Miss Witch, please don't leave your fragrance everywhere

"How much time do I have left?"

"Five years."

"Five years?"

Merlin was extremely surprised. He was not a mediocre person and had a clear understanding of his physical condition. It was absolutely impossible for it to last five years.

"Impossible, I..."

"Five years."

Angelica repeated it firmly, she didn't want to say it a third time.

Merlin touched his chin angrily, calmed down and thought carefully. He probably understood what the teacher meant.

"I see. Can you please come to Pilsen Kingdom again when the time comes?"

"... Let's see what the situation is. What if it's really far away?"

Angelica raised the wand in her hand.

"I have to go now."

“Will you feel lonely when you travel alone?”

"The graves of my old friends are scattered all over the continent, so I won't feel lonely wherever I go. Take care of yourself, stupid disciple."

"You are... Please take care of yourself in the future."

Merlin looked at the "black" witch sincerely. The old Merlin's eyes were a little cloudy. He tried hard to open his eyes wide, as if he wanted to remember forever the time when the witch stagnated here.

At some point, Merlin grew from having to look up at the witch to a time when the witch was only as tall as his shoulders. Decades passed, and the witch hadn't changed at all. The only one who was hurriedly passed away by time was the Flower Magician.

The witch chanted a space warp and jumped away, leaving a refreshing fragrance in the air as proof of the witch's existence.

If nothing unexpected happens, this will probably be the last time we meet.

"Sir Merlin."

Merlin had just fallen into his memories when King Andrew came up to him in person.

"Oh, your majesty, the princess' curse should be broken."

"The maid has just confirmed that there is no trace of the curse on my daughter. I would like to thank the Black Witch for her help. Sir Merlin, do you know where she went?"

"It's rare... the teacher didn't ask for payment."

"Did the "Black" Witch leave?"

Merlin nodded in acknowledgement, then smiled and teased.

"Don't think she's a helpful person. I guess she forgot. If she remembered, she wouldn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for emptying the vault."

King Andrew sighed. He would remember Angelica's kindness. However, based on Merlin's understanding of Angelica, out of face concerns, Angelica probably would not come back to ask for compensation. Anyway, she had plenty of ways to make money.

After readjusting his mood, King Andrew invited Merlin.

"I am planning to hold a banquet tonight to celebrate my beloved daughter's removal of the curse. What do you think, Lord Merlin?"

"As for me...I'll just forget it."

Merlin waved his hand, still staring at where Angelica had left.

Although the fact that Ecclesia was cursed was not made public, the nobles never needed a special excuse to hold a banquet, and enjoyment was always an indispensable part of the nobles' lives.

"Well, how about I ask the servants to bring the cakes and tea here?"

"Oh?"

"If you have something on your mind, Lord Merlin, I don't mind being the one to confide in."

The people of the Kingdom of Pilsen have always been curious about why Merlin, the flower magician, never married. This was also a question King Andrew once wondered - now, he knows the answer.

If a person has something in his heart, it is normal to wait for an impeccable ending. Just as Andrew is unwilling to give up his wife, he has a family composed of impeccable love, so he can understand Merlin.

Once upon a time, Merlin could always be the protagonist at the banquet, and the suave flower magician could always make the ladies at the banquet smile comfortably. There is no doubt that Merlin is not an ascetic, and there is only one reason for his choice: the position he expects will only be a specific person, and even if there is no response in the end, he will not let anyone replace him.

In Merlin's opinion, a marriage that is just for the sake of getting by is disrespectful to the other party. Besides, there is no one who can replace them, and there never has been.

The magician, understanding the king's good intentions, laughed heartily, as if he had returned to his ignorant days in the past.

"If His Majesty the King does not mind boring past events, then there is no harm in talking about them."

The old magician watched over the kingdom he was loyal to. He was in high spirits and told the king the unknown past in his old voice.

"When I first met the teacher, I was only as high as her chest—"

10 [The Witch and the Revengeful Girl]

——Or just go home.

"I'm so hungry...I can't afford to eat..."

After leaving the Kingdom of Pilsen, the witch lady quickly fell into a depression. Because she had been living in seclusion in the Misty Mountains, isolated from the world, Angelica had no need to make money.

In the end, it was because I left in such a hurry that I forgot to ask the bearded king for his reward...

"Anyway, the destruction of the world has nothing to do with me. I really miss the warm kotatsu at home..."

Angelica kept muttering like a nagging woman. Gradually, a town could be seen ahead of the avenue. The witch regained her spirits, hoping to find a place to make money in the town.

puff-

"Eh?"

There was a dull sound coming from the woods nearby, as if something had fallen heavily.

Adhering to the fine tradition of never leaving empty-handed and stripping the robbers of all their valuables every time she took the risk of knocking them out, Angelica pushed aside the bushes, just in case she could pick up something cheap.

Behind the bushes was a flat area in the forest. Someone had dug a huge pit in the middle. The outer edge of the pit was painted with strange patterns in animal blood, woven into the pattern of a magic circle. Angelica jumped around the bloodstains like hopscotch and glimpsed into the pit.

The witch lady and the disheveled girl in the pit looked at each other.

I didn't faint. It's a pity that I can't loot the loot with tears in my eyes.

Angelica was about to say goodbye and leave, but the girl in the pit immediately screamed.

"Please, please wait a moment! Can you rescue me?"

After thinking for a while, Angelica used magic to rescue the girl from the pit. The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old. Although her hair was a little disheveled because she fell into the pit, it was still obvious that she had no shortage of suitors.

"Thank you. Then...as expected, you are..."

"I am not the demon you summoned."

Angelica decisively rejected the girl's guess. The patterns of magic circles are unique, and even a slight change will lead to completely different results. It is very difficult to identify the effects of every magic circle in the world, but Angelica can do it with her experience.

"How is that possible? You know I'm summoning a demon..."

"I just happened to recognize your magic circle. It was poorly drawn, so I can only give it 30 points at most. I am a witch, the "black" witch Angelica. Also, although it has nothing to do with me, the demon you want to summon, Agalia Rept, is essentially an extremely dangerous guy. I don't know what you are going to do, but I suggest you don't try it again."

"…No, I have to summon the devil."

"But you failed. I guess you fell in because you wanted to confirm whether the summoning was successful, right?"

According to the correct process of the ritual, the pit will change into a passage connecting to hell, and the devil will come out of the passage to the world, but the magic circle drawn by the girl is extremely crude and does not meet the requirements at all.

"I need the power of the devil. To avenge me."

The girl's green eyes burned with an unwavering flame of hatred.

"You said you are a witch? I heard that witches also possess powerful magical powers. Since you can't summon demons, asking a witch for help will have the same result, right?"

"Who knows? I have no reason to help you..."

"I'm willing to pay any price! Even if it means losing everything I own!"

"Wish us happy cooperation."

The witch lady seemed to have triggered a keyword system and immediately put on an earnest smile. She didn't care about the mud on the girl's palm at all and shook hands with the girl to show her friendship.

After a brief understanding, Angelica learned that the girl's name was Flora, and she was a resident of the town of Gra ahead. When Flora was very young, her father abandoned his family and disappeared, leaving Flora and her mother to depend on each other.

Flora, who grew up in a single-parent family, has great respect for her mother who raised her alone. However——

"My mother was murdered, and I want to avenge her. As you can see, I don't know any magic, so I can only turn to the secret book of summoning demons bought from the merchant. To be honest, I have some doubts that I have been cheated..."

The two of them traveled together to the town of Gera, and Flora frankly told Angelica her purpose. Angelica wanted to tell Flora that the method was correct and that the failure to summon was purely a technical problem, but she thought it was unnecessary.

Gera is a simple and ordinary town with good public security and pleasant scenery. Although it lacks unique food and other memorable features, the residents of the town are not dissatisfied. In a sense, Gera should be considered a good place for retirement. On the one hand, the air here is fresh, and the second reason is...

"Good afternoon. Are you going to Dr. Rothschild's to recuperate today?"

"Yes, my appointment is for this afternoon. Thanks to Dr. Rothschild, my joints are finally no longer painful on rainy days..."

There were two women chatting on the side of the road, but when they saw Flora, they quickly stopped talking and tactfully stepped aside.

Flora's face was gloomy, as if just hearing that name was enough to arouse Flora's anger.

The second reason why nearby residents like to move to Gera for retirement is that there lives a doctor named Rothschild in Gera who is very famous in the area. It is said that his medical skills are good enough to be hired as a private doctor by nobles. However, Dr. Rothschild is not greedy for money and has declined many invitations from nobles. The clinic he opened in Gera charges quite low fees, which most ordinary families can afford.

"…It's a lie. We have all been deceived by that devil in human form."

Flora commented after returning home, but Angelica's expression was not very good.

"Look, Flora. Isn't there too little furniture in your house?"

It's not to the point of being penniless... but it's almost as poor as being destitute. The house itself may have some value, but there is almost nothing in the house. There are only some minimum living furniture, such as a bed and a table. It seems that there is not even a chair.

"It's all that bastard Rothschild's fault... Ugh... cough, cough, cough, cough——!"

Flora gritted her teeth, her face suddenly changed, she covered her mouth and began to cough violently, and it took a long time for her to calm down.

"I will not break my promise. As long as you can avenge me, I will..."

"Will you sell your house to pay me?"

"I'll sell you my soul."

"What use do I have for your soul?"

"But this is the only reward I have."

Flora spread out her palms helplessly, as if she was determined to make a deal with Miss Witch not based on what she wanted but on what she had.

11. Premeditated Murder in a Small Town

Angelica simply sat down on the table.

"You actually want to continue living intact, right?"

"what?"

"It's easy to get a dagger, an axe, or similar weapons. I heard a lot of people talking about Dr. Rothschild on the way. He should be a celebrity here. He seems to be of a certain age, but he's not married. Judging from his reputation, Dr. Rothschild probably doesn't have a bodyguard."

"Gera Town is a safe city, and having a sheriff is enough."

"So your real purpose is not only to kill Dr. Rothschild, but also to allow you to escape unscathed and continue to live. Miss Flora, I must say that your demands are very greedy, aren't they?"

Flora was silent for a while. It seemed that Angelica was mocking her. How could she take advantage of everything? But after thinking deeply, Flora agreed with Angelica's statement.

"I have to admit that I was angry, because I hope to restore the old days. A long time ago, my father abandoned my mother and me and ran away from home. Everyone in Gla Town is very kind. With their help, we got through the most difficult years, but everything was ruined by that man."

Flora decided to reveal the whole story. Since she wanted Angelica's help in revenge, she couldn't hide anything.

"A few years ago my mother got a strange disease... She kept coughing and was getting weaker and weaker. We went to see that guy and the medicine he gave her was very expensive, and we couldn't afford it at all."

"You need medicine to see a doctor. Different medicines have different prices. That's normal."

"Huh...we thought so at first."

Flora said angrily.

"Five years! Five years! Mother's condition didn't get better at all. That guy kept prescribing us ineffective and expensive medicines, trying desperately to squeeze our value dry! All the furniture in our house was sold over the years to pay for Mother's medical treatment... But in the end, that devil thought we couldn't afford any more money, so he chose to poison Mother to death."

"what?"

Angelica was slightly stunned. So Dr. Rothschild is actually a murderer?

"Why don't you go find the governor? Isn't the security in Gra Town pretty good?"