Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Witch's Respite and Revelations
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After sleeping deeply for quite a while, I woke up with an empty stomach.
"This calls for a hearty bowl of gukbap."
I pulled out some sundae gukbap and dug in heartily with a side of chopped kimchi.
"Burp!"
'Gotta take out the trash.'
This place was entirely my personal space.
I couldn't stand seeing it dirtied by garbage.
It was a far cry from how I'd carelessly dumped trash outside.
Truly the epitome of selfish humanity.
I lay back on the bed and pulled out my laptop, turning on more episodes of that American drama than before. I watched blankly for a bit before unknowingly drifting off to sleep again.
When I opened my eyes next, a substantial number of episodes had passed.
"Lying around too long has made my body stiff."
I got out of bed and lightly stretched my neck.
-Crack.
The sound from my stiff joints was deafening.
"Guess it's time to head out."
I opened the exit door and stepped through.
The scenery shifted in an instant, and I found myself in darkness.
"You again... doing something... weird..."
"No idea what you're talking about."
I had no clue how long she could keep this up, but if it was a test of endurance, I wouldn't lose.
Actually, endurance wasn't even the right word.
Hero's Haven.
Not to mention food in my inventory and the dimension shop.
There was enough entertainment stocked in my inventory to last decades.
If fighting got boring, I could just pop in for a break.
I was a bit worried about Ayla and Luna.
But Liliriana had mentioned them as research material, so they weren't in real danger.
She wouldn't have time to do anything while tangling with me anyway.
I clashed with Liliriana nonstop for three days.
Well, nonstop for her...
Whenever I got tired, I'd retreat to Hero's Haven to recharge my mana, catch some solid sleep, and come back refreshed.
Her face, meanwhile, had lost all its composure.
Fatigue was plainly etched on that pretty visage.
I, on the other hand, was full of vigor.
A good night's sleep and delicious meals made fatigue impossible.
She couldn't rest.
She had to block the shocks I sent rippling through the space by pounding the floor.
The floor was ridiculously sturdy, but I could feel the damage accumulating.
The echoes in the space were definitely stronger than on the first day.
"What... exactly are you?"
"Why? Getting scared now? If you surrender nicely even at this point, I could make you the second girlfriend spot in this world."
"...Your elf companions might be in danger."
"Bringing up the elves now? You must be pretty desperate."
"...Don't you value your comrades' lives?"
"Of course I do. So?"
"What?"
"You think I'd stop when there's no guarantee you'd release the elves even if I did?"
"I promise. I will."
"How can I trust that?"
"Are you saying you can't trust a promise from Lady Liliriana?!"
"Obviously. You release them first. Then I'll back off quietly. Deal?"
"You..."
Liliriana glared at me.
"Can't trust you? Feeling's mutual. Hey, no more giant summons? I'm gonna smash the floor."
The giant's massive fist slammed down on the floor.
-Boom!
-Crack!
A fissure finally spiderwebbed across the floor, and light seeped into the dark space.
'Getting talkative, huh. Hit her limit after all.'
It had held up impressively for days of constant hammering whenever I got the chance.
"Stop!!"
"Why should I?"
"If this space breaks, your elves die."
The witch's eyes gleamed coldly and viciously.
Her gaze made it clear she meant it.
"Tch... so?"
"Fine... I'll return the elves. Now leave quietly."
"...Don't wanna."
"What?! You wanna see this through to the bitter end?!"
Her fury-filled violet eyes emitted a subtle glow.
"Calm down... Not making unreasonable demands. Treat us like proper guests, and I'll stop."
I had things to confirm with her anyway, and a talk was in order.
"...Guests, you say..."
It wasn't an outrageous request, apparently. She calmed down, pondered briefly, and nodded.
"Very well..."
With those words, the space around her black parasol seemed to get sucked in, and suddenly I was standing in the mansion's hall where I'd first set foot.
"Where are they?"
"Don't think this means I lost. I just didn't want my mansion damaged. Harbor any funny ideas, and neither you nor your elves will leave unharmed."
Liliriana put on a pathetic front, refusing to admit defeat.
A man couldn't go around bragging about beating a woman.
Time to show some magnanimity.
"Got it. You were the most impressive mage I've ever fought."
She rolled her eyes at my half-hearted compliment and swung her parasol through the air.
"...Here they are."
The two elves materialized out of thin air.
"U-Un-ho?"
"Un-ho-nim?"
They looked shocked to see my face.
I wrapped my arms around the staggering Ayla and Luna, steadying them from the sudden spatial shift.
"Ch-chicken smell..."
Ayla's words made me flinch involuntarily.
I'd eaten chicken in Hero's Haven right before fighting Liliriana.
She must've caught the scent.
Her nose was unreal.
"We were captured, and you ate chicken with that witch?"
"Ahem... Liliriana, I'm disappointed. No food for prisoners...?"
Under Ayla's interrogation, I quickly shifted the blame.
"What nonsense? Time barely passes in that space of yours. Not even an hour here."
She said it proudly, oblivious that it was her undoing.
"S-Sorry. I knew she was a mage... I should've been more careful..."
Luna apologized to me with a dejected expression.
Liliriana was a high-ranking mage beyond expectations.
We might've been fine if we'd just left.
But once we decided to meet her, this outcome was foreseeable.
In a lavish parlor, Liliriana served us tea.
"It's been ages since I've had guests."
"This is good."
Some unidentified black flower floated on the tea—probably a floral infusion.
"Fearless, aren't you? You know what's in it?"
"What's in it, then?"
"Hmph. Since I've welcomed you as guests, I wouldn't stoop to that."
It wasn't trust in her so much as confidence in my own body.
"I've lived here since before that village sprang up. They settled later. I blocked monsters flowing down from the mountains and got a modest payment for it."
"Didn't tell the villagers?"
"I did. But those fools thought I was lying to extort money."
"You captured villagers too, though."
"The chief's son tried to rape a woman, got himself killed, blamed me, incited a mob to burn me at the stake."
The infamous witch hunt.
"In the end, I caught the mob. Then they sent pathetic adventurers and mercenaries to harass me."
"Ever try talking it out with the villagers?"
"Why should I, innocent as I am, convince those ungrateful wretches? You think they'd believe a 'witch' even if I explained?"
Liliriana's words rang more true than the chief's.
Of course—because she was a beauty.
"Did you kill all the captives?"
"Sent them to the mines for labor."
"Mines? Something valuable there?"
"Who knows what you'll dig up."
"......"
'Just messing with them for fun...'
Either way, the truth didn't matter. There was only one thing we needed to confirm from the start.
"What do you think?"
I asked Ayla and Luna.
They shook their heads.
"So, not a black mage."
"Hmph. Lumping me in with those incompetents is insulting. Thanks to you, I've lost a hefty stockpile of mana."
"Could've just verified simply and been done."
"...You're utterly shameless."
Liliriana shot me a glare.
"Ahem... How about a mana stone as compensation?"
"Hmph. Not desperate enough for your pity."
"My bad."
"...What rank?"
"......"
She showed greed—mana stones must be valuable.
I was about to pull a C-rank but hesitated at giving away something so pricey, opting for a D-rank from my inventory instead.
"Hmm... Your subspace is utterly baffling no matter how I look at it. Such a prime research subject."
That's why I use it.
I don't fully understand it either.
"Yawn... Fine, I'll take it for the gesture."
Liliriana grumbled but snatched the mana stone quick.
Business with her was done.
"Let's go."
I stood with my elf girlfriends.
"Wait. Aren't you here to rescue the villagers?"
"Nah... Just checking if you were a black mage."
"......"
There was the chief's request, sure...
But the pay was pocket change.
Not worth making an enemy of a top-tier beauty mage for pennies.
"Ahem... Un-ho, what do you say... to being my research assistant?"
From seated guest to assistant in no time—a huge status jump.
She was openly curious about me. No missing that.
Though "assistant" probably meant "test subject."
"Sorry. I'm a man destined for big things. Not one to be cooped up in a narrow place like this."
I'd even turned down those forest beauties.
Liliriana's allure was tempting, but I couldn't be tied down.
And "big things" wasn't wrong—I was helping the world, after all.
"...Can't be helped, then."
"Yeah. Take care."