Roland met Wendy and Tilly in the parlor.He briefly related the situation at the front and said, "This is pretty much it. We probably can"t wait anymore."
"The First Army needs the witches" help," Wendy said darkly. "I"ll let everyone know. They"ve been waiting for this day for a long time, and I believe that they"re now ready."
"Finally," Tilly said while twitching her lips. "I still have a few chapters to go for the Flight Manual. I"ve been longing to fight a real battle at the front. Also, where"s my fighter? You gave me your word, brother."
Roland did not tacitly switched the subject as usual because his voice suddenly abandoned him.
"Your Majesty?" Wendy, who noticed something wrong, asked. "Are you OK?"
Roland managed to calm himself down and nodded slowly. He said, "You know that the b.l.o.o.d.y Moon has appeared. This is the final battle of the human race, but no one knows how long this battle will last. Perhaps, it"s going to be a year or even 10 years. You probably won"t come back until the battle ends. If..."
He could not continue anymore.
n.o.body could foresee the result of the Battle of Divine Will. Last time, Ashes had sacrificed herself on the Fertile Plains. This time, how many people would survive? Many witches were only in their 20s. They should have enjoyed their university life in the other world. However, they had to fight for their fate here.
This war concerned the entire human race, so everyone must do their best to win. Witches, being also human, were indeed no different than ordinary people. Roland knew that perfectly well, but he had already established an attachment to these girls. He had been living with them for years since the Witch Union had been founded. It was thus hard for him to issue the order because once they were off for the battle, it was probably the last time he would see them.
"If somebody else sees you act like this, they"ll laugh about you," Tilly said, grinning. "You still haven"t got used to being a king after so many years? Well... I actually like the way you are now."
"Excuse me, Your Majesty," Wendy said while rising to her feet. Before Roland could realize it, she had approached him and given him a hug.
"Do you feel better now?" Wendy said gently, "We all know what you"ve done for us. Even if you don"t say a word, everyone will be willing to come forward and protect you. You taught us to fight for things we want. Winning the Battle of Divine Will is essentially the same as protecting the Holy Mountain. I trust that the other witches all agree on that."
The warmth soothed Roland a great deal. Wendy was right. Everyone knew that this day would eventually come. There was no point in hesitating now. Since all the witches were here to fight, they had made up their mind a long time ago. If he said something like "I don"t want you to go to war" or "you can stay behind if you want", that would sound pretty lame.
The only thing they needed to do is to try their best.
"Thank you."
Wendy smiled and returned to her seat.
"Well then," Roland said after taking a deep breath and stared at the two people. "The Witch Union and the Aerial Knights, prepare for the war."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
"Leave it to me, brother."
...
The news that the witches would go to war in the Kingdom of Wolfheart was immediately spread throughout the whole Castle District. Within half an hour, Lightning had packed up. Her luggage included a backpack that contained ammunition and sigils, a waist bag full of spices and salt, as well as Maggie perched on her head.
As usual, they were normally the first ones to set off. They would be the scouts and guides for the army coming after. However, this time, when Lightning went to bid farewell to Wendy, Wendy stopped her.
"You don"t have to be in such a rush," Wendy said as she took over Maggie. "In fact, someone told me that he wanted to see you before you go."
"Me?" A little surprised, Lightning asked, "Who"s that? Auntie Margaret?"
"Well..." Wendy hesitated while covering her mouth. "You"ll see. By the way, he"s waiting for you in the yard."
"He"s already here?" Lightning said while shrugging. "Alright."
"Coo — coo!" Maggie followed but Wendy held her back. She thus watched Lightning disappear from the doorstep.
"Sorry, you"ll have to stay with me for a while," Wendy said smilingly while stroking the pigeon"s head. "I think it"d be better to leave her alone at this moment."
...
Lightning walked out of the castle and off to the yard after pa.s.sing the corridor. She immediately saw a flowery figure standing there.
"I see... You"re Mr. Sander Flyingbird," Lightning grumbled. "What can I do for you?"
However, when Sander turned around, Lightning was rooted to the ground.
Although he was still wearing the same flamboyant clothes, he had a completely different vibe. Despite that they had not seen each other for years, Lightning still remembered what her father looked like.
"Father?" Lightning asked in disbelief.
"Sorry, I"ve been avoiding you," Thunder said with a bitter smile. "I don"t want my daughter to live like her mother, so I decided not to see you..."
"When did you know that I was here?" Lightning interrupted.
"Not long after you arrived at Border Town."
"Did Auntie Margaret tell you that?"
Thunder nodded.
"So, you"re accomplices, and so is His Majesty..."
"Don"t blame them. I asked them to keep the secret for me — " No sooner had Thunder finished than Lightning hurried to him and raised her arm.
Thunder closed his eyes and waited for the punch.
But the pain did not come as expected.
A moment later, Thunder opened his eyes in surprise and saw his daughter pat his forehead gently, with a smile lingering upon her lips.
"In other words, you know everything about my exploration in the Western Region of Graycastle?"
"Er..."
"I found the Holy City of Taquila, a 400-year-old witch, and the ruins of the underground civilization, and I also repelled the demons" advance unit..." Lightning said while disengaging herself. "What about it? I"m as good as you, right?"
Thunder was stunned for a moment before he burst into a laugh. "You"re indeed my daughter, but I somehow feel both sorry and happy for this reunion."
"I understand that you"re glad. But why do you feel sorry?"
"Because you grow so fast," Thunder said airily. "I thought you would hate me and cry in my arms. It appears that I worried too much..."
Had she not experienced the battle at Taquila, she would have probably cried out. However, she had now grown up. She would not shed a single tear before she ended this war as Ashes had asked her to. "So, you"ve been worried that I"ll hate you. That"s why you didn"t tell me? Then why do you reveal your ident.i.ty now?"
"Because I decided to come with you to the north and fight the Battle of Divine Will," Thunder p.r.o.nounced slowly. "You"ll know it eventually, so it"d be better that I tell you now."
"Really?"
"Yes. I"ll fight over the sea and at the ports. I"ve discussed this with His Majesty."
"That"s great," Lightning said while grasping Thunder"s hand. "Since we still have time now, let me introduce you to the team members of my exploration team. You"ll fight together with them as well!"
"It appears that you"ve made some good friends..."
"Of course. But they"re all somehow related to animals. Was I not very good at dealing with people when I was little?"
"Like the pigeon called Maggie?"
"Yes... er, no, Maggie is a witch."
"Ahem, as far as I know, a person loved by animals is also loved by people. Don"t worry about that."
"That"s good to know."
The father and the daughter thus headed together toward the castle. They chatted merrily as though they had never separated.