Witch – Chapter 48- The Two Witches (28)

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As Nicks took on more long-term quests, Beryl’s days became a monotonous cycle of boredom and loneliness.

‘It’s been over a month and 20 hours since I last saw Nicks.’

She realized she had started counting the time since she last saw Nicks.

Is he eating properly?

He said he was exploring ruins in the north, so he should be dressed warmly.

What if he mistakes a brothel for an inn?

No, Nicks wouldn’t do that.

First experiences are important.

Nicks wasn’t the type to go to such places, but that warrior guy hanging around him might corrupt the innocent boy.

“If that’s the case, I’d rather….”

Would Nicks like my flat chest?

What about my ugly face?

Suddenly, she felt insecure.

‘I wasn’t supposed to let him go. Maybe I should’ve told him to quit being an adventurer… But Nicks’ dream is to be an adventurer. I don’t want his dream to end because of me.’

Even if she told him not to go, Nicks, being a free spirit, wouldn’t listen….

[You could always chain him up and keep him by your side].

She didn’t have the confidence to convince him to quit being an adventurer either.

Beryl’s worries gradually turned into obsession.

Perhaps it seeped deeper into her heart than the whispers of the curse.

Her eyes itched unbearably.

She was overwhelmed by the urge to tear off the threads and gouge out her eyes with her nails.

‘Snap out of it, Beryl. You’re just a shopkeeper. You’re not Nicks’ parent, let alone someone special to him. [You’re not even in an ordinary relationship. If you open your eyes, you won’t have to worry about this.] Don’t overthink it. Just go back to how things were before.’

Yes, like before.

Sighing over the lack of business, spending each day in dull monotony, and occasionally going out for a walk to clear her mind.

She wouldn’t have to worry or fret over Nicks.

Her eyes wouldn’t itch either.

Beryl thought back to that time.

“What was it like back then…?”

Her five-year-long relationship with Nicks was enough to make her forget the 50 years she had spent alone in Venetia… All she could think of was Nicks, his eyes shining as he told her about his little adventures.

‘What is love?’

‘Love is love. Sometimes it hurts and torments you… but it’s a happy feeling that makes you think your whole life has been leading up to this moment.’

She remembered asking Estelle about love.

This was exactly how it felt.

It hurt, and it was painful.

“Someone tell me. What should I do with these feelings? If love is this heavy, painful, and tormenting, then I’d rather….”

[Just take it and devour it, like you’ve always done.]

‘Should I?’

Knock knock knock.

“W-who is it…? The Marquis?”

Just as Beryl was sinking into despair, she snapped out of it at the sound of an unexpected knock.

The old hinges creaked as Marquis Derrick entered.

When she first met him, he was a man as passionate as his fiery red hair, but now he was an old man with white hair, leaning on a cane.

Since moving to Venetia, the Marquis often visited her shop to buy potions he didn’t really need.

“Hehe. It’s Derrick. I’m no longer a Marquis, just an old man.”

“Ah, I know. It’s been a while. Do you need potions?”

“Potions are one thing, but I’m feeling a bit lonely. Would you mind keeping me company? There aren’t many people in Venetia I can talk to comfortably.”

Derrick went into the storage as if it were his own home and brought out a chair.

‘Hmph, I didn’t give you permission. Why are you sitting down without asking?’

“My granddaughter has been causing trouble lately. Instead of quietly attending social gatherings and finding a suitable man, she’s joined the Adventurers’ Guild….”

She had planned to give him the potions and send him on his way, but he started talking on his own.

‘Should I just kick him out?’

She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone right now.

“…Does love put food on the table? Kids these days are so spoiled, they ignore their elders. The future of the Laplace family looks bleak.”

‘She’s probably not agonizing over this like I am. If the young lady is working at the Adventurers’ Guild….’

It must have been a difficult choice for a noble lady to join the Adventurers’ Guild and work there.

Beryl envied the granddaughter, who had the decisiveness she lacked.

Even now, she could go see Nicks anytime, but she just stayed holed up in a corner of her shop, worrying alone.

“Derrick. What is love to you?”

“Love, you say?”

If he had talked about Venetia or politics, she would have kicked him out, but Derrick’s topic of conversation piqued Beryl’s interest.

“To me, love was a means. For nobles, marriage is just a political tool. Though, I’ve had my share of pure love that touched my heart….”

“Pure love?”

“Yes. Well, it’s a bit embarrassing to talk about.”

Had Derrick ever blushed before?

Even though she had seen him almost as often as Nicks, she had never seen him blush.

His reluctance to speak only made her more curious.

“Can’t you tell me?”

“Ahem. I, too, have had my share of pure love.”

“I’ll give you the potions for free today.”

“…….”

“……Sorry. Forget I asked.”

She felt like she had trampled on Derrick’s pure love and bowed her head in apology.

Everyone has boundaries they shouldn’t cross, and for Beryl, that boundary was Nicks.

If the roles were reversed and Derrick pried into Nicks, Beryl would feel like her pure love had been trampled on too.

It was a mistake she wouldn’t normally make. Her mind must have been in a strange place.

Feeling sorry for Derrick, she handed him the potions and sent him home.

“No need to apologize. It’s been over 60 years. It’s time I could laugh about it. But keep it a secret.”

“Huh? Oh… okay.”

She was momentarily stunned by his unexpected response, but she quickly brought out a chair from the storage and sat down to listen to Derrick.

“Hehe. I apologize for not being able to go into too much detail.”

“It’s fine. Tell me.”

“She was dazzling. Like a star in the night sky. She seemed so far out of reach, as if I could never hold her in my hands.”

Derrick’s eyes were looking not at the present, but at the distant past.

The days when Marquis Derrick de Laplace, with his fiery red hair, exuded youth.

Full of vigor, passion, and ambition, as if he could accomplish anything….

“I’m here today because of that woman. When I hit a wall, she effortlessly broke it down and took my hand to lead me. Sometimes gently, sometimes cruelly…. As a man, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t captivated by her. She was devastatingly beautiful.”

From the moment he first met her, he was consumed by an intense desire.

He wanted to make her his.

His instincts screamed for it.

“So? Did you confess to her?”

“Love doesn’t always work out. Confessing wouldn’t have solved anything. I was already married. To me, love was a means, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love my late wife.”

“But you loved her. Was it different from your wife?”

“Hehe. Embarrassing as it is, I suppose so. She was never someone I could have. I just quietly watched over her path. Sometimes, love is something you bury in your heart and wait for the fire to die out.”

Burying such a painful ache in your heart and waiting for it to fade?

Beryl couldn’t understand Derrick’s words.

“You might find this laughable… but love doesn’t always come true just because you hold it in your heart. Sometimes, unspoken love shines even more beautifully.”

“I don’t get it. Doesn’t that just make you suffer?”

“Hehe. Over time, even pain becomes a memory. Right now, I’d be content just to see her one more time. That’s why I’m struggling to stay alive. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you more, but that’s all there is to it. I hope it was a pleasant diversion.”

So that’s why he bought potions he didn’t need.

She didn’t know who the woman Derrick loved was… but she envied the idea of being loved by someone.

Would there ever come a day when Nicks would love her?

Or would she have to bury these feelings, like Derrick?

“Have you found someone you like?”

“W-w-w-who!? Me!?”

Beryl’s face turned red at Derrick’s sudden attack.

If asked whether she liked him or not, of course, she liked him….

“Hehe. I’ll take the potions for free. My story is expensive, after all.”

Derrick slowly opened the door after gathering a few potions from the display.

She still had more questions, so she couldn’t let him leave just yet.

“Wait a minute. Derrick, do you… not regret it?”

“What is there to regret? Love is often romanticized… but holding onto unrequited love only leads to bitterness. I’m content with how things are now. Did that help?”

“I see. Thank you. Yes, it helped.”

She leaned back in her chair after Derrick left.

The chair creaked and screamed, but she didn’t care.

Beryl knew the tragedies that could arise when a witch fell in love with a human.

The gap in lifespans couldn’t be ignored.

‘Maybe giving up is the way.’

It hurts and torments me, but I’ll bury these feelings.

Maybe in a few hundred years, it’ll become a memory I can laugh about.

‘Who am I to talk about love with this ugly face? Beryl, you’re just a shopkeeper. Know your place! Snap out of it!’

She made a half-hearted resolution and regained her composure.

Quietly watching over Nicks from behind.

That was all Beryl could do for him.

 

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“Shopkeeper, I finally became a Stella-ranked adventurer!”

“C-congratulations. You’ve finally become the greatest adventurer.”

Nicks, who had returned to the shop after 36 days, 13 hours, and 25 minutes, proudly showed her his adventurer registration card, beaming with joy.

Nicks was likely the only person to achieve Stella-rank at the age of 15.

Seeing Nicks happy made Beryl happy too.

“Now all that’s left is to make this place famous! Look forward to it!”

“Ah… yeah. Haha, I’ll be busy from now on.”

She didn’t want to be busy from becoming famous, but if it made Nicks happy, that was enough.

“Oh, and this is a gift for you. It’s a gem I found while exploring a dungeon. It shines beautifully in purple.”

A… gem?

She had only ever had gems taken from her, never received one as a gift.

Nicks pulled out a small gem box from his bag.

‘Can I open it now?’

He nodded, so it should be fine.

He had brought gifts before, but they were strange things like an ogre’s club, so she didn’t have high expectations.

Her heart raced at the thought of receiving a proper gift.

Carefully opening the box, she expected a dazzling purple gem… but instead, she found a small pebble.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“Ah, yeah. I like it. It’s my first time receiving a gem.”

She quickly put the box away.

She didn’t want to show Nicks the contents.

Maybe the contents had been swapped. [He deliberately put a pebble in there.]

That scammer of a warrior might have taken the real gem.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”

‘Nicks doesn’t love me.’

A pebble might suit Beryl better than a gem.

Love is just too difficult and painful. I don’t even know how to do it….

The whispers of the curse never stopped, and her Demon Eye raged uncontrollably, but she was happy just watching Nicks from afar, letting go of her greed.

But… a little obsession is okay, right?

And so, Beryl’s unrequited love was buried deep in her heart.

Until she met Estelle again.