“Keep this with you and chase after that which you seek.”
Jonathan’s words kept echoing inside’s head as she rested in a cozy and comfortable hospital room. Less than a week ago, she was found at the well-guarded border of the Witch Association, the oldest nation in the Aether planet and presumably the strongest.
With the exception of a handful of men, the Witch Association was a female-dominated country, filled to the brim with so-called ‘Witches’.
Unique Aether-users that use an unorthodox way to unleash devastating Magic. However, ever since its inception, the Witch Association barred the entry of all men, but it wasn’t something because of sexism or other banal reasons.
Witches were prohibited from having any relationship with the other sex as that would be detrimental to their training and, in worst-case scenarios, lead to a painful and horrible death.
Nevertheless, the Witch Association managed to survive and stand at the top for a prolonged period of time. Unlike the Nezulian Republic, for example, the Witch Association was in an unfavorable environment, surrounded by dangerous zones such as the blasted northern wastes, the constantly erupting volcanos in the South, and the Living Forest West, thus making it the subject of constant monster attacks. As bad as that might sound, the repeated battles with monstrosities had made the Witches accustomed to battles and honed their skills almost to perfection. It was for that reason that the Witches were feared by the neighboring countries despite them being in an amicably diplomatic relationship.
“A-ah…”
Amelia let out a soft groan as she sat up only to feel a piercing pain in her chest and abdomen. It was clear she was operated on, but what unsettled her was that she was in an unfamiliar place with no one to help her.
Jonathan told her that she would receive help and get stronger, so he left her at the border and disappeared before the patrols had arrived. Considering his miserable physical condition, it was the best he could do. After all, the Witches were known to be merciless towards any and all invading forces. They took their established laws extremely seriously and would kill any male on sight, especially if they were spotted in their country.
Slightly in a daze, Amelia held a strange half-withered flower in her pale hand, caressing its grey petals in wonder.
Her limited knowledge notwithstanding, she knew that the seemingly dead flower in her hand was a Sky Bloom, a rare type of flower said to have a small amount of Spiritual Energy stored within, accessible only to the person it acknowledged as its ‘owner’.
“If you ever feel lost, this will guide you. Never lose it, Amelia.”
The black-haired girl, looking like a malnourished teenager, fiddled with the Sky Bloom but, eventually, she couldn’t cause any reaction.
Although Jonathan had said that her fusion with the Crown had permanently and physiologically altered her, however, she couldn’t notice any major changes. She wasn’t able to use Aether and her body felt frailer than when she was a Defect.
After an indeterminate amount of time, someone lightly knocked on the door and then entered.
There were three people, one gorgeous woman with raven-black hair and a standard white doctor coat, whereas the other two were in tight leather military uniforms.
The doctor smiled at the confused Amelia and gently checked her pulse while asking,
“How are you feeling? Any pain or dizziness?”
“J-just a bit around here.”
As she pointed at cher chest, the doctor nodded then explained,
“We had to perform three operations to remove any lingering traces of the Crown. Your body has been purified too, so, after a bit of rest, you won’t experience any kind of discomfort, fatigue, or pain.”
“Emm…”
Amelia dropped her head, not knowing what to say. The matter concerning the Crown was supposed to be a secret yet the doctor was mentioning it nonchalantly.
Once the female doctor was done with the check-up, she backed away and let the other two witches handle the rest, notably the short one with a stone-faced expression and golden rim glasses.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“I am Jennifer Savbra, Commander of the association’s military forces. 5-star Witch.”
Jennifer showed a silver badge with five black stars around the insignia of the Witch Association.
Amelia knew that the strength assessment of the Witches was different from the rest of the world. Here, Witches were given stars that ‘graded’ their prowess, and the higher the number, the stronger they were.
‘I think a 5-star Witch is equivalent to Principal Solas? She looks stern but not strong.’
Amelia, of course, kept her thoughts to herself and meekly nodded at the cold-faced Commander.
Even though she was picked up at the border and tended to by a doctor, Amelia didn’t expect someone with such a high societal status to directly come here to talk to her. Then again, they knew about the Crown so she suspected that they might be wary or interested in her origins.
“Your name?”
Upon hearing no response, Jennifer frowned and, with a glare, urged the bed-ridden Amelia to answer, which she did.
“Amelia.”
“I will ask you a couple of questions and you’ll answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no, understood?”
Amelia couldn’t object, nor was she going to. She looked back at the commander and did as asked.
“You were a student of Erys, correct?”
“Y-yes.”
“Three weeks ago, you joined hands with the deserter known as Jonathan Stellar Link, correct?”
“No.”
Jennifer kept her chilling glare as she snatched a document from her subordinate and momentarily glanced at it to check something.
“I will rephrase it; you traveled with Jonathan Stellar Link, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You were used as a temporary host for the Crown, correct?”
“Yes.”
“The Crown returned to its fateful owner, correct?”
“...”
When the ‘owner’ was mentioned, Amelia kept her lips tight and maintained a long silence, which was within Jennifer’s expectation, but it still made her angry.
“Do know that these questions are only a confirmation. We already know what happened and if we are to trust you, you need to cooperate. Now then… who is the user of the System?”
“...”
“Is the user of the System Zeke Orland? First-Year student of Erys?”
“...”
“Are you aware of Zeke Orland’s past?”
“...”
“Are you aware that Zeke Orland is not the biological son of Anthony Orland and Olivia Vyrsan?”
“What?!”
Such a revelation came as a shock to Amelia, who was trying to keep a straight face and not tell them anything about Zeke.
However, Jennifer didn’t care about the girl’s reaction and only snorted coldly.
“Jonathan Stellar Link was to be the next user of the Paths of Extinction System. Zeke Orland robbed that right and altered the expected chain of events. Your brief ‘entanglement’ with him could prove useful.”
“You…you expect me to turn against him?”
“We expect nothing of you, Amelia. You will be given an opportunity to learn and once we think you’re adequate, I will personally tell you the whole truth.”
With that said, Jennifer performed a salute to the quiet doctor at the side then left the hospital room.
Surprisingly, her subordinate, who hadn’t uttered a word, remained behind. Unlike Jennifer, who was petite and had a seemingly under-developed physique, the subordinate was the total opposite.
It was a tall woman with large breasts, a long curly auburn hair, and a curvy body that didn’t fit well with the tight military uniform.
“Don’t mind Jenny’s cold attitude. She genuinely cares about your wellbeing or else she wouldn’t have come here.”
“She cares?” Amelia furrowed her brows and tilted her head, clearly doubting the woman’s words. Jennifer looked more like a sentient robot than a functioning human being. Whether it was her never-changing expression, her stiff movements, or her hoarse and robotic tone.
The woman approached Amelia and whispered into her ear,
“This is a secret, okay? A long time ago, Jenny also fused with the Crown and suffered like you. The hatred she harbors is not directed at that boy but at the System itself. That thing is really insidious…”
****
Later that day, inside a small tent that acted as a temporary base of operation for Jennifer and her subordinates.
“You really are an insufferable workaholic.”
Jennifer’s assistant, the big-breasted Freya, walked behind her superior and started gently massaging her shoulders.
Jennifer tried to stop her but eventually gave up and slumped on her chair, her tired eyes lingering on the stack of papers in front of her.
“Amelia is a really good girl. If she’s going to stay, she will need a suitable instructor, wouldn’t you agree, Jenny?”
“Don’t shove her into me, Freya. I’m a Commander.”
“So? Are you going to send her to the capital? To the academy?”
“First, I need you to conduct a more thorough background check on Zeke Orland. I want to know how he acquired the System and what is it exactly that those old fools of the Republic want to hide so badly.”
“It’s better if you let this go, Jenny.” Uttered Freya while sighing. “I’ve ‘seen’ Amelia’s memories and the boy is relatively normal.”
“But…”
In the end, Freya extended her arms and hugged her superior from behind, making sure to tenderly caress her hair and comfort her.