The Witch's Bargain
The Great Golden Witch. I wasn't entirely sure if she was truly "great," but thanks to her, we had overcome a major crisis. To prevent excessive conflicts between witches, the Golden Witch had personally designed a set of rules. According to those rules, the Witch of Oblivion, Leticia, was now sitting in front of us with a sullen expression, like a dog that had done something wrong.
"You people are the ones who trespassed without permission…!"
"You were the one who occupied the place without permission first."
"She's right about that second part."
"Ughhh!"
Leticia was adding to her list of offenses one by one in this manner. The catalog of crimes already written down was far from short. Unauthorized occupation of the mine, exploitation of civilian laborers, massive damage to the village economy, and so on. The one silver lining was that there had been no murders. I wasn't sure if it was because even a terrifying witch like her had observed some minimal line, or if she had simply been wary of the Royal Knights.
Anyway.
"This is unfair! Among witches, this kind of thing is nothing…!"
"But it was this boy right here who flipped the coin. That makes it a transaction between a witch and a human. It happens from time to time, doesn't it?"
"If the Grand Hall finds out about this, you won't get off so easily either."
"The same goes for you."
Leticia and Janice glared at each other. Normally, Janice, as a witch's disciple, should have been the one yielding ground. But given the current situation, it seemed she was determined to seize control. Still, no matter who held the initiative, a staring contest could only go on for so long. I figured it was time for me to step in.
"Then, Lady Leticia, here are our demands."
"I told you, you're not in any position to be making demands…!"
"Sigh. Someone do something about this witch."
"Shall I beat her?"
"We can add that to the list of negotiation terms."
Janice made a show of writing something on the parchment. Leticia's face turned pale, and she frantically waved her hands.
"F-fine, I'll listen…"
It was painfully obvious which side held the disadvantage. After all, Leticia was the one who had committed countless crimes, and she had already been stripped of her combat capabilities. She didn't even have the strength left to control the black knight she had summoned as her trump card. Both in terms of justification and the actual situation, the scales of fortune were smiling on us.
Perhaps that was why our demands toward Leticia had become rather grand.
First, Leticia and all her followers must completely withdraw from Hilden Village and the mine.
Second, they must not cause any harm to the humans in this location or the nearby villages.
Third, all the minerals exploited from this mine will be managed by the Ribein Trading Company and the Gluwin family.
Fourth, they must not inform any other witches or their followers about what happened here.
Fifth, they must compensate for the mental suffering endured by Ruines and his party…
"Wait!"
"What is it?"
Leticia suddenly shrieked while the treaty was being read aloud.
"No matter how you look at it, this is unfair! I've already suffered more than enough losses. And now you want me to compensate you on top of that…!"
"…In that case, perhaps it's better if we resort to physical force after all."
I took the pen from Janice. Then I made a show of writing something on the paper. Leticia's attitude flipped 180 degrees once again.
"W-wait! What kind of compensation do you want? Money?"
"Now we're finally getting somewhere."
"We don't need money. How about an artifact? A witch like you must have one or two useful items, right?"
Selena took the lead in the conversation, as expected of a merchant's daughter. Come to think of it, I had heard that in this world there were special objects imbued with mana or sorcery. They were called artifacts. And if it was something a witch possessed, its quality was practically guaranteed.
"And what about that staff of yours? Can we take it?"
"N-no way! For a witch, a staff is like her very life…!"
"It seems even more precious than I thought. Very well."
Selena's eyes sparkled at Leticia's words. In the end, though she looked reluctant, Leticia spoke with a tone of resignation.
"Haa… I suppose I have no choice. If it's a replacement artifact, then…"
Swish.
Leticia rummaged through empty air and began pulling things out one after another. Could witches really do something like that? I was watching in quiet fascination when Leticia slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.
"Hehe. Humans who have only lived in a backwater place like this probably haven't even seen a proper artifact before. Shall I at least let you feast your eyes?"
It wasn't just feasting our eyes — it was a genuine treat. Leticia seemed to have forgotten her own predicament as she lined up artifact after artifact. The first things that caught my eye were the mysterious accessories. Selena quietly explained from the side that artifacts often took the form of jewelry like these.
"What is this one?"
"It's a crystal orb that lets you see someone else's dreams."
"And this?"
"A pen that ensures you never forget an enemy. It comes as a set with this parchment. It's a type of curse tool."
"??"
I let the parts I didn't understand slide. As expected of the Witch of Oblivion, most of the tools seemed related to memory and the mind.
If I'm looking for something that would help a knight here…
I focused my Gigaam. Each artifact gave off its own mysterious energy, but one stood out in particular. Rather than emitting energy, it felt like it was blocking other energies. For some reason, it seemed isolated, almost as if it were looking at me. I picked up that artifact.
"Ah. That's…"
"What is it?"
For a moment, Leticia looked visibly reluctant. But under the pressure of everyone's gazes, she obediently began to explain.
"It's a Magic Nullification Ring. It can block small-scale magic up to three times per day. After that, it needs time to recharge."
"It blocks magic?"
"Yes. Whether it's physical or mental magic. Though it won't work against anything too powerful."
Perhaps because I had just suffered terribly at Leticia's hands, the fact that it could counter magic immediately caught my attention. I gripped the ring and practically decided on it right then.
"This seems quite useful. A knight needs his own ways to respond to magic and tricks, after all."
"Lady Melissa, you should choose something too. Or rather, let me pick one for you…"
"……"
Melissa, who had initially declined, was now watching with curious eyes. I handed her a cloak that gave off a similar aura to the ring.
"Witch. What effect does this have?"
"Ugh… It's a cloak with magic resistance."
"Is it valuable?"
"Anti-magic artifacts are quite valuable…"
"More than that staff?"
"N-not exactly…"
"Then we'll take it. Thank you."
"……"
Leticia trembled as she watched me practically extort one artifact after another from her.
"This one seems perfect for Angelica, somehow."
"It's an accessory that increases charisma. It would suit those haughty nobles perfectly."
"Hmm. Well, it's not bad!"
She had chosen it mostly because the accessory looked pretty, regardless of its effect. I personally fastened the hair ornament onto Angelica's head.
"Ah."
"Good. Next is…"
Leaving behind a blushing Angelica, I brought over Liz, who had been fidgeting awkwardly a few steps away.
"I didn't really do anything though…"
"Sister Liz, you have a lot to do for us from now on."
"H-huh?"
"That's right. Our Gluwin family happens to be short on weapons and equipment to supply our private soldiers…"
In that sense, one item immediately stood out. Without hesitation, I pointed at a hammer lying in front of us.
"This is clearly a blacksmith's hammer, right?"
"Yes. It increases the completion quality of any equipment you create. Though it is a bit 'heavy.'"
"This?"
It fit perfectly in one hand. When I tried lifting it experimentally… No, I couldn't even budge it. Liz, with her body trained from blacksmithing, could only manage it with considerable effort.
"O-once you get used to it, it'll be fine. Thank you, Rui."
"If it's too much for you, we can exchange it."
"No, no. I really like this one…!"
Liz answered with a flushed face. It was a relief to see that she seemed genuinely satisfied.
"Ah, I'm good. I'm supposed to remain 'neutral,' after all."
Janice suddenly declared her neutrality. Leticia looked utterly dumbfounded, but that was that.
Now, the only one left was…
"……"
"……"
I spent a long time carefully examining the artifacts still laid out on the ground.
"Rui. You don't have to be that picky."
"I-I'm not being picky or anything!"
I must have been concentrating harder than I realized. For some reason, I wanted to give Selena something a little more special. After much deliberation, I finally found one that seemed suitable.
"Another ring."
"What is this one, Lady Leticia?"
When I asked, Leticia now explained without resistance.
"Haa… It's simple but powerful. It can nullify one instance of 'bad luck' that would befall the wearer."
"What do you think, Seli? Is this okay?"
Incidents like that probably wouldn't happen to Selena often. Still, I wanted her to have some insurance just in case something bad ever occurred.
"This should be enough, right? I already feel like I've been thrown out onto the street…!"
Once the transaction was over, I handed the staff I had been holding back to Leticia.
"I'll let it slide this time. Don't do bad things anymore."
"Tsk! A little brat like you acting all high and mighty…"
"……"
Leticia had been about to say something else, but after glancing at the party behind me, she swallowed her words.
"Ahem. Well, the deal is done. Do as you please from now on."
Whoosh!
With those final words, Leticia vanished. Just before disappearing, she had given me a strange look. At the same time, the black knight who had been kneeling also turned to dust and disappeared.
Watching this, Janice asked with a puzzled expression.
"What exactly was that knight, anyway?"
"Just a knight who acted like a proper knight, I suppose."
"Well, I guess so."
"……"
Not many people would know the truth. I silently offered my thanks to Hildegard in my heart.
"That aside, what about cleaning up the mine?"
"Of course our family will handle it."
"It might be better if the trading company takes care of the minor details."
"We'll need to discuss it with Mother later…"
Whether they did or not, the two of them looked strangely excited about it.