Chapter 295: The Witch and The Ash-Covered Bride (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 295: The Witch and The Ash-Covered Bride (5)
Logically speaking, it wasn’t an entirely impossible occurrence.
After all, the very reason Dorothea’s party had come to the Lumière territory was that they had been following the compass, detecting the reaction of a sacred treasure.
They hadn’t been wandering the vast continent aimlessly but had followed the tails of the animals that guided them in a straight line toward their target. It was only natural that their chances of encountering a sacred treasure would increase dramatically.
However.
‘Of all the times, why now? And why does she happen to have a sacred treasure?’
The owner of the treasure was right before her eyes, and what’s more, she was in a situation where she was begging for help, willing to pay any price.
The timing was too perfect, the situation unfolding far too conveniently. Dorothea felt a tremendous sense of unease.
One might say she should just enjoy her good fortune instead of being so cynical, but her past experiences in collecting the sacred treasures had been far too spectacular for her to enjoy this purely.
She had committed fraud at an auction while annihilating a bandit group, raided an ancient dungeon where a vampire was sealed, fought fiercely in a grand tournament, battled against the greatest alchemist of the era, and cooperated in a massive conspiracy that shook the entire Empire.
The eight sacred treasures were items she had collected one by one through such ordeals. For a chance to obtain one so easily to just fall into her lap? Her suspicion grew and grew.
Still, just because it felt fishy didn't mean she could ignore a target that had appeared right in front of her and go searching for another. That would be ridiculous.
“…What exactly do you want?”
At Dorothea’s question, delivered with a reluctant expression, color returned to the ash-covered girl’s face.
“Y-You’ll grant my wish!?”
“Not just anything. I’ll only pay the value of this one ring.”
As Dorothea drew a firm line, the girl fell into thought.
If she had her way, she would ask the witch to punish her stepmother, stepsisters, and worthless father as much as she wanted, but while that would be satisfying in the short term, there would be nothing after.
To put it bluntly, her life wouldn't improve just because they were taught a lesson.
Unlike true avengers who would throw away their own lives for the sake of revenge, the girl wanted to secure her own happiness.
That was why she had painstakingly saved up what little money she could, even as she grumbled and lamented every day.
After hesitating for a moment, her lips parting and closing a few times, the girl finally spoke with a look of resolve.
“The ball… I want to attend the ball to decide the prince’s bride, looking absolutely perfect!”
“A prince? Ah, right. I heard this place used to be a kingdom.”
But it’s a count’s territory now. Is it right for the people of the domain to call the count’s heir a prince?
Dorothea felt a flicker of doubt but quickly shrugged, thinking, Whatever.
“Why, trying to become the prince’s bride? But aren’t noble marriages decided by things like family and politics? Won’t you just be wasting your time if you go?”
The girl answered Dorothea’s question with clarity.
“If he were the type to care about such things, he wouldn’t be holding a ball to pick a bride in the first place. I’m sure looks are his number one priority. Anyway, make me beautiful, glamorous, special, and elegant! I don’t care about my inner self, just make it so I can overwhelm everyone with my appearance!”
“R-Right…”
She really is a bit strange, Dorothea muttered to herself.
“Let me just confirm this. Your wish is ‘to attend the ball looking as beautiful and special as possible, and to capture the prince’s heart,’ right?”
“Yes. Is that not possible?”
“I can provide the necessary support. But whether it succeeds or not is ultimately up to you and that prince. I can’t take responsibility if the prince says he doesn’t like you.”
“That’s fine.”
“And even if you do manage to capture the heart of the count’s son—or prince—if he’s really the type to only care about looks and rush into marriage without considering anything else, as you say, I doubt your married life will be very happy.”
“Isn’t it a much better future than being worked like a servant for the rest of my life and dying an old maid, or running away from home only to be kidnapped by some bandits?”
“……”
Dorothea gazed quietly into the girl’s eyes.
The girl wasn’t being blindly optimistic, thinking things would just work out somehow.
As proof, her eyes were filled with undeniable anxiety and impatience.
But just as strong, no, even stronger, was a greedy ambition that dwelled within them.
It was as if she was saying that if she had to take a gamble, she wouldn’t be satisfied with a prize at waist-level; she would climb on a chair, stretch her feet as far as they could go, and reach for the absolute limit.
“Dorothea Aschengard. That’s the name of the witch you’ve made a contract with.”
“I am Zoluschka, daughter of Vasilisa. But that’s what my mother called me in her hometown style. Here, I’m more often called Ella or Cinderella.”
And so, the contract was formed.
*
“—For that reason, we’ll be staying in this city for a few days until that ball or whatever it is. Anyone have a problem with that?”
At Dorothea’s words, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Knight stared blankly at her.
One of Dorothea’s eyebrows twitched.
“Say something.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ replies that everyone is silent because they have no complaints!]
At the Tin Knight’s words, Adelaide nodded.
“Yes, I think it’s a good choice. Unlike before, we can obtain a sacred treasure through peaceful means, right?”
“Besides, the territory itself is quite prosperous with plenty to see. If we think of it as a break, it’s a gain for us as well.”
“Hmph.”
Though the responses were generally positive, Dorothea herself looked quite uncomfortable.
The Tin Knight could somehow guess what she was feeling.
It made sense, as Dorothea’s actions were, in fact, highly inefficient and wasteful.
To grant the girl’s wish in exchange for the kingdom’s sacred treasure?
At first glance, it seemed like a fair contract, but thinking about it coolly, there was a much simpler and easier way.
She could have just taken the ring from the girl, and that would have been the end of it.
Her opponent was an ordinary girl who couldn't use swordsmanship or magic. Compared to Rapunzel—now called Trot and working at the Tower of Protection—who could at least channel mana into her fists, this girl was utterly powerless.
She didn’t have any troublesome connections that would cause a headache if provoked, and if Dorothea and her party had tried to take the ring, the girl would have had no way to resist.
Knowing this, Dorothea had chosen to make a proper contract with the girl to obtain the ring.
And it seemed she was feeling a sort of self-loathing over that fact.
As if she were thinking, Isn’t it hypocritical to act all clean and fair with a single girl, after I’ve never hesitated to use force to get my hands on the sacred treasures until now?
But the Tin Knight didn’t think her actions were wrong.
Because the Dorothea he knew was just that kind of person.
She was the type to let her familiar, who should have been restrained by a meticulous and detailed contract, roam free under a casual and loose agreement.
She might not be very witch-like, but she was extremely human.
How could he not be fond of her?
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that this is an interesting event in its own right!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ shows his motivation, declaring he will create the perfect bride!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ suggests they start by teaching her self-defense, enough to beat down an assassin with her bare hands like any proper young lady these days!]
“What kind of young lady is like that, you idiot?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ retorts that there’s one right next to them!]
“From where I’m standing, she’s already a lost cause as a young lady.”
“H-Huh, me!?”
As the Lion cried out from the sudden stray shot, the Scarecrow spoke up.
“By the way, shouldn’t we find a place to sleep for the night first? The sun seems to be setting.”
“Ah.”
The witch let out a dazed sound, remembering that they had been looking for lodging in the first place.
The Tin Knight suggested they just ask to stay at the girl’s house for a bit, but the witch, who didn’t want to show them that pathetic sight, flatly refused.
In the end, the party was only able to find a place to sleep after leaving the city center, where every decent parking space was packed with carriages, and retreating to the outer districts.
*
And so, the next day.
“Hey! How did you do the laundry for my clothes to end up like this!? I was told this was a new design trending in the capital! The red dress has faded to pink!”
“That one… the dye was bleeding out just from touching water. Don’t you think it was a defective product to begin with?”
“Are you saying I was stupid enough to get scammed!?”
“…No. I’ll be more careful.”
“Hmph!”
“Cinderella! I want you to embroider this handkerchief by the end of the day. With beautiful blue roses.”
“For that, you’ll have to give me money to buy blue thread.”
“This should be enough, right?”
“It’s not enough.”
“How would you know without even going to the shop? Are you just making things up to squeeze more money out of me?”
“…If you insist, I could prepare it by dyeing the thread myself. But that would take several days.”
“Hmph. Forget it. Trying to pull tricks just to make money. I swear, how did a child turn out so greedy and selfish?”
“Cinderella, the air in the house has been stuffy lately. Are you even cleaning properly?”
“Yes. I’m trying my best every day.”
“What good is just trying? You have to do it well. You live and eat thanks to the money my husband earns and my dowry. You should work properly with the resolve to repay that kindness. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Ahem. W-We should get going. We’ll be late.”
After the family had all left.
Cinderella ground her teeth and carefully moved to the backyard.
A mouse made of bone, sitting on the wall, urged her on as if to say, Follow me.
And so, the girl was reunited with Dorothea.
The witch she met on the outskirts of the city was leaning against a very large and glamorous carriage. The sight was so mystical that the girl couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration.
Whether she knew of the girl’s admiration or not, the witch simply said, “Get in,” and led her into the carriage.
“Wow.”
It wasn’t glittering with gold and jewels, but the interior of the carriage had a luxurious feel that was obvious at a glance, and Cinderella’s eyes sparkled.
The witch, with her arms crossed and legs elegantly askew in a posture somewhere between confident and alluring, asked Cinderella a question.
“We have to prepare for the ball in the next few days. Do you have any requests? We’ll prepare things on our end, of course, but it’s easier to know where to focus if we hear from you.”
At the witch’s question, Cinderella answered.
“A carriage. I think it would be great to have a magnificent and glamorous carriage, just like this one.”
“Alright, I’ll prepare one. What else?”
“I’ll also need horses to pull the carriage and a coachman.”
“That’s a given. What’s next?”
“Um… Ah, a beautiful dress! And I’ll need shoes, too! I’d like something pretty but also unique, so people can tell at a glance that I’m different.”
“Hmph. I think I get the gist. We’ll sort out the other details as we go. Let’s start by preparing those things.”
At the witch’s words, Cinderella swallowed hard.
A carriage, horses, a coachman, a dress, and shoes, all prepared by the witch herself.
She couldn’t stop her heart from pounding in anticipation of what kind of wondrous magic she was about to witness.
Will she turn a pumpkin into a carriage? Or turn mice into horses? Maybe she’ll wave her staff and my tattered clothes will become a glamorous dress!
And then, the witch spoke.
“It’s a bit too short notice to custom-order the horse and carriage, so we’ll just buy the best ones in the city. As for the dress, I’ll have your measurements taken today. We’ll commission it from a specialty shop. They seem to be booked up, but if we throw enough money at them, I’m sure they’ll be happy to serve us.”
“…… Um, you know, aren’t you going to use magic or something like that?”
“A vast amount of money is no different from magic.”