Release that Witch

Inside the castle’s study.

“Your Majesty, there’s a letter for you.”

Sean knocked on the door before quickly walking in and placing a crumpled paper envelope on the table.

Long wave radios, wired telegraphs, and magic-imbued Sigil of Listenings had already become common, where even ordinary citizens could spend a few dollars to purchase a long distance telegram, leaving the usage of manually-delivered letters in decline.

“Oh? Where was it sent from?” Tilly placed her pen down and massaged her fingers.

“I heard that it was from… the ocean.” Sean coughed twice. “The first to receive it was a Fjords Exploration Group member, then to a marine tradesman, going from Festive Harbor to finally Shallow Port. If not for the signature, I wouldn’t have—”

Before he could complete his sentence, Tilly had already ripped the envelope open.

There were only a handful of people that would send out a letter from sea.

As expected, a familiar handwriting appeared before her—having gone through multiple hands, the sea breeze and sun, the paper was somewhat mottled, but she could never mistake the handwritings and unique style it had even if the paper had turned to ashes.

‘Greetings.’

‘This is Exploration Group’s first letter.’

‘As per usual conventions, we will have the captain to write first.’

‘Hi, Your Highness Tilly… No, Your Majesty, we are now on our way to the Sky-sea Realm. More accurately speaking, we have already arrived at the edge of the floating continent.’

‘It was only until I saw it did I truly understand what a floating continent truly was. Compared to the Deity of Gods, it’s like comparing the Fjords to the Land of Dawn. It even has mountains, creeks, and rivers on top of it, with seawater that pours down the walls. The magnificent sight of it is truly indescribable with words. If possible, I would like to bring you and Sister Soraya over.’

‘Although the Sky-sea Realm monsters have already been obliterated, this huge piece of land is still unknown ground. Would there be new remains on it? Is there another core instrument that supports this land? Ah, so many questions! I can bet that in the following decade, it will be the target study for the Exploration Group.’

‘But I am destined to be the first!’

‘I will tell you more when I’m back, Father’s fleet is chasing behind me already, but this time, he can forget about overtaking me. Well then, I’m going to set off now!’

‘Missing you, Lightning.’

Following that, the handwriting took an abrupt turn.

‘It’s me; Maggie’s turn now, coo!’

‘I don’t know what to say, coo, but I’m so happy everyday, coo! Although carrying the wolf is very heavy, there’s no end to the chats all day. With new scenery to see, it is so much better than being on a roof alone coo!’

‘Right right, there are so many different types of fishes in the sea, it feels impossible to try them all, coo! But without condiments, roasting feels soulless. If possible, can you send some condiments to the Sky-sea Realm?’

Tilly resisted a laugh and flipped to the second piece of paper.

‘Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Lorgar Burnflame from the Wildflame clan. As Joan is constantly soaking in the seawater; thus, I will be responsible for penning her thoughts as well.’

‘Exploration is truly a very interesting motion. It has allowed me to learn that aside from the continent, there exists even vaster territories. Our following plan will be to land on the Sky-sea Realm, build up our camp, and explore the grounds, to seek the connection of Shadow Islands’ seabed. After all, this continent is extremely far from the Land of Dawn, so if we wish to develop it, we need to find a shortcut here quickly.’

‘Since there aren’t many discovery results at the moment, I will not take up too much of your time. Lastly, may I be so bold to ask a favor for you to help me relay a message to my father and my clansmen that I’m doing fine? Thank you.’

‘Right, please do not put Maggie’s words to heart, we all know how busy government affairs are and that Lady Eleanor isn’t able to bring the floating island to the sea. But… but if you truly bring some spices, can you bring along some of Miss Evelyn’s drinks.’

‘May the Three Gods be with you.’

At the end of the letter was a small drawing that depicted a human, bird, wolf and a fish.

Tilly kept the papers together, took a deep breath, and looked towards Sean. “This letter does not need a reply, you may leave.”

‘Yes, Your Majesty.” The latter bowed and retreated out of the room.

Once the door closed, Tilly maintained a short silence, then suddenly plunged her head into the documents.

“AHHHHHHHH—!”

She released an envious mumble, at the same time shaking her head incessantly, causing the documents on the table to drop.

She truly wanted to pilot the Phoenix and travel the world with her friends! That was the life she wanted!

It was her brother’s fault, saying that he could not return with the excuse of searching for Ashes, leaving the position of Queen for her to inherit until the barrier between witches and ordinary people completely disappeared. This reason persisted for five years, with Anna and Nightingale missing as well. Now, Tilly was unsure if Roland had tricked her or not!

And now, she was stuck with all the paperwork.

The Fertile Plains was being developed and even the land under the Kingdom of Wolfheart and Everwinter was being used. All around her were people extending their hands and asking for money. Please, resources do not grow from the ground!

And the news of Ryan’s attempt to ‘rebel’—all of the merchants that he had invited had sold the information to Neverwinter. Did he not know that his entire plan was laid out on her table? After so arduously gaining his freedom, he had thrown himself back into jail because of a silly idea. Tilly was unsure whether to treat him as an ordinary competitor with such a naive and brainless method of his.

Of course, all of that were minor problems.

The one that gave her the most problem was the direction in which the Kingdom was moving. The priority had been moved to developing what kind of new technologies, the friction between private companies and the Administrative Office’s businesses, as well as balancing the equilibrium of power between the various political factions. These were the truly big issues that influenced the world.

In the past, she used to think that being a King was nothing great, since even the sloppy Roland was able to cope with it, much less her. But Tilly discovered that being the Queen was not something any ordinary person could do. Upon recalling that Roland not only had to spearhead government affairs but had to lead Scroll and a group of God’s Punishment Witches to gather knowledge from the Dream World, Tilly couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Creak.”

At this time, the door suddenly opened.

Tilly raised her head up instantly and feigned an earnest appearance in doing her work, while speaking up in annoyance. “What is it now, didn’t I say to call out to me if there’s anything?”

After all, aside from her personal guards, Wendy, Scroll, Agatha and company were frequent visitors to her office, especially for Scroll. If she were caught goofing off, Tilly knew that she was in for a preaching. Therefore, Sean’s responsibility was to anticipate and warn her ahead of time… In other words, he was tasked with the most important mission.

But no reply came.

Tilly looked to the door in surprise—

“Plop.”

The pen in her hand dropped straight to the ground.