NOVEL WEB Chapter 65 - The Story Left by the Witch☆ (6)
In a time long, long ago.
When ether was not technology and energy, but pure proof of faith.
The world was full of war and chaos.
An era of living according to rules measured by beast gods.
In a corner of that chaos, there was a cave where beastkin lived together.
Twitch
Scruffy sand-colored cat ears.
A small and terribly frail beastkin girl.
The world surrounding her was always a cave shrouded in darkness.
A damp and smelly cave.
A cave full of murals praying for a peaceful world.
‘What lies beyond the cave?’
The girl stood at the entrance of the cave and spoke to the old beastkin shaman woman. For her who had been abandoned by her parents, the shaman woman was her only teacher and parent.
“Shaman, I hear sounds from outside the cave! What race could it be? What stories are they telling?”
“Child who resembles the mud earth, don’t go near.”
“Why not?”
“Fairies’ arrows fly from beyond the mountains.”
“What if I duck my head like lightning?”
“Giant folk come with huge spears and trample with their big feet.”
“What if I roll and dodge?”
The girl’s mischievous response.
She always talked back like this.
The old shaman woman chuckled and said:
“Then the underground fairy folk would suddenly rise and strike down with greatswords.”
“What if I tickle them and run away while they’re laughing?”
“Night would come, and vampire folk would be holding scary swords.”
“What if I wait until morning comes when they fall asleep?”
“Human folk would swarm in like clouds, gripping daggers. They would probably sell you as a foot-washing slave…”
“What if I say not to sell me as a slave… that I’m very smart, so please listen to my story?”
“…”
The old woman who had been answering smoothly like a stream, finally fell silent at the girl’s questioning. Then spoke with a bitter expression:
“Races are different, and the powers received from the World Tree are different. So they will never listen to your story.”
“…Then, then what if ‘we’ all go out together?”
The old woman now spoke with her eyes completely closed, in a dejected mood:
“Even among the same race, thoughts are different and views are different. So they too will never listen to your story. The only real story we can share together is ‘fear’.”
“…”
Beastkin were very timid and suspicious.
For them, this world was a hell full of hostility.
The only safe place in this world was inside the cave.
‘If only this world was as cozy and peaceful as the cave…!’
Beastkin were inherently physically weak.
Moreover, unlike other races who could emit ether with various armaments, all beastkin could do with ether was wave sticks to emit candle-like light.
So the beastkin’s world was only the cave. To forget that, they pursued peace by spreading imaginary worlds on the cave walls.
Vain.
Empty.
A story no one would listen to.
A story of those who don’t know the world wishing for world peace.
“…”
“…Child who resembles the mud earth?”
The girl who had been silent for a long time.
She finally walked out of the cave, step by step.
Her scruffy sand-colored cat ears were twitching.
‘I want to leave the cave full of illusions and fear, and see the real world. I want to talk with beastkin… and more races.’
Not the vain stories of those who haven’t seen the world.
A story that everyone can listen to and sing of peace.
“…”
The girl turned around and bid farewell to the old woman who had been her teacher and parent.
“Then, I’ll go find out.”
“…Find out what?”
“The ‘story’ that we… that beastkin can share.”
Hoping for tomorrow.
That I can share with you.
A story shining like [Gold]…
The small girl set out on an adventure to find a story like [Gold], and in the process met two girls who had left their safe villages like her.
And they met the kind man who supported them… the ‘prophet’. He always told the three girls which direction to go.
-All this chaos is happening because of what’s going on around the World Tree. You girls can definitely overcome them.
In an age of chaos.
Three girls gathered for each other’s dreams.
They advanced towards the World Tree following the ‘prophet’s’ guidance.
But occasionally… the ‘prophet’ would mutter strange things.
-…This is totally the primitive Peach Sisters. Then am I Zhuge Liang?
-…? Who is that?
-…It’s nothing.
* * *
Hilde and I stared blankly at the huge hole that had formed in the ground.
“…”
“…”
The boss who disappeared into the hole.
[Priest of Strife] Ofnir leveled the ground with his forelegs that looked like praying mantis forelegs, then dug a hole and escaped. And vibrating the hundreds of horns protruding from his body, he swam away into the underground filled with soil and rocks.
…
Since this could also be a deception tactic.
We maintained our guard and peered intently into the hole… but Ofnir didn’t blow a lie fanfare saying ‘Just kidding~’.
He really ran away.
‘He really escaped. He ran away without a hint of hesitation, to the point it’s rather suspicious…’
But thinking about it, in a situation where victory couldn’t be guaranteed, escaping before the retreat route was blocked or getting injured… could be considered a very wise decision.
It’s just frustrating for us, who were on the receiving end.
“…”
It was the first time seeing a priest-level boss escape pattern.
In the original work,
Is this behavior also related to the ‘prophet’?
‘No matter how much they know the future, unless they’ve experienced it directly. It would be hard to be so blindly wary of ‘prophecies’ like this… What kind of relationship did they have with the ‘prophet’…?’
While I was thinking that.
Hilde pointed at the traces and said:
“…Shall we chase?”
“We can’t…☆”
“…I suppose so.”
“Yeah…☆”
“Haah…”
“…”
We sighed for a while.
‘Unless the hole stays open all the way, we can’t chase after him since he covers the path he passed with soil again… He’s really living up to his name as the Priest of Strife, everything he does is just stirring up trouble.’
Even his authority is clone creation, perfect for stirring up trouble.
Was he born with a [Fate] solely to stir up trouble?
“…”
I inwardly thought about ways to pursue the troublemaker… no, [Priest of Strife]. Since I got caught by him after calling myself Zhuge Liang, I really needed to rack my brains like Zhuge Liang.
“Hmm…☆”
Glance…
Rather than following him, it would be more efficient to grasp his route.
It was difficult to follow in a straight line his method of advancing underground while vibrating hundreds of horns like a cutting-edge mining machine. It was easier to grasp the route he advanced and follow his intentions.
“…”
I looked in the direction where Ofnir had disappeared underground.
‘If it’s that direction… it’s the route where the kids are fighting for a while… no, if we go further it’s where Frau’s group had set up their main base…’
Oh.
I think there was something there.
To discuss future plans, I gently tapped Hilde’s hand.
“Hey… you know─☆”
“…”
Grip─
“…What is it.”
“…?!”
A warm sensation felt.
Hilde grabbed my hand that had been tapping. And her fingers crept in like the tentacles of a giant sea monster. In an instant, her hand and mine were completely joined as one.
‘Why suddenly interlock fingers…’
When I came to my senses… our fingers had become completely interlocked.
Since the excitement of battle hadn’t completely faded for both of us, our hearts were still pounding and our breaths were heated. So the slight sweat making our hands damp was… strangely erotic.
I feel the throbbing pulse in the grasped hand.
I become conscious of the breath leaking from her nose.
I become conscious of the fragrance created by her moving hair.
I’m conscious of the thin breath leaking between pink lips.
I’m conscious.
Of Hilde.
Thump─
Thump─
Being conscious of everything, my heart starts pounding fiercely. Like a broken machine out of control.
The feeling of being broken in every corner of my body carried in warm blood.
Because of the feeling of moving along blood vessels, my cold mind melts.
Thump─
Thump─
“…”
“…”
Thump─
Thump─
Along with the pulse of the grasped hand, it felt like even my heartbeat was following along.
Somehow filled with expectation, I end up looking.
“…”
“…”
Silver-white eyes met without fail.
Instinctively, I could tell she felt the same as me.
Thump─
Thump─
It was stifling.
Not my hand… my heart became increasingly stifling.
Because of the heat and longing that suddenly welled up from somewhere…
Longing…?
“…?!”
What?
Me?
Just from holding hands…?
“…”
Huh.
What… what? This atmosphere.
What on earth, what kind of atmosphere is this…
‘Now’s not the time for this…!’
Somehow if I left this feeling as is… and hastily entrusted myself to emotions, I felt like both Hilde and I would regret it.
‘This… isn’t an atmosphere that’s okay to share between normal friends, is it…?’
Were Hilde and I normal in the first place?
No.
No.
Now’s not the time to think about this.
Swoosh─
I hurriedly recalled the current situation in the academy city and let go of her hand. Then Hilde, perhaps feeling awkward after what she had done, hastily added:
“…You looked weak.”
“…No. I’m fine.”
“…”
“…”
…
A silence that suddenly fell.
‘What’s with this awkward atmosphere…!’
Because that silence was so heavy, I glanced at Hilde’s wound and said:
“Are your injuries… okay─☆”
“…Is that for you to say?”
“But I’m still worried☆”
“…I worried for 1 year. And 2 more weeks.”
“…”
“Do you understand my feelings now?”
“Yeah…☆ Sorry…☆”
“…Then that’s fine.”
Hilde says that in a slightly sulky voice. But since I saw the corner of her mouth twitch, I could tell it was just pouting.
Because she knows that I hurt as much as she hurt…
Hilde spoke with a slight… smile:
“…Serves you right.”
“…”
Tap─
She lightly touched my cheek with her hand that was bleeding a little.
The warmth of the slightly flowing blood brushes my cheek and heats it up.
Rumble─!
Matching the thunder rumbling somewhere, we stood looking at each other in that pose for a while.
“…”
“…”
Hilde remained still with that smile. Somehow I couldn’t even hear her heartbeat, a moment as if time had stopped.
“…”
“…”
-Serves you right.
A playful phrase she never used, always pretending to be solemn.
Hilde somehow… seemed excited that I had become in the same position as her.
“…”
“…”
Was it because of that warmth remaining on my fingertips from earlier?
Suddenly that slightly sulky… and excited appearance looks new.
Is this…
Really an emotion to share between normal friends?
-You dare try to hurt my Lara─!
‘Maybe… if… if it’s really like that…?’
Rumble─!
“…!”
The sound of thunder heard from somewhere again brings back a sense of reality.
It seems a shower was about to pour down under the hazy sky.
‘Now’s not the time to leisurely think about this…’
With that question held in my heart, I looked at Hilde who had started moving again.
‘She looks somewhat tired…’
I spoke the thought I had recalled before the hand-holding earlier:
“The direction [Priest of Strife] went─☆”
“…Yes.”
“I think it might be the direction where that idiot moron Frau was originally☆”
“Idiot moron…?”
“Ah, the alley cat calls her that, so I unconsciously…☆”
“…I see. Frau was said to be preparing a huge magic circle in that direction. It was unexpected that she rushed out midway to challenge me to a 1-on-1 duel.”
“…I see.”
“…”
“…”
Silence returned again.
But this silence had a comfortable atmosphere.
‘Then we should head in that direction now… Since the bombardment has stopped, it seems the snake-tattooed ones among the noble faction have been subdued…’
Mentioning the alley cat during our conversation, I was curious how Freya was doing.
I raised my head and looked towards the ‘Sage’s Room’ in the tower of the research faction library.
Twitch
Twitch
Twitch
“…”
“…”
“…”
Hundreds of pairs of animal ears poking out.
Hundreds of research faction students were poking their heads out of the windows.
‘What, how long have they been watching…?’
To hide my flustered inner thoughts, I deliberately cheerfully called out to librarian Mila:
“Sorry~☆ I lost the spear, so…!”
“Hauuu…!”
Whoosh─!
But Mila blushed and went back inside the window.
“…?”
“…Senior.”
As I was flustered like that, Rota’s voice was heard from behind.
‘I thought it was the alley cat’s presence, but it was Rota… That was close.’
Rota was somehow blushing and hesitating while standing holding a magic book.
“Um… I came out to help… but it was already over… And… um…”
“…?!”
But I couldn’t help but focus on the magic book she was holding rather than Rota’s words.
My eyes nearly popped out in shock.
‘Why is that appearing now…?’
A shabby and plain-looking magic book.
It was Rota’s legendary item left by [Golden Witch].
‘This is an item that appears in the very late game…?!’