Miss Witch, please don't leave your fragrance everywhere

Chapter 71 [Witch and Flower Magician]

 
The Kingdom of Bilsen.
People say that the people living in the Kingdom of Bilsen are happy. It is located in a basin with a pleasant environment. There is a wise and open-minded king who loves his people like his own children, a beautiful princess who is loved by countless people, and a great magician whose reputation is heard throughout the continent.

The people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and even small towns far away from the capital were thriving.
However, now, some disturbing rumors have spread to every street in the royal capital.
"Lord Slude!"

"Please answer us, Lord Slude!"
Slude, holding the alchemical materials that her master had asked her to collect, finally got into the castle gate. The guards blocked the citizens surrounding the castle and called on everyone to remain calm.
In the past, Slude would be happy to shuttle among the crowd, and look forward to whether there would be any restless devils among the crowd. But now, Slude is not in the mood.

"——Is Lord Merlin really going to die?!"
“…”
Slude did not answer, but trotted into the palace, leaving the worries and noise of the citizens behind.

Merlin, the chief magician of the court serving the royal family of the Kingdom of Bilsen, is also a veteran of the Kingdom of Bilsen for three dynasties. Blessed by the inherent magic of the princess Ecrecia, Merlin has reached the age of ninety, which is very rare among humans. Citizens once believed that Merlin had the opportunity to reach the realm of extraordinary beings and become a being that will not age or die.
Recently, a piece of news spread like wildfire, saying that the life of the chief magician of the court is about to come to an end.
It's not that anyone cast a curse on Merlin. Merlin couldn't resist the passage of time and he is about to die of old age.

"Master! I'm back!"
Slude broke into Merlin's sanatorium, where the most skilled doctors in the kingdom gathered, and King Andrew and his family were also waiting in the house.
"Is that you...teacher...?"

"No! I'm Slude! I got the alchemical materials you asked for back for you!"
Merlin's consciousness seemed a little fuzzy. An hour ago, he asked Slude to get some alchemical materials, but now he could not tell who the visitor was.
The only thing that is certain is that Merlin is waiting for someone to return.
"Slude... Teacher, you haven't come back yet..."

"I'll go find her!"
Slude had no idea where the witch was, he just wanted to find her out of passion.
"No need. Slude, just bring that thing here."

"teacher……"
Slude was depressed and placed the alchemical materials beside Merlin's bed: a model of iris.
Merlin tightly grasped the alchemical materials that Slude brought him, and his consciousness floated back to decades ago.

——Eighty years ago. In a forest.
The boy released the bowstring, and a doe fell to the ground. Contrary to his frail appearance, his archery skills were exceptionally good.
"We have to move faster."

The boy looked around to make sure there were no patrolling guards or hunting masters around, then took out the items from the package and skillfully performed operations such as skinning and removing the liver. Deer skin and liver could be sold at a higher price than venison. He was not strong enough to carry the entire carcass of a doe.
If he was lucky and the doe's body had not been discovered, he could come back and carry it again. The boy's legs were not good for tracking the doe, so it was not easy to kill it with one strike this time. He had to get enough money to live on for the next period of time.
The boy's name was Merlin. According to the people who adopted him, he was found while hunting Merlin, so they simply called him Merlin.

The man who adopted Merlin was a man who made a living by poaching. Forests were often divided into the territories of nobles. Only nobles were qualified to hunt in the forests. Farmers were usually not allowed to hunt animals in the forests, not even rabbits. Therefore, some people made a living by poaching, hunting animals for meat and selling them to butchers, and peeling off the skins of animals and selling them to leather workers.
Merlin learned hunting skills from the man who adopted him, but the good times didn't last long. The poacher fell off a cliff and died while poaching a year ago, and Merlin had to live alone since then. Merlin lived a decent life with the poaching skills he learned. If nothing unexpected happened, Merlin would also make a living by poaching and live alone, or die accidentally in a hunting trip like the man who adopted him.
After Merlin had collected enough trophies from the doe's carcass, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye.

There was a black mass lying under the tree.
...corpse?
Such a large forest is sometimes a good place to hide evil. Merlin hesitated for a moment and decided to go forward and check, maybe he could gain something.

"ah……"
It's a girl I've never seen before.
She was wearing a loose magic robe, using a wizard hat and a strange prop: a broom and a magic wand sewn together as a pillow, and fell asleep under the tree without any protection.

With the girl's even breathing, her soft cherry lips occasionally opened slightly, and her long black hair was like a blooming flower, setting off her delicate skin to be as crystal clear as ice and snow. She seemed to be intoxicated in a beautiful dream, and was completely unaware of Merlin's arrival. Merlin stopped and was stunned by the girl's face, which he had never seen before.
Merlin had never seen such a beautiful girl in the town. He even rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dazzled.
“Who is this…?”

She was definitely not {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} from the area. A girl like her would definitely be a topic of conversation. She must have come from a faraway place and was resting in the forest because she was tired.
"I have to wake her up..."
Sleeping in this forest is not a good choice. In addition to wild deer, there are also brown bears in the forest. Merlin wanted to wake the girl up and ask her to leave quickly, but Merlin hesitated for a long time. He felt a dryness in his throat and had no courage to speak.

Damn, I haven’t talked to girls much…
The only girls of the same age who were willing to communicate with the poachers were the flower sellers and the laundry girls. Merlin had no idea what to do, although it might sound a little strange, but just waking up the sleeping beauty in front of him made him feel guilty, like putting pineapple in the ingredients for making pizza.
She... should be the kind of girl who is as gentle as jade and looks like a lady from a noble family... No, no! That's not the point at all! I have to wake her up! There are bears in the forest. It's dangerous to sleep in the forest!

But she was sleeping so soundly! It felt like a crime to wake her up!
After a struggle in his heart, Merlin finally made a decision.
"I might as well stay here."

The probability of a bear appearing was low, but the possibility could not be ruled out. Merlin just couldn't bear to leave this stranger girl in the forest.
So Merlin decided to act as the girl's guard until she woke up.