Ch. 32 The Two Witches (12)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 32 – The Two Witches (12)
After the meal, Josie and Leo were guided to their guest rooms by the maids.
Leo, being physically strong, was fine, but Josie had walked all the way from the dungeon to Venetia, so she must have been exhausted.
Following Derrick’s guidance, I entered the study, which looked almost the same as it had sixty years ago, bringing back a flood of memories.
This was the very place where Derrick had decided to make Venetia a second capital and sought my help.
Back then, he had been reckless, passionate, and full of ambition, but now he had become a kind, elderly man. It really drove home how much time had passed.
“I didn’t expect you to agree to help so easily.”
“If the harvest doesn’t happen, there won’t be a festival. Do you know how much Josie is looking forward to the harvest festival? If we don’t invite the prince to this festival, our daughter will be terribly disappointed.”
“I guess I’ll have to make sure the prince comes, then. How about a drink to catch up?”
Derrick took out a bottle of liquor from the cabinet and offered it to me, but I shook my head.
In my past life, I could drink without getting drunk, but in this life, even a little alcohol made me black out, so I didn’t trust myself to handle it.
“Lady Estelle having a child… I guess you really do live long enough to see everything.”
“Who do you think I slept with? Josie is a child born from my heart.”
“Of course. No man could handle your personality.”
What’s that supposed to mean about my personality?
I couldn’t hit him like I used to, so I had to bite my tongue.
Hitting an old man would only land me in trouble, and Derrick knew that, which was why he was teasing me like this.
Sleeping with a man…? That’s still unimaginable to me.
“What do you think, Lady Estelle?”
“About what?”
“How does Venetia today compare to what you described back then?”
Derrick, who seemed to be getting drunk, was saying things he normally wouldn’t, and I wasn’t sure how to respond.
What had I told him back then? I had boldly declared that Venetia would become the center of the world.
It was the city where the protagonist was born, and it was also a town the protagonist passed through.
Anyone who played Aria Chronicle would inevitably come to know Venetia, so calling it the center wasn’t entirely wrong.
But compared to the original story, Venetia still had a long way to go.
“It’s still far off. Venetia can become even more prosperous.”
“Is that so….”
“Why? Are you disappointed?”
“How could I be disappointed? If this were the end, I would be. Knowing that Venetia can still grow, especially hearing it from the Demon of Laplace, is reassuring. Eric, Emily, or perhaps even more distant descendants will make that Venetia a reality.”
Though his body had aged, Derrick’s eyes still burned with the same passion as when I first met him.
“But what about that ‘Demon of Laplace’ thing? It felt cool back then, but now… it’s kind of embarrassing, like digging up a dark past.”
Even though I brought it up, it was still embarrassing.
There were other titles, like prophet or sage, but…
“When I saw you in your youth, the only image that came to mind was that of a demon. When you came back after slicing a dragon in half, I almost made a fool of myself.”
“Wait, that wasn’t a dragon, it was a wyvern!”
I had been wanting to correct him, and now was the perfect time.
“A flying, fire-breathing reptile is a flying, fire-breathing reptile, isn’t it?”
He casually dismissed it and emptied his glass. If dragons heard that, they’d be shocked.
“What am I doing, arguing with a senile old man?”
“Hehe. Don’t let my age fool you. I’m healthier than my son. My goal is to live to a hundred.”
He was really proud of that.
The fiery look in his eyes was gone, replaced by the gentle demeanor of an old man, and I was starting to feel tired.
“How’s my friend doing?”
“If you mean her, we helped her set up a shop in the market. We’re indebted to her. Thanks to the medicine she gave me, I’ve been getting healthier.”
Of course.
The potion I gave him wouldn’t have kept him healthy into his eighties. Beryl must have been helping him.
She had always been a shut-in, but she opened a shop? I worried she might be selling rare potions for cheap. Or worse, if she got angry and opened her Demon Eye, it would be a disaster.
From what Derrick said, it seemed she hadn’t caused any trouble yet, which was a relief.
“That friend of mine can be scary when she’s angry. Make sure she doesn’t have a reason to get mad. But don’t bother her too much. When she’s angry, she’s even more terrifying than me.”
“We’ve been taking good care of her, as she’s your friend.”
“Good. I’m sure you’ll handle it.”
The smell of alcohol in the study was overwhelming, so I got up to leave.
If I stayed any longer, I might get drunk just from the fumes.
“Leaving already?”
“It’s not like today is the last time I’ll be seeing you. I plan to stay in Venetia for a while.”
Derrick looked disappointed, as if there was more to catch up on, but I opened the door to leave.
“By the way, are your daughter and that knight of hers… lovers?”
I turned back at the unexpected question.
Josie and Leo as lovers? I could never accept that.
Even with the extra points Leo earned today by teaching Josie etiquette, he was still at a minus ninety-nine thousand points as a potential son-in-law.
“No, Leo is just her knight.”
“Hehe. Is that so? They looked quite close during dinner. I’m glad I was mistaken, but…”
Derrick trailed off, leaving his sentence hanging.
“What…? You’re making me nervous.”
“It’s just that Emily’s ideal type is exactly like that knight. If they’re not lovers, then it’s fine. It’s all part of being young, isn’t it? Hehehe.”
Derrick, clearly excited about his granddaughter’s love life, couldn’t stop laughing. I left him in the study and walked out.
I remembered Emily shyly smiling and greeting us during dinner. I thought she was smiling at Josie, but… what if she had been looking at Leo instead? The thought sent shivers down my spine.
If Leo and Emily hit it off and he decided to stay in Venetia, Josie would have no choice but to give up.
And I wouldn’t have to dirty my hands getting rid of that annoying Leo.
“Hehe. Derrick, as you said, it’s all part of being young. Alright then.”
With light steps, I headed toward the room where Josie was resting.
But it seemed the situation had already unfolded. From a distance, I saw Josie running toward me, tears streaming down her face.
To make Josie cry overnight… this was no ordinary situation.
Josie had finished her bath and was lying on the guest room bed, reflecting on the day.
From leaving home to facing slimes, goblins, and trolls—monsters she had only read about in Estelle’s Encyclopedia of Monsters—and finally arriving in Venetia. There had been that awkward moment with Nicks trying to hold her hand, but she had pulled away within three seconds, as her mother had taught her, preserving her purity.
Then, during dinner at the Marquis’s residence, she had been overwhelmed by the number of forks and knives…
Her mother had been busy talking, so she couldn’t ask for help. Luckily, Leo had stepped in and helped her through the meal, or she would have been left floundering.
And then there was Emily, who had introduced herself so gracefully. She had handled her utensils with such elegance that Josie couldn’t help but admire her.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t even made proper eye contact with Emily. Meeting someone her own age for the first time since childhood had made her so nervous that she couldn’t even look at her properly. She felt pathetic.
And Emily’s chest was so much bigger…
Her mother had said she would grow more with time, but seeing how different Emily was at the same age made Josie feel a strange emotion bubbling up.
Back home, every day had been the same routine.
But traveling was so exhausting. After her bath, her body felt heavy, and her eyelids were drooping, but she forced herself to get up.
“It’s not time to sleep yet.”
She got up from the bed and left the room.
Leo, who had helped her with the utensils, seemed different from the disobedient younger brother she usually saw.
She wanted to thank him.
Leo’s room was separate from the women’s quarters, but she remembered the maid’s directions and found it easily.
Why was she so nervous just to say thank you?
She hesitated, worried she might wake him if he was already asleep.
“Haa…”
Knock knock knock—
She tried to calm her trembling heart and knocked gently.
“Leo, it’s Josie. Are you asleep?”
“…….”
There was no answer.
She was about to leave, thinking he might already be asleep, when…
Thud—
A sound came from inside Leo’s room.
“Leo?”
Knock knock knock— Thud thud thud— Bang bang bang—
“Leo, is something wrong? Answer me!”
Without realizing it, Josie started knocking harder.
Her hands turned red, but she was too worried about Leo to care.
She tried the doorknob, and since it wasn’t locked, the door opened under her force.
“Are you okay? I heard a strange noise… Uh… what’s… happening…….”
What is this?
The scene that greeted Josie when she opened the door was beyond her comprehension.
“Josie, this isn’t what it looks like….”
Emily, in her nightgown, was lying on top of Leo, who had fallen.
Their hands were clasped together.
It didn’t take long for the incomprehensible emotions in Josie’s heart to rise to her head.
Leo quickly got up and tried to explain, but Josie’s world had stopped. She couldn’t hear anything.
Josie had also thought Emily was beautiful. Elegant, graceful… even as a girl, Josie found her stunning.
If Josie felt that way, wouldn’t Leo feel the same…?
Her heart was a mess. But Josie was still too young to know how to express these feelings.
The only thing Josie could think of was running back to her room.
Lucent
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