The Witch's Final Breath
It was just a good feeling. My intense tension, expecting some other disaster to unfold, had simply been a misunderstanding. The tremors of the Chimera, which I had mistaken for the signal of some massive trap being triggered, were nothing more than the creature’s final, desperate death rattle. The walls of flesh that had been cracking and collapsing weren't intended to trap us; they were merely losing their vitality and crumbling because they could no longer maintain their form. Ever since I transmigrated into this romance fantasy world, my paranoia—always assuming the worst-case scenario from even the slightest omen—must have flared up again.
"Was I just overthinking it?" I let out a hollow, self-deprecating chuckle. The bizarre vibrations that had rattled the ground beneath my feet subsided, and the purple mana mist that had filled the air dissipated listlessly. The northern wind began to erase the traces of the battle. Watching that moment, I gathered the mana wrapping my sword and sheathed it with a sharp click.
"It seems to be over."
"Yes."
It was truly over. The witch’s curse had vanished into thin air. Even with the junior knights by my side, I hadn't expected the situation to resolve this easily. "Did I underestimate them too much?" In the end, I had overestimated the enemy and underestimated the martial prowess of our knights. When I viewed this world through the eyes of a reader, their strength was clearly visible through stats and dramatic direction, which had forced me to prepare with obsessive compulsion against the threats of this world. But having experienced it firsthand, struggling through the fray, my preparations had proven far more effective than I’d imagined.
"Well, it’s not like being over-prepared is a bad thing." I was just surprised by how unexpected the outcome was. "Situation concluded. Everyone, stand down and secure the perimeter." At my command, the junior knights sheathed their swords as well.
"This is all thanks to your perfect command, Cassian-nim. To think you even accounted for the witch’s hidden magic. That’s why you needed us," Philip said, approaching with a voice full of admiration. In truth, it was closer to an overreaction to prepare for unforeseen variables rather than a calculated strategy, but there was no need to deny it. As the heir to the Margrave, this overwhelming result was enough to solidify the knights' loyalty.
Philip was different from the lukewarm reaction he’d shown when I first suggested hunting the witch. Since the witch hunt had started from my own stubbornness, I understood Philip’s initial gaze, yet he had still fulfilled his duty as a knight. "I suppose this means I’ve been properly acknowledged." Simply having the heir command the knights required my father's permission. That was only natural. But I had utilized the knights escorting me on my way to the academy to bypass that procedure. It was no wonder Philip had been disgruntled at first. He might have thought it was just the reckless whim of an immature young master.
I looked down at the remains of the Chimera, now scattering into ash, and fell into thought. Knowing the flow of the original story was a double-edged sword. It allowed for preparation, but sometimes it planted unnecessary fear. "Maybe I can afford to be a little more relaxed next time." But I shook my head immediately. This romance fantasy world would tighten its grip around your throat the moment you let your guard down. I had to remember that this battle was easy only because I had prepared 'excessively,' not because the enemy was weak. "And a little bit of luck followed, too."
Is this how the great generals of history felt? Having to calculate optimal efficiency every time they moved their troops and control situations where countless lives hung on a single minor variable—the stress must have been immense. I had only utilized my knowledge of the original story and the resources at hand, and even that was this taxing. How much worse must it be for the legendary generals who had to create tactics out of nothing? "Maybe that’s why those people go bald so quickly."
I shook my head lightly to cast away the useless distractions. Pushing aside the strange fatigue that washed over me as the extreme tension faded, I began to clear the messy debris with the junior knights. It was already a crumbling witch’s house, but there might still be something left in the ruins. In particular, the one thing that wouldn't leave my mind was Soleia’s curse. Just because the witch died didn't mean the curse she had cast would vanish like smoke. Why would she be called a witch otherwise? If it were a simple curse, even black mages could have easily manipulated it. But a curse that gnawed at the host’s vitality even after the caster was dead was a product of terrible, vicious malice that only a witch could wield.
"The ingredients to cure Soleia must remain in this basement." It was a very rare item; it wouldn't be easy to find in this period. I moved, pushing through the piles of dust from the collapsed hut. Although the witch’s body had been absorbed and scattered into ash by the Chimera, there was a high possibility that the secret texts she studied or the ingredients for an antidote to neutralize the curse were hidden somewhere here. Even if this battle had ended more easily than expected, the information and items left behind were by no means trivial. I looked down at the basement, the place where the Chimera had burst through.
"Kalia, let’s go check inside the basement. You all stay above in case of an emergency."
"Understood."
Leaving the shouts of Philip and the junior knights behind, Kalia and I jumped into the dark basement. "Ignition." If this were a martial arts novel, it would be called a secret technique to draw out internal energy and emit fire from one's hands, but this was a romance fantasy world. It was simply a matter of using mana to float a small flame above my palm. This was a very basic spell; even a commoner who hadn't learned it could master it within a few months of practice if they had mana aptitude. It was a spell that any Northerner living in the cold North could use. Furthermore, there was nothing more efficient for lighting up the darkness.
The flame flickering above my palm licked the stairs of the damp basement, opening a path. "Cassian-nim, the air is foul." Kalia frowned at the fishy smell that pricked at her nose and blocked my path. It wasn't just mana residue; the air was genuinely foul. "The witch’s hidden workshop." Unlike the clean workshop I had seen on the surface, the walls were splattered with blood, making it obvious that human experimentation had taken place here. Kalia took a handkerchief from her bosom and carefully covered my mouth and nose. In truth, a piece of cloth like this wouldn't have much effect on blocking this foul air. But because her heart, worrying for me, was conveyed so clearly, I didn't refuse and accepted the handkerchief quietly. Then, I took a handkerchief from my own pocket and did the same for Kalia. When it came to times like this, Kalia seemed to have no regard for her own well-being.
"You need to do it too. If you want to stay by my side for a long time, you have to live a long time."
If I had just suggested it, she surely would have refused, saying she was fine. I gave a smile that was half-playful, half-serious, and reached out to bring the handkerchief near her face, just as she had done. It was thanks to the fact that I had learned exactly how to move Kalia after spending the last few years by her side. "...Cassian-nim." Kalia’s pupils wavered slightly, then she obediently entrusted her face to my touch. "Kalia is really cute when she reacts like this."
As I held my hand there for a moment, a strangely ticklish feeling welled up. Trying to shake off the awkward energy, I hurriedly handed the handkerchief to Kalia and withdrew my hand. The faint warmth still lingered on my fingertips that had touched Kalia’s cheek, but as if by promise, we buried that unfamiliar emotion deep within the acrid air of the basement. "...Thank you, Cassian-nim." Kalia mumbled softly and covered her face with the handkerchief. Her usual cool, knightly demeanor was nowhere to be found, and the tips of her ears, slightly reddened beneath her helmet, flickered in the light of the flame above my palm. I cleared my throat deliberately and turned my gaze away. And then, we moved.
The witch’s cluttered laboratory and workshop, half-destroyed. Wondering if there was something there, Kalia and I searched the place diligently. While the surface had been smashed by the Chimera, the underground space, though half-destroyed, had quite a few things that hadn't been broken. "If you see a bottle containing a clear, transparent liquid, let me know." At my words, Kalia nodded and began to scour every corner of the workbench. Every time the flame above my palm flickered, the shadows danced bizarrely, but we didn't care and rummaged through the witch’s legacy. One of the core ingredients needed to cure Soleia’s curse. As described in the original story, a liquid with a deep blue light, as if a clear autumn sky had been trapped in a bottle. It had to be somewhere in this basement.
"Though, it might have just broken because I was unlucky." My gaze turned toward the half-destroyed side, then I turned it back and shook my head. Just as I was busily moving my hands, Kalia called out. "Over here." In the corner of a shelf Kalia pointed to, a glass bottle covered in thick dust was sitting there. I approached carefully and wiped away the dust. Then, a transparent yet deep blue liquid, shimmering brilliantly as it caught the light of the flame, revealed itself. "Found it."
It was an object that emitted an unnaturally clean energy, especially in the witch’s basement. I lifted the bottle and held it up to the light. Tiny mana particles were flowing inside the liquid like a galaxy. "Is this what you were looking for?" Kalia asked cautiously. I nodded silently and tucked the bottle into my bosom. I felt like I could fly. In gaming terms, it was a dopamine rush equivalent to pulling a limited-edition character. Had things ever gone this well since I transmigrated into this world? My heart was pounding so loudly it rang in my ears, my excitement reaching a fever pitch. Without realizing it, I beamed with a wide, full-faced smile and shouted to Kalia, who was standing beside me.
"As expected of Kalia! You know I like this, right?"
"Ye-es...?" A stunned voice came from Kalia.
"Ye-es...?" Kalia’s flustered voice didn't properly register in my ears. I just felt good right now. To me, this bottle of blue liquid in my hand seemed more precious and beautiful than anything else in the world.