The owl flapped its wings, awakening Hitarian. She almost rolled out of bed. The cold wind blew into her collar, and she quickly got back into the quilt, putting on her clothes while cursing silently. When it was no longer so cold, Hitarian tentatively climbed out of the quilt and rushed to the birdcage to close the window.
This is not enough. She rushed back to the bed to put on her shoes, socks, scarf and thick gloves. But these furs are cold, without any warmth. Hitarian had no choice but to open the door against the cold wind and go to the woodshed to pick up dry branches. It was still dark and candles were flickering in the hallway. She heard the old wizard snoring next door, and the sink in the corner bathroom was ticking and leaking. I still have time to make a fire, she thought, before the church bells ring.
Even Danlao is better than here. At least you don’t have to worry about the cold wind from the cliff at night. Hitarian shuddered and thought. Above her, an owl pecked at a mouse in an open cage. Wizard's Cliff is as cold as Whinney Watts, and her abode is even worse, who makes it sit atop a stone tower. The old wizard Janax arranged for each apprentice to draw a sign from the barrel, and the number drawn was the house number. It would be great if Ruth could draw it for me.
Her companion Legla comforted her and said that at least she would not have to climb to the rooftop to feed the owls the next morning. These stupid birds are willing to fly to the top floor, even if they remember to take care of their apprentice's room. But this is the owl's paradise, not mine. It might be nice to be an owl, but Hitarian dreamed of growing wings and flying back to Byrne's loft. But now she can only endure the life of being woken up by the cold wind and the chirping of birds at night and struggling to light a fire in the fireplace.
But truth be told, she shouldn't complain. Previously, Hitarian was caught by the Public Security Bureau in Danlao and thought he was going to die. Rudy gave me away. At that time, her mind went blank except for this thought. They found out that I was a Nightingale of the Society and wanted to tie me up and burn me to death. Screaming, Hitarian was dragged to the dungeons, breathless with tears, while the small ship that had been able to carry her away from Tarlaw rocked in the harbor. Witek, the northerner, didn't come to save her, nor did the steward or anyone else. She cursed the captain and the squire, cursed the knights who captured her, cursed the nightingale of the association, cursed the black knight and his knight's sword that confused her, and even Cursing her sister because Ruth didn't come to her aid. Fortunately, she was crying so hard that she couldn't say a word of these curses and could only swirl in her stomach.
Hitarian didn't remember what the dungeon looked like. She was tearful and trembling. She felt like she had a high fever, couldn't hear or see, and didn't know how much time had passed. She could barely realize where she was, and everything she saw in the blur looked like a cross. She heard herself praying to Lucia and Gaia, and even mentioned Heather, Otto, and many other things she had made up. Gods like the Butter God and the Mop God, you can’t imagine what a world with these things would be like. She called her mother, but she didn’t remember if she called Ms. Liana. Anyway, they didn’t respond.
Thank goodness she didn't tell anyone about the association. Before Hitarian could finish asking for help and cursing in his heart, the soldier opened the iron door. When they let her out, a kind nun sat her in a large rocking chair and gave her a glass of hot water. At that time, Hitarian had not yet recovered from his despair, and he did not know whether he was in heaven or somewhere else. I always like to think wildly.
"You are almost dehydrated, Miss Ringott," the nun warned, her voice thick and low, like a whisper. Maybe it was time for her to retire, but she was right. After leaving the dock in Danlao, Hitarian couldn't stop crying. Her throat must be swollen.
"Drink quickly." The other party urged. So she obeyed. The hot water was a bit salty. The nun took out a copy of the Gospel of Gaia and began to recite scriptures until she sensed the mysterious rhythm and magic flowing throughout her body. "They frightened you. So rude, so barbaric, but dark wizards are dangerous, and they're just as scared. Are you feeling better?"
Hitarian forgot how she answered, maybe she didn't answer at all. She couldn't think clearly the whole time. The nun told her the reason for the horrific experience that day. She only remembered a few words. Later, the old wizard Janacos told her the whole story: her master was confirmed to be a dark wizard. When he resisted arrest, he caused a fire in Thumb Lane, so Nightingale secretly searched for her. Servants of the villa, in case they become puppets of the dark wizard. Hitarian wasn't the first person to be thrown into the dungeons, but she was the last to be found innocent.
Innocent people would be freed, but without Ruth around, Hitarian's luck would plummet. The dark wizard left no legacy behind. His apprentices and most of his servants died in the flames, and a few lucky ones escaped. The Sheriff's Department first caught them all without landing and eliminated suspicion, then claimed that they had saved the people from the dark wizard. Finally, when the reporters and audience left, the Sheriff drove them all away. For Hitarian, it was Whittaker's credit that she escaped from the fire. It should be a blessing that the script returned to normal after a false alarm... The problem is that she is not really "innocent."
It was the Confessions, she decided. Hitarian didn't know if the Order expected all of this, but the church happened to find out that she and Ruth were wanted in Eastman and immediately notified the Sheriff's Department. The latter immediately realized that they had found an important person. Later in the Stone Tower, Hitarian realized that it was related to the Confessions and sent her to the School of Silence.
There was no assessment, no examination and questioning. In an instant, Hitarian slipped into the wizard's territory and became an apprentice responsible for feeding the owls every day. Ignoring the twists and panics, this seemed to mean her mission was going well. Of course, life in Shita is not better than Bai En, but compared to the situation in Four Leaf City, it is much better.
The Stone Tower is run by the old wizard Janakos, a mysterious creature of the same order who has a bad temper, but the magic of Hitarian can easily soothe him. But every time he used magic, Hitarian was always on tenterhooks, fearing that others would discover the difference in his fire. Fortunately, there was a response in the script given to her by Wittek, a northerner.
"If anyone really asks," the masked guide said, "just tell them the truth. Your career and fire are all brought to you by the confession book." She recited it so many times that she almost believed it.
But Hitarian didn't fully believe the script. She had escaped from Thumb Lane earlier and was supposed to take a boat out of Tanlaw at the pier, but was exposed by the captain. No one told her things would turn out this way. She suspected that the association was intentional so that she could enter the school as the holder of the Confessions. Wittek, a northerner, considered this in Byrne, but was rejected by the Black Knight. Has the lord changed his mind?
Regardless, Hitarian remained in the stone tower, with the Wizard's Cliff at his feet. Her daily routine shifted from tending tulips to tending owls, birds that weren't very obedient but she didn't have to train. With the experience of getting along with bald heads, Hitarian is relatively good at dealing with animals. If that doesn't work, she can still use magic to force them to quiet down.
The only one who scares her is Ozcranky, whom the old wizard Janakos calls His Excellency "The Weird Expert." He comes to Hitarian every day. Oz is like a traveler, always carrying a huge suitcase with him and a balloon tied to his hat. Hitarian's new friend Regela liked him, or rather, most of the apprentices liked Oz. It's just that most of Shita's apprentices are children aged eleven or twelve. She thought to herself, they are still the kind of kid from a wealthy family who don't have to think about what to eat for dinner. There was nothing they could do but feed the owls.
The "Weird Expert" did nothing to Hitarian, and even acted quite friendly. She soon learns that his trunk contains mysterious items. Every time he came to the Stone Tower, he would ask Shitarion about all the details of the Confessions, and his purpose was obvious. Why did he think I would tell him? Perhaps no one will find out that I am a nightingale of associations.
Moreover, even if Cranky didn't mind the association and demons, Hitarian still hoped to find Ruth through the gospel, so it was impossible to tell the truth. Therefore, Hitarian had one more job than Regla. Every morning, she had to narrate the script she had memorized in different ways. May they never test the truth potion, Hitarian prayed silently.
She finally found the firewood shed and picked firewood in the dark.
The stone tower is very tall, but there are more than steps between the upper and lower floors. Hitarian can travel through the rectangular staircase, which is an unprecedented experience: walking through the magic circle just to get from the top of the tower to the bottom. Not even Byrne can do this. The wizards of the school have no feelings about this. Shitarian can still convince himself that they are all mysterious creatures, but the same is true for Regla and others, as if to mortals, magic and mystery are just ordinary things, and there is nothing strange about them. . She often felt like an ignorant country girl, but Yotsuba was a big city and Byrne was bigger and more beautiful. Hitarian couldn't tell her, which made her feel bad.
After the fireplace was relit, the owl stopped messing around. It turned its head and glared at Hitarian, touching the cage with its beak from time to time. She took off her gloves and inserted her hands into its thick feathers. The mystery came quietly, the bird stayed in the cage and did not move. "Be good," Hitarian said proudly. To be honest, I actually don’t hate it that much. "You are really smart."
Today the church bells rang before dawn, and the city could be seen from the stone tower. Hitarian opened the latch of the shuttle room and waited for the apprentices to come to the rooftop to find their owl.
"Lingote." The first one to come was Janakos, who approached her from behind. The bells muffled the old wizard's snoring, and Hitarian didn't hear it stop.
Janakos looks like all old men, but with the anxiety and meanness of middle age. His expression was not good, and Hitarian couldn't help but feel scared. Could it be that they found out? The old wizard stood at the door and shouted: "Your Excellency wants to see you."
Well, what else could happen? She knew it was impossible. I know the lines by heart. "Come here, my lord." Hitarian ran over.
