t be able to find him.”

“Karen occasionally returns to Scorched Stone City. She should be in Valley City right now. The situation is very unclear. After all, Valley City has changed hands twice and is a key target of the Anti people’s suppression.”

Three years later, the classmates and friends who were once familiar with each other have scattered like flowers.

Afterwards, Hilti thanked Yero and, after thinking for a moment, gave him a white stone chess piece.

[White Stone Chess Piece] (Tier 1 - Castle): A chess piece formed by a noble with a title, possessing the power of a 'castle' attribute, which can advance a person with the capacity to become a 'Tier 1 - Castle'. (The bestowal of this chess piece often represents a title of nobility.)

This was something she had kept on behalf of Madame Fran when she lived there, and Madame Fran later gave it to her directly.

Although Yero's main focus is on 'secret language', he has also learned a lot of castle-related secret arts from Maester Hyde, which should come in handy.

Originally, Hilti had an even more precious 'Tier 3 Castle' chess piece, which was a return gift from the 'Iron Wall Crown Furnace' school. However, giving such a treasure to Yero, who was only 'Tier 1' at the time, would only bring disaster to him.

After thinking it over, Hilti decided to give Yero the portion of the [Sun Seed Oil] (Tier 1 - Blazing Sun) that the lady had left her in the mansion.

"I won't be staying in Jiaoshi City for very long. I'll probably need to trouble you with many things in the future, so please don't hesitate to ask, Senior Yero."

Yero accepted the gift with gratitude and a touch of embarrassment at the girl's gentle words.

In just three short years, this once frail junior has grown into a big shot.

(End of this chapter)