How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 189

Chapter 189 – The Witch’s Gift

For countless years, Ordor Forest remained at peace under the protection of the Great Barrier – The Forest of Ghosts.

The witches built a great enclosure and found solace in rely surviving, their actions shaped by the horrific mories of the Witch Massacre.

A society that was inherently isolated.

That was why intruders rarely left the forest alive.

When the witches first detected the arrival of over ten thousand humans, they dismissed it.

They assud the Forest of Ghosts would wither them away within three days.

Yet, these humans did more than just enter the barrier.

They settled in the witches’ most treasured garden, acting as if they owned the place.

For the first ti in history, a grand assembly of witches was held.

According to the laws of the forest, the verdict was almost unanimous—

Kill them all.

But then—

"Woof—!"

"The Watchdog…?"

"Then… does that an Lily is here too?"

The mont Keros barked—revealing the presence of the missing Lily Base—the vote split in half.

After all, it was Lily who had safely led the humans into the forest.

One side insisted, "We must kill them."

The other said, "Let’s wait and see."

The hardliners acknowledged Lily’s existence but distrusted her judgnt.

The moderates believed in the fate of witches.

If Lily Base had brought these humans here, then there must be a reason.

After a full day of debate, when no decision could be reached, the final verdict was left to Elder deia.

["Subdue them. Then, we will judge them."]

And so, the decision was made—to restrain the intruders first.

As a result, through the widespread hypnosis currently in effect, they had successfully subdued every human without much difficulty.

All except one.

A single human, bathed in golden light.

***

"If you can read it, then go ahead. Read it."

At the man’s provocation, the Ordors exchanged glances.

They shook their heads.

A low murmur spread among them.

Even though they had easily deciphered Lochter Felice’s divine na, they couldn’t read a single line of the one in front of them.

This had only happened once before.

A recently awakened divine na.

A being shrouded in mystery.

Back then, all the witches had been deeply troubled.

It was Elder deia who had reassured them.

She had told them—

"There is only one witch who can read that divine na."

From those words, the witches could only think of two possible individuals.

Lily Base.

And Elder deia herself.

'If it’s the Elder…?'

Surely, she would be able to read his divine na.

The Ordors’ gazes turned toward deia, expecting her to crush the man’s arrogance.

But just then, the golden-lit man also turned toward the sa direction and spoke.

"Isn’t the ground cold? You might get a stiff neck."

"Enough with the act. We already know."

At his words, the frail old woman lying near Lily slowly rose to her feet.

Picking up her fallen staff, she patted her waist and looked up at him.

"How did you know I was a witch?"

"Lily told . She said witches have a certain scent."

"Lying with such a straight face. That doesn’t apply to those without a connection to magic."

"Let’s call it a trade secret."

"Tch. A fox has word its way into Lily’s side."

deia glanced down at Lily for a mont, then stepped forward.

With each tap of her staff on the ground, she closed the distance between them.

At her movent, every witch in the area raised their ritual tools and gathered their energy.

A tense standoff.

deia stopped a short distance away, smiled faintly, and held out her hand.

"Shall we shake hands?"

"If I refuse, I die, huh? Are you saying we should shake hands before we fight?"

"We are only cautious, not inherently cruel. The world made us this way."

"I simply wish to confirm sothing."

The man lightly grasped the Elder’s hand.

***

[I can’t read a single line of your Divine Na.]

That’s what Nella, the elven priestess, had once told .

So I had asked her—

"Where does your ability to see divine nas rank?"

Her response was:

["Among the elves, no one surpasses in reading divine nas."]

Among those blessed by the gods, her ability was top-tier.

After spending so much ti with Lily and discussing divine nas, I had co to a certain realization.

["Among the witches, I was the only one who could see Arthur’s divine na."]

There were very few people who could see my divine na.

Of course, exceptions existed.

The penalty of a divine na.

If soone had already witnessed one of my penalties, then it was possible they might see my divine na.

"If it’s direct contact, they might catch a glimpse."

Judging by their reaction, none of the witches had seen my divine na yet.

But touching was a different matter.

That was why Elder deia had asked for permission before shaking my hand.

Depending on the thod of approach, the barrier preventing them from seeing my divine na could be lowered.

- Thinking about the bearer of a divine na.

- Looking directly at the bearer.

- Receiving permission and making physical contact.

The third thod was the most accurate way to discern soone’s divine na.

Since divine nas could reveal weaknesses, their owners rarely permitted direct contact.

But in my case, I allowed it.

Because witches—though a minor force in the novel—

Were essential to my survival.

[XXXXXX – Divine Hunter (X)]

[XXXXXXX]

[The Siren’s Hymn]

[XXXXXXxx]

[Guide of Non-Humans]

[xxx xx(XX)]

[Leader of Hunt (X)]

"Looks like my ti is almost up."

deia let out a dry chuckle.

Even with direct contact, she could only see a few lines.

At first, she couldn’t read anything.

So even this was progress.

When one sees a divine na, they gain insight into that person’s path.

The road they’ve walked.

Their goals and convictions.

'Guide of Non-Humans…?'

At least, the divine na list she could read suggested he wasn’t an enemy.

‘Guide of Non-Humans’ ant he had earned the deep trust of non-human races.

And—

Hunt.

The witches were already well aware that in Beneta, the non-human alliance had accepted a human organization—Hunt— as one of their own.

The leader of Hunt.

A man personally brought by Lily Base, bound by a blood pact with the non-humans of Tobaron, who had long been allies of the witches.

Even for the insular society of witches, it seed reasonable to trust him.

"Why are you holding the Watchdog?"

"He’s a hostage. It would be troubleso if he suddenly attacked, wouldn’t it?"

Elder deia, who had stepped back slightly, looked at Keros, limp in my arms, and chuckled.

"That mutt is full of surprises. I thought he only followed Lily."

"What do you an?"

"You’re holding him, aren’t you? That’s the reason."

I was holding him.

In other words, he wasn’t actually being held hostage.

Realizing what she ant, I let out a small exclamation.

It wasn’t that I had caught him—

Keros had willingly let himself be held.

Now that I thought about it, it made no sense for the Watchdog of the Forest to have fallen under hypnosis in his own domain.

Hearing the Elder’s words, I realized—

All his barking and howling had been his way of trying to protect us.

"He’s sleeping well."

Dog or dog owner, they both fell asleep anywhere, anyti.

Still, for his unexpected loyalty, I decided to reward him with extra treats.

Because, honestly, I was grateful.

"How did you win over a magical beast? That’s not an easy feat."

"Trade secret."

"You’re quite the secretive human. But…"

Elder deia’s gaze swept over the garden.

The sound of soft groans filled the air.

The humans had lost consciousness, but their pained expressions revealed they were trapped in nightmares.

"You cannot keep secrets when it cos to why we should spare them."

"There is no secret. They ca here for two reasons."

"Two reasons?"

"To survive. And to fight."

At my words, deia’s brow furrowed.

"That has nothing to do with the forest. You won’t be able to convince all the witches."

"What if they’re fighting for the survival of the witches?"

"…Our survival?"

Her eyes were filled with skepticism.

Of course, it was hard to believe.

But I knew the future.

I could state it with certainty.

"In six months, the Forest of Ghosts will fall."

"Ha! And you expect us to believe that?"

"I brought proof. Once you see it, you’ll have no choice but to believe. Will you take a look?"

I stroked Keros' belly.

The reason I had taken care of him first wasn’t because he was a hostage.

Rather, inside him was sothing that would convince the witches.

A Van Dyke puppet— a powerful cursed effigy that stored vital information.

Elder deia was one of the witches who believed in fate.

She couldn’t ignore the fact that I was soone brought by Lily Base.

A human chosen by a Grand Witch, one who had inherited a great destiny.

She looked around.

Although this was Ordor Forest, we were at the border of the Forest of Ghosts.

And the witches were still on high alert, awaiting orders.

This wasn’t the right place for such an important conversation.

After a mont of thought, deia gestured for to follow her.

I let out a small sigh.

We had created an opportunity for discussion.

Now, all that was left was to persuade them.

I had cleared one hurdle.

"Follow ."

"I have a condition first."

"A condition?"

"Release them from hypnosis."

"That won’t happen until a decision is made."

"Then give them a dream instead. One day is all I ask."

"…A dream? You know quite a lot about witches. Do you have a witch among your companions?"

I did.

Not a person, but a novel.

Just as there existed hypnosis akin to a curse,

There was also the opposite.

A sweet happiness.

And this place—the Witch’s Garden—

It existed for a reason.

This was where witches ca to dream.

A sanctuary perfectly suited for hypnosis.

"Please."

"What an exhausting man to deal with."

deia waved her staff.

A massive vine coiled around Lily, cradling her gently as it followed deia’s movents.

She began to walk away—

But I didn’t move.

After a mont, she sighed and nodded.

"If you leave, the witches will take action."

"Thank you."

"A peaceful dream before death isn’t such a bad way to go."

"For soone with such a gentle face, you sure have a sharp tongue. That won’t happen."

As Elder deia and I left the garden, disappearing into the forest,

The witches began to erge.

Hundreds of them.

Following their elder’s command, they began casting enchantnts over the surrounding trees.

Fwoooosh—

Monts later, the trees shivered.

Like a rain shower, countless leaves fell from the branches—

One by one, they settled upon the foreheads of every human present.

As warm light radiated from the leaves, the garden began to glow.

The pained groans faded, as if they had never existed.

The twisted faces of the humans relaxed.

And then—they smiled.

The children wore pure, bright smiles.

The adults were calm, peaceful, content.

Karl rubbed his head, murmuring, "My head…"

The others, lost in their dreams, let out soft, dazed laughs.

The witches, pouring their energy into their ritual tools, wore strange expressions.

It had been far too long since a witch had last gifted a human with a happy dream.

A gift from the witches.

One of the Ordors silently watched Lochter.

"Reina… Bellin…"

When was the last ti he had smiled like this?

His once rigid face looked almost awkward now.

Lochter wore a peaceful smile.

"Let’s eat…"

A dream of his wife and daughter,

In the days when they were at their most beautiful.

A ti when they were together, happy.