Chapter 35: Fat Bird

Turning a street corner, an exquisite two-story house came into view. Its white exterior walls glowed softly under the moonlight, and blooming geraniums lined the windowsills—the red blossoms still vivid even in the night.

“This is my temporary residence in Farissa. It was built rather large back then, so many rooms are empty. You can stay here—I hope you’ll like it.” Elberna pushed open the wrought-iron gate and turned to give Peletti a warm smile as they walked along the winding stone path.

“It’s huge…” Peletti sighed with emotion as she looked at the mansion before her.

It was her first time seeing a residence this large—especially after learning that it was only a temporary home. She couldn’t even imagine how wealthy a family had to be to treat a place like this as a temporary residence.

Just how powerful was Elberna’s family?

Peletti couldn’t help but ponder the question.

“Welcome home, Miss Isachsen.”

As they stepped into the foyer, Peletti noticed a magnificent oil painting hanging on the wall. It depicted a young man draped in a tattered cloak, kneeling on one knee with a longsword in hand. Before him stood a girl with proportions far larger than his, bearing a pair of enormous wings. Her expression was mournful as she gazed down at the kneeling youth, one hand resting on the sword’s hilt as if offering a silent prayer.

“Your rooms are on the second floor. I’ve had them prepared,” Elberna said, pointing to the spiral staircase. “If you need anything, feel free to ask the maids—or come find me.”

Peletti nodded, took Feiye’s hand, and stepped onto the staircase carpeted in soft fabric.

With every step, she could feel the tranquility and warmth flowing through the mansion.

It was completely different from the noble estates she had imagined. There were no cold stone walls or oppressive atmosphere—only flowers everywhere and comfortable furnishings.

Perhaps this, too, reflected Elberna’s personal tastes.

Feiye didn’t have much to organize. After glancing at the bedroom Elberna had arranged for her and finding nothing particularly noteworthy, she turned and went next door to look for Peletti.

As soon as she entered, she saw Peletti standing by the window, gazing at the night scenery outside, lost in thought.

“Sister? What’s wrong?” Based on experience, Feiye guessed her sister was probably thinking about something again.

“Feiye… am I the only witch who came here looking for me?” Peletti asked suddenly, without turning her head.

“Nope. Besides me, there’s one more.”

“That’s strange. Why hasn’t she shown up yet? She’s really steady.”

Feiye shook her head, not understanding what Peletti meant.

Very soon, Peletti answered the question with action.

From the pitch-black night sky, a crow suddenly appeared and landed outside the window. It had a pair of golden eyes—and an excessively fat body.

Isn’t that Sister Caroline’s alchemical creation?

“Finally here. I thought you planned to keep playing dead forever. You’re really fat,” Peletti commented dryly at the chubby bird.

Logically speaking, shouldn’t summoned creatures be made as inconspicuous as possible?

Especially one like this—with no combat power and only used for communication. Anyone with half a brain would make it a small raven. This thing was so fat that anyone could tell at a glance something was wrong.

How could a bird this fat even fly?

And golden eyes, no less. If stealth were graded, Peletti would give it a negative score.

It didn’t look like it had any combat ability either.

Utterly meaningless.

Witches were strange, weren’t they?

The crow tapped on the window. Understanding its intent, Peletti opened it and let the fat bird in.

Fortunately, Elberna’s mansion didn’t have any railings or similar barriers—otherwise, Peletti seriously doubted whether this chubby bird could have gotten inside.

The crow opened its beak and spoke in a human voice.

“You little **brat, you’ve got some nerve! I’ve lived for hundreds of years and never seen a witch stupider than you—not dumb, stupid! Don’t you have a brain? Can’t you figure out the stakes here? You just crash straight into someone’s arms and then summon me out? Is it worth risking your own damn life for this?!”

With an unbelievable burst of strength, the fat bird hopped from the floor onto Peletti’s head and started pecking wildly at her skull.

Caroline was really losing it. She honestly couldn’t tell whether this little thing was extraordinarily skilled and bold—or simply suicidal.

You couldn’t say she had no brain—she clearly knew that woman’s background wasn’t simple. But if you said she did have a brain, then why, in a situation like this, would she still throw herself into the lion’s den, even living under the same roof?

Schrödinger’s brain.

Caroline could protect Peletti—but not like this. Wasn’t this basically treating her like a disposable tool?

Damn it, did she really think Caroline was some old hag who could just be milked for infinite loot?

Peletti tried to grab the fat bird by the neck, only to realize that it didn’t have a neck—just layers of fat. Left with no choice, she yanked out all the feathers on its wings instead.

“Why are you yelling? Can’t you see I’m still operating here? You old geezer, not that capable but with a huge temper. What are you doing barking orders from the sidelines? If you were put in my situation, you wouldn’t necessarily do better than me!”

When the beak struck the glass, Peletti noticed that the room was enveloped in a layer of airflow that isolated sound. That was probably why the fat bird dared to shout like this without worrying about alerting anyone else in the mansion.

“What did you say?! Are you questioning my abilities? Let me tell you, there are only a handful of things in this world I can’t do—and now a little brat like you is lecturing me?”

Seeing the argument spiral out of control, Feiye couldn’t stand it anymore. A massive hand extended from the shadows behind her, grabbed the fat bird, and covered its beak. She then ran to Peletti’s side and tugged at her hand.

“Sister~”

Caught off guard by Feiye’s sudden “sister attack,” Peletti’s cheeks flushed red, and she finally gave up arguing with Caroline.

She was still sulking inside.

No matter what, Caroline was a witch who’d lived for hundreds of years—yet the moment they met, she started scolding a child who hadn’t even been born for a full week. Who bullies people like that?

Unacceptable. She had to talk back.

“Alright, alright, let’s both stop arguing. Honestly, you’re so young yet your temper is already this bad,” Caroline said.

“And who do you think started it?” Peletti retorted, grabbing the fat bird by its claws and lifting it up. She had to admit—it really was heavy. Presumably, its owner was just as fat.

This time, Caroline didn’t argue further. Her tone turned serious.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous your situation is right now? You have to listen to me and come back to the tower. Otherwise, you really will die here.”

She had made up her mind—no matter what, even if Peletti was the Witch of Light and possessed the Blood Feast, she had to take this little one back.

The problems facing this godforsaken place were no longer something she could shoulder alone.

“I refuse.”

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