Witch – Chapter 90 – The Witch and the Black Knight (1)

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“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

The moment I returned home, I dashed straight to my bed and buried my face in the soft pillow.

Just meeting Dorothy had stirred up this much emotion in me. I felt a pang of regret—not quite regret, but something close—that I hadn’t sought her out sooner.

Family really is a wonderful thing.

Just the thought that Dorothy was there for me just as I was there for Josie made the loneliness feel… not so lonely anymore.

Instead of emptiness, a warm happiness welled up inside me, and I found myself kicking my poor bed over and over again.

The rhythmic thuds against the bed echoed in a steady 4/4 time—quarter notes turning into dotted quarter notes, then gradually slowing down. Eventually, the sound faded into complete silence, and I basked in the lingering warmth of joy.

‘My daughter, Estelle. I love you.’

“Hehehe.”

Dorothy’s words before I teleported away surfaced in my mind, and I couldn’t help but giggle. It was the first time she had ever told me she loved me. Just that alone was enough to send me into a giddy whirlwind of emotions.

If Josie’s “I love you” felt like the seeds I had planted finally sprouting, then Dorothy’s “I love you” was like gentle rain nurturing me, the seed, so I could grow.

The same words, yet so different. Love truly was a mysterious thing. Even though it made me blush, I found myself craving to hear it again—so much so that I barely stopped myself from turning back and begging her to say it one more time.

The warmth filling my chest slowly spread from my head to my toes. I curled up, then stretched out, trying to savor every last bit of it before it faded.

I was already addicted to this feeling. My body trembled with a different kind of joy than what Beryl had shown me with her pure love.

There had been a time when I wondered what would remain once the original story reached its conclusion. A world where nothing was left, where even curses couldn’t drive a witch to ruin… What would I do if I were left alone, truly immortal, in such a place?

The answer, surprisingly, was closer than I thought.

Once I’ve witnessed all the pure love stories, I’ll return to Dorothy’s side. I’ll live there with Stella, telling her all the tales of love I’ve seen.

The thought that Josie wouldn’t be there weighed heavily on my heart, but I couldn’t selfishly turn her into a witch just for my sake.

Then, I’ll sit by Josie’s grave and tell her stories. And to her descendants, too.

But to do that, I needed to prepare.

I pulled out a notebook from my dimensional inventory—one I had used from my days as Dorothy’s apprentice all the way until I met Josie.

Flipping through the mind maps I had drawn back then, detailing what I needed to do and the connections I had to make after becoming a witch, I couldn’t help but recall my younger self, eagerly anticipating the day I’d become one.

Most of the notes were… extremely personal. Things like “who loved whom”, “who had a one-sided crush on whom”, “which love story I absolutely had to see but never got to”…

The notebook was practically a treasure to me. I breathed in its familiar scent as I turned the pages.

Though most of its contents wouldn’t become relevant until 200 years later, I had frantically scribbled down notes everywhere, terrified I might forget before the original story began.

I flipped to the last page, where I had left some blank space, and slowly wrote down:

Josie. Dorothy. Stella.

Then, I turned back to an earlier section filled with bucket-list-like goals and skimmed through them.

– Befriend Beryl (✓)
– Establish Venetia (✓)
– Mass-produce elixirs (✓)
– Brew love potions (✓)
– Find the Holy Swords (✓)
– Find the Demon Swords
– Meet Hecate, the Witch of the South
– Meet the Witch of the Sea
– Meet Grace the Elf
– Encounter the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army

Most were things I had to accomplish before the original story started. The completed ones were already marked, making it easy to see what remained.

“I’ve already found all the holy swords… The demon swords won’t be fully obtainable until Part 1 ends, so… the elf? Should I look into Grace again?”

Elf Grace.

A character who joins the hero’s party in Part 1 as an archer.

A textbook example of a classic elf—cherishing nature, incapable of lying, strictly vegetarian.

She frequently bickered with the party’s rogue, who had a completely opposite personality, and whenever their arguments escalated, the hero, Kyle, would step in as mediator.

She played a key role in clearing the path through the demon king’s army with a single arrow, made recurring appearances up to Part 4, and eventually fell in love with the rogue. Though their marriage wasn’t recognized by elf society, they lived happily together until his death—after which she chose to follow him into the afterlife, unable to bear a world without him.

I really wanted to befriend her, but…

I groaned as memories of my futile search for elves during my travels in the southern regions resurfaced.

…Let’s put Grace on hold for now. Sorry, Grace. I’ll come find you soon.

She probably didn’t even know I existed, but I indulged in a little self-deprecating fantasy anyway, imagining a happy future.

“As for Hecate…”

The Witch of the South, Hecate, would turn anyone with witch potential into a witch, regardless of race—all to build an army strong enough to kill Alice, the Witch of the East.

If I go to her now, I might end up forcibly recruited into her elite tea party…

I shook my head.

And her personality? Unpredictable and volatile. While it might be good to establish a connection early, remembering how Hecate was portrayed in Aria Chronicle made me hesitate.

“The Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings…”

I stared out the window at the darkened sky, lost in thought. Other than Grace, aren’t these all boss-level enemies?

The Four Heavenly Kings:

The Black Knight, the Succubus Queen, the Cursed Doll, and the Vampire.

Seriously, it’s like a 20th-century RPG… Who even comes up with these titles?

Despite being introduced in Part 1, their remains became crucial plot devices in later installments—like the Black Knight’s armor fragments, the Succubus Queen’s horn, or the Doll’s core—all necessary items for the Holy Kingdom arc in Part 3.

There was also the Succubus Queen’s unrequited love… but since she ultimately died by the protagonist Kyle’s hand, I had wanted to meet her at least once.

Lately, monsters corrupted by magic stones had been appearing more frequently, meaning it wouldn’t be strange for the Four Heavenly Kings to descend soon.

The exact timing wasn’t recorded, but…

I recalled the narration from Part 1:

Before the Demon King’s arrival, the Four Heavenly Kings descended upon the human world in a shower of green light.

Just like now.

“Huh?”

Outside the window, streaks of green light were falling from the sky. I bolted upright from the bed.

“It’s happening now ?!”

I rubbed my eyes, thinking I must be seeing things, but the green meteors continued their descent, streaking across the night sky.

Even if this was just the prologue, it effectively meant Aria Chronicle Part 1 had begun.

But… if they were descending this early…

“Then what about Josie?!”

A fear I never would’ve considered when writing my notebook now gripped me, sending a chill down my spine.

Even if monsters, empowered by magic stones, ran rampant, Leo’s being by her side meant things should be fine…

But no matter how well-armed Leo was with holy swords, if Josie encountered one of the Four Heavenly Kings, her life could be in danger.

She just left on her journey! What kind of timing is this?!

What do I do? Intercept them midair?

No matter how Aria Chronicle’s narrative was supposed to unfold, my mind was consumed by one thing: Josie’s safety.

I have to stop this.

Panic set in. I threw open the window and shot into the sky.

Forget the whole “flying on a broomstick” aesthetic—I didn’t have time for that.

I immediately unfolded a magic circle, aiming it at the falling meteors, ready to unleash a mana blast.

But… one of the streaks seemed to be veering toward me.

No, it was getting closer.

Had it sensed my intent to attack?

The meteor—no, the being—was descending faster now, accelerating as if drawn to me.

Probably the Black Knight.

The de facto leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, fiercely loyal to the Demon King.

A battle maniac who fought anyone strong, ally or enemy, clashing with the protagonist Kyle seven times in Part 1.

Maybe he had sensed my mana and, driven by bloodlust, was now charging straight at me.

If I couldn’t take out all four at once…

“Then I’ll just pick them off one by one.”

A way to ensure Josie’s safety without disrupting her journey.

After reviewing my notebook, I had realized something: The world was dangerous enough without me interfering.

Now that the Four Heavenly Kings had descended, I had to find them before Josie did.

One by one, I would cripple them—rendering them unable to act for the next hundred years.

And if I could control the magic stone-infested monsters, wouldn’t that make Josie’s travels easier?

Plus, I could check on her while I was at it.

Witnessing pure love stories could wait.

I unleashed the charged magic circle, firing a concentrated blast of mana straight at the approaching green light.

Lucent