Ch. 23 The Two Witches (3)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 23 – The Two Witches (3)
After the chest incident had settled, peaceful days followed.
It was heartwarming to see Josie return to her usual lively self, no longer obsessing over her chest. However, Leo, the walking embodiment of harassment and Josie’s officially recognized pervert, remained a thorn in my side.
Even if Josie claimed she couldn’t live without Leo, in a world where love alone could get you killed, Leo was nothing more than a well-meaning fool. In the Aria Chronicle, if someone lacked the strength to protect others, even the protagonist couldn’t gain happiness. If Leo truly wished for Josie’s happiness, he had to become stronger.
A body enhanced by potions wasn’t the same as one forged through effort, so it was hard to gauge its limits.
While he might manage to fight monsters with his brute strength, facing humans—especially seasoned warriors, thieves, or Heresy Inquisitors—would leave him utterly defenseless.
Those who possessed the Holy Eye had all left significant marks on history, for better or worse. Even if Leo was currently just a perverted fool obsessed with breasts, he needed to prepare himself early. If Josie were to get involved, it would spell trouble for us.
Whether I liked it or not, I needed to objectively assess Leo’s condition.
“Leo, sit down.”
I called him alone, thinking Josie’s presence might complicate things, but she sat between us, smiling brightly.
No doubt Josie had insisted on tagging along. It was frustrating to see her so easily swayed. What would she do in the future if she kept acting like this?
“I heard you vowed to live for Josie. I’m sure you meant it. But the world doesn’t run on sincerity alone.”
“What do you mean…?”
“If Josie were in danger, could you save her? If a Heresy Inquisitor tried to harm her, could you cut them down without hesitation and rescue her?”
We couldn’t stay in this house forever. Josie needed to venture out and broaden her horizons. While she wasn’t weak, magic wasn’t infinite.
If Josie were ever in danger, someone else would have to step in to help her… and for now, Leo was the most likely candidate.
“Josie and I made a promise. I’m no longer the prince of the Holy Kingdom. I just want Josie to be happy until the day she dies. Even if it means cutting down the Heresy Inquisitors.”
I hadn’t expected such an immediate answer, especially with Josie present. His courage to speak so openly, even if it was embarrassing, deserved some praise.
“I see. I understand your feelings.”
I stood up and grabbed my beloved Triceratops.
“Mom? Why the broom…?”
She looked surprised, as if I rarely used it.
“Follow me.”
I smiled and led them to the weapon storage.
Before settling here, I had collected some rare items during my adventures. There were holy swords, cursed blades, and even noisy sentient weapons tucked away in corners. But those were too precious to give to Leo, so I tossed him a decent iron sword instead. Even this was a valuable item, but it would have to do for now.
“Do you know how to use a sword?”
“I practiced a bit when I was younger.”
A bit when he was younger.
Not a bad answer, considering I thought he had no experience at all.
“What about other weapons?”
“I’ve only handled swords.”
“That’s fine. Follow me.”
Now that he had a weapon, all that was left was the location.
I seated Josie on the porch swing and faced Leo in the center of the yard.
“A sparring match?”
“Yes. I can’t entrust Josie to someone whose skills I don’t know.”
Leo assumed a decent stance, as if he had prepared himself. I smirked faintly.
A sparring match requires both sides to be somewhat evenly matched.
“I’ll test how far your body can go. And your skill level.”
“I was called a prodigy once.”
A prodigy? It was obvious the soldiers had gone easy on him to spare the prince’s pride.
“Are you sure about using a broom? You might get hurt.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
He tightened his grip, thinking I was underestimating him. It was almost endearing.
Josie, sitting on the swing, looked anxious.
“I’ll let you make the first move.”
“Then I won’t hold back…!”
Leo leapt forward, his sword slashing diagonally. His shoulder muscles tensed, his wrist twisted, and he aimed to slash upward from below. He even shifted his weight to his front foot. It seemed he was holding back, perhaps worried about hurting me. He must have underestimated me.
“Hyaah!!!”
His strike, accompanied by a loud shout, didn’t reach its target. Instead, it was blocked by my broom.
“……!”
“How kind of you to hold back. But you should’ve at least put more of your strength.”
He looked flustered when his attack, which should have at least pushed me back, failed to do so.
“You shouldn’t hold back like that when fighting others.”
I infused mana into the broom and kicked the flat of his sword, sending him back to his initial position. I gave him a sly smile.
He adjusted his grip, likely sweating, and prepared to charge again.
“I’ll go all out this time.”
He dashed forward faster than before, aiming straight for me.
His movements were too straightforward, as expected from his lack of real combat experience. I could almost hear his thoughts: “If she dodges the thrust, I’ll slash horizontally.”
I decided to play along with his rhythm.
As expected, he thrust forward. I sidestepped gracefully and blocked his horizontal slash with the broom.
What’s next?
He maintained the momentum of his slash, twisting his waist to prepare for a side kick. Not a bad combo.
I stepped back to avoid the kick, but he closed the distance, slashing relentlessly. Despite his efforts, I kept smiling, which seemed to frustrate him.
“Is that all?”
It had only been about two minutes, and he was already panting.
“Huff… I’m not done yet.”
“Good. You’ll need that to protect Josie. You know that, right? With your current skills, you can’t even protect yourself, let alone Josie.”
Leo had many strong figures in his memory. His two brothers, for instance, and not far away, Lucia, the leader of the Heresy Inquisitors. To survive against such powerhouses, he couldn’t afford to give up now.
Being ordinary wasn’t enough. He had to become extraordinary. This world had no patience for the ordinary.
His next slash was slower than the first, but still decent.
“Why won’t you…!”
“Because you’re slow.”
I jabbed the end of the broom into his solar plexus, sending him flying.
As he tumbled over the fence, I had to go check on him. But before I could, his iron sword came flying at me. I deflected it, and it bounced into the air, momentarily blocking my vision.
“Not yet!”
In that split second, Leo closed the distance, desperately reaching for my wrist.
“I said you’re slow.”
By average standards, his strength, speed, and decision-making weren’t bad… but it wasn’t enough to protect Josie.
I was the one who grabbed his wrist. Using his momentum, I flipped him and slammed him into the ground. The iron sword landed beside his face. It was a desperate move, and he was drenched in sweat, but I wasn’t going to go easy on him.
“Your skills are… pathetic. Now, let’s test your endurance.”
“W-wait…!”
The purpose of this sparring match was simple from my perspective.
I wanted to gauge his skills and see how far his body could go, but my primary goal was to beat some sense into Leo.
For the crime of harassing both me and Josie!
“AAAAHH!!!”
I swung the broom, now glowing crimson with mana, and pierced his left shoulder. Leo’s scream echoed through the yard.
“Mom, nooo!!!”
Blood gushed out, staining the yard red. Josie tried to intervene, but I stopped her.
“Josie, this is for your sake. Stay put.”
I turned my head so Leo couldn’t see and winked at her.
I couldn’t kill him after going through the trouble of saving him. At the very least, he needed to suffer as much as Josie had.
“Get up. That’s not enough to cry about.”
“Ugh…”
Ignoring his mangled left arm, I had to admit his determination to grip the sword with his right hand was admirable… or perhaps foolish.
“I don’t know what promise you made to Josie, but in your current state, you’d only hold her back. Wouldn’t it be better to die here?”
“Not… yet.”
An unpleasant sensation washed over me. Leo’s eyes glowed. Faced with death, the Holy Eye in his eyes burned brightly.
It was said that those with the Holy Eye wouldn’t die until they fulfilled the destiny bestowed upon them by the angels. If he were to die here, the Holy Eye wouldn’t have been given to him.
Divine power surged from the Holy Eye, enveloping Leo’s torn shoulder. Despite the difficulty of healing black magic wounds, his bones realigned, and his muscles and skin reconnected in a grotesque display. Surviving the curse on his heart must have also been the Holy Eye’s doing.
The Holy Eye’s abilities surely didn’t end at mere recovery. Besides, his recovery speed was too slow. No one would wait for him to heal. He wasn’t even consciously using its power. It was clear he had a long way to go.
Thud.
“Not yet, my foot.”
Leo, who had been ready to charge again, collapsed as soon as his shoulder healed.
The backlash from using power beyond his limits must have been severe.
In the end, that self-healing power was meaningless.
He still had a long way to go.
Lucent
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