Ch. 116 The Witch and the Black Knight (27)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 116 – The Witch and the Black Knight (27)
The scenery of Venetia, visited after so long, was as beautiful as ever. The canals glittered under the starlight like stars fallen to earth.
The lights illuminating the houses, as if lamenting the already-set sun, shimmered like the milky way—and among them, Beryl’s home stood warmly, radiating comfort.
“Niiiicks~ where have you been so late? Do you know how long I’ve waited? I almost turned into a grandma waiting!”
Beryl’s single visible eye—the other hidden behind an eyepatch—glared fiercely, yet within it swirled a thick, syrupy love as she cornered Nicks.
Though she had been scolding her husband for his late return, the moment she saw his face, her anger seemed to melt away. Not that she made any effort to hide the smile tugging at her lips despite her complaints.
Are these two newlyweds?
The density of their pure love was so thick that I wondered if I should just head home instead of greeting them.
“Well, I had some business…”
“More important than me?”
“Of course not.”
“Then prove it.”
The demonic eye hidden beneath her eyepatch locked onto its prey, and in an instant, Beryl closed the distance.
She threw her arms around Nicks and planted a deep, searing kiss on him. Their tongues tangled in a wet, obscene harmony, and I quickly covered Edel’s eyes with my palm before squeezing my own shut.
With my eyes closed, the lewd sounds—smack, slurp, gasp—and the sticky symphony of their love only grew more vivid, making my cheeks burn.
“Why are you covering my eyes?”
“It’s—it’s too early for you to see this…!”
Edel grumbled a little but didn’t push my hand away.
Kissing was still… dangerous territory for him. A hundred years too early.
Y-Yeah. That kind of lovey-dovey kissing can wait until after marriage. No need to rush. To put it in perspective, teaching high school math to an elementary student would be just as absurd.
Unless Edel’s a genius… But judging by what I’ve taught him so far, he’s barely above idiot level.
Still, as the Witch of Love, I couldn’t just ignore such a display of pure affection. Peeking through slightly parted fingers, I watched Beryl and Nicks’ love from the front row, stoking the flames of my already burning cheeks.
Beryl’s hands gripped Nicks’ back like she’d never let go, her fingers digging into his clothes as if even that was part of the kiss.
Someday… way in the future, Edel will have a love this passionate too, right? Whoever his partner might be, they’d surely experience the purest romance.
…I might be a little jealous.
A sudden twinge of pain shot through me, and I grimaced before I could stop myself.
“Mmph—! H-Hey, Beryl… We have guests.”
Just as I was wondering if Beryl would keep going, Nicks thankfully came to his senses first.
“Guests…? E-Estelle!?”
“Should I let you keep going…? I’ll say hi next time.”
Only then did Beryl finally look around, and when our eyes met, she gave an awkward wave.
This keeps happening… Every time I visit Beryl, I end up stumbling into an embarrassing situation. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for no reason.
Beryl and Nicks, me and Edel. The four of us sat facing each other on a two-person sofa, the awkward atmosphere lingering. Like last time, the couple’s intimate affection had been witnessed by their friend…
The old Beryl would’ve covered her other eye with an eyepatch and fled into the darkness, but now she clung tightly to Nicks’ hand, pressing close to him.
“Beryl, congratulations. You’re pregnant, right? Nicks told me everything.”
“Mm-hmm. Thanks. Hehe. But when did you meet Nicks?”
I tried to lighten the mood, but Beryl’s sharp question came flying back like a dagger.
Rather than accepting the congratulations, she seemed more interested in how I’d met Nicks. I thought her yandere tendencies would’ve mellowed after getting together with him, but… this was so Beryl.
“We met in the north, ma’am.”
As if used to her antics, Nicks casually answered for me.
“The north? Why the north? What were you doing all the way out there?”
“I was worried about your morning sickness. Josie mentioned cornelia berries help, so I went to get some. For you, Beryl, I’d go to the ends of the earth.”
“O-Oh… You went that far… for me…? Hehe. But don’t go to the ends of the earth—it’s dangerous. Just staying by my side is enough.”
Damn… This is what it takes to get married.
I watched in awe as Beryl’s sharp demeanor instantly melted into mush.
“Edel. Pay attention to how the senior pure love expert talks.”
I nudged Edel’s side with my elbow.
The woman of Edel’s dreams would undoubtedly have a personality like Beryl’s. Even if kissing was too advanced, he needed to learn how to charm a woman’s heart.
“Pure love, huh? Is that Nicks guy stronger than me?”
“Hmm… Edel, if you go picking fights without my permission, forget pure love—you’ll be in big trouble. More importantly, if you mess with Nicks… someone far scarier than me won’t let you off easy.”
“Hmph… Fine.”
Typical of the Black Knight—his first thought was about fighting. I shot him a warning, and though he looked displeased, his gaze remained fixed on Nicks.
“Estelle.”
Just as I was admiring Beryl and Nicks’ sweet exchange, Edel suddenly called my name.
I should be engraving this pure love scene into my eyes while I can—why’s he interrupting? I shot him a glare, but his oblivious eyes only stared back intently.
“I, too, can go to the ends of the earth.”
“Huh…? What’s this all of a sudden?”
Did he eat something weird? Why’s he acting like this?
We haven’t even had dinner yet… Or is it because he’s hungry?
More importantly, why was he suddenly talking about going to the ends of the earth? After a moment’s thought, I realized he was just parroting Nicks’ words.
I told him to listen carefully, but I didn’t expect him to quote it… His learning speed was impressive.
That aside, what’s he trying to say to me?
“Got it. Good job learning. Now, back up a little?”
“Glad you approve. I can even pick cornelia berries if needed.”
Edel kept inching closer, our chests nearly touching. I pushed his face away with one hand, squishing his cheeks, and he obediently retreated without resistance.
“That’s enough. Save the sweet talk for your future wife.”
Thanks to Edel, I’d missed part of the pure love show. But by the time I turned back, Beryl and Nicks were already staring at us with sparkling eyes, as if they’d finished.
They even started feeding each other cornelia berries, whispering things like “Oh my, oh my” and “What’s this, what’s that?”.
“Beryl. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm? Like what? Keep going.”
Keep going? With what…?
Beryl’s eyes narrowed meaningfully. Nicks, ever the instigator, even leaned in to whisper something in her ear…
Is he spreading rumors to Beryl? It hit me belatedly—to them, the way Edel and I looked together wasn’t much different from their own display.
Edel’s only made the misunderstanding worse.
No matter what I said now, it wouldn’t reach their ears.
But if I stayed silent, this misunderstanding would solidify into fact.
“L-Let me introduce him properly! Edel is my disciple! We’re traveling together due to circumstances!”
“Ohhh~? Is that so? If the Witch of Love says so, then it must be true~”
I felt like a kindergarten kid caught playing house, my face burning red.
As expected, they didn’t believe me at all.
And Beryl even had the nerve to bring up the Witch of Love title—how infuriating.
Nicks and Beryl, both of them…
Why are they misunderstanding?
There’s no way Edel and I are like that!
He sexually harasses me at every chance—grabbing my hands without permission, swinging his “sword” to knock me out, throwing tantrums for praise sigils… How could I possibly like someone so troublesome?
Sure, Edel’s not bad-looking… strong, learning to cook, turning into a proper husband, even dusting me off with care, studying hard enough to read alone in less than a month…!
But I’ve never once thought of him that way!!!
The more I thought about it, the more worked up I got. Right. That’s why my face is red. It’s definitely not for any other reason.
This is all Edel’s fault.
I glared at him with fiery eyes, but he remained as oblivious as ever. How’s someone this dense supposed to do pure love properly?
Stupid Edel wouldn’t understand anyway.
He’s still got a long way to go.
“Estelle, it’s getting late—why don’t you stay for dinner? We can catch up too.”
“No thanks. We’re going home.”
I’d planned to listen to Beryl’s love stories and indulge in some sweet fantasies, but I changed my mind.
If I stayed for dinner, Beryl’s misunderstanding would undoubtedly spiral out of control.
Ugh…! After all the trouble I went through to set them up, and this is how they repay me?
“Let’s go, Edel.”
“You promised pie.”
“I’ll make you tons of cornelia berry pie at home.”
Convincing Edel, who was sulking about dinner being delayed, wasn’t hard. The moment I mentioned making him piles of pie, his eyes lit up—so very him.
“What a shame. Come visit again? I’ll be waiting.”
“Hmph.”
Leaving behind Beryl, who kept giggling for some reason, I quickly activated the magic circle. If I stayed a second longer, I might’ve exploded from frustration.
I can always come back to Venetia tomorrow.
Next time, I’ll make sure to avoid Beryl.
Lucent
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