Chapter 25: It’s Okay, That’s Love (4)

// To those who read the previous chapter,

Yudith’s way of speaking to Count Renard has been changed to a more polite form.

There are slight additions to the latter half of chapter 24, but the explanation will start from the changes in this chapter, so you don’t need to reread the previous chapter.

The Earl’s private soldiers were terrified and refused to go to subjugate the Witch.

I heard that the Mercenaries had already fled to another village after hearing that there were three Witches.

The support from the Holy Order of Knights guarding the temple was rejected due to the extremely unusual situation, and all the temple sent was a Barrier that could be covered with Divine power.

In the end, they came to me, a Wizard who had accumulated Monster subjugation and achievements for 8 years, to request it.

And with the audacity to deceive the Grand Duke.

Yudith let out a hollow laugh as if she was dumbfounded by the Count’s trickery.

“The Grand Duke would never send me on such a dangerous mission. You deceived the Grand Duke, Count?”

“…I had no choice. No one else would accept, so what else could I do? If we leave the Witch alone like this, the entire Black Forest will rot.”

That was true. If the Witches, who craved life, took all the life from the Black Forest, they would escape to other places. In the worst-case scenario, they could even come to the Grand Ducal Family.

“…How did you know I was a Wizard? I haven’t been outside the Grand Ducal Castle that much. And I’ve never met you, Count.”

“Didn’t the Grand Duchess know that she is more famous than she thinks? The Archmage who lives at the end of the world. Reclaiming land, developing mines with Magic, and Monsters being swept away by her Magic….”

Yudith’s face flushed slightly with embarrassment. She never dreamed that such rumors would spread.

She thought she had passed all those achievements on to Damian, but it seemed that people’s rumors could not be stopped, and even the Count knew about it.

“And… I also inherited the blood of a Wizard, though I’m only half-baked.”

A slight red tint appeared in the Count’s eyes. Yudith could finally understand when she saw the reddish-brown color of his eyes. How he, who had no Magical power, had recognized her.

“I was sure at the ball. That you were the Wizard. That’s why I had no choice but to cling to you.”

‘I didn’t know that leaving the party then would come back like this…’

Yudith squeezed her eyes shut as if she had a headache.

If she had refused on the spot, the Count would have asked Damian for the job since I got out of there.

Damian probably heard the story without the details about this Witch. I should have suspected it from the moment he only mentioned the abnormal Monster situation…

“I will gladly accept any punishment later. So please… help the Black Forest…”

Yudith sighed deeply as the Count bowed his head to the table once again, begging.

“…I will inform the Grand Duke about this matter, so be aware.”

“Of course…”

There was no other choice.

We couldn’t just leave the Witch alone, and if we took them down one by one, it would somehow work out.

After that, we could leave the Count to Damian.

And… the situation of there being three Witches was something I didn’t understand either, so I had to check it out.

If there was such a big deal, I should have known about it.

In my memories from my past life, there was no incident where three Witches appeared at the same time.

It could just be something I don’t know, but if it was such a big deal, I would have definitely heard about it.

‘Another Witch…’

I was so sick of the Witch itself.

I hated getting involved in both my past and present lives. That’s why I made a promise with the Queen to get rid of that karma.

‘I will help you get rid of that karma. So you must also keep your promise with me. When the time comes, I will come to find you.’

The Queen had not come to find me for 8 years.

What if this is related to the Queen…? What if my karma was passed on to someone else and caused this?

I couldn’t know anything right now.

‘Queen… when will you come and explain…’

Yudith squeezed her eyes shut and sighed.

---

Northern Black Forest.

Totems made of Divine power surrounded the forest, creating a Barrier made of Divine power.

“Really… is it okay for you to go alone?”

“It’s okay, so move.”

The Private soldiers the Count had assigned to me were worried about me trying to cross the Barrier.

Honestly, the fastest way is for me to go in alone and deal with them.

I’m probably the only person in this world who knows their weaknesses, their habits, and even their movements the best.

‘…Why do I keep getting involved?’

I came here looking forward to a date with Chloe, but suddenly my past caught me.

‘Let’s finish this quickly and go back…’

I remembered Chloe’s face, who was worried about me going alone before I left and didn’t know what to do.

I couldn’t bring Chloe to such a dangerous place, so I somehow persuaded her and left her behind… To be honest, when I saw that worried face, I felt something stabbing in my heart.

It felt like a sadistic desire to torment her more was growing in my heart.

‘I wasn’t this kind of person…’

A lot has changed since I met Chloe. My life has changed, my personality has changed. And even my tastes seem to be 맞춰져 to her.

What else can I call this but love.

“Then… please be careful, Grand Duchess.”

Yudith nodded and looked beyond the Barrier.

A world dyed gray enough to be seen even from the edge of the forest.

The Witch’s world was 펼쳐져 there.

As I slowly crossed the Barrier made of Divine power, the sweet and rotting scent of fruit was so strong that it numbed my nose.

I unconsciously covered my nose at the sweet scent that was incomparable to 8 years ago and slowly walked forward.

The forest was unnaturally quiet.

No wind blew, no insects cried, and there was no sign of beasts.

All that remained were the gray trees, twisted and emaciated from having their lives taken away, blocking the path, and there seemed to be no other living beings besides myself.

-Rustle. Thump thump

I heard the sound of lifeless leaves being crushed and crumbling underfoot.

I hid behind the trunk of a twisted tree and looked at the first Witch making the sound, and my head turned white at the incomprehensible sight.

She had long ears and beautiful features.

She had turned into a Witch, leaving only skin and bones, and the red eyes unique to Wizards were lifeless, but I could tell that she was definitely an Elf before she became a Witch.

‘…An Elf…? How can an Elf…?’

I had never even heard of an Elf Witch.

Perhaps she heard my surprised gasp, the first Witch turned her head and looked where I was.

I activated Magic towards her neck as she started running like crazy, too late to hide.

‘…I’m sorry.’

The sense of kinship that Yudith felt towards the Witches turned into the form of wind and flew towards her.

The wind made no sound. Points and points connected to become a line, dividing her neck and torso with a single line.

Not stopping at one line, two, three more lines flew and intersected, tearing her body to shreds.

-Thud

The pieces of flesh that fell from her dyed the gray world red.

It was ironic that the being who created this gray world also had red blood.

‘I hope… she wasn’t conscious.’

I put my hand on my chest and mourned her, hoping that she didn’t have the memories of a Witch like me.

I was about to turn my head to look for the other Witches.

I saw a metal earring hanging from her severed neck.

It was more like a tag attached to beasts than an earring, and the picture drawn on it made Yudith remember her past life.

The mark that the Alchemy City, where the crazy alchemist who kidnapped me and cut off my fingers for research, used as a taboo.

‘Homunculus…?’

The brand stamped on the failures of human transmutation, which was forbidden.

The earring with that drawn on it fell from her body.

---

-Rustle rustle

“Wh, who’s there!!!”

The Earl’s Private soldiers guarding the forest’s Barrier jumped up and pointed their spears at the sound coming from inside the Barrier.

“Aren’t you going to put down the spear?”

“Gr, Grand Duchess!”

The Private soldiers, surprised to see Yudith coming out of the Barrier, lowered their spears, knelt down, and bowed their heads to the ground, saying they had committed a crime worthy of death.

“I’m sorry!!!”

“It’s okay, get up.”

The Private soldiers couldn’t raise their heads properly because Yudith’s expression was so somber as she came out of the Barrier.

“…I killed all the Witches, so it’s okay to release the Barrier.”

“Yes…?”

“Why? Don’t you believe me?”

“Ah, no!”

The Private soldiers quickly picked up one of the totems that had the Barrier cast on it, and the translucent Barrier began to become more transparent.

Yudith sat down heavily on a rock, leaving the Private soldiers who were slowly going to collect the totems one by one, and wiped the blood from her cheek.

Then, she took out the tags that were attached to their ears from her pocket and looked at them.

‘I’m sure… it’s the mark that heretical alchemists use on Homunculus or Chimera.’

One of the taboos of the alchemists gathered in the Alchemy City

Was the creation of Chimera and Homunculus.

In my past life, Marquis Cassian actively sponsored the Magic Tower and the Alchemy City, and I was once captured by a heretical alchemist there and had my fingers cut off.

I should have given Damian information and blocked that alchemist from the source… Is it a different alchemist?

My head started to ache as if it was breaking. What if the alchemists succeeded in transmuting Wizards into Homunculus? What if they created Witches through them?

Such absurd imaginations continued.

“Th, there… Grand Duchess…?”

The Private soldiers, who had collected all the totems, cautiously called out to Yudith, and Yudith looked at the Private soldiers with dull eyes.

“There… is there anything like the Witches’ corpses…? ”

Should I say this? That a heretical alchemist is related to this Witch incident? The Count asked me to find out the cause, but… I didn’t know if it was okay to tell him this.

Yudith clenched the tags in her hand tightly and hid them from the Private soldiers.

“…I burned them.”

“Th..that…”

I decided to bury it for now.

To be honest, thinking selfishly, this was not an incident I should be involved in.

I didn’t want to reach out and touch it unnecessarily, and I didn’t want to get involved with Witches and alchemists.

I’ve been living this life to avoid getting involved with them.

I had no intention of getting involved at all.

So I decided to bury it.

“…I want to go back.”

“Yes?! Grand Duchess, wait a minute…!”

I was so tired.

I didn’t want to think about anything.

I didn’t care about the gray past that suddenly popped up.

All I wanted now was…

My heart was full of the desire to see Chloe, who was different from them.