Chapter 20. The Witch's Daughter. Ludvine Martinez. The Witch's Daughter.
The witch's daughter. Ludvine Martinez. The witch's daughter. To be precise, she was the daughter of a woman who used to be a witch. Ludvine's mother, Martinez, was no longer a witch these days.
Kang Ji-hyuk had only heard rumors about it long ago, so he didn't remember every detail, but he clearly recalled that Martinez had betrayed the witches and sided with the humans. The reason? The witches had gobbled up her husband—Ludvine's father—whole.
Furious, Martinez had gone straight to the Empire and spilled every last location of the witches' hideouts. Thanks to her, the Empire had wiped out a good number of them, and in return, the imperial family had pardoned her crimes and even granted her a mansion. Of course, the "witch" label didn't come off so easily. Naturally, her daughter had been relentlessly tormented for having a witch for a mother.
That was why even Yael had blurted out "witch's daughter" on the spot. It was probably the reason Yael had never mentioned her name to the captain until now. Ji-hyuk valued not just skill but personality too, so recommending the witch's daughter must have been tough for her.
Of course, Ji-hyuk understood completely. Humans' distrust and hatred of witches was only natural. The witches had brought it on themselves. Just look at what they'd done in Helladium back then—sacrificing hundreds to summon a demon.
If Ji-hyuk had never heard of Ludvine, he might have hesitated too. His own view of witches wasn't great. But this hero knew quite a bit about the witch's daughter. Including what she'd accomplished on other hero teams.
"I've heard her skills are excellent. But... well, her background is..." Yael trailed off, looking awkward even after saying it.
Ji-hyuk brushed it off casually. "Any other recommendations?"
"I'll look more carefully and get back to you."
"Good."
They'd pretty much exhausted the options anyway. Still, better to double-check just in case. Ji-hyuk straightened up and stood.
Yael quickly got off the floor and opened the door wide for him. The captain nodded in thanks.
"When will you come to the mansion?"
"As soon as I finish my paper. Probably three days."
"Alright, see you then."
"Yes, Captain... Take care."
Yael bit her lip, staring at the hero's back with eyes dripping reluctance. ...So disappointing, but nothing for it but to wait for next time.
The moment Ji-hyuk stepped out of the theory department building, he headed straight for the alchemy department. It was tucked away in the secluded northwest corner of the magic academy—perfectly matching its status there.
The alchemy department proudly vied for the spot of least popular major in the academy. Naturally, no heroes sought out alchemists. But when a hero—and not just any hero, but Kang Ji-hyuk, whose name was buzzing wildly in the capital—showed up, the staff room erupted.
Of course, no one thought he'd come for recruitment. They assumed he was consulting a professor on some alchemy matter. But when he specified he wasn't there for a professor, but for academy student Ludvine Martinez, the staff room exploded again. Everyone whispered it had to be witch-related.
Ludvine got the call during class and stood from her seat. As a model student, she wanted to finish the lecture, but she couldn't ignore the department head.
With her tousled red hair and faint freckles dotting her face, she wasn't strikingly beautiful. Still, she gave off a cute impression. Back in her first year, she'd occasionally gotten love letters from male students. That had stopped dead once word spread about her being the witch's daughter.
...What's this about? It was her first time being summoned mid-class, so she felt uneasy. She soon stood before the department head's office. After checking her clothes and taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly.
"It's Ludvine. You called for me."
- Come in.
Ludvine entered. The kindly smiling department head greeted her. He was the only one here who treated her without prejudice.
"Hello, Department Head. I heard you called for me..."
"Good, you came quickly."
She glanced at the man sitting across from him. Young and handsome. No idea who he was.
"Greet him properly. It's Hero Excellency."
-_-)!!
Ludvine jolted in shock and bowed deeply. "I'm Ludvine Martinez."
"Ah, so you're Ludvine. Nice to meet you. Hero Kang Ji-hyuk."
"An honor to meet you, Excellency."
Ji-hyuk stood. He wanted to talk to her privately somewhere quiet.
"Department Head, anywhere we can speak privately?"
"I'll show you."
The department head personally led them out of his office to a secluded room at the end of the hall. No windows.
"This'll do perfectly. Thanks."
"Not at all. Please talk comfortably..." The head bowed politely and left.
Now only the hero and Ludvine remained. Her heart pounded. Why does a hero want to see me? Bad thoughts flooded in first. Heroes had always hunted witches. Maybe it was about her mother.
"Sit."
"Thank you."
She sat carefully where he indicated. For some reason, his face scared her. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet fear gripped her.
"No need to worry. It's not what you're thinking."
"...Ah, yes."
The hero smiled. "How's academy life?"
"Life? ...Ah, it's good. I'm enjoying it."
"Any bullying? Nothing like that?"
Ludvine's heart sank. Is he some imperial investigator? She had to watch every word, or the backlash could be catastrophic.
"Oh, no bullying at all. Everyone's kind and nice to me. I'm fine."
"...Really?"
His eyes held doubt, but he didn't press. Silence fell. Her mouth went dry.
"Do you know why I'm here?"
Ludvine shook her head, peeking at him. No clue.
The hero grinned broadly. "I want to recruit you."
"...Pardon?"
The redheaded girl doubted her ears. She must have misheard.
"I want to recruit you. For my team."
...Ah....
Ludvine was stunned. Her heart thundered, vision swimming. Heat rushed to her face. A hero's recruitment offer—! It was glory for her family. To commoners, joining a hero meant massive advancement. No exception for her.
But she couldn't fathom this sudden offer. ...Why me? There are way more talented mages... Sure, she always topped alchemy and her magic was decent, but not hero-recruitment level. If it were, alchemists would already be on hero teams.
...There was always a reason none were.
"Why? You don't want to?"
"No, it's not that I don't want to... I just don't understand. Why me...?"
"I've had my eye on you."
"...Pardon?"
"You caught my interest. Talented too. The department head vouched you'd do well."
Ah.
Ludvine clenched her fists on her lap. ...Honestly, it touched me. First real recognition in my life.
As Ji-hyuk watched her, he recalled a past loop. ...The conversation when he'd sought her out on another hero team. This innocent girl had been fierce back then, not backing down from mercenaries. Vulgar too. The impression stuck; he remembered it all.
- Suppose...
- Yes.
- If we went back in time and I wanted to recruit you, what would it take?
- ...Back in time? When?
- Say, before you joined a guild. Anytime.
Hiccuping from beer, giggling Ludvine twirled her finger.
- Just... one compliment.
- ...A compliment?
- Yeah... "You're good. You're sweet. You're great." Anything nice, and I'd have fallen for it.
...I was super naive back then.
Her teammates laughed, yelling nonsense. Hey, you bastards, it's true—! Ludvine flipped out at them.
- Now?
- Fuck no, not now, shit... Oops, sorry, heh.
If I'd known it'd be this rough, I'd have holed up in the countryside sucking orc dick. Burp.
- But hey, I hear your hero's cock is huge...
Show me? I'm amazing at sucking. Watch: slurp slurp. I'll do it real good. Yeah? Handsome oppa.
...That same girl was now this demure maiden. The gap was bigger than he'd imagined.
...Well, guilds and mercenary bands break personalities easily if you fall in with the wrong crowd. But her skill got her onto a hero team eventually. Being the witch's daughter practically guaranteed magic talent. Academy students learned basics and combat spells anyway; with experience like Yael's, she'd catch on quick. And if Yael trained her intensively before leaving, she could pull her weight.
...Assuming she accepted, of course.
Compliments were the key, so he laid them on thick.
"They say you're sweet and smart. I know your situation. Still, I'm proud of how you've endured and stayed on the right path."
...Ah.
"You think I'd joke about recruiting you? I talked it over with the department head. I looked into everything carefully before deciding. So no doubts there."
Suddenly, tears like chick peas streamed down Ludvine's face.
"S-sniff, s-sorry. Th-this is, uh, sn-sniiiif."
Years of hardship catching up. Hers was a life worth crying over. He knew how she'd lived.
"No rush to decide. Think it over. ...But know this chance doesn't come often."
"Yes."
"Give me an answer within three days. If you accept, come to my mansion. Got it?"
"Yes, understood."
"Alright, we're done."
They stood. The hero offered his hand. The redheaded freckled girl grasped it reverently. He shook it gently.
He left down the hall. Ludvine bowed until he was gone.
What just happened...?
She was dazed. But soon her lips split into a massive grin.
"F-fu—! Yes! Fucking awesome. Shit, I made it. You motherfuuu—!! Am I really advancing in life? Woo, fuck, for real, woo!"
She couldn't contain her joy, pounding the wall with her palm.
This mooootherfucker—.
Swears poured out. A hero's recruitment—!!
"I'M RISING IN THE WOOORLD—!!"
She wanted to brag to everyone. ...Especially my dear mother.