Chapter 26 [Couple's Interaction]
Throughout the day, Mela was somewhat distracted because she was thinking about Hall. She even almost tripped over herself while walking.
Fortunately, Lex was nearby and quickly grabbed her arm, helping her up.
"Are you alright?" Lex asked with concern.
"It's okay." Mela finally managed to stand up again.
The next second, she seemed to finally realize something, and suddenly clenched her right fist and tapped it on the palm of her left hand. "No, I have to do a divination for Hall to see if he can successfully rescue Joanne."
“Logically speaking, since he’s already taken your potion, he shouldn’t be unable to deal with an ordinary person like Howard,” Lex thought.
Even if other unexpected events occur, such as Howard gathering other helpers and having too many people, Howard would still be outnumbered and unable to fight them all. However, once he drinks the invisibility potion, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to take Joanne away easily.
“You don’t understand. My bad luck today must be some kind of omen reminding me,” Mela said mysteriously. “Witches are very perceptive when it comes to these things.”
Before the near-accident in White Pine Town, Mela had frequently experienced similar incidents, such as accidentally knocking over bottles and jars or breaking dishes in a moment of distraction.
Even Silas, unusually assertive, told Mela to be careful and watch the road closely, lest she cause a commotion again if she wasn't paying attention.
After leaving White Pine Town and settling down in the Dark Forest, Mela belatedly realized that those seemingly careless mistakes she had made were actually constant reminders: Be careful! Something bad is about to happen!
Of course, not every witch has such strong perception; at least some less skilled witches cannot do what Mela does.
Ultimately, it's because Mela is exceptionally talented.
Mela stood on tiptoe and reached for her crystal ball from the top shelf of the cupboard.
However, when she took the crystal ball down, she almost pulled the wooden base down with it. Startled, Mela turned her head away quickly.
If this thing were to hit you squarely in the face, it would not only hurt, but it would also leave an unsightly red mark.
Lex, who had initially been skeptical of Mela's explanation, was speechless.
Now he completely believed that Mela's omens made some sense.
Because he had never seen Mela so unlucky.
"Fortunately, it seems that the unlucky guy was indeed Hall, and I was just implicated by him." Seeing this, Mela's previously anxious heart relaxed.
If she were to suffer bad luck as well, she wouldn't be able to dodge this wooden base so easily. Even if it didn't hit her face, it would at least hit her feet, forcing her to be more mindful of the future.
“However, judging from this level of bad luck, even if Hall manages to take Joanne away, they will probably encounter quite a few setbacks on their escape journey,” Mela said thoughtfully.
"Wait a minute, why is there so much dust on my crystal ball?"
Mela suddenly realized that the texture of her hand was strange. Looking down, she was surprised to find that the crystal ball was covered with a thick layer of dust.
When the crystal ball is not activated, it looks like an ordinary glass ball with dirty dust inside, so much so that even a layer of dust on it is not noticeable.
But now that she has found her hands covered in dust, Mela frowns and looks disgusted.
"Lex, have you forgotten something lately?"
Considering the years they've spent together, Mela's questions became more tactful.
In the past, she would have simply suspected that Lex was slacking off.
Although Mela admitted that she hadn't used her crystal ball in a long time, Lex would wipe it with a towel every now and then, so it shouldn't have accumulated such a thick layer of dust.
However, Mela glanced at the grayish-black stains on her hands and guessed that Lex had forgotten to clean her crystal ball for at least two months.
Unexpectedly, Lex's eyes were unusually innocent. "It must be that Silas has been too busy lately and accidentally forgot about cleaning the crystal ball, right? A few months ago, it told me that it would be more convenient for it to fly up and clean the crystal ball, saving me the trouble of carrying it up and down, and what if I dropped the crystal ball? I think it's right, so I gave it this job."
"Busy? What is it busy with?"
Mela then realized that things had been much quieter lately. She had thought Silas had finally learned to keep quiet, but it turned out there was another reason.
"Hmm, it seems like Silas went out for fun before and bumped into a young and beautiful lady named White Dove..." Lex recalled, rubbing his chin.
It turns out that Silas had met a little bird that it fell in love with at first sight. For some reason, Mela suddenly felt a strange sense of relief, like the child she had raised for so long had finally come back to roost in the cabbage.
"But can a crow and a dove really work out?" Mela hesitated briefly.
In any case, at least from a racial point of view, crows and doves are not a good match, are they?
“Hmm…” Lex also began to ponder.
According to him, there could be no future between a crow and a dove, but Silas was no ordinary crow; he was a crow that could speak human language.
From this perspective, it undoubtedly belongs to the wise among the crows.
That's probably why Silas would look beyond the perspective of ordinary crows and set his sights on a young and beautiful white dove.
"Never mind, I'll ask it properly when Silas gets back."
Mela glanced at the empty perch and decided to go.
Having been distracted by Silas's matter, Mela now refocused her attention. She took a clean towel, wiped the dust off the crystal ball, and then gently rubbed it with her hand.
The ash inside the crystal ball instantly transformed into a mesmerizing cloud of smoke before her eyes.
"Will Hall-Wilhart be able to rescue his wife Joanne?" Mela asked the crystal ball her first question.
The smoke inside the crystal ball began to change, revealing the answer to the question.
"Hmm? It's possible? But there's a great danger involved."
This is roughly the same result Mela had predicted.
"Will Hall Willhart fail in his escape attempt with Joanne?"
Mela posed a second question to the crystal ball, this time narrowing down the possibilities.
Soon, new changes occurred within the crystal ball.
"There's a high chance of failure and a very small chance of success, meaning it's all down to luck?"
Mela stared at the crystal ball, understanding dawning on her.
This means that if Hall is lucky enough, he can get out of the predicament entirely on his own.
But Hall's luck has always seemed to be neither good nor bad.
This made Mela hesitate for a moment, wondering whether she should lend a hand, since she felt she had already helped enough.
Don't be fooled by Mela's nonchalant attitude when she talked to Lex about changing his fate, as if she could easily steer Lex's destiny in a different direction with a flick of her wrist. In reality, it is Lex's own determination that is more important in changing his fate.
Because Lex didn't believe in fate and was determined to change his own destiny, he stirred his star, causing it to deviate from its predetermined orbit.
Otherwise, if someone like Mela were to intervene in Hall's fate as an outsider, she would have to pay an extra price.
“Okay, third question, if Hall is unfortunately caught, will it have a bad impact on me?” Mela asked the crystal ball.
The crystal ball gave a remarkably certain answer: once Hall was arrested, Mela would inevitably be implicated and drawn into trouble.
"It seems I have no choice but to get involved."
Once she was told she would help, Mela breathed a sigh of relief.
"How do you plan to help?" Lex asked, having watched the whole thing.
Does this mean Mela is planning to leave the Dark Forest and take matters into her own hands?
“Of course—” Mela smiled, deliberately drawing out the last syllable, “No, that’s not it.”
While interfering in someone else's fate always comes at a price, whether that price is high or low is entirely up to Mela herself to decide.
For example, if she were to leave the Dark Forest and go to help Hall in person, she would inevitably have to pay a heavy price. She would most likely encounter mad beasts on the way, or attract people who should not be there, such as priests or knights under the lord.
But if Mela were to use a different method, such as simply placing a very light weight on Hall's side of the scale to tilt it towards Hall's side, the cost would be minimal.
It's like finding a worm in an apple.
...Although it was a bit disgusting.
But it's okay. Since she's decided to help, Mela can tolerate this little bit of disgust.
Speaking of which, it was all thanks to the fact that a few years ago, Mela had collected quite a few Clyf fruits, and after many experiments, she finally succeeded in refining a small bottle of lucky potion the size of a fingernail.
A lucky potion, as the name suggests, is a potion that makes someone lucky when consumed.
Although luck is always elusive, a little bit of luck can often have a huge effect.
"Since Hall's failed escape was the starting point that got me into trouble, then all I need to do is make sure he doesn't fail again."
Mela pulled out the cork and drank the deep pink potion, "Treading Snow Exclusive," from the thumb bottle in one gulp.
If Mela becomes lucky, it will also affect Hall's luck, and might even help him escape a disaster.
“But this medicine tastes awful,” Mela smacked her lips and commented.
This was because Mela had always sold her potions to others and had never considered whether they tasted good or not. Now that she had tasted them herself, she found that the taste was simply indescribable.
It was neither entirely bitter nor overwhelmingly sour; it also contained a hint of spiciness, making it so complex that Mela didn't want to savor it at all.
All she wanted to do right now was drink some herbal tea to mask the taste of the medicine in her mouth.
"Lex, quick, get me a cup of herbal tea, and remember to add two big spoonfuls of honey."
“She’s here.” Lex had a vague premonition when Mela took out the bottle of lucky potion that she had treasured for several years, but before he could act, Mela closed her eyes and drank the potion.
Fortunately, it's not too late for him to bring the teacup now.
Mela took the teacup and drank most of the sweet tea in one gulp before finally feeling a sense of relief, as if she had survived a disaster.
"...Next time, please remember to remind me to consider the taste when making potions. I will try my best to make potions that taste good."
Mela put down her teacup and said solemnly.
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