Chapter 191: Humans Become Witches, Witches Become Human
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191: Humans Become Witches, Witches Become Human
Looking at Yohan lying sprawled out on a bed of black flesh, Margaret wore a bitter smile.
It wasn't hard to understand what he must have gone through in the last few hours to be making such an expression.
It was a look she often saw on pure, young witches after they were dragged away by holy knights. A wound inflicted for believing in and following humans.
Margaret wondered whether she should be glad that Yohan could finally empathize with them, or sad that she hadn't been able to prevent it.
"My disciple, come here."
For now, however, she decided to simply hold him without a word. He had just been hurt, after all. This wasn't the time to rejoice that he shared their wounds, but to grieve his pain and offer comfort.
As she gently pulled Yohan into an embrace and stroked his hair, he silently buried his face between her breasts and sobbed.
I understand. We understand you. We can understand the wound you've received, the pain, and the regret.
"Just close your eyes for a moment, and it will all be over."
"...Then I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, of course."
With those words, Yohan fell asleep in Margaret's arms. He was utterly exhausted from the long interrogation, the torture, and the effects of the drugs.
How hard it must have been. Stroking Yohan's hair, Margaret turned to the still-writhing Hekaterina and spoke.
"What were you doing while he was getting into this state?"
─Why are you blaming me?
"Because you were the closest to him."
─That's ridiculous. What about you? You could have been by his side whenever you wanted. Why are you only showing up now?
Margaret glared at Hekaterina in silence at her counterattack. Hekaterina, seemingly having no desire to fight further, fell silent and began to move her body.
The black flesh started to spread beyond the building, covering the entire city. The humans were trying to fight back, bringing in tanks and helicopters, but they couldn't stop her unless they dropped a nuke on her head.
And no government was crazy enough to drop a nuclear bomb on its own capital. Which meant there was no way to stop Hekaterina.
─Yohan told me to do whatever I want.
Considering how he always used to nag Hekaterina not to cause trouble, this was an unbelievable turn of events. That fact alone told Margaret how deeply Yohan had been wounded. She lifted him into her arms and murmured.
"Leave some for us."
─Don't get your hopes up.
Without waiting for a reply, Margaret took Yohan and left the scene, likely returning to their base.
Left alone, Hekaterina let out a smirk and swelled her flesh. Even without her intending it, the black mass continued to grow.
The people who saw her were filled with terror. For the Witch of Fear, terror was sustenance.
A resource she could use in place of magic power began to steadily accumulate. Hekaterina poured it out without restraint, swallowing the city whole.
─Leave some for you?
I can't do that.
This was an opportunity that might never come again.
Hekaterina unleashed the people's fear and her own magic power without holding back. Those who witnessed her ominous magic fell into terror, and their terror became her strength.
A vicious cycle of fear continued endlessly. This cycle would never be broken.
There was only one way to break it.
For there to be no one left to feel fear.
Arriving above Seoul, the witches let out groans as they witnessed the black flesh rampaging madly and the soldiers, firefighters, and police trying to suppress it.
"What a mess."
"You can say that again. Where's Yohan—"
Evangeline, about to go find Yohan, pulled out her vibrating smartphone.
After checking the message on the screen, she clicked her tongue and turned around.
"Ah, damn it— Ritz already took Yohan home!"
"What? Then why did we come here?"
"For nothing, that's what!"
While Evangeline shouted and prepared to leave, Beatrice quietly looked down at the screaming humans on the ground.
Seeing her, Linna tilted her head as if to ask what she was doing.
"You're not coming?"
"...You go on ahead."
"What, are you seriously going to save the humans?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Yohan will be less sad that way."
At those words, Evangeline, Agapeite, Adelheid, and the others who had been about to leave paused and looked down at the ground.
Suffering humans. This was likely something Yohan had permitted. The Yohan who had always cared so much for humans would never have let Hekaterina cause such a disaster and gone home with Margaret otherwise.
They didn't know what change of heart had led him to allow humans to die. But they knew one thing for sure.
A person's heart doesn't change that easily. Yohan would be deeply troubled by the deaths of these people.
"─Ugh, so annoying. Why do these humans always have to make trouble for themselves?"
Evangeline scratched her head and landed on the ground. Following her, the other witches descended one by one.
The soldiers and firefighters who had been fighting the black flesh began to panic at the sudden appearance of the beautiful women.
"Where did you... Please, get away from here! Run, I said run!"
"I can understand you even if you speak Korean."
"Uh...? W-well! If you understand, then hurry up and run!?"
"Why should I?"
"Can't you see this monster—!"
The soldier who had been shouting at the witches watched as Evangeline zipped past him, grabbed a chunk of the black flesh, and tore it away. He saw the torn flesh vanish and a citizen who was being slowly consumed get rescued.
It was an unbelievable sight. Stunned by the surreal scene, the soldier stood with his mouth agape, just staring at the witches, before belatedly coming to his senses and helping the fallen citizen.
"A-are you alright!?"
Evangeline ignored the soldier and spoke to the other witches in an annoyed tone.
"I'm enough for this area, so you guys go somewhere else."
"Okay."
"Wanna bet on who saves the most?"
"How?"
"There are plenty of cameras here, right? Someone's bound to be filming."
None of the witches were taking the situation seriously. In fact, they were treating it as a form of entertainment.
Of course, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It led to the witches, who would normally not have cared in the slightest about saving humans, voluntarily doing so.
Anyone would be angry to learn their life had become the subject of a bet, but if they learned that very bet was the reason their life was saved, they couldn't stay angry.
All they could do was accept the one-sided salvation.
"Th-thank you..."
"That makes a hundred."
"Pardon?"
Evangeline saved people by tearing off the flesh one piece at a time.
"─H-huh? My body is..."
"Go."
Beatrice directly controlled the bodies of the firefighters, police, and soldiers, making them exhibit superhuman strength.
"L-Linna... I think someone's inside..."
"Alright! When I give the signal, get rid of it! One, two, three!"
Linna and Linne used their powers of annihilation and creation to save people and restore the damaged buildings.
The sight of the witches saving people with their respective powers, displaying their magic and superhuman abilities without concealment, was captured by people's hands and began broadcasting across the internet simultaneously.
"What is that...?"
Only then did people realize that a foreign substance had entered their world, that strangers had arrived from another world.
Waking up in a pitch-black room where not a single ray of light entered, Yohan tried to sit up but realized something was entwined around his limbs.
He glanced over and saw Margaret asleep, her arms and legs draped over his body. No, she might just be pretending to be asleep.
Instead of removing her limbs, Yohan quietly stroked her skin, waiting for her to wake up on her own.
Perhaps that was the right choice, as the sleeping Margaret slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.
"...Hehe, did you sleep well, my disciple?"
"Margaret."
"It's night now. Why don't you sleep a little more?"
Yohan shook his head at her words and sat up. Margaret tried to hold onto him, looking quite disappointed, but her attempt failed.
Shaking off Margaret's hand, Yohan went out to the living room, opened a window, and stepped outside to breathe in the night air. Though it was summer, the cool air began to chill his body.
After cooling down for a bit, Yohan came back inside and turned on the TV. Just as he'd expected, the news was in an uproar about the witches.
[...occurred in the heart of Seoul...]
[In the worst incident that drove countless people to their deaths, the government...]
[At the time, the president was revealed to have been drunk with his closest aides...]
"Ha."
He had expected to feel regret.
But he never imagined it would be this much.
He never thought hating people would be this difficult.
"Are you okay?"
Just then, Margaret quietly approached and hugged him from behind.
Enveloped by her ample bosom, Yohan felt a sense of motherly comfort and solace.
"Don't worry. You did nothing wrong."
"...Margaret."
"There, there. Shall we go back and sleep?"
As Yohan nodded, a faint smile appeared on Margaret's lips.