Chapter 38 The Witch's Grace
Chapter 38
38.1
When Olidesi walked into the blacksmith shop in Ravenmont City, Simon Karagaran was greeting guests at the door.
In the blacksmith shop, the old blacksmith was working in the inner studio. The door of the studio was closed tightly, and intermittent "dang, dang" sounds of dull knocking on pig iron could be heard.
In the shop that serves customers, there is only a thin and pale young man standing alone. His long black hair is tied behind his head. He lowered his head, was short in stature, and looked a little timid, like a black mouse.
Olidesi smiled and said, "Simon Karagarang?"
Simon's head shot up.
Olidisi stood in front of the blacksmith shop, her rose-gold hair tied up, her expression calm and composed.
Simon forced a smile and said, "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Oh, don't you recognize me?" Oledsi smiled softly. "We met at the carpentry shop when the fire started."
Simon froze slightly: "I don't know what you are talking about."
Olidesi wasn't angry. He just smiled and said, "Everyone's been staring at the Sun Crystal and Silver Dust, but they've forgotten about the white sugar on the wood. White sugar is too common, not as precious as Sun Crystal and Silver Dust, so people forget about it."
Olidesi said with a faint smile, "It's just that everyone else has forgotten, but I haven't. Simon Karagarang. To ignite the 'Divine Flame,' you need Sun Crystal Powder, Silver Dust, and Sweet Powder or Sugar. None of these three things are missing."
Simon's fingers were stiff, and he didn't speak. Oulidexi smiled. "Simon, just because I didn't expose you at night doesn't mean I didn't know: it was you, Simon Karagaran, who sneaked into the carpentry shop late at night, sprinkled sugar on the wood, and completed Osborne Karagaran's plan."
Simon Karagaran's expression was as stiff as cast iron. His fingers clenched the hem of his short robe, his knuckles turning white, but he still held his chin high, maintaining a tough attitude.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to sneer, but his voice trembled. "It was clearly Osborn who placed the Sun Crystals and Silver Dust in the carpentry shop. Prince Rochlan has already concluded that Osborn had already done so. There was no need for him to unnecessarily divide the materials into two batches. He's not a fool."
Olidisi curled the corners of her lips.
"It's precisely because he's not stupid," she said, "that he lets you put the sugar in separately."
As Olidisi spoke, he slowly twisted his fingertips, as if he was twisting a non-existent powder.
"Sun crystals and silver dust are fine, colorless powders," she said. "When they're sprinkled in the cracks of wood, even in daylight, they're not easily noticed—people would just mistake them for sawdust. So, he could confidently bring his whip and sprinkle the powders on the wood during the day, mixing them with the sawdust."
Olidisi shrugged. "But sugar is different. What carpenter wouldn't see a piece of wood sprinkled with shiny white powdered sugar on a sunny day?"
Simon's expression grew stiffer, and Oulidesi's smile grew gentler. "So, Osborne asked you to go to the carpentry shop at night and sprinkle sugar on the wood to complete the final step of his plan. He knew Zoe and Herson would practice at night. In the dim candlelight, they might not notice the tiny pieces of sugar."
Simon's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to refute, but no sound came out.
In the end, he simply said, "You...you have no evidence."
Olidisi sighed softly: "Do you really think that no one saw you in the carpentry shop at night?"
Simon bit his lip. Oulidesi looked at him with some sympathy. "I've told you before, Simon, Sun Crystal and Silver Dust are very difficult to clean."
She slowly took a step closer to him, her eyes moving to his somewhat tattered short robe.
"Osborne Caragaran can burn his noble robes. He has plenty of clothes. But you?"
Euridsi's eyes turned from Simon's short robe to the short cloak on his shoulders - the cloak was a little old, but it was embroidered with a golden "Rose Scepter" pattern. It was a gift from Duke Hugh Carragaran.
"You are a poor bastard, just like Hersong," she said with a smile. "You only have this one decent cloak and a pair of well-worn boots."
Simon's shoulders shook involuntarily, but Oulidsi's tone was still so gentle.
"Prince Rokolan is still temporarily staying at Ravenmount Castle," she said. "Should we ask the Nighthawk Knight who is with him to check if there's any Suncrystal or Silver Dust on your cloak or on the soles of your boots?"
Simon's face turned pale. When Euridsi said this, the wall in his heart finally collapsed; he supported himself on the table beside him with his palms, his body swaying.
"I didn't know it would be like this..." Simon muttered, "I really didn't know he was going to set fire - he said he was just going to sprinkle some sugar to attract rats and termites to eat the wood. I thought sugar was harmless, I really didn't know he was going to set fire..."
Simon's face was dejected. Oulidesi smiled and said, "Really?"
Simon leaned against the table and smiled bitterly.
"You know," he said, "if Osborne Caragaran asked me to do something, I wouldn't have the option of 'refusing'—you know where I grew up? In the stable behind Ravenmount Castle. My mother died giving birth to me. I almost died, too. I lived like a rat. Hersong had a chance to go to the academy, but I didn't. I'm not from the Caragaran family at all, just a rat in the Caragaran gutter. When they wanted me to bite someone for them, they let me out; when they were done, they beat me to death to wash their hands and keep their innocence."
Oledsi smiled faintly: "Do you want to be a mouse forever?"
Simon shuddered and said nothing, and there was a brief silence between the two of them.
Oledsi didn't need Simon's answer. She just said, "If you don't want me to tell anyone about this, you have to do something for me."
Simon Karagarang was silent for a long time, and finally said in a low voice: "What is it?"
"I want to refine essential oils for the king of the empire."
Olidisi said this in a calm and casual tone, as if he was just saying "It's a nice day today."
Simon was startled for a moment, then suddenly looked up: "King? You mean, King Lucinda?"
"Yes," Euridice said with a light laugh, "Of course it's King Lucinda. Is there a second king on the Ethereal Continent?"
Simon's eyes widened, and Oulidesi smiled and said, "So, in order to refine the best essential oil, I need to obtain the blacksmith shop's treasured metal - the xuan."
Simon's throat rolled slightly: "Metal Hyun..."
"Yes, it's the piece of ore that the blacksmith shop is preparing to secretly pay tribute to the Karagaran family instead of the royal family."
Simon's expression turned strange: "That piece of string...you, how did you know?"
"Of course I know." Euridsi's eyes were calm. "If you don't want to anger Prince Rokolan and don't want to accompany Oscar Karagaran to the dungeons of Kaderinburg, then give me this ore."
A thin layer of sweat broke out on Simon's forehead.
After a long while, he gritted his teeth and whispered, "If I give it to you, you have to promise me that you will never threaten me with sugar again."
"Oh, Simon." Olidesi smiled, "If this essential oil is completed, not only will I no longer threaten you, but in the near future, the Karagalang family will no longer be able to threaten you to do anything for them."
"What?" Simon looked up in surprise. "How is this possible—what are you going to do?"
Olidisi smiled mysteriously and said, "Just wait and see what I'm going to do, Simon Karagaran."
38.2
As Euridice began to refine the spices, Hesong gently closed the door of her studio.
"She needs all her attention," he whispered to Master Catherine and Zoe, who were staying in the cottage on South Hill.
Master Catherine and Zoe both nodded, but young Zoe was very curious and secretly peeked into Oulidsi's studio through the gap in the curtains.
Olidisi spread out her tools on the table, not moving quickly, but without a pause or hesitation. Her manner was so familiar, as if she had done the same thing ten thousand times before.
The first thing that Ollidosi set up was the crucible.
An oil lamp burned under the crucible, heating it up. Then, Olidesi threw several pieces of metal ores into the crucible in order. Zoe didn't know what the ores were, but she felt that their colors were very shiny.
Then, Oulidisi took out some wood ash and sprinkled it into the crucible; followed by some liquids in bottles and jars, and some essential oils that Zoe couldn't name, which made Zoe more and more confused.
"Is this...spice?" She scratched her head.
That was completely different from any traditional way of making spices. Zoe didn't understand what Orridsy was making. She only saw her fingers nimbly flying back and forth among various crucibles, glass stirring rods and conical flasks, and the contents of the crucibles made a slight "humming" sound.
Zoe heard Oledsi whisper, "Ah, there you go."
She then placed something from the crucible into a bottle, sealed the bottle with wax, and labeled it "Euridice Arquitas" without indicating its contents.
After Oledsi finished all this, he smiled and said, “Zoe, did you see everything?”
Zoe was surprised to hear her name and blushed a little, but she still walked to the window and apologized honestly: "Sorry, I... I'm just too curious. I've never seen spices made like this."
Oledsi opened the window, but Zoe didn't smell any fragrance. The apprentice couldn't help but feel a little worried: "This spice has no fragrance... Is it okay?"
And Oulidesi smiled and said, "No matter what kind of spice it is, the one that pleases the Queen is the best. Just wait and see, Zoe."
"Um?"
"After three months, we will get what we want."
When Euridice said this, Zoe didn't understand what he meant. However, three months later, shocking news spread throughout Ravenmont City.
After the fire in the carpentry shop, Osborne Karagaran was tried by the Grand Judge of Kaderinburg:
Osborne Karagaran, guilty of arson with the intent to murder innocent citizens, was clearly guilty and the evidence was irrefutable. According to the Hydebot Code, he was tattooed with the name "Arsonist" on his face and exiled to the barren Woodland Mountains by the citizens.
He was no longer a young noble knight, but a sinner who needed to live to atone for his sins.
This was a very severe punishment. However, what shocked the city of Ravenmount was not the verdict received by Osborne Karagaran, but another piece of news that was like a thunderbolt in a clear sky.
In order to appease and reward Euridice Aquitas and Hesong Karagaran who made spices, King Lucinda used the small farmland where they lived in the South Hill as her territory and awarded Hesong Karagaran the lowest rank of "Baron of South Hill"!
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