SWNOVELXO Volume 1 Chapter 42 - Devil or Human?
I caught a glimpse of the witch smiling in the rearview mirror.
Is this woman really a witch?
Why can she smile in this situation?
How did she know the gun wasn’t loaded?
“Could you put the gun down already? Whether it’s loaded or a model, it’s uncomfortable.”
It seems Claire has decided that it’s pointless to continue. She slowly lowers the gun.
“Golden Witch, I apologize.”
Might as well apologize from my end.
“Fine, whatever. Then please take me to Ueno.”
Ueno? The place with the zoo? …Where is that?
“I’d like to talk a little.”
Well, the witch is probably just saying that. She won’t actually tell us where she lives. Let’s just drive aimlessly.
“Go ahead.”
What’s with her composure? Even if she knows the gun isn’t loaded, why can she remain so calm in this situation?
“Claire, please.”
Feeling uneasy, I decide to leave it to Claire.
“Harry, aren’t you going to talk?”
“Sorry, it’s my first time with a right-hand drive.”
It’s true. The road is narrow, and there are many cars, so I want to concentrate.
“Don’t get into an accident.”
The witch smiles faintly.
“We’re agents from America.”
Hey! You can’t just blurt that out!
When I thought that and glared at Claire through the mirror, she glared back.
Is Claire also uneasy?
“America? Hello.”
The witch waved her hand.
“Hello…”
Claire responded in disbelief but then seemed to realize something. I also finally noticed. This woman is speaking Japanese, not some creepy language like in the previous video.
“What language was that?”
Claire asks.
“Language?”
“The one on the TV.”
“Oh, that… hmm, I feel like I shouldn’t say, but given the situation, I have no choice. I’m being coerced, after all.”
Indeed, it doesn’t look like we’re coercing her, but we are. However, she’s the one who seems at ease, not us.
“Tell us.”
“Fine.”
The witch pulls out a flask filled with a colorless liquid from her white bag.
“Is that a potion?”
But I’ve never heard of a colorless potion. Potions always have a color.
“This is a translation potion. If you drink it, you’ll speak like that. Want to try?”
“A translation potion? What’s that? Never heard of it!”
“Try it.”
When Claire said so, the witch drank the potion in one gulp.
“How’s that?”
The witch’s words indeed sounded like Japanese, English, and German all at once, just like before.
“Wow.”
I inadvertently whistled, and Claire glared at me.
“That’s amazing. How did you do it?”
Claire immediately shifted her gaze from me to the witch, who grinned.
“I got it as a drop from a slime.”
You’ve got to be kidding!
I almost yelled but restrained myself.
“Amazing. In 30 years, I’ve never had a drop from any monster, let alone a slime.”
Claire spoke incredulously. Anyone would.
“I’m just lucky.”
This definitely wasn’t dropped…
“What a waste. You used such a valuable item frivolously.”
Claire shook her head in disappointment. I felt the same. I would have preferred to take it back to the homeland, but then again…
“Waste? Heh.”
See? She has plenty of it.
“Would you sell it to us?”
Damn! She beat me to it. Should I have been the one to interrogate her? Well, it’s probably better coming from someone of the same gender.
“How many?”
What a nasty question. This witch is messing with us.
“For testing, maybe two?”
Idiot! You should have asked for more!
“Two is fine… here you go.”
The witch took out two colorless potions from her bag and handed them to Claire.
Damn! She really has them!
“How much?”
“…I haven’t decided. It’s not even public yet. How about we exchange it for a gun with bullets? It’s dangerous these days.”
A gun… She’s noticed that Claire is carrying a loaded gun!
“Here you go.”
Claire took a gun from under her seat and handed it to the witch. Isn’t it risky to hand over a gun?
“Quick, isn’t it? Then the deal is done. Oh, don’t tell anyone, okay?”
The witch put the gun in her bag.
“Understood.”
I thought she’d use the gun, but she didn’t…
“Is the talk over? By the way, Harry, Ueno is not that way.”
The witch looked at me through the rearview mirror…
“How do you know my name!?”
How much does she know!?
“…Huh? Claire called you that earlier, didn’t she?”
Oh, right. Calm down, me.
“Oh, right.”
Claire glared at me intensely, but it was her who had called out my name first. I had also called out hers.
“So? Where’s Ueno?”
“Sorry, where is this place?”
I really don’t know. This taxi doesn’t even have a GPS.
“Sigh… never mind. Just drive aimlessly until our conversation is over. I’ll take a real taxi back.”
The witch sighed and leaned back.
“Who are you…?”
Claire somehow managed to ask the witch.
“The Golden Witch, Eleanora Ocean.”
She actually calls herself a witch…
“Is that your natural hair color?”
Based on Norman’s investigation, this witch had dyed her hair at a salon. She was a black-haired woman wearing a tracksuit.
“Well, isn’t it pretty? I’ve always admired blonde hair.”
So she admits it’s not her natural color…
“What about your eyes?”
“Colored contacts. Don’t you think blond hair and blue eyes are nice?”
“You’d look better in black.”
I think so too. Japanese people should have black hair, especially if they have such dark skin.
“Maybe I’m just envious. So? Are you curious? I don’t have a hair-dyeing potion, you know.”
We don’t need one. They sell similar things everywhere.
“Did the name ‘Golden Witch’ come from your hair?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t name myself. But I like it. The gold refers to money, not hair.”
Must be profitable.
“I’m jealous.”
“Really? Can I ask you something too?”
The witch asks.
“What?”
“Just a simple question. Why are American agents here? You’re not just here to talk.”
Well, she would ask that.
“One reason is to attend an auction.”
“Why not do it online?”
Well, you can bid from the homeland.
“It’s something that has to be picked up.”
Claire seems to think she’s already won the auction. She must have a lot of funds stored up. I’m a bit uncertain.
“I see. What’s the other reason?”
What should we do? Should we tell her?
“You’re too popular. Too many people are forcibly asking you out on dates.”
“I know. Like the blonde woman who points a gun at me and a muscle man who can’t drive.”
Us?
I took my left hand off the wheel and flexed my muscles to show them off.
“Yes, you, the muscle idiot. Next time, memorize a map of Tokyo.”
I guess I should…