Witch – Chapter 31 – The Two Witches (11)

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“It’s been a long time, Lady Estelle.”

Following Eric’s guidance, we arrived at the dining hall, where members of the Laplace family were waiting.

An elderly man, who stood up abruptly upon seeing me, greeted me with a warm smile.

He looked almost identical to Eric, but I could tell he was Derrick.

Even though he must be over eighty, he looked healthier than his son. The potion I had given him was only supposed to boost vitality and resistance to disease, but I hadn’t expected him to still be this youthful.

“What’s this? If you’re so healthy, why didn’t you come to greet me yourself instead of sending your son?”

“Hahaha. My son kept insisting on going himself, so I had no choice. The Marquis is him now, not me, so it’s better to follow the head of the family, don’t you think? You must be tired from your journey. Please, have a seat.”

In the past, he would have bowed his head and apologized, but now, with age, he smoothly deflected the conversation.

He was still the same in that he never admitted fault, which was both reassuring and exasperating.

“How was my son? I gave him the chance to meet you privately. I hope he didn’t cause any trouble.”

“Father…”

As the head of the family, Derrick must have wanted to gauge the intentions of the witch who had suddenly visited. Even if I was a benefactor, it was wise to be cautious around a witch. Though, if I had harbored ill intentions and attacked Eric, he would have been dead on the spot. I wondered if that boldness was something he inherited from Derrick.

“I was worried you might have forgotten me. But the warm welcome made me feel reassured.”

“How could we ever forget you, Lady Estelle? The Laplace family will always welcome your visit. I was planning to leave it as a family decree for generations to come.”

As the maids brought out the food, Derrick continued to talk nonstop.

He exaggerated stories from sixty years ago, proudly recounting events that even I couldn’t remember happening.

The Laplace family seemed bored, having heard these tales countless times, but Josie and Leo listened intently, their eyes shining.

“Back then, when the dragon appeared, Lady Estelle defeated it in one blow…!”

It was a wyvern, not a dragon.

“…And she brought rain to the settlers who were struggling due to water shortages.”

Rain? It was just a lucky downpour, and I only helped them find an underground water source.

In Derrick’s stories, I was portrayed almost like a deity, but I didn’t feel the need to correct him.

I wondered how far he would go with his embellishments, but there was no sign of him stopping.

“That’s enough. The food’s getting cold. I’m hungry after the journey. Let’s focus on the present and enjoy this reunion.”

“Ahem. I got carried away with my memories. Please, enjoy the meal.”

I cut him off before he could start talking about me slaying a demon king, and Derrick returned to the present, urging us to eat.

“Leo, there are too many forks and knives.”

“You can start with this fork and knife.”

Josie, unsure which utensil to use, cautiously asked Leo for help.

Come to think of it, I had taught Josie magic, herbalism, and alchemy, but I had never taught her etiquette… Watching her clumsily figure it out with Leo’s help was endearing.

“Like this?”

“Yes, you’re doing well. It’s okay to be a bit slow…”

Leo was careful not to touch Josie’s hand, but his kindness was evident. It wasn’t a bad sight.

“It’s nice to see the two of you. Could you introduce your companions?”

Derrick cautiously asked, likely thinking that the people traveling with me couldn’t be ordinary.

It had been a while since we last met, so I had forgotten to introduce them.

Josie and Leo, feeling the weight of everyone’s attention, put down their utensils and looked to me for guidance.

“This is my daughter, Josie, and this is Leo, her knight.”

“Ah, hello! I’m Josie!”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

Josie, nervous, stumbled over her words, while Leo calmly greeted them with noble etiquette.

Josie seemed flustered that I had introduced her as my daughter rather than my sister, but I reassured her by patting her head.

The Laplace family knew I was a witch, so there was no need to hide her identity.

If we had met in the middle of Venetia, it might have been different, but here in the Marquis’s residence, there was no need to conceal anything.

“I introduced her as my daughter, but while we’re in Venetia, we’ll act as sisters. And outside, treat her as a mage, not a witch. I don’t want any trouble. Understand?”

“Hmm… I see. I understand. We’ve been following your previous instructions, so I hope you have a comfortable stay.”

Before leaving Venetia, I had told Derrick this:

Avoid contact with the Holy Kingdom.

Refuse visits from the Heresy Inquisitors.

Do not neglect the city’s defenses against monster attacks.

If the Heresy Inquisitors showed up, they would cut down anyone, even foreign nobles, in the name of their god.

Thinking about how they had massacred villages under the guise of heresy… the Laplace family, who had received help from a witch, had more to fear from the Heresy Inquisitors than from monsters.

The reason no country openly worshiped the Holy Kingdom’s God was partly due to the Inquisitors’ ruthless actions.

From the Laplace family’s perspective, there was no reason to invite the Heresy Inquisitors into the city.

“How old is Lady Josie?”

“I’m fifteen.”

“Hoho. Eric, Emily is also fifteen, isn’t she? They could become friends.”

Derrick smiled warmly and introduced a girl sitting across from Josie.

“I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Emily de Laplace. I grew up hearing stories about Lady Estelle from my grandfather. It’s an honor to meet you.”

The girl, with red hair strikingly similar to Derrick’s in his youth, shyly greeted us.

“She started working at the adventurer’s guild three years ago. The guild would struggle without her now.”

Eric, who had been quietly enjoying his meal, proudly boasted about his daughter.

“Since we’ve met like this, I hope you can become good friends.”

It would be nice if Josie could make a friend here.

Emily’s gaze seemed to make Josie uncomfortable, as she awkwardly picked up her utensils and fidgeted with her food.

It was her first time meeting someone her own age, so it was understandable.

After the meal, as the maids brought out tea and left the room, I brought up the main topic.

“I heard there’s been trouble with the harvest?”

“Haha. Word travels fast to your ears, doesn’t it? It’s embarrassing, but it’s true.”

“I heard a bit from an adventurer named Nicks. One of the reasons we came to Venetia was to enjoy the harvest festival.”

Given the strength Nicks had shown, he should have been able to handle any monsters near Venetia. I was curious why the harvest was still delayed.

Eric, now the Marquis, took over the explanation.

“We know we need to start the harvest soon. But the farmland is vast, and it’s hard to ensure the safety of the farmers. We can’t risk farmers dying during the harvest.”

They cared about the farmers’ lives? Most nobles wouldn’t have given it a second thought. It was a rare mindset for this era.

“What about using Stella-ranked adventurers for the harvest?”

“We tried that with Nicks, but… the problem isn’t the monsters on the plains. It’s what’s underground.”

“Underground?”

“Yes. Something is attacking from underground, causing farmers and adventurers to go missing. Nicks could handle it, but the numbers are too high. The harvest is effectively on hold until other Stella-ranked adventurers return.”

Underground?

The only monsters that lived underground were worms, and even those were rare outside desert regions. They shouldn’t be appearing in Venetia.

“This is the monster.”

Eric handed me a drawing of a massive, intestine-like worm with sharp teeth.

A Death Worm.

“Has it appeared in the village?”

“Not yet. The sightings increase the deeper you go into the farmland.”

It was fortunate it hadn’t reached the village, but worm-type monsters hunted by sensing vibrations, so it was only a matter of time before they attacked.

But digging up the farmland to hunt the worms would make the harvest impossible, which defeated the purpose.

We needed someone who could handle mana with precision, not just brute force like me.

Actually, there was no need to think too hard.

The only ones who could manipulate mana were me and Josie. And Josie happened to be exceptionally skilled at fine, delicate mana control.

Hehehe.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Marquis Eric. You were just bragging about your daughter, weren’t you?

“I’ll take care of it. I happen to have the perfect person for the job. My daughter is quite capable. Sometimes, she’s even better than me.”

I hugged Josie and winked at Eric.

“Whaaaat?!”

Josie let out a high-pitched scream, but I ignored her

Lucent