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Chapter 97: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 97


In a barren rocky mountain devoid of a single blade of grass, littered with sharp stones, a girl with dark purple hair was walking barefoot with her eyes closed. Despite the dangerous terrain, her feet remained unscathed. To others, this might seem like an extraordinary phenomenon, but to her, it was entirely natural.


And it had to be.


In the past, even when a race known for their unmatched craftsmanship forged the ultimate legendary sword with all their might, and when their underground city was buried deep within the earth, her body remained unscathed. How could mere stones harm her?


She had been that way since ancient times.


Even if the world were to end tomorrow, she would likely be the only one left standing unscathed.


For hundreds of years, the only pain she had felt was the endless boredom of an uneventful life.


An existence that could neither be stopped nor harmed by others' will.


People thus called her the Witch of Sloth.


And Beatrice, the Witch of Sloth, had been savoring an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time—an emotion other than boredom or annoyance—ever since she completed a task and left the human city.


Evangeline, or rather, Scarlet Evande as she was now known.


A being that had reignited her interest after centuries.


Just the anticipation of what Scarlet would become when they met next was enough to dispel her profound boredom, making Beatrice feel unusually pleased for the first time in ages.


This newfound pleasure was why she didn’t mind the familiar presence she suddenly sensed nearby.


Half-opening her eyes for the first time in days, Beatrice stared into the empty air and murmured.


"Hey there, what’s the matter this time?"


As she murmured, a black hole appeared before her. A hooded woman jumped out, folding her arms and shouting at Beatrice with a disgruntled tone.


"What do you mean, what’s the matter? You botched the task I asked you to do and now you're trying to deny it?"


Tilting her head, Beatrice replied.


"Botched? I did exactly as you asked."


"I told you to hide it somewhere inconspicuous! If you had hidden it properly, it wouldn’t have been discovered so quickly!"


The woman exaggeratedly stomped around, expressing her frustration with her whole body. Watching her, Beatrice spoke in her usual leisurely manner.


"I hid it properly. It was a contract, so there’s no way I didn’t do it right."


"I know that! But then why was it discovered so quickly? I can’t understand it!"


For witches, a contract, no matter how trivial, had to be fulfilled. Knowing this, the woman shouted in frustration, to which Beatrice nonchalantly replied.


"Because I told them where I hid it."


"...What?"


The woman made a strange sound, her face going blank. Stunned, she gaped like a fish out of water before regaining her composure and pointing at Beatrice, shouting in a high-pitched voice.


"You! Why did you do that?! Why did you do something I didn’t ask for?"


Seeing the woman who had tasked her with a bothersome chore getting angry somehow made Beatrice feel not too bad. She raised the corners of her mouth slightly as she murmured.


"You didn’t tell me not to reveal its location. You only asked me to hide the monster in a discreet place. So whatever happened afterward wasn’t my concern."


"...That’s technically true! Argh!"


With a ridiculous cry, the woman slumped to the ground, hanging her head as she began to mutter irritably.


"One messed up and got caught while playing with dolls despite being told not to draw attention, then rampaged without taking responsibility. Another wasted a rare favor by undoing all my efforts. Ah, my plans. I wanted to manipulate the city into a constant state of confusion, making them suspicious and worried about who to trust, thinking, 'Haha, foolish humans. They don’t even realize they’re playing right into my hands!' Ah, it’s so annoying. So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!"


After muttering like a madwoman, gradually raising her voice until she shouted, the woman suddenly lifted her head and, with a bright smile, yelled at Beatrice.


"Just kidding~!"


Gone was the frustrated look as she sprang up from the ground, laughing as she spoke. Beatrice frowned as if she was looking at a lunatic.


The woman, seeing Beatrice’s expression, burst into laughter.


"Look at your face! Did you think I was really mad? If you did, too bad! This plan wasn’t crucial anyway. If it had gone well, it would’ve been fun, but it’s also enjoyable when things don’t go my way. If everything went as planned, that’d be boring. Haha!"


Laughing, the woman approached Beatrice with a mischievous grin.


"But I’m surprised. You told someone where you hid the monster? The Beatrice I know would never do that. Does this mean there’s something in the human city interesting enough to move you? Ah, I’m curious. If it’s really that interesting, I might want it for myself."


Beatrice’s face hardened at the woman’s words.


The woman before her was someone who, if she wanted something, would find it no matter where it was hidden.


If she lost the intriguing existence she had found after so long because of this woman...


Beatrice, thinking this far, grimaced and swung her hand at the woman before her.


“Wah?!”


A black hole suddenly appeared in front of her, and the woman quickly jumped through it to avoid Beatrice’s swung hand. Reappearing a bit farther away, the woman inspected the edge of her hood where Beatrice’s hand had barely missed, noticing the portion was now missing. 


With a pale face, she screamed at Beatrice, "What the hell was that for?! I almost died!"


Glaring at the panicked woman, Beatrice murmured in a low voice, "...If you touch her, I will kill you."


"I... I get it! I won't touch whatever it is! I promise!" she shouted, showing her palms as a sign of surrender.


Seeing her genuinely scared, Beatrice relaxed her expression and slowly lowered her hand. Watching her, the woman swallowed hard and cautiously asked, "Um... What is it that you're so protective of? Can’t you at least tell me that?"


"...Do you have a death wish?" Beatrice responded icily.


"No! That’s not it! If you tell me what it is, I can make sure not to touch it by accident! What if I accidentally mess with it?"


Beatrice frowned at the woman's explanation. She was right—if the woman decided to find it, she likely could, and if she accidentally stumbled upon it, that would be troublesome. Reconsidering, Beatrice lowered her hand and answered.


"...A red-haired woman."


"Hey! Do you think there are only a few red-haired women among humans?"


"She’s not human, so it won’t matter. You’ll know her at a glance."


Responding nonchalantly to the woman's incredulous question, Beatrice was confident that the woman, being a witch herself, would recognize another witch when she saw one.


The woman’s eyes lit up with interest. "Hmm, a red-haired woman who isn’t human. Got it! I promise I won’t touch her if I see her! And since you probably don’t trust my words alone, we’ll seal it with a contract."


The moment the word "contract" left her mouth, Beatrice felt a binding connection forming between them. Witches couldn’t escape from the constraints of contracts, no matter how simple. Assured by this, Beatrice nodded slowly.


After sealing the contract, the woman smiled once more. She opened a black hole and stepped halfway in, turning back to Beatrice.


"Anyway, I came to let you know that you only have one request left in our contract. See you!"


With that, the woman vanished into the hole.


*


Near the northern border of the human city, a black hole opened, and the woman stepped out, replaying the recent conversation in her mind.


A red-haired woman who isn’t human.


Who could interest Beatrice, the Witch of Sloth, so much? As she pondered, a sudden roar erupted behind her.


[■■■■■■■■-!!!!!!!!!]


Glancing back, she saw a flame beast, a monster known as the Beast of Wrath, roaring furiously and spewing flames at her. The flames, however, did not touch her. The black hole she had opened absorbed all the flames.


"You’ve been quiet for a while, but now you're acting up again," she murmured, waving her hand. The black hole expanded, swallowing both the flames and the beast itself.


Watching the last embers die out, she reflected on the situation.


Since the death of the Witch of Wrath at the hands of the elves 500 years ago, the beasts of wrath had lingered near the old elven forests. Recently, they had become more active, coinciding with Beatrice’s visit to the human city.


What could have caused these long-dormant beasts to awaken?


And who was the non-human woman that had caught Beatrice’s interest?


The answer was clear.


The more pieces on the chessboard, the more exciting the game.


"This might be useful," she whispered, smiling at the direction of the human city.



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Comments

  1. Oh boy that ain't good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah she cant touch her but she can touch people around her

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rion pronouns are a bit weird

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rion is supposed to be a girl but the pronoun "he" was used, I think in this chapter or the previous one.

      Delete

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