Chapter 113: The Witch's Garden
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113: The Witch's Garden
A sudden murder.
The silence lasted only a heartbeat before panic erupted.
"H-Heh...!"
"The—The Regent committed murder...!!"
He had cut her down without a moment's hesitation, right before their eyes.
In the midst of the chaos, Ferda was the only one who remained unfazed. He simply looked down at the woman he had slain.
"What a waste of time."
The woman did not move. It was only natural; her brow had been pierced through. While everyone else recoiled at Ferda’s sudden outburst, he remained calm and resolute.
"Drop the act, Witch. It must be exhausting, lying there like that."
At that moment, the corpse—a body no one doubted was dead—began to twitch.
"Gah!"
"The—The corpse is moving!"
Like a marionette with severed strings, the body jerked unnaturally and stood up. With a hole still gaping in its forehead, it opened its mouth.
"...How did you know?"
An awkward, unsettling smile spread across the woman's face.
Cr-crack—!
A moment later, the form began to split. Her skin sloughed off like a molting husk, revealing the true body within.
Hair made of white scales, pupils slit vertically, and a staff entwined with two living snakes. A serpent’s tongue flicked out from her mouth. Her identity was instantly recognizable.
"It’s Yor, the Snake Witch!"
"A witch has infiltrated the castle!"
The people who had been kneeling scrambled back in a frenzy. In an instant, a wide circular clearing formed around the Witch and Ferda.
Yor Philias.
Ferda knew that name. Her infamy was legendary, even among witches. As a high-ranking witch, her demonic energy was thick—and as it intensified, it pressed down ruthlessly on the surroundings.
The Witch lifted the hem of her skirt and gave a playful bow.
"A pleasure to meet you, Regent of Valdrova."
Her voice wasn't raspy, but a shrill, high-pitched tone laced with dense malice.
"You’re the first person to pierce my forehead the moment we met. Shouldn't you treat the Archduchess's husband with a bit more grace?"
"Stop acting. If I had intended to kill you, I would have used a different method."
"Oh, how brave. It’s a hobby of mine to pluck out the hearts of brave humans like you..." She licked her blade-like fingernails. "Are you planning to indulge my hobby?"
No sooner had she spoken than Yor’s figure vanished. Or rather, something flying at a speed the eye couldn't follow slammed into her.
It was Ruri. She pinned Yor to the ground, crushing the Witch's neck under her foot.
"Your heart will be plucked out long before that, Witch," Ruri growled.
But the Witch was not flustered. Instead, she looked up as if Ruri were an adorable child.
"My, what a feisty little flat-chested brat. You should temper that personality and learn to be a little more... rounded. That’s the only way you’ll ever grow into an adult, don't you think?"
She then cast a pointed glance beneath Ruri's skirt and smiled contentedly.
"Quite cute."
"You crazy bitch—"
"Enough."
Just as Ruri’s fist was about to shatter the Witch's mouth, Ferda stepped in.
"I don't have time to play games with you, Yor Philias." Ferda flicked his finger. "Stop trying to dig for information with useless provocations. Just deliver the message from Big Sister and get lost."
Yor narrowed her eyes. Her exaggerated gestures vanished, replaced by genuine surprise.
"Well, I'll give you credit for knowing I was fishing, but how did you know about that?"
"Because things were far too quiet after Echidna’s death."
Witches and demons. Those entangled with them almost always suffered a miserable fate.
"It’s your job to hunt down and curse the human who killed a witch for all eternity."
"Hmm... You’re saying something silly. Don't you know Echidna was an excommunicated child?"
"If a witch wants an excuse, she'll find one."
"Hehe, that’s true."
In that instant, the form of Yor that Ruri had pinned down scattered into dozens of writhing snakes. The real Yor then walked out from the crowd as if she had been standing there all along.
"Our Regent knows far too much about witches for his own good." She straightened her expression, looking bored. "Anyway, here is Big Sister’s message."
One of the snakes on Yor’s staff writhed and spat out a long object. It was a sealed scroll. Yor cleared her throat and recited its contents.
"Ferda Valdrova, you have been invited by Lucy Philias—the Pillar of the Philias Root, the Mother of Witches, and Big Sister. I hereby declare that you are obligated to honor this invitation."
After playfully mimicking a royal envoy, she tilted the invitation toward Ferda.
"Once you open this, you will arrive at the Witch's Garden immediately." Then, as if remembering something, she gave a thin smile and added, "There are no traps."
Ferda looked down silently at the invitation.
"You must not accept it," Ruri said, grabbing his arm.
"Flat-chested brat, I’m sorry, but this is a conversation for adults. Why don't you step out?"
"Shut up, Witch." Ruri’s expression grew even fiercer. A level of rage and loathing far beyond what she had shown before radiated from her. "Know that the only reason your mouth hasn't been ripped open yet is because I am exercising restraint."
"Oh, how scary. But this big sister’s mouth is already ripped open. Want to see?"
The skin of her mouth split open with a sickening crack, revealing an interior large enough to swallow a human head whole.
"Eek!"
The people recoiled in horror at the grotesque display, and Yor cackled with satisfaction. Ferda, unaffected by the atmosphere, only stared at the invitation.
"Why should I go?" Ferda asked.
Yor replied with a twinkle in her eye. "Because Echidna died while tampering with a Rune you created."
A simple answer, and one he already knew.
"That is reason enough."
"Are you serious?" Ruri turned toward Ferda, stunned. Her heated bloodlust vanished, replaced by sheer shock. "The opponent is a witch. And their leader at that. They are beings who hate men and treat them as playthings. Do you really believe her?"
"Oh, how hurtful. Dear, even we have feelings, you know?" Yor made an exaggerated gesture before glancing at Ferda. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Actually, I’m curious too. What are you trusting to make you act like this?"
Ferda remained silent as he took the invitation. Yor shrugged.
"Well, whatever. Come alone. Not that anyone else could come anyway, but I’m telling you just so you don't waste your effort. Well then..." Her gaze shifted toward someone else. It was Jed. She beamed at him. "Handsome gigolo. How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been great. And you, Big Sister?"
"Hoho, calling me 'Big Sister' when we've only just met? It does feel good coming from such a handsome boy." Despite her smiling eyes, what radiated from her was pure bloodlust. "You know, don't you? There’s a whole bucketload of women who hold a grudge against you."
"Haha, I know, but I don't really care to pay them any mind."
"Of course, of course. Don't pay them any mind. That way, when you're off your guard, they can kill you in the most agonizing way possible. Please, keep living like that for the rest of your life."
She gave Jed a wink and flicked her finger.
"Adieu, then~."
Her figure sank into the ground and vanished completely.
In the silence the Witch left behind, people exchanged glances and sighed in relief. Everyone returned to their business, but two people remained rooted to the spot. Ferda stood there, quietly staring down at the invitation.
"You cannot go," Ruri stopped him again. "Do you even know where you are going?"
"The Witch's Garden, I assume."
The Witch's Garden. The place where witches are born and given the name Philias—a sanctuary for all witches. Since he had been summoned by Lucy Philias, that was undoubtedly his destination.
"Do you even know where that garden is located?"
Limbo. The space between dimensions. A place where the time spent passing through microscopic gaps is but an instant, making it imperceptible to ordinary humans. Lucy Philias, the First Witch, had built the witches' home in that very place.
"If you enter, Lord Ferda, you may never be able to return."
"That won't happen."
"What makes you so certain?"
"Because I was formally invited to her domain."
Ferda knew witches well. They had their own set of rules, and the Witch's Garden was a sacred sanctuary. They would not use that ground as a trap for petty hatred—even for a man they despised.
"And I must get Echidna back."
"That witch isn't that important." Ruri couldn't understand. To her, it looked like the man who claimed he would live for Valdrova was now risking his life for a single witch. "If you fall into a trap and die, Lord Ferda, the Archduchess will be left alone."
Ferda wavered slightly. He could see the image of her left all alone.
"Please, do not forget your position."
But as she continued, Ferda came to a realization.
My position.
'My position is...'
That he was still unworthy to stand by her side.
Ferda unfurled the invitation.
* * *
A sensation of being sucked in.
His body was being dismantled.
From a mass to chunks.
From chunks to molecules.
From molecules to atoms.
The sensation of even those atoms being split apart.
It was a sensation that would make it difficult for even mages, let alone ordinary humans, to maintain their sanity. It was the same for Ferda. His instincts were screaming incessantly that this was fatal, even for a 4th Circle mage.
However, despite the alarms, Ferda’s body was transmitted safely.
'Incredible.'
Limbo is a microscopic space between spaces. It does not exist and cannot be perceived; because it does not exist, it is an infinite space. To specify a location within it and transmit someone perfectly was something Ferda could never achieve.
It was proof of how long she had lived within Limbo, how well she understood it, and how she had mastered its use. It was also proof of why witches could never be eradicated from the Serdes Continent, no matter how much they were depicted as an evil.
Ferda opened his eyes.
A dizzying, undulating sky of many colors. Beneath it lay dark, damp grass and a narrow path. At the end of the path stood a wall of thorn bushes and black roses.
Ferda moved along the path. Before him, an alien wooden gate greeted him. It was an Eastern-style structure that existed only in ancient records.
— Ho?
A voice echoed throughout the garden. Ferda knew this voice. It belonged to Lucy Philias.
— It hasn't even been an hour—no, not even ten minutes since the invitation arrived, and you opened it immediately? What an impatient fellow. Or are you just that confident in your own skills?
She let out a chuckle.
Creeeeeak—
The gate leading into the garden opened.
— Either way, I’d like to see your face, child. Come in quickly.
An alien-style building that had been hidden by the gate came into view. It was called the Rose Pavilion.
— Oh my, he really came.
— The Dragon’s husband has entered the witches' domain.
Frivolous voices echoed throughout the Witch's Garden. Soon, a dignified voice guided Ferda once more.
— Come closer, child.
Ferda took a step forward. He advanced with the courtesy of an invited guest and the authority of the Red Dragon’s husband.
As he ascended the pavilion and entered, he was greeted by women sitting together in a gazebo. Their clothes varied, but they all wore black veils to hide their faces. This was the etiquette of the Witch's Garden.
Among them, only one person—the woman sitting in the highest seat in the center—was different. The only thing that could be guessed from her silhouette was that her physique was close to that of Ruri or Mori. Seeing her perched on a long wooden chair with a pipe in her mouth, she displayed the conduct of one of great age.
The Master of the Rose Pavilion.
The Mother of all Witches.
Big Sister.
She was Lucy Philias.
Though her face was hidden behind the black cloth, Ferda could feel her gaze scanning his entire body.
"You are quite delicate, contrary to your brave actions."
It was a weight of presence on a completely different level than Ruri’s.
"Welcome to this maiden's garden, child."
Ferda replied, "Thank you for the invitation, Big Sister."
"My, you don't use honorifics in front of our Big Sister?"
"He must be dying to be cursed."
"Should I give him one right now, brat?"
The witches' tone was sharp.
"Silence."
At Lucy’s brief command, the witches stifled even their breathing.
"This maiden apologizes on their behalf. My children have much resentment regarding men."
"I don't mind. Rather, I apologize if I was the one being rude. Should I use honorifics?"
"There is no need." Pure white tobacco smoke billowed from behind the veil. "It would be unsettling for this maiden to hear honorifics from a monster like you."
"A monster?"
"Did that bother you? Yes, to say such a thing to a child who is only nineteen years old must be quite disappointing." She let out a clicking laugh and exhaled more smoke. "However, these two eyes that watch you see more than you might think."
He could understand why the gaze he felt was so unsettling. Those eyes were literally seeing through him.
"It is the insight that comes from living a long time. Among other things, this maiden can see how many people you have killed." Lucy’s head tilted to the left. "In your eyes, truly many people have died."
"..."
Was she talking only about the time since his return? Even so, he had killed many, but the word 'monster' she used didn't seem to fit his current self.
'A monster...'
Yes, he had been a monster. He had hated people to fuel his own hatred. He had been hated by just as many, and he had killed even more. Even those who didn't need to be sacrificed—as long as they didn't pose a future threat, he left no one alive.
The Ferda of those days was indeed a monster.
'Can even time not undo that karma?'
Was it because those feelings didn't change even after turning back time? Was that why those voices still remained within Ferda’s body?
Amidst those rising questions, a question he wanted to ask suddenly came to mind.
"Do you also know who I killed?"
Specifically, whether she knew that among those countless victims was Lucy Philias herself.