As Roland squatted to install the base, three figures suddenly materialized from the void. They stumbled upon landing and collapsed to the ground together.
Startled, Anna saw a burst of green flames rise in an instant, forming a fiery barrier that blocked the two.
Roland looked up and recognized one of the women as the long-lost Nightingale. She appeared in a state of extreme distress, her cheeks flushed with an abnormal redness, while her forehead was densely covered with sweat beads despite the biting cold wind outside.
"Your Highness, please call Nana Wa, quickly!" she shouted, her anxiety evident in her voice.
Roland had noticed that the woman strapped to her back was pale-faced with her eyes tightly shut. Her arm was left bare, the bandage at the severed end stained dark red with seeping blood.
"Kadan, go to the hospital and bring Nana Wa back!" He felt a tightness in his chest and shouted towards the door.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Besides these two, there was another little girl tucked under the Nightingale's arm. She seemed unharmed, her eyes curiously scanning the surroundings.
"Are you hurt?" Roland stepped forward to untie the cloth band around the Nightingale's back and removed the woman with the broken arm.
"I'm alright, Your Highness," Nightingale gasped, her voice weak and strained. "But I'm sorry—I couldn't bring back the sisters of the Gongshu Society."
"Say nothing, just rest well." Roland carried the unconscious, severely wounded woman, then had Anna support Nightingale as the five of them returned to the castle. Nightingale's room was right next to Anna's. He instructed the maid to light the fire and prepare a large bucket of hot water. When Nana arrived, he briefly explained the wound cleaning procedures before treatment and left the room first.
As long as she survived, Nana Wa could heal her wounds and save her life. Nightingale had even brought back the woman's severed arm, though the blood loss was so severe that he doubted it could be reattached. The subsequent cleansing and treatment required undressing, but Roland, a new generation raised under the red flag, chose to avoid it.
But how could things have turned out this way? He wondered. Could it be that the Gongzhu Association camp had been attacked by evil beasts, leaving only three survivors? If so, it would be a tremendous loss.
He paced restlessly outside the door. After about half an hour, the door was finally pushed open, and the first to emerge was the young girl who had returned with Nightingale, looking unharmed. She nodded at Roland, "You're right about what Nightingale said." "..." Roland was momentarily taken aback. "What did she say?" "A Prince who cares for the Witch." She closed the door softly. "Unfortunately, this news is too shocking, so most of the Society didn't believe her. I didn't quite believe it either, but as my father said, the world is vast, and anyone can be found. I'm Lightning, Your Highness. It's a pleasure to meet you." With that, she bowed her head and placed her right palm on her left shoulder—a gesture likely meant as a salute.
Roland, however, wasn't focused on that. He quickly picked up on the phrase "most people didn't believe her." "Was the Gongzhu Association camp attacked by evil beasts?" "Attack? No... Why are you asking that?" She tapped her forehead with her index finger, then wore a look of sudden realization. "Ah, I see. The big sister with the broken arm was named Wendy. She was injured by Hakkara, the Gongzhu Association's mentor." Then, Lightning gave a brief account of what had happened.
Roland fell silent after hearing this. It was true... He realized he had underestimated the world's cruel oppression of the Witch. Years of accumulated distrust had pushed the Witch's hostility toward the Church and the upper nobility to its peak. Hakkara was the most radical among them. Lightning's account suggested that once this leader of the Guild of Assistants gained enough power, his first act would be to eliminate people like himself.
But fortunately, the Nightingale returned safely.
Not only that, but they also brought back two Witches to Border Town. As for the model community project, Roland pondered and decided to let Karl continue the construction. Even if it's not needed now, there will always be more Witches in the future.
"Are you also a member of the Mutual Aid Society?" "Not anymore," she shrugged. "Like Wendy and Nightingale, once they left, there's no turning back. I'm afraid Hakkara would devour our hearts whole." "She survived being pierced by Nightingale?" Roland asked, frowning.
"Probably. There's a witch named Ye Zi in the camp who can multiply the potency of herbs," Lightning mused. "Using more hemostatic herbs and blood-activating agents should save Hala's life without much difficulty, though it pales in comparison to your witch's power." "That's a real headache," he thought. It was ironic that while he wasn't worried about being targeted by the Church, he'd end up being the ones the witches were after. Fortunately, their main objective was to find the Holy Mountain, so they probably had no time to trouble the Nightingale now.
"You said you didn't fully trust Nightingale's words before—so why did you flee with her from the Guild of Mutual Aid?" "Because of that black machine breathing white vapor, the stone-gray powder that turns to ash when wet, and the snowflakes that crackle like thunder!" Lightning repeated Nightingale's words. "The Prince might not treat the Witch kindly, but she wouldn't lie to me—otherwise, she couldn't have fabricated such vivid details. That's an explorer's intuition. By the way, was that massive thing we saw in the yard the black steam engine? Nightingale mentioned it's called... a steam engine?" "An explorer?" Roland automatically brushed aside the last question.
"Exactly, Explorer," she emphasized, "that's why I chose to follow the Nightingale here. An Explorer is always curious about the unknown." "..." Roland sighed inwardly—was this a case of middle school syndrome? To pursue something beyond mere survival in this era must come from a privileged background. Her tomboyish attire and golden short hair spoke volumes. "You're not Izeryel?" "Who else? I'm Lightning," the girl declared with a proud head.
Just then, Anna and Nana Wa also pushed the door open and came out.
"How's the treatment going?" Roland asked. Seeing Nana Wa nod, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Typically, amputated limbs require reattachment within six to eight hours; beyond this timeframe, the surgical success rate drops significantly. Lightning mentioned they had spent nearly a day traveling from the camp to this location, during which the limb stump had already begun to atrophy. Conventional surgery would have been nearly impossible to perform. It's fair to say Nana Wa's medical expertise truly surpassed God's.
The young girl also appeared somewhat fatigued, as if this treatment had consumed a great deal of her energy. Roland offered her a few words of encouragement, 'You've worked hard. After dinner today, you can sleep with Anna.' Of course, he also thought it necessary to bring Tigu Pien along.