Witch – Chapter 26 – The Two Witches (6)

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After finishing an awkward conversation with Dorothy and calming my flushed face, I finally stepped into the living room.

Josie and Leo had already finished discussing how to get to Venetia and were now chatting over tea.

“Have you figured out how to get there?”

“Yes, Leo knows the area well, so we quickly decided on a route.”

Josie proudly held up a map to show me.

There were several ways to get from our home to Venetia, but the route they chose prioritized safety over speed, which meant it would take longer.

“We thought about flying, but that would draw too much attention. Leo’s suggested route seems better.”

“Once we get past the mountains, there’s a trade route. If we’re lucky, we might be able to hitch a ride on a merchant’s wagon heading to Venetia.”

Leo, realizing that walking all the way to Venetia would be too much, had come up with a decent plan. However, as Josie mentioned, it would still attract attention. Even though Leo was a fool, a pervert, an idiot, and a coward, he was still a prince. Using a route near the Holy Kingdom’s border would undoubtedly draw attention. And if the Holy Kingdom got involved, it would surely lead to trouble.

“Leo’s suggested route isn’t bad, but it’s a trade route between Verdandi Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom. If someone recognizes you, it’s going to cause trouble. Are you sure about this?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Right? If you get dragged into the Holy Kingdom, I’m leaving you behind.”

He trailed off, clearly not having thought that far ahead.

“What do you think, Mom?”

“I’m obviously going to use teleportation.”

No matter what answer they came up with, the solution had been decided from the start.

It would take a long time for us to get to Venetia without a wagon.

Using teleportation was much better than flying.

Josie, realizing that all her discussions and deliberations with Leo had been for nothing, puffed out her cheeks.

“You were planning to use teleportation from the start, weren’t you?”

“Of course. How long did you think it would take to get there? I’m too delicate and fragile for a month of camping.”

Both Josie and Leo looked at me with disbelief, so I coughed a few times before continuing.

“But wasn’t it fun discussing it together? Now you’ll know how to get home even if you get lost, right?”

I had intended to teleport directly to the Laplace mansion in Venetia, but Josie seemed to want to enjoy the journey and wasn’t in a good mood. Leo, who had suffered greatly during his quest to join the Heresy Inquisitor, smiled brightly at the mention of teleportation.

I gave Leo a look to cheer Josie up, but he averted his gaze, which annoyed me.

So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?

“If we don’t hurry, the festival will be over. Are you okay with that? I don’t mind, though.”

“Festival?”

Josie’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a festival.

Venetia held a harvest festival every year when the harvest season approached. I had helped ensure the first festival was a success, and if the tradition continued, they would be busy preparing for it around this time.

Even though the adventurer’s guild was the center of activity, agriculture was still an essential part of the village.

“Yes. You can wear a beautiful dress and dance. Not just nobles, but anyone who shines during the festival can receive an invitation from the Laplace family. Who knows, maybe a handsome prince from Verdandi Kingdom will ask you to dance?”

“Let’s go right now!”

She’s such a sucker for princes.

Noticing Leo’s expression sour, I gently pried Josie’s hands off me as she clung to me, whining.

Before we left, there was something important I needed to tell them.

“Before we go, there’s something you both need to keep in mind.”

Our relationship would look suspicious to anyone who didn’t know us.

Josie and I didn’t look like mother and daughter, and Leo calling me “Lady Witch” would raise eyebrows.

“Until we get back home, Josie, don’t call me ‘Mom.’ Call me ‘Sister.’ People might misunderstand. Leo, call me ‘Estelle,’ not ‘Lady Witch.’ If you call me ‘Lady Witch’… you know what will happen, right? And my job is a mage, Josie is my apprentice, and Leo… let’s say you’re a knight escort.”

They both nodded.

Alright. With preparations done, I activated the teleportation circle.

I had intended to teleport directly to the Laplace mansion, but I changed my mind.

Hehehe.

I felt mischievous.

“Leo, watch out!”

A slime lunged at Leo from behind, but its core was pierced by a tree root that shot up from the ground, killing it instantly. However, more slimes kept pouring in, and goblins took advantage of the chaos to fire arrows. Even as Leo cut down goblins, more quickly took their place.

“Thank you! Lady Witch, do something!”

“Yawn~ I told you to call me ‘Estelle,’ didn’t I?”

I yawned as I watched their battle from within the magic circle. Leo shouted at me, clearly frustrated, making my ears hurt.

“Estelle, please help!!”

“I don’t like helping people when they ask. Do you really expect a delicate and fragile person like me to help?”

It was just slimes and goblins. Asking for help was overkill.

Despite his plea, Leo, with Josie’s help, managed to take down one monster after another without getting hurt. It wasn’t a bad sight.

“Don’t worry about the arrows!”

Josie used tree roots to block arrows aimed at Leo while casting illusions on the goblin archers, making them shoot each other. Her situational awareness was impressive, and Leo’s ability to keep monsters from reaching Josie was better than I expected.

Even in a sudden situation, their teamwork was surprisingly good, which made me proud as their teacher.

I watched their coordination as I kicked the head off a goblin trying to sneak up on them.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t expect us to end up here.”

“You’re lying, aren’t you?!”

Of course, I was lying.

The battle ended as Leo cut down the last goblin trying to flee as the illusion wore off.

I had remembered a beginner dungeon near Venetia from playing Aria Chronicle. It was a low-level hunting ground filled with slimes and goblins, making it perfect for their first battle.

Though I hadn’t expected us to land right in the middle of a mob.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Thanks to Josie, I’m not hurt at all.”

Josie checked Leo’s body for injuries, ignoring his red face as she confirmed he was unharmed before letting out a sigh of relief.

“Sister, what if someone had gotten hurt?!”

Even though she was scolding me, she still called me “Sister.”

Being called “Mom” was still relatively new and made me feel ticklish, but “Sister” gave me a different kind of ticklish feeling.

“Josie, even sisters make mistakes sometimes. But everyone’s fine, right?”

I had played a prank on Leo as payback for not stopping Josie earlier, but I also wanted to see how well they could handle a low-level hunting ground. So I made up an excuse.

If I told them the truth, Josie would scold me for putting them through this. I just wanted to show them that battles could happen anytime, anywhere.

“If it were really dangerous, I would’ve stepped in. I trusted you both.”

“Still, a warning would’ve been nice.”

Leo’s complaint was met with a nod from Josie.

They seemed to think I had intentionally dropped them here.

“Calm down. It’s only about a day’s journey from here to Venetia. This is your first time in a dungeon, right? Why not explore it while we’re here?”

They didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the unplanned dungeon exploration.

So I had to motivate them.

It was easy to trick them since it was their first time in a dungeon.

“The dungeon won’t stop you from entering, but you can’t leave until you defeat the dungeon’s master.”

“The dungeon’s master?”

The beginner dungeon near Venetia.

Its master was just an old troll.

Because of its age, its attack patterns were simple. If you dodged its charge attack, it would hurt itself, and after three dodges, it would be stunned, making it easy to defeat. Unlike other bosses that would chase you out of their rooms, this one just slept in its room, making it a beginner-friendly boss that taught you the basics of boss fights.

At least, that’s how it was 200 years after the original story began.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The dungeon shook as soon as I finished speaking.

“That sound…”

A heavy noise echoed from the depths of the dungeon, where only darkness was visible.

Leo’s voice sounded small beside me.

“Guooooh!!”

A young troll burst through the darkness, charging at us.

Starting with a charge attack? Finishing moves are supposed to be saved for last. Its roar seemed to say it had no need for manners with uninvited guests.

“Watch out!”

Leo grabbed Josie and barely managed to dodge the charge.

But the attack, having missed its target, was now heading straight for me, who had been watching from a distance.

Lucent