SWNOVELXO Volume 1 Chapter 43 - Witch's Magic
I was called a muscle idiot by the witch.
Well, I can’t deny it, considering that working out is my hobby and I’m proud of my muscles.
“I’m sorry if I seem surly. Technically, I’m your bodyguard,” Claire decided to clarify our purpose.
“Bodyguard? Seems like the meaning of bodyguard is different between Japan and America. In Japan, this would be called kidnapping.”
It’s the same in America.
“I promise I’ll take you back.”
I nodded at the witch through the rearview mirror.
“Even though you don’t even know where we are? What direction is Shinagawa? That’s where our hotel is.”
I’ll drop you off there.
“…Take the next right at the signal.”
Right, got it.
“Right now, the whole world wants you. You’re in danger,” Claire continued.
“Me, huh? Did you come to the guild in Ikebukuro?”
Ikebukuro? Is this the guild she belongs to?
“I’d like to, but I haven’t gotten permission yet.”
It doesn’t have to be Ikebukuro, but it’s a fact we’re trying to go to the frontier area that Japan is renting.
“I thought it was you,” the witch said, looking at Claire, but I don’t understand what she means.
“What do you mean…?”
Claire, you’re too flustered. Calm down.
“It seems I was wrong. Based on your skill, you either become invisible or can erase your presence, so I thought it was you.”
I don’t know what she’s talking about, but she’s right about the skill. Claire’s skill removes her existence from other people’s consciousness. It works on monsters too.
“I’m sorry, I really don’t understand. Did something happen?”
“Apparently, there was a burglary at the guild yesterday. Nothing seems to have been stolen, though.”
Damn! Have they already made their move?
“Tell me more!”
Claire hurriedly asked for details.
“I’ve told you everything. I don’t know anything more. I’m not guild staff.”
Of course. She’s an adventurer.
“We will protect you.”
“I don’t need it. There’s a high chance you’re targeting me.”
Well, yeah.
“Don’t you trust us?”
“Trust? Me? Trust you? You’re living in a fantasy world.”
Claire, calm down! Don’t clench your fists! We’re obviously in the wrong here.
“What can we do to earn your trust?”
“Show me your status card.”
“Huh?”
Status cards are not something you can show to others. Your skills, level, and job are things you absolutely must keep secret.
“Heh, don’t be so stunned. If you’re scared, that’s fine.”
Damn! Cheap provocation. Who would fall for something like this…
“Fine, I’ll show you.”
Ah, I knew it. Sorry, Norman. This kind of work isn’t for us.
“Hmm, so you’re adventurers.”
“As if you didn’t know.”
Claire is famous, after all.
Claire took out her real status card from her pocket and showed it to the witch, covering the skill section with her finger.
“Claire Walker… What!? Your real name? Not a code name?”
The witch looked surprised for the first time.
“No point in hiding it. Our faces are already exposed.”
We are A-rank, after all.
The witch took out her phone from her bag and started operating it.
“Ah, you’re A-rank.”
Didn’t you know? Maybe Claire’s not as famous in Japan as I thought. Claire is more popular and well-known than me…
The witch immediately started operating her phone again.
“Hey, Harry.”
“What is it?”
“Are you Harry Baker?”
Ah, looks like I’m not famous either.
“…Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know much about you. But when I looked you up, a lot of hits came up, so you must be amazing.”
What a follow-up. This is a genuine reaction.
“…Did you believe me?”
Ah, Claire is also disheartened. She’s popular with kids in America.
“Heh, not yet.”
The witch gently stroked the finger that Claire was using to cover the skill section of her status card.
“Can’t show the skills.”
“Hmm… then how many skills do you have?”
“Five.”
“Are you lying? Should I carve out your heart and eat it?”
Seriously? She’s a witch, so it doesn’t sound like a joke…
“…Hmm, perception inhibition.”
Ah, Claire showed her. But if she can see Claire’s unique skill, it confirms that this witch also has a unique skill. The question now is, what is it?
“Harry.”
Ah, am I next? I definitely don’t want to.
“Sorry, I forgot my status card.”
Yes, I must have left it at the hotel.
“…Do you want to die?”
I felt a chill run down my spine and my back became soaked as I heard the witch’s murmur.
I’m going to be killed.
That’s the only thought that crossed my mind.
“Actually, I did bring it.”
Without turning my face, I took my status card out of my breast pocket. Immediately, the card disappeared from my hand.
“…Harry, you’ve got nothing but physical ability-type skills.”
“You can tell just by looking at me. Weight training is my hobby.”
“What’s ‘Steel Wire’?”
She can see it, huh?
“It’s my unique skill. Just as the name suggests, I can produce threads of steel. They’re pretty sharp.”
“That’s not very character-like.”
I know.
“I hear that a lot.”
“Fine, let’s trust each other. So why are you two acting as my bodyguards?”
The witch leaned forward and returned my status card.
“Our country and Japan are allies. There’s also an agreement between adventurer guilds. That’s why we thought we’d help you out.”
“So, you can’t let the Golden Witch be taken by an enemy country.”
“Well, you’re here on your own accord. But I’m fine. I won’t get caught.”
You’ll disappear in an instant. We’ve tried following you several times, but just like what Norman reported, you disappear without a trace.
“Even in the frontier, or situations like this?”
“I don’t go to the frontier. But I do come to the guild because I have to arrange auctions. Well, act as my bodyguards if you want. Even if I refuse, you’ll do it anyway.”
Well, that’s true. Today was just an introduction and reconnaissance. A huge failure, though.
“Contact us if anything happens. We’ll both be ready to move at any time.”
I handed her a piece of paper with contact details for both me and Claire.
“Hmm, if I contact anyone, it’ll be Claire.”
The witch took her phone out of her bag again and started operating it. She’s probably saving the contact details.
“That’s fine.”
Well, that’s okay. I said that earlier, but it won’t work in the frontier.
“Understood. Harry, stop here. Let’s drop her off.”
Here? Is this Shinagawa? Where is this?
“Harry, any tails?”
Claire confirmed.
“None.”
No such car.
“Then stop. We can’t restrain her any longer.”
It’s already impossible, I guess…
“It’s boring to just restrain me. At least entertain me a little. You didn’t offer me anything and got lost…”
I apologize for getting lost. To tell the truth, I’m still lost.
I pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped.
“I’m sorry about today. Next time, I’ll bring some hamburgers or something.”
Huh? Is she teasing me?
“I don’t need it. Just drill a map into that musclehead of yours. See ya. Good luck with the auction.”
The witch said that and got out of the car. She walked away without a care, even though the crowd of pedestrians looked surprised.
“Shall we follow her?”
Claire asked.
“It’s useless. She’ll disappear soon anyway. What worries me more is the burglary. Let’s stake out the guild in Ikebukuro.”
“Right, head to Ikebukuro.”
Where is that? Where are we, for that matter?
I decided to just start driving for now.
“Phew… I want to take a shower.”
After we drove for a while, Claire exhaled.
“What happened?”
“I was tense the whole time. That witch kept directing her killing intent solely at me.”
Ah, that. I felt it once too. Was Claire under that pressure the whole time? No wonder she looked so worn out.
“My condolences. It’s because you pointed a gun at her.”
“I thought she was really going to eat me.”
She’s a witch, after all.
“But we got some results,” Claire said, holding up a transparent potion and grinning mischievously.
“The so-called translation potion. What do you think?”
“It felt like you realized your mistake in making a scene and hurriedly prepared it.”
Well, that’s probably the most reasonable assumption.
“Is it real? Are you going to send it to our country?”
“One for that. One for me.”
“You don’t need something like that.”
English is enough.
“You’re an idiot. This is the only one in the world. Some eccentric rich person will pay a fortune for it. Probably, the Japanese guild will announce it soon, but I’ll auction it off when they do.”
“The witch will go first.”
“It’ll take time to sell it in Japan because they’re slow. I’ll be faster.”
“What will you say about its origin?”
Did you buy it from the witch?
“It dropped from a slime. I’ll say the same.”
Depending on the price of this translation potion, there might be a worldwide slime hunt.
“You’re really shrewd.”
“I don’t fall for nothing,” Claire said, holding the potion.
She’s an adventurer by trade, but she also does business.
“Do as you like. What about further contact? Shall we stop?”
“No, we’ll continue. That woman is truly the Golden Witch. She reeks of money.”
You’re making a wicked face.
“Really?”
“She had a translation potion in her item bag… and recovery potions.”
“Are you talking about the incident where the witch tried to sell five recovery potions to the pawn shop?”
That’s what we found out during our investigation.
“Not just that. An unusually large amount of recovery potions are being sold at various guild branches in Japan. It’s definitely the witch who sold them. The branch chief in Ikebukuro distributed them to other guilds.”
“Well, that’s the most reasonable assumption.”
“Exactly. And I want those recovery potions. You can never have enough of them. Plus, I can sell them for a higher price in America. The supply of recovery potions is overwhelmingly insufficient compared to the demand.”
I get that. Recovery potions are essential for adventures but rarely drop. Even medically, there’s a shortage. If you use a recovery potion, a fracture heals in an instant. It’s a must-have, not just for adventurers.
“So you’ll negotiate? The Japanese guilds and the government won’t stay quiet.”
“It’ll work out. First of all, the item bag, recovery potions, and this translation potion are all impossible. That witch is abnormal. And the bureaucrats can’t handle this abnormality. There will definitely be disputes. I’ll snatch it away from the side.”
Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. We risk our lives to defeat monsters and get drop items, which the guilds and countries claim for “research,” taking a huge margin. Japan is better than most in this respect, but who knows in this situation. And I can’t imagine the witch allowing it.
“Hmm.”
“The Golden Witch is a gold-producing existence. We absolutely can’t let her be taken.”
“That’s what Norman and the others probably thought too.”
“At this point, it doesn’t matter whether she’s a frontier person or not. I’ll protect her even if it costs me my life.”
I’m sure everyone thinks the same as you.
I want to secure that Golden Witch. We can’t let anyone else take her.
Claire is completely blinded by money.
That Elenora Ocean or whatever her name is, she’s a real witch. A witch who drives people mad with the magic of gold.
“Hey, Harry.”
The woman blinded by gold called out to me.
“What?”
“Is that the Skytree I see? Where are you driving?”
I do see a tall tower…
“I don’t know.”
“Since when?”
“Actually, I’ve had no idea where I was ever since I picked up the witch.”
I don’t understand Tokyo.
“Switch drivers, you musclehead.”
I should learn the geography when I get back to the hotel…