The Cornflower Witch

An hour later, the Ninth Train started up again. Sylutia stood at the window, watching those figures gradually disappear from sight.

She turned back to look at Amisa beside her.

"Does Amisa think what I did was naive and childish?" She knew that, for most people on the train, these locals were just irrelevant strangers. They might be pitiable, but no one would go out of their way to help just because of that. After all, everyone had more important missions, and the tragedy happening here had nothing to do with them.

"Not at all. Why would Hedra think that?" Amisa gently pressed her fingers against her glasses frame, answering with a smile.

"Ah, I see," she suddenly blinked.

"Hedra is probably worried about what others think."

"That's right. Few people on the train would act like you did. The others don't have such strong compassion, nor the ability to do what you did."

"But you happen to have both, don't you?"

"You're afraid of being misunderstood, of causing friction, of being gossiped about, just because you're different from everyone else?"

"Such a sensitive child." Amisa took the girl's hand and led her toward a carriage in the back.

"Come sit with me in the medical room for a bit. It's much quieter there."

The two arrived at Amisa's usual duty station. Besides a few attending physicians, the place was filled with rows of clean, white beds.

Amisa brought Hedra over to one of the beds to sit. The light was bright here, and the windows stretched in a line, offering an outstanding view of the distant scenery.

"Sit here for a while. It's a good chance to chat." Amisa called over a nearby nurse and asked her to prepare a pot of tea.

Then Amisa slowly began to share her thoughts.

"Although most of the time, we're only responsible for treating physical ailments, a patient's inner thoughts are also very important. Many illnesses don't come from the outside, but from obsessions and shadows within the heart."

"Let's go back to what you were saying earlier."

"Hedra is a very sensitive child. You're quick to pick up on what others think and feel, and you tend to care a lot about it."

"The advantage of this is that you can always quickly understand other people's real difficulties and problems, help solve them, and earn their gratitude. But the downside is that caring too much about what others think can tie your hands and make you hold back."

"I'm guessing you rarely force others to do things, or strongly insist they follow your suggestions."

"But this time was different. You knew that if you didn't force them to follow your plan, once you left, no matter how well-laid your arrangements were, they would either abandon them themselves or fail due to internal conflict."

"So, to keep these people alive, you had to force them to do certain things, even use intimidation, to ensure your advice was accepted."

"The job got done, but this kind of behavior doesn't align with your long-held habits and beliefs. In your eyes, forcing others is probably a very bad thing, isn't it?" As she spoke, Amisa reached into a bedside cabinet, pulled out a tin of cookies, opened it in her lap, took one out, and handed it to the girl across from her.

The girl took it, nibbled the cookie slowly, and pondered Amisa's words. The taste of honey and butter mixed together spread across her tongue.

"Yes," she answered softly.

"Giggle. What a pure, wicked child." Amisa stroked her hair, then withdrew her hand and looked out the window.

"Being troubled and forced by others does feel awful. That's why you don't want to inflict that on other people."

"That's a very good quality. There's nothing wrong with that."

"It's just that you're holding yourself to such a harsh standard."

"Perfect saints don't exist. The reason they appear that way is because they possess unmatched wisdom and power, allowing them to achieve perfect outcomes without anyone getting hurt."

"You're still young. You haven't even graduated from the academy yet, and you're not one of those powerful sages. So don't measure yourself by that standard. Otherwise, you'll only keep tormenting yourself."

"There are many difficult problems in this world, but they're not like the well-designed questions on an exam paper. Many of them have no answers from the very start. As humans, or just ordinary living beings, simply surviving in this harsh world is already no easy feat."

"Finding answers and solutions often means hitting dead ends and failing. Being able to succeed once in a while is already good enough. Demanding perfection every single time is truly unnecessary."

"As for others' misunderstandings, that's only because they haven't yet experienced life's hardships. They can stand on the safe riverbank and talk without any burden. But those who have truly endured many difficulties and sorrows will only feel respect and gratitude toward you, because they know how hard and troublesome it is to actually do a few good deeds that benefit the masses."

"I'm actually a rather indifferent person. As a physician, I've seen too much life and death, too many joys and sorrows. Many things no longer move me."

"Take what happened today, for example. I could see their fate, and I could see the tragedy happening in this region. But if you asked me to say I felt truly sad about it? Sorry, but no."

"Things like this happen everywhere. Disasters cut off transportation, food runs scarce, and fighting and stealing become almost inevitable. I don't have enough tears to shed for all of it, because just being responsible for the mission I carry takes up most of my energy and time."

"Although I wouldn't do anything myself, seeing you take the initiative to handle this matter, I still feel admiration. That's why I'm willing to offer you my help."

"Strong people are not bound by the gaze of common folk. Because even the most naive and simple ideals, when someone truly has the power to realize them, will only shock the world, not invite ridicule."

"As a Transcendent, you are already beyond the mundane. Or rather, the purpose of our continuous advancement and sublimation is to break free from ordinary powerlessness, to truly grasp our own destiny, and to realize any of our aspirations."

"You are no longer an ordinary person, Hedra. So there's no need to constrain yourself with ordinary people's ideas and beliefs."

"Like everything that happened today: you had the desire to help the locals, and you happened to have the ability to do so. So your actions were correct and powerful, beyond reproach or slander."

"The reason you have that worry is because there are too many frauds in this world and too few people who actually get things done. Many only use charity as a pretext for their own gain, not because they genuinely enjoy doing those things. They often say very grand and correct things, but when it comes to actual execution, they expect others to pay for their boasts. That's why people hate this kind of behavior."

Amisa guided the girl, unraveling the contradictions and hesitation in her heart like pulling silk from a cocoon.

After finishing the cookie, for the first time in a while, Sylutia showed a faint smile. That expression was so beautiful, like the light of dawn breaking through the clouds, clear and gentle.

"Thank you, Amisa."

"As you said, I sometimes worry about standing out too much from others. Actually, there's one more thing I didn't tell everyone. Yesterday, I actually caught up with those fleeing Blood Clan members. I didn't come back empty-handed."

"I recovered all the Scorching Sun Crystals they stole. As for those Blood Clan members, they died by my hand." As she spoke, she took the key from her bosom and deftly opened the Gate.

Under Amisa's astonished gaze, Sylutia produced the lost Scorching Sun Crystals, along with five blood-red gems, whose aura matched the five attackers from last night.

My mother, resting eternally in the heavens above, I underestimated this girl before me. Her age is probably only half of mine, but she has already done what I wouldn't even dare to imagine.

At Fourth Tier rank, she bravely pursued five powerful Blood Clan members and killed all five without letting a single one escape. It's hard to imagine how powerful she will be when she fully matures.

I've heard that the core secret art she cultivates is the Alliance's renowned "Astronomical Clock Page." Perhaps this child is the successor His Majesty has been waiting for.

If it were anyone else, I would worry about their character and ability. But in her, I see a certain hope. Perhaps she can truly change the entire Mage Alliance, lead mages onto a glorious path, and approach the eternal radiance of the Hours.

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