Otaku Witch

Dorothy looked at the reaction of this family and wasn't angry; instead, her smile grew even broader. Then she lifted the hem of her nun's attire, performed an elegant curtsy, and turned to leave directly.

This surprised the family greatly, but they dared not approach until the mysterious nun with a hammer had walked far away. Only then did the woman come forward and, with a fierce slap, struck the daughter who was still foolishly gazing in the direction the nun had left. Immediately after, she hugged her daughter tightly, tears streaming down without cease.

She had nearly believed she was about to lose her daughter just moments ago.

The man needed to calm down. He eyed the delicate silver hammer necklace hanging around his daughter's neck, his expression constantly changing.

He was tempted to remove the necklace, after all, it was given by that mysterious nun of uncertain origin.

In the City of Sin, nothing was more taboo than faith, after all, what genuine faith could there be in this damned place? The only possible object of belief here would be the demons of the Abyss.

And how many who had dealings with demons ended their lives well?

The man recalled the words the nun had spoken when she pounded on their door.

After all, it's free, why not have a little faith?

Ha, such a standard declaration of a heretic, as if there were such a thing as a windfall from heaven in this world. Free things often turn out to be the most expensive.

Yet, after much hesitation, the man ultimately did not remove the necklace from his daughter's neck, because he was not entirely certain if there might be some vicious curse on the necklace, one that would trigger the moment it was removed. After all, a neighbor fond of picking up random items had died in just such a manner not long ago.

The man just sighed, then looked up at the sky, which was fast approaching dusk.

Another harrowing day was almost over, but how much longer would these hellish days continue?

...

"Dorothy, weren't you out to spread the faith? Why did you leave so soon?"

Denisha looked at her sister with some confusion and asked, not understanding.

She had seen the whole process from the side, but honestly, she did not understand what Dorothy was doing. She hadn't done anything but give the little girl a necklace before leaving. Could that even be called evangelism? What exactly did you preach?

"Haven't I already spread it?"

The homebody witch turned to look at her Good Sister, then asked with a smile.

At this moment, Dorothy's mood was surprisingly good since the evangelism had gone much smoother than she had anticipated.

"Er...."

Denisha was even more bewildered. She hadn't even blinked; did she miss something crucial?

"Yes, I did spread it. Didn't you see just now? That little girl was very courageous, wasn't she?"

Dorothy said with a smile.

"I can't deny that."

While looking at her enigmatic sister, Miss Shepherdess clenched her fists, but thinking of the little girl from before, a smile also appeared on Denisha's face.

That was indeed a wonderful child, so young yet understanding how to protect her family, and not just understanding, but also having the courage to act.

emmmmm....

It seemed Denisha suddenly grasped Dorothy's meaning. Was this what she referred to as evangelism?

"Haha, it looks like you've understood, Denisha. Why does true faith need someone else to preach, to explain or promote it? It should be something inherent in everyone, something readily accessible,"

Laughed the homebody witch a couple of times, then hopped and skipped to avoid a few sewage pits on the rugged, dilapidated road beneath her feet. After that, with an agile turn, she began walking backward, facing her thoughtful Good Sister.

"You and Adam always talk about how heroes are lonely, how they need to lose everything to have the courage required to become heroes."

"But I don't agree with that view, Denisha. In my heart, that child was already a little hero just now. Don't you think it was really handsome and heroic when Adam directly saved you from the burning stake?"

"To me, a hero doesn't necessarily have to accomplish the great deed of saving the world. Anyone who has the courage to protect their family is a hero, at least in the eyes of their loved ones."

"Man conquering nature might seem unrealistic to you, but if we rephrase it, the collective effort of heroes falling and rising one after another can indeed conquer nature. Doesn't that suddenly seem a bit more convincing?"

As Dorothy said this, she turned back around, resumed her normal walking posture, and once again avoided a few stones that could trip someone up.

"People who have lost everything indeed have nothing to fear, but to me, that's not real courage. In fact, it's a show of cowardice. Their so-called bravery is just an escape from reality, a tendency for self-destruction."

"Real courage should stem from the resolve to guard something, from care, from bonds. It's precisely because there's something behind us worth protecting that we find the determination not to retreat even half a step, to guard it resolutely to the end."

"The anthem of humanity is an anthem of courage, the greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage."

"Denisha, in your eyes, these people might just be a disorganized flock of sheep, but in mine, every one of them has the potential of a hero."

"With a little polishing, these potential heroes will quickly take shape. They just lack an opportunity, a chance. And now, I'm going to personally deliver this chance, this opportunity, into their hands."

"Cultivating oneself, putting one's family in order, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world, when countless little heroes united with the same goal come together, I wouldn't dare say they are invincible, but they can indeed be called a mighty team capable of working miracles."

As the homebody witch said this, she took out a necklace with a little hammer pendant, identical to the one she had given the little girl, from her pocket.

She grasped the tiny hammer in her hand, exerted a little force, and easily broke the shell, revealing a small capsule-like container hidden inside the hammer, which contained a drop of liquid shimmering like a ruby.

Dorothy was now a potion witch, and this was the Grand Potion she had developed after spending a month reading through all the books in her collection.

She named this red potion that shone like fresh blood "Blood of the Hero."

Of course, compared to its formal name, Dorothy actually preferred another name for it.

"Degraded Witch's Blood"

Or "Monkey Wine Transformation's Blood"

"Tsk, you can't blame me for this; it's entirely the world being mean. The Witch World is just too unfair to boys. Who knows why the potion's effect is dozens of times greater for girls than for boys—it's not scientific at all. Even though everyone's human, when will boys ever be able to stand tall?"

After skillfully completing a set of punches, the Homebody Witch's hand glimmered with a faint magic light, and she restored the necklace to its original state, then took the hammer and knocked on another family's door.

"Dong dong dong..."

The somewhat overly heavy knocking sound echoed in the slum.

At this, Denisha fell silent.

She wanted to loudly protest her sister's crooked theory but, upon opening her mouth, Miss Shepherdess realized she actually didn't know how to do it.

After all, the Reverend Father who suddenly erupted to save her, along with Dorothy, did shine like heroes in her eyes when she was almost burned at the stake.

Although the books say only those who complete legendary tasks, like saving the world, can be called heroes, a person has to be alive to have a world. Saving a life, in some way, is like saving that person's whole world.

So, what's wrong with calling someone who saves a life a hero?

As for courage...

Denisha glanced at her sister who was shouting an unclear slogan of "80.80" and then banging on people's doors.

She may not know much, but if someone tries to hurt Dorothy, they'll have to step over her dead body first.

She still had that level of determination, but is that mere extent considered courage?

...Miss Shepherdess pondering...