The children, excited and thrilled, surrounded Tilis.
"Sister is a supernatural being!!"
"What abilities does Sister have? Can Sister transform?"
"Sister, can you teach me? I also want to become a great hero who protects the city!"
"...I..." Tilis' face showed a hint of helplessness; she really wasn't good at dealing with kids.
And how was she supposed to tell these children...
She wasn't a great hero protecting the city; she was a wicked witch wanted by the city, a threat to human society.
Not only would she not protect the city, but she had also tried multiple times to destroy it...
"This sister can't transform, but she can perform magical spells!" Luo Wei laughed as he explained.
"Wow!!!"
The children's eyes sparkled with amazement.
In the regular education of ordinary citizens, magic and witchcraft are not considered the same thing, nor are wizards and evil witches considered the same type of people.
However, insiders know that these two things are essentially the same.
The reason they are deliberately differentiated is simply propaganda by the empire and the church.
Magic that can be applied to Magical Industry is good—it's magic; magic that is not controlled by official supernatural organizations is bad—it's witchcraft.
Therefore, even organizations like the Magic Monastic Order, which have been passed down from the era of the Magic Empire, are regarded as black witch gangs. If they appear in the empire, they will be ruthlessly annihilated.
After everyone became familiar with each other, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly lively.
Upon hearing that Luo Wei and Tilis would be spending the New Year with them, the three women also smiled with joy and worked even more diligently to prepare dinner.
Since their husbands couldn't return home, a well-prepared dinner was meant to be enjoyed with a lively group!
The old lady looked fondly at the mischievous children, who showed no intention of letting go of Tilis, bombarding her with questions about her magic.
"Sister! What kind of magic can you do?"
"Please, Sister, just show us one spell!"
"I heard that the Royal Magicians of His Majesty can create beautiful fireworks; can Sister do that too?"
"...I..." Tilis looked pleadingly at Luo Wei, unsure what to do. Her magic wasn't something she could just casually demonstrate...
Moreover, what could she show them? With her magic, one small mistake could kill countless people; wouldn't the children be terrified and start crying?
Seeing Luo Wei's indifference, even enjoying the situation, Tilis's face twisted in frustration.
She was growing increasingly annoyed with children...
Luo Wei couldn't help but smile as he watched the witch being pestered by the kids.
It seemed she had fallen into a social anxiety nightmare, looking utterly pitiful.
Maybe I should help her... Luo Wei thought of an idea.
Suddenly.
Just as the warm atmosphere filled the room, the lights flickered and then plunged everything into darkness.
The women cried out in alarm.
"Did the gas lamp break?"
"We just filled it with kerosene today; how could it be out again?"
Luo Wei quickly soothed them, "Don't worry, the light will come back soon!"
As he spoke, he squeezed Tilis's hand in the darkness, signaling that this was her chance to showcase her magic.
In the dark, Tilis let out a helpless groan.
"Really, you have no idea..."
A moment later, a bright light suddenly lit up in the dark room, and the family turned to look at the source of the light.
Tilis performed a basic Level 1 lighting spell, and under her skilled control, the light slowly ascended to the ceiling, replacing the room's original illumination.
Luo Wei stroked his chin, still not fully satisfied.
"The light is too cold. It's a New Year's dinner; you should adjust the lighting spell to a warmer tone."
Tilis shot him an annoyed look.
But she listened and with a slight wave of her hand, the cold blue light suddenly changed to a warm yellow glow, like a incandescent bulb.
"Are you satisfied now?" Tilis turned to him.
Luo Wei nodded, "That's better."
The children immediately erupted into excited chatter; they had never seen anything so amazing.
"Magic Sister! You're so amazing! Can I learn this?"
"If only I could do magic too; then we wouldn't have to worry about money for kerosene anymore!"
Faced with the children's bright, hopeful eyes, Tilis smiled wryly and shook her head.
"Magic isn't something beautiful..."
It brings madness and destruction.
She patiently warned the children, "And wizards aren't good people. If you ever see someone who can do magic, don't go near them; you must stay far away!"
A little boy looked up at her, puzzled.
"But..."
"But Sister, aren't you a good person? You defeated the bad guys and lit up our home. Why do you say wizards aren't good people?"
A little girl immediately nodded, "Yes! Sister is a wizard, and Sister is a good person! We won't stay far away from Sister!"
Hearing these innocent words, Tilis opened her mouth to respond but didn't know what to say...
Am I a good person?
Tilis smiled bitterly. How could that be...
I'm just a witch, hated and unrecognized by the world...
Evil witch...
I grew up in the Magic Monastic Order, witnessing how they treated humans. Even if I disliked it, there were many things I couldn't escape...
Tilis's eyes flickered as she fell silent.
The children didn't understand why this pretty sister, who had just seemed fine, suddenly became so quiet.
"Brother, brother..." A little girl tugged at Luo Wei's hand, worriedly asking, "What's wrong with Sister?"
Luo Wei shook his head, inwardly complaining.
She's having an "episodic heaviness" and "internal consumption personality" attack, and there's no cure for this illness...
Despite his internal grumbling, Luo Wei gently took Tilis's hand.
The witch turned to him, her face crumpled.
Luo Wei smiled and gently tapped her forehead, "Are you thinking about those unnecessary things again? Today is our date, and it's New Year's; can't you just be happy?"
Tilis rubbed her forehead and pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Oh..."
Feeling it was better not to dampen everyone's spirits, she forced a smile.
"Alright, I won't think about it. When can we eat...?"
One of the women bustling in the kitchen called out, "Almost there, just a little longer!"
The children's curiosity quickly shifted, and they ran to their mothers, eagerly watching the food being prepared.
Only Luo Wei and Tilis remained in the living room. Although Tilis's expression had calmed, Luo Wei knew she was still dwelling on what had happened.
The witch's innate nature was undoubtedly kind, but tragically, she was part of the most wanted black witch organization.
If she had been subtly influenced and transformed, it would have been less tragic, but even more tragic was that she had remained true to herself all these years...
Luo Wei looked at her intently. "You can't choose your birth, but you can choose your life."
Purple eyes met Luo Wei's.
"You mean... you want me to leave the organization?"
Luo Wei shrugged, "I didn't say that. The choice is yours."
Some things can't be persuaded; she will eventually figure it out herself.
In this Dream Illusion, Tilis hasn't experienced those life-and-death partings and despair yet, so she still carries a touch of childish innocence. In reality, it's not like that.
Last time during the restart, she killed the two elders and all her fellow mages without blinking.
"Leaving the Monastic Order isn't that simple..." Tilis said with a smile. "First, my teacher won't agree. Do you know how powerful she is? Second, the elders would definitely hunt me down."
"That's not a concern," Luo Wei waved it off casually.
Your teacher is already dead anyway.
Tilis gave a puzzled look.
As the two fell silent, the women brought all kinds of dishes into the living room.
"Dinner is ready! Dinner is ready!"
"Yay!!!" The children excitedly hopped onto their chairs.
The family didn't actually have a dining room, so all nine of them crowded into the small living room to eat. The elderly woman asked Luo Wei and Tilis to sit in the empty chairs once occupied by the men of the household. After a sincere pre-meal prayer, the lively New Year's feast finally began in earnest.
Luo Wei looked at the steaming dishes on the table, which included pumpkin pie, sausages, stewed beans, smoked bacon, roasted potatoes, and a pot of yellow mush that was impossible to distinguish the ingredients of...
All of these were very ordinary and common ingredients. The most presentable dish in the entire New Year's feast was the roasted turkey placed in the center, though it was unusually small, like a dwarf turkey...
Despite the elderly woman repeatedly emphasizing that this was a "New Year's feast" that had been prepared for a long time, making it sound very promising, the meal still didn't quite live up to the title of "feast."
However, Luo Wei wasn't disappointed. This was already the best the family could offer for the New Year.