The Witch and the Doll Swear

Everyone looked at the little lord, dumbfounded.

Of course, this is not the purchase price. The grapes on this land belong to the Marsula winery. It would be ridiculous if the winery still buys from the fruit farmers who help pick them.

Of course, it is incomparable to the price offered by Jeste and Mary at dusk today, but that opportunity has already been missed. At that time, they were stupid and ignorant, convinced that this land was cursed and no one agreed to it. Now, Who dares to mention it?

But, most importantly, is it worth 20 copper coins to harvest a kilogram of qualified grapes that have passed the inspection?

People with quick brains have already calculated quickly.

But this pricing method means that you only need to harvest 5 kilograms to earn one silver coin, and you can earn 2 silver coins for ten kilograms, which is the same as the commission in the usual harvest season.

And as long as you harvest more, you will earn more money, and the person who harvests the most will be rewarded with a gold coin!

A gold coin, the fruit farmers have worked hard for a year, and the most they can earn in the harvest season is only 2 or 3 gold coins. This small golden disc can allow them to build a beautiful small villa, or He has bought his own most ordinary small winery.

"My lord, is that...really?"

No one is jealous of this award.

But they were also afraid that this strange lord might just say it casually, and when he really went to ask for it, he would instead be led into the dungeon in the town.

They were too unfamiliar with this girl, and a gold coin was too expensive. They looked at the girl standing on the hill with their eyes, and finally someone asked out in fear.

Liliana's eyebrows twitched slightly, she looked at Jester speechlessly, her dark eyes were as cold as black ice.

"The Furst family has never done such a thing to shame their family name!"

The witch's gaze was so cold, the man in the snow-white tie shook his head quickly, and then whispered again.

"However, a lot of things like this happened in other territories, especially in the territory of the other earl's family. Everyone dared not speak out and was very afraid..."

"...Because they don't know me well, I know."

The cold gaze eased slightly.

Liliana withdrew her finger, nodded expressionlessly to show that she understood, and continued.

She didn't let go of her hand, and raised a golden coin from the empty air.

Golden, round and round, the slight commotion stopped immediately in front of this small disc representing wealth, and the witch didn't say anything, she flicked it casually, and the gold coin fell with a crisp sound under the moonlight of the winter night, passing by A round arc of light landed on Jon's collar.

Quietly, and then stop there.

The night wind was cold, and the cotton collar swayed slightly. It took almost 3 or 4 minutes before the man took off the slightly blue gold coin stuck to his collar with trembling hands, and held it up with both hands.

He was stunned, he didn't know what was going on, his knees were shaking, and the small gold coin seemed to be as heavy as a mountain.

When he was about to kneel down in fear and trepidation, on the hill, he had already taken his seat again, raising his wine glass with the voice of a witch who was holding a glass from a nobleman next to him, and everyone present could hear it.

"You are the only one who answered my question, take it, that is your reward."

Jon was completely dumbfounded.

The fruit growers, the people invited from the town, and even the monks around the bishop seemed to be stunned. One by one, they raised their fingers, one by one, and silently said a piece of cheese sandwich bread, 5 pieces Copper coins, 5 coins a day, 10 copper coins for a bowl of oat milk porridge, three bowls a day...

He couldn't continue talking, and he didn't know who was the first to react and ran towards the vineyard of the winery. The shouts and footsteps exploded amidst the sound of chairs falling down, even the most greedy for creamy soup and potatoes. The children with beef and beef had their ears pulled up by their parents, and ran to the orchard impatiently.

"...By the way, if anyone hurts a precious fruit tree, not only will they not get the bonus, but they will also have to pay for it."

This was the last sentence Liliana said about this matter. After finishing speaking, she rolled up her hair that was blown in the night wind, smiled, and continued to clink glasses with the nobles.

The problem is solved.

Ting Na secretly looked at the girl standing behind her, as if she had witnessed the smile of the Gorgon, or heard the girl singing the siren, but the girl with the flame hair didn't seem to notice her.

Those fiery red pupils just stared at the picture in the crystal ball, and clenched their fists tightly.

【No one wants to be infected with First's curse, no one wants to】——Tingna thought of Mary's mocking of Liliana in the evening.

She didn't see with her own eyes how Mary and Jester went to the villages on the territory in a carriage, and how they ran into obstacles one after another, but Tina could also imagine that for the girl who said that, in the crystal ball The projected picture must be ironic that makes it hard to laugh.

The people who have been friends for many years, but still rejected themselves and their father, are now throwing down their jobs without saying a word.

The picture in the crystal ball didn't show where they went, but even if they didn't see it directly, they knew it. Wait until tomorrow... no, probably around midnight, there will be mountains of grapes piled up in the castle.

As a child who has just been able to work for a short time, he greedily eats the delicious butter in the bowl and the rare large piece of beef, but is picked up by his father and rushed to the orchard. In a few minutes, more than a hundred people scattered from the long table. .

Some people even ran towards the town, as if to inform their family members.

At this moment, no one is afraid of First's curse.

"hehe……"

——What they refused was your offer.

Mary gave a weak dry laugh, staggered from the bed to the desk in the room, and sat on a chair with silk upholstery.

After a while, the girl seemed to remember something. Using a large tray, she picked up some beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks placed on the table, and walked out the door.

"That...Miss Mary..."

"..."

Only then did Tina notice that there was such a glass vessel on the desk, but the call was completely ignored by the gloomy girl.

The red-haired girl didn't say anything, didn't respond to anything, she staggered out of the bedroom, and didn't even close the log double doors.

Watching her disappear into the illuminated corridor, Tingna couldn't help lowering her head, looking at the puppet that erased the magic on the crystal ball.

"Miss Mary, you look very shocked..."

"Yes, but there is no other way..."

The crystal ball was retracted into the space storage ring, and there was nothing to see next. Alice also looked at the end of the corridor with a slightly worried look as she spun the golden fingerwheel not inlaid with gems.

"Lily said to Ms. Mary, 【They rejected your employment only】. At that time, Ms. Tingna must have seen it. Ms. Mary's expression was very angry and disdainful. Now, seeing with my own eyes those who have worked together But the person I hired turned down the person who fell under Lily's beauty and gold coins, and there is no way he would be hit..."

"...No, Ms. Alice, I don't think Ms. Mary would know that Ms. Liliana used... um, no, it should be said that she didn't suppress [Magic Charm]."

After changing to a more accurate term, Ting Na suddenly thought of something.

"Speaking of which, Miss Liliana's charm doesn't seem to be of any use to Miss Mary?"

Thinking about it carefully, from the first meeting, the red-haired girl only showed a sense of amazement when she saw Liliana's beauty for a moment, and then she was not attracted by Liliana like everyone else. After Liliana revealed her identity, she showed full hostility instead.

This is the first time I see you.

"As I said before, Lily's [Magic Charm] has little effect on people with firm beliefs. In addition, strong hatred, sense of mission, or other equally strong emotions will also weaken the effect, Miss Mary. He must be a believer in Holy Light and Holy Fire, although he seems to have learned magic before."

While talking, the puppet had already lifted the quilt on the bed, and it seemed a little strange that Mary was not subdued by the witch's charm.

"The hot water should have been boiled. It's almost time to take a bath and rest. Today is really hard, Miss Tingna."

"Eh? No, it's not that hard... But, don't you wait for Ms. Liliana?"

"Lily will stay up at the vineyard and watch over the fruit growers, creating an image of a lord who is with the people. Lily was airborne here suddenly. Although there are churches, magician associations and other nobles behind the banquet, But still have to set an example to gain their trust... ah."

Alice tilted her little head, because of this movement, a few strands of golden hair leaked out of the nun's turban, and the little doll quickly hid them in the kerchief again.

"Speaking of which, I haven't explained to Miss Tina the purpose of Lily's banquet."

"I understand about this..."

Ting Na waved her hand quickly, feeling a little proud.

Even if he didn't understand the meaning of holding a banquet with the only good wine at this time, he understood after hearing what Alice said just now.

The ex-noble girl who was working hard to restore the family's glory also said the following to her when she was working as a secretary for Elif in Salt Sand City:

For nobles, problem solving is a very important ability.

But equally, and even more important, is letting people know you can solve problems.

Thinking of the girl who should be still working hard to regain her deprived family name, a little melancholy about her hometown came back to her heart.

"However, in this way, will the winery still have wine to participate in the tasting? Although I don't know the craft of wine making very well, I also know that good wine cannot be brewed in ten days and half a month."

"Well, generally speaking, that's right. But those wines couldn't be sent to the tasting, and in order to tell this valley that the Masula winery has not fallen, such a banquet is the best way. There are still 6 days left for the provincial judging meeting, and it will be exactly one week until the kingdom judging meeting, to brew wine that is good enough to win the championship in such a short period of time, even with Lily around, it will be very difficult..."

Alice clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, her bright golden eyes blinked slightly in distress.

"But there will always be a way."

Then nodded.

"That's right, after all Miss Alice and Miss Liliana are here."

Unbuttoning the suit, the girl who took out the bath towel and the two ointments from the space storage ring nodded in agreement.

Yes, there is always a way, whether it's the winery or something else.

Miss Witch and Miss Doll are together, there is probably nothing they can't do.

Walk past the crackling wood to the bathroom in the room.

Although there are only 6 days until the provincial evaluation meeting, it will be a week until the kingdom evaluation meeting, and after the kingdom evaluation meeting, it will be the New Year Festival... No, don't think about these now.

I must be able to think of a way myself, um.

Sure.

Finally, the girl who looked at the night sky without stars and moon from the closed floor-to-ceiling window of the bathroom thought so, turned on the brass faucet, and let her body soak in the unbearable warmth.

………………………………………………………………………………………

In the middle of the night, in a daze, Ting Na got up from the bed.

"Well……"

"Miss Tina, you woke up really early."

In a dark room, there is a soft light.

The puppet, which was kneeling and praying beside the girl's pillow, turned its head and said to the girl with a warm smile.

Because of the protection of the elves, the dark environment can't hinder the girl's vision, but the light from the hands of the puppet, like the warm blessing of the gods, makes Tingna feel warm.

"Hmm... want to drink water..."

Awakened a little by the words of the sleepless puppet, Tinna moved her stiff body and got up from the bed vaguely.

"I didn't sleep very well...well..."

Although I don't mean it that way, after enjoying many extremely comfortable big beds, my body seems to have a picky taste for the beds I sleep on, even if Ting Na still has a lot of questions about the brand of the bed, the material of the bedding, the height of the pillow, etc. It's impossible to tell at all, but whether a bed is comfortable or not, the body can give a harsh answer.

It is said that this big bed was bought with ten gold coins at the auction house in the capital, and it was made by the best craftsman of the Dryad's Spirit Wood Sutra. Obviously, it barely passed the passing line. If this continues, Ting Na will have to worry about returning Can the single bed that I bought for 3 silver coins during the New Year promotion at the woodwork workshop after home still allow me to sleep well?

In addition, a comfortable bath is a good medicine to help you sleep, as is the warm room temperature and the woody fragrance of oak crackling and burning.

But those glasses of red wine before bed obviously weren't.

After taking a bath, because I couldn’t get rid of it and kept the last bottle on crutches for 3 years—it’s also the only bottle left after the banquet that has been stored the longest. I bought one of the bottles and shared this prestigious red wine with Alice.

It tastes great.

Although there is an obvious difference in taste from those aged wines that Liliana drank in the mage tower, but for Tingna who usually drinks cheap wines that can be bought for 3 to 40 coppers, this is already Very very delicious.

This made Tingna couldn't help drinking a few more glasses without getting drunk, but in the end...

"So thirsty..."

It should be said that it is the price to pay for enjoying good wine, Tina now feels that even if the marble bathtub in the bathroom is filled with water, she can drink it up.

The lord's secretary drinking the water in the bathtub at night looks like it can be adapted into a horror story and then boarded as the theme of "A Copper Coin Horror Story"... um...

"There is no water in the room..." "The kitchen is on the first floor..."

Dispelling this somewhat funny thought from her mind that had become a little light due to alcohol, and hugging Alice from the pillow, Tina pushed open the door, and walked through the corridor and stairs with the light in the hands of the little doll.

The castle was quiet, and it seemed that those who followed Liliana in the vineyard hadn't returned yet. The plush slippers and the polished stone floor rattled, leaving a faint echo between the stone walls.

"It's so quiet..."

Alice talked to herself.

Winter nights in the north are quite cold.

Obviously, these porcelain bowls and earthenware pots in the kitchen do not have much heat preservation function. The water poured from the purple-red patterned jug is like flowing moonlight, which is drunk by the girl. The clear water falls from the lips into the stomach, relieving Quenching thirst, coldness rises up the spine, and by the way, dispels the misty drunkenness.

"hiss--"

And bring a needle-like headache.

Although the light in Alice's hand protected her body, which was only wrapped in a bathrobe, from the cold air, it couldn't warm the cold water in the kitchen kettle.

Eating too cold food too quickly in summer also felt the same way, but now Tina remembered a certain poetry appreciation class she took in the Department of Literature of Salt Sand City College.

That lecture was about a poet in the Eastern Kingdom who loved good wine and had superb martial arts skills. Later generations commented on his drinking as "three parts of the whistle is the sword intent, and seven parts are the moonlight." But if the moonlight is so cold, the poet can only Like myself, my teeth chatter from the cold and I can't write any magnificent poems.

If she wasn't really thirsty, Tina really didn't want to touch the drinking water that seemed to be floating in thin ice, but her thirst drove her, and she drank several cups again and again.

Originally, she was all prepared to not be able to sleep again tonight, eh, planning, but the aftertaste of the fine wine did not seem to disappear simply because of a glass of cold water, and the sleepiness and drunkenness returned quickly and violently, when the temperature in her stomach Gradually recovering, Tina's head began to feel dizzy again.

——Go back to your room and go back to sleep, Miss Tina. [Furster Rose] is a kind of wine with a particularly strong staying power. The best way to enjoy it is to sleep until dawn the next day after drinking it, and wake up in the middle of the night. But it will be very uncomfortable. [Beautiful roses have thorns], and it also applies here.

"Um……"

Due to the lack of magic power, the little doll's voice only sounded in the girl's head, and the warm light seemed to be much dimmed. Tina nodded, turned around and walked out of the kitchen.

——Miss Tina, this is not the direction.

Then he went in the opposite direction because he was drunk.

"Well, my sense of direction is a bit confusing... um."

The girl quickly wanted to turn around, but at this time.

"Or not!"

"...?"

I vaguely seemed to hear something.

"Such a texture and taste cannot be called wine at all. Even if it is brewed quickly...even if it is brewed quickly, this level of completion is really ridiculous...burp...ridiculous..."

There were some inflected voices that I couldn't tell who they were from, and the intermittent angry words were mixed with a cute wine burp. It sounded like a drunkard complaining that the wine didn't taste good.

"Well... forget it."

Tina looked around, but didn't find where it was coming from. The girl who only wanted to go back to sleep quickly stopped pursuing it, turned around and returned to the room in another direction, hugged Alice and re-entered the warm room. Bed.

A dreamless night.

If you don't count the slightly unsatisfactory quality of the bed, I slept quite comfortably. Until the cold sunlight penetrated through the glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows and fell on the girl's eyes, I was still comfortably immersed in it. Tina, who was sleeping in the world, reluctantly opened her eyes.

At that moment.

She seemed to have fallen into a dream again.

Under the falling morning light, the long hair with gradients of gold and platinum was still wet and clinging to the soft back. The water droplets slid down along the hair, sliding down the waist and the slender and beautiful legs, and soaked the cashmere carpet.

"……are you awake?"

Looking back, the witch took a towel to wipe her body that had just come out of the bath. Against the morning light, there seemed to be stars shining in her deep pupils.

"Eh, um, um..."

Tina nodded subconsciously and got up from the bed wrapped in a bathrobe.

Halfway through, the girl suddenly thought that the area they were in was still technically a town.

In the town, Miss Witch always had trouble getting up in the morning, so considering yesterday's party and her plans, there was only one thing that could explain why she got up earlier than herself.

"Did Miss Liliana just come back?"

Nod, nod.

"Well, are you feeling sleepy? Do you want to have a good sleep..."

"……Need not."

Drying her body bit by bit with a towel, Liliana shook her head lightly.

"...For magicians, staying up all night is just a common occurrence."

Compared to yesterday, the witch's skin tone became lighter again. Faster than expected, the image of the black dragon's blood on her was fading away, and the witch gradually returned to the white, beautiful, and like-looking person Tina saw for the first time. The doll-like Liliana.

Although Liliana with dark skin is also very cute, but as expected, fair skin is more suitable.

This kind of feeling diluted the regret in the girl's mind: "Will I not be able to drink anymore?" Then, just when this thought came out.

"...I asked the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Go and eat after washing up. After breakfast, Miss Tina."

She saw the crispy toast on the desk. The smooth omelette spread on the toast was topped with bacon that was fried with fat and meaty aroma. It was sprinkled with spices, which made people itch. But what moved the girl the most was the empty glass placed next to the breakfast.

"...After breakfast, I have a gift for you."

"Eh?"

"A gift for the reunion in Mai Xing City."

Liliana said when they were on the airship that the etiquette of nobles is a meeting gift and a reunion gift. She said that she wanted to give herself a gift...

In fact, being able to drink that sweet drink was already the best gift, but of course the girl did not have the courage to speak like this, so she carried Alice into the bathroom.

After simply washing and bathing, and returning to the room, the witch dried her body and raised herself from the desk. The glass was filled to the brim. She used her fingers to wipe up the slipping white droplets and suck them away. She looked at Tina and looked at Tina. The girl stretched out her hand. [1]

"...Alice."

"Eh...Wow, Miss Alice, yes, I'm sorry!"

Only then did the girl realize that the little doll she was holding in her arms had not spoken. She hurriedly handed the little doll that lacked magic power to the witch lady.

Then, Tina took the cup, felt the warmth of the witch lady passing between her lips, and finished her breakfast with a blushing face.

"What are Miss Liliana going to do today? Has the problem at the winery... been resolved?"

“...So far, funds have become abundant, rumors of curses have disappeared, workers have returned to the winery, and the harvest of the vineyards has almost been completed. Although there are still some problems in business cooperation, it is basically from the edge of the cliff. Pulled back."

"Yes, is that so..."

What will Miss Liliana do next? The girl who was thinking this didn't ask.

Liliana, who took Alice in her arms, had already kissed Alice's small mouth with her small soft lips, and started a long and deep kiss.

The kiss between a human and a puppet is incredibly beautiful.

Although she knew that this was a very common act of replenishing magic power and she didn't need to pay much attention to it, Tingna still saw the magic.

It was a long kiss, and when she finished her breakfast, the witch and the puppet parted. [2]

"Good morning, Lily, Miss Tina, may the light of the sun protect you."

"Good morning, Miss Alice"

"……morning."

After saying good morning to each other as usual, Alice was hugged by Liliana and sat on the sofa.

Ting Na sat across from them. Although the girl tried her best to control her, there was still some anticipation in her sea-blue eyes.

"...When I came back this morning, I received an invitation card. It was a banquet invitation from Earl Eswald. He is another earl in the valley. His territory is adjacent to First. If I remember correctly, this The Earl is also the one who cooperated with the foreign winery that entered the valley two years ago, he is quite rich, and he invited more people to the banquet."

However, the first thing Miss Witch put on the table was a bronzing invitation card.

"Going to dinner, Lily?"

The witch nodded, and she looked at Ting Na, who was sitting opposite, as if explaining to her why she went to another banquet just after it ended.

"...The person who delivered the invitation was Mr. Parvasi. The earl invited not as many people as at yesterday's banquet, but they were nobles from all over the valley. That Mr. Parvasi even hinted to me that the people who had already arrived in the valley The three judging judges from the Brewers Association will also be invited to attend.”

From the witch's eyes, Tina saw the expectation that was gradually showing from her eyes to her face. It seemed that she was looking forward to the gift more than what Liliana was talking about, which made the girl a little embarrassed. .

"After 5 days, there will be the tasting meeting of the valley. If they want to stand out as before, Masura Winery has no extra time to waste. This is a good opportunity. I will try to find out their general judgment in the tasting meeting Standard...Miss Tina, are you listening?"

"Yes, yes, I am listening. Does that mean we are going to a banquet today..."

"...No, it's just me going."

"Eh?"

Liliana shook her head, and a white wooden box suddenly appeared in her hand.

"Although it is only in the province of a small kingdom, and the highest title is only the earl's banquet, Miss Tingna may not be able to bear it."

Alice also shook her head at Tina.

In the cold winter, in the especially cold north, the days are too short and the nights are too long, the entertainment that nobles can do every day is quite limited.

The heavy snow that closed the mountains turned hunting into a joyless chase, and even if you sprinkled bait by the river and lake, you couldn't catch the fish that had hibernated in the mud at the bottom of the water.

Going out for a walk and looking for a coffee shop or teahouse to kill the whole day is a new pastime in big cities, but in villages and less prosperous territories, nobles often can do as much as a farmer—— They can at least go around doing part-time jobs.

Such climate and seasons made northern nobles happy to hold banquets.

And it's all day long.

"...At the banquet, these nobles will have fun in a variety of ways, but it is said to be a variety of tricks, but in the final analysis, it is drinking. It is impossible to attend their banquet without drinking, but after Miss Tingna is drunk..."

Miss Witch blinked her eyes, hesitated to speak.

"Miss Liliana, needless to say, I understand."

Well-founded and convincing, Tingna, who knew exactly what she was like when she was drunk, smiled awkwardly and looked away.

I am Miss Liliana's liaison officer and secretary, if I am embarrassed on such an occasion, who knows what kind of problems it will cause.

Let's take this as the gentleness of Miss Witch and accept it gratefully.

"...One more thing, I don't know what Miss Tingna will think if she finds out...Actually, I'm not sure whether such a custom still exists after hundreds of years..."

"custom?"

"...The temperature in Olympion does not exceed 30 degrees all year round, and it is very cool even in summer. The mainstream clothing here is long-sleeved and long skirts. From the beginning to the end of the year, most people here do not see much. Bare skin is generally conservative and depressing, but because of this..."

"There is a custom of comparing that to the banquets of the nobles in the country. Alice remembers that there is no distinction between men and women. The more you drink and the more you show, the more respect you will get. Of course, if you are not in good shape, you will be ridiculed. , and if there is a lady with a good figure who is bold and naked, a lot of nobles will come to propose marriage the next day, and as long as one person gets down with alcohol, he can temporarily occupy his body before he wakes up. companion……"

As she spoke, Alice looked up at Liliana with some uncertainty.

"It should be, that's right...Alice should remember correctly."

Nod, nod.

The witch nodded expressionlessly.

It seems that what the little puppet said is right, Alice sighed, put her hands together in Miss Witch's arms and said, "May the glorious sun forgive their adultery."

"...What a bad custom these are."

Tina was dumbfounded when she heard that.

"Lily and Miss Tingna said the same thing when I first learned about this custom. I don't know if it's still like this now..."

"Wait, wait a minute, if it's still like this now?"

"That would be easy. [Magic Charm] is strongest when Lily is naked. Even the old virgin pope from the church would go into the confessional for three days and three nights after he glanced at it. Several women The cardinal worried that he wanted to persuade, and every one of them came out from the other side of the confessional with their legs crossed, and since then there has been no abstinence in the church's teaching."

When talking about the Holy Church, the soft-spoken little puppet seems to have a dark air behind it for some reason.

"...Didn't Miss Liliana's [Magic Charm] have little effect on people with firm beliefs..."

"The effect of charm is not great, but there is no difference in inciting the most instinctive desires. Does Miss Tina know that that time was during the witch hunt, and the church of the Holy Church arrested Lily as a witch and burned her at the stake. When the fire was about to be lit on the stake, people from the whole city rushed to protect Lily, it was spectacular, and the birth rate in that city increased by almost half in the following year... huh."

"...That is the last resort. I won't use it until I have other options. Don't worry about Miss Tingna. Although I advocate nudism, I don't like being looked at by anyone with disgusting eyes."

Gently tapping the little doll whose expression darkened for a moment, Liliana looked at the coldly sweating girl with an expressionless face.

"...For the banquet, I will take care of Miss Tinna's mood, and then, Miss Tinna."

"Actually, you don't have to worry about me... I'm here!"

"...I want Miss Tingna to do something else..."

The polished white wooden box was pushed in front of the girl by Liliana.

Open it, the night sky-like eyes seem to say so.

"Um……"

Some expectations.

If you don't count the suit you are wearing, this is the first time Miss Liliana has given you such a formal gift. Thinking of this, the girl became nervous again.

So what could it be?

Slowly, Tina put her hands on the box, and grasped the lid with a little force.

The wooden box was opened.

"Eh……"

The snow-white wood is cushioned with pitch-black silk, and the ornaments on the silk float with a shimmer of magic.

One is red gold embellished with black diamonds like a small crown.

The second is the flowing mist-like light of the wide and flat moon.

The third is the ancient silver finger wheel inlaid with dark blue round diamonds and engraved with mysterious runes.

The fourth is an iron-colored spider with eight legs encircling the back and engraved like a blood groove.

Four rings, a pair of gold engraved ear clips surrounded by black pearls.

"Li, Miss Liliana, this, these are..."

Beautiful and luxurious, even if you don't know anything about alchemy or magic, you can understand how expensive it is.

Probably no woman can refuse such gorgeous accessories.

"...a gift for a reunion."

"No, but, this is too expensive..."

"...Except for [Missile Queen], I made them all myself, and they are not particularly expensive. Miss Tina, you long for power, right?"

"??"

Liliana didn't care about the girl's evasion and panic, she opened her mouth lightly, making the girl's expression stiff.

Does Tina crave power?

Of course.

It may not be accurate to say that, because what the girl desires is the power of magic.

That is the power to fight and protect yourself when you are in danger.

That is the power to make myself more or less useful, and become no longer a mere burden.

That would allow him to catch up with Ai... Well, this is just Tina's wishful thinking, but it is indeed the power that can make her get close to the witch and stand beside her.

This desire, born from the basement of the church in the border town of the prairie, became an undeniable desire in the girl's heart due to the arrival of another girl in the city of the sky. The witch who saw through this, continued to speak.

"...If you want to gain the power of magic, you don't have to study hard by yourself. Relying on alchemy props is a smarter option."

"But……"

"Sky, Earth, Sea, Light, Darkness, Flame, Frost, [Elemental Crown] has one each of the magic of the seven elemental systems solidified. Although it was Lily's work when she graduated from the Alchemy Department of Guanghui Academy, the magic classics she chose And practical, even now it is widely used by magicians."

Alice suddenly spoke.

The puppet pointed at the small ring that looked like a crown, and reflected the golden color in its pupils into the girl's hesitant sea blue.

"[Spider Queen's Entanglement] is engraved with [Rose's Silk Webbing Technique], [Rose's Spider Walking Technique] and [Queen's Kiss]. The original intention of Lily's design of this ring is to overcome the complicated terrain in the adventure, And it was used as a trump card in close combat, but Lily was already very strong at that time, so I didn’t use it after making it.”

——This was designed by Lily herself.

"[White Jade Wall] is the first time Lily challenged the material of jade when she was still studying. Lily peeled the jade out of the raw stone and wore it on her body for several years and smoothed it with Lily's skin. This ring There is only one magic inscribed in it, but it is also the most important, [Magic Shield]."

——It was smoothed with Lily's skin.

"As for [Queen of Missiles], when Lily graduated from the Alchemy Department, a professor of the college at that time, a powerful magician known as Queen of Missiles, gave Lily a ring named after herself. , the big magic and the four representative [Arcane Missile] types of magic, although Lily hardly uses this ring, it has a special meaning to Lily."

— This has special meaning to Lily.

"As for the pair of ear clips, one of them can allow Lily and Alice to use spiritual magic to contact Miss Tina within a range of about one kilometer, and the other can only allow Miss Tina to contact Lily and Alice..."

——Lily made this specially for Miss Tina in the orchard last night.

In the whisper of the spirit, Miss Doll emphasized that these accessories were made by the witch herself, emphasizing the close connection with Liliana.

"But, but..."

Tina was shaken all of a sudden.

On the one hand, she couldn't accept such a precious alchemy jewelry, especially the [Missile Queen], which was a graduation gift from Liliana's professor, and she shouldn't accept it anyway.

But on the other hand, thinking that as long as I nod, I can get these Miss Witch's own hands, or even accessories [specially made for me], an indescribable sense of happiness is pouring out from somewhere in the body.

Tina didn't know how to describe the feeling, but it reminded her of a man in her apartment who was obsessed with some unknown singer.

That crazy man who is obsessed with a singer who is said to be a princess of a small country spends a lot of money every year to travel to the kingdom where the singer lives, and every time he brings back a lot of things such as singing with that singer at a certain time. The same style of women's clothing worn at the time, the ruby ​​brooch with the same eye color as the singer, the silver pocket watch with the same hair color as the singer...

People in that apartment couldn't understand why he was so obsessed with a singer who had never been to Salt Sands City for a concert and rarely released vinyl records. The chair that the princess diva sat on when she was resting backstage moved all the way home.

Ting Na used to be one of the people who gossiped about that man behind his back, but now she regrets her gossip.

It's such a joy to get something related to the person I love.

"...Because it's Miss Tina, I want to give these to you, Miss Tina."

...Give me your hand.

"Yes, it is……"

It was obvious that Liliana's tone was the same as usual, but when she raised her chin slightly and said calm but unquestionable words, under the gaze of the starry sky, the girl immediately fell for her.

She stretched out her hands obediently, and the witch took out rings one by one from the wooden box and put them on her fingers.

Left ring finger, left index finger, right middle finger and ring finger.

Counting the space storage ring that was already on her hand, Ting Na already had five rings on her hands.

"..."

Then the witch was silent for a moment.

She and Alice exchanged glances, took out two ear clips from the box, and walked around the long square table between her and Tingna, one left and one right, and came to the girl's side.

Ting Na, who was still immersed in a great sense of happiness, felt a warm breath being blown into her ears.

"Wow!"

She was about to stand up subconsciously, but the two light weights on her thighs and shoulders easily stopped her with a sweet breath.

"……Do not move."

"Now it's time to put ear clips on Miss Tina."

"!!"

In her arms was Miss Witch's beautiful body, her slender arms wrapped around her neck, and her indifferent expression was so close that she could see the distant starry sky in her eyes.

And with the shirt and suit on the shoulders and the lovely nun's dress with a lot of lace, the weight of the lady doll can be clearly conveyed to the skin, with her cheeks against her ears, and every note is clearly transmitted to her mind , but the nervous girl has no way to tell. [3]

What happened next did not remain in the girl's blank memory.

"……alright."

"Although the ears are not pierced, the clamping is very firm, so don't worry about things like falling off."

Tingna only remembered that the gold and black pearl ear clips were placed in the right place on her ears, and were clamped by soft and slender fingers. That made her mind go blank, her heart seemed to be on fire, and the blood seemed to burst through the blood vessels Splash out.

The girl's face, whose nervous blush hadn't faded away, was flushed red. [4]

"——!!! Hug, sorry!"

"...?"

Seeing the girl leave herself and Alice and rush to the bathroom, Liliana, who seemed to have no idea how exciting what she just did to the innocent girl, tilted her head in doubt, and looked at the painting on her chest. Alice was holding the sign of the cross and smiling kindly.

"...What happened to Miss Tina?"

"Lily, don't delve into it at this time, it's a manifestation of gentleness."

"……Yeah?"

"That's right, don't ask, or Miss Tingna will die of embarrassment."

"..."

After guessing the reason for Tina rushing into the bathroom from the conversation, the witch thought for a while.

"...Then, let's make Miss Tina's exercise plan..."

Forget about it.

………………………………………………………………………………………

When Tinna, who had changed a certain piece of clothing from the bathroom, and Liliana, who put on a gorgeous dress for the banquet, came to the hall on the first floor along the stairs of the castle, the upper management of the winery was already waiting here. with.

"So, if the brewing is not taken out until the day of the tasting, the taste may be better."

"Mary, I understand how you feel, but if you compare this kind of taste with those wines that have been cellared for five or even ten years, there is no chance of winning."

"I know, but..."

"I have taught you since childhood that the most fascinating flavor of wine comes from time, from the precious wood raised by nature, but we have no time."

The harsh and helpless voice came from Jester.

The other silent female voice belonged to the flaming-haired girl.

Tina poked her head over the banister of the stairs.

She was a little curious—and at the same time, in order to dispel the awkward atmosphere between herself and the witch holding the puppet, she could see a small wooden barrel placed in the hall from the top down, and the people she had seen in the conference room All holding wine glasses, the atmosphere is solemn.

"What's going on here……"

Only the conspicuous red hair covered the master's face, and the girl clenched her fists tightly, as if she was planning something.

"Ah, Miss Liliana!"

Ting Na, who was confused about this scene, just wanted to ask what happened, when the witch had already walked down the stairs, and attracted everyone's attention with one sentence.

"My lord."

Turning around and putting the clean wine glass back on the barrel, Jester saluted politely.

Glancing at the wine barrel on the ground, Liliana signaled him to look up with her eyes.

"...how is the condition of the winery?"

"Most of the orchards have been harvested, and the townspeople are willing to accept the employment of the winery. Now they are processing the grapes, cleaning the broken skins, and the winery is also in operation again. One-third of the wine tanks have begun to ferment."

"...What about the order?"

"After yesterday's banquet, I went to the town to find a few businessmen I know well, and asked them to go to the Merchant Association to help inquire. Although there is no news yet, they should not be so aggressive after knowing that the winery has sufficient funds."

With an admiring tone, the man turned towards this girl who was much shorter than his own daughter.

All this is like a miracle, the lord who suddenly appeared brought a large sum of money, and used a banquet to eliminate the crisis of reputation.

In just one night, the winery, where only the people in the castle were still insisting, returned to its previous state. The cold storage was full of freshly harvested grapes, and young lads followed the winemaker in every workshop. Pour the broken fruit into the wine tank.

I couldn't bear it anymore. Jester, who returned to his room to rest near dawn, once fell into a moment of incomparable panic. Could all this be just my hallucination, or a dream I had when I was not awake? Once you wake up, will everything be the same, and nothing has been solved?

Such fear made it almost impossible for him to sleep.

But people really can't overcome age, no matter how frightened they are, fatigue still makes him fall into a deep sleep.

Although he only slept for more than two hours, when he woke up and saw the busyness in the castle, he finally broke free from the fear, leaving only endless respect for the young lord.

"...Then, manage well according to the rhythm of the past years, and then allocate some people to prepare the wine to be used in the tasting."

Seeing the look in his eyes, the witch nodded.

"...Then, Jeste, you need to take a good rest. A winery with an empty cellar is outrageous. There is still a long way to go to recover. This year's tasting is just the first step. "

"But my lord, now is not the time for me to rest in bed. Besides, we really don't have any good wine to go to the provincial tasting..."

Tasting session.

Mentioning this, even Tina could see the worry on the faces of Jester and the others.

"If you can't even stand out from the crowd in the provincial competition, then don't expect to be a champion, and quick brewing is our only chance, father!"

Only Mary raised her head at this time, with a determination on her face.

"Mary, no matter what, the wine fermented for more than ten days is no match for the wine that has been stored for several years."

A middle-aged brewer at the side sighed long.

"Even if Mary, you find a way to adjust the sweetness, make the taste as soft as possible, ferment for more than ten days, and store the flavor of the wine for less than a week, it's still..."

"But there are still 5 days until the judging meeting! If you store up a little more time, maybe there will be more improvements—"

"...that wine, what recipe did you use?"

"..."

The girl's words stopped abruptly, and she stared at this girl who was only eleven or twelve years old no matter how she looked, and pressed her lips tightly.

Miss Witch looked up at her calmly.

Silence, just when Tina began to worry that Mary and Liliana would have conflicts, Jester broke the silence.

"Mary!"

he urged.

"You'll know if you drink and watch."

Mary, who was full of reluctance, was discouraged by her father's words. She pursed her lips, picked up a small wine glass, released some light red wine from the barrel, and handed it to Liliana.

The witch who took the wine glass with one hand took the wine glass, shook it slightly against the sunlight from the side corridor, put it on the tip of her nose and sniffed it, and then drank it slowly.

"...The raw material is winter beauty, adding some sweet magic plants to complement the sweet taste and the fruity aroma of red apples...red coral vine, thorn fruit and...this taste is Benus red flower?"

After tasting the aftertaste for about a minute, Liliana put down her wine glass and looked at Mary.

"...Did you develop your own wine? Instant wine?"

"That's right."

"...Ten days of fermentation is really too long. It is obviously a quick-brewed wine but it pursues the taste of aging. It also deliberately uses thorn fruit to increase the fruity aroma similar to that after years of ripening. The strong and unnatural taste affects the taste, and it makes winter The smell of green apples becomes strange when the beauty itself is unripe..."

Shaking his head, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The witch who put the wine glass in her hand back on the barrel concluded so.

"...The upper limit of quick-brewed wine has been determined when the ratio of raw materials is fermented. Even if it is stored for a longer period of time, it will not be as good as the [First Rose] that has been around two years."

"However, our honorable lord fed all the remaining First Roses to the banquet guests for free yesterday, and there was not a single bucket left. Until now—"

Mary spoke coldly.

“…but while it is true that the most intriguing flavors of wine come from time and storage, that doesn’t mean that wines without them are useless. Châteaux don’t have much time to age wines, and fast wines are indeed the only ones. method, if this is the case, completely discard the flavor that was brewing at that time."

Tina felt that she probably never thought that Liliana would have the same opinion as her, or that she originally intended to object to what Liliana was about to say.

Now, Mary, who opened her mouth but couldn't continue to speak, maintained a sarcastic expression and froze.

"Abandon... completely..."

At that moment, the expression on Mary's face became ferocious.

Including Jeste, the people in the winery looked at each other in dismay, brewing wine quickly, completely abandoning the flavor of time cellaring, these words are so strange to them.

They have always been committed to the traditional and ancient brewing methods, never thought of this craft that has not been tempered by time.

Middle-aged and old people are at a loss.

"Do not joke!"

Suddenly, the red-haired girl roared like a lioness.

"How far do you want to trample on First's glory!!"

"...You're brewing instant sake too, aren't you? For the tasting, it started before I came here."

Liliana looked at the girl blankly.

"It's completely different! I follow the winery's long-standing taste and try to brew wine similar to aging in a short period of time. Wine brewed without time is just grape juice with alcohol added!"

"...Grape juice with alcohol can also make a very good taste. It took time for wine to conquer the continent, but we only need to conquer the tongues of the judges."

The quick brewed wine that can be produced in two to three days is also amazing, Liliana said so, and glanced at Mary.

"...Also, you need to rest."

After finishing speaking, the witch didn't pay attention to Mary and her wine barrel any more. She didn't intend to, and she didn't need to persuade the young girl, as long as she conveyed the order and let the order be implemented.

She looked at Jester, the manager of the winery, the hard work had left traces of fatigue on his somewhat vicissitudes of face, and now, the man's face was full of hesitation.

He looked at Liliana, and then at his daughter, his eyes flickering.

But in the end, he wiped his face with his hands, let the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes slide down slowly and slowly, and let out a long sigh.

"I see, my lord."

"Father?!"

The red-haired girl stared at Liliana with murderous eyes, but at this moment she looked at her father with incredible eyes.

"Then, Alice thinks it's been a long time since you've tasted good wine, Lily."

Ignoring the girl's shout——how many times is this already? But Tina felt that Miss Witch might really not care.

She rummaged through the space storage ring and took out several bottles of wine of different colors. [Laplace] appeared in front of her, and a stack of papers floated out from it.

"...Without the pouring of good wine, the winemaker can't make good wine. Those are the wine recipes I collected during my travels in the mainland. You assign some people to maintain the operation of the winery, and let others specialize in researching these, but Don't start work rashly, manpower and equipment are very limited now, and the winery doesn't have enough time and trial and error costs. Wait until I come back from the banquet before starting work. What you have to do today is to take a good rest. After that, commercial issues will also be solved. Let me fix it."

Jester held a bottle of wine in each hand, and the others quickly took the glass wine bottle and paper from her hands.

These people listened to the young lord's order, holding the wine that they didn't know where to brew and the recipe for making wine that didn't look like they could be collected casually, and looked at the witch with a little more awe.

The awe made them all nod their heads, after assuring them that they would rest today to prepare for the work ahead and step back.

"...Miss Tina."

"Yes."

"...I'm going to the banquet next, let Alice accompany you on the use and practice of those accessories."

In front of the city gate, the winery's carriage was pulled out for repairs, and the driver was ready to go.

The girl who didn't say a word in this morning meeting that didn't pay attention to the location hastily turned her head and met the witch's dark pupils. After the girl nodded, Liliana handed the doll she was holding to her arms. middle.

"Miss Tingna, shall we go too?"

The carriage quickly disappeared at the other end of the city gate.

The puppet who was entrusted to help the girl master the uses of those gifts spoke to Tina.

"Well, Miss Alice, before that, can I go to a place first?"

"Miss Tina, what's the matter?"

"Yes, to be honest..."

Tingna looked at the corridor on one side with concern.

When the witch took out the wine and handed it to Jester and the others, the red-haired girl left without saying a word.

Now, in the direction Jester had left, an argument seemed to break out.

"Slightly, a little worried..."

……………………………………………………………………………………

Postscript from a morning:

"Miss Alice, does Miss Liliana always treat her subordinates like that?"

"It's not about treating subordinates either. Lily basically treats everyone with that attitude when dealing with affairs."

"But I don't feel..."

"Who made Lily's first job as the queen to save the empire on the edge of the cliff, so there is something about the style of work... Is Miss Tina worried about Miss Mary?"

"I feel like Miss Mary and Miss Liliana don't get along well. Will such a relationship cause problems..."

"Don't worry, Lily has encountered such children quite often. As long as the final result is presented in front of them, they will immediately become convinced."

"is that so……"

"That's right."

"..."

"Miss Tina?"

"I suddenly felt that ordinary people working with Miss Liliana would probably be very hard..."