episode_0050

The scene where the common mana bullet shattered the white waves seemed quite impressive.

After the somewhat lackluster battle ended, those who participated in the fight all looked towards me and cheered in unison.

“Wowww – !”

A sense of relief at having survived another day.

The exhilaration born from an overwhelming victory.

The satisfaction of cleanly dealing with detestable beings.

Various emotions were conveyed through the cheers, and I…

“Heh, heh…”

I quietly flipped the hood attached to my robe and started chuckling.

Although I’m not sure what feats I accomplished in this battle, it was burdensome to receive so much attention.

Not just one or two people, but nearly hundreds chanting “Hooray for the witch.”

While not unpleasant, the feeling of being overwhelmed was so strong that it overshadowed any joy.

“Kal.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll go ahead and secure a room. You know the sign with the cat’s pawprint? Head there…”

“Oh, okay.”

I hastily retreated from the battlefield and dashed towards the inn faster than ever before.

“Heh… Heh…”

As I arrived at the crowded street lined with inns, I stopped by the roadside and caught my breath.

“Phew… I thought I was going to die from embarrassment.”

If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have controlled my strength a bit.

Or maybe I overestimated Arc Lich and his forces.

He easily withstood the minions of evil, so I tried channeling even more mana, not expecting Winter’s forces to crumble so easily.

Recalling the rather pathetic display of Winter’s forces, I let out a long sigh.

“This could get tricky.”

I attracted too much attention.

If my profession were a mercenary, I would have seized the opportunity to raise my price, but unfortunately, I was just a commoner who wanted to live peacefully, so this kind of attention was more of a curse.

Moreover…

“…She will probably come, most likely.”

The owner of this land, known as the Northern Grand Duchess, will definitely come looking for me.

And she will make things very troublesome for me.

Having marked the end of Winter’s reign in her territory and preparing for the arrival of Spring.

“I should be prepared to deal with her. But then…”

Thinking that the Northern Grand Duchess would come looking for me, I started to feel an ominous sensation for some reason.

Come to think of it, isn’t she currently looking for a suitor?

I remember in the final episodes when Kal mentioned that she would welcome anyone who could defeat her as a potential husband…

“Kal… He’s probably not stronger than the Northern Grand Duchess, right?”

In the original work, by the end of the Northern episodes, Kal was certainly weaker than the Northern Grand Duchess.

He reached his peak after the epic battle in ‘Paradise.’

So perhaps that’s why he didn’t pay much attention to being weaker than her, but now, he has already risen to the occasion after numerous battles against strong opponents.

Which means…

“Nah, it can’t be.”

I chuckled dryly and shook my head once again.

Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary will happen.

That fierce woman known as the Northern Grand Duchess wouldn’t suddenly switch gears and go after Kal, right?

Even if she did, the fact that he likes me should keep him steady…

“What am I thinking?”

It seems like I’ve been under quite a bit of stress from the battlefield.

My thoughts keep drifting in strange directions.

I should probably lie down on the inn room bed and rest; that might help.

After a nap, I should feel a bit better.

—–

“Ugh…”

Is it because I skipped lunch and fell asleep?

The next morning, I thought I could sleep well until morning, but the intense hunger woke me up quite early.

Judging by the slightly reddish part of the sky, it was roughly early evening or late evening.

Fortunately, it was time for a meal, so after tidying myself up a bit, I headed to the restaurant on the first floor of the inn.

“Hmm?”

As I briskly walked into the restaurant, I witnessed a peculiar sight amidst the chattering group.

A tall woman with long black hair among the lively companions.

That presence, engaging in cheerful conversation with the group as if they had been comrades for a long time.

Who is she?

Among the people I know, there’s no one with such long black hair.

I tried to pinpoint someone with long black hair in my mind, but only Beatrice came to mind.

…Who could it be really?

Judging by the difference in hair length and physique, it doesn’t seem like a doppelganger for now.

“Hmm…”

Expressing doubt, I cocked my head, and it seemed like the woman with black hair sensed my gaze and turned her head towards me.

In that moment, I could discern her identity.

“The Northern Duchess…?”

Although she wasn’t wearing her signature white uniform and had changed her hair color, her demeanor and those fierce amethyst eyes left me certain.

Regardless of why she was conversing with our eccentric group here, that woman was undoubtedly the Northern Duchess.

Look, isn’t there a spark of interest in her eyes as soon as the words ‘Northern Duchess’ are mentioned?

“Hmm…”

As the woman with black hair lifted the corners of her mouth joyfully, Alain beside her chuckled and denied reality.

“Hey, make sense. Why is the Duchess here?”

Then, she playfully addressed the Duchess and affectionately stroked her head.

“Huhi, if you’re talking about that fearsome Duchess, I can’t possibly call her sister! She wouldn’t allow me to touch her hair like this!”

While she tried hard to deny reality from her perspective, Alain, realizing that the atmosphere was strangely shifting even in her drunken state, soon began to question the Duchess with tears in her eyes.

“Is that so? Elise?”

…Elise.

Right, the Northern Duchess.

Letting out a sigh filled with resignation, the Northern Duchess detached Alain clinging to her and shook her head.

“…Indeed, a witch’s eyes cannot be deceived.”

“Yes, yes?!”

“Sorry, Alain ‘sister.’ Unfortunately, this body does indeed belong to that fearsome Duchess.”

Snap!

With a flick of her finger, the tips of her hair briefly turned silver before returning to their original color. Perhaps she didn’t want to end the performance just yet.

Upon witnessing this spectacle, Alain nearly burst into tears, and the Duchess, ceasing her teasing, began to console Alain.

Of course, her method of consolation was harsh to say the least.

“If ‘I forgive you’ comes out of my mouth one more time, then we will truly discuss your responsibility.”

“Heh, hehe…”

Nevertheless, whatever the method, it was effective, as Alain quickly stopped crying. Once the atmosphere settled, the Duchess looked at me and initiated a conversation.

“Aren’t you curious why I’m here, witch?”

“I’m not particularly curious, actually.”

I’m really not curious.

The purpose is too obvious.

Most likely, she’ll suggest breaking bones to end winter, so there’s no reason to be curious.

When I replied with a nonchalant expression, the Duchess started laughing heartily for some reason.

…She’s probably acting crazy because she’s surrounded by Lorians and elves. She’s definitely a crazy woman.

In a way, she might be considered crazier than Lorians.

Lorians only obsess over ‘visions,’ but the Northern Duchess in front of me is simply unpredictable.

Maintaining the original context and tone of the Korean webnovel:

—

With an air of complete disinterest, the Duke wiped away his smile and broached the subject as he casually snacked on some appetizers.

“I need your help, witch.”

“You just said you weren’t interested.”

“Driving out winter and reclaiming spring. I want to achieve that long-cherished desire of mine.”

“Even though you said you weren’t interested?”

As if not wanting to hear any more, the Duke waved his hand dismissively, seeming to ponder briefly before nodding decisively.

And then…

“What is it that you desire?”

“It should have started like this.”

Taking on a proper conversational stance, he placed a contract on the table.

Yes, wouldn’t it have been better if it had been like this from the beginning?

The other party isn’t someone who came here to volunteer for free, Your Grace.

And certainly not a criminal who must serve here.

It’s true that I came here to take down Ark Leech, but…

In a way, it’s also true that I came to receive payment for volunteering.

You didn’t know that, did you? If you didn’t, you should pay the price.

I’m definitely not the bad one here.

It’s the person being deceived who’s at fault, not the one deceiving, Your Grace.

Would he have quietly swallowed his saliva while looking at the contract laid out on the table?

After another moment of contemplation, the Duke suddenly took back the contract.

“If we need to set conditions, it seems this isn’t the place to discuss them. Let’s talk about this in my office. Today, we didn’t come here to discuss such weighty matters; we simply came to meet the hero of victory.”

A very valid reason to decline a refusal.

If there was no lingering regret, that would be a lie, but it wasn’t her place to show displeasure either.

With no choice, she nodded, and the Duke, too, nodded in satisfaction, moving on to the next topic right away.

“Let’s leave the contract discussion here… and move on to other matters.”

Turning her gaze towards Cal with a meaningful expression, the Duke approached him swiftly.

Standing up and quickly reaching the boy, she looked down at the bewildered Cal and spoke.

“How about a sparring session when you have time?”

You seem quite strong.

In the Duke’s eyes as he looked at Cal…

There was a strange desire gleaming.