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Who do adventurers blame for losing their companions?

It was an obvious fact that could be easily understood with just a little thought.

They started pointing fingers at us; no, rather, they began their criticisms.

While it was true that we saved their lives, it was inevitable that they would suspect us for having a conversation with the Witch of the West.

Life savior and fellow killer.

The two titles that utterly did not match mixed together as they began to question us.

We still couldn’t escape this dark forest.

“You seem to be on familiar terms with the Witch of the West.”

“Well, it’s true we are acquainted. However, I did not intend to cause this situation.”

“…You knew beforehand that a witch would appear here, didn’t you? Yet you said nothing.”

Skylar glanced at me, but honestly, I couldn’t think of any words that would resolve this situation.

There was nothing I could do even if he looked at me like that. For now, all I could do was wait for Skylar to somehow resolve this.

Unaware of my complicated feelings, the adventurer leading the charge bombarded Skylar with troublesome questions.

Was it perhaps a trait among adventurers to revere the elderly? The one pretending to lead them had a striking white beard and an impressive head of white hair.

The hardened calluses on his hands clearly proved his skill as an adventurer, but that was a separate issue.

What we needed right now wasn’t the ability to observe our opponents but rather the ability to persuade them.

‘Just a moment ago, I was spouting words without hesitation, but now…’

Actually, that was only a secondary reason. To be honest, I secretly wished for Skylar to be in a slightly more difficult situation… a wicked desire.

I had always been the one asking him for help, but now that our roles were reversed, an inexplicable feeling began to bubble up from my chest. It felt ticklish.

While I was feeding my twisted desires, their conversation continued on.

“Let’s make a pact.”

“…Alright.”

“From now on, we swear that we will not speak falsehoods in the following exchanges. In return, we will wager our lives. Will you agree?”

“Yes.”

Skylar burned a scroll from his pocket, and the old adventurer and Skylar were bound together by an invisible chain of magic.

The life-or-death questioning began.

“What is your relationship with the Witch of the West?”

“Family.”

“…What was the reason for meeting the Witch of the West?”

“To put it precisely, I didn’t meet her on purpose, but I judged that this was the only method to solve a serious problem my body has.”

“What kind of problem?”

“I can’t use magic because I have no heart.”

“Alright. So, was it your intention to bring us here?”

“Yes.”

A few adventurers listening to Skylar’s blunt response shot him fierce glances. Some of the more impatient ones even reached for their weapons.

However, their movements were halted by the adventurer conversing with Skylar.

“Let’s hear more.”

“……”

“Did you expect your companions to die?”

“No.”

“Are you sure you had no intention of leading us into a trap?”

“Yes.”

The chains remained unmoved. It proved that what Skylar said was true.

A few of the adventurers watched Skylar’s scroll with suspicious eyes, but unfortunately, they could find no suspicious evidence.

After all, it was already acknowledged that there were no issues with Skylar’s [Pact] by the other magician present.

Now they had lost their grounds.

“Old man, you’re not thinking of letting them go, are you?”

“There was no intention to kill. This was a request we chose ourselves, and everything that happens here is our responsibility.”

“…That’s a shaky argument.”

“Unfortunately, the Adventurer’s Guild will bear responsibility for this matter, but it is unacceptable for one adventurer to kill another for no reason.”

There were shootings of discontented gazes and others who still eyed Skylar with suspicion.

However, they weren’t the kind of scoundrels to kill someone for no reason. The profession of an adventurer highly values trust among peers.

It wasn’t a profession someone with a mediocre mindset could casually enter.

They may seem rough on the surface, but once you get a little closer, they quickly show themselves to be kind. That’s what adventurers were like.

“However, the fact that you claim to be family with the Witch of the West is a bit strange.”

“……”

Skylar, who had been skillfully answering questions until now, immediately shut his mouth in silence at the seasoned adventurer’s remark.

“The Witch of the West first began her activities over 150 years ago. If you are family with such a beast, how old are you?”

—That was something I was curious about too.

Skylar had seemed to be hiding his age and background, and his behavior didn’t match that of a child’s appearance. Sometimes he even felt like an old man.

To be honest, I realized I knew too little about Skylar.

It was a fleeting thought, but I found myself doubting whether we were truly comrades.

Just as my mind was muddled, a sharp whisper reached me.

I didn’t even need to check. It was from Skylar.

‘Selina.’

‘…Yes.’

‘I plan to reveal to them that I was a host body.’

‘What?’

‘Since I no longer possess a host body, there’s no risk of being attacked by them. It’s a well-known fact that the host is immortal, so they would surely understand.’

‘Isn’t that dangerous?’

‘Right now, I’d be safer than you, who are exposing your pink eyes so boldly, right?’

In the end, I accepted Skylar’s opinion.

Because I couldn’t think of a better suggestion than his.

“I once possessed a host body. But now it’s been taken from me.”

“If that’s the case…”

“Yes. Thanks to that, I live in this body, which neither ages nor grows old. Does that clarify how I am related to the Witch of the West?”

Technically, there was still an unresolved question.

How is it that Skylar continues to exist as a child even after his heart was taken?

‘…I don’t know.’

I wasn’t the only one who noticed this fact. If it was a simple fact that I could discern, then everyone present had noticed it too.

Yet the reason they didn’t press any further was probably because talking more would make them seem foolish.

I proved that it wasn’t my intention for there to be a sacrifice here and that I wasn’t on the same side as the Witch of the West.

I realized that it would be better to quickly head to the Adventurer’s Guild and demand accountability and compensation rather than waste valuable time in this awkward forest.

—And how much I could sell the information of a human who once hosted a body to the Adventurer’s Guild.

How much could I get for selling the information of a suspicious sorcerer who is family with the Witch of the West?

I must have been calculating in my heart.

With no assurance that they could suppress Skylar and me without any sacrifices, they couldn’t take that gamble either.

One thing they likely didn’t know was that Skylar had connections.

A platinum adventurer, a strong backup who could pressure the guild to prevent our information from spreading.

It seemed the best move would be to contact Nisha when I returned.

“…I have something to say before we disband.”

“Go ahead.”

“I am an adventurer aiming for a gold badge, and even now, in this aging body, I have not given up.”

“……”

“In a year, if I become a gold badge adventurer, I will be waiting for all of you in this city.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since my life isn’t long, I have a goal now.”

“…What?”

“To be honest, I wanted to retire comfortably, but meeting such overwhelming strength inevitably causes my heart to race.”

Adventurers are always chasing after dreams or abstract concepts like stars.

That’s why they are called adventurers.

The old adventurer’s eyes sparkled like stars.

It was a somewhat sudden declaration, but no one refuted his words.

Everyone harbored a little desire to “die cool.” It was because they had such a longing for those who might resemble suicidal hopefuls that they chose the profession of adventurer.

In the end, a few of the adventurers remained, toasting to the “subjugation of the Witch of the West.”

The request to defeat the Witch of the West was a platinum request—one that couldn’t be accepted unless they became gold badge adventurers. How many of us would gather in this spot again in a year?

It was a story unrelated to us.

*

The second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild.

I immediately lay down on the bed.

Thanks to Skylar, I could now lie on a bed made of soft fabric rather than cheap material.

Just closing my eyes for three seconds felt like I would fall asleep immediately.

“Well, at least things turned out well.”

“Yes.”

“…There’s a mountain of things to say, though.”

Skylar averted his gaze with an expression of difficulty.

I turned my eyes to him, channeling my magic to look him directly in the eye.

“Skylar.”

“…Yes.”

“Shall we have a talk?”

The number one scariest thing for a man to hear from a woman just slipped out of my lips.