Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Reddening
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As Gretel's cabin came into view, the Black Wolf hesitated for the first time.
"It's just... Gretel is a witch, after all, right?"
"My little sister isn't a bad witch."
"That's because I'm a bad wolf."
But why on earth was the Black Wolf a bad wolf?
He didn't seem to have a bad personality, and from how he'd cooperated with us, he didn't feel like an evil being either.
Maybe because the Red Cape was the villain, the bad wolf ended up as the good guy?
"Caw..."
I pondered deeply while perched on top of the Black Wolf's head.
"Crow, why are you sitting so naturally on my head?"
Riding on the back of such a massive wolf was a total fantasy dream, wasn't it?
And since I was a bird, I probably didn't weigh much anyway.
"...Well, you've done the most work, so I don't mind."
The wolf wagged his tail gently in front of Gretel's cabin.
"I could wait outside, but it'd be better to meet Gretel face-to-face. You might even clear up any misunderstandings about me."
I shook my head left and right, as if pondering along with the Black Wolf.
"Hmm... Yeah, if you're going to live in this forest, getting on good terms with Gretel would be smart. Tch, and something smells delicious anyway."
The Black Wolf sniffed the air.
No way—did the Black Wolf actually like these tasteless cookies too?
Shocking.
Or maybe everyone in this world loved these cookies?
Yeah.
They wouldn't make them if there was no demand.
What a horrifying world.
I'd thought human food was delicious when I snuck bites of bread crumbs, but maybe that was their peak.
No more reason to live among humans.
"Crow, what are you thinking about?"
"Caw."
Nothing much.
"Alright, let's go in then. Hmm, might startle her, so I'll transform into human form first..."
The Black Wolf decided to enter Gretel's cabin.
With that, the cabin door swung open.
"Gretel!"
"Brother?"
"Gretel!"
"Brother!"
The siblings had a touching reunion.
Even I, a crow who rarely shed tears, felt them welling up.
"Sniff... whoosh..."
I wiped my eyes with Swoosh Swoosh's cloth.
No tears actually came out.
"Seriously, where have you been wandering off to without a word?"
"Ugh! G-Gretel!"
Huh?
Hansel's body floated up into the air.
"You little—huh? If it weren't for Crow here... Hold on? A wolf? Why is a big bad wolf here?"
Gretel, who had been spinning Hansel around like a juggler, finally noticed the Black Wolf.
"Uh... hello...?"
The Black Wolf greeted her awkwardly.
Since Gretel might attack, he'd been holding me up like a shield.
"Caw."
But it didn't feel bad.
Something warm and cozy radiated from it.
"A wolf... why is a wolf here... Wait, what's that behind you?"
She started to question why the wolf was there, but Gretel's attention quickly shifted elsewhere.
To the Red Cape, who had been dragged here bound in a torturous knot.
"Gah! G-Gretel! Put me down for a sec! I'll explain everything!"
Hansel, who'd been spun even faster without warning, shouted urgently.
Hansel gave a quick rundown of the situation.
Why he'd chased after the Black Wolf without a word.
And the Red Cape, who was the real culprit.
How the four of us had teamed up to subdue the Red Cape, and that we'd come together to clear up the misunderstanding.
"I see... That makes sense. I'm just glad everyone's okay."
The spinning slowed gradually, and Hansel finally touched down on the ground.
Meaning she'd kept him twirling the whole time he was talking.
Was their sibling bond sweet or twisted?
It matched the image of siblings I knew.
Except the little sister was overwhelmingly stronger.
"Red Cape. You're lucky we caught a witch like you. I was planning to deal with her myself, but you all helped out..."
She thanked me sincerely.
No need to overdo it.
I'll take my reward later.
"Now I can finish the research with Muuna. If we get this witch to co... er, cooperate."
Did she just say torture?
Not my business, but Gretel was starting to scare me a little.
Where was the Sage, anyway?
"Hm, you're back sooner than expected."
Oh, rolling around over there?
Nice. Haven't seen that plump butt in a while. Time to...
That was when it happened.
"Heh... hehehe..."
The Red Cape, who had been unconscious, started laughing.
"Everyone, fall back!"
Gretel shouted urgently.
We sprang into action.
Rather than trying to subdue her ourselves, we distanced ourselves from the witch.
With Gretel here, it was smarter to avoid any potential danger than to intervene directly.
"Hahaha! Thanks, everyone—what should I do with all this gratitude?"
She hadn't actually fainted?
Was all of this part of her plan?
The Red Cape grinned widely, still bound in the torturous knot.
"To think I could infiltrate Gretel's lair like this. No need to hold Hansel hostage anymore."
Right.
The Red Cape's real target was the Witch of Day, Gretel, after all.
Hansel was just a means to that end.
She'd tried to charm him into a puppet, but it backfired onto the Black Wolf.
No wonder such a powerhouse went down so easily.
She must have switched plans midway.
Instead of taking us all out and then going for Gretel, she conserved energy and sneaked into the lair.
Of course, the faint was probably real—but even that could have been calculated.
So witches were this dangerous, huh.
"Behold my ultimate power! The one true Reddening!"
Reddening!
What a name—it sounded like it'd turn even redder.
She planned to unleash something stronger than what we'd seen.
"Now, the flames of revolution blaze twice!"
Flames of Revolution.
The same fire she'd wielded before surged up again.
"Huh?"
Of course, it didn't work.
"Unquenchable Flames of Revolution"
If your will does not break, you can rise again.
This trait permanently vanishes after one use.
Using the trait reddens the body.
Her trait was mine now.
She'd planned to recover her strength with it and challenge Gretel at full power, but the trait was gone.
"Wha—?"
The Red Cape thrashed her head in confusion, then her eyes widened at the red feather on my wing.
"My! My power—why?! C-Comrade! Give it back! Free me from these chains, and we'll conquer the world together!"
Why would I be your comrade?
"C-Comrade!"
Not comrade either.
Gretel stepped forward slowly, watching the farce unfold.
"You like red, huh?"
Gretel smiled.
Her gaze turned to the roaring fireplace.
"I like red too."
Seductive eyes.
She was the Witch of Day, but those were undeniably witch eyes.
"Think we could be good friends?"
"W-Wait! Cooperation! I'll cooperate!"
Something more terrifying than the Flames of Revolution: the fire in a witch-burning hearth.
*
Hexennacht.
A new agenda had come up at the gathering of the Night Witches.
"Connection to the Red Witch severed."
The Red Cape had vanished.
Dispatched to Gretel's area, it was natural to assume she'd fallen to Gretel.
Day Witches and Night Witches were bitter enemies, after all—no surprise if one vanished.
"My, the Sage has gone into hiding, Dorothy's missing, and now the Red Witch too. Something's off."
But all these major incidents happening at once was the problem.
Coincidences piling up become inevitability.
"I have a rough idea, though. We've gotten reports. The giant crow of Skarnas that took out the Night Vessel. Probably tied to that thing."
Dorothy was last seen near Skarnas, where the Eternal Night Vessel awakened.
Rumors swirled of a giant crow in Skarnas too.
The Red Cape had operated between Skarnas and the Tin Lord's ruins.
This wasn't coincidence.
It matched Dorothy's disappearance timeline.
The Night Witches figured the crow had to be connected to Dorothy.
The Giant Crow of Skarnas.
Not terribly dangerous yet, but its feats were impressive.
It took out Skarnas's scarecrow and subdued the Red Witch.
Following its path, the next target was clearly the Tin Lord's ruins.
"The Tin Ruins, huh. Might be time for us to step in."
"Who do we send, then? Lots of adventurers around the ruins—won't be easy."
The Night Witches decided to track the Giant Crow of Skarnas.
Capturing it was key, no matter what.
It could be foe or ally.
"Hold on, wait a sec."
A witch in black approached gracefully.
Or rather, an unusual one—not quite a typical witch.
"Ufufu. Leaving me out of something like this? How rude."
A woman in a crow-like mask placed a hand on her ample bosom.
"Plague Doctor. What brings you here?"
Even among witches, she was infamous as an eccentric.
Classified as a Night Witch, but a wanderer who shunned cooperation.
A knowledge maniac obsessed with personal research over common goals.
"I think I should take this one."
Her face was hidden by the mask, but she radiated a beaming smile.
Her voice brimmed with ecstasy.
Like when a satisfying research result emerged.
"A crow, no less? A massive crow. Ahh, just imagining it gets me hot."
The Plague Doctor continued in rapturous tones.
"I'll handle this. In return, let me have that crow."
The witches hesitated but had to admit no one else fit the bill.
Her power was plague.
The crow was heading to the Tin Ruins.
Swarming with adventurers, her plague would be devastatingly effective.
"Ufufu. That's a yes, then?"
The Plague Doctor—or Witch of Plague—rubbed her thighs lightly.
Just the thought of a giant crow had her all fired up.