The Ice Witch and Hughberlian sat on one side of the sofa in the middle of the Great Hall.
Dinner had already been laid out on the coffee table before them. The food was not especially abundant, but it was exquisite. Most of it consisted of soft, chewy pastries made by mixing wheat flour, a specialty of Gedalia, with Snow Dew. A gentle press caused them to release a faint floral fragrance. Their snow-white surfaces had been sprinkled with fruit-brewed rock sugar, making them resemble glistening snowflakes, each one sparkling with an alluring radiance.
Before long, the teacher and student had finished their meal together.
"Go get some rest. You have more lessons waiting for you tomorrow."
The Ice Witch smiled as she spoke to Hughberlian.
"All right, teacher. You should rest early too."
Hughberlian bid the Ice Witch farewell as well. Then she rose, bowed to her once more, and walked toward the exit of the Great Hall.
During this period, Hughberlian had spent almost every day with the Ice Witch. Sometimes she underwent special training, and sometimes she assisted the Ice Witch with the Church's affairs like a secretary. In short, she had been under the Ice Witch's care, and after a month, she had already become very familiar with the royal capital, Gedalia.
The Ice Witch had also mentioned in a letter to Dean Loren that Hughberlian was staying with her, and that his student Lanchi had probably gone to the Protos Empire alone. However, because the sea route was so long, even if everything went smoothly, Dean Loren in Ikelite on the Southern Continent would still need some time before he could receive the Church's confidential letter.
After leaving the Great Hall and closing the heavy stone door behind her, Hughberlian remained immersed in the insights