The rain outside has nearly ceased, and the clouds are tinged with the red of the setting sun.
Roland pushed open the door of the ground-floor guest room. Margery was pacing restlessly by the fireplace, and God felt a growing unease. When Prince was spotted by his bodyguard Sean, the guard raised his hand in salute before departing. Margery hurried forward, her voice trembling with urgency: "Your Highness, what happened to the lightning?" Roland stood frozen. He had anticipated every possible reaction—calm, anger, then indifference—but never expected her first words to be this.
She's fine... just tired. Is that so? Then that's good. She looked like she was relieved.
"You seem deeply concerned about her." "She bears an uncanny resemblance to her father—especially those elongated eyes and pointed nose... I can tell she's Thunder's daughter." With a sigh, she unbuttoned her collar, lowered her head, and removed the golden necklace from her neck. "The verification you mentioned earlier... was about using the Witch's power to assess her? If that proves my sincerity, could she join this conversation? I hate being spied on." The pendant consisted of a golden chain and a large pale blue gemstone—a hexagonal-cut piece, likely the high-quality God's Punishment Stone.
Roland had been pondering how to speak in a way that would ease the other party's discomfort and doubts, but to his surprise, she took the initiative. Frankly, he found himself genuinely impressed by this fjord woman. Despite being in a highly unfavorable position, she persistently sought to steer the conversation. Her negotiation skills and demeanor perfectly embodied the demeanor of a successful businesswoman.
He took the God's Stone of Punishment from the other party and hung it on the coat rack by the fireplace. This quality of the Stone likely had a one-meter-range demon-repelling effect, which to Nightingale's eyes was like a colossal black hole. She might have already fled far enough to avoid its influence.
"Let's go to the drawing room and talk," Roland suggested. Since the other party had shown sincerity, he shouldn' t be too stingy. As they entered, Nightingale was already seated at the head of the table, hands resting on her chin, deliberately putting on an air of waiting—apparently sharing his thoughts, Prince mused.
After taking his seat, he was the first to introduce, 'This lady is Nightingale, who can verify the authenticity of your words.' 'Hello, Miss Nightingale,' Margery responded with a nod, to which she reciprocated.
"You claimed you had no ill will toward the Witch. Why?" Roland asked, his first and most pressing question. "As far as I know, the Church also wields influence in the Fjords." "Yet its power pales in comparison to the Three Gods. Most Fjordians, like the Shalmen, worship the sky, sea, and earth. As for me..." She paused. "I once had a close companion. During a fishing expedition, a violent storm tore our sailboat in half. In the chaos, she transformed into the Witch, breathing like a fish. She found me unconscious and pulled me ashore." "What happened next?" Nightingale asked curiously.
"When I awoke, she had already left... Perhaps she craved the ocean more than being with me," Margery said regretfully. "I never saw her again. The villagers often said she would appear when the sea was shrouded in mist, guiding fishing boats to avoid reefs with her songs. In any case, my companion couldn't possibly be an evil person, let alone a Devil's henchman." Roland nodded. Witches were ordinary people who awakened. If they had formed deep connections with them before awakening, the Church's one-sided narrative would hardly change their impressions.
"You seem well-versed in witches 'abilities? You deduced from just one sentence that I might harbor more than one witch here." "To be honest, childhood friends sparked my fascination with witches, and I even considered sheltering these peculiar women," Margery smiled. "But the capital wasn't as safe as Border Town, and I ultimately abandoned the plan due to the risks. Lightning's actions appear very close to you, especially since she's a witch... So I imagine you, like me, don't despise witches. As a Lord, hiding several witches isn't difficult, especially in this frontier region. But you must remain extremely cautious—if the Church discovers them, you'll struggle to protect them." By this point, Nightingale still hadn't detected any signs of lying, effectively ruling out the possibility of her informing the Church. Roland finally relaxed, saying apologetically: "I guess I was overthinking it. I hope you don't take it to heart." "No, Your Highness, this move also serves Lightning's and... this lady's safety," Margery waved her hand. "If you remain indifferent, that would be irresponsible." "You're close to Thunder?" Roland asked. "Your concern for Lightning goes beyond ordinary people's care for a hero's children." Margery hesitated slightly when faced with this question. Roland suggested she could pretend not to have asked if she didn't want to answer, but she eventually spoke slowly: "To be honest, after leaving the fishing village, I joined Lord Thunder's expedition team and spent a long time exploring with him. As a newcomer, Lord Thunder and his wife took special care of me, and I was there when Lightning was born." "She was born on the ship?" "Yes, during a violent storm. Thunder and lightning never stopped outside the cabin. Shortly after her birth, Lord Thunder's wife died of septicemia, and I... acted as her half-mother. Without breast milk, I fed her with chewed wheat porridge mixed with fish roe powder, feeding her bit by bit." Margery's voice softened. "Though Lord Thunder was heartbroken, he still had to command the fleet forward—without a leader, the crew could easily collapse during months-long voyages. I stayed in the cabin, watching Lightning grow. The expedition ended when Lord Thunder discovered the Shadow Islands and successfully returned to Sea Dragon Bay. Later, I... left the fjord and settled in Graycastle." "So that's how it was," Roland sighed inwardly. No wonder she reacted so strongly when hearing Lord Thunder's name. As for why she didn't continue the expedition, he could guess something about it. A love story's beginning doesn't guarantee its ending.
What a twist of fate! With this connection established, could we secure better deals in business? He cleared his throat. "Madam Margery, this would make us acquaintances. Then the transaction—" "Your Highness, that's not acceptable," Margery replied with a smile. "Transactions aside, this is the cardinal principle of commerce."