Witch – Chapter 83 – A Hundred Year Reunion with the Witch (2)

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Josie took a deep breath to calm her emotions. If she didn’t, she might have turned right back around and run into her mother’s arms.

The longing of not being able to see her mother for a while outweighed the sense of liberation she felt from stepping out of her mother’s shadow for the first time.

She was no longer a child. She was 19 now.

She couldn’t keep throwing tantrums or acting selfishly. That’s why, after returning from Venetia, she had resumed her unfinished magical studies.

Deciding to go on a trip at 19 was partly because she admired her mother, but she also wanted to see, hear, and feel the world with her own two eyes.

There were so many things hidden in the world, and even when she asked her mother about them, the answers she got were never satisfying.

For example, why the Heresy Inquisitors persecuted witches… The idea of defying the laws of the world was something Josie couldn’t fathom.

Her mother, and even Beryl…

The witches Josie had met were no more evil or manipulative than ordinary people. They didn’t deserve the persecution they faced.

They loved, hurt, grieved, and suffered like anyone else… Just ordinary people you’d find anywhere.

The malice shown by Lucia, the head of the Heresy Inquisitors, that night… The atrocities of burning villages and killing everyone—Josie couldn’t comprehend it.

At one point, she had been so angry at the Heresy Inquisitors that she had even considered killing for the first time. But seeing Leo by her side made her wonder if they, too, had their reasons.

Taking revenge on Lucia wouldn’t ease the knot of emotions in Josie’s heart.

So, she wanted to understand the world better.

About witches, about the Heresy Inquisitors, about everything.

That was the decision 19-year-old Josie had made.

“Thank you, Leo.”

Josie paused for a moment to take a deep breath and thanked Leo, who had waited silently for her.

“Not at all. If you need to… we can stay another day or two before leaving.”

“No, it’s fine.”

‘We’ve come all this way, and now you want to go back…?’

For a moment, Josie was tempted by Leo’s suggestion, but she quickly shook her head and refused. If she went back now, she might never leave.

“Is there anywhere you want to go, Leo?”

She wanted to change the subject.

To something more cheerful. It was a bit late, but since they were already on their journey, she wanted to start with a happy heart.

Understanding Josie’s intention, Leo relaxed his worried expression and thought for a moment.

“I’d like to visit the forest where the elves live.”

“The elves?”

Elves.

Josie recalled her mother’s words about the elves living deep in the southern forest, tending to the World Tree and living isolated from the outside world.

They were said to live for over a thousand years and were difficult to meet.

And most importantly, her mother had mentioned that all elves were beautiful. Josie’s cheeks puffed up at the thought.

Surely Leo didn’t have any impure intentions, but what if an elf fell in love with him at first sight? That would be a problem.

Unlike Josie, who would grow old one day, elves maintained their youth for most of their lives…

The thought of Leo leaving her for an elf when she grew old filled her with unease.

“No. That’s not happening.”

“Then why…?”

“Your intentions are impure! Anyway, no!”

Leo was baffled. He hadn’t even explained his reasons, and she was already accusing him of having impure intentions.

Josie, puffing up like a balloon, was clearly throwing a tantrum. Though he understood what she meant by “impure”, he decided to play dumb.

“Impure intentions? What do you mean?”

Playing dumb.

Pretending not to understand unless she explained.

It was one of the ways he had learned to tease Josie over the four years they had lived together.

If he just stared at her blankly while she stomped her feet and glared at him,

“It’s because…!”

“Because?”

“Because… elves are beautiful, incredibly young… Even when I’m a hunched-over old lady, the elves will stay the same….”

Like this.

Her voice grew quieter, like a small gift wrapped in jealousy but never fully delivered.

But if she then crossed her arms and turned her head with a “Hmph!” it was their secret signal that she was sulking and needed to be appeased.

Even now, Josie’s slight turn of the head and glance at Leo was a signal anyone could recognize, but they didn’t say it out loud.

Instead, to match Josie’s mood, he carefully hugged her, and her face melted into a smile as she nuzzled against his chest.

“I’m more worried that you might fall for an elf. Maybe we should exclude the elven forest from our trip….”

Finally, to make her realize how silly her thoughts were, he whispered in her ear with a hint of concern,

“Me?! Absolutely not!”

Just like now, she flailed in his arms with adorable anger.

Though it looked like she was trying to push him away with her hands on his chest, it was just a weak act. If he hugged her tighter, she’d give up the act and snuggle back into his arms.

“…Let’s go. To the elven forest.”

She spoke as if giving up or resigning, but he knew better than to take the bait. This was Josie’s last attempt to test his reaction.

“It’s fine. I don’t want to show you off to the elves either.”

While playing along with Josie’s mood, Leo was also sincere.

What if Josie met a handsome elf and was swayed? Just the thought made him feel uneasy.

“But why the elven forest?”

They had come a long way, but Josie finally asked with curiosity, letting him release her from the hug.

“They say the World Tree, which the elves revere like a god, has mysterious powers. There’s even a legend that you can meet and talk to the dead.”

“The… dead?”

“Yes, though it’s just a legend…”

The dead.

Josie’s face grew thoughtful.

If the legend was true, Josie wanted to meet her birth parents and talk to them.

To tell them not to worry, that she had grown up into a beautiful young woman, and that they could rest in peace… A small hope like that.

That she was loved by her mother, a witch who had cared for the village, and that she was traveling the world with Leo, who was as dependable as her father.

“Let’s go. To the elven forest.”

Josie had another reason, too.

She had been honest with Leo about the purpose of this trip, but there was another reason she hadn’t mentioned at home, where her mother might overhear.

“I’m going to find a great man.”

“Huh…?”

Leo responded, dumbfounded.

It hadn’t even been a minute since she had said “absolutely not”… Josie’s resolute attitude, which didn’t seem like a joke, sent a chill down his spine.

“I’m going to find someone to be my dad!”

“What are you… huh?”

Leo’s vision went dark at Josie’s bombshell.

“What do you mean…?”

“Witches live forever, right? And elves live for a thousand years! So I’m going to find someone who can love Mom for a thousand years!”

In a different way, his heart grew cold.

He had heard of mothers looking for suitors, but a daughter looking for a father…?

“Is this… something you discussed with Lady Estelle?”

“Huh? Of course it’s a secret. But Mom would definitely be happy to have a husband.”

Josie had seen it.

Her mother, watching from afar as she and Leo walked hand in hand.

Her mother, gazing intently as she served Leo food during meals.

Her mother, making subtle expressions as she handed Leo a towel after he was beaten to a pulp during training…!

There were countless other signals, but Josie was sure of it.

Just as Josie had Leo, her mother also needed love. She could feel the loneliness and solitude in her mother’s eyes.

She even imagined that her mother was hiding her feelings, trying to raise Josie despite her loneliness…

If it was a strong, kind, long-lived, and handsome elf… Someone who could stay by her mother’s side even after Josie was gone, wouldn’t her mother be able to love freely?

“Still… isn’t that something Lady Estelle should choose herself…?”

“Of course, Mom’s opinion is the most important. But as her daughter, don’t I have a say in who becomes my dad?”

‘Is that so…?’

Leo sighed inwardly.

It seemed both right and wrong, and the more he thought about how to convince Josie, the more his head spun.

But Josie was burning with enthusiasm. Maybe that was enough.

Leo smiled faintly as he followed Josie, who was walking ahead with quick steps.

Lucent