I Picked Up a Witch from a Novel

Episode 3-b. The Dark Wizard Extermination.

With a thud, my two feet landed on the underground floor, slightly numbing.

I shook off the dazed Eileen, who was hanging limply by my side, uttering a sound like “Ugh…” and kicked my feet to shake off the numbing sensation.

In retrospect, the forced exercise I had undergone over the past three years was quite beneficial.

If I had still been the clumsy and feeble version of myself, I probably wouldn’t have dared to jump down like this.

Rini.

The crazy gym instructor.

It felt strange to find myself in a situation benefiting from that person’s influence.

“Get up, Eileen.”

“I feel like I’m going to vomit…”

Thinking that good things come to those who wait, I lifted the sprawled Eileen off the ground and surveyed the area.

All the stairs leading down had vanished due to a fierce explosion.

The surroundings had turned pitch black due to soot, and I could see the extermination team’s members peeking down from up high.

It would probably take them quite a while to reach here.

So…

“You’re alive. Looks like you’re not just any random scoundrels.”

“Uh…? Oh, it’s the knights and wizards!”

The scene of the barrier breaking with a crackle showed that only the surviving knights and wizards were the immediate reinforcements.

I walked toward them, the sound of my heels echoing.

Of course, they still pointed their weapons at me since I was completely wrapped in a robe.

So, I raised both hands, waving them to show I had no intention of attacking.

“Sorry, but I’m not a dark wizard; I’m on your side.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry about that. I just assumed that since the stairs had disappeared, it would be a while before the extermination team could come down.”

The knight at the front, who had been aiming his sword at me, apologized, but their swords and staffs were still directed at me.

“Your words and actions don’t match.”

“Still, for now, you’ll have to briefly remove that robe to gain our trust. Dark wizards tend to stick out, so show us your ID and take off the robe for now.”

“…”

To be honest, I felt I could take them all down by myself.

Given how rapidly I had grown during this time, knights and wizards of that caliber seemed like nothing.

However.

That didn’t mean they wouldn’t notice my true identity.

“Why is that? If you can’t take it off, we can’t help but be suspicious.”

“…No. Let’s do it.”

I bit my lips tightly, took out my ID, and pulled down the hood of the robe.

Then I heard murmuring admiration.

Some widened their eyes in surprise at my appearance, while others turned away, blushing.

A few clicked their tongues in jealousy, lowering their swords and staffs.

“Oooh… Ah, hmm… I see. You’re not a dark wizard. My apologies. But can that woman hanging on to you fight as well?”

“…I can’t fight, but I’ll make sure she doesn’t become a problem.”

“Hm, if she becomes a hindrance, we’ll leave her behind.”

“Yes.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be immediate for them to figure out the identity that was hidden under layers of clothing.

There weren’t any skilled individuals who could instantly recognize my appearance through the layers.

However, a few did tilt their heads, seemingly feeling an inexplicable sense of discomfort.

They were lost in thought, with expressions that showed they were pondering something.

At least, it was fortunate that several of them were still distracted by the dazed Eileen, who was still muttering “Ugh…”

Before their questions could reach a conclusion, those who seemed to be of high rank began to organize the situation.

“Now, for the casualty report.”

“All personnel who entered the barrier have survived, but three adventurers and five mercenaries, along with one knight, have perished.”

Listening to their report, it became clear that not everyone had made it.

“…That’s painful. Reinforcements won’t be able to come down immediately. Is the remaining mana sufficient?”

“Calculating the mana used for the barrier magic against the strong explosion and the disbanding of the magic circles, it’s just a little over ten percent.”

From my perspective, consuming over ten percent of mana from the start seemed highly problematic.

“Well, that amount was within expected limits, so it’s fine. Let’s quickly reorganize the ranks.”

“Yes!”

They wrapped up their report nonchalantly and promptly began to reorganize.

I followed slowly behind the advancing knights and wizards.

A dark and gloomy corridor.

The archway formed from an unfamiliar type of brick was dimly lit by flickering torches, while the wizards illuminated the path with light magic.

And then.

“Hm, where do you come from?”

“…”

One or two of them approached me cautiously and struck up a conversation.

“You looked quite young earlier; could you tell me your age?”

“Excuse me. Please move on.”

Some knights stole glances at my prominently protruding chest area, which wasn’t entirely covered by the robe, and smiled.

And I could hear Eileen murmuring softly next to me.

“Y-you might get killed…”

“Eileen, be quiet.”

“Yes.”

I wouldn’t kill them over this.

If I had killed for this, the number of men who would have died while working at the grocery store would have exceeded hundreds.

So, to remain the good person Ain wished, I wouldn’t act recklessly.

However.

For those who couldn’t understand words, a physical warning was necessary.

“Haha, quite a taciturn lady. What do you say, once this extermination is over, we grab a drink together?”

“That sounds like a good idea! We can have some fun with you.”

The hands of the two people who leered at me and placed their hands on my shoulders was quite unpleasant.

If they hadn’t dared to touch my body, I would have just ignored them.

Even though I was in a cursed body, I absolutely wouldn’t allow my body to be handled by any man other than Ain.

I think of it as a body that is only allowed to be caressed by Ain, not by those who approach me with vile desires.

“…Remove your hands.”

“Hm? What did you say?”

“Take your filthy hands off my shoulders.”

I summoned mana and crushed the hands of the two men resting on my shoulders.

“Gah! Gahhh!!!”

“Ah! Gahhh… Urgh…!”

Their screams echoed through the corridor.

The gazes of the knights in front turned back, and the women watching the scuffle looked pale as they alternated between me and the two men.

“We’re in trouble! Asha is talking back…!”

“Shut up.”

“Yes.”

I did not talk back.

I simply didn’t finish my sentence.

Anyway.

The knight, seemingly in charge, stopped his steps, approached me, and surveyed the situation.

“What is this… crushing the hands of precious personnel is quite troublesome.”

“I’ll fix their hands, so please make sure they don’t come any closer. I’m feeling a bit unsettled with them trying to touch me indecently.”

With that, I answered and immediately used magic to heal the hands of the two men.

Just from having their hands crushed, the two men were terrified and distanced themselves from me.

“Hm… I can roughly see what’s going on. It’s my fault for not controlling the knights, so I’ll let it pass this time. However, if this happens again, I’d appreciate it if you could be a little less violent.”

“Yes.”

Ain’s words are always true.

Words are the answer.

For those who can’t be reasoned with, sometimes force is the only way for them to listen.

I thought this as I exhaled a sigh of relief, and Eileen gave me a thumbs up beside me.

Voices of suspicion about the ‘grumpy magician’ and ‘something suspicious about her’ came from ahead, but what does it matter?

As long as I remain kind only to Ain and pure with him, that’s all that matters.

And.

While moving along the silent, long corridor.

The encounter with the dark wizards finally began.

The wizards who were leading the way carefully dismantled the engraved magic circles, but perhaps they were displeased with their slow progress.

Dark wizards began to appear one by one, chanting spells to block our path.

“ξολψζ”

That was a spell I couldn’t recognize.

An ominous, writhing mass of dark mana began to engulf the corridor.

“Prepare! Wizards, get ready!”

The long corridor was painted entirely black, making it feel like we had entered the intestines of a living creature.

Eileen was gripping my waist tightly, looking terrified, and sobbed.

“Ah, Asha…!”

“Don’t fall away from me. If you fall, I can’t save you.”

I summoned mana, wrapping us in layers of defensive barriers.

The place, which could hardly be called a corridor anymore, transformed into an eerie landscape.

The dark wizards continued to chant their spells with maniacal laughter, while the wizards unleashed all kinds of spells at them.

The powerful magic made a loud bang as it cracked their barriers, but the writhing corridors oozed mana once more to reconstruct their defenses.

The knights drew their swords and charged.

They say that their bodies, honed through a lifetime of training, surpassed the boundaries of humanity.

Like that saying, the knights flew, swiftly reaching the dark wizards, wielding auras imbued in their swords.

With a crackle, the barriers were once again shattered, and taking advantage of the opening, the wizards’ magic completely broke through.

Although we were still at the beginning of the ruins, the heads of the dark wizards fell to the ground, gushing blood.

This was something only those who had been in perfect sync for a long time could achieve.

However, the expressions of those who had just solved the immediate problem were not very bright.

New dark wizards were rushing in behind the fallen ones.

The expressions of the knights and wizards, who had seemed to relax moments ago, were gradually growing serious.

Didn’t they say that even using over ten percent of mana was within their expectations?

The schemes of the dark wizards, which had accumulated over a century, were only beginning now.

So.

I continued to swallow those thoughts inside, constantly pondering.

I calculated.

I evaluated and predicted.

What price would it take to resolve the issues here?

Could I achieve what I desired without revealing my identity?

And if my identity were to be discovered, what should I do then?

I had to keep craving and contemplating the ways to navigate this situation.

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