The Witch He Wasn't Looking For (1)
“Are you crazy?”
“.......”
The woman blinked, clearly taken aback by Vergil’s blunt response.
For a moment, the breeze caught her hat, and a strand of white hair slipped free before she hastily adjusted it again and cleared her throat.
“You misunderstand me. The disguise may be intentional, but I truly am a witch Lord Noah has employed to find you.”
“And? You’re still not the witch I’m looking for.”
She shook her head.
“That’s not the point. I can alter your appearance. Enough that you could pass through the Empire’s gates without raising suspicion.”
“.......”
It was worth considering. No, more than that, it was convenient to the point of being suspicious.
Vergil narrowed his eyes.
“Why is Lord Noah looking for me?”
“I don’t know. I was paid to find you. That’s all.”
Her bluntness left little room for interpretation, and that, somehow, made the offer even harder to trust.
Now that Vergil took a closer look and truly considered her appearance, his thoughts drifted back to the witches from the novel.
There had been several, but one in particular stood out.
A woman heavily hinted to be the female lead, only to be cruelly killed off by the author in the middle stages of the story.
“What’s your name?”
The woman blinked, momentarily caught off guard, like a confused cat.
“Amelia.”
“Amelia…”
The name clicked.
She was exactly that woman.
However, her hair was clearly white, despite being described as light-blue in the novel.
Even so, everything else aligned. Her aloof demeanor. The blunt way she responded.
The fact that her relationship with Noah had begun as nothing more than a contract.
All of it matched.
“Can you give me time to think about it? I have people traveling with me, and it would be better to discuss this with them.”
“I don’t particularly mind. The longer we take to return, the more my pay increases. Please, take your time.”
The conversation seemed to end there.
Vergil turned, preparing to head back, when Amelia suddenly crouched down and resumed whatever she had been working on among the roots and fallen leaves.
“Are you not coming with me?”
“Huh, no?”
How sassy.
“I came to this town for you, sure. But I came to this forest to gather ingredients.”
She brushed dirt from her gloves and continued picking through the undergrowth.
“I don’t get to travel this far very often. I can’t miss the opportunity.”
Vergil stared at her for a moment, then nodded.
Even in the novel, Amelia had been an unreadable woman.
But perhaps it was that certain quirk that made Noah fall for her.
* * *
“Huh.”
When Vergil returned to the temporary home they occupied, there was no one there.
Over the three months they had spent in town, Vergil had taken on various tasks for the locals.
Some paid him for daily labor, but more often than not, he was called on to drive away bandits.
Adam, meanwhile, had settled into work at the local bar, serving drinks while keeping his head down.
With that in mind, Vergil turned and headed toward the bar.
As he drew closer, raised voices spilled out into the street. A commotion? Another bar fight, perhaps.
He was just about to step inside when someone suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Don’t go in, Vergil..."
“What?”
Mary was there, clutching his hand with a terrified look.
“Papa said you should hide for the time being… Adventurers from the Empire have come…”
Vergil frowned.
Adventurers passed through towns all the time. And whenever they did, he made sure to stay out of sight as much as possible.
Of all people, adventurers were the most dangerous to be recognized by.
They traveled widely, gathered information easily, and were just as good at spreading it.
Still holding Mary’s hand, Vergil leaned closer to the saloon and peered inside through the doors.
Men stood around the counter loudly. One of them struck Adam across the head.
“Come on, just put it on my tab. I swear I’ll pay.”
“That’s really not for me to decide, sir…”
Everyone in town knew adventurers with tabs rarely paid.
Once they moved on, the debt vanished with them, and the one left holding the bill was always the bartender.
Adam would have to make up the difference out of his own pocket, no matter how unreasonable the demand was.
Inside the saloon, the mood had soured. Mugs rattled on the tables as voices grew louder.
One of the men leaned across the counter, looming over Adam.
“You people are lucky we even stop here. You think coin grows on trees for us?”
“Sir, I’ve already told you. If you don’t have the coin, I can’t serve you anymore.”
A sharp sound followed. Another strike to the side of Adam’s head.
“Mary. That’s your father.”
Mary’s face went even paler.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
She stared through the gap in the saloon doors, watching her father take the hit and remain standing anyway.
“I… Papa told me not to let you go in.”
Vergil didn’t look away from the scene inside.
“I know.”
Another mug slammed onto a table. The adventurers laughed, as if Adam’s pain was nothing more than a joke to them.
Mary’s fingers trembled around Vergil’s sleeve.
Through the open doorway, he saw Hannah rush forward from the side of the room, trying to intervene.
“Please. He already told you. We can’t put it on a tab.”
One of the adventurers scoffed and shoved the counter with his palm.
“Tch. Then stop serving drinks you can’t afford to lose.”
Another man approached, his eyes roaming over Hannah like a snake.
“Why so stiff? We’re just asking for a little leniency.”
He chuckled and reached out close to her waist.
“Come on. Maybe you can make it up to us another way. Have some fun with us, yeah?”
Hannah recoiled at once.
“D-Don’t touch me!”
The men laughed.
“Oho, feisty. Didn’t think a place like this would have someone this pretty.
Adam intervened.
“Get away from her!"
The adventurer turned and struck him again. Adam stumbled, barely catching himself on the counter.
“That your problem? Are you her boyfriend?”
Hannah clenched her fists, shaking.
“Please. Just leave... We don’t want trouble..."
Around her, the other waiters and bartenders were frozen in fear, unable to intervene.
Vergil let go of Mary’s hand.
“Mary. Let’s go to the next town, okay?”
“B-But Mama and Papa—”
“I know. Trust me.”
Perhaps it was time to leave this town.
Vergil had stayed far longer than he should have, anyway.
As he stepped forward, someone suddenly appeared beside Mary.
Mary gasped in surprise, lost her balance, and fell to the ground.
When she looked up, she found herself staring at a floating witch, hovering in the air with her eyes fixed on the scene.
“W-Who—”
“Shh. We’re getting to the good part.”
* * *
As they yanked Hannah by the hair, Vergil appeared behind them and seized the man’s head in return.
“Ugh! Let go—”
“Why? Have fun with me too, won’t you? Or do you discriminate by gender?”
He leaned in just enough for the man to hear him clearly.
“I was told I was quite good with my fingers. Care to try?”
“L-Let go of me, you freak!”
Vergil chuckled.
“Careful. You’re shaking. If anyone walks in right now, they might think you’re excited.”
Laughter died instantly around them.
Vergil slammed the man face-first into the counter. The impact sent a shock through the room.
Another adventurer lunged for him.
Vergil didn’t even turn.
He released the first man only long enough to move and drive his elbow into the attacker’s throat.
The man collapsed, choking and clutching at his neck as he hit the floor.
“What the hell?!”
Two more rushed forward.
Vergil’s fist snapped one man’s head sideways.
A knee drove into the other’s stomach.
The first staggered back into a table. Vergil shoved him the rest of the way, sending it crashing over with a crack.
The second swung wildly.
Vergil caught his wrist and twisted it.
“Oh, don’t be shy. You were so confident a moment ago.”
The man screamed as his grip failed. Vergil shoved him away like discarded trash.
Vergil reached down, hauled the original man upright by the collar, and turned him so he faced the people gathered.
“So, which one’s your boss?”
The man coughed, choking on blood and breath.
His pupils darted around the room, anywhere but at the faces staring back at him.
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
Vergil tightened his grip just enough to lift the man onto his toes.
“That wasn’t a question you’re supposed to answer creatively. Try again.”
The adventurer laughed weakly.
“We don’t have a boss… We’re just passing through…”
At that moment, someone rose from a corner seat.
The smell of cigarettes wafted through the air.
“Don’t bother, Michael. He’s not someone we can take on lightly.”
Vergil turned his gaze toward him.
The man looked older than the rest. Not by much, but enough to stand out.
The adventurer, Michael, sagged in Vergil’s grip.
“Boss—”
“I said don’t bother.”
He flicked ash to the floor and met Vergil’s eyes.
“We misjudged. That’s on us.”
Vergil released Michael and let him crumple to the ground.
“You’re the one in charge.”
“If you want to call it that.”
Vergil glanced once more at Hannah and Adam, then back at the man.
“Then you’re the one who explains why your people thought this was acceptable.”
The man took another slow drag from his cigarette before answering.
“Because people like us forget where they are. And sometimes they need to be reminded.”
His eyes turned briefly to the bodies on the floor, then returned to Vergil.
“Consider us reminded... Vergil.”
“You know who I am?”
“Yeah. You’re quite the celebrity in the underworld.”
The man took another drag from his cigarette, then exhaled.
“Prince Slayer. That’s what they call you.”
The entire bar went silent.
Several of the adventurers went pale. A few finally understood exactly how badly they had miscalculated.
Vergil glanced around the room. It was clear that some of the patrons recognized the title. He did as well.
After all, it was the crime etched under his name on every wanted poster.
It was only natural that travelers from distant lands would have seen it before.
Vergil turned and started walking toward the exit.
“Guess it’s time for me to move on to the next town.”
“Then let me repay the favor for not killing my men.”
Vergil stopped and looked back.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll give you one of our wagons. You wouldn’t want to cross the roads on foot, would you?”
* * *
As negotiated, there were no tricks. A wagon was quickly prepared for Vergil.
If there was ever a time to leave, it was now.
It wouldn’t be long before someone decided to snitch on him.
Hannah spoke up.
“Where are we headed, Sir Vergil?”
“Wait a second.”
Vergil paused, suddenly remembering something.
“Where the hell is that witch—”
He turned, and a face appeared out of nowhere.
“Dang. You were pretty cool.”
The witch floated in the air upside down, arms crossed, watching him with clear interest.
Vergil narrowed his eyes.
Flick——
“Ouch!”
And flicked her square on the forehead.
