Roland knocked on the door, heard the nightingale's answer, and then pushed the door and walked into the room.

The room is hung with thick curtains, which are only opened in the early morning and late afternoon to let in air, and closed at other times to keep warm and shade the light.

The only source of light came from the two candlesticks at the foot of the bed, which burned silently, casting two intertwined shadows on the furnishings of the room.

He walked over to the bed and sighed softly at the woman who was still unaware of her eyes buried in the soft velvet pillows and bedding.

"Is the border line okay?" said Nightingale and handed him a glass of warm water.

"Everything is going well," Roland took a casual sip and handed her back the cup, "I haven't encountered a large herd of evil beasts since that day. After the wounded militiamen returned intact, the fighting enthusiasm of all became ...... Some are high. ”

"Where are the walls broken?"

"Karl used the rolling log to move the carapace of the hybrid beast to the breach, and hoisted it up with a winch and a wooden frame so that it became part of the city wall," Roland knew that the nightingale had asked to distract himself from worrying too much. But as soon as he stepped into the room, his whole consciousness couldn't help but converge on the sleeping woman on the bed.

If the last time she was able to achieve a proud victory in the face of a large-scale invasion of evil beasts, the biggest hero was undoubtedly Anna, and if she hadn't sealed the gap in the wall with flames, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

However, after she fainted in her arms, she never woke up.

"It's been a week," Roland whispered.

Theoretically, if a person is in a coma, does not eat or drink for a week, and does not have a direct supply of nutrients from the outside world (such as injections), the body functions will fall into failure, and the brain will gradually die in shock. But Anna showed no signs of being weakened or critically ill - at least much better than she had been when she first collapsed. Her cheeks were rosy, her breathing was steady, and she could feel the warmth of ordinary people even when she put her hand on her forehead. Everything indicates that Anna is in good health, but ...... Can't wake up.

"It's the first time I've ever been in a situation like this," Nightingale shook her head, "the magic in her body was drained in that battle, but now it's saturated, and even more so than ever. If I'm not wrong, midnight today will be her coming of age. ”

"Are you saying she's going to be an adult in a coma?"

"No, she will die in a coma," said Nightingale bluntly, "and the pain of adulthood must be overcome by will, and once resistance is abandoned, the magic of the backlash will irreversibly destroy the witch's body." ”

Roland moved a chair and sat down on the edge of the bed, "But I remember you said that when the demon devours the body, no matter how painful it is, the consciousness will always remain awake, and you can either survive this level or choose to end your life. ”

"Indeed, there were people in the Mutual Aid Society who tried to use a coma to survive the demon devourer, and it was not yet the age of adulthood...... It's just the torture that you have to endure once a year," Nightingale continued, hesitating, "and she's relying on alchemical potions to put herself to sleep, but it's pointless...... She instantly reawakened when the magic returned, and lost the ability to resist. ”

"Isn't this pain gradually increasing?"

"No, when that moment comes, the pain will come like thunder, but how long it lasts varies from person to person. My sister isn't strong enough, it's just ......" her voice lowered.

Roland understood what she meant, and that such an indefinite sentence was itself a kind of torture, and she didn't know how long she had held out, and she didn't know how long she would have to hold on - like a lonely boat adrift on a rough sea, it was easy to give up the desire to survive.

In silence, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"In my years of exile, I have seen too many deaths, witches treated like livestock, hanged, burned, or tortured to death by the nobility as a tool for amusement. Witches who are lucky enough to escape can only stay away from the crowd and live in isolation. And the Holy Mountain, where it is located, is only an unattainable luxury in their hearts," the nightingale's voice was softer than ever, "but Anna is different, for the first time I have seen anyone care so much about a witch except for the sisters of the Mutual Aid Society. She was needed, valued, and treated like a normal person...... Your Highness, even if Anna does not survive adulthood, she has already found her holy mountain. ”

But that wasn't what he had hoped for, and Roland closed his eyes, recalling the time he had met her.

She was barefoot, her clothes were tattered, she was in a cage, but there was no fear on her face, and her eyes were like the surface of a lake that had never been polluted, clear and calm.

She is a flame, but she does not jump away like a flame.

The picture rotates one by one, like a marquee.

"I've satisfied your curiosity, my lord, can you kill me now?"

"I've never hurt anyone with it. 」

"I just want to stay by His Highness's side, that's all. 」

"The Demon Devourer can't kill me, I'll defeat it. 」

"Are you dreaming? I'm not going anywhere. 」

......

Roland suppressed his surging thoughts and whispered, "I'll be with her until the last moment." ”

"Me too, and ...... Thank you. ”

After dinner, Nanawa also arrives, and when she hears that Anna is about to reach adulthood, she insists on staying. Roland had to arrange an extra room on the second floor for Tigu Pyne, who had accompanied him, to spend the night.

In this way, Roland and the two witches sat around the bed, quietly waiting for midnight to fall.

As for Nightingale and Nanava, they will also have to suffer from the Demon Devourer this winter, but fortunately, everyone's awakening day is different, otherwise all three witches will be tested by unknown life and death at the same time, and Roland reckons that he will no longer be able to pretend to be calm in his room.

There is no clock tower in the town, and in the room with the candlelight lit, the passage of time becomes blurred. The cold wind blew against the windows, and from time to time you could hear the screeching of air as it swept through the cracks in the windows. Just when Roland felt a hint of tiredness hit his heart, the nightingale suddenly said, "There begins." ”

Only she could see that the magic in Anna's body began to become uneasy, the green flame became more and more intense, the center turned from incandescent to dark, and the manic magic converged towards the center, as if it was pulled by something, it struggled and rolled, but to no avail.

Roland couldn't see the changes, but he also sensed something was wrong.

The flame at the top of the candle swayed, and there was no wind in the room. The light from the flames grew dimmer and dimmer, as if it were being swallowed up by the shadows around it, and then the color of the flame tip changed—the orange-red glow turned into a faint green flame.

He looked at the woman in the bed, Anna was still asleep, her face unchanged, as if none of this had anything to do with her.

At this time, the candle flame was almost completely hidden - not that the flame was extinguished, but that the green flame was devouring the orange-red part little by little, until the light was completely gone, and everyone was plunged into darkness.

But soon, the fire was lit again. Only this time, the flame on the candlestick turned pure turquoise. The three of them stared at each other in a green light, a little difficult to understand what was going on.

At this moment, Anna's groan drew the eyes of all three to her.

She slowly opened her eyes.

"Anna......" Roland was stunned, she woke up?

The woman blinked, smiled at him, and then stretched out her right hand, spread its palm, and handed it to the prince.

A green fire jumped out of the palm of his hand and burned quietly.

For some reason, Roland felt that he understood what the other person meant. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly inserted his finger into the flames, but the expected burning sensation did not come, only the softness and warmth as if wrapped in warm water.