CH 174

Chapter 174

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : To The Swamp, Part 12 — The White Witch

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

「Don’t be ridiculous! There is no such thing as burning down the forest!」

「…You hit me…」

Alfiris shuddered and pressed her cheek where she had been slapped. Her eyes were tear-stained.

「Miranda was the only one who stood by me no matter what… or so I thought!」

「I still consider myself friends with you, Alfie! But if you don’t do anything wrong…」

「Shut up!! I’m going to burn this whole forest without a trace!!」

With those words, Alfiris released her magical power without limit, and Miranda was blown away by the sheer power output. Miranda was slammed into a tree.

Zing.

「Eh…」

Miranda felt a strange sensation in her side at that moment. She looked and saw a tree branch sticking out of her side. The shape of the trees in the swamp was distorted, with many odd bends and sharp edges. A piece of one of these trees was unlucky enough to get stuck in Miranda’s side when she was blown away.

「Uh, guh!?」

「Miranda?」

「Are you alright!?」

In a panic, Lisa and Aerial rushed to Miranda. Then Lisa glared at Alfiris.

「Alfie! What did you do to Miranda!」

「Relax, Lisa… she’s immortal, so she’ll be fine…」

「Huh? Why is Miranda bleeding then…?」

Alfiris was standing there, looking stunned, facing Miranda. The evil intent is already gone from her face.

「?」

「（Alfiris’ state is…）」

Both Lisa and Aerial noticed the change, but this time Alfiris was even stranger.

「No… I did, I did this…?」

「That…」

「Did I, did I do it again…? I… no, it’s not me. I didn’t kill anyone…」

「Alfie? What are you saying…」

However, as if not hearing Lisa’s voice, Alfiris is mumbling something in a muffled voice while scratching her face with both hands.

「Miranda is my friend… No, I don’t want to hurt anyone… no, don’t look at me like that. Everyone, don’t look at me… I’m not a monster, I’m no monster… Uwaaaaaghhhh!!!」

With Alfiris’ exclamation, the fire in the surrounding area was almost completely extinguished as if a stronger release of magic power had been emitted from her. Alfiris collapsed to the ground.

「Uggh, what the hell…」

「I won’t let you!」

The Dragon Zombie is approaching Alfiris. Aerial burst out, and broke in between the Dragon Zombie and her, with Alfiris on her back to protect her. There was already no time to carry her away.

「Before you get her, you’ll have go to me first!」

「Gurururu!」

But the Dragon Zombie approaches Aerial almost to the point of breathing on it, but without any hostile intent. Then, it pushed Aerial to the side, which was desperately protecting Alfiris with a little bit of its nose, and it slid up to Alfiris, who was lying on the ground.

「Does it miss… her?」

「Oh my, what’s this all about?」

Suddenly, a wrinkled voice was heard from behind the group. All of them looked in the direction of the voice in surprise, and there stood a white-haired old woman in a white robe.

「Halt, Rouge.」

With a single word, the Dragon Zombie took a couple of steps back from Alfiris and sat down meekly.

「Now, what is this all about? It’s not every day we have a guest in this place… oh?」

An old woman stops to look at Miranda. She had just finally pulled a tree branch out of her belly.

「Huh, have we met somewhere?」

「You’ve lost your mind, old lady. It’s me, Miranda the Red Devil. You’re not dead yet.」

「Hohhoho, if isn’t Miranda-jou-chan? This is a familiar face. How many years has it been since then?」

「It’s been 140 years… Don’t call me『jou-chan,』I’m not that much older than you, am I?」

「You’re talking out of your ass when you say you haven’t seen me in a while. I think people who can’t even wipe their own asses are half-human, don’t you?」

「You’re the one talking ass here, old hag.」

「You have a dirty mouth, no doubt about it. I’ll show you where I live. Go and carry this beastkin girl and the one who is lying there, and I will take care of her. Jou-chan can walk by herself, right?」

「Yes, it’s already blocked.」

「Then, oh right. Lanna, I won’t need your help.」

Before they knew it, a woman in advancing black was standing behind Miranda. No, they only recognized the woman by her name and by the faint puffiness of her breasts, but they couldn’t see her hooded face at all. The woman called Lanna bowed and left the place with the old woman.

Miranda and the others also looked at each other, while Aerial held Alfiris, and each followed.

＊＊＊

「I see what you mean.」

「Yes, the world outside has changed a lot, but have you always stayed here?」

「Fair and Jou-chan.」

「I told you I’m Miranda, too.」

But as she swears, Miranda’s face is somewhat gentle. Perhaps she was relaxed because she hadn’t seen her in a while, or perhaps her tone of voice had completely reverted to that of her mercenary days.

The Dragon Zombie mentioned earlier, called Rouge, is always sleeping near the Fairtuse and wanders off at a certain time. She wasn’t particularly harmful, and since she was the type that operate under delusion rather than being taken over by evil spirits, Fairtuse can’t do anything about it. Rather, she listens to her, and Fairtuse says she keeps her as a guard dog. She thought she must’ve had a very gentle temperament to begin with. However, Fairtuse said she had never seen Rouge move on her own as she had just done.

Nia and Alfiris had already been patched up and were both sleeping in the room next door. Nia was sleeping peacefully, but Alfiris was moaning from time to time, so Lanna was nursing her closely.

As soon as she explained about Nia’s arm, Fairtuse was the first to treat it. It’s said that she performed surgery, including witchcraft to be precise, but medicine wasn’t yet very advanced at this time. Miranda and her colleagues didn’t know what he had done, but Euthy, who had come along as her assistant, seemed to be very impressed.

As for Alfiris, Lanna is still treating her. Apparently, according to Fairtuse, Alfiris was more seriously ill. At any rate, Miranda and others were relaxing around the hearth with food and drinks until Lanna’s treatment was finished. As expected, the White Witch’s house was completely sanctified and comfortable. The wooden house was lined here and there with strange plants and tools that would be used for witchcraft.

「Yeah, I’ve always been here.」

「Winthia said that you haven’t been seen for a long time and that you’re probably dead, right?」

「I’m still going strong though. I’m in my 300s.」

「You’re a wobbly old woman dying.」

“Geh,” Miranda is drinking the sake served to her. She is on one knee, completely back to her mercenary days, and Lisa and Aerial are a bit puzzled by her appearance.

「What a thing to say. Just because you’re immortal doesn’t mean you have perennial youth.」

「Haha. Thanks to you, I don’t even have a wrinkle!」

「It’s the end of the world that such a person can be a Sister…」

「So, why don’t you leave this land then?」

Miranda asks curiously. She thought so when she met her before, and speaking of the White Witch, she is supposed to be a Witch who has contracted with a spirit of the Holy Attribute. It was strange to live in a place like this, which had nothing to do with the Holy Attributes.

「I don’t like getting in contact with other Witches. If I stay here, no one can ask me about it.」

「That’s extremely bigoted. Then why do you do witchcraft?」

「There was a plague in the area where I was born. People around me were dying in droves. When I was a little girl, I was determined not to die. Then, the White Witch of the previous generation took notice of me. She wanted to take me in because I had the background, but I took her up on her offer because I didn’t want to die anyway. Well, now that I am a Witch, I have nothing but regrets.」

「That’s not how Witches are supposed to be, you know!?」

「I don’t want to be told that by you!」

Listening to the words, the conversation sounds like a fight, but the two were talking with smiles on their faces. The two must have gotten along well with each other.

While they were having such a conversation, Lanna came out of the next room.