229 229 A Gentle Nudge
The witches lined up outside Wolfe’s room that evening were strangely silent. A combination of the nervousness about the process that would help repair the damage to their auras as well as the slightly oppressive pressure of the increased mana density in that hallway, gave the whole lineup an air of solemnity that nobody could seem to break.
Many of them had done this before, and while it was a startling experience, there was no need for such a serious atmosphere, but the pressure of the mana-gathering array kept them from lightening the mood.
It wasn’t just the hallway, though. Even the Second Rank witches were beginning to give off a similar air of power that the rest of the witches could feel right down to their bones, warning them that the more powerful witches were in charge by their very nature.
The feeling of dominant power was at direct odds with their appearance, though, especially Mary, whose bubblegum pink hair was beginning to fade to a natural blonde as her hair dye wore out.
When she had left, she had forgotten to pack any, and she had been too distracted to recolour it with magic since she arrived at the den. There was always something for her to do, and dyeing her hair was way down the list of priorities.
“Good evening, everyone. If you’re waiting for your turn to have your mana veins repaired, please wait off to the side so that others can get by. Dinner service will be extended tonight, as everyone is so busy.” The tiny witch informed the others as they made their way to the back of the line.
Inside the bedroom, seated in a newly created armchair that sat at the height of a barstool so that he was closer to the same height as his visitors, Wolfe was marvelling at how easy it was to do the repairs to the witches now that he had advanced again.
It was little more than a touch and a thought now. He barely even had to move mana through them to break the corruption free from their organs, then pull it back and out of their pores before he made sure that all the Mana Veins were linked and finished the process with a gentle stretch of the repaired pathways.
That made the sensation much less extreme until the final step, where he stretched their Mana Veins. Not only did the change make Cassie happy, but the reduced sensation during the early phases also made it easier for the witches to endure and reduced the distractions from the witches waiting in line, teasing them.
That still happened, of course, but only in the last few seconds.
“Next,” Wolfe called out, and the golden-eyed witch that he brought back today stepped up to his chair.
Her aura was completely gone, the same as the original five servants had been when they first returned, but she was still in good spirits, as she hadn’t realized yet that it wasn’t just a lingering side effect of the aura-blocking wristbands.
“You’ve taken more damage than most, so it will take a while for your aura to recover, but I think that I should be able to get you back to your original strength within the next few weeks,” Wolfe informed her with a smile.
“A few weeks is nothing. By the time spring is fully on us and the snow is turned to mud, I should be right as the spring rain.” She replied optimistically.
“That’s the attitude. Now here we go.”
The next few witches in line whistled and giggled as her eyes went wide, and a slight moan escaped her lips, betraying her attempts to keep silent as the process finished and Wolfe worked to expand her veins.
She must have been powerful to begin with because her veins were already quite well developed, just blocked by the damage of the Nerve Gas, so his estimation should be right. She would recover very quickly, even without the help of the Den or further treatments.
“Thank you.” She smiled at Wolfe, then made her way out of the room to be replaced by a hooded witch that Wolfe didn’t recognize.
Once she stepped up, Wolfe immediately realized why he didn’t recognize her. This wasn’t one of the local witches. It was a witch-born child from a nearby village who had come to deliver a message and had joined the lineup once she heard what was going on today.
It’s not like she had anything to lose. Her message was delivered, and she wouldn’t be heartbroken even if they told her not to come back. Messenger duty was dangerous, and she would happily stay inside the village in the future if her actions had upset the Demon and his witches.
“Oh, a young one. Good timing. It is much easier to repair the damage when you are at the right age.” Wolfe welcomed her with a wink.
The girl looked startled but refrained from speaking for fear that the witches around her would pick out her accent and realize that she wasn’t from the Covens.
ƥαṇdαηθνε|
Wolfe got to work, and only the barest hint of the liquid curse was forced out along with the dust, but it was enough to tell Cassie and Ella, who were standing beside Wolfe, that this witch was still underage and not someone from the Coven Armies.
There were some civilian villagers among the rescued groups, but they had all been of age since the army was only taking prisoners who had an aura at the time.
They didn’t try to stop her, though, and Wolfe cleared up the blockages fully in only a few minutes with a gentle stretch to her Mana Veins to finish the process. It was much less than the amount that he would do to an older witch whose veins had time to develop, but it was enough to bring out a hint of aura.
“Tell your mother, if she’s still alive, that we would like you to come here for training. We have the basic Academy textbooks along with a lot of experienced teachers.” Wolfe told her quietly so that the witches in line couldn’t hear.
The girl nodded rapidly, then bolted out of the room before anyone could say another word.
Cassie smiled at Wolfe. “Well, that was interesting. I wonder how far she came to get here? From what I recall, only one village within thirty kilometres has a witch, and her daughter is already here.”
“I’m not sure, but I suspect that we will see her soon enough.”