Witch – Chapter 37 – The Two Witches (17)

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The scenery of Venetia’s farmland was still beautiful.

It was so peaceful that it was hard to believe Death Worms were lurking beneath it, and the sound of birds chirping as they flew in to eat the grains could be heard everywhere.

It was time to start the extermination as promised to the Laplace family. If we wanted to finish the harvest, the festival preparations would be tight, so it was best to help out as quickly as possible.

Last night, I had told Derrick to hurry up with the festival preparations, and he seemed busy sending out letters.

The 80-year-old grandfather, who had been whining about wanting to see me use my magic again, was quietly locked in his room, while Marquis Eric and Emily watched us from the castle walls.

“Josie, are you ready?”

“Yes, I’m ready anytime.”

Josie’s left eye, now shyly revealed to the world, sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.

Her blue eyes, contrasting with mine, were beautiful, but I soon turned my gaze to Leo, who was fidgeting nervously beside her.

It was understandable that he was carefully scanning the ground, unsure when the Death Worms might emerge… but as a knight, he should be more reliable. Instead, it felt like we had gained an extra weight.

“Leo, if Josie gets even a scratch, I won’t let it slide. Training intensity will increase a hundredfold.”

“I’ll protect Josie with my life.”

“Your life isn’t yours to give. If you die, I won’t forgive you.”

I wondered what Josie saw in such an unreliable guy….

Before we started, I remembered approaching Leo, who had been loitering nervously, and telling him:

‘You need to stay by my side today. It’s strange for a knight to be far away, isn’t it?’

I wish he had stayed far away like last time.

I had been looking forward to enjoying a harvest date here, something we couldn’t do at home.

Whether he was clueless or just being considerate, Leo avoided eye contact, and I almost kicked him in the shin.

“Let’s begin.”

I condensed mana in my hand and created a magic circle.

Clairvoyance. Observation. Sharing. Support. Limitation.

I added these properties based on Josie’s previous failure. Even though she had experience using my mana, controlling such vast amounts was still too much for her.

It was my mistake for overestimating Josie.

I couldn’t let her go through the same thing again.

This time, we were holding hands while using magic, so if anything went wrong, I could handle it immediately.

“It’s connected!”

The flow and circulation of mana stabilized.

Now, all that was left was to find and exterminate the Death Worms hiding underground.

If I were to step in, there was a risk of destroying the farmland along with them, which would defeat the purpose, so it was time for Josie’s power to shine.

“It’s stable. Now, focus on searching. Find the ones hiding underground.”

Connecting to the magic circle was just the beginning.

Now comes the real work.

Josie closed her eyes and drew mana from the magic circle, scattering it underground.

Like tree roots spreading deep into the earth, the mana branches spread in all directions.

“I found them! But…”

Her hand in mine was damp.

Josie was trembling, drenched in cold sweat.

Was she not in good condition?

When I checked her condition before we started, she didn’t seem particularly tired or unwell.

Or… was there something else underground?

I followed the flow of mana deep into the ground to assess the situation.

I thought there would be at most a few dozen,

but there were dozens… no, hundreds… maybe even more.

Where did so many Death Worms come from?

It was a miracle they hadn’t appeared in Venetia until now.

Sorry, Laplace family… but I might have to consider blowing up the farmland along with them.

No need to worry about the worst-case scenario yet; we had to do what we could.

Just as we had found the Death Worms,

they had found us too.

As the swarm of Death Worms began to move, the ground shook.

We hadn’t provoked them with any movement or impact.

Their movements seemed to mimic the trajectory of the mana.

Could they sense mana?

I’ve traveled far and wide, but I’ve never seen Death Worms with such characteristics.

“Trust me and Leo. What you’re worried about won’t happen.”

Calming Josie was the priority now.

“But…”

“Just do what you can, Josie. You’re not alone here. Leo and I will handle the rest.”

Yes. Just do what you can.

They sense mana? That’s actually a good thing.

If we twist the trajectory, no matter how many there are, they won’t reach us.

“Bear with the strange feeling for a bit.”

I immediately intervened in Josie’s mana, altering the flow of mana rooted in the ground.

As the mana net formed into a dense hexagonal pattern, the Death Worms quickly lost their way and began to wander.

Like the worms they are, they should stay underground.

How dare they try to touch my daughter?

“Mom’s right, isn’t she?”

“Yes!!”

Josie quickly calmed down and used the extended mana to reduce the number of Death Worms.

Screeeech~!!!!!!!

“Where do you think you’re going!?”

A few Death Worms that managed to break through the mana net couldn’t escape Leo’s sword.

An ordinary adventurer would have been prey before they could even react, but all that training to improve his reflexes paid off.

By the time the Death Worms figured out the net’s pattern and regained their senses, Josie had already tightened their noose underground, and Leo cut down any that managed to break through, quickly reducing their numbers.

“Josie, how many are left?”

“Not many now!”

The swarm of Death Worms, which had once made my skin crawl, was now down to a handful.

“Done…!!!”

The last Death Worm was pierced by Josie’s mana and died.

As the tension eased, Josie slumped to the ground, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Leo, who had been tense fighting enemies hidden underground, was also drenched in sweat.

I wanted to hug Josie and praise her for a job well done… but there was still work left, so I couldn’t.

“Good job. Leo, help Josie up. Go back to the city and rest.”

“Understood.”

“What about you, Mom?”

“I still have work to do.”

The ground shook again as the vibrations from the last Death Worm’s death subsided.

It was unnatural for Death Worms to move in swarms, so there must be something leading them.

I signaled to Leo, and he quickly carried Josie to safety in the city.

I had promised Derrick to save as much of the farmland as possible, but some damage was inevitable.

Groooowl~!!!

Soon, a giant Death Worm burst through the center of the farmland.

Unlike the ordinary ones, it was covered in armor and at least ten times larger.

The mana crystal embedded near its face was larger than any I’d seen on an Orc chief or Troll, and it was likely the reason the swarm could sense mana.

It might have been a field boss that would appear somewhere else, but there was no need to wait 200 years to deal with it.

While it was underground, I couldn’t act for fear of destroying the farmland, but now that it had revealed itself, there was no need to worry.

I summoned Triceratops and infused it with mana, revealing its three crimson horns.

It was much better to unleash a massive output of mana than to control it delicately.

“I don’t have time to play with you. Let’s end this in one go.”

Sensing the turbulent flow of mana, the giant Death Worm seemed to realize it had chosen the wrong opponent and tried to burrow back underground. I laughed at it.

You should’ve stayed hidden quietly in the mana net if you wanted to escape.

Groooowl!!!

“If you’re a boss monster, die cleanly.”

The giant Death Worm, cleanly split in half, spewed a fountain of blood.

To prevent its massive body from causing severe damage to the farmland as it fell, I made sure to slice it into small pieces as a finishing touch.

Annoying till the end.

The Death Worm extermination was over, but there was still work to do.

I had planned to enjoy the harvest with Josie, but…

Left alone in the farmland after the giant Death Worm, I unfolded my magic once more.

I hadn’t expected to use the magic I had devised for self-sufficiency at home like this.

With the melody of mana, the wind blew.

The mana carried by the wind spread across the farmland and clung to the crops.

With a light gesture, the harvest began.

“Haaah… time to go back.”

As I stretched, I looked at the neatly stacked grains and turned to leave.

“As my father said, you’re truly amazing…. Thank you, Lady Estelle.”

Marquis Eric applauded and welcomed me.

“Take care of the rest. The festival will be fine, right?”

“We’ll prepare to meet your expectations.”

I hadn’t planned to handle the harvest, but if there were problems with the festival, Josie would be greatly disappointed.

Besides, it was Venetia, a city I had a soft spot for, so I didn’t mind helping out.

“Where are Josie and Leo?”

They should have been worried and come running by now, but I couldn’t see them anywhere.

“Those two…”

What’s this? I’m getting nervous.

I glared at Marquis Eric, who avoided my gaze and hesitated before answering with a sigh.

“They went inside earlier.”

“Were they that tired?”

It was the first time Josie had handled so much mana, so she must have been exhausted.

“Tell the adventurer’s guild that the Laplace family handled it. Make sure no strange rumors spread.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve already taken care of the concerns.”

He’s Derrick’s son, so he’ll handle it well.

Emily wasn’t around, but since Marquis Eric was calm, it didn’t seem like something I should be worried about.