Chapter 2083: "Bribery
Although Miss Belindel was somewhat puzzled by their strange attitude, she didn’t pay much attention:
"Well then, let’s say it’s settled. Let him remain active in the Moon Bay Region. Once matters calm down, I’ll decide whether to inform others. But speaking of Megan, she truly is a fortunate girl. Her ancestor, who surpassed the Thirteen Rings, left everything to her, assets that other Circle Sorcerers couldn’t accumulate over centuries."
"Look who’s talking, Bella. Isn’t your Count title also an ancestral inheritance?"
Miss Sylvia pointed out, and the Great Witch of Destiny didn’t deny it:
"I just feel a bit envious; she ascended to the Twelfth Rank by leveraging the Green Lake incident. I’ve noticed many changes in her recently—she’s become not only cheerful but also willing to communicate with us. I even feel she’s become more beautiful... A while ago, when the Speaker announced that Megan and Audrey are Dual Soul, I was truly astonished."
"There’s no need to envy her; you can also ascend to the Twelfth Rank. Look at me; I was stuck at the Eleventh Rank for so many years, and didn’t I just recently ascend?"
Miss Benanis said, then handed her two notebooks:
"One is my insights on ascension, which might be useful to you. The other is one of the astrology notes I requested from Megan’s ancestor, which I think will benefit you. We know you don’t have much of a rapport with Megan, but we became acquainted with her at Green Lake."
Miss Belindel stood up again, surprised as she accepted the two notebooks, wanting to express her gratitude, but was interrupted by Miss Sylvia:
"My product has officially started distribution in Velindale, Bella. Your family has business in Moon Bay too, right? Are you interested in underwriting those fabrics? Margaret’s influence hasn’t reached Moon Bay yet, you know the locals’ wariness of the Nobles of the Royal Capital. Instead of letting other partners benefit, why not collaborate directly with you?"
While speaking, she handed her several slender boxes that had been placed beside her seat:
"These are samples, which you can initially give to familiar girls and noble ladies in the Moon Bay Region as early promotion. We can discuss the ensuing collaboration next week. Oh, inside the bottom box is my gift to you—the highest quality products I’ve made so far: a black pair, a white pair, and a flesh-colored pair. Haven’t you always wanted them?"
She said with a smile, her left pinky twirling a lock of hair by her ear.
Miss Belindel accepted the items, looking at the two with suspicion:
"Doesn’t this count as bribing me?"
"If you think so, you can refuse the gifts."
Miss Belindel immediately shook her head; even without these "gifts," she wouldn’t report that man:
"Why refuse? Listen, two months later, I will definitely report this matter to others. But if that gentleman can help me, I might consider speaking on your behalf."
"Indeed, indeed, Fate is indeed fair."
Miss Sylvia remarked, Miss Belindel gave a soft hum, but didn’t forget to express her gratitude to them, maintaining her politeness. However, as she embraced these items to bid farewell to them cheerfully, she recalled the "Butterfly" issue. She wanted to ask, but didn’t know if they were already aware of it.
This is not the Dice Story Collection, where memories can be erased afterward. So, to protect the privacy of "John Watson," she decided not to ask.
Thus, Miss Belindel happily passed through the Mist Gate behind the seats back to Moon Bay City. Miss Benanis and Miss Sylvia exchanged a glance by the table, then simultaneously smiled.
They didn’t hurry to leave but waited for a while. Soon, the Mist Gate behind the "Balance" chair opened, and Miss Galina peeked in. Seeing only the two, Miss Sylvia gestured that everything was fine, and the Duchess left before returning with Shard.
"Looks like your conversation went well. Great job this time."
Miss Galina said as she returned to her seat. Shard, with his left hand in his pocket clutching Miss Adel Isabella’s ladies’ pocket watch, glanced at the Speaker’s seat, then placed his right hand on the table, standing next to the Red-Haired Witch:
"This trouble was my fault. Did Miss Belindel suspect anything just now?"
"What trouble? It was quite interesting. Besides, Bella is more agreeable than we thought. She seemed just to want to scare us a little, just to learn the truth. Plus, I guarantee she has no idea about your connection with Galina."
Miss Sylvia humorously recounted the prior conversation:
"Bella was so agreeable today, probably related to this afternoon’s events. You showed your worth, and she seems to have a good impression of you. Let me tell you, Bella is a very upright person. If you help her, she will definitely not harm you... By the way, what’s she up to lately? How come she’s short-staffed on her own turf?"
The other two were also unsure, but that wasn’t the focus of today.
Miss Benanis summarized:
"So next, we’ll follow Shard’s plan and let him collaborate with Bella in Moon Bay City for a while. He’ll be my follower temporarily, and once we’re sure that Bella absolutely won’t report Shard, we’ll tell her about Shard and the others. That shouldn’t be difficult, right?"
Miss Galina nodded:
"What’s difficult about that? Shard had only been in Moon Bay for less than half a week before he successfully approached Bella and gained her basic favor. I feel like he might enchant Bella in less than a month or two. Back then, how long did it take for him to make you all feel fondness for him after meeting you?"
Miss Sylvia and Miss Benanis remembered the past and both laughed.
"I’m still here, don’t make jokes about me casually."
Shard, standing next to the Duchess, said, but the Balanced Great Witch ignored his complaint, and her hand, resting under the table, pinched his leg:
"Alright, alright, today’s matters have come to a temporary close. Be careful yourself when acting in the Moon Bay Region; the help she’s seeking from you is definitely not a trivial matter."
She then asked Miss Benanis and Miss Sylvia:
"How is the plague in Velindale? If it weren’t for this matter, the Golden Dawn Opera Group would have already arrived in Tobesk, right?"
"The plague is mainly spreading in the Lower District, but because the Church controlled it in time, the outbreak has surpassed its peak."
Miss Benanis said quite worriedly:
"If it weren’t for this matter, we would have already been in Tobesk."
Miss Sylvia knew a bit more:
"Velindale City’s control measures haven’t been fully lifted. The most important issue with this sudden plague is that the mode of transmission remains undetermined. Air, water, parasites, blood—each seems capable of spreading it, but laboratory observation shows the transmission speed of each means isn’t that fast... I’ve heard isolated cases have appeared in the Moon Bay Region as well. Although I’m not worried about Shard contracting the plague, caution is still necessary."
"Yes, without us by your side, you have to take good care of yourself."
The beautiful opera singer looked at Shard with concern:
"Why is it that the person we fancy always likes to go on all sorts of adventures?"
This time at the Witch Council, the pocket watch in Shard’s hand didn’t show any abnormalities. Worried about being discovered, he didn’t linger at the Council too long with Miss Galina. After chatting a bit with the two Great Witches, they parted ways.
Returning from the Council to the second floor of No. 6, Saint Delan Square, the gas-lit home remained warm and cozy. Shard sat down on the sofa, and Mia suddenly appeared out of nowhere, nimbly jumping onto his lap to lie down.
"Look, clearly, you’re mine, yet now you’re announcing yourself as Benanis’s follower; I’m really quite heartbroken."
The witch sitting beside him said intentionally, glaring at Shard until he kissed the corner of her mouth, making her smile.
"Compared to you all, Miss Belindel obviously reacted more to my appearance. If we hadn’t ’collaborated’ this afternoon, her reaction might have been even more intense."
"If every witch can accept your existence, then the Witch Council would be too abnormal. Don’t underestimate the conservatism of witches; those of us you know are just... enchanted by you."
The Duchess remarked, waving her hand to signal Tifa not to serve tea:
"But Bella is easy to handle. By the way, you still don’t know her exact identity, do you? I mean her real-life identity. She’s the Earl of this generation of the Belindel Family, quite reputable in the Moon Bay Region, one of the few local figures who can directly influence Moon Bay City. Her divination arts come entirely from her teacher, the Great Witch of Destiny from the previous generation."
She briefly recounted the past story:
"Many years ago, the Great Witch of Destiny from the previous generation passed through Moon Bay City and accidentally had contact with the Belindel Family. Some things happened afterward, which I also don’t know, but the Belindel Family paid a great price, with the Earl of that generation severely injured and the Countess dying, to help her greatly. So she accepted the then newly-awakened Bella Belindel as a follower, who then became an apprentice."
Then it naturally turned to the topic of age:
"That was about twenty years ago. Although Bella Belindel only ascended to the Great Witch position five years ago, she’s actually two years older than me."
However, from appearance, Miss Belindel’s age seemed similar to Luviya, a rather young Countess. But wisely, Shard didn’t bring up this doubt in his mind and instead asked:
"Five years ago? What happened to the Great Witch of Destiny from the previous generation?"