NOVEL NEXT Chapter 170.1: Sword Maiden And Silver Witch
Chapter 170.1: Sword Maiden And Silver Witch
◆Black Haired Sage; Chiyuki
「Shirone, huh? That should be my question. What are you doing in a place like this? What a troublesome girl.」
The silver-haired girl glanced at Shirone as if she were a bother.
Shirone and the Silver Witch stood glaring at each other.
「Who's the troublesome one here?! Speak up, what are you up to this time?!」
Shirone's hand was already on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any moment. The Silver Witch, however, remained as composed as ever.
「I really am not up to something this time, Shirone. I won’t mess with you aga—」
But then, the Silver Witch suddenly stopped.
「I don't know any of you… Meaow. Let's just pretend I’m a random catfolk… Meow.」
She tacked on a playful "meow" at the end of her sentence.None of us were fooled by such a flimsy act, but I had to admit, she was pretty adorable when she mimicked catfolk speech. That was my personal impression, though in Shirone’s case, it probably felt more like the Silver Witch was mocking her. I could see her shoulders trembling in rage.
「DON’T SCREW WITH ME!!」
「I’m not screwing with you, Shirone… Meow. Kuna is currently traveling incognito. That’s why I’m not supposed to know you lot.」
For someone who claimed not to know us, she still managed to call Shirone by name. Moreover, she didn’t seem very committed to hiding her identity, despite supposedly being on an incognito mission. Then again, she was standing out like a beacon—incognito didn’t really suit her.
The Silver Witch turned around, clearly not interested in engaging further.
「But why is this girl in this place?」
「I’m wondering about that too, Rino-chan. What should we do, Chiyuki-san? Should we force her to tell us the truth? Though I doubt it’d work.」
Nao voiced her thoughts after speaking to me.
The room around us was enclosed by walls, and there didn’t seem to be anyone else beyond them. But I could sense something was off. Just because it looked empty didn’t mean it was.
「What’s inside that room, Nao-san?」
「Insects that mimic the walls.」
「I see…」
The Silver Witch used those insects. If we attacked her, they might turn on us.
I glanced back at the Silver Witch. Around her, pale blue butterflies fluttered softly. Those butterflies were trouble. They might only teleport over short distances, but they were still a serious threat. Neither Rino nor I could handle her, but from the look on Shirone’s face, it seemed like the two of them could clash at any moment.
「Traveling incognito, huh? So you really are up to something. Fine then, we’ll force you to tell us the truth.」
「I have no intention of fighting you. I did want to kill you before, but I’ve changed my mind since then. Not to mention, you’re no match for Kuna, Shirone.」
「What do you mean!?」
Shirone’s anger flared as the Silver Witch stopped her cat act.
「It’s about the difference in our love for Kuroki, Shirone. Kuna loves Kuroki, and that love is far stronger than yours. Kuroki needs Kuna by his side. It’s mutual love. You’re just no match for her.」
「W-WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! WHY DOES KUROKI NEED YOU?!」
Shirone was closing in on the Silver Witch now, her rage fueling her every step. The Silver Witch stood firm, glaring back at her.
「Hah? What are you talking about, Shirone? He’s the whole reason I exist! Kuroki needs me! KUNA WAS BORN FOR KUROKI!」
The Silver Witch declared this proudly, pressing her hand to her chest. Her self-confidence was nothing short of stunning.
I could tell, even without seeing her face, that Shirone had been left speechless.
Naturally, the same went for us.
「A-Amazing. That girl actually said that… Even Rino wouldn’t dare claim to be born to be loved…」
Rino covered her mouth in awe.
「Yeah… That’s incredible. To be loved that much by someone so beautiful. Shirone-san, do you really think you stand a chance?」
「I feel bad for Shirone-san…」
Nao commented, glancing toward Shirone.
She seemed to stagger back as if struck by a blow to the face. All this time, she’d thought that the Silver Witch had brainwashed her childhood friend. But now, it seemed like the Silver Witch was genuinely in love with Kuroki, and that Kuroki truly returned that love. Maybe Shirone's childhood friend had never been brainwashed at all.
If the Silver Witch was truly the daughter of the Demon King, it made sense that Kuroki would protect her father—he was the father of a super-beautiful girl who loved him so much.
「L-Lies… That Kuroki… is loved by such a beauty…?」
Shirone collapsed into a defeated position, as though struck by some crushing blow. It looked like she had suffered a critical mental blow. She might not be able to recover from this.
「That’s why, Shirone. Kuna won’t fight you anymore. Kuroki does care for you. He’d be sad if you died.」
The Silver Witch’s words cut through the air.
Shirone’s eyes lifted as she processed the statement.
「Kuroki… cares for me?」
「Hmm? Of course, he does. Is something wrong?」
The Silver Witch tilted her head, genuinely puzzled by Shirone’s question.
Shirone slowly rose to her feet again.
「I see… He cares for me, huh… Ehehehehe.」
She scratched her cheek and grinned, looking almost giddy.
「She recovered immediately…」
「Yeah, Nao-chan. Shirone-san is surprisingly simple-minded…」
Both Nao and Rino seemed stunned. But I had to admit, Shirone was unexpectedly straightforward.
I couldn’t help but worry about her future, though.
「Agreed. It looks like we're not in a situation where we can fight her like this…」
If we fought the Silver Witch now, it would be a disaster. And since she wasn’t interested in fighting either, we should avoid provoking her. But what was she even doing here? We hadn’t even asked her that.
「Sage-dono. Who is that beauty? Can you introduce her to me?」
Tamriel, who had been silent up until now, asked after seeing the conversation between Shirone and the Silver Witch settle down.
I was hesitant to reveal her identity in this situation—things could spiral out of control if I did.
「Well, she's an acquaintance. Don’t worry about it.」
I replied while rubbing my temples. Tamriel's reaction was noticeably different now compared to when he greeted us; he was completely mesmerized by the Silver Witch.
「W-Well, I don’t know what happened, but it’s good that we have an armistice now, right, Shirone?」
「Uh… Well, it can't be helped. But still, what are you doing here? That’s all I wanted to ask.」
Shirone snapped back to her senses and confronted the Silver Witch.
「I can answer that. But it’s only fair if you tell me why you’re here too.」
The Silver Witch readily agreed to answer our questions, though whether or not we could trust her answers remained to be seen.
Just as she was about to speak, someone else entered the room.
「What’s going on? Why is it so noisy?」
The newcomer was an elf, her attire clearly marking her as a high-ranking member of their kind. Despite her youthful appearance, you could never judge an elf’s age by looks alone. She could very well be far older than us.
「Y-YOUR MAJESTY?! What are you doing here?!」
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