Chapter 247: A Date for Four

In the afternoon, the four of them arrived at Norvigel United Academy and took a tour of the campus scenery.

Vera naturally acted as a little guide, taking the lead and proactively introducing her school to everyone.

The united academy was a combination of a middle school section and a university section. This top-tier institution of the North covered a vast area, even including a mountain within the campus boundaries.

The mountain was covered in hardy coniferous forests. As Ansu looked at the sea of trees, he almost thought he had arrived in Siberia...

"The seniors all say that once autumn arrives, the whole mountain turns golden and fiery red. It’s quite a spectacular sight!" Vera said, pointing toward the slopes.

"Mm, that sounds beautiful," Freya responded softly, then added a reminder: "Hey, Vera... slow down a bit."

The little guide, Vera, was running ahead, occasionally turning back to wave and urge the three behind her.

"Hurry up and keep up! Why are you three so slow? You’re not getting up there in age, are you?"

Her ponytail flew behind her, and her face was filled with the liveliness and vigor of her age, like a frolicking deer in the forest.

Ansu wasn't tired, but with the three of them clustered together, they were destined to move slowly.

Celia was pressed tightly against his right side, while Freya maintained a distance of half a step on his left.

The mountain path wasn't wide to begin with, making the three of them feel a bit crowded. Celia glanced to her left, clearly dissatisfied with this "equal distribution" of space.

She possessively tightened her grip on Ansu’s arm, pulling him toward her side.

Freya suddenly felt the space beside her empty as Ansu’s figure moved further away. She subconsciously lifted her eyes to look.

She happened to see Celia’s faint, slightly provocative smile.

Freya’s lips pressed thin in silence, and a flash of gloom quickly crossed her eyes.

As for Ansu, who was caught in the middle...

He only felt that this narrow mountain path was incredibly long.

"Wow, it’s Vera!"

"Vera Morris?"

On the way up the mountain, Vera encountered several groups of classmates heading down. As soon as those students saw her, they all greeted her enthusiastically.

Vera returned the greetings with a polite smile and shared a few brief pleasantries with them.

"Are they all your family?" one student asked curiously, looking at the three people behind her.

"Mm... they’re family," Vera nodded.

"Vera’s family members really are all good-looking! No wonder Vera is so cute!" another student joked with a laugh.

Vera felt her older brother’s smiling gaze on her, and her ears turned slightly red. She practically wished this group of chattering classmates would leave quickly.

After the enthusiastic students had walked away, Freya joked softly, "Vera is really popular at school."

"Is she?" Vera blinked, seemingly not caring much.

Celia laughed lightly from the side. "I remember Ansu telling me that Vera is known as a mysterious, aloof beauty at school~"

Vera’s cheeks turned even redder. "What are you even talking about..."

Freya also started laughing. "When Vera first enrolled, she rarely interacted with her classmates because she was busy investigating cases for Lord Ansu. She really was quite mysterious back then."

Looking at Vera’s blushing face, Freya thought that this was quite a contrast to her true self.

"Vera should make more friends at school," Ansu said.

"I don’t want to. These people are so childish," Vera turned her head away and muttered softly.

Having grown up around a brilliant person like her brother, she had no interest in ordinary students or their boring topics.

Ansu looked at her helplessly.

"Oh? Haven't you been playing with Heidi often lately?" Freya recalled the timid little girl.

At the mention of Heidi, Vera let out a chuckle. "I let her stay around me because she truly treats me like a big sister."

In front of everyone else, she was always treated as a sister who needed care, but with Heidi, she finally got to be the "big sister" being looked up to.

That feeling... was incredibly satisfying.

They finally reached the summit, and the view suddenly opened up.

Ansu looked into the distance, overlooking half of Norvigel. Further north were the rolling, snow-capped mountains that never melted.

That direction led to Freya’s homeland, the northern border of the Empire where many demihuman tribes had migrated.

Ansu subconsciously looked to his left and saw Freya quietly gazing in that direction.

Having not been home for many years, she must miss it dearly.

Freya noticed his gaze and turned her head, offering a gentle smile tinged with a hint of melancholy.

...

After descending the mountain, the group rested on a patch of soft grass.

Ansu saw several student stalls at the foot of the mountain selling homemade nut snacks and juice, so he proactively walked over.

"I’ll be right back."

When Ansu returned with some snacks, he found that Vera and Celia had disappeared, leaving the spot empty.

He looked around in confusion and saw Vera and Celia crouching under a massive pine tree in the distance, seemingly studying something.

On the other side, not far away, Freya was crouching by a crystal-clear stream, staring blankly at the babbling water.

Given Ansu’s understanding of the witch, she had likely discovered some kind of material suitable for magic potions, so he didn't disturb her and instead walked slowly behind Freya.

He handed a portion of nuts wrapped in oil paper to her. "Try this. It’s a specialty of the academy."

"Ah..." Freya finally snapped out of it.

As Ansu got closer, he realized she had been focused on a few small fish in the stream.

"Thank you, Lord Ansu."

"It’s nothing to thank me for. If anything, I should apologize." Ansu looked at her profile, which was illuminated by the shimmering stream. "I promised to go shopping with you to relax, but... it turned into a family outing like this."

"It’s alright, Lord Ansu." Freya shook her head gently, her pale gold eyes clear as day. "Being able to... stay quietly by your side for a while like this is enough to satisfy me."

"You’re really not angry at all?" Ansu blinked, sensing she wasn't lying.

"Mm, I’m not angry."

She smiled, and her smile looked exceptionally pure under the bright sunlight.

Ansu sighed inwardly.

Freya really is a gentle little angel...

I hope someone like her never turns into a witch again...

"Because in the future... we’ll have many more opportunities." Freya’s eyes held a cautious expectation. "Lord Ansu will accompany me... back home once, right?"

"Of course," Ansu nodded with certainty. "That’s what we agreed on before."

Warmth flowed through Freya’s heart, and she couldn't help but look forward to the upcoming journey to the border.

Traveling together with Lord Ansu would surely be... a very comfortable and romantic trip.

"What’s so interesting about a few pathetic fish?"

A lazy and slightly mocking voice suddenly came from behind them.

The two of them turned around simultaneously.

Celia, who had been far away, had quietly approached them at some point. She stood with her arms crossed, a half-smile playing on her lips.

"What, are you two having a private meeting while I’m not around?"

"Of course not," Ansu denied, then looked curiously at the small wicker basket she was carrying in her right hand. "What were you and Vera doing just now?"

"Picking some mushrooms." Celia shook the basket, which was filled with colorful and incredibly vibrant mushrooms.

"These... these aren't for cooking, are they?" Ansu asked in shock.

Even if the witch’s sense of taste wasn't very sensitive, she surely wouldn't fail to distinguish poisonous mushrooms, right?

"Of course not." Celia curled her lip. "They’re auxiliary materials for concocting magic potions. This kind of fungus is quite rare. I didn't expect the united academy to have so many. This is great; I won't have to bother buying them from the black market anymore."

"Oh..." Ansu breathed a sigh of relief.

"But if you’re curious about the taste," Celia said with a faint smile, "I could specifically brew a pot for you to try."

"No need for that," Ansu gave a forced laugh.

He handed her the other bag of nuts. Celia didn't really want to eat them; she just continued to stare at Freya, seemingly finding it hard to understand her focus on the fish.

"So, what exactly is so interesting about the fish?"

Freya lifted her eyes and explained mildly, "I just find them interesting... they look so free and full of life. Back at the Cathedral of Radiant Radiance, when I was bored, I often watched the fish in the courtyard pond..."

Ansu thought silently that it was because the little Holy Maiden’s past forms of entertainment were too scarce. Life in the Church was extremely rigid and dull, so she could only watch fish to pass the time...

Celia let out a light laugh, her tone becoming increasingly nonchalant. "This species of small fish can't survive more than a year in Norvigel. Once winter comes and the river freezes over, their fate is sealed. I really don’t see... what there is to appreciate about that."

Ansu couldn't help but glance at her. The witch was definitely doing this on purpose...

Sure enough, Freya’s expression soured slightly.

"But," Freya still attempted to argue, her tone firm, "life is just like that. At least before being frozen, they were free and lived life to the fullest."

Ansu was slightly startled, feeling that her current state was... a bit strange.

Freya gazed at the stream, as if muttering to herself, "I also... hope to live freely like that once, for myself..."

And for the people and things I truly care about.

Celia curled the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile that was almost cruel.

"Even if... winter is destined to come, to freeze everything and stifle all life? Even if the price is... death?"

Freya met her gaze, not backing down as she nodded.

"Yes."

Celia stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly sneering. "Ridiculous..."

Just as she was about to say more—

"Oh, I just got a message from Professor Duncan," Ansu said, raising his voice to interrupt their conversation.

Seeing both of their gazes turn toward him, Ansu put down his magitech communicator. "Professor Duncan sent a message asking where we are! He’s wondering why we haven't reached the office yet and thinks we might be lost in the united academy... so, let’s stop wandering and head over quickly!"

Celia squinted at him, the half-smile on her lips deepening.

Just now, that magitech communicator in his hand hadn't shown even the slightest hint of mana fluctuations.

But she didn't press him further.

She simply gave Freya one more deep look before turning around.

The smile on her face vanished instantly.