Red String

"Why did you buy so much miscellaneous stuff?"

Alicia, dressed in pajamas, carefully sorted through the ingredients on the table: eggplant, beef. There were no refrigerators in this era, so it was best to buy food and eat it the same day. There was not much food.

So food only made up a small portion of it. Most of it was materials Shaya had bought.

"Those are materials for making Thousand Mile Flying Boots," Arthur explained.

"Thousand Mile Flying Boots?" Alicia frowned. "What are those?"

"Put them on, and you can cross five kilometers in a single step."

Shaya came down the stairs carrying a large iron bucket filled with more materials. Thousand Mile Flying Boots were also magical items that had appeared in the novel.

Hal had made thousands of pairs of them for the royal family, and they were not difficult to make.

"Why make something like that?" Alicia asked.

She did not look surprised.

Compared to that door that could cross several thousand kilometers in the blink of an eye, boots that could cross only a few kilometers were hardly worth mentioning to her.

"We just ran into the Wilderness Witch!" Arthur said.

Alicia's pupils contracted slightly. "The Wilderness Witch? At Eagle's Corner?"

"Yes." Shaya murmured softly. "This is where Cassifa's true body is."

"Didn't you use a lot of magical items to conceal it?" Alicia asked with a frown. "And I didn't touch anything in your room. Why did she find this place?"

Shaya raised his eyes to look at her. "From the moment you came to this castle, its location had already been exposed."

Alicia parted her lips slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but could not. The Wilderness Witch's words from before surfaced in her mind.

"Tell Shaya that I will definitely find him."

She had actually been a little confused before. Why had the Wilderness Witch sought her out for no reason?

But now, everything seemed to have an answer.

So she had been bait.

Bait that allowed the witch to confirm Shaya's location.

But how had she known Alicia would definitely find Shaya?

Alicia's thoughts were a mess, and at that moment, there was something even more important.

She subconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes, bit her lip, and looked up at Shaya.

"You... knew all along?"

Shaya nodded. "I could tell you were cursed. In this world, only the Wilderness Witch uses this kind of curse."

"What else?"

Alicia looked at him, pressing her lips together. Her face burned, tears welling in her eyes. Her mind kept replaying how she had seriously pretended to be an old woman these past few days.

Every look and reaction Shaya had given in her memories now seemed to have turned into mockery.

"What else?" Shaya tilted his head in confusion.

Alicia fell silent. After a moment, she let out a long breath.

"Nothing."

"What? Alicia, you've been cursed?"

Arthur clearly had not noticed the strange atmosphere between them and asked anxiously instead.

"What curse did you get?"

"I was..."

Alicia opened her mouth, wanting to explain the curse, but an outside force sealed her lips. No matter how hard she tried to speak, she could not say a single word.

"She can't reveal anything about the curse," Shaya said. "That's part of the curse too."

"What a hateful person!" Arthur clenched his fists indignantly. "She really is a terrible villain. Alicia is such a good person, and she still bullies her!"

He looked at Shaya. "Shaya, you have to teach her a lesson!"

"If he could teach her a lesson, he wouldn't have been hiding all this time."

Alicia stopped trying to talk about the curse and sat down on a chair in front of the fireplace.

"It's not impossible, just not now," Shaya said calmly.

"So you're making those boots because you plan to run away?" Alicia asked.

"We're moving," Shaya said. "There are three of us, but only two rooms. This house is too small. We need a bigger one."

"Where are we moving to?" Alicia asked.

"I haven't decided yet, so I need to look around. I also need to find the locations of the other entrances."

Shaya looked at Arthur and Alicia and smiled.

"What kind of place would you like to live in?"

Alicia and Arthur exchanged a glance. Then Alicia continued.

"I thought we were talking about the Wilderness Witch."

"We are talking about the Wilderness Witch," Shaya said seriously. "Cassifa's location has been exposed, so I have to relocate him too, don't I?"

"If you don't give me any conditions, I'll choose for myself," Shaya said with a smile.

Alicia was silent for a moment before saying, "I want to go somewhere with the sea."

Shaya nodded. "That sounds easy enough to find."

He had not yet gone to see the peninsula Emperor Moria had given him. That place should be pretty good.

He looked at Arthur. "What about you?"

Arthur thought for a moment, then said excitedly, "I want to go somewhere with grasslands. I've lived in the Imperial Capital since I was little and have never even seen a plain."

"That's fine. Not difficult," Shaya said thoughtfully. "I'm also planning to open a shop. I just don't know what kind. How about a restaurant?"

"Too tiring," Alicia said. "If you open a restaurant, you have to get up at four or five in the morning to prepare ingredients, unless you hire someone to do it."

Shaya nodded. "Forget it. We'll talk about it after we move."

Then he looked at Alicia, took out a red string identical to the one he had previously given Mrs. Foster, and handed it to her.

"This is for you. There's a spell on it. Wear it, and your body will feel better. You won't get sick again in the future, either."

But Alicia did not take the red string. Shaya looked up at her in confusion.

She was staring blankly at the red string in Shaya's hand without saying anything.

"What's wrong?" Shaya asked.

She raised her head and looked at Shaya, an unreadable light flickering in her eyes. "I remember, you're from the East, right?"

Shaya nodded.

"Then do you know what giving someone a red string means?" Alicia asked.

"Health, peace, and for everything to go smoothly," Shaya said. He asked uncertainly, "Is there anything else?"

"No, you're right."

Alicia took the red string from Shaya's hand.

Her mother had been from the East, and Alicia had heard her tell many stories about it, such as the color red, which was very important to Easterners.

In Eastern legends, there was a god who governed marriage and fate, using a red string to bind the destinies of men and women together. So it also carried the meaning of love.

Of course, Alicia knew Shaya had not meant it that way.

She tied the red string around her right wrist. The little bell hanging from it let out a crisp chime. She could clearly feel her aching body becoming much lighter, and even her breathing became smoother.

The spell on this little thing was very useful. She turned her arm over, deliberately making the bell ring. Looking at the red string, she did not know why, but the corner of her lips lifted into an almost imperceptible curve. She looked very pleased.

Arthur stared fixedly at Alicia from the side, then suddenly said,

"Alicia, you seem to have gotten younger."

Alicia raised her brows. "Really?"

Arthur nodded seriously.

"Then it seems this thing really is useful," Alicia said as she looked at the loop of string.

"Then lunch is up to you today," Shaya said. "I need to hurry and finish making the boots."

Alicia knew the situation was somewhat urgent, so she did not say much. For her, cooking was a very enjoyable thing.

Shaya sat down at the workbench to one side and began making the Thousand Mile Flying Boots with the materials.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, someone suddenly knocked on the door at the side.

With the sudden knock, the entire first floor fell much quieter, apart from the sound of Shaya working on the magical item.

After learning that the Wilderness Witch had already arrived here, Alicia and Arthur were both a little nervous, unlike Shaya, who remained utterly unconcerned.

But then Cassifa spoke.

"Go open the door. If it really is the Wilderness Witch, I'll warn you. Don't worry, she can't get in."

Arthur slowly walked over and opened the door.

Two people stood outside: a man and a woman. The woman was naturally Mrs. Foster, whom they had met before. The man wore overalls and was slightly plump, tall and broad, with a round face and unshaven beard. Yet he looked rather pleasant and honest.

"Mr. Foster, Mrs. Foster." Alicia recognized them and asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Mr. Foster smiled and lifted the large fish in his hand, while Mrs. Foster spoke from beside him.

"We came to deliver fish."

Alicia nodded, assuming Shaya had ordered it from them, and asked,

"How much is it? I'll get the money for you."

"No need, no need." Foster smiled honestly. "I heard from Irene that you were sick. This fish is specially for you, to help you recover your strength."

Irene was probably Mrs. Foster's name.

"Besides, you've already given us our payment," Mrs. Foster said with a smile.

As she spoke, she raised her hand. With a soft chime from the bell, Alicia saw the red string hanging from her wrist, identical to the one she wore.

Her gaze froze along with it.