Ch. 34 The Two Witches (14)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 34 – The Two Witches (14)
Venetia’s farmland was far larger and more expansive than the fields Josie had worked on before.
The endless rows of crops stretching to the horizon made her swallow nervously, wondering if she could really handle this.
‘Death Worms, was it?’
She recalled the grotesque illustrations from Estelle’s Encyclopedia of Monsters.
Death Worms lived underground, detecting prey through vibrations and hunting them with their massive bodies and hundreds of sharp teeth.
They were typically found in deserts and didn’t travel in groups.
But here, they were appearing frequently in the heart of the farmland and even moving in packs—completely unlike what the book described.
Before leaving the mansion, Josie had tried to recall the information, peculiarities, and precautions about Death Worms that Estelle had shared, but her memory was hazy.
Her role was to use precise mana control to locate and eliminate the Death Worms before they could cause damage, while Estelle supported her by creating a massive magic circle to amplify her mana.
Covering the entire farmland, which stretched as far as the eye could see, was impossible for Josie alone.
“Hoaaaah…”
“Josie, it’s not too late to change your mind. Maybe you should rest today?”
“I can do it.”
She tried to stifle a yawn, but it escaped anyway, earning her a worried look from Estelle.
Josie wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but her pride wouldn’t allow it.
If it were just her and Estelle, she might have whined a little, but she didn’t want to show weakness in front of the others watching from behind.
“Wouldn’t it be better to have Leo by your side? He’s your knight, after all. If he’s too far away, he won’t be able to protect you if something goes wrong.”
Josie glanced at Leo, who was standing awkwardly by the eastern gate leading to the farmland.
Emily was clinging to his arm like glue, and the sight made Josie turn her head away in disgust.
“It’s fine. Nothing will happen.”
She remembered the brief conversation she’d had with Leo before they left.
When Emily had stepped away to prepare for the outing, Leo had approached her like a guilty child.
“It might be dangerous, so I’ll stay by your side.”
“ Leo, you should stay far away and take care of Lady Emily. It would be bad if you two were to be caught in the crossfire…”
She had told him to stay away, but she hadn’t expected him to actually listen.
Everything he did annoyed her.
Emily, who had no role in this mission, had insisted on coming as a member of the Laplace family to observe. She clung to Leo, clearly trying to provoke Josie.
“I will create a magic circle to amplify and control the mana. Josie, you’ll use the circle to locate and eliminate the Death Worms underground. Just like when you interfered with the curse’s magic circle before.”
“Don’t worry. I can do it.”
“Alright, let’s start. Don’t push yourself too hard. If it gets too much, tell me immediately.”
“Yes, I’ll let you know.”
Even as she said it, Josie had no intention of speaking up. Estelle seemed to know this, sighing deeply with a worried expression.
Estelle flew to the center of the farmland on her broomstick and raised her hand to the sky. Crimson mana erupted from her, forming a magic circle.
The circle, initially small enough to fit in her hand, grew until it covered the entire farmland. The sheer scale of it was overwhelming, as if it could swallow the sky.
Josie knew Estelle was powerful, but seeing her create such a massive magic circle without any preparation left her in awe.
The mana within Josie’s body trembled in response to the magic circle. She needed to focus.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the flow of mana emanating from the magic circle in the sky.
She raised her staff high, connecting her mana to the circle.
Her own mana wasn’t enough to cover the vast farmland, so she had to borrow Estelle’s.
Thanks to her previous experience interfering with the magic circle in Leo’s heart, connecting to Estelle’s mana wasn’t difficult.
“Ugh…!”
Just connecting to the circle made her feel like she was being sucked into a massive flow of mana.
Normally, she could handle it, but her current state was far from normal. Still, she didn’t want to back down.
She was the one who had insisted on starting the extermination today.
If she could just keep the mana circulating and maintain the connection…
“I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I fell for Leo at first sight.”
“A man like Leo deserves a refined lady like me, don’t you think?”
Despite her efforts to focus, the events of the morning flashed through her mind.
What did it matter if it was her first love? The more she thought about Emily’s words, the angrier she became.
That smile… it felt like Emily was mocking her.
She was irritated, angry, frustrated, and miserable.
As her emotions spiraled out of control, the magic circle connected to her began to shake, cracks forming at the edges.
“Josie!! Focus!!!”
Estelle’s voice shouted from afar, snapping Josie back to reality.
But the mana flowing into her from the magic circle was already out of control.
She tried to regain control, but the sheer volume of mana was too much.
“Huh? What do I do…?”
What should she do? Her thoughts were sluggish.
If she didn’t do something, the overwhelming mana would backfire, tearing through her body and killing her.
The wave of mana crashed over her.
She needed to disconnect from the magic circle, but the massive amount of mana flooding into her body made it hard to even stay conscious.
“Ugh… it hurts…”
Her body felt like it was being pricked by needles.
Soon, the pain intensified, as if swords and spears were piercing her.
She could barely stand.
This was a mistake she would never have made under normal circumstances. She had never lost focus while using magic before.
Even in this critical situation, Leo’s face kept flashing through her mind.
“Josie!!”
She saw Leo running toward her from a distance.
What good would it do for him to come now?
She wouldn’t forgive him… but why was she thinking about forgiving him?
He hadn’t done anything wrong. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess.
“Josie, release as much mana as you can!!”
Estelle swung her broomstick, now transformed into a crimson spear, severing the connection to the magic circle.
The flow of mana stopped, but Josie’s body was already in tatters. She could barely stand.
Thud.
She collapsed to the ground.
There was still too much mana left in her body. If she didn’t release it, she’d be in danger, but she couldn’t move.
She should have listened to Estelle. Starting three days later would have been fine. Her stubbornness had led to this mess.
She was ashamed, both as Estelle’s daughter and as a young woman.
She had wanted to show off and prove herself, but instead, she had been humiliated.
If there were a hole to hide in, she would have crawled into it.
The embarrassment was worse than the pain.
Groooowl…
A rumbling sound came from underground.
Josie barely managed to turn her head and saw the ground churning as Death Worms approached. How…?
It wasn’t just one or two. The soil erupted in multiple places.
Drawn by the scattered mana, they were following the trail Josie’s mana had left, moving faster as they got closer.
Her heart raced.
Estelle was busy controlling the runaway magic circle and didn’t seem to notice the danger. If this continued, even Leo, who was running toward her, would be in danger.
The thought of Leo being hurt scared her more than being eaten by the Death Worms.
“Leo… it’s dangerous… don’t come…”
She tried to shout, but her voice was weak.
The more she tried to speak, the heavier her eyelids felt.
She couldn’t fall asleep now.
She was supposed to rest after solving the harvest problem in style.
“Jos-…!”
Leo’s face twisted in concern. She hadn’t meant to worry him.
Screeeech!!!!!!!
With an ear-splitting sound, Death Worms burst from the ground all around her. Hungry and drooling, they opened their massive mouths, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
But still…
Seeing Leo so worried about her wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
Lucent
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