In Sunpeak Town, the day went by relatively peacefully, much to many townspeople’s surprise.
Besides the merchants negotiating prices aggressively with the locals, there weren’t any noteworthy incidents during the daytime.
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Anyone could sense the subtle tension and eeriness in the air.
At the start of sunset, the townspeople started ending their activities and packing up their stores ahead of their usual closing hours just so they could return home a little earlier.
But while the adults were busy with their preparations, conscious of the town’s situation, the children continued to play tag on the streets without a care in the world, oblivious to everything.
A stall owner was loading a crate of fruits from his roadside stall onto a wagon when a little boy ran past and bumped into him, causing a couple of apples to fall out and roll on the ground.
Although the little boy fell to the ground, he quickly picked himself up and continued his game of tag with his friends.
However, the stall owner wasn’t having any of it.
“Ayo, come back here, you little shit!” the stall owner cursed, putting down the fruit crate to fetch the fallen apples.
His loud voice easily scared the little boy into obeying the stall owner, turning back despite trembling with fear. The little boy knew he was in trouble.
However, contrary to the little boy’s imagination, the stall owner did not punish or lecture him for bumping into him.
“Where are your parents, brat? Stop playing and go home, alright? Stay off the streets. It’s not safe at night. Here, take this with you.” The stall owner dusted the two fallen apples before giving them to the little boy. “Alright, off you go. Remember to tell your friends too.”
The little boy obediently nodded with surprise before running off with the apples. Afterward, the stall owner returned to pack up his stall like everyone else.
Nevertheless, some other male stall owners witnessed the incident and couldn’t help but give the man a thumbs up.
…
In the central town area, the day got darker by the moment as Silvaria casually strolled down the streets without any company.
She patrolled the vicinity of the lord’s estate and observed its security. Seeing the weak security, she could only shake her head.
During the day, a large group of loyal townspeople had gathered in front of the lord’s estate, hoping to apply for guard duty and protect the acting lord during the night.
However, Solana turned most of them away, only keeping a few capable Senior Witches and Aura Masters.
Solana was grateful for her people’s loyalty and enthusiasm, but she didn’t want them to waste their life.
She expected a tough battle ahead of her since none of the culprits were turned in during the day.
…
“We played with fire, and now we are going to get burned,” Dahlia softly sighed as she glanced outside from the second floor’s balcony.
“We don’t know that for certain. Sure, the battle won’t be easy with the number of hands we have, but defeat isn’t absolute,” Solana stated before suggesting, “You haven’t fully recovered yet. You should rest some more, Lady Dahlia.”
However, Dahlia shook her head.
“You’re being too hopeful, Lady Solana,” Dahlia stated before saying, “I must remind you that our enemies were willing to use underhanded and forceful means to eliminate us. That means they are not afraid of us.”
“Our enemies are likely more powerful than we can imagine. We are only still alive because they have been careful and don’t want to expose their identities while carrying out whatever purpose they have in Sunpeak Town.”
“However, you have forced their hands by threatening to contact the capital. They will likely come out and strike us swiftly with their full force tonight,” Dahlia guessed.
“I have given Sunpeak Town’s situation some thought, Lady Dahlia,” Solana suddenly mentioned with a calm look.
“The most desperate people desiring to control and profit from Sunpeak Town’s rising market would be the first-generation witches who didn’t contribute much to the Holy War. They are anxious to gain quick wealth to exchange for resources that can advance their magic or extend their dwindling lifespans.”
“However, I am different from them. I was a great contributor in the Holy War and was granted this land by Her Majesty. So even if those first-generation witches are Peak-stage Senior Witches like me, they won’t be my opponent,” Solana confidently stated.
“That’s under the assumption that the culprits behind the assassination attempt are these first-generation witches you speak of, Lady Solana,” Dahlia argued. “We can’t be certain, given our lack of information.”
“However, considering the town’s situation is far from normal, I’m more inclined to believe they belong to a different force, one we aren’t privy about.”
“I can’t help but feel like we’ve been caught in something much larger than we can imagine,” Dahlia added before she noticed something outside. “Oh? Someone is coming.”
“Who?” Solana asked.
However, Dahlia didn’t recognize the person. She could only tell that the person wasn’t weak.
Nevertheless, they soon got their answer.
“Silvaria Winter, Lord of Wolfwater City, has come to pay the acting lord of Sunpeak Town,” Silvaria announced her visit outside the lord’s estate.
“Since you didn’t accept my invitation during the day, I assume you didn’t want to see me. However, now that I am here, surely you won’t refuse to meet me, right?”
“The Lord of Wolfwater City is here in person?” Solana and the others were immediately startled by Silvaria’s announcement.
She quickly glanced over the balcony and coincidentally made eye contact with the person before she subconsciously clenched the hilt of her sword in shock.
“High Witch! The Lord of Wolfwater City was a High Witch!” Solana determined at a glance.
“Hold on, Lady Solana.” Dahlia placed a hand on Solana and said, “Considering Lord Silvaria visited us openly, I don’t think she’s the enemy.”
“If she truly is a High Witch, there’s nothing we can do with her as the enemy anyway. We should hear her out, Lady Solana,” Cyrena suggested.
“Alright,” Solana nodded, feeling slightly less tensed.