The Witch’s Forest (2)

Why did the Witch’s Forest come to be called the Witch’s Forest?

There was no need to explain the etymology of the regional name. Simply put, it was called the Witch’s Forest because it was a place where only witches lived, densely populated by witches.

Then let me rephrase the question: why did witches end up living together in such tight-knit communities?

Because mixing medicinal ingredients and creating potions were illegal activities not permitted by the Empire?

No way. The Luminor Academy, an imperial academy, openly has a Pharmacy Department, so it couldn’t possibly be illegal. In fact, pharmacy-which produces effects similar to magic without actual magic-was actively encouraged by the Empire as a field of study.

Then, was it because witches used sinister ingredients for their potions, unlike other apothecaries, making it impossible to operate in plain sight?

That wasn’t it either. While the Witch’s Forest’s unique environment did make it easier to procure ingredients compared to other regions, witches didn’t actually use suspicious materials for their potions.

Well, seeing the way witches gathered and worked together might make them seem shady, but they weren’t actually plotting anything nefarious. It just “looked that way.”

So if they weren’t doing anything particularly questionable, why did witches end up living together in this remote forest within the Empire?

It was because all these witches were, by nature, an occupation group afflicted with “ultimate communication disorders.”

“U-Uh, uh, uh, w-w-welcome, e-everyone…”

“Hello, Miss Lara Mediciling. We’ve come here at the request of Hero Gyeotmwa Josyegigot.”

“Th-Th-Th-Thank y-y-you… I-I’m L-Lara M-M-Mediciling… I-I’m s-s-sorry for m-making you t-t-travel all this w-way to our h-hometown…”

“It’s fine. We’ve been wanting to see what the Witch’s Forest is like for ourselves. If anything, we’re honored to have been invited.”

Lara Mediciling, unable to meet our eyes, struggled to mumble her words.

As evident from her stuttering speech, ragged breathing, and fidgeting posture, she was someone whose communication skills were somewhat lacking compared to the average person.

“I-I only invited the H-Hero, not anyone else… B-But if you’re here to help, I-I guess it’s fine… W-Where is Gyeotmwa Josyegigot…? I-I can barely handle one person, h-how am I supposed to remember all these faces…?”

Leaving us at the forest entrance, Lara muttered to herself in an uneasy voice.

I was about to wait patiently for her to calm down, but Agnes-who was particularly frustrated by this kind of behavior-broke the silence from behind.

“…So, how long are we supposed to just stand here?”

“W-Wha-?!”

“I heard from Gyeotmwa Josyegigot that you called us here because you needed help. Shouldn’t you explain things first, whether on the way or after guiding us to some lodging?”

“O-O-O-Okay, j-just a s-second… U-Uh, wh-what do I do in this s-situation…”

The moment Agnes, unable to contain her frustration, blurted out a single remark, Lara flinched in surprise. She immediately pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and carefully unfolded it.

Clutching the crumpled paper tightly in both hands, Lara read it aloud from top to bottom. As I mentioned before, having gone through Lara’s event about fifteen times, I had a rough idea of what that paper was.

‘Probably a script for unexpected conversations.’

It was like the kind of script celebrities or broadcasters read before recording. The problem was that she used this script even in daily life.

That alone spoke volumes about how severely lacking her communication skills were. As I mentioned earlier, most witches had communication disorders, so this wasn’t particularly surprising.

In fact, if she was attending the academy, she was probably on the “better” end of the spectrum. …Though “better” was still a relative term.

In this situation, pushing her would only waste time, so I deliberately steered the conversation in a more considerate direction.

“H-How to respond to an a-angry person… I-I definitely wrote it down somewhere…”

“It’s okay, Miss Lara. You can take your time.”

“O-O-Okay… Y-Your n-name was…?”

“Lilith Blackwood Rosewood. You can call me Lilith or Rosewood.”

“O-Okay… R-Rosewood…”

“There’s still a day or two before the Witch’s Trial begins, right? If it’s too hard to explain verbally, you can write it down and give it to us later. For now, could you first show us where we’ll be staying while we’re here?”

“O-O-Okay… I-I’ll do that…”

The best way to handle difficult questions was to sidestep them and focus on immediate tasks. That was how conversations with Lara worked at Luminor Academy.

Pushing or rushing her like Agnes did earlier would only waste more time and make things worse.

Because of her personality, the Hero was the only one who could somewhat communicate with her in-game, which was exactly why Gyeotmwa Josyegigot had sent me here.

“P-P-Please f-follow me… R-Rosewood… a-and everyone else…”

“Yes, Miss Lara Mediciling.”

Lara hesitantly took the first steps into the forest, with me, Agnes, and the others following behind.

“Miss Agnes.”

“…What?”

“You shouldn’t rush or pressure someone like Miss Lara. If you have to say something, you should offer a natural solution while speaking.”

“…I know. I knew that, but this is just too much.”

“I agree, but… people’s personalities are what they are.”

“…Fine. I’ll be careful.”

I had initially thought we could just follow the storyline while helping with the Witch’s Trial, but…

Briefly considering the possibility of unexpected variables, I followed everyone deeper into the Witch’s Forest.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

As I mentioned before entering the forest, all witches suffer from severe communication disorders.

This wasn’t something that improved or changed with age. Because every resident of this forest had communication issues.

Just greeting one villager would take nearly three days, and Lara-who had managed to introduce herself earlier-was, as I said, “relatively better” by comparison.

“M-M-Mom…”

“……”

“Th-These are the f-friends I t-told you about… I-I didn’t expect s-so many… I-Is it o-okay…?”

“……”

Lara Mediciling asked her mother for permission to let us stay, as if seeking approval to keep a pet.

Opposite her stood Lara’s mother, silently staring at her without a word.

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence filled the air as the Mediciling mother and daughter exchanged nothing but glances.

Agnes, who had been watching my reaction, cautiously whispered to me in a low voice.

“…Are we not getting permission? She’s not saying anything.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I think she’ll probably allow it?”

“…Are you serious?”

“Personally, I think it’d be weirder if she didn’t let us stay.”

“You’re saying that after seeing that look? That’s clearly an ‘I’m not happy about this’ glare…”

-Tap, tap.

“Y-You can c-come in… R-Rosewood… a-and everyone… O-Oh, and p-please take off your s-shoes…”

Lara’s mother gestured for us to enter with a flick of her hand before heading upstairs, and Lara hastily followed after delivering her final instruction.

The others were puzzled by the mother’s sudden change from silent glaring to permission, but since I knew why she acted that way, I had no reason to hesitate.

“I think we can go in now, Prince Antonio. Ed, Miss Agnes, and Sir Colt as well.”

“…Are you sure? You all might be the Hero’s friends, but Sir Colt and I are uninvited guests.”

“And yet you followed Miss Agnes all the way from the royal villa to here? You’re not planning to leave us behind and take the carriage back alone, are you?”

“…That’s not what I meant. I just didn’t know Miss Lara and her mother were like this. I heard Miss Lara was just shy, but her mother seems quite cold…”

“It’ll be fine. She only looks cold on the outside-she’s not actually like that.”

“Hmm, can I trust that…?”

“You can trust Lilith’s words, Prince Antonio. At the very least, I’ve never been at a disadvantage by listening to her.”

“If you don’t want to come in, stay outside by yourself. I’m going in.”

“W-Wait, Lady Agnes! I-I’m coming too, just wait a moment…!”

Ignoring Antonio’s hesitation, Agnes took off her shoes and stepped inside first. Thanks to her, Prince Antonio hastily followed suit, effectively being persuaded by Agnes unintentionally.

Worrying based solely on outward reactions in the Witch’s Forest was downright foolish.

Living in the Witch’s Forest meant being raised solely by one’s mother, without a father. It was obvious where Lara’s severe communication disorder came from.