Madame Pualis

White clouds dotted the azure sky, and the spring breeze brushed human cheeks with the scent of trees. Beside the clear, briskly flowing river, white geese lowered their heads to graze while a girl in a grayish-white cloth dress watched them closely, a long stick in her hand.

Golden sunlight bathed the girl's face, revealing its fine down. A white cloth covered the crown of her long, smooth brown hair, and her delicate features radiated irrepressible youthful vitality.

She looked toward Lumian, who sat on the ground beneath a tree by the river, and frowned slightly. "Weren't we here to discuss which legend would be easier to investigate?

"How did we end up talking about the stone statues on the church?"

The girl was Ava Lizier, the shoemaker Guillaume's daughter, one of the few young people in the village who got along well with Lumian and Raymond.

"I was thinking about something." Lumian didn't look up, his gaze still fixed on the white geese and the rippling water.

"What?" asked Raymond Klegg, who was helping Ava tend the flock.

As though deep in thought, Lumian said, "If you came across a thick-skinned beast that your weapon couldn't hurt, how would you deal with it?"

"I'd find a way to escape, of course. There are so many beasts in the mountains. You don't have to hunt that particular one." Ava didn't see what was so difficult about this.

Lumian murmured an acknowledgment.

"What if the beast was especially rare, and the gentlemen in the city liked it enough to pay a hundred Gold Louis for its corpse?"

"A hundred Gold Louis, two thousand Felkine..." Even Raymond's breathing grew heavy.

He had never seen or used Gold Louis, so his first instinct was to convert the sum into Felkine.

With that much money, he could go to Dalege and start a small business. Why bother learning to herd sheep?

He thought quickly. "Borrow a hunting rifle from someone?"

"It wouldn't penetrate the beast's hide," Lumian rejected the idea outright.

Although Ava knew the quarry was imaginary and couldn't possibly earn them so much money, she couldn't help joining the discussion.

"Is it strong? Fierce?"

Lumian thought for a moment. "About the same as me."

That was one reason he hadn't given up.

"That's not too bad." Raymond felt oddly relieved. "Go back to the village and gather a group of people. Surround it, wear it out, then pin it down and tie it up."

He knew Lumian could fight, but he also knew his limits.

"Then you'd only get ten Gold Louis, or even less," Lumian reminded him.

"I've seen people hunt. Maybe you could dig a pit and make the beast fall in so it couldn't climb out..." Ava's lake-blue eyes shifted slightly as she spoke, recalling what she had seen.

"That could work." Lumian nodded in agreement.

Knowing Ava and Raymond's limited experience meant they were unlikely to offer any more suggestions, he steered the conversation back on track.

"Which legend do you think we should investigate next?"

"None of them." Ava shook her head. "They either happened hundreds of years ago, or only one person saw anything, and that person died long ago."

Raymond agreed with Ava.

"Exactly."

"How do you know there aren't any clues if you don't ask the people involved?" Lumian clicked his tongue and grinned. "You two have no perseverance. You want to give up as soon as things get difficult. At this rate, you'll spend your whole lives tending geese and herding sheep."

His words sent anger surging through both Ava and Raymond.

When it came to irritating people, Lumian certainly ranked among the best in Cordou Village.

Ava blurted out:

"I said none of them were suitable because there's something better."

"What is it?" Lumian's eyes lit up.

Ava regretted her words almost as soon as she said them, but she had intended to tell them about it anyway. She just hadn't wanted to let Lumian and Raymond hear it so easily.

After a few seconds of silence, she glared at Lumian.

"There's a real witch in the village."

"Who?" Lumian's heart tightened.

She couldn't mean Aurora, could she?

If even Ava knew Aurora was a Warlock, he and Aurora would have to flee Cordou Village at once and live somewhere else, before the Inquisition came to pay them a "visit."

Ava instinctively glanced around and lowered her voice. "Madame Pualis."

The administrator's wife, the Parish Priest's mistress, Madame Pualis? Lumian found it hard to believe.

"Really?"

If Pualis really was a witch, how could she have failed to notice him when he discovered her affair with the Parish Priest?

"No way!" Raymond was astonished.

Ava rose onto her tiptoes and looked toward the village entrance.

"I'm not sure. Charlie, the administrator's manservant, let it slip once and told me.

"He said Madame Pualis was a messenger of souls. She can speak to the souls of the dead and help them return home. He also said she can make secret potions and charms."

Lumian listened carefully, but he still couldn't tell whether it was true.

With magazines such as Spiritism, Lotus, and Veil of Mystery being legally published, it wouldn't be particularly strange for the administrator's wife to know a few terms and put on an act that fooled the servants and villagers.

"Should we report her to the church? Wouldn't we get a good reward?" Raymond was both frightened and hopeful.

Lumian considered for a few seconds. "If the administrator's manservant knows Madame Pualis is a witch, then the administrator himself should know too, right?"

"Yes," Ava confirmed.

Lumian continued, "Madame Pualis is also the Parish Priest's mistress. If we report her to the church, we'll probably be sent straight to the administrator's house."

"What?"

"Madame Pualis is the Parish Priest's mistress?"

Ava and Raymond were both shocked.

"I saw it with my own eyes." Lumian chuckled. "Pretend you don't know anything about this, and don't tell anyone. Otherwise, I'm afraid you might disappear one day."

Ava and Raymond both agreed, their expressions exceedingly solemn.

They were both deeply afraid of the Parish Priest, and this matter involved a witch as well.

"If we can confirm that Madame Pualis is a witch, we'll find a chance to go to Dalege and tell the Bishop during Grand Mass," Lumian reassured them.

"Yes." Raymond nodded firmly.

They had to confirm it before reporting her. Otherwise, if the investigation ultimately found nothing wrong with Madame Pualis, they would be finished.

With that conversation over, Lumian stood up, unwilling to waste any more time, and said to Ava and Raymond, "I'm going back to study, or Aurora will come chasing me with a stick.

"You two take good care of the geese."

"All right." Raymond grew excited at the thought that he and Ava would have the place to themselves for a while.

Ava, however, was a little unhappy.

As he approached Cordou Village, Lumian began concealing his movements, constantly watching for anyone nearby.

He was worried that the Parish Priest and his companions still wouldn't leave him alone and were waiting for an opportunity.

From what he had observed, the Parish Priest, Guillaume Béné, was a very persistent man who always retaliated when he suffered a setback.

Keeping out of sight, Lumian made his way toward the old tavern.

Suddenly, he heard a jingling sound.

Lumian turned his head and saw the three outsiders, Ryan, Lya, and Valentine, on the side road to his left. They were walking toward Naroka and the others, who were picking lice off one another.

The clear, pleasant jingling came from the four small silver bells on Lya's veil and boots.

They've been wandering around the village these past two days, chatting with people and asking all sorts of questions. Who knows what they're trying to do... Lumian felt both puzzled and wary.

Remembering the village square that had been deserted the other day, and the shepherd Pierre Berri, who had come all the way back specifically to attend the Lent Festival, he had an uneasy premonition. Something felt strange.

Is something going to happen in the village? Lumian decided to tell Aurora about all this later and let his experienced, knowledgeable, and wise sister judge.

Soon, he entered the old tavern without trouble and saw the woman who had given him the Tarot card sitting in her usual corner, eating.

Lumian approached and glanced at her food.

"Eggs fried in pork fat?

"Isn't that too greasy?"

In the Dalege Region, this dish was the first choice for ordinary households entertaining honored guests, but Lumian thought a woman from a big city might find it oily and rich.

The lady leisurely took a bite of the golden egg and closed her eyes to savor it.

"It's quite good. A local specialty, and very fragrant."

"Having lunch this early?" Lumian sat opposite her.

A hint of weariness showed in the lady's pale-blue eyes as she smiled and said, "This is breakfast."

Do you know what time it is already... Lumian didn't dare say it aloud.

He glanced around the old tavern, which had few customers, and lowered his voice.

"I saw some ruins in my dream and encountered a monster."

"Oh." The lady wasn't surprised at all. Her expression even held a hint of amusement that Lumian couldn't understand.

Lumian steadied himself and recounted everything that had happened, then asked, "How should I deal with a monster like that?"

The lady smiled and asked in return, "Is it dead or alive?"

"It's definitely alive. I couldn't kill it..." Lumian stopped his instinctive reply.

He gave it some serious thought, then spoke more slowly. "I could feel it breathing. It should still be alive."

"If it's alive, then try a few more things. Cut off its head this time, pour oil over it and burn it next time, bury it alive the time after that. Perhaps it'll die?" the lady suggested casually as she enjoyed her breakfast. "Come back to me when you've tried all sorts of methods and none of them work. I'm not your nanny, here to help with every little thing. Learn to think of solutions yourself first."

She's actually quite friendly... Lumian felt neither disappointed nor discouraged, because she seemed to mean that if he truly encountered great danger, he could come to her and she would offer some help. A monster like this, however, wasn't worth mentioning.

But what isn't worth mentioning to her is a very real problem for me... Lumian's head began to ache again.

He decided to do as the lady had said and first see whether beheading, burning, or burying it alive would work.