Chapter 38 The Curse Intensifies: Four Ears and a Cat Tail~
Ashlin grinned mischievously and quickly touched him a few times before he could react; the feel was excellent.
Lucas sprang up like a real cat, his cat ears pressed back, and his hand tucked his black hair behind his ear.
Now he has four ears, almost like an orc. How does hearing work with four ears? If she screams now, will she make Lucas deaf?
"What are you doing?!"
“Alright, we’re even,” Ashlin said solemnly. “Lucas Deville, I hereby declare that our past is wiped clean.”
Then, she noticed something moving behind him.
"What are you looking at?" Lucas asked suspiciously, "like I've grown a tail."
Ashlin took a deep breath, purely to prevent herself from bursting out laughing.
"Hmm, that's the smartest thing you've ever said so far."
Lucas froze, slowly reaching his hand behind him. Realizing what he had touched, he pressed his cat ears even closer to his hair.
A cat's tail.
"God," he said, his face full of worry, "my dear witch, are you sure you didn't add any personal malice when you accidentally cast the curse?"
“I solemnly swear that I did not,” Ashlin said seriously.
But the seriousness didn't last long; the air itself seemed to tremble at her violent laughter. She laughed until her stomach ached, and after finally catching her breath, she stood up, supporting her back, and curiously tugged at the tail.
Lucas looked at her helplessly.
“Yes, yes, it’s very fun,” he replied casually. “Do you have any solutions to alleviate the symptoms, Great Magician?”
"What a genius! How come I didn't think of that?"
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than his cat ears began to twitch uncontrollably. He jolted awake and grabbed the wall behind him for support.
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly transformed into a real black cat.
"Become a cat," he added in cat language.
But it's still night, and there are still several hours until sunrise.
"Oh my god, am I really going to never turn back like this?!" He paced back and forth in fear. "Will I lose my ability to think soon?"
"Don't worry, it might just be an accident. After all, a part of your soul was torn apart just now, and it will probably recover tomorrow."
Lucas wasn't entirely convinced: "I hope so."
Ashlinn assured him, "We'll set off immediately after we've dealt with Ilovia. I swear I won't waste my time dancing with random strangers anymore."
“Do whatever you want,” Lucas said quickly. “I have no right to interfere. Nobody owes anyone anything right now. Of course, I still suggest you pick a funnier dance partner next time; this one is too boring.”
"Really? The Grand Musician, as the mastermind behind dark magic, is still considered 'boring'?"
"Anyway, it's not as interesting as a certain cat."
Ashlin pretended to think seriously for a moment. "Hmm, then it definitely isn't you."
They burst into laughter, their voices carried far away by the autumn evening breeze, more melodious than any music.
In the distance, from who knows where, came the beautiful sound of a zither.
It could be an elf wanting to dance at the masquerade ball, a musician's apprentice practicing all night, or... it doesn't matter at all.
Ashlin was determined not to let Aidan ruin her beautiful memories of music. When she heard those songs, they were hers.
A mad musician cannot change anything about her passions; she is still herself, music is still music, and magic is still magic.
Let her idol, who's allergic to cat hair, go cool off somewhere else.
Ashlin had been sleeping too much lately, and didn't get up until noon. This was her usual habit back in Foxtail Bay, since Sanova got up even later than her.
For the first time in a long time, she had no dreams all night.
Sanova replied to her letter, but it was shorter than before, and the handwriting was much clearer; perhaps he had finally started learning calligraphy.
Dear Ashlin:
I'm so sorry, I completely forgot where the letter was. I only saw your message while tidying up my room. I'm happy to tell you that I'm feeling very well.
I wonder if the party went smoothly? Forgive me for saying that I know very little about the art and magic of elves, so I can't help you.
Regarding your parents, I can only speculate that the blood of the forest was passed from your mother to you, and your mother was probably a forest witch. However, as you know, they lived in an era of anti-magic, and were likely persecuted by witch hunts, hiding you in the forest during their escape.
As for "sitting in the west and drinking tears", I did look up a lot of legends about tears during this period. One story caught my attention: hundreds of years ago, there was a knight-errant named Fernando who won the moon's sympathy with his tears.
I've been busy dealing with some illnesses in Hewan Village lately, and it's a bit tricky. If you'd like to investigate further, I suggest you look for information at the Wangcheng Library.
Finally, for the Space Scissors, you only need to draw a few runes on them with charcoal pencil; I've already drawn them for you on the back of the letter.
Wishing you all the best!
I love you.
Sanova
Ashlin followed Sanova's instructions and drew runes on the spatial scissors, which allowed her to retrieve items from her own table at home.
Of course, the spatial scissors weren't omnipotent; she could only reach her own desk and find a few pieces of paper and pens. In truth, she had no recollection of what was on the desk before she left, but with her memory, it was always better to have some energy replenished for the spatial scissors.
She opened the window, and the tits chirped sweetly. As the Ilovian sun shone on her face, she felt a pang of longing.
Despite all that has happened, Ilovia’s beauty has not diminished in the slightest. The death of the Divine Oak has not completely dampened the elves’ inspiration and spirit. And the failure of Aidan’s plan has brought the labyrinth’s dark magic to a halt with the death of the oak tree, preventing it from progressing any further.
Melia presented Aidan's incriminating evidence to all the citizens, but he alone became the object of the elves' hatred.
To be honest, this wonderful story has also sparked a lot of interest among artists, especially Laurel, who was involved in the story herself.
“Tell me all the details.” On the way to the main hall, she excitedly picked up her notebook and pulled a charcoal pencil from her hair. “Did the two boys fight over you? What did you see in the music? What is Aidan thinking?”
“First, of course not! Second, actually I don’t remember, because the amnesia potion worked later. As for the third…” Ashlin smiled, “You can visit him in the dungeon yourself. But Laurel, there’s something else I need to ask you.”
"No problem. But don't trust me too much, my memory is exceptionally bad."
“Promise me you’ll keep all your illegal paintings safe,” Ashlin said. “Your painting of Prince Lucas almost saved Aidan from punishment.”
Laurel immediately put on her most serious expression.
“If you’re really worried, I can paint over his face so it won’t be a Lucas painting.”
Ashlin knew the story wasn't over yet.
There was one thing she hadn't done yet.
Although the sacred oak tree is dead, the gift of the forest goddess cannot disappear, or the balance will be broken. The spirits need some new symbol, a new anchor, built upon the old soil.
And she, Ashleigh, could be its creator.
The vine statue of Sheeta.
Ashlin vaguely remembered that Sheeta's soul had become one with the vines. She wasn't sure how it happened, but it was certainly not accidental.
She stood before her artwork, holding her breath, as green magic flowed naturally from her palms.
When she opened her eyes again, Ilovia had disappeared, replaced by a pure white space.
The little fairy girl stood in the center.
"Ashline. Why did you wake me?"
Ashlin raised an eyebrow: "So you're living inside my creation now, Princess?"
"That's one way to understand it."
“I have a task for you,” Ashlin said earnestly. “Sheeta, the Divine Oak is dead, but the magic and art of the elves live on. They need a symbol like the Divine Oak to support them, to serve as… a spiritual pillar. I hope you can make your statue such a thing, like the Divine Oak of the past, to protect Ilovia. Can you do it?”
Hida gazed at her for a long time, then nodded.
"I think I can."
After they finished speaking, they both began to glow, until green and white light filled the entire space, eventually bursting and sending Ashlin back to reality.
Within Sheeta's vine statue, light flickered, neither as bright as a lantern during their previous spiritual conversations, nor as deathly still as when she slept; rather, it was in a state of equilibrium. She could awaken at any time if an important spirit called upon her.
“You did a great job,” Melia’s voice came from behind Ashlin.
The Elf Queen looked exactly the same as when Ashlin first met her, only much more tired. Yet, even with such weariness, she managed a forced smile.
“I’m so sorry,” Ashlind said instinctively.
"for what?"
"For your loss. Cliff, Sheida, Aidan... they were all your family."
Melia's gaze wandered.
"Yes. But as a queen, there are probably things far more important than simply mourning what is lost. Death gave me this gift only so that the immortals could glimpse a corner of the spirit world and cherish this life even more."
They stood there in front of Sheeta's statue until the last rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the western mountains.
The golden-red light outlined the edges of the curved buildings in Ilovania, like a spell beginning to work.
Ashlyn pushed open Lucas's door, then realized she had forgotten to knock, so she went back and knocked a few more times.
She stopped talking.
The sunlight had completely disappeared, but there was still only one black cat in the room.
“I think last night’s mutation wasn’t an accident,” the black cat said dejectedly. “The curse has really deepened.”
Author's note: I'll update more during the National Day holiday! [cheering emoji]
This chapter and the previous chapter are actually the same chapter.
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