Chapter 158 – Let’s Be Friends
“Everything’s going as expected.”
The elderly n traveling with us were artisans, respected figures in their villages.
“M-Master Blacksmith!”
“Grandfather! Huweeeng!”
“…Oh! Gods above!”
As soon as the artisans jumped off the wagons with faces full of emotion, so of the rescued villagers imdiately recognized them.
Fellow villagers. Neighbors.
Seeing familiar elders step forward to reassure them, the expressions of the captives noticeably softened.
As their tension eased, emotions they had desperately suppressed burst forth.
Relief at having survived.
Grief for those who had perished.
Hope that they might be reunited with lost family mbers.
Tears flowed freely as sorrow, joy, and relief mixed together.
“Huweeeng…”
“…Why are you crying like that? You’re scaring .”
“Just… because it’s sad.”
Sniffling for a mont, Lily quickly pulled out her mirror and started inspecting her face, muttering about needing to be careful of wrinkles.
Even after spending days together, I still couldn’t fully grasp her personality.
The great witch who had awakened as a harbinger of calamity after witnessing the deaths of her loved ones… and the Lily standing before now…
They were worlds apart.
But still—
‘She looks happy.’
A bit naive and untouched by darkness.
I suddenly felt an urge to protect this version of her.
Reading about her descent into despair, witnessing her beco twisted by grief, curses, and rage in the novel had always filled with pity.
Now, looking at her, I felt an odd sense of relief.
While I was lost in thought, the artisans followed their instructions and began persuading the villagers.
With them taking the lead, we didn’t even need to ntion Lochter Felice’s na—everything fell into place naturally.
Before long, one of the artisans cautiously approached .
“The persuasion is complete.”
“Well done. You’ll need money, so take the people and start gathering valuables from the corpses.”
“Understood. But… um…”
“Is sothing wrong?”
The old man glanced anxiously toward the battlefield.
Following his gaze, I saw Keros, the massive black-furred beast, casually licking the blood off his front paws.
…Yeah, I could understand why that would be unsettling.
With shredded corpses strewn around him, he was practically radiating dominance—his posture scread “This is my territory.”
It almost felt like he was protesting to .
‘at.’
At my gesture, Keros sprang to his feet, causing the surrounding people to shriek and back away in terror.
I pulled a soft chunk of at from my pouch and hurled it toward the opposite end of the forest.
Swoosh—off goes the at.
“Kuhng!”
With a monstrous growl, Keros dashed after it, disappearing in an instant.
I turned back to the old man with a smile.
“He’s my pet dog. Don’t worry, you can begin.”
“O-Oh… Alright…”
A short while later, under the artisans’ direction, the villagers began scavenging valuables from the dead hunters.
anwhile, the children, left behind near the wagons, huddled together in silence—until one of them suddenly lit up with excitent.
“L-Look! A puppy!”
“Huh? It really is!”
“So cute!”
Keros, having transford into his small Shiba Inu form, was sprinting toward Lily.
But the mont the kids sward toward him—he screeched to a halt and bolted into the forest.
Oh no, you don’t.
I grabbed him by the scruff and carried him over to the children.
He flailed like a rabid dog, but when Lily arrived, he gave up and slumped onto the ground in surrender.
No doubt about it—he was incredibly popular with kids.
It was amusing how differently people reacted to him depending on his form.
Perception really was a terrifying thing.
I handed out Keros’s "special treats" to the children and surveyed the area.
The scavenging was nearly complete.
A massive pile of collected wealth sat in one spot, ready for distribution.
Although many hunters had fled, limiting the loot, there was still enough to help the villagers settle in Blyer.
“U-Um… This is just a small token, but…”
“No need. Hold onto the extra gold and use it only when absolutely necessary.”
“Thank you… truly, thank you. Even in my old age, I will find a way to repay this debt.”
“Just make sure the rumors spread.”
The artisans bowed deeply before departing.
The villagers mounted the hunters' horses and wagons and began their slow journey toward Blyer.
To avoid drawing attention, they set out one or two at a ti, disappearing into the forest at intervals.
By dawn, most of the wagons had vanished.
Only one remained.
The last wagon halted beside before departing, and the oldest artisan among them spoke.
“…May I ask for your na?”
He was their representative.
Asking for my na? That was unexpected.
But revealing my presence in this plan was not an option.
The entire operation hinged on turning Lochter Felice into a hero.
I simply smiled and shook my head.
The old man sighed regretfully, took the reins… then hesitated.
Sothing seed to cross his mind.
“That red crow you showed last night…”
The old man was the most skilled blacksmith among the captives.
So, when he saw Howell’s Red Crow, he had a vague idea of what tal it was made from.
Damascus Steel.
I had previously asked if it could be reforged into a different shape, and the answer had been no.
But now… was there sothing else he wanted to say?
I waited expectantly.
“Damascus Steel is difficult to reshape once it takes form. However, I’ve heard that the Dwarves’ Artifact Smithing Technique might offer a solution.”
“…Artifact Smithing?”
“Yes. Are you familiar with it?”
For a mont, Dorneth Gader’s artifacts flashed through my mind, but without certainty, I shook my head.
“Where did you hear this?”
“From my master, long ago. I only just rembered… Oh, by the way, do you know the aning of ‘Damascus’?”
“…It has a aning? Isn’t it just a na?”
“Damascus is an ancient word. It ans ‘Unyielding Will.’ That’s why the tal is so strong and stubborn.”
Unyielding Will?
A na flashed through my mind.
- [Lochter Felice – The Knight of Betrayal (None)]
- [Master of Swordsmanship]
- [Fundantals Master]
- [Unyielding Will]
One of Lochter’s divine na titles matched the aning of Damascus Steel.
Coincidence?
Or fate?
“Thank you for the information.”
I had a lead.
Once we reached Beneta, I needed to investigate this smithing technique further.
Before questioning Dorneth Gader about Damascus forging, I also had to retrieve the other Red Crow blade—the one Fenry Chaser had taken.
The last wagon disappeared into the distance.
Everyone had departed for Blyer.
Only Lily and I remained.
She tugged at my sleeve, eyes gleaming.
“I played with the kids. That ans I won’t age, right?”
“…Yes. You won’t age today.”
“Yay~”
Lily had completely bought into the idea that playing with children would prevent her from aging. She had even offered Keros as a sacrificial playmate to the kids, playing with them as if it were so sacred ritual.
Does she never doubt anything I say?
“Where are we laying out the picnic mat? You said we’d open the basket after so post-al exercise. Isn't the exercise over now?"
Well, if you count slaughtering hunters as exercise, then yes.
What a brutal picnic this had been.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
“A lot…”
“Then let’s eat. You have to refuel after moving so much.”
“Where are you going?”
“The scenery here is a bit... grim, don’t you think?”
“I’m fine with it.”
What do you an, ‘fine’?
She wanted to spread out a picnic mat in the middle of a pile of severed limbs and bloodied corpses?
At tis like this, she really did seem like the Great Witch she was ant to be…
“The sun is quite strong, isn’t it? Your face might get sunburned.”
“That’s unacceptable!”
“Let’s move over there.”
Leaving the warm morning sunlight behind, we entered the dense forest.
Trailing behind us, Keros trudged along with a dead-eyed expression, as if he had lost all hope in life.
Oh, right. I forgot about him for a mont.
Grrrrrr…
"Are you thinking of biting ?"
Keros was aggressively chewing on the piece of at I had given him, but at my approach, he glared at and growled lowly.
I had simply wanted to pat his head because he looked cute while eating… but he looked ready to take my entire wrist off.
“Here, have another.”
“Woof!?”
The mont I placed another piece of at on the ground, he imdiately buried his snout into it.
I took the opportunity to quickly rub his head.
Once the at was gone, he growled at again and glared.
At this point, I was pretty sure he was growling just to get more food.
I didn’t know the exact reason, but unlike Lily, Keros was absolutely addicted to the enchanted at infused with holy power.
It seed like the purifying energy had so effect on the at, which made it highly appealing to him.
Either way, this ant I had an excellent way to bribe him.
Who would’ve thought I’d end up using holy power for sothing like this?
I tossed him another piece.
While I was busy bonding with Keros—
“Ugh, I’m stuffed. I can’t eat another bite.”
Lily shook out the now-empty basket and patted her stomach.
And with that, our very short and very violent picnic ca to an end.
As she flopped down on the mat, I yanked it away just in ti.
Letting her head hit the ground would be bad.
She rolled over and squinted up at in irritation.
“What was that for?”
“You ate, so now you should move.”
“You eat, then you sleep.”
“Here? On the cold ground? That’s bad for your skin.”
“…What?”
“If we walk just a little farther, we’ll reach a village. A soft, comfortable bed is waiting there.”
Hearing that, I turned and started walking ahead.
After a mont of hesitation, she followed right behind .
People said Lily Base was soone you should never provoke.
But honestly?
She was probably the easiest person to deal with.
***
As we walked slowly through the forest, I decided it was ti to ask.
"When are you planning to return to the forest?"
“…Forest??”
"If you left alone, won’t the other witches be looking for you?"
“Hmm… I’ll stay with you for now.”
“…Why?”
“Because you cook well?”
I chuckled and turned to face her.
“Karl told . You left the forest because of .”
At that, Lily’s brow furrowed.
She mumbled sothing under her breath, starting with ‘That ugly, frail old man…’
Yeah. She was definitely cursing Karl.
Sowhere, Karl was probably feeling an inexplicable itch in his ear.
“I want to hear the real reason.”
“Reason?”
“Why did you co looking for ?”
This was an important question—one I had thought over for quite so ti.
Because this wasn’t part of the original story.
Her decision had completely altered the plot.
Why had she sought out?
“My heart told to.”
If anyone else had said that, it would have sounded like a child’s nonsense.
But I didn’t dismiss her words.
Her heart had led her here…
‘The Truth of Witches.’
A witch’s actions were never random—there was always a reason.
Which ant her coming to wasn’t re coincidence.
‘The only one who can protect the Thousand-Year Tree.’
As much as it sounded like bragging, it was true.
I was the only one who could change the fate of the witches.
And yet, Lily had co to without even knowing why.
“Now I understand why the mages are so desperate to exterminate witches.”
The mages—the self-proclaid center of the world, the chosen ones who placed themselves above all others.
But witches possessed sothing mages could never have.
An almost divine intuition.
A power that brought forth chaos and unpredictability.
For mages, who relied on logic and strict conclusions, this ability was a fatal weakness.
Lily silently gazed at .
Her clear black eyes held no hidden motives.
Eyes as srizing as the stars, the kind you couldn’t help but want to keep looking at.
And then, she blinked—and suddenly extended her hand.
“Let’s be friends.”
“…Is this also sothing your heart told you to do?”
“Yeah. Just now. Right this mont.”
“I’d like to see the Thousand-Year Tree.”
“You can. If you beco my friend.”
“Friends with a witch…”
The mont I took her hand, I would officially beco an enemy of the mage society.
A direct confrontation with one of the main factions of the novel.
A decision that would put my life on the line.
But my hesitation was brief.
“If we beco friends, will you also tell my divine nas?”
“As long as you’re willing to sacrifice your lifespan.”
“…Nice to et you, friend.”
She was the only one who could reveal the details of my divine titles.
And as for the mages?
There was never a future where I could side with them.
Because the one destined to work with them…
Was Kal Blazer.
He held a bargaining chip that the mages couldn’t resist.
“The secret to breaking the Phantom Forest’s barrier.”
If I wanted to protect Ordor Forest, I had to take him down first.
And for that, destabilizing Blyer was crucial.
‘By now, everyone should be heading toward Blyer.’
Lochter, Karl, and Elton’s groups.
Before we could overthrow the ruling powers, there was groundwork to be done.
Lochter’s legend needed ti to spread, so I planned to gather everything necessary beforehand.
In three days, we would reunite at the Hill of Wailing.
‘Please, just stay stuck in Etor until then.’
There was one person who made uneasy, even when he wasn’t in sight.
I thought of Kal Blazer.
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