Chapter 20
Isollen burst into laughter, using Gremory—who was busy chewing on dragon tail meat—as a backdrop for her amusement.
“There’s this noblewoman, Catherine Ortegà, from one of the Empire’s four great ducal houses. When diamond mines were discovered in the Ortegà duchy, she treated me like a maid and bossed me around! But now, the time for revenge has come! Mori! Let’s throw a tea party! It’s time to flaunt the dragon’s spoils! We can show off something far more valuable than some measly diamond mines!”
“No. Crowds are the worst.”
“Just one day! Huh? I’ll only invite about twenty important ladies! Please?”
“Do I have to be there?”
“Of course! You’re my friend. How can I throw a party without my friend?”
“……I quit being your friend.”
“Ugh, come on!”
As the two bickered, a pleasant-looking couple passed by. Noticing the picnic, they exchanged a few words before approaching.
“We’re eternally grateful for protecting our lands, Saintess.”
The couple placed two fresh apples from their basket onto the table, bowed politely to the two ladies, and went on their way.
Isollen watched them leave before picking up one of the glossy, perfectly ripe apples.
“These are really nice. But Mori, are you actually a saintess?”
“Think what you want.”
“Wow, listen to that attitude. Did you run away from the Grand Temple because you hated the rules? I hear a lot of saintesses do that these days.”
Munch.
Gremory answered by biting into the apple instead. Isollen scolded her for eating it so carelessly.
“Hey, what if it was poisoned? You should be more cautious. If you’re a saintess hiding your identity, you should know how the world works—why are you so naive?”
“Why would it be poisoned?”
“Because bad people might hold grudges and poison your food!”
“It’s fine. People who give food are good people.”
“……What if someone lured you away with treats?”
“I’d follow. It’s a good opportunity.”
“Damn it! What if some shady guy offers you goat meat in exchange for touching you?”
“I wouldn’t mind a little touching.”
“AAAAH!”
Isollen launched into a crash course on worldly dangers. Gremory half-listened while munching on her apple.
Meanwhile, Cheshion sat a short distance away, still poring over the ancient demonic language book.
《Deciphering Ancient Demonic Script》
He vividly remembered a few characters from the magic circle Gremory had drawn. Flipping through the dusty tome, he finally found a match.
‘Got it.’
Λ—the symbol meant fire.
‘Why does this keep lining up so perfectly with her actions…?’
It was maddening. Everyone insisted Gremory wasn’t a witch, yet the possibility gnawed at him. Was it paranoia, or sharp intuition?
‘Should I just ask her directly?’
That might work—except, of course, she’d just deny it. Because she wasn’t a witch.
But even if she were, that’s a problem. She flaunted witch-like behavior so openly.
‘Ugh, enough. I don’t want to keep doubting someone I’ve taken in. Besides, this book’s unreliable—it’s based on folklore.’
Still… what if the person he’d welcomed into his home devoured everyone else? Her behavior so far didn’t suggest it, but…
Then he remembered—Gremory’s sparkling eyes when he took her to the city and the Emerald Forest. Could someone with that gaze really harm his household?
‘If she had ill intentions, Shally wouldn’t have let her into the forest. And she saved me when I tried to end my life.’
Lost in thought, he flinched when Gremory tapped his shoulder.
“What’re you doing?”
“GAH!”
Cheshion nearly dropped the book. Gremory leaned in, skimming the pages.
“Demonic language deciphering? Why’re you reading this?”
“J-Just a hobby.”
“Huh, this part’s wrong. It’s pronounced ‘meh,’ not ‘seh.’”
“Of course it’s full of errors—it’s based on myths. …Wait, how do you know that?”
“I used to write it a lot.”
“Y-You mean you studied it a lot?”
‘Studied for fun?’ Gremory pondered. Had she ever enjoyed studying?
“Yeah.”
“Phew. Okay.”
“Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend reading this. Ordinary humans can lose their minds over it.”
Cheshion’s headache worsened. That adorable bob cut kept saying suspicious things.
Screw it. I’ll just ask.
“Hey, Mori. I have a question.”
“What?”
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but given the circumstances, I have to ask.”
“Spit it out.”
“Are you a wi—”
“Blegh—!”
Gremory suddenly vomited blood and collapsed.
“MORIIIII! WHAT HAPPENED?!”
Cheshion flung the book aside, cradling her as she convulsed. Isollen came sprinting over.
“I told you not to eat random things! What did you swallow this time?! Poisoned apples? Toxic dragon tail?!”
And so, Gremory was rushed back to the estate.
Countless nuns came and went, but none could diagnose her. Isollen urged calling a healer or priest, but Cheshion, for some reason, left her untreated.
‘Something tells me not to interfere recklessly.’
Using a secret passage, he headed to the underground forbidden archive, where books on witches were stored—collected during the witch hunts to refute accusations.
‘Found it. 《Traits of Witches》.’
He lit a lamp and flipped through the familiar text.
「Witches resemble humans, differing only in slightly sharper fangs and stronger jaws. However, when angered or threatening, their pupils narrow vertically, turning red. Their fangs elongate, and nails sharpen.」
‘…That’s exactly how Mori looked in the mines. Unless I hallucinated it.’
「Witches excel at temptation—not just carnal, but in winning favor from individuals or even entire villages. Those charmed are often devoured.」
He recalled how Gremory was revered as a saintess. His pupils shook.
「Witches’ powers vary by rank. High-ranking ones are versatile; low-ranking ones are barely distinguishable from humans.」
He skimmed until finding a useful section:
「Witches’ Weakness: Overeating.
Occasionally, witches gorge on delicious food, triggering stomach spasms. They collapse, vomiting what they consumed.」*
“……So our Mori just… overate.”
The “blood” she vomited was likely the dragon’s.
“Was the tail that tasty…?”
He turned to the last page:
「This book is based on folklore. Only a fool would take it seriously.」
“Damn it.”
Cheshion trudged back upstairs. By the time he returned, Gremory had woken up, guzzling herbal tea Anna had prepared.
“Oh, you’re back?”
She greeted him breezily, as if she hadn’t just terrified everyone.
Is this how a normal woman in her twenties acts? Shouldn’t she be shocked after collapsing? What noblewoman reacts like this? She’s not some battle-hardened veteran waking up after war.
Finally, Cheshion kicked everyone out of her room.
“Everyone, leave.”
Then he gripped her shoulders.
“Mori, answer me.”
“What?”
“Are you… a witch?”
“Yep.”
