Chapter 193 – Free of Charge
"I’m listening."
deia continued speaking.
The conditions were more nurous and detailed than I had anticipated, making the discussion drag on. However, I didn’t interrupt and instead made sure to absorb every detail.
My mind was working at full speed in real-ti.
After organizing the conditions, I realized they could be boiled down to three main points.
"You want to investigate the Millennium Tree?"
"More precisely, we want you to share any new discoveries you make."
"Isn’t the Millennium Tree the sacred tree of the witches? Shouldn’t you, Elder, know the most about it?"
"I’m curious to see what the tree has not permitted to us witches."
"I am not a devotee of the gods."
"I am aware."
"Wouldn’t it be better to bring in capable individuals to study its divine na instead—"
"No."
deia’s response was firm.
"The Millennium Tree is both our sanctuary and our barrier. We cannot entrust it to outsiders."
That ant they trusted .
Becoming friends with Lily seed to have had a greater impact in witch society than I had expected.
"I might co up empty-handed."
"That’s fine."
"Understood."
I accepted the first condition without hesitation.
Reto was also interested in the Millennium Tree, and I was personally curious about this new developnt that wasn’t in the novel.
Besides, this condition gave a free pass to investigate the tree without suspicion, which worked entirely in my favor.
"The real problem is the second condition..."
Cooperating in a blood feud.
And, of course, the target of this revenge was Demtor.
After a brief mont of contemplation, I gave my response.
"I’ll accept it conditionally."
"Conditionally? There is no room for negotiation in a blood feud."
The witch seated at the far-right end of the table responded in a cold voice.
She seed to harbor a deep hatred for Demtor.
"Mages are people too. They can beco enemies, but they can also beco allies."
"Utter nonsense!"
"Demtor is practically a nation. There are children living there. Do you intend to slaughter all of them?"
"Do you not think those very children will grow up to point their blades at our throats?"
"Which is why revenge is an endless cycle. One side has to be the one to break it. I have no intention of aiding a blood feud against all of Demtor."
"Then forget the alliance!"
"Natasha!"
deia’s sharp reprimand made the witch, now identified as Natasha, clench her fists tightly and lower her head slightly.
‘Natasha?’
That was the most familiar na among the Dorta witches.
Giant Natasha.
Contrary to her title, she wasn’t particularly tall—her build was slim and lean.
As her wide-brimd hat lifted slightly, her fierce gaze t mine, making instinctively lean back.
This was the second-most intimidating presence I had felt, just after Fenry.
"Damn, another scary woman."
She was quite literally a real brawler.
If she hit properly, no amount of resilience would save .
She was the only witch who rejected magic in favor of pure physical combat—infamous for beating mages to death with her bare fists.
"There’s even a curse among mages: ‘May you run into Natasha!’"
She was the second most well-known witch in Demtor, right after Lily.
"It was an unreasonable request from the start."
"Then you must have prepared a compromise."
At my suggestion of a compromise, deia clicked her tongue briefly.
I wasn’t soone to be underestimated.
The title ‘Leader of Hunt’ wasn’t just for show.
"Two of Demtor’s Stars."
deia raised two fingers and continued.
"Grand Duke Bersen Clarke and Gram of the Black Tower—they must die."
"Ah, those two..."
I rested my chin on my hand, pondered for a mont, and then nodded.
"I can agree to that condition. Furthermore, anyone who supports those two will be considered an enemy of Hunt."
"Good. I like decisive n."
"I like to go all in when I commit. What about you, Natasha?"
"Hmph!"
Natasha scoffed with her arms crossed, but since she didn’t continue arguing, it seed like she was satisfied with the compromise.
And the third condition.
I nodded without a second thought—internally shouting ‘Thank you!’
After the negotiations ended, and once Alex had left the cabin, a brief silence lingered around the round table.
A mont later, one of the Dorta witches turned to deia.
The witch was Cordy, also known as ‘The Witch of Ten Thousand Ears’, the one responsible for gathering information in the forest.
Closing her eyes montarily, she listened intently to the sounds around her.
Once she confird that Alex’s footsteps had faded into the distance, she finally spoke.
"Do you truly intend to entrust Lily to that man?"
"Haven’t I already included it as the third condition? Lily will remain by that man’s side."
deia had observed Lily’s rapid growth, realizing that her abilities had progressed far more in a few months outside the forest than in all the years she had spent under the tutelage of the Dorta witches.
It beca clear to deia that they could no longer foster Lily’s growth under their protection.
"Laziness is a curse embedded in the soul, like an unshakable brand. It’s why Lily has no desire for learning and why she finds thinking itself to be ntally exhausting."
"She’s not called a sleepyhead for nothing."
"Exactly. ‘Laziness’ is a trial bestowed upon those born under the full moon’s fate. Because of their genius, they learn and understand everything easily, but that very laziness makes them abandon action at every turn."
deia turned her gaze toward the door Alex had left through.
"In just a few months, her sorcery has improved to a frightening degree. That ans she had a strong motivation pushing her to think and act."
"You’re saying that man is her motivation?"
"That girl, who only ever slept, sought out the owner of a divine na on her own. And she even brought him here as a friend. Isn't that reason enough?"
"I am worried. He’s her first real friend, isn’t he? He will undoubtedly greatly influence her values and worldview."
A human.
Cordy was uneasy because Alex was a human.
Witches had suffered countless betrayals at the hands of greedy humans.
Out of fear of losing power, out of desire for gain—
Witches had always been hunted by humans.
Cordy was afraid that Lily would start becoming like them.
Lily was their only hope.
"I believe this is the right choice."
"Natasha, didn’t you dislike that man? I saw your fists clench earlier."
"Hmph, I was just annoyed by his arrogance."
Frustrated, Natasha threw off her wide-brimd hat and ran her fingers through her hair.
Her short, crimson-tinged hair swayed slightly as it was revealed.
"We’ve talked about this before, haven’t we? The only way for Demtor to fall is if it collapses from within, or if Lily becos the legendary Great Witch."
"Both are nearly impossible."
"What do you think, Elder?"
At Natasha’s question, deia pondered briefly before shrugging.
"We’ll find out by watching."
"Exactly. We have to watch. And to ensure Lily doesn’t stray from the right path, soone must be by her side."
Natasha smirked and pointed at herself.
deia, understanding her intention, let out a quiet chuckle.
Sending Giant Natasha to accompany Lily…
It wasn’t a bad choice.
Her personality was hot-tempered, but there was no better witch to act as Lily’s guardian.
And since she was specialized in combat, it wasn’t like she had any important duties in the forest like the other Dorta witches.
"The real question is whether he will agree to this arrangent."
"If we fulfill his request regarding the Fruit of the Dead, he will accept the escort."
"Still, ten is too many, isn’t it?"
"We have more than enough."
"If that was the case, why didn’t you bring this up when he was setting his conditions?"
Just as the witches had set three conditions for the alliance, the man had also presented three of his own at the end of negotiations.
Back then, Natasha had been so outraged by his audacity that she had thrown her cup in frustration.
"I thought if I scared him a little, he’d back off and leave quietly. How dare he set conditions on us…"
"And yet, we have already granted two of them, and you’re now suggesting we grant his final request as well."
One of the conditions was allowing him access to the witches’ forge to refine tal.
The other was to keep the details of today’s negotiations a secret.
Neither request was difficult to fulfill, so they had been granted imdiately.
However, his final request regarding the Fruit of the Dead had been left pending.
Not because the fruit had any particular use, but because it was a rare fruit that only grew in the Ghostly Forest—too valuable to give away for free without so form of compensation.
"I’ll take the fruit to him and settle this personally."
"No fighting."
"Do you not trust ?"
No, they did not.
Natasha, despite her age, was considered to be in the sa category as Lily.
In the end, they quickly concluded that deia would accompany her later in the evening to finalize the matter.
***
"You… you succeeded in forming the alliance?!"
"It wasn’t easy."
"Kahahahaha! You never disappoint ! Well done! Truly well done!"
Dorneth, who had been anxiously chewing his fingernails in his quarters, burst into boisterous laughter when I delivered the news of the alliance.
"So, what’s the plan moving forward?"
"First off, we’ll be able to use Lily as part of our forces."
"T-The Witch of Terror…?! You struck one hell of a deal!"
"In exchange, we need to provide more than just gold."
"Of course! Bringing the Witch of Terror as an ally? We should be willing to give anything! What do they want?"
"Twenty pieces of dwarven-forged equipnt, personally crafted by you, Sir Dorneth."
"...Twenty of mine? Wait, why would witches even need tal weapons?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Hah… twenty… twenty, you say?"
I remained silent, then slowly rose to my feet with a solemn expression.
Looking down at him, I spoke in a dramatic tone.
"I’ve made a mistake."
"…What?"
"I should never have offered equipnt handcrafted by the Great Master Dorneth so carelessly. I will go back and refuse imdiately—"
"W-Wait! Hold on!"
Dorneth frantically waved his hands.
"Do you have any idea how petty witches can be? If you try to alter the conditions, you’ll anger them, and the alliance will collapse!"
"I will stake my life to protect it."
"No! I will personally provide my equipnt!"
He huffed and then crossed his arms, muttering under his breath.
"If I offer them gear made by my own hands, at least they won’t be able to complain later. Fine! When they arrive in Beneta, they can choose whatever they want from my forge."
"Sir Dorneth!"
I grasped his hands in mine and solemnly nodded.
"The greatest contributor to this alliance is you, Sir Dorneth."
"Haha, no, no, you deserve the credit."
"I rely negotiated with the materials you prepared. Please, allow the honor of announcing your sacrifice before everyone once we arrive in Beneta."
"Hahahaha! That’s unnecessary! We have already shared blood, haven’t we?"
"Are you sure about this?"
"I’ll just clear out so space in the square, no big deal."
"Sharbadin will be so proud of you."
"Hahahaha! HAHAHAHA!"
Seeing Dorneth laugh awkwardly, I laughed along with him.
Was it really this easy?
If we spent a few more days alone together, I felt like I could completely strip him bare.
I was starting to understand why Fenry got along so well with Dorneth.
Damn that greedy won.
He’d been skimming off the top all by himself!
"And since this deal is private, there's no risk of the terms leaking."
Equipnt personally crafted by Dorneth was top-tier.
It would be the perfect gear to arm Hunt’s forces—a fantastic opportunity to bolster my authority as their leader.
And the best part?
All of it was free.
At the thought of getting things for free, my mind suddenly drifted to Karl.
I wasn’t sure why.
But thinking about Karl made recall my comrades sleeping outside in the courtyard.
All ten thousand of them.
By now, they were approaching a full day of rest, aning they would soon awaken.
I needed to figure out what to do with them.
Then, suddenly, a question popped into my mind.
"Sir Dorneth, how exactly did you enter the forest?"
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