Chapter 92
Busy repairing the house, Fay didn’t have much time to entertain Zynie, but Zynie hadn’t come for her in the first place.
“Let’s try it this way this time.”
After giving Fay and Mr. Bilter a quick greeting, she scampered over to Alnazir. The two of them began exchanging notes again, whispering in writing as if sharing some grand secret.
Fay couldn’t help worrying. What if Alnazir coaxed Zynie into something dangerous? She repeatedly warned her to be careful, but Zynie never listened.
“Fay’s invoked wouldn’t do anything bad to me.”
Zynie insisted confidently.
“I know it’s pathetic to say this about my own invoked… but I don’t trust him.”
It was an improper thing for a witch to admit. Still, Fay couldn’t help confiding in Zynie out of concern.
Zynie didn’t look surprised at all. She nodded as if she had already known.
“I get it. The more I see him, the more he seems to lack common sense—even more than Donovan!”
He’s not stupid, but he thinks in such weird ways sometimes that he comes off like an idiot. She added with a laugh that Donovan feels more reliably smart.
That wasn’t quite what Fay had meant. She felt even more frustrated.
“Today I’m going to teach him how to use a hairbrush.”
“And what good is that?”
“Oh, it’ll be useful.”
Would Alnazir even appreciate something like that? He’d probably just find it annoying. Fay warned her again not to get too close and to be careful.
“That’s not it! He needs to look worse! Like a man who makes multiple women cry!”
Zynie ignored her completely and loudly lectured Alnazir—who couldn’t understand a word—about how to refine his ‘image’. Why she wanted him to look like a heartbreaker was anyone’s guess.
Even within that uncomfortable peace, time moved steadily forward. The house was repaired, and the enormous bathroom was finally completed.
And yet, the one who should have been happiest about no longer sleeping outside was nowhere to be seen.
“Mr. Bilter, um… have you seen where my invoked went?”
“Can’t say. Haven’t seen him since morning.”
Bilter, admiring the finished house with satisfaction, shook his head.
Alnazir was gone. As a result, Fay couldn’t even enjoy the completion of her home. She retraced her memory, trying to pinpoint when he had disappeared.
“Alnazir!”
Zynie had come by that morning too. As usual, she had gone to pester him… and then? Where had they gone?
“They disappeared together…!”
Fay’s eyes widened.
Had Alnazir finally run out of patience and harmed Zynie? Lately he had been tearing up rocks and digging into the ground with his tentacles. What if he turned that on Zynie?
Her thoughts spiraled darkly. She immediately rushed into the forest to search. Neither of them were anywhere nearby.
“Broom!”
Maybe they had gone farther away for a reason. For instance… to hide a body.
Her heart pounding, Fay mounted her broom and flew farther and farther until she reached Zynie’s house. There was a faint smell of something burnt.
“Zynie!”
Pale-faced, she peered through the window and banged on it with her fist. There was no response inside, only that strange scent lingering in the air.
They weren’t there either. Fay took off again, searching the surrounding area before heading toward the castle.
“Zynie? Oh, I saw her. She was walking with your invoked.”
“Where?”
“Looked like they went into the eastern castle. By the way, Fay, today you—”
“Thank you!”
She didn’t wait to hear the rest. There were witnesses here at least—that was a relief.
The eastern castle had partially collapsed when the Golden Army attacked. It hadn’t been restored yet, since it was low priority. Why would they go there?
Please don’t let anything terrible be happening… Her anxiety drove her forward until she was nearly out of breath.
Then—
Boom! An explosion echoed through the ruins.
“N-no…!”
Fay turned deathly pale and sprinted toward the source. It was the kitchen, the one room that had remained relatively intact.
Relatively intact, that was—because now it was covered in cream splattered everywhere.
“Zynie!”
“Gah, Fay!”
At her shout, Zynie—covered head to toe in white cream—yelled in shock and leapt through a half-attached window to escape. Apparently this hadn’t been a coordinated plan, because Alnazir beside her let out a startled, “Uh…!”
He missed his chance to flee and was left standing awkwardly, facing Fay. Like Zynie, his face and chest were smeared with white cream.
“W-what are you doing in a place like this?”
Fay scanned him from head to toe, trying to make sense of the ridiculous sight.
“It was the young witch’s idea. I clearly said this was not the proper order.”
Alnazir grumbled resentfully about the young witch who had abandoned him and fled.
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