Chapter 31

“My head feels like it’s going to split open.”

Franka Aglaia regained her consciousness amid a pounding headache.

Every part of her body throbbed with pain, and her limbs felt heavy like wet cotton.

It was a typical symptom of being under a curse, as her feverish body suggested.

Indeed, it was a curse.

She had lost to that dark woman—

“Seems like you’re back with us.”

Franka’s eyes snapped wide open.

She instinctively tried to adopt a fighting stance, but her heavy body wouldn’t allow her to move as she wanted.

Even if her body had felt light, it wouldn’t have changed anything.

Restraining her hands and feet were skeletal grips protruding from the chair she was tied to.

As expected of a necromancer, even the method of imprisonment was wickedly clever.

Franka quickly scanned her surroundings.

The witch, Dorothea, was looking down at her from the chair, with the Tin Knight and the Blonde Girl standing behind her.

And in the corner were her own familiars, tied up.

“Hey, guys…!”

Franka let out a small scream as she checked the condition of the two Golden Monkeys.

Aside from a few bruises on their bat-like wings, they didn’t seem severely injured, but the insect-like wings were in a state that couldn’t even be described as mild.

Their skin was marked with cuts and bruises, with dark, festering blood oozing from their wounds, dirtying their golden fur.

Dorothea spoke to Franka, who was clattering in the chair.

“You’re not dead yet, so stop writhing around.”

“How dare you do that to my children!”

“Remember, you were the one who targeted lives first, and it was you who ended up defeated in the end. Don’t pretend to be the victim. And if you keep getting worked up now, it will only worsen your situation and that of your precious kids.”

Franka’s mouth snapped shut.

She took a few deep breaths to suppress her throbbing headache and anger before saying,

“First, heal their wounds.”

“Why should I?”

“At the very least, leaving me alive like this means you have some intention, right? If they die while we talk, no matter what happens afterward, I will never speak a word.”

Dorothea paused for a moment in thought.

To be honest, there was no real necessity for her to comply with Franka’s request.

The overwhelming advantage was on Dorothea’s side, and capturing both monkeys was merely a fortunate accident; she merely needed one hostage.

“I refuse…”

[‘Tin Knight’ proposes to strike one down and if they don’t comply, to strike the other down as well!]

“…but as an act of mercy from the victor, I’ll grant that much.”

Dorothea swiftly changed her tune.

She didn’t want to reveal that she had come up with the same idea as the Tin Knight.

That would have been a disgraceful moment for a civilized person.

Dorothea took out a jar of special ointment, intending to hand it to Adel, but suddenly switched direction and gave it to the Tin Knight instead.

“Just use it on the wounds that seem serious enough.”

The Tin Knight accepted the ointment, and with a rather joyful expression, approached the monkeys and began applying it.

As the special ointment soaked in, the monkeys flailed their limbs in a frenzy due to the maddening sting and itch.

The skeletal grips that restrained them trembled a bit, but the Tin Knight didn’t mind at all.

Watching the Tin Knight mercilessly twist the jaw of a monkey that bit his arm made Adel instantly understand why Dorothea had given the ointment to him instead of her.

Franka yelled and complained, but upon seeing the monkeys’ wounds rapidly healing, she regained her composure.

She then asked,

“What do you want?”

“Oh, I have a ton of requests.”

Dorothea gestured around as if to indicate something.

A tavern in ruins, broken and overturned, was what lay before them.

“First. Inform the guards that all this chaos, which started when your familiars attacked me, is your responsibility and turn yourself in. The first was an unprovoked ambush on your side, and the second is entirely on your shoulders as it had nothing to do with us. Whether you claim your familiars ran amok or that you failed some experiment, create the reasoning on your own. In any case, we were never here. Got it?”

Franka’s expression darkened.

“I can accept the first one, but how can you make me take the blame for your ruckus here?”

“By that logic, the first chaos is also your fault, you know? If you don’t like it, then you can just quit. We’ll find another way.”

Her flat tone felt more chilling because of its bluntness.

Realizing that Dorothea’s mention of “another way” did not include the safety of her or the monkeys, Franka had no choice but to nod in agreement.

After confirming that, Dorothea started listing her next demands.

• Franka must transfer all her treasures and information regarding them.


• She must pay compensation for the damaged staff or shield and other equipment due to her actions.


• Franka is to cease all hostilities against Dorothea and her crew.


• All the aforementioned points must be sworn as a ‘Blood Oath’.

Finally, Franka couldn’t hold it in anymore and exploded in anger.

“Just kill me instead! My and my kids’ blood will be claimed by my master!”

Dorothea frowned.

“What now? Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

“Ceasing all hostilities? If I turn myself in and take the blame for you guys, what then? You’re just going to kill me afterward without any resistance because you’ve had your fun?”

Adel and the Tin Knight, who had been listening, were wide-eyed.

Wait, was this just a wicked scheme?

Dorothea chuckled.

“You honestly think that? What do you take me for? …Huh?”

Feeling a strange tingling at the back of her head, Dorothea turned her gaze behind her.

Smack! Smack!

[‘Tin Knight’ tells you to stay still while he applies the ointment!]

“R-Right! Stay still, okay? Ah, Knight! Here’s the extra ointment!”

—W-What?!

But all she could see were the Tin Knight vigorously scolding the monkeys and Adel’s figure.

Dorothea, who had tilted her head for a moment, then turned her body and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, alright, if we attack first, that item will be rendered void. Besides that, is everything else fine?”

“What’s the penalty for breaking the oath?”

A smile crept onto Dorothea’s lips.

Franka’s question was effectively confirming her acceptance of the contract.

“Well, how about turning into a frog?”

***

The battle concluded with the victory of the Tin Knight and his crew.

Franka and the two monkeys got caught by the guards, and thanks to Franka’s “voluntary testimony,” the Tin Knight’s crew was declared innocent within mere minutes.

Thinking it over, it wouldn’t have been strange if the Tin Knight’s crew had been questioned for a day as they were also quite suspicious, but Adel’s blonde hair and violet eyes had the magical power to bend the stiff bodies of the guards and turn their grim faces into smiles.

The Tin Knight even wondered if all this could have been resolved just by presenting Adel from the start.

Though Dorothea ignored him.

Franka was wealthy enough to rent out the most expensive accommodations in town.

With the hefty compensation extracted from Franka, the crew’s wallets became quite heavy.

They also managed to gather information about their new destination.

To the west of Rowefelt, a new underground labyrinth was discovered right on the edge of the Empire’s territory, rumored to hide treasures within.

Though it had been a few months since the ruins had been discovered, the depth and complexity of its internal structure had left the exploration stagnant.

To break through that underground labyrinth, they had sought the “Opium’s Key,” a tool having the power to unlock all sorts of locks, as Dorothea had realized she possessed the key and had tried to snatch it, only to be outmaneuvered in the end, according to Franka.

Despite having gained so much, Dorothea’s expression soured.

“Ugh. Damn it. I got played in the end.”

They secured compensation. They secured information. They even resolved a social issue.

However, they couldn’t manage to claim the treasure.

Dorothea recalled the events of last night.

***

After swearing the blood oath—similar to the contract Dorothea had made with the Tin Knight or the kingdom’s nobles—Dorothea asked Franka for the treasure, which Franka had apparently agreed to.

Or at least, she had been about to.

“Huh? Wait, why is this happening?”

Franka rummaged through her things, trying her best, but she couldn’t find the treasure.

She claimed the treasure had vanished.

If it had been any other time, Dorothea would have reprimanded her for playing tricks, but in that moment, she stiffened her expression.

The ‘Blood Oath’ had a tricky condition requiring the agreeing parties to fully understand the contract’s content, but with that level of power came undeniable coercive magic.

Since Franka’s body hadn’t turned into a frog yet, it was unlikely she was stalling or deceiving anyone.

In case the treasure was buried under some debris during battle, they even used Franka’s animal compass to check, but the purple mole only circled inside the tavern, hiding in the middle of the street instead.

As they watched the mole depart, something shining from above caught their attention.

A golden monkey, soaring through the sky, clutching something in its hand.

Franka murmured with trembling voice.

“Master…?”

The witch from the west.

Franka’s mentor and the most skilled alchemist on the continent.

She was the one who had cunningly snatched the treasure meant for the victor.

The monkey had fur that glistened and was larger than Franka’s familiars, disappearing into the sky without ever looking back.

If she had the capability to steal the treasure amidst the fight between Dorothea and Franka, she could have also aided or rescued her precious disciple.

***

Remembering Franka’s face as she realized she had been abandoned by her master, Dorothea made a displeased expression.

Objectively, it had been a highly rewarding battle, but the image of Franka, who was captured and looking utterly defeated, lingered hauntingly.

Though she told herself it was none of her concern since they weren’t close friends, and she had fought for her life, the unpleasant aftertaste simply wouldn’t fade.

As expected of someone who rivals her mentor, that first encounter had been the absolute worst.

Dorothea fell into deep thought.

The opponent was a witch who was assessed to be on par with her mentor.

Though it was unfortunate, there was no way to reclaim the stolen treasure right now.

However, since it seemed the western witch had only recovered the treasure that belonged to Franka without taking the “Opium’s Key” from Dorothea, it appeared the western witch wasn’t fully committed to the treasure hunt just yet.

‘The witch of the north, south, and east don’t have a great relationship either; once one starts to act openly, the others will begin to intervene. I wonder if the witches of the north and south are hunting for that treasure? Or are they taking in apprentices like me or Franka…’

While Dorothea was lost in thought, someone lightly tapped her on the back.

It was the Tin Knight, who had come quite close without her noticing, prompting Dorothea to respond gruffly.

“What?”

[‘Tin Knight’ claims that the original trophies are not meant to be snatched from rivals but obtained in new cities!]

“I’m not a rival.”

[‘Tin Knight’ insists that as they gather treasures here, they will inevitably have to make contact with the other side!]

[‘Tin Knight’ states that the nobleman’s revenge is never too late even if it takes ten years!]

Dorothea chuckled.

“Ten years? I bet you wouldn’t last ten weeks waiting.”

[‘Tin Knight’ protests that they shouldn’t underestimate his patience!]

“Sure, sure, whatever you say.”

“Ah, Lady Witch! Knight! The wagon and travel permits are all ready!”

As she waved her hand by the wagon, Adel’s voice was heard as she walked toward Dorothea and the Tin Knight.

With the grudge that had turned a perfect victory into an 80-point one firmly remembered, they strode toward their next destination.

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