Abduction (3): The Witch's Grasp
"You're awake."
I'd stepped out of the room thinking I might get some fresh air, only to find Lucia already waiting there, fully changed into fresh clothes.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I got some solid rest."
"I haven't done anything for you, yet hearing that makes me grateful instead."
She scanned me up and down before speaking.
"That outfit isn't quite suitable for showing to others. There should be clothes in the wardrobe that fit you perfectly—change into something and come down. I'll be waiting below."
With that, she turned and left, as if she'd said all there was to say. I closed the door behind her retreating figure.
"...How does it fit so perfectly?"
The clothes fit me like they'd been tailored for me from the start.
Before I knew it, a servant was waiting at the door to guide me down to the first floor.
The dining room we arrived at was laden with a feast of foods—meats, seafood, and poultry without discrimination. It felt downright extravagant.
"I didn't know your tastes, so I prepared a bit of everything. Hopefully at least one suits you."
Despite the banquet spread before me, I only took some nearby salad and a few pieces of bread. My hands didn't reach for the perfectly grilled meats or the meticulously prepared fish.
Lucia might be used to tables like this, but I certainly wasn't.
"As expected, those are to your liking."
At Lucia's gesture, the servants swiftly cleared away the multitude of dishes. Smiles lit up their faces as they worked. Once everything was removed, only the salad and a bit of bread remained. Lucia took some and began eating.
"Those other dishes are for the knights and servants. It's not every day, but we have mornings like this now and then."
"Aren't you going to eat any, Your Highness?"
"I'm the same as you. Anything more than this is unnecessary."
Lucia and I continued our meal with little conversation. I'm not one for chatting during meals anyway, and she seemed much the same.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
The door opened, and in walked the knight who'd been bloodied by Lucia's blow yesterday.
His wound's already healed?
The gash on his head had vanished without a trace.
"Someone wishes to see Your Highness."
"Sigh... Visiting at this hour is poor manners. Who from where, exactly?"
"Alessia Habron from the Habron Merchant Group. But there's one issue..."
The moment Alessia's name came up, there was a sharp crack, and the fork in Lucia's hand snapped in two. She glanced at me briefly before discreetly hiding it.
"An issue...? She's not the type to cause trouble just by showing up."
"She kept calling Your Highness a... bitch, so we've restrained her for now. Just give the word, and we'll hand her over to the guards."
"..."
"..."
After finishing our meal, Lucia and I went to see Alessia.
"Why do you keep grabbing me like this?!"
Alessia was thrashing wildly in the knights' grip. Her strength, several times that of an ordinary person, made it a struggle for them to restrain her without hurting her.
"Step aside."
At Lucia's command, the knights who had been holding Alessia down withdrew from the room. Once only the three of us remained, Alessia spoke freely.
"This bitch..."
"Not words I particularly want to hear from you."
"Ha! The pet dog's talking now?"
"Better than a wench who slinks in and out of prisons."
Lucia didn't deny the "pet dog" remark, and Alessia didn't rebut Lucia's jab.
What the hell happened between them...?
To me, ignorant of the previous playthrough's events, every word was like a bomb.
"Stop trying to keep me and Rion apart any longer."
"Apart? We were never close to begin with. How can you call it 'separating' us?"
"...You died, for real!"
As Alessia swung her arm, various accessories tumbled from her body. They hovered in the air on their own—items that looked eerily familiar.
All of those are artifacts?
Artifacts were ancient magical devices of unknown origin, like the Argos Bracelet. It seemed she'd leveraged her merchant status to collect them from around the world.
"You really never change."
Lucia didn't back down and began casting spells in rapid succession.
"[Iron Wall], [Flame Spear], [Eternal Rampart], [Domain Control], [Thunderstorm]."
She unleashed a barrage of advanced spells—the kind you'd only see if a player specialized in mage growth in the game. Close-range assaults enhanced by artifacts like the Argos Bracelet, along with ranged artifact attacks, were effortlessly blocked. Nothing got near Lucia.
Lucia used her defense-heavy spells to ward off attacks while probing for openings to counter Alessia.
That's not how you're supposed to use those.
Alessia's ranged artifacts had wildly varied effects. Combining them with magic didn't multiply their power additively but multiplicatively in some cases. It was a battle of synergies.
Diverse elemental attacks could pressure an opponent if used well, but for Alessia right now, they backfired. Her own strikes were canceling each other out.
"Hoh..."
In contrast, Lucia's magic was textbook perfect. Defensive spells countered close-range threats, spatial dominance handled ranged artifacts, and well-timed casts disrupted Alessia's rhythm.
"This is too unfair!"
"I'll gladly accept the compliment!"
The fight didn't last long. Alessia's artifact handling wasn't poor, but Lucia's magic proficiency and application were superior. Had Alessia's skill been higher, the outcome might have differed.
"Hoo... Morning exercise done right."
"Uwaaah! Lost again!"
Lucia showed only slight fatigue, unscathed, while Alessia was a total mess. And from her words, this seemed routine.
Alessia approached me with a pout.
"Rion."
"Yeah?"
"Take this first."
What she handed me was none other than the Argos Bracelet.
"And this one... this too! This is... Ow! Just take them all!"
Alessia dumped all her artifacts on me. There must have been dozens, judging by appearances alone. Lucia didn't interfere.
No need to ask why.
"...Thanks."
I meant it. Gathering these priceless artifacts for me couldn't have been easy.
"...Hardly worth thanking me for."
She murmured so softly only I could hear.
"I'm the one who's grateful."
Hummm.
As Alessia's words ended, a purple sphere enveloped us both.
"Otherworld Guide...!?"
"As expected of Rion! You know it!"
The Otherworld Guide was an artifact that teleported the user to a pre-set location. The distance was limitless—as long as it was designated beforehand, it could reach anywhere.
Thud! Thud!
I turned at the sound of pounding on the sphere.
"..!"
Beyond the purple barrier, Lucia was shouting. Her voice didn't carry, but her expression said it all.
"...That damn bi...!"
That was the last of Lucia's voice I heard.
"...Where's this?"
The space Alessia and I had arrived in was sealed on all sides, packed floor-to-ceiling with books. It was like a library.
"Ahahaha! Finally... alone with Rion...?"
Even Alessia, thrilled by the sight at first, grew flustered.
"Alessia?"
"This isn't the place I set!"
As I moved to calm her confusion, a plain voice rang out.
"Thanks for bringing Oppa."
"You...!"
While Alessia recoiled in shock, I stayed calm. The one who'd appeared was familiar to me.
A large witch's hat and blue hair. The petite girl held a book in one hand.
"Erin."
"Yeah. Do you remember the previous playthrough?"
"No, I don't know about this 'previous playthrough' you all keep mentioning."
One of the heroines, Erin could be summed up in one word: pure love. Her journey from knowing only magic to discovering love left a lingering impact. Seeing her in person, she seemed relatively stable. Too early to judge by looks alone, but better than Alessia—who'd tried to kidnap me on sight—or Lucia, who'd mobilized city guards to find me.
Yet Alessia, unlike her fury toward Lucia, was trembling in fear now. What had her so shaken?
"Rion! We have to run now! That bitch is dan...!"
"Interlopers, begone."
"Why always m...!"
With a brief cry, Alessia vanished. She wanted to be alone with me but kept failing—enough to stir pity. Was this Stockholm syndrome?
"Oppa."
"...Wait, oppa?"
In my memory, Erin was the player's age. Oppa out of nowhere?
"Yeah, you're Oppa."
Erin smiled sweetly at me after her cryptic words. Before I knew it, the tip of the staff in her hand pointed my way.
"Stay right there."
"Huh?"
In that instant, Erin cast magic on me.
"[Eternal Winter]."
The artifacts from Alessia showed no reaction. Maybe this space's influence? I had no choice but to take Erin's spell head-on.
"..!"
"Hehehe..."
Suddenly, I was trapped in ice—neither cold nor warm—unable to move.
"This time... I'll protect you? Forever?"
Erin gazed at my immobilized form with delight, her sticky stare upward through the ice as she pressed her hands against it far more intense than Alessia's.
So that's why Alessia called her dangerous.
Erin was mad. Perhaps beyond saving.