Making a Decision

The second witch Roland saw was Nana Pine, a fourteen years old girl who seemed a bit of an airhead. When she realised that Anna was still alive, she disregarded anything and celebrated and didn't even gave a glance to the stunned Karl.

When Roland came, it was a coincidence that it was then Nana enclosed her identity to her professor. But nevertheless, it was a desirable outcome.

Not only he didn't have to craft meaningless lie, but it also saved time for explanation. He already brought Carter and some knights earlier in preparation to isolate the area, so they could talk anything, heretic or not, inside the school building.

For the worried people around, Roland simply ordered the knights to explain that the prince was asking for some matters to Karl which the common folks quickly bought for they knew that Karl was truly wise and had helped a lot of them.

"Your Highness... This..?" Karl didn't hide his confusion.

He just was in despair to handle guilt, and his student reveal when the Lord of the town decisively answered for them. Not only that, when he saw Anna, he widened his eyes so much it looked painful.

"Tempted by the devil? An unclean person? Evil? All lies!" Roland said with a smile.

Karl shook, he remembered that just a few days ago he also thought of this. How could Roland know what he was thinking?

Roland felt his words hit the mark a little too perfectly was a bit rash. He pondered a bit before giving some additional remarks.

The two men gave some room to the two young witches as they stood in front of each other.

"I won't say all witches are pure and definitely good people." At this Roland spoke softly. "But how could Anna who was waiting for her death and Anna who cried and innocently asked her trusted teacher be bad?"

Karl felt his eyes gradually become warm. He also agreed at this, for he always thinking on this line of thought recently.

"The girls can't choose to whether they wanted to become a witch or not," Roland spoke ruefully. "Their only options are whether they could accept it or not."

The process to become a witch was a mystery surrounded by thick mist. Roland didn't know whether there were some hidden requirements or if the girls indeed actually choose or at least wish for supernatural power, but all he needed to know was whether the girls were dangerous or not.

Karl was obvious to what Roland's thinking, all he found that the prince was so different from the rumour. Eccentric perhaps, but certainly not foolish. Perhaps he was also really a fool for keeping a witch under his wings, now two, but he couldn't blame him.

Roland wanted to directly ask Karl to do the job but remembered it might create some troubles or strange rumours if he came out with something the person in question hiding with all his might. As if making a simple chit-chat, Roland started with adverting the recruitment post that was just about to be posted and asked if Karl could help fill one of the roles.

Karl didn't know why he felt the prince was emphasising stonemason, but it just the right job for him. However, he felt dizzy when he heard that this Lord wanted to make the wall for the town in a couple of weeks.

"Don't worry." Roland involuntarily looked at Anna who was smiling warmly as she was doing her best to play the big sister role. "I have a way."

Despite hastily giving the matter about wall construction project to Karl van Bate, the number of things Roland had to attend still made the prince groaned. Part of it was because he knew about future troubles, which led him worrying so much whether any of his steps had been wrong or lacking.

After much difficulty, Roland found the correct method to create cement he desired much to everyone delight. Especially to Karl, a former stonemason for the greater part of his life. His eyes lit up and trembled from the prospect and future potential that he redrew the entire plan for the project overnight.

It wasn't that cement didn't exist, for similar substance already being passed down since countless generations. It just their binding was not as good as what Roland showed them. There was also the fact that what he made hardened faster too.

In reality, it still lacked in his eyes that had paid expensive cement for his home back then. But he understood, so Roland could at least compromise this point. Especially with Karl's approval, everyone sans Roland got really excited over this particular technological advance.

Roland didn't mind more enthusiasm though. Barov and Carter who first had thought the idea of making the wall in a few weeks was nothing but a pipe dream, got dumbstruck before also getting fired up. They seemed to have countless questions to ask Roland, but seeing the prince wasn't idle they were tactful to not ask the questions.

What could the prince do? Roland found there was a lot actually.

The transaction with Willow town, for example, went smoothly. However, for the trade, Roland had to prepare for a long time. He made a list and basically was about to empty the castle of their luxurious stuff.

Vases, paintings, stuff that could be sold for quite a price would enter the cargo. They would be all exchanged to gold royals and the majority of the money further traded for a lot of food at market price for preparation of the months of the demons.

It seemed normal, ordinary decision to make a trade between two towns. But the fact that this was a groundbreaking decision for Border Town that was always under the leash of Longsong Stronghold.

Barov was greatly worried for the Duke potential reaction, but Roland actually already knew about that. Even so, he can't help it. If he kept insisting the old way, there would be casualties all the same. It would be better if he got the initiative.

He also tried his best managing the order with the town people. There were too many complaints, besides handling a few, he focused more on some of the more violent cases that he unearthed and made the knights threw a couple of people to the jail, waiting to be hanged on the gallows. These crimes that he wanted them to paid with life were usually associated with deliberated murder, but he also didn't tolerate a couple of cases that he personally thought were over the line.

For crimes like stealing of lesser value, he only made them punished but still gave them a chance. Many of these criminals were still minor and the bad deeds were forced from the fact that they were starving. Roland couldn't let them off too easily but he also didn't want to scare them for life. After some punishment and lectures, he gave the minor some rations.

The thing he liked best was interacting with the witches.

Roland confirmed that the witches had this strange charm to them. Anna was just one girl so he couldn't be sure, but seeing Nana, he affirmed that they were indeed different.

The charm was nothing mind-bending, but it made Anna and Nana stood from the rest of the girls. They did not become peerless beauty, but they had something that made ordinary people would want to turn their head to look.

In any case, Roland was happy to have Nana. Her ability to cure injury was outstanding, especially in preparation for the next brutal season.

Her training was not particularly kind since it involved blood, but Roland and Anna had managed to convince her with a bit of help from pastries.

Seeing her expenditure was truly less than Anna, Roland felt worried. He still yet to tell the witches that they needed to regularly discharged their power to have a smooth journey for their trial in the months of the demons, but it was partially because he always saw Anna dried herself every day that he felt there was no need to.

Roland pondered for a moment.

There had been some deviations from the story he knew, but telling them this probably going to be one of the most impactful.

Still, he didn't hesitate for so long.

Compared to their safety, what stability? Not only he had changed things from the day one, in any case, he still had to face troubles that most likely came to his doorstep disregarding his own will on the matter.

Some truly important things, he had to make it clear.

Roland was watching Anna doing her usual practice while Nana, teary eyes were healing the wounded chicken. Carter had come to carry the animal and to see the witches since he happened on break. At first, Roland was resistant to the idea, firmly, and only after a while that he allowed it. In fact, it was Roland himself that wished to demonstrate Anna power to Barov and himself one day.

Since then, the knight was more or less convinced that Anna was a rather harmless witch and tactfully left them alone since it was easy to see that Roland had some fondness for Anna. However, for the new witch, the knight came only to have his mouth agape when seeing the flesh injury could restore to normal in a matter of seconds.

He had seen what Anna could do. It was mindboggling; the witch could conjure and throw flames around while didn't even feel the slightest bit hot from the fire despite the observers felt like exposed to the height of summer. But for the knight who had experienced a lot of combats, he knew between destruction and restoration, what would be more important.

Carter was still wary to Anna since she had the firepower to kill basically anyone so long they lowered their guard. But seeing Nana and her angel like power, his perception about witches being bad was slowly being neutralised.

It was then, in the midst of him thinking that Roland took a fork and in front of their three pairs of eyes, stabbed his own hand.