Witch Lara (2)

Lara, who was tightly holding my trembling hand, calmed her emotions somewhat and began explaining the rules of the witch trial.

To be honest, though it’s called a witch trial, the test itself wasn’t particularly difficult. Any witch born and raised in this Witch’s Forest could pass it with ease.

“Y-you have to s-sit on the northern altar in the W-Witch’s Forest and f-feel the energy of nature for exactly one m-month. If you do that, the W-Witch’s Crystal will settle inside your b-body, and you’ll finally become a w-witch apothecary.”

“That’s the witch trial? Nothing else needs to be done?”

“Y-yes… T-that’s all…”

“For a whole month… So even if it rains or there’s lightning, you can’t come down from the altar?”

“Y-yes, y-yes… A-and if you do, you’ll receive a t-terrible punishment too horrible to even speak of…”

At Lara’s mention of a “terrible punishment,” the attention of all three sharpened.

“…Terrible punishment?”

“Is it something like losing the qualification to become a witch forever?”

“N-no, no…! B-but the punishment is truly h-horrible… I-it’s too awful to say, but if you r-really want to know… U-um…”

“Never mind. It’s not a curiosity worth satisfying at the cost of a lady’s distress.”

“…I don’t particularly need to know either.”

“In any case, that doesn’t seem to be the main point. If you don’t want to talk about it, there’s no need to force yourself.”

“I agree. You don’t have to tell us if it’s difficult for you, Miss Mediciling.”

“T-thank you…”

Though all three were curious about the nature of the “terrible punishment,” seeing Lara’s visibly reluctant expression made them instinctively avoid pressing further. It was clearly something that would dampen their enthusiasm for helping her.

It was fortunate for Lara that they dropped the subject. I also didn’t think those three needed to hear the details of that punishment.

Not because it was as unspeakably horrific as Lara made it out to be, but because it was certainly the kind of story that would discourage anyone from wanting to assist her.

“So the trial is sitting still on the northern altar for a month. If I may ask a potentially rude question, how do you handle meals or sleep?”

“D-during the trial, the energy of the forest flows through your body, so you don’t need to eat… A-and for sleep, you can just sleep while sitting… Oh, and for bathroom needs-“

“You don’t need to talk about that part, Miss Mediciling.”

“…So, is there anything we need to help you with for your trial? From what I’ve heard so far, it sounds like something you have to do entirely on your own.”

“W-well… N-normally, it’s a trial you’re supposed to complete alone without anyone’s help, but…”

“…But?”

“T-there have been rumors lately about dangerous monsters appearing deep in the forest… S-so I was hoping to ask you all to h-help subdue those monsters…”

There it was. My EXP event.

Of the three rewards obtainable in this “Lara’s Secret” episode, one was this EXP event. The other two, as I mentioned before, were “Lara’s scene collection” and the “Witch’s Pendant.”

The witch trial wasn’t something held regularly every year or based on a single person.

It occurred once every ten years, when the forest’s energy was at its most balanced. Sitting on the northern altar for a month to refine one’s mind and body was the essence of this trial. All women qualified to take the witch trial would sit on the altar during that once-in-a-decade occasion.

“You want us to protect you from monster attacks during the trial? If it’s such an important test, wouldn’t it make more sense to hire adventurers who specialize in hunting monsters in the forest?”

“Exactly. Witches have plenty of money, don’t they?”

“W-well… W-we usually do that, but… T-this time, I’m the only one taking the trial…”

“Hmm. So because only one person is taking the trial, you can’t afford to hire adventurers or mercenaries? From what I know, witches receive a considerable amount of supplies and gold from the imperial family every month through their pharmaceutical skills.”

“N-no, no…! T-the Elder Witch will cover all the expenses…! B-but the reason is… a little different…”

“Then what is the reason?”

“T-there’s no one to go outside the forest and recruit adventurers for my trial… S-so I had to go out myself and ask the Hero for help… W-well, actually, it was because the Hero spoke to me first that I could even respond…”

If there had been at least three witches taking the trial, the witch community would have summoned outsiders to handle the monsters interfering with the trial-preferably strong female adventurers.

With three girls taking the test, their mothers could join hands, leave the Witch’s Forest, endure all kinds of hardships, and even wear baskets on their heads to find and bring back someone to help. That was feasible.

However, for just one person, sending that one girl’s mother alone outside the forest to visit the rough-and-tumble adventurer’s guild and entrust the task to a strong female adventurer was an ordeal akin to exile from the Witch’s Forest. Someone like her, sent out alone, would likely fail to even catch the returning carriage and end up stranded in some distant village.

In other words, this socially awkward Lara had enrolled in the academy solely to find someone to help with her witch trial in place of her mother. That was how we ended up here now.

“The reason is a bit absurd, but since we’ve come this far, I suppose we have no choice but to help.”

“R-really?! S-so, um…”

“Ethan Richard Blackwood. Just call me Blackwood.”

“T-thank you, B-Blackwood…”

“Alright, I’ll help too, though my strength is modest. What about you, Sir Colt?”

“For the safety of His Highness and the others, I shall also participate.”

“T-thank you…!”

“…You should’ve told us about this request before we came. My specialty is flame magic, so I can’t fight well in a forest.”

“O-oh, t-there’s a large lake called the Mana Spring east of the altar…!! Y-you can use flame magic there as much as you want, even if it’s your specialty…!!”

“…Alright, got it. Better than doing nothing.”

“I’ll help too, of course. So when does the witch trial start, Miss Mediciling?”

“I-in three days…! O-oh, and I need to tell the Elders that I’ve brought people to help…”

Before anyone could suggest visiting the Elders en masse, I quickly intervened to change the subject.

“Then let’s go see them now, including that matter. By the way, is there any ritual the Elders need to perform at the altar before the trial?”

“H-how did you know?! R-Rosewood?”

“Just had a feeling.”

“W-wow, you’re amazing… R-Rosewood, have you ever thought about becoming a witch? S-someone as smart as you would probably do really well…”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

Having seen countless times in the world of 『Luminor Academy』 what the “witch trial” entailed, I knew it wasn’t a ritual meant for outsiders not born in the Witch’s Forest.

‘No matter how tempting the witches’ techniques are, no sane person would take that trial.’

If Ethan had been the only man, I might have considered it, but with Antonio here and that Gyeotmwa Josyegigot guy arriving soon…

I firmly shut down Lara’s attempt to recruit me and proceeded with the first task needed for the trial.

“If we all go barging in, the Elders might get startled, so just Miss Mediciling and I will go for now. Is that alright?”

“Y-yes… T-thank you, R-Rosewood… Haaah…”

“…Alright, be careful.”

Leaving behind Ethan, who was watching Lara clinging to my hand with slight displeasure, we headed toward the building where the Elder Council resided.

I felt a little excited at the thought of meeting the three Elders I’d only seen in the game.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The Elder Council’s building wasn’t far from Lara’s house. It was close enough that we only had to pass about five houses to reach it.

The reason the home of Elders who had lived in the Witch’s Forest for so long was so close to the house of Lara’s mother, a young witch, lay in the residential customs of the Witch’s Forest.

The Witch’s Forest was structured as a village with about a hundred houses arranged in a large circle around a central plaza. Starting from the house of the eldest Elder, slightly younger witches lived in the adjacent houses, following a general rule of age progression.

This was a result of the witches’ characteristic tendency to “want to live as close as possible to people they’re even slightly familiar with.”

Since witches were rare, with only one born every 3-4 years, a difference of just three or four people in the village could mean a gap of over a decade in age.

At that point, even among witches, generational differences were inevitable. Of course, in the Witch’s Forest, a decade was enough time to build rapport through effort, but it was still easier to converse with someone closer in age.

A five-year gap was easier than ten; a two-year gap was easier than five.

As a result, the houses ended up arranged in a sequence resembling an arithmetic progression of ages. A 100-year-old witch lived next to a 103-year-old, who lived next to a 105-year-old, and so on.

After completing a full circle, the youngest witch in the village-Lara’s mother-was around 40 years old. A few empty houses in between led to the Elders’ residence.

“T-thank you, Rosewood… I-if you hadn’t held my hand earlier, I-I would’ve been too nervous to speak properly…”

“I’m glad you’ve calmed down that much. The Elders’ house is that big one over there, right?”

“Y-yes… T-that’s the one…”

“Do the Elders dislike outsiders or anything like that?”

“O-oh, I think it’ll be fine… T-the Elders are a bit more open-minded… A-and someone like Rosewood could probably talk to any witch…”

Well, that made sense. In my past life, I’d visited the Witch’s Forest more than once or twice. I had memorized how to converse not only with Lara and her mother but also with the three Elders and other key witches in the story.

As we walked toward the Elders’ house, chatting, I noticed a carriage I’d never seen in the game.

…What’s this? I’ve never seen a witch keeping horses in the game before.