Witch – Chapter 114 – The Witch and the Black Knight (25)

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Cornelia berries, ripened in the cold northern climate—were they not said to be a staple for those stranded in the mountains?

It was also said that snow spirits would appear to eat them when hungry… These all-purpose berries, hoarded in large quantities by the yeti monsters that roamed the north, were introduced in Volume 2 of the Aria Chronicle.

The quest of delivering cornelia berries to a pregnant woman was merely a side story that didn’t receive much attention, but pregnancy itself was a sublime and noble process—the fruit of pure love. It was one of those tales forcibly inserted into fairy tales, highly regarded for its purity.

The place I arrived at via teleportation was the midslope of a mountain connecting the west and the north—a secluded spot I had once stumbled upon while wandering the north, where wild cornelia berries grew in abundance.

As the evening sun dyed the surroundings crimson, I plucked one of the vividly red berries and popped it into my mouth. The flesh, both sour and sweet, filled my palate.

“How is it? Tasty? Worth eating?”

Edel, seemingly pleased as well, answered not with words but by stuffing his cheeks like a squirrel the moment he took a bite, his eyes gleaming.

I hadn’t grown these berries, nor had I cultivated them, yet watching Edel’s reaction made an inexplicable smile bloom on my face.

Who’s going to steal them from you? Why so hasty? Just like Aria had done, Edel’s hands moved incessantly, shoving berries into his mouth.

“Delicious. But… not as much as the dishes Estelle makes. Just decent. Not bad.”

“Wipe the juice off your mouth before lying, would you?”

Edel had initially praised them enthusiastically, but after stealing a glance at me, he suddenly changed his tune.

Tch. Who taught you such shameless lies? Did he really think that would make me happy?

“Stay still.”

Suppressing the twitch at the corner of my lips, I pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the berry juice from Edel’s mouth. For a moment, he flinched, trying to pull away, but then obediently yielded to my touch.

Not like he had a choice—I had the back of his head locked in my other hand.

“…….”

How does it feel? Unsettling when the tables are turned, isn’t it?

Wait… why am I doing this?

Ahem. This is payback.

First, he cried while peeling onions.

Then, he staged a protest, demanding praise sigils.

Now, he’s staining his mouth while eating berries.

Just imagining how Kyle—the hero destined to fight Edel seven times—would react if he knew the Black Knight was this much of a mess was downright amusing.

On the other hand, if Edel’s so-called ideal woman ever saw him like this… would she lose interest? A pointless worry crept into my mind.

I knew how hard Edel had worked—I’d seen it firsthand. But others? Would that perfect woman—strong, buxom, and a skilled cook—really understand?

If that ideal woman were to laugh at him or dismiss him… no matter how much Edel liked her, my fists wouldn’t stand for it.

Insulting Edel was no different from insulting the way of pure love I had taught him.

“There. All done.”

I smirked at Edel, who had frozen stiff, forgetting to even chew the mouthful of berries he’d been holding. Then, I stepped back.

“Don’t eat too many. Save some for dinner. You’ll want to eat something even tastier than these berries, right?”

I’d never tried it before, but maybe a cornelia berry pie? Not that he’d ever called anything I made bad—he’d eat anything happily—but still, I wanted to tailor his meals to his tastes.

Praise makes even a witch dance. And right now, that was exactly the case.

“Edel. Should I gather some cornelia berries and make something for dinner? How about pie? We did just seal away one of the Four Heavenly Kings today. Consider it a special service.”

As the sun fully set, bathing us in the glow of the moon and stars, I looked up at Edel and spoke softly.

“You can make food with these…?! Anything is fine.”

His crimson eyes, reflecting the moonlight, shone even brighter in the now well-lit clearing.

His gaze was so full of childlike excitement that it was almost absurd. Josie had looked exactly like that when she first used dark magic.

I haven’t even started cooking yet, and he’s already like this. Guess I have to meet his expectations.

Just as I was about to pick a few berries for the meal—

“Who goes there?”

“Huh? Who goes where?”

Edel, who had been brimming with excitement moments ago, suddenly sharpened his voice and hurled his demonic sword into the darkness.

The blade cut through the air with a sharp whoosh, then clanged loudly against metal before returning to Edel’s hand.

I hadn’t sensed any presence, but the sound of impact confirmed someone was there. It couldn’t be a monster—Edel’s sword would’ve impaled it with a thud rather than being deflected.

When I illuminated the area with a magic circle, a man came into view, rubbing his sore backside in the darkness.

“Oww…”

Judging by the greatsword lying beside him, he had blocked Edel’s strike—though not cleanly, given how he’d been knocked over.

“I asked who you are.”

Edel pressed his blade against the man’s throat and repeated the question.

“Ah, well… I’m not a bandit. I came looking for cornelia berries. My wife’s been suffering from morning sickness, and I heard these were good for pregnant women. I’m from the western continent… Didn’t know they had an owner. But I’ve got money—any chance you’d sell some?”

Despite the sword at his throat, the man spoke calmly and without pause, explaining his situation.

Edel must have held back somewhat, his demonic sword was bound by rules that prevented indiscriminate slaughter. But still, blocking a strike from one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Black Knight himself, and remaining unfazed? This was no ordinary man.

“Edel. Hold on. No need to be that wary.”

Even if he wasn’t ordinary, throwing a sword and holding a blade to his throat seemed excessive.

More importantly, one word the man had spoken had triggered my pure love sensor, piquing my curiosity.

Did he just say pregnant woman?

He came all the way here at this hour… for his wife? This was pure love.

As I stepped closer to get a better look at this serendipitous encounter of a pure love enthusiast, the man’s face lit up the moment he saw me.

“Lady Mage…?”

“Do you know him?”

“Hmm…”

Lady Mage?

Had anyone ever called me that before?

I scrutinized him carefully.

A height over 170 cm, adventurer-like attire, skin covered in scars large and small—though not as much as Edel’s—a passably handsome face, an oversized greatsword that looked familiar, and an unnecessary amount of chatter.

“Thank you, Lady Mage.”

Ah. Now I remembered. There was exactly one person who fit.

“You… could you be Nicks?”

Of all places to run into the guy who should’ve been living a blissful, lovey-dovey life with Beryl in Venetia…

“Uh, could you maybe ask your companion to put the sword away? It’s a bit too murderous for my taste. I’ve got the most beautiful wife in the world and a child who hasn’t seen the light of day yet, you know?”

Four years had passed since I last saw him. He’d grown taller and more rugged, making him hard to recognize at first glance—but it was definitely Nicks.

Nicks’ wife is Beryl, right? Unless he was cheating—which, if he were, Beryl wouldn’t let him live—then that meant…

The fruit of pure love.

Beryl and Nicks’ love had taken root?

“Nicks, explain. Beryl’s pregnant? Since when? How many months?”

Hearing about Beryl’s pregnancy was more urgent than preparing dinner.

“She suddenly started retching, so we called a doctor. Early stages, apparently. As for when exactly… I’m not really sure. Heh.”

Ugh… You damn beast!

You’ve been feasting on Beryl’s home-cooked meals every day, haven’t you?!

When I left Venetia, the two had been burning hot for each other. That it took four years for her to get pregnant was almost impressive.

“Wait. You left pregnant Beryl alone to come all the way to the north? Where is she? Don’t tell me you left her by herself for over a month?”

Traveling from Venetia to here would take at least a month. No matter how much he wanted Cornelia berries for Beryl’s morning sickness, leaving a pregnant woman alone for so long was unforgivable.

“I left around noon… so it’s been about five hours?”

“Are you lying? You’re not a mage. How does it take only five hours to get from Venetia here?”

“Well… Josie visited Venetia not too long ago. She made a magic tool that lets me fly. She’s also the one who told me cornelia berries help with morning sickness. Hahaha… I’m telling you the truth!”

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at Nicks until he broke out in a cold sweat despite the northern chill.

“Josie did?”

As if to prove his words, he showed me the magic tool strapped to his back. Deciphering the magic circle embedded in it, I saw the shape of a blue butterfly—likely confirming his story.

I never taught her how to make magic tools.

To have learned it on her own and reached this level… My daughter really is a genius.

She had mentioned heading south after the west, so she must’ve stopped by Venetia along the way.

It stung that I hadn’t heard it from Josie herself, but getting news of my daughter from Nicks was a small comfort.

Lucent