The Witch of Kalak
"Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm~~♥"
The next day, Margrave Akina's support unit set out once more. Patisha had never cared for outdoor work, yet the fulfillment of a long-cherished wish had her humming without a second thought. The deliciously wicked thrill of dressing a cute little boy in pretty frocks was simply irresistible.
And I even found a kindred spirit.
Not some ordinary golem, but an artificial intelligence with genuine thoughts and feelings of her own—Arty. The sight of Kaisent in girls' clothes had opened an entirely new world for her, and she had become Patisha's eager accomplice, offering invaluable help in choosing the dresses.
"Ah~ The weather's bright. Looks like it's going to be a wonderful day. Don't you think so, Kaisent?"
"…Y-yes……."
Patisha spoke to the boy nestled snugly in her arms as they shared a single horse. He answered weakly, as though the endless parade of dresses—treating him like a living dress-up doll—had cracked his masculine dignity, and Arty's betrayal had left him thoroughly shaken.
Aaah~ He's so adorable~ He doesn't even seem to wear cosmetics, so why does he smell this good?
She had watched him carefully, half-expecting some special soap or fragrance, but found nothing of the sort. For a boy to possess such flawless skin and a naturally sweet scent… it only made her want to bring out every last bit of his potential as material.
Once we're back at the castle, I'm emptying my entire collection on him.
Dressing him herself had revealed that Kaisent was a canvas of endless possibility.
First, a pure white dress. Head to toe in pure white beauty…
She was humming again, lost in fantasies of what to put on him next, when—
"Huh?"
Still cradled against Patisha's chest, Kaisent suddenly tensed and began scanning their surroundings.
"Halt!"
"Stop!"
At the same moment, Lillian and Priscilla called out from the rear. A beat later Merencia sensed it too; she raised her right arm and clenched her fist at head height. The knights instantly formed a protective formation around Merencia and Patisha.
"Numbers?"
"Between ten and twenty."
Patisha, who had been humming only moments before, grew serious at once. She moved to Merencia's side and cast a protective spell as naturally as breathing.
"Who goes there! If you are not enemies, show yourselves at once!"
Only yesterday Merencia had been timid to a fault; now she raised her spear and shouted with a confidence that could have belonged to Akina herself.
At the rear, Lillian's group was also on guard—though not with the same rigid vigilance as the knights.
"There's fighting spirit, but no killing intent."
"They've surrounded us and still haven't attacked—only shown their presence. They don't mean to strike."
Having been thoroughly tempered under Akina on the path to true Master rank, the two of them could tell the encircling force meant no malice. They prepared only for the worst. Lilith seemed to share their assessment; her bow was ready, yet her body remained loose.
Just as they expected, the surrounding figures revealed themselves with their weapons already sheathed.
"As expected of Margrave Akina's knights. Not a flicker of panic in your response."
A man who looked every inch a knight smiled as he spoke.
"Are you of the Guardian Order?"
"We are."
"Show me your mark."
Akina's knights had been briefed on the Outer God Alliance and the Guardian Order, yet they held their formation, weapons ready to swing at a moment's notice. Until she saw the token her mother had described, Merencia would not trust them. She kept her spear poised and demanded proof.
The knight rolled back his left sleeve and channeled mana. A circle containing strange characters flared to life in blue light.
"Alert level two."
Confirming that the characters and color matched what she remembered, Merencia ordered the knights to lower their weapons—but not to drop their guard. They were to remain ready to strike the instant suspicion arose.
"Your caution is excessive."
"The Outer God Alliance could know that mark and forge it."
"This is no mere glow. It is a token granted by the gods themselves."
"And the Outer God Alliance might still be able to copy it. They serve gods of their own, after all."
Merencia's near-paranoid vigilance might have invited offense, yet the atmosphere among the surrounding force remained untroubled.
"Margrave Akina has sent us proper people."
Another man stepped out from behind the first group.
"You are—"
"We met yesterday."
Akina had introduced this man to Merencia and Patisha when she requested their support. Circumstances had kept his name secret, but he was unmistakably the same man from the day before.
Patisha.
It's fine. I don't sense any magical energy.
"Stand down."
Only after receiving Patisha's confirmation did Merencia give the order to fully lower their guard.
"When I asked for a cautious commander, I briefly doubted the choice of Lady Merencia. But now I see why Margrave Akina is famous for more than mere strength."
The man looked thoroughly satisfied by the paranoid checks and the eventual stand-down.
"So the mission we've been given isn't a simple rear-guard blockade?"
Patisha, who had been listening quietly at Merencia's side, cut in.
"It is a rear-guard blockade. But the Outer God Alliance will use every means at their disposal to escape, so we must prepare for every contingency."
Having explained why Merencia's excessive caution had actually pleased him, the man turned his gaze to Kaisent, who was still sharing Patisha's saddle as though nestled in her embrace.
"And that child…?"
"The one Mother is investing the most effort in."
"Ah—so that is the boy called Jin Resili Caisent? Truly a little pure-white thing."
"Huh? You know me?"
Kaisent startled at the way the man spoke of him and answered in surprise.
"Anyone who takes any interest in Margrave Akina knows your name, child. They say you possess talent worthy of her personal attention."
Though I never imagined you would be this young.
The strange sensation of learning he was already known among people left Kaisent fidgeting, unsure how to respond. Patisha, who had witnessed his talent firsthand, wanted to say it was far greater than that—but saw no reason to explain, and kept silent.
"Could we at least hear the rough outline of the plan?"
"Of course. The rest we can discuss on the way."
The man explained that they would first deploy a magic circle around the cave where Blood Zen was hiding, sealing off any escape by teleportation or similar magic, and only then begin the assault. Merencia and Patisha were to lead the knights in sealing the retreat routes and allow no one without their mark to pass.
Akina's knights privately resented having forces of their caliber wasted on mere rear-guard duty—
"Do not take a rear-guard lightly. Everyone here is a skilled fighter in their own right. That means the masters strong enough to break through them and escape will come straight at you."
The man's rising aura snapped them all into tension. The presence he radiated was that of a Master—at minimum fourth or fifth class. They would have to deal with powerhouses capable of punching through someone of that level.
I haven't had a proper real fight in a while. Perfect.
So there are powerhouses of that caliber. This should be interesting.
Tension soon gave way to competitive fire. Constant training under Akina was fine, but the natural hunger to test that hard-won strength had been growing. These knights were skilled enough that any other noble house would have made them knight-commanders or at least vanguard captains—which only sharpened the desire.
"Here."
The man pointed to an ordinary mountain, neither especially large nor small.
"Our mages are waiting only for the signal to activate the magic circle. The moment it activates is the moment of attack. Any other questions?"
A few minor questions passed back and forth—then a female mage in a provocatively cut robe appeared in a flash of teleportation. Akina's knights flinched, but the Guardian Order personnel showed no surprise, making it clear she was an ally.
"So these are Akina's daughters… Oh my? Oh my, oh my, oh my?"
"Lady Charlize?"
"Kyaa~♥ Who is this~? It's baby Kaisent!"
Charlize had come in person to confirm Akina's daughters—and the instant she spotted Kaisent she squealed with pure delight.
"Aah!?"
She yanked him out of Patisha's arms with magic. Naturally unwilling to surrender her prize, Patisha resisted—but her power was nowhere near enough to overcome a mage who had reached the same realm as her mother.
"It's been so long~♥ Have you been well~?"
"Y-yes. Have you been well too, big sister?"
"Kyaaaaa~♥ How can you be this adorable~"
Charlize hugged him tight, pulling him deep into the soft press of her chest.
"I've heard the news. You've been training under Akina, haven't you?"
"Yes. Lady Akina has been teaching me all sorts of techniques."
"That tomboy of a girl has even learned to scheme~ If I hadn't been so busy with the Outer God Alliance, I would have put you to use myself~"
The knights, realizing exactly whom "that tomboy of a girl" referred to, half-drew their weapons.
"How dare you speak of Margrave Akina—!"
"Would you mind shutting up?"
"Urgh!"
"Hiiihiihing!"
Charlize turned a sharp glare on Akina's knights and unleashed her aura. They dropped to one knee and could not rise. Even the horses sank down, screaming in terror, and chaos erupted in an instant.
"Lady Charlize."
"Don't worry. I only want a little chat with my baby……."
As the man tried to restrain her, two swordswomen burst forward and leveled their blades at Charlize. Lillian and Priscilla had charged in to reclaim Kaisent.
"They are my subordinates, Lady Charlize Livelim."
"Hmm~"
Charlize welcomed the familiar faces who had broken free of her pressure—yet the moment she saw Arty, a machine that looked like a golem and yet something of a higher order, poised to spring at any second, she carefully prepared a defensive spell.
"Fufufu. Familiar faces."
"Yes. It has been quite some time."
"I have things to discuss with you as well, but for now I'd like to enjoy my reunion with this child. I'd prefer you didn't interfere."
"I already told you. Kaisent is my subordinate. I will not stand by while my subordinate is handled so freely."
Recognizing each other, the two women raised their auras over the question of who owned Kaisent.
"Um… p-please don't fight……."
As the fighting spirit between them thickened, Kaisent could bear it no longer. He mediated in a tearful, pleading voice. A small, beautiful boy on the verge of tears, begging them to stop, was the ultimate weapon.
"Mm~ All right~"
"We're not fighting. This is just how one greets Lady Charlize."
"My~ You understand perfectly~"
"I've felt it in my bones since long ago."
Thanks to Kaisent's mediation, the tension dissolved at once and Charlize reined in her aura. Only then could the knights stand again, looking thoroughly shaken.
"Charlize Livelim?"
"The Witch of Kalak……."
"Wasn't she killed by the Saryeong Kingdom?"
"I don't like being called a witch~ If I hear that again, I'll have to punish someone~?"
"Ugh……."
The knight who had called her the Witch of Kalak shut his mouth at once. Charlize was smiling—but a savage aura seethed beneath it.
"How does that mercenary know Lady Charlize?"
"She's reached Master rank, too. No ordinary mercenary."
The knights grew curious about the true identity of Lillian—once of the Wolf Mercenaries—who seemed so familiar with Charlize. But the real center of attention was still Kaisent.
"That little half-breed sure is popular."
"No kidding. Margrave Akina, her daughters, and now even Lady Charlize—all of them fussing over him and fighting to take him away."
Women of that caliber were all desperate to claim him and dote on him. What made it more terrifying was that Kaisent never actively flaunted his charm—and the situation still unfolded like this. If he ever deliberately used his appeal and threw himself at them…?
Kingdoms toppled by beautiful women were well known. It was easy to wonder whether a beautiful boy might one day cause something similar.
"Everyone is here. We will begin the operation after two minutes of final preparation. Follow the assault team and you will naturally learn the cave's location."
Confirming that Charlize's arrival had completed the full roster, the man began the final checks. The Guardian Order members started downing the potions they had brought—elixirs that temporarily boosted strength and agility and even granted regenerative power. Akina's knights, out of knightly pride, refused them, though they at least carried healing potions for wounds.
Fwoosh— Bang!
Exactly two minutes later the man fired a signal flare and began racing up the mountain. This was no ordinary mission to eliminate Outer God Alliance members. Blood Zen had to die. Retreat was not an option. Steeling their resolve, they all charged toward the cave where the Outer God Alliance lay hidden.