In the castle backyard stood a single cottage, which was covered with wooden planks and had two windows. There was a pond in front of the cottage with a circumference of roughly nine and a half yards, and it was filled with river water, making it not only fire-resistant but also modifiable. Piled atop the ground were several iron ingots, which came from a blacksmith and were placed there by Carter.
Roland had chosen this location for the cottage because of its proximity to a well, but it was still too crude to be a laboratory. He shook his head, realizing that building a perfect lab overnight was not possible. He would need Barov to collect the resources before he could build an official workshop.
"How are you? Did you sleep well?"
Roland turned around and asked Anna, who seemed confused.
The witch in front of him and the witch he saw yesterday were two completely different people. After a thorough bath, her long flaxen hair draped over her shoulders like a shawl and had a soft luster. Her skin glowed with vitality and a light dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose added a youthful vitality to her face. Her body was still so thin that a strong breeze could topple her, but her cheeks were rosy and the bruises and marks on her neck had faded. Roland suspected that magic power not only gave witches extraordinary power, but also improved their health. Anna’s recovery rate was much faster than the average person’s.
"Since you experienced so much difficulty, you should be allowed to rest for a few days, but our time is limited, so I’ll make it up to you later." Roland walked around the girl. "Does your dress fit well?"
Anna wore clothes that he had carefully selected to satisfy his lewd tastes. The protective clothing that iron workers wore was too thick and unsuitable for her, while the elegant and classy robes many mages wore in games actually restricted mobility and would quickly be turned to ashes. As for maids’ dresses, was there any better clothing than this?
Even though this world had no modern maid outfits, it was not an issue since the current maid clothes were similar to those of later generations. Thus, Roland took a set of clothes from Tyre and cut it to Anna’s size, shortened the skirt, shortened the sleeves, folded the collar, and added a bow, thereby creating the new witch uniforms.
This was accompanied by a witch hat (customized), black boots (ready), as well as a knee-length cape (tailored), and Roland found himself looking at a character he had only seen in movies..
"Your Highness… What can I do for you?" Anna asked.
Anna really could not keep up with the ideas of this man, and she felt that she was losing her judgement. As she was dragged out of the dungeon with a bag over her head, she thought she would soon be free from her cursed life. However, after taking off the bag, Anna found herself not in the gallows or the guillotine, but a magnificent room. Then, a bunch of people flooded in and began undressing and bathing her from her armpits to her toes, leaving nothing unpolished.
Next was her clothing, and Anna didn’t expect that someone would help her get dressed. She also never knew that clothes could be so comfortable that they laid gently on her body and created no friction at all.
Finally, a bearded old man entered the room, and after he ordered everyone else to step out, he placed a contract in front of her. At this moment Anna realized that the man who said he wanted to hire her in the dungeon was actually Prince Roland of this kingdom, and that he wasn’t joking. The contract clearly stated that if she worked for the prince, she would be paid a gold royal every month.
Anna knew how much a gold royal was worth. Her father’s pay as a miner was determined by the amount of ore he mined, but even his best haul was only worth one silver royal. One hundred silver royals were equal to a gold royal, and this still depended on the purity of the silver royals. So, was her job to sleep with the prince? Anna had heard the maids whispering this while she was bathing, but she didn’t think she was worth this price. Her blood was tainted by the devil, so anyone who knew of her identity avoided her at all costs. Even if the prince’s curiosity was so compelling that he didn’t fear the devil, he didn’t need to pay her.
However, no one came into her bedroom that night, and she fell asleep peacefully. It was the softest bed Anna had ever slept in, so she lay down and immediately fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, it was already noon, and lunch was being served in her room, consisting of bread, cheese and steak. She had been ready to die, but after tasting the luxurious meal, Anna could not but start to cry.
The sauces and seasonings exploded in her mouth with a strong spicy flavor mingled with a sweet taste, attacking her taste buds… Suddenly, she felt that the world was a little bit brighter.
Anna felt that if she ate this food every day, she would even have more courage to fight the demons that attacked her body.
Standing in this garden that looked nothing like her prison cell, Anna secretly made up her mind. Since the prince needed her, whether it wearing strange clothes, or even using the devil’s power, she was willing to try. So, she repeated her question, but without hesitation this time.
"Your Highness, what can I do for you?"
"Right now, I want you to learn to control your own strength. Practice it over and over until you can send out and retract your flames freely."
"You mean the devil’s…"
"No, no, Miss Anna." Roland interrupted her. "This is your power." The witch blinked her beautiful blue eyes.
"Most people in the world have the misconception that witches’ power belongs to the devil and is incredibly evil, but they are wrong." Roland bent down and met her at eye level. "But you already figured that out, right?"
Roland remembered Anna’s chuckle in the dungeon. Would a person who felt she was evil laugh with such self-mockery?
"I didn’t use my power to hurt anyone else," she murmured, "except that looter."
"Self-defense is not a sin, and you did the right thing. People fear you because they do not understand you, and they only know that training will lead to power, but they do not know how to become a witch. Unknown power is always scary."
"You’re not afraid," Anna said.
"Because I know your power belongs to you." Roland laughed. "But if that looter had such incredible strength, I wouldn’t be able to stand so calmly in front of him."
"Well, let’s get started," he said.
