It was ironic.
Even after becoming an existence that stood at the pinnacle of all Magic Users, as a Great Mage, he still had to remain subordinate to the Imperial Royal Family.
The white-bearded old man brought the pipe to his lips. Amidst the rising white smoke, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the young doctor who had suddenly visited his laboratory.
“Are you saying… that silver-haired girl the White girl brought to the capital has awakened? And she even went to the Academy for everyone to see?”
This was not good news.
The White-bearded Great Mage knew clearly that one of the driving forces behind Elena White coming to the Academy was to wake that silver-haired girl.
If possible, the White-bearded Great Mage hoped that the silver-haired girl would sleep forever.
“What do you want me to do by coming here and telling me this? Or rather — “
Glancing at the armband on the young doctor’s sleeve, the emblem of the Imperial Medical Association only elicited a cold snort from the Great Mage.
The next moment, the prepared young doctor suddenly performed a noble salute to the Great Mage and skillfully removed the armband from his arm.
“My apologies, I was impolite. I am here to seek cooperation on my own behalf; please, your excellence, be the judge. Furthermore, regarding this research I am currently conducting — “
Before he could finish his sentence, the doctor opened the briefcase he carried, took out a research report, and respectfully placed it on the White-bearded Great Mage’s desk.
“I believe you will be interested in this.”
The doctor gently straightened his collar and then waited.
The doctor was waiting for this Great Mage to go from disdainful indifference to a slight twitch of the eyebrows, and finally, to turning his gaze back upon him.
He knew very well what these seekers who had dedicated everything to magic wanted to see, so he could assert one thing —
This old fellow would absolutely not refuse the chips he had put on the table.
*Tick, tick — *
Time passed with the ticking of the clock.
In a short while, the White-bearded Great Mage snapped his fingers. The staff behind him immediately flew out, stacking several magic circles together and unfolding them simultaneously.
**[Defense Magic]**, **[Soundproofing Magic]**, **[Refraction Magic]**… The doctor could not recognize the rest.
But he recognized the teacup that gradually floated in front of him, and he recognized the way the White-bearded Great Mage’s brow gradually relaxed.
A delicate fragrance wafted from the warm, reddish-brown tea.
“What do you want?”
A white smoke ring floated from the pipe, framing the doctor’s face in the Great Mage’s vision.
“I hope you can help me with a small favor.”
Taking a slow sip of the hot tea, the doctor maintained his signature smile.
“The research I just showed you is actually missing one key material. And that material is the silver-haired girl’s — “
“Blood.”
—
It felt like a dormitory power outage.
Ai’er really couldn’t think of a better way to describe how she felt just now.
Her memory was a bit fuzzy…
Before her vision snapped to black, Ai’er only remembered feeling a sharp, intense pain, as if someone had placed a toothpick under her toenail and then kicked a wall with all their might —
“*Eeek!! Stop! Stop it right now, meow!!*”
Pain, it was simply too painful!
Breaking into a cold sweat from her own strange imagination, Ai’er let out a mental shriek.
The girl’s body shuddered, and she snapped her eyes open, bouncing up from the bed.
It wasn’t a strange room.
A ceiling she had seen once, a room door she had seen once; Ai’er knew this place — this was her room, her room in Elena’s private villa.
Was she… sent back? By Elena?
A gentle breeze blew in from the window. Beneath the swaying curtains, the seeping sunlight was a bit dazzling.
Ai’er vaguely remembered that she had gone to the Academy to find Elena…
But before her vision went black, the moon had only just risen, hadn’t it?
And now the sun was already out?!
A chill ran up Ai’er’s spine…
“I’m…”
“Ai’er… Ai’er… don’t leave…”
The moment the voice sounded, Ai’er was dazed for a second; when she turned her head, she noticed Elena slumped beside her bed.
The corners of Elena’s eyes were slightly red.
It seemed she had just slept for a while. Thank goodness.
“Honestly, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”
With a helpless, bitter smile, Ai’er slowly reached out toward Elena’s head and gently stroked the girl’s long hair.
**[Host Ai’er, consumed 1 System Point to view Capture Progress.]**
**[Witch of Time — Elena White, current Capture Progress: 20%]**
**[Current remaining points: 10]**
‘What the heck?! Twenty percent?!’ Σ(⊙▽⊙”a
Ai’er was so surprised that she pinched her own cheek, the pain causing tears to well up in her eyes.
Last time it was only 3%, and this time it jumped straight to 20%?! And ten System Points appeared out of thin air?! What did she even do? She just slept in bed for one year! This girl was definitely the type who could “self-capture!”
Having reached this conclusion, Ai’er once again noticed the corners of Elena’s eyes and that faint redness.
‘System, you said before — Elena’s impression of me is “Moonlight.” Does “Moonlight” have a special meaning to her?’
The System did not respond to Ai’er, but Ai’er didn’t really need a response.
A girl like Elena, who was willing to shed tears for her… Her tears were much warmer than a cold number like “Capture Progress.”
**[Current Task: Make the Witch of Time, Elena White, “kill” you.]**
Suddenly remembering the task prompt the System had refreshed earlier, Ai’er frowned slightly.
What did it mean to let Elena “kill” her? Ai’er didn’t know. But she could roughly guess — there might be things about Elena that she didn’t understand yet.
Those things… might be related to why Elena was called a “Witch.” Or perhaps, they were related to Elena’s past…
In that instant, Ai’er’s chest felt a bit tight.
**[Host’s current remaining lifespan: 179 days.]**
This line of numbers hung in her field of vision, feeling quite piercing to Ai’er.
‘System, let me ask you… when the progress reaches 100%, will Elena — ‘
“Mm… Ai’er?”
Elena woke up.
When the golden eyes met the dark blue ones, Ai’er had already put on a smile.
“Good morning, Elena~ But as your maid, I still have to scold you! Sleeping without a blanket will give you a — “
The girl’s scent, the strength of her arms, the softness and warmth in her embrace — this sudden hug from Elena cut Ai’er’s words short.
“I thought! I thought… I! I — ! I… I was so scared, really… I was so, so scared — “
Sobs and overflowing emotions merged, preventing Elena from piecing together a complete sentence.
‘I was so scared I would lose you again…’
‘I was so scared you would fall back into that deep sleep…’
‘I was so scared you would leave me alone again…’
There were too many words in her heart, but too few mouths to speak them; too much she wanted to pour out, but too few people to listen.
And so, the words couldn’t be spoken; those emotions that couldn’t be carried by language turned into the warmth in her embrace and the heat in her eyes, told through a heartbeat and the tears that soaked the girl’s collar.
“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Gently patting Elena’s back, Ai’er likewise used both hands to softly hold Elena’s slightly trembling body.
“I’m Elena’s maid, you know. Since when do maids abandon their Young Lady and run away? As long as Elena doesn’t get tired of me, I’ll stay — I’ll stay by Elena’s side forever!”
Even though the “179 days” in her vision was so glaring, Ai’er maintained her smile.
She had the System, after all! Although this System seemed to want her to capture more than one Witch… as long as she had the System, before the lifespan of this body ran out, she would definitely find —
**[Find a way to increase your lifespan? If that is what you think, then I can assert this for you:]**
**[You can’t do it.]**
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