"You are the last, come closer!" Andras called to her.
The white‑haired girl approached him cautiously.
"What is your name?" he asked.
The girl spoke her name so softly it was almost inaudible.
Then one of the orphan girls shouted:
"She's the witch!"
Another cried out:
"Yes, the ugly witch!"
"Say it once more—what is your name?" Andras requested.
"N… Noelle," the girl whispered.
"So, Noelle. Are you a witch?"
Anita, the female knight, immediately reached for the hilt of her sword, but Andras gestured for her to stay calm. The two caretakers looked on in fright, while the other children fell silent. Noelle's eyes filled with tears, standing on the very brink of crying.
"Everything's fine, Noelle," Andras said calmly. "I won't hurt you. Take a deep breath, let it out, and then answer my question. Are you a witch?"
"N… No," the girl replied.
"And tell me, Noelle. What do you want to be when you grow up? A witch, or rather a maidservant?"
"A maidservant."
"Correct answer. Here, this gingerbread is yours."
This little girl really is something else.
Name: Noelle
Age: 8 years
Race: Half‑elf
Gender: Female
Class: Orphan
Element: Water, Earth
Her hair was white as freshly fallen snow. Her eyes were violet, beautiful like gemstones. And her ears… those pointed ears, I'd love to touch them! But I must restrain myself. And if that weren't enough, she has two elements! The other girls don't even have one, and she has two! An incredible dormant talent. No wonder that in the Evil Future she became one of the Demon Generals. This is so exciting! Her class is still only "orphan." So she is not yet the White Witch! If I appoint her as my maidservant and train her as a mage, then instead of becoming the White Witch, she could even become a Magical Maidservant! That's every gamer soul's dream, for those who are people of culture. A true Magical Maidservant!
Noelle was eating her gingerbread. She had never tasted anything so delicious, so sweet. It was the first time she had ever experienced the taste of honey. The other children had long since finished theirs. The two caretakers herded the girls back into line. Noelle too ran back to the end of the row.
Noelle popped the last bite of gingerbread into her mouth. In the hall, everyone watched curiously to see what the young Lord's next move would be.
"Well then, girls, you all did well," Andras spoke. "You sang the song beautifully, I'd gladly hear it again another time. The remaining gingerbread can be shared among the younger orphans—I brought some for them too. Noelle, go pack your things, you're coming with us! From now on you are my maidservant! The rest of you may go."
A great silence fell over the line. Suddenly everyone was stunned that Noelle had been chosen as maidservant. Even the two caretakers were surprised. No one dared speak or ask why he had chosen the very girl who had been shunned in the orphanage and mocked as a witch. In that moment nearly all the other girls felt envy toward Noelle, but none of them ever again dared call her "ugly witch."
Noelle was a very beautiful girl. As a half‑elf, she had inherited her beauty from elven blood. Her snow‑white hair and pointed ears set her apart from the others—that was why they had mocked her, not because they knew she had magical talent. In the Evil Future, the Wolfwoods may have chosen her as maidservant for her extraordinary beauty. But the Earthly Andras chose her because of his mission—and even if there had been no mission, he would still have chosen the half‑elf girl. The Young Wolf adored elven girls and their pointed ears.
It didn't take Noelle long to pack her belongings, since she had nothing besides the clothes she wore. She straightened her bed one last time, said goodbye to the others, and quickly hurried to the Young Wolf.
Andras asked Anita to let Noelle ride on her horse, seated in the knight's lap. He himself shared a saddle with Xaba for the first half of the return journey, and with Jula for the second. Curious to see which was more comfortable, he realized: neither. He resolved that from now on he would only share a saddle with female knights.
The one‑hour ride back passed quickly. Noelle sat silently the whole way, while Anita grumbled the entire time about not being able to travel with her lord.
When they arrived back at the castle, the three Wolf Knights returned to the Knights' courtyard. Andras led Noelle up to his chamber. The half‑elf girl gazed in awe at the vast fortress. Until now she had only seen it from afar. She had never imagined that a building could be so immense, so monumental.
"We've arrived, Noelle," Andras said, presenting it. "This is my room. Here's my bed—as you can see, four people could easily fit in it. And here's the big mirror. It's for checking whether your abs are developing properly every day."
On the shelves stood rows of hand‑carved figurines. Most were Wolf Knight collectibles, but three larger pieces had their own special place.
"The one in the center is Neptune Goddess, protector of our world. Between us, her true name is Uriel, and she's not a goddess but an archangel. Don't tell anyone, or they'll mock you for it. On the left is the Valkyrie Mage, Elisabeth—we just call her Eli. She was a member of the Hero's Party a thousand years ago. On the right is Sakura Dry, the Valkyrie Knight. The greatest swordswoman in the world, she was part of the Hero's Party five hundred years ago. All three of them are really great."
"That big cabinet is my wardrobe," Andras continued. "The toilet is at the end of the corridor. I have my own stall, that one is only for me. The ones next to it you can use. Your room will be right beside mine, so you'll always be close, since you'll be my personal maidservant. And since we're only eight years old, I think it's fine if you sleep in my bed for the first few nights, until you get used to the castle and the dark rooms. After that, once you're comfortable, you can sleep in your own room if you want. But I don't mind if you'd rather keep sleeping here with me. Do you have any questions?"
"When will we eat?" Noelle asked.
"There are three main meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At first the maidservants brought food to my room, but I prefer eating in the kitchen, because everything is at hand there. So for some time now I've been eating in the kitchen, and that's where we'll go. But there are always fruits, nuts, and scone on the table—you can eat from those anytime. If you feel like it now, go ahead. Which fruit is your favorite?"
"Apples. But I also love raspberries and strawberries," Noelle replied.
"Apples are always available, raspberries and strawberries only in summer. If I'm right, their season is coming soon. And what about scone—do you like it?"
"I don't know, I've never eaten it."
"It's my favorite snack. What cheese is to mice, scone is to me. There's cheese, crackling, potato… recently I asked the cook to try some herbs, maybe one of them will make a tasty new scone. But she hasn't told me yet if she succeeded in creating a new recipe. Once you've finished your apple, you can wash your hands in the corner. I know fruit always makes your hands sticky."
"What fruit do you like best?" Noelle asked.
"Me? I like all of them. I eat apples every day, usually after training. Then it depends on the season… grapes, for example, are in season in autumn. And then there's plenty of them. They make wine from it, so people can enjoy the taste of grapes even in winter."
"But we're still too young for wine," Andras explained. "Once we reach fifteen, we'll get properly drunk at least once, but until then we mustn't drink it."
"Why not?" Noelle asked.
"Because until then it's like poison. It makes you sick, the world spins around you, you get dizzy and vomit everywhere. You'll be very ill if you drink it before you're fifteen."
"I see. I was sick once too," Noelle admitted. "I felt really bad. My tummy hurt, I vomited, and I even wet myself."
"Wow, that must have been unpleasant," Andras replied. "But let's talk about something else."
"Alright," Noelle nodded.