Chapter 625 - 533: Apprentice Witch Vanessa

Chapter 625: Chapter 533: Apprentice Witch Vanessa

Eventually, Allen came to a stop at the end of a particularly secluded alley.

Before them stood a low, single-story stone house, nearly merging with the shadows of the taller buildings on either side.

The stone house’s exterior walls were covered in the withered remains of some unknown vines, their color so close to the gray stone itself that they were barely noticeable.

The only thing indicating its purpose was an old but heavy oak door, and next to it, an inconspicuous small wooden sign hanging from a rusted iron hook.

On the wooden sign, a simple, crudely drawn star was outlined in faded, dark green paint. Below the star, it seemed that some cursive letters had once been written, but they were now too worn to be legible.

There was no eye-catching sign, no display window for merchandise, not even the strangely fragrant vents common to potion shops used to attract customers.

This "Silver Star Potion Shop" looked more like the private workshop of a reclusive scholar or artisan, or even a forgotten warehouse. It was plain to the point of being crude, and so hidden it seemed to be deliberately avoiding being found.

Only the heavy wooden door and the smooth patina on its handle, polished by countless different hands over the years, suggested that the place was not entirely deserted.

Allen stopped in front of the stone house, turned, and once again gave a solemn nod of thanks to Roland and the others.

"This is the place."

He explained, his voice lowered.

"Mr. Qiaosen instructed me not to approach or disturb them unless absolutely necessary... so..."

Instead of stepping forward to knock, he took a deep breath, raised the old cloth bag he had been clutching tightly to his chest, and called out toward the heavy wooden door in a voice that was clear but deliberately unobtrusive.

"Lady Vanessa! It’s... Mr. Qiaosen sent me to bring you something!"

"Vanessa?"

The moment he heard the name, Roland’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.

A distant, vague sense of familiarity stirred within him, like an undercurrent trying to break the surface of his memory.

However, before the impression could fully form...

CREAK...

With a somewhat stiff, grating sound, the heavy oak door was unexpectedly pulled open a crack from the inside, so quickly it was as if someone had been standing right behind it all along.

A slender figure appeared in the dim light filtering through the crack in the door.

She looked very young, perhaps only a little older than Allen. Her figure was slim, and she wore a linen robe that was clearly too large for her, stained with various suspicious splotches.

Her sleeves were rolled up high, revealing fair forearms marked with a few fresh scratches and a bit of ink.

A mass of thick, deep purple hair was tied loosely behind her head, but a few unruly strands still fell beside her cheeks and neck.

There was even a small lock stuck near her collarbone by some viscous, faintly blue, glowing liquid.

Her features were, without a doubt, exceptionally striking.

Even her somewhat disheveled appearance could not hide her delicate features.

Her skin was pale from a lack of sun, her chin was dainty, and she had a refined, straight nose.

Most striking of all were her slightly upturned, violet-colored eyes, which were now Freeze-Framed on the bag Allen held aloft, filled with obvious surprise and a trace of lingering panic.

And when Roland’s gaze fell upon those unique violet eyes, and that lock of hair that still appeared a deep, dark purple even in the dim light, a sense of familiarity so strong it nearly made his soul tremble struck him.

Vanessa.

The Witch he had met in the Land of Mist, who had later mysteriously disappeared.

However, she was completely different from the Witch Vanessa in his memory—the one who was always composed, impeccably dressed, with eyes so deep they seemed to see through everything.

This young woman before him lacked the mystery and elegance that came with age, and none of the effortless, even slightly mischievous, composure.

Instead, she had a green inexperience, a clumsy detachment from the outside world, as if she had been immersed in her own world for a long time.

Her striking beauty was diluted by her unkempt appearance and slightly flustered movements.

Her violet eyes shone more with a simple, direct curiosity, and one could even see a trace of the shyness and nervousness appropriate for her age.

One of her hands was still resting on the door, its fingertips dusted with a fine silver powder. Her other hand unconsciously fidgeted with the hem of her oversized robe. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Allen’s face and the bag as she spoke, her voice clear but tinged with hesitation and a cautious need for confirmation.

"Grandpa Qiaosen... sent you? Is... is he okay?"

"He... Mr. Qiaosen has passed away..."

Hearing Allen’s words, Vanessa’s violet eyes trembled slightly, and the light of anticipation in them quickly dimmed.

She pressed her lips together lightly, lowered her gaze, and said in a low voice.

"I see... So in the end, he still..."

There was not much surprise in her voice, but rather the heavy sigh of a long-expected ending finally being confirmed.

She fell silent for a moment, seemingly processing the news.

When she looked up to say something more, her gaze finally passed over Allen and fell upon Roland, Holland, and Ellis, who were standing a short distance behind him.

Vanessa was visibly startled. Like a frightened little animal, she instinctively took a small step back, hiding most of her body behind the heavy door, leaving only half her face and her wary, uneasy violet eyes visible.

Her voice became quiet and hurried, laced with a clear restraint and a politeness that attempted to keep her distance.

"S-Sirs... Are you... looking for Teacher Melina? I’m Vanessa, an Apprentice Witch. I’m her student."

"I’m sorry, she has left on a long journey. Her return is uncertain, and I’m afraid... she won’t be back anytime soon."

Seeing her nervous state, as if she were ready to slam the door and hide at any moment, created an absurd and stark contrast with the image of the Witch in his memory, who always wore a mysterious smile as if she had everything under control.

An indescribable sense of absurdity rose in Roland’s heart, which then turned into a faint, complex chuckle.

’Fate, or rather, the trajectory of destiny, is truly wondrous beyond words.’

’To think that after crossing a thousand-year river of time, I would meet her in this way, while she is still a "jade in the rough."’

This intense, almost perception-shattering contrast stirred a strange feeling in Roland’s heart, both familiar and alien, as if he were touching the very intangible texture of time itself.

At the same time, many questions arose in his mind.

For instance...

’Why, after a "future" spanning a thousand years, has this Witch’s appearance not changed in the slightest?’

’If there was one change...’

Roland’s gaze involuntarily swept over the young woman’s somewhat flat chest.

Just then, Vanessa suddenly leaned forward from behind the door, revealing her entire face.

She frowned slightly. Her violet eyes were no longer just scanning warily; instead, they carried a sort of confusion born of deep Concentration as they landed directly on Roland. ℴℴ𝗺

Her gaze seemed to pierce through appearances, circling around Roland before finally seeming to catch some kind of intangible trace.

"Wait..."

She muttered to herself, the confusion in her violet eyes deepening and her brow furrowing even more, as if she were trying to confirm something extremely discordant.

"Your soul... seems... a little off?"