Witch – Chapter 59- The Two Witches (39)

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The first day of the Harvest Festival had begun.

Josie’s morning started energetically.

After a quick shower, she stood in front of the mirror, dressed, and checked her appearance—all before 7 a.m.

Nicks, perhaps sensing Josie’s eagerness to enjoy the festival, had ended Leo’s training the day before.

It seemed the cleanup of monsters around Venetia was also mostly done.

As the festival approached, Nicks had grown increasingly restless, often spacing out or fidgeting. Watching him, it didn’t feel right for Josie to continue asking him for training.

Thanks to this, Josie was thrilled at the thought of enjoying the festival with Leo. Though Leo himself seemed disappointed, wanting to train more with Nicks.

Training can wait until after the festival, right?

Does he prefer training with Nicks over spending time with me?

Feeling a bit petty, Josie decided to wake Leo up early and spend the whole day exploring.

She had made a list of places she wanted to visit, both within the city and its outskirts, after completing quests with Nicks.

Since arriving in Venetia, their time had been spent on farmland issues and Leo’s training, making it hard to call it a proper trip.

But for the festival, she wanted to have fun with Leo.

Of course, she wanted her mom to join too… but she hadn’t seen her recently.

It had already been three days since she refused her mom’s strange request, so it had been over three days since they last met.

She had never been apart from her mom for this long, and it felt strange.

Is mom doing okay?

She had a rough idea of what her mom might be doing,

But without her mom, who always groomed her like a mother cat licking her kitten, calling her pretty and doting on her, Josie felt a void.

Should I have agreed to her request?

No. No matter how many times I think about it, that’s not it.

Mom has a childish side. When her eyes sparkle, it’s usually because of that.

Wherever she is, she’ll be fine.

Josie lightly slapped her cheeks to snap out of it.

For now, let’s just think about having fun with Leo.

“Leo. I’m coming in. Leo?”

She was about to knock on Leo’s door, but it was already open.

Did someone go in? It couldn’t be Emily, could it?

Emily had done it once before.

If she did it again, Josie was ready to scold Leo properly.

The blanket was on the floor, and Leo was nowhere to be seen. It seemed like he had left in a hurry.

Since the sword her mom had gifted him was missing, it didn’t seem like an ordinary outing.

It was unlikely he had taken a quest this early.

Leo, who usually woke up at 10 a.m., waking up three hours early was hard to believe.

Did he sneak out to train?

He’s not the type to sacrifice sleep for training.

Leo… he has this charm that makes you want to take care of his messy side.

She worried if he had forgotten their lunch plans with Nicks to celebrate the disbanding of their party.

Being late for appointments was an experience she never wanted to repeat.

“Oh, Lady Josie. I hope you’ve been well.”

Turning around, Josie saw Emily greeting her at the door.

“Are you looking for Leo? It seems you’re late.”

Emily’s words were meant to provoke, but Josie wasn’t one to be easily provoked.

Emily was no longer a rival to Josie.

Such shallow provocations were nothing more than a morning greeting.

“Emily, good morning. Have you seen Leo?”

“How boring. I was expecting a more interesting reaction.”

Seeing Emily quickly lose interest, Josie smiled faintly.

“If it’s Leo, a maid saw him leaving in a hurry at dawn.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

“What’s with that reaction? Did you think I wouldn’t tell you?”

After the farmland incident, Emily hadn’t approached Leo, but at meals, she had mentioned she wasn’t ready to give up yet.

Josie didn’t expect Emily to tell her about Leo so readily. She had asked just in case, not really expecting an answer.

“Well. You said you have feelings for Leo, right?”

“Didn’t Leo tell you?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Had Leo talked about Emily separately?

Josie felt a bit upset that there was a story she didn’t know about.

“Sigh… Leo is really something. He’s such a tiring type. It’s all an act, you know.”

“An act…?”

“I have a dream. But the other nobles keep pressuring me to get engaged or quit the adventurer’s guild. If it’s Leo, who’s with Lady Estelle, the elders might give up. Sorry to you, Josie… but your reactions were so fun, I got a bit carried away.”

Wait, it was all an act?

So, I was the only one agonizing over this?

Josie’s face turned red with embarrassment.

Now that she thought about it, Leo had tried to talk to her several times.

Why hadn’t she listened to him? She felt like a fool.

“See? With reactions like this, how could I not get carried away?”

“…….”

“Leo is still my ideal type, but he only shines when he’s with you, Josie. With me, he’s like a puppet with its strings cut… I don’t like such useless people.”

Emily poked Josie’s red cheeks and burst out laughing. Josie wanted to get angry, but she felt like she’d fall for Emily’s tricks again if she did.

“Emily, you’re mean. Worse than my mom.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Dealing with adventurers has made me this way.”

It’s not a compliment. It’s an insult.

Josie realized she couldn’t win against Emily with words.

In just a few exchanges, Emily had manipulated Josie more than her mom ever had.

“By the way, Josie, have you decided who you’ll dance with at the ball?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, it’s Leo.”

She had asked her mom if a handsome prince would come, but it was just curiosity.

The only person who could be her partner at the ball was Leo.

“Our Harvest Festival ball has a legend. A love-related one.”

“A legend?”

“A beautiful love story where my father and mother were the main characters. They say if a man asks a woman to dance first at the ball, their love will blossom.”

Gulp.

Josie swallowed hard.

She hadn’t discussed the ball with Leo.

Of course, she assumed she’d dance with Leo.

But what if Leo gets distracted and asks another girl to dance first?

Leo has his unreliable moments. She couldn’t help but worry about other girls besides Emily.

“I don’t believe in such legends, though. Love isn’t something that happens because of that. You think so too, right?”

“Y-yes…! But… it’s kind of romantic, isn’t it?”

Her chest tightened for no reason.

She had planned to ask Leo to dance with her at the ball as soon as she found him.

“Oh, one more thing… If the woman asks first, the love won’t come true. Isn’t that ridiculous? Legends can be so absurd.”

“Haha, yeah…”

Emily seemed to be looking down on Josie from above.

“But why are you telling me this?”

The adults might hope Josie and Emily could become good friends since they’re the same age,

But given their rivalry over a man, there was no reason for Emily to share this.

Even knowing it was all an act, Josie still felt awkward around Emily.

“I just want you to enjoy the festival to the fullest. We’re friends, right?”

“Friends?”

“Hmm… If I’m the only one who thinks so… How about this: I’ll use you, the apprentice of a witch, as a backer to plan for the future?”

What’s that?

There was no reason to call each other friends until now. Noble ladies have different standards for friendship, huh.

Josie burst out laughing, thinking Emily was sulking because she mistakenly thought they were friends.

“You’re right, Emily. We’re friends.”

Starting a friendship as rivals wasn’t so bad.

Leo, who she thought would come back while waiting at the mansion, didn’t show up even as the appointed time approached.

She had forgotten about looking for Leo while chatting with Emily, but when Emily mentioned she had to finish some guild work, Josie snapped back to reality.

First, she’d go to the central fountain where she was supposed to meet Nicks and explain the situation.

If she didn’t, she’d end up making Nicks wait again.

The road to the central fountain was bustling with more people than usual, signaling the start of the festival.

In the crowd, if she wasn’t careful, she could be swept away to who knows where. When the person in front of her stopped, she bumped her forehead.

“Please help me. That silver coin is more precious than my life. Ah, where is it… Ugh…!”

Amid the murmuring crowd, a familiar voice reached her ears.

A woman in a white dress with a figure too feminine to be contained, a blindfold over her eyes, and black hair with striking green strands.

It matched the description of her mom’s friend. Her name was Beryl, right?

A silver coin rolled to Josie’s feet, hitting her shoe.

The coin, dirty and worn, didn’t seem special, but if it was more precious than life, it was time for Josie to step in.

“The silver coin is here.”

Beryl was as beautiful as her mom had said.

It was hard to believe she had been hiding her figure under a robe and hood.

Now Josie understood why her mom was interested in Nicks.

Nicks had been spacing out and distracted during recent quests, and now it made sense.

Beryl seemed to like Nicks, and in the short time Josie saw them together, Nicks seemed enchanted by her.

She silently cheered for their love.

“Josie. No matter what anyone says, trust your feelings. They’ll guide you.”

On top of that, hearing encouragement she hadn’t even gotten from her mom.

For a moment, she wondered what it would be like if Beryl were her mom.

After parting with Beryl, Josie resumed her search for Leo.

It was a shame to miss the appointment with Nicks, but being with Beryl was nice.

The world felt full of pink.

Josie wanted to find Leo quickly.

Where on earth is he…?

Finding Leo in the crowd was practically impossible, and the temptation to give up crept into Josie’s heart now and then. But she couldn’t give up after receiving such encouragement.

If she had known this would happen, she would’ve put a tracking spell on Leo.

Since he took his weapon, he probably wasn’t in the city.

If he went outside the city, the guards might know.

She had met the guard captain while solving quests with Nicks.

The captain would be busy due to the festival, but asking a question shouldn’t be a problem.

Josie headed to the main gate where the guard captain was likely to be.

The guard captain was at the outpost dealing with a long line of travelers.

“Guard Captain, hello.”

“I’m busy, so don’t bother me… Ahem. Lady Josie.”

She was almost rejected at first, but having shown her face with Nicks before seemed to help.

“Sorry to bother you. Have you seen Leo?”

“Leo, you say…”

“The tall, handsome blond man who’s often with Nicks…”

Describing his appearance to the guard captain, who had met countless people today, probably wouldn’t help.

Seeing the captain’s awkward expression, Josie felt she had asked a thoughtless question.

“Sorry to bother you.”

“If it’s that Leo, I heard reports of a blond man leaving through the east gate at dawn. There’s been no report of him returning, so you might want to check there.”

As Josie bowed her head in apology and prepared to leave, the guard captain seemed to remember something and told her about Leo’s whereabouts.

What kind of behavior is this, bothering a busy person?

“Thank you!”

Josie bowed in gratitude and ran to the east gate.

The east gate, huh?

He left at dawn, forgot his appointment with Nicks, and didn’t even think about enjoying the festival. What is he doing?

“The east gate is currently closed!”

“Sorry! I’ll be back soon!”

Ignoring the guard’s words, Josie passed through the east gate.

The chilly wind and the evening glow at her back seemed to help her search for Leo, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The land was barren after the harvest, and not a single person was in sight.

“I’ll scold him when I find him.”

According to Josie’s plan, she should’ve been holding hands with Leo, enjoying the festival by now.

There were so many foods she wanted to try and places she wanted to see.

And he’s making me suffer like this.

While wishing for Josie’s happiness, Leo was the one causing her the most trouble.

Josie closed her eyes and concentrated, causing butterfly-shaped mana to appear and begin searching the area.

It was impossible to search this vast land with her eyes alone.

There must be some trace left behind.

Even footprints would do.

“Found it.”

In the pitch-dark, she found a streak of light.

It was similar to the white streak Leo left when he left the city.

A power her mom called divine energy.

It was the opposite of the dark magic Josie used, so she could recognize it immediately.

Checking if anyone was around to see her, Josie levitated slightly and flew.

She flew until the sunset disappeared and night fell.

How far did he go?

She was starting to get worried.

‘Should I have searched for him sooner?’

Leo’s divine energy had healing properties, so it was unlikely he was seriously injured.

But an ominous feeling crept over her.

Screech! Bang!!!!

The sound of metal clashing and something exploding pierced Josie’s ears.

A black shadow flew toward Josie, hit the ground, rolled a few times, and finally stopped.

It was Leo.

“Leo? What’s going on? How did you get these injuries?”

His body was covered in sword wounds, and bruises were everywhere.

Who did this?

In Venetia, only her mom or her mom’s friend could do this to Leo.

Even if Nicks was a great adventurer, it would be hard for him to reduce Leo to this state. And he had no reason to.

“Josie? How did you get here… You need to run…”

“Run? What are you talking about!”

Josie couldn’t keep up with the situation.

Why did Leo come all the way out here? Why is he so injured? And why is he telling me to run?

“Hoh. So the reason you couldn’t enter the city was because of that witch?”

The clanking of armor created an ominous sound.

She had heard the sound of armor recently while visiting the adventurer’s guild, but it hadn’t felt ominous then…

Josie had heard this sound before.

A day she could never forget, hiding in a warehouse, crying…

The sound of armor had surrounded her that day.

A person approached from the direction Leo had flown.

The lion emblem on the armor glowed under the moonlight.

Platinum hair fluttered, and silver eyes, different from Leo’s, bore into Josie.

“Do not deceive people with words.”

The knight drew a cross.

“Prove your faith with sincerity.”

The sword in her right hand gleamed under the moonlight, enveloped in a faintly glowing mana.

“I am the guardian of providence.”

“Josie, please… You need to run.”

“…….”

Contrary to Leo’s plea, Josie’s legs gave out, and she collapsed.

The scene from that day, which she could never forget, resurfaced.

The day her mom drowned, and her dad was impaled and burned to death…

“If you are truly innocent, you will return to your god’s embrace.”

Leo struggled to stand, using his sword for support.

To protect Josie, Leo pointed his sword at the knight, and his divine energy surged in golden waves.

“The guilty shall leave their god’s embrace.”

“Leo, that person is…”

“The head of the Heresy Inquisitors. The third sword of the Holy Kingdom. Lucia. Please, go get Lady Estelle quickly. At best, I can only hold off Lucia.”

So that means…

Both my mom and dad were killed by that person…

The true enemy who killed Josie’s parents.

“The witch trial begins now.”

Lucia, her sword gleaming with silver energy, charged forward in an instant.