Candy Wizard and Travel

One, two...

The unsold old newspapers were moved forward one by one until they reached the place where the master just stopped:

"Big news: The leader of the human trafficking group has been reported to the police! Tragedy involving 189 families!"

The photo in the center shows a woman with a kind smile. It's really hard to imagine that she is such a criminal, who organized the abduction and trafficking of 189 - or even more - children.

The newspapers revealed the abominable behavior of this swindler: relying on flashy performances and candy mixed with drugs, he deceived children and then sold them to rich people. The oldest known victim was no more than 9 years old.

He is a scumbag who specifically targets children and can no longer be called a human being.I judge so.

After looking at each other with Sheila, she found a cheap hotel to stay in. I gave the bookstore owner three copper coins, bought the newspaper, and asked him to tell her the location of the hotel when he saw the master.

○

Master came back the next morning, and the sleepiness on her face told us that she had not rested at all. I knew she must be in a hurry to say something, and it must be a story that she wanted to share with others so that she would not be overwhelmed by sadness.

After having a disciple, the master said that she was becoming more and more fragile, and that she should return to her hometown to live a peaceful life when we left the disciples.

Sure enough, within a year, she granted us the certificate of being a witch and returned to her hometown. At that time, she was able to bear the past.

She sat on my bed.

Sheila's room was filled with the smell of cigarette smoke. We usually had two rooms, one big and one small. The older one and I slept together, and we only used one room occasionally when we didn't have enough travel funds.

Seems quite common?

When I came back to my senses, Master had been staring at me for a while. I have a habit of thinking randomly when I am nervous.

"Flan, have you ever regretted anything?"

I nodded quickly, then shook my head.

There are many, but none of them are unforgettable. The 13 years I spent in my hometown were dull and boring, as if all the excitement was condensed into the seven days before I left.

The days after following Master have been interesting, but with her wisdom and strength, I have not encountered anything too bad so far. To say I have regrets, the only thing I regret is that she often deceived me into handing over my savings and eating big meals. Then Not suitable to say now.

From this perspective, I am really lucky.

"I have encountered a lot of regretful things during my travels. Many times, I could only use the excuse 'I am a traveler' to escape. Until now, I thought I could accept it..."

She talked about the past.

She didn't go into detail about how she sneaked out of an orphanage in a small country and became a witch.

"...Because of the memory of my hometown, I sometimes care about children. That day, I picked up a baby from the water. He had very beautiful red eyes and white hair. He was a very cute child.

I stayed around for two days to look for his parents. It was the first time I took care of a child. He was so small. He didn’t cry or fuss. He would only cry out when he was hungry and before going to the toilet. He was so smart. ah. "

The look that flashed in the teacher's eyes could be called soft.

"That was the first time I took care of a child. I was so busy that I gave the child coffee and bread. The child was holding a piece of bread that was half his body and looked at me blankly. I arrived. I still remember it now."

This is a story destined to be tragic. Both Sheila and I said nothing, looking at the slightly rippling tea on the table.

"With the help of passers-by, I learned that children cannot eat such complicated food, so I had to chew it into pieces and feed it to him. I was really embarrassed when I thought about it... Because of such unfamiliarity, I was reported to the guard. At that time, neighboring countries had When I heard about the human traffickers' operation, I took out the witch's badge to prove my identity.

On the third day, his mother came to see him. She was a woman with a kind smile. Her skillful skills in soothing the child and her loving face made me feel relieved. With such a mother, the child should have a happy childhood. "

The teacher clutched the hat tightly. It was the first time I saw such unwillingness.

"I was lied to."

"That newspaper was three days late, and I was three years late."

As if unable to breathe, the master put down his hat, took off his robe and hung it aside.

Even Sheila, who was always lively and outspoken, stopped talking. I asked with a trembling voice.

"Master, did you see anything when you went to that country?"

"There's nothing," she said. "There's no one there anymore."

After saying that, she covered herself with a quilt, and under the care of our two disciples, she closed her eyes very tiredly.

"I really hope...he can live well..."

Before I walked out the door, I heard this faint sound.

"Wow--"

The weak words were completely covered up by the falling rain.

○

At the cost of a silver coin, I learned the follow-up from the hotel owner.

"A place with nothing? It's terrible. We won't even talk about that."

The boss was sitting in front of the counter with nothing to do on a rainy day. He looked panicked after hearing my question, but he overcame his fear because he believed in money.

"This is a country called Hameln. Some time ago, all the citizens died in one night. The investigators said that all the people were lying in bed, most of them still laughing, as if they died in a dream. It's really scary. Now, No one dares to mention that name anymore..."

I ignored his attempt to increase the price and asked.

"All of them?"

"I haven't seen anyone in the nearby countries anyway."

He said there had been no news for a while, so it probably meant that no one really survived.

There is a very dense forest nearby. I guess it may be caused by the magic power of the forest rioting. This kind of thing is not common, but it is not impossible.

○

The teacher still cared a little about that country until long after we left.

I learned from her experience that the beauty of traveling is that you keep going in a direction that you don’t know, and you might return to a familiar place one day and know something about what happened that you shouldn’t know.

Fate was once kind and blindfolded her, but she came back to see the bloody truth.

That's really cruel.

……

Chapter 11:Selena

The first thing I did when I returned to Clock Township was the cemetery on the outskirts.

The name "Rachel" is written on an imposing tombstone.

The grave is probably the place where the dead have the highest sense of presence.

This was prepared by his second son. The eldest son didn't even want to have a funeral.

Xidi used magic to make the wild chrysanthemums growing next to the tombstone bloom, and the small flower bones swayed in the rain to express nostalgia.

He has more than one acquaintance here.

Two bare stones stood not far away, looking very shabby. At that time, this man was unwilling to pay a penny for his father's funeral. Unexpectedly, a few years later, no one wanted to pay a penny for him. I didn't know they had arrived. Is there any acquaintance down there?

The tombstone was cut out by Xidi using magic. If possible, he would have thrown the couple's urn into the trash can, but after thinking carefully about it, it would cause trouble to others, so he decided not to do it.

After all, they are Serena's parents, so this is the last moment of friendship.

"He died when robbers broke into his house and set him on fire. Even his body was completely charred."

At least that's what everyone believes.

Xidi was brewing her emotions and wanted to spit on the tombstone.

But his hair is not blond, and he is not a born evil person. He has also studied civility and courtesy since he was a child...

So he just waved his wand slightly.

A bird that passed by and was in a hurry lightened its load with a "snap" sound.

……

I haven’t seen him in a year, and the streets have hardly changed.

For ordinary people, this is a slow era, and the streets have only faded a little in color over the past few decades.

The old road is full of potholes, blown green leaves are swaying in the puddles, and in the light rain, the footsteps of pedestrians trample the water.

Xidi raised her head and saw a slightly old house in front of her. The iron fence at the door was rusty and the courtyard was empty.

This is the home of Serena's friend. Hidi remembers that the girl's name is... Estelle, a girl with lavender hair that Serena likes. She is very talented in magic. She went abroad to study magic before Serena's parents died. .

Because they often come to play, Estelle's parents are also very familiar with Serena, and Hidi has been in contact with them many times. After various things, Serena temporarily stayed in their house, and he forcefully paid A sum of living expenses, but what reassured him the most were the two outsiders who were not related by blood.

Second uncle?Apart from the fact that he even has a dog, he can only be said to be barely human-like. This has to be compared with that couple.

"Ding dong."

With a slightly complicated expression, Xidi rang the doorbell.

"Boom boom boom——"

The child's unique light footsteps disappeared in front of the door. The door opened a small crack, revealing a bright red eye staring cautiously outside.

Xidi leaned forward slightly, looked into that eye, and smiled expectantly:

"I'm back, Serena."

The caution in the red eyes was immediately replaced by surprise. The door opened, and the petite girl jumped up and threw herself into Xidi's arms. She hugged his neck hard and her words were even delayed for a moment.

"--elder brother!"

The scent of lavender lingers on the tip of the nose, a little itchy.

There is a high probability that the girl's long hair touched it.

With her excellent magic skills, Xidi immediately judged her sister's change, "Well, she gained a few pounds."

"Brother hates it!"

The little girl shouted delicately, bumped her head on Xi Di's shoulder, let go of her hand and slid down, staring straight at her brother who had been away for a year: "Well! I also want to see if my brother has changed. .”

Xi Di kept looking at her.

Within five seconds, Serena lowered her head, tugged at the corner of her clothes and hesitated.

Little girl movie.

"I've grown almost two inches taller. It's normal to be a little heavier."

In the end, it was Hidi who had to comfort her.

"Selena, who is here?"

At this time, a middle-aged woman walked into the living room. She was well-maintained. Only the subtle wrinkles at the corners of her eyes betrayed her age. She had a bookish air and was most likely a magician.

I walked over and saw, "Xiao Xidi is back!"

She caught a glimpse of the platycodon flower on Xidi's chest from the corner of her eye, her eyebrows arched a little more, and she complained: "Have you passed the exam? Why don't you send a letter back to let me know? It's been raining for the past two days and I haven't had time to prepare the ingredients."

After Estelle went abroad, they really regarded Serena as their daughter. Heidi was half a child after rounding up. She was cute and talented, and had a good relationship with their daughter. Maybe they could get rid of the rounding down in the future. .

You know, more than [-]% of a magician's physique is inherited.

"So I'm back. I haven't seen Aunt Eleanor for a long time."

Xidi stepped forward and hugged her.

Of course, Eleanor wouldn't really care about a child. Just looking at the cute and serious look of this child made her heart melt. These children are so worry-free. Serena is also very obedient and well-behaved. In comparison, ...Estelle?what is that?

That's just a piece of barbecued pork, no, wood. I haven't even received a letter after being gone for a year. The last time I came back, something happened at Serena's house... Wait, don't--

Elinor vaguely remembered that the witch profession required a lot of internal digestion.

Thinking of such and such things in her mind, Eleanor's expression remained unchanged, "Come in quickly, what are you doing standing at the door? Are your clothes wet? Why don't you go down and take a shower? Don't leave tonight. I'll make room for you." As for a room and clothes...it will be some time before your uncle Heyman gets off work..."

Wrapped up by the sudden enthusiasm, Xidi looked a little at a loss, but one hand was held by her aunt, and the other hand was held tightly by Serena. Her hands were empty and she looked confused.

He has a house here, and he just wants to see his sister and have dinner at most. Why does he suddenly have to stay overnight?

"The ingredients for dinner are a little short, fried blood sausage, bacon, vegetable salad... Well, the bread is a little short. I'll ask Heyman to bring some back later!"

"It's already a bit exaggerated, Aunt Elinor."

Xidi felt like she was being held up by two people, and her feet were empty.

"We haven't seen each other for a year. What does this mean? I will show you again at noon tomorrow."

"Please let me help."