Chapter 166: The Witch and The Contract of Magic (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166: The Witch and The Contract of Magic (8)
「Once upon a time… or rather, on a day much closer to the present.
A greedy woman and a mysterious mage made a contract.
—O, mage. You said you would take my daughter. Please, do so. I will send you as many as you wish. I will offer my daughters time and again. All for the sake of the child I love most!
—O, contractor. I shall accept your cunning little scheme. As long as you offer a daughter (an innocent child), the child you love will be safe. I swear this upon my unknown name!
To prevent one tragedy, to protect one mother’s love, another tragedy and another sorrow were born.
No one raised any objection.
The greedy woman was praised by many.
No one suspected that she was offering sacrifices to a mage.
And even if some did suspect, they too kept their mouths shut.
‘It’s just’ one girl a year.
‘They’re just’ orphans with nowhere to go.
Who would be so foolish as to antagonize a wise and renowned woman for the sake of such children?
The ignorant praised the woman, and the wise held their tongues.
The only one to object was a passing witch.
It was not for the sake of justice, for the witch was not just.
It was not out of kindness, for the witch was not kind.
But there was, at least, one thing she possessed.
The witch had integrity.
The contract between the mage and the woman was theirs alone.
For an unrelated girl to be sacrificed was, in the witch’s eyes, unreasonable.
The witch stormed the tower ruled by the mage and thrust her wooden staff into its center.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, the staff grew and grew, its branches and leaves spreading throughout the tower.
The mage sent his soldiers to stop it, but by the witch’s side stood her faithful knight.
All the while, the tree grew relentlessly, and the mage’s tower began to shake.
In a hidden space within the crumbling tower, the girl who had been offered as a sacrifice lay sleeping.
Using her long hair as a rope, the girl tied it to a branch and carefully escaped the collapsing tower.
At last, the contract was broken.
And so, the mage—」
「Excerpt from a certain fairy tale passed down in the Donnengarten region」
*
Zzzzzing.
The Tin Knight’s eyes, like blue will-o’-the-wisps, pierced through the darkness.
Pinpointing Dorothea’s mana within a tower filled with a mysterious magical energy was as difficult as finding a single grain of black sand in a swirling sandstorm, but for the Tin Knight, it was a manageable task.
Besides, the black sand that had once been a mere shadow now looked as large as a pebble, making it much easier than before.
He could have simply cut down that mana then and there, but the Tin Knight waited.
He waited for the moment the black mana would become a little clearer.
For the moment the fluttering golden hair on the other side would become more distinct, a moment when he could swing his sword without harming the girl over there.
And then, in that long-awaited instant.
Slice!
Though he had clearly cut through empty air, the sound of something being sliced rang out distinctly.
Immediately after.
“Kyaaah!”
The space the Tin Knight had sliced fluttered like a severed tent flap, and from the gap, a golden-haired girl came tumbling out.
Had he possessed the sense to catch the girl in a neat princess carry, it might have led to a number of amusing developments, but instead of embracing the girl, the knight swung his sword over her head.
Clang!
The spears that shot out to grab the girl were all sliced away in unison, cleaving the soldiers who wielded them in two.
The girl, who had been scowling as if her bottom hurt from hitting the ground, soon looked around and her eyes widened.
“I-I’m out. Finally, finally! I’ve escaped that prison of a tower!”
The girl looked at the Tin Knight.
The Tin Knight’s appearance was not something others would find approachable, even with the most generous of words, but the girl, having seen him several times through the shimmering space and been helped by him, was not afraid.
The girl, Rapunzel, bowed her head deeply.
“Thank you! I will somehow repay this kindness—huh?”
Rapunzel’s words were cut short.
The Tin Knight had strode over to her and grabbed her.
Then, he tucked her under his arm like a baguette.
“Huh? Wha? Eh?”
Rapunzel, unable to process the sudden change in situation, was bewildered, but the physically silent Tin Knight offered no reply.
Instead, a bone mouse simply landed with a soft thump on her head.
The next moment, the Tin Knight lowered his stance.
Realizing what was about to happen, Rapunzel’s face turned pale.
She was a clever girl.
Instead of demanding what the Tin Knight thought he was doing, she first clenched her teeth.
It was to keep from biting her tongue.
Sure enough, the Tin Knight shot forward in the next instant.
“——!”
Rapunzel’s vision spun.
She had no way of knowing where the knight was going or how he was moving.
Kaang! Clang!
She could only tell from the sharp metallic sounds ringing in her ears that the knight was fighting something.
After what felt like over ten minutes, but was in reality less than ten seconds, had passed.
Rapunzel, finally regaining her senses, opened her closed eyes.
At some point, she had been brought outside the tower.
Nearby stood the scowling black witch and the dazed lady of the domain.
And watching them with dumbfounded expressions were the lord and his soldiers.
“M-My lady? Why are you in a place like this?”
“Uh, ughhh, my head, it feels like my head is going to split…!”
“My lord, the soldiers are waking up!”
“Uh, oh! The tower! Look at the tower!”
The situation was pure chaos.
The lord’s party, flustered at the sight of them bursting out of the tower.
The soldiers, waking from their nightmares. And the tower, casting a shadow as it emanated a sinister aura.
Then, a voice that could silence them all boomed from the tower.
《My, my, how cruel. It wasn't enough to barge into my home with your muddy feet, but to take my bride-to-be as well.》
Normally, a sound so large and grand would be difficult to comprehend, but the voice from the tower was different.
Though it was loud enough to be heard throughout the area, no, throughout most of the domain, its words were as clear as if whispered right beside them.
Dorothea narrowed her eyes.
“Bride-to-be? I thought it was some grand reason, but it was just that?”
《Just that, you say? Such harsh words. This is a matter of great importance in one’s life.》
Despite having been struck by the witch and the knight and having Rapunzel taken from him, there was no anger in the mage’s voice.
His attitude made one question if he was even serious about the whole bride business in the first place.
Of course, Dorothea wasn't the type to feel satisfied only after digging into her opponent’s motives or their long, sob stories.
She wasn't quite on the level of the Tin Knight, who would start swinging his sword while the opponent was still talking, but she was more than prepared to fight, whether she knew the details or not.
《Well, it can’t be helped. If you wish to save that girl so badly, then do as you please. I will interfere no longer.》
However, the mage himself seemed to have no intention of fighting Dorothea’s party any further.
Stopping his conversation with Dorothea as if casting it aside, the mage now addressed the lady of the domain.
《Contractor, you cunning and foolish woman. I once gave you three choices. But the first of them has now been broken.》
The lady’s face grew pale.
She looked as if she wanted to protest, but she couldn't easily open her mouth, perhaps conscious of the eyes around her.
As if seeing through her, the mage continued.
《You must choose one of the two remaining options.》
《The second of which… it would not be fair to reveal it now, so I shall remain silent.》
《Therefore, I shall ask you for the third and final choice.》
《However, you would do well to remember this. If you choose the third, and you fail to give the correct ‘answer’… I will, this time for real, collect the price I first proposed.》
《Now, I will give you ten minutes. Make your choice.》
The people murmured amongst themselves, not knowing who the ‘contractor’ the mage spoke of was.
“Choices?”
“What is all this about?”
“Isn’t he talking about that witch over there?”
Gracefully ignoring the strange looks directed at her, Dorothea complained.
“He sure talks a lot.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists on cutting him down immediately!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says these things are usually solved by cutting down the source!]
“How are you supposed to cut him down when you don’t even know where his real body is?”
Although she had shaken the barrier earlier to get Rapunzel out, that was only possible because Rapunzel had given her a hint with her hair.
Finding an opponent who was hiding somewhere—be it in reality or another dimension—was a completely different problem.
No matter how strong the Tin Knight was, it was impossible to fight an opponent who wouldn't even step onto the battlefield.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ suggests that if he smashes the tower, the mage might pop out!]
“There are still people inside that tower, you know?”
The witch wouldn't hesitate to kill if necessary, but that was only when the opponent came at her with killing intent or malice.
She had no intention of slaughtering a bunch of girls she had no beef with just because they were in the way (though she didn't mind giving them nightmares; she was a witch, after all).
Therefore, Dorothea’s conclusion was simple.
“We got the kid out, didn’t we? Our business here is done, let’s go. What’s the point of beating that guy anyway?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ is shocked!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that bosses aren't defeated for a reason; they're bosses because they must be defeated!]
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
The Tin Knight’s boss-slaying philosophy was not persuasive.
Dorothea was slowly being influenced by the Tin Knight, but her brain hadn’t been ‘tinnified’ to that extent yet.
It was the moment she turned to leave.
“…Please help me.”
The lady of the domain, who had been bowing her head all this time, spoke to Dorothea.
The witch’s blue eyes turned to the lady at her feet.
“Please, I beg you. Help me.”
“Why should I?”
Dorothea’s reply was clear.
The coldness in her voice left the lady momentarily speechless.
“I don’t know what kind of contract you made with that thing, and frankly, I don’t care. But if you make a contract with a mage, you should pay the price properly.”
If the lady had retorted, ‘Isn’t this all your fault for snatching away the sacrifice?’, it would have created a darkly humorous situation, but the foolish yet cunning woman was not so lacking in judgment.
Instead, she bowed her head earnestly.
“I will reward you. I will apologize to the children I used. But my child, I cannot lose my daughter.”
“Then choose the other option. Looks like you have two choices.”
“If I choose the second, disaster will befall this domain.”
“You made one messy contract.”
Dorothea clicked her tongue.
She had been talking about ignoring it all and running away, but in truth, if she just abandoned everything and left at this point, it would lead to all sorts of rumors.
Dorothea herself didn't much care what her reputation was in a backwater place like this, which wasn't even heavily populated, but even so, using Adelaide as a figurehead and then ending things like this felt a bit awkward.
If the lady had remained clueless, a bit more ‘acting’ would have been necessary, but since it seemed she could be reasoned with, things would likely be easier.
Feigning reluctance, she asked the lady.
“Tell me about the contract. I don’t have time for a long story, so just the key points.”
The lady hesitated for a moment, but upon seeing ghosts rise from the ground and attack the people approaching them, she began her explanation.
The mage had offered three choices.
One was to offer her ‘daughter’ as a sacrifice each year on her seventeenth birthday.
One was to accept disaster befalling the domain.
And one was—
“—He told me to guess his name. If I succeeded, he said there would be no further price, but if I failed, he would truly take my daughter.”
“I’ve researched various documents and checked the legends passed down in this land. But I couldn’t find anything plausible.”
It was an incredibly sweet, and therefore malicious, choice.
If only she could guess the name, she could escape these days of walking on a tightrope.
But if she made even one mistake, she would lose what was most precious to her.
A trap, like an oasis in a mirage, that one yearns to reach but can never touch.
Knowing this, the woman had resigned herself and focused only on offering the sacrifices.
Like a foolish and greedy queen, caught in an evil mage’s scheme.
“What, so that’s all it was?”
And magical contracts, as a rule, are easily broken by outside intervention.
Even more so if the other party was another mage, where the impossible could become possible.
Much like changing a curse of death into a curse of sleep, the witch intervened in the contract between the two.
“Sophia, give me your mana.”