episode_0272

Why is it called the Witch’s Forest?

There was no need to explain the origin of the name of the region. It was simply because it was a place where witches gathered in large numbers, living only with other witches, hence the name the Witch’s Forest.

So, changing the question, why did the witches end up living together in the forest?

Was it because mixing herbs and making potions was an illegal activity not allowed by the Empire?

No. The Empire’s Luminoir Academy openly had a department of pharmacy, so it was not illegal. In fact, pharmacy, which could create effects similar to magic without actual magic, was actively encouraged to be studied in the Empire.

Then, were the witches using sinister ingredients to make potions that couldn’t be noticed by others?

Not at all. While the Witch’s Forest had a special environment that made ingredient supply smoother compared to other regions, the witches did not use suspicious ingredients to make potions just because they were witches.

Well, it might seem suspicious to see witches gathering together like that, but in reality, they didn’t fabricate any evil deeds. They just “looked like they were doing something.”

So, if the witches didn’t do anything particularly shady, why did they end up living together in a secluded forest in the Empire?

It was because all these witches had one common trait: they all suffered from the “ultimate communication disorder.”

“U-Um, wel-welcome, ev-everyone….”

“Hello, Miss Lala Medichilling. We came here at the request of the great hero. Thank you for inviting us.”

“T-Thank you…. I-I am Lala Medichilling…. I-I am truly s-sorry for making you come all the way to our h-hometown….”

“It’s okay. We wanted to see what the Witch’s Forest was like. It’s an honor for us to be invited.”

Lala Medichilling stuttered and struggled to speak, unable to make eye contact with me and the others. From her hesitant words, rough breathing, and awkward gestures, it was clear that she had slightly lower communication skills compared to the average person.

“W-We didn’t invite anyone other than the hero…. B-But if we can help, it doesn’t matter…. W-When is the great hero coming….? It’s hard enough to deal with one person, how am I supposed to remember so many faces….?”

Lala muttered to herself with an anxious voice, leaving us at the forest entrance.

I was about to wait for her to calm down, but Agnes, who was particularly impatient, broke the silence from behind.

“So, how long are you going to stand here quietly?”

“W-What?!”

“I heard we were called here because the great hero needed our help. Shouldn’t you explain things on the way or guide us to some accommodation first before we talk?”

“Uh, w-wait…. I-I-I mean, in this kind of situation, you should, um, like….”

As Agnes couldn’t bear the frustration and let out a word, Lala was startled. She immediately took out a paper from her pocket and carefully unfolded it.

Reading the neatly written paper from top to bottom with both hands tightly holding it, Lala mumbled. As someone who had organized nearly fifteen events with Lala before, I had a rough idea of what the paper she was holding might be.

‘It’s probably a dialogue example for unexpected situations.’

It was like a kind of script that celebrities and broadcasters read before going into recording. The problem was that they used that script in their daily lives as well.

This meant that their communication skills were infinitely lacking compared to others. It wasn’t surprising, considering that most witches had communication issues from the start.

In fact, if they were attending an academy, they were at a level close to being somewhat better. …The problem was that they couldn’t get beyond that ‘somewhat better’ level.

In this situation, it was a waste of time to provoke unnecessarily, so I deliberately steered the conversation towards considering Lala.

“Angry people… how to respond to angry people… I’m sure it was written down somewhere…”

“It’s okay, Lala. You can take your time to explain.”

“Ah, y-yes…. th-that, n-name is….”

“It’s Lilith Blackwood Rosewood. You can call me Lilith or Rosewood.”

“Ah, y-yes…. R-Rosewood….”

“We still have about a day or two until the witch test starts, right? If it’s difficult to explain verbally, you can write it down later and hand it to me. So, could you first introduce us to where we should stay while we’re here?”

“Ah, y-yes…. we’ll do that….”

The most challenging issue was to suggest a way to gloss over things and to first tackle what needed to be done. That was the approach to leading the conversation with Lala at the ‘Luminor Academy’.

Just like with Agnes a while ago, you shouldn’t rush or provoke unnecessarily. If you did, you would end up wasting more time and making things worse.

Because of this character, only the hero can somewhat communicate in the game, and it was natural that the reason why I was sent here was because of that.

“For now…. please come this way…. Rosewood…. and the others too….”

“Yes, Lala Medichilling.”

Following Lala, who had just started walking at the entrance of the forest, Agnes, and the others followed suit.

“Agnes.”

“…What.”

“Don’t provoke someone like Lala. If you’re going to do something, you should suggest a natural solution while talking.”

“I know. I knew that, but it’s too severe.”

“I think so too, but… everyone has different personalities.”

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

I thought that as long as I helped with the witch test and followed the storyline, everything would be fine.

But I briefly thought about the possibility of unexpected variables arising as we all moved into the witch’s forest together.

***

As I mentioned before entering the forest earlier, all witches have severe communication disabilities.

It wasn’t a problem that could be fixed or improved just because they had become adults. Because the residents of this forest were all people with communication problems.

To exchange greetings with anyone in this village, it would take almost three days, and Lala, who successfully finished the first meeting with her full name, was, as I mentioned before, at a ‘somewhat better’ level.

“M-mom….”

“….”

“Th-these are the friends I told you about…. I-I didn’t know they would come in such large numbers…. i-is it o-okay…?”

“….”

Like asking for permission to raise a pet at home, Lala Medichilling was asking her mother for permission to stay at the house.

And on the opposite side, there was Lara’s mother, who was looking at her daughter without saying a word in response to Lara’s question.

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

In the awkward silence, the mother and daughter of the Medichling family exchanged only their gazes.

Agnes, who had been roughly assessing the situation, cautiously asked me in a soft voice, unlike earlier.

“…Is it not allowed? You’re not saying anything.”

“Well, I think she might allow it.”

“…Are you being sincere?”

“In my personal opinion, I think it might be more beneficial not to oppose it.”

“Are you saying that based on the look in her eyes? No matter how you look at it, this situation doesn’t seem pleasant…”

-Tap, tap.

“You can come in, Rosewood… and the others… Oh, and you have to take off your shoes before coming in…”

Lara’s mother gestured for me to come in by folding her palms towards herself, then moved up the stairs to the 2nd floor, and Lara quickly followed after conveying her final words.

Although others were suspicious of the sudden change in behavior from someone who had been silently staring at her daughter just moments ago, as someone who knew the reason behind it, I had no reason to hesitate.

“You can come in, Prince Antonio. Ed, Miss Agnes, and Colt as well.”

“Is it okay? You and Colt may be friends of the hero, but we weren’t invited guests.”

“Are you saying that after following Miss Agnes all the way from the royal palace to here? Are you planning to leave us here and go back by carriage?”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I just didn’t know if Lara and her mother were like that. Even if Lara is just shy, her mother seems quite cold…”

“It should be fine. They may seem cold on the surface, but they are probably not like that in reality.”

“Hmm, can I trust that…”

“You can trust Lily’s words, Prince Antonio. At least I have never suffered any losses from listening to Lily’s words.”

“If you don’t want to come in, you can just stay there in front of the door by yourself. I’m going in.”

“Oh, Miss Agnes! I’ll come in, so please wait a moment…!”

Ignoring Antonio’s reaction, Agnes took off her shoes and entered the hallway first. Thanks to her, Prince Antonio also hurriedly took off his shoes and followed her up the stairs, unintentionally receiving help from Agnes in convincing him.

In the first place, worrying based on outward reactions alone in the Witch’s Forest was a very foolish thing to do.

Living in the Witch’s Forest meant being raised only by her mother without a father. It was obvious who Lara inherited her severe communication disorder from.