Chapter 19

“Are you a witch?”

Myara, with a fierce expression, suddenly says that. She radiates a menacing aura as if she would kill me at any moment.

How did she know?

The thought crosses my mind just as an electric current zaps through my head.

‘Ah, it must have been when she used the Heavenly Oath earlier.’

She was trying to catch me.

Not to mention, Mirabel has awakened. She must be exuding the energy of a witch, which a Cleric like Myara would surely sense.

I thought I might get through this without an issue.

For now, I should deflect the situation.

“Haha, our Mirabel is great, but a witch? It’s not like that.”

“Really? That staff looks pretty good. Can I take a look?”

She sure has a sharp sense of intuition.

Getting out of this situation easily is out of the question.

“If Mirabel is a witch, what are you going to do about it? Are you planning to fight again with that body? Even if the entire Knights’ Order comes at her, it wouldn’t be easy~”

I smirked while leaning back in a defiant position.

There’s no need to be meek any longer.

The character with the highest potential in the story, Mirabel, has awakened as a witch. She is not someone a mere cleric can face.

“Really? But she doesn’t seem like a witch at all.”

Hmm?

Upon checking Mirabel’s state, I realize she has reverted back to a timid version of herself, not the one who was beating Myara mercilessly.

Could it be due to being away from the Magic Book?

If that’s the case…

“Hahahaha, just joking. Just a joke~”

“It’s too late.”

Sigh, what should I do?

Should I give Mirabel the Magic Book again?

Then, will we go on a mission to have daddy leave once more?

With my brain working in overdrive, Myara lets out a heavy sigh.

“Right, so that’s why she was shivering in front of us. I finally get it now. That’s why she looked at me like I was a murderer.”

Myara mutters with a complex expression. It sounded like she was talking to herself, mixed with feelings of regret.

The instinct of a slave trader.

This is an opportunity.

I can’t let it slip away.

“This child lost her parents just for being a witch and became a poor slave. Her life crumbled overnight. And she didn’t even commit any crime.”

“Are you trying to emotionally manipulate a Cleric right now? A witch?”

“Weaker people have to do this if they want to survive. That’s how the world works. And that’s how this child’s reality is.”

“…Hah, damn.”

Myara, who was glaring at me with discontent, swore and scratched the back of her head. Her face was twisted, as if she was entangled in an annoying matter, and she didn’t know how to untangle it.

She then let out her frustration in a sigh and glared at me once more.

“You knew she was a witch, didn’t you? But why are you keeping her around? You don’t know what kind of existence a witch is?”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know. It’s something everyone in the world is aware of.”

“Stop dodging the question and answer me.”

Myara’s narrowed eyes were reminiscent of a hawk’s gaze, as if trying to find prey in the field. She was trying to uncover my hidden agenda.

I don’t flinch. Instead, I laugh as if her question is silly.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable to be forced to conduct yourself a certain way just because you’re a Cleric? You might want to swear, talk informally, and throw a punch at people you suspect. You don’t have to act all proper to be a Cleric.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Witches are the same. While some witches carry out human experiments, there are also kind and cute witches. How unfair would it be to have your life threatened just because you’re a witch?”

“Stop beating around the bush and say it directly. What do you really want to say?”

The life of a slave trader relies on sharpness, yet here she is being meticulous.

I stepped forward, using Mirabel as a shield. Mirabel, facing Myara, was startled and leaned against me.

My stance was that I preferred slave traders over Clerics. I added a comment to Myara, who was looking at Mirabel with a complex heart.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s a witch or a demon. If she’s my slave, I will take full responsibility for her care, regardless of her identity. That’s how you raise a good slave. Once you start being picky, there’s no end to it.”

“Hah.”

Myara let out a sound of disbelief, even laughing lightly. It seemed my answer sat well with her.

I had done enough. All that was left was to wait for her response.

What choice would she make?

If she rounds up the knights to eradicate the witch, then that would be the end of the conversation. I would no longer be in a position to buy items.

I had to trust my tongue, which can tie a cherry stem into a ribbon, and my negotiation skills.

An unbearably long pause followed.

Despite her calm exterior, my mouth was drying out.

“…Go.”

“Pardon?”

“Go when I close my eyes. But if you get caught, you’re dead. If they find out I let you go, my head is on the line as well.”

Myara’s final decision was to let us go.

Could it be that she really thought she would let us go? Mirabel’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Myara.

“What? Is this your first time seeing a kind Cleric? I felt you were scared because of me, so I’m letting you off the hook.”

“Do people usually claim to be nice?”

“It wasn’t meant for you, so please keep your mouth shut.”

Myara, unable to withstand Mirabel’s burdensome gaze, finally turned her eyes away.

When we met at the pub, Myara had initially tried to get involved with her. Even though it ended up being a misunderstanding, her actions stemmed from the good intent to help Mirabel.

This wouldn’t change, even once she realized Mirabel was a witch. It was something only those with firm beliefs could show.

I sincerely expressed my gratitude.

“Haha, thank you for letting us go. But we can’t leave right away.”

After putting on an act, I felt apologetic.

We still have things to do.

“What?”

“There’s something I need to get here. I can’t leave until I find it.”

“Can’t leave? Are you even aware of the current situation?”

“If I didn’t understand the situation, I wouldn’t be a slave trader. But what can I do? If I don’t acquire it, I’ll fail anyway. So let’s meet again someday. Now, Miss Mirabel, say your farewells!”

“Ah, goodbye… will we meet again?”

“Uh, yes. …Huh?”

Before Myara could regain her composure, I grabbed Mirabel’s hand and hurriedly ran away.

“I left the money behind.”

***

A few days had passed since the Mirabel outburst incident.

Nothing had particularly changed.

We managed the aftermath well, and the lord who received the bribe didn’t hold us accountable for our sins. Plus, with Mirabel on our side, they couldn’t touch us easily.

‘She didn’t even know that the spells from then on are no longer usable.’

I asked Mirabel to use the spells from that time, but she couldn’t. It seemed they were only possible if she had the Magic Book, which regrettably had been returned to Myara.

Because the level of magical corruption was high, it couldn’t be resolved even with purification. Hence, incineration was the only option.

Instead, before burning it, they provided a service of extracting the contents, which turned out to be a crazy notebook belonging to goblins, detailing how they became gods and punished humans.

If interpreted in modern terms, it’s like a cursed cider path novel. It’s about awakening SSS-level skills to go on a rampage. But this time, goblins are the protagonists.

It’s ridiculous for Mirabel to have awakened using something like that.

‘I see, this is why she awakened in a way I didn’t expect.’

While it’s unfortunate that she can’t use those spells, awakening is what truly matters. We have taken a significant step towards Mirabel’s liberation.

With physical upgrades complete, the next thing to focus on is Mirabel’s mental state…

In the lodging where morning sunlight was pouring in.

As I munched on a sandwich for breakfast, observing the world through the newspaper, Mirabel, having finished her meal, gazed at me quietly.

“What is it?”

“Um, um…”

Mirabel fidgets her fingers and struggles to speak. I let out a small sigh at her behavior.

“If you want to say something, feel free.”

At my words, a faint blush appeared on Mirabel’s face. She climbed down from her chair, fidgeted, and then nestled into my lap, sitting on my thigh.

Maybe she was in shock from the thought that I would leave her behind. She wasn’t willing to separate from me, not even for a moment. Not while walking, sleeping, or even while bathing.

‘Of course, I’m managing to hold it off, but.’

Her heightened dependency is a concern, but it isn’t something worth worrying about too much.

I have seen numerous endings where everything gets resolved.

It will probably end that way again this time.

So for now, my role is to accept Mirabel’s reliance on me.

***

Do you know what begins once you clear the dungeon?

‘I have to clear the dungeon.’

I still haven’t obtained the Soul Magic Book. Progress won’t continue until it appears.

Because of that, I’ve spent days going round and round the dungeon with Mirabel.

We no longer needed the dungeon map. After the incident, Mirabel began exchanging knowledge with Delophin’s mages and learned detection magic.

Mirabel led the way through the cave and easily reached the boss room. The goblins were already dead inside.

“Excellent. Another hit.”

As soon as we entered the dungeon, Mirabel cast a spell, and the magical arrows swooped and hit the monsters in the boss room.

An ability that could be called circus-like.

Mirabel’s magic skills have been exponentially increasing day by day. It must be due to having experienced the awakening of a witch momentarily.

“Hehe.”

Mirabel giggles in delight.

I leave her behind and rummage through the remains of the goblin shaman.

How many times has it been now?

I feel like I’ve done this at least 50 times already.

The goblin shaman’s Magic Book doesn’t have a 100% drop rate, and even if it does drop, it wasn’t the Soul Magic Book. If it had dropped earlier, we wouldn’t still be doing this.

‘Damn this awful double gacha.’

To apply that to essential items is simply cruel. Even in games, it wasn’t this vicious.

As I grumble silently, I felt a book in my hand. Fortunately, this time it dropped.

[Goblin Shaman’s Magic Book]

I handed the Magic Book to Mirabel as usual.

Mirabel could interpret whatever the book is, perhaps because she is a witch or it might be due to main character perks.

Even Narsha, a seemingly ordinary noble lady, was able to learn swordsmanship easily.

‘If that applied to me, I would be going on rampages by now.’

Unfortunately, I struggle day by day because I can’t.

“Master, this…”

While I was lost in thought, Mirabel showed me the Magic Book.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Mirabel’s expression was peculiar.

Could it be something else again?

Another infinite dungeon loop?

“This has instructions on how to handle souls.”

The moment those words left Mirabel’s mouth.

[Goblin Shaman’s Magic Book]

>

[Soul Magic Book]

The item name changes.

Finally, it has appeared.

The final piece of liberation.

I sighed long, looking up at the cave ceiling. A very long one.

After releasing everything that had weighed upon my chest, I turned to Mirabel with a much lighter heart.

Her deep blue eyes were sparkling with vitality, a stark contrast to when we first met.

She had gotten used to the short skirt and wasn’t embarrassed anymore.

So many changes besides that.

All that remained for the girl who had become a proper witch were her wounded heart.

Now it was the final moment.

“Let’s go. Time for revenge on Father.”