Chapter 113

The Witches' Garden

A sudden murder.

Silence fell for only a moment before panic erupted.

"H-Huh?!"

"T-The Regent just committed murder...!!"

In full view of everyone, he had killed someone without the slightest hesitation.

Amid the chaos, only Ferda remained completely unfazed.

He simply looked down at the woman he had killed.

"What a waste of time."

The woman did not move.

Naturally.

A hole had been blasted through her forehead. How could she possibly move?

While everyone else recoiled at Ferda's abrupt action, only he remained calm and resolute.

"Enough with the pointless act, Witch. Keeping up that corpse pose must be exhausting."

At that moment, the body everyone had believed dead began to twitch.

"Gah!"

"T-The corpse is moving!"

Like a poorly strung marionette, it jerked unnaturally before standing upright.

With a gaping hole still in its forehead, it opened its mouth.

"...How did you figure it out?"

An awkward smile spread across the terrified woman's face.

Crack—

A moment later, her figure began to split apart.

As though shedding its skin, the flesh peeled away, revealing the body hidden beneath.

Hair made of white scales.

Vertically slit pupils.

A staff entwined by two serpents.

And a forked snake tongue flicking from between her lips.

Everyone recognized her immediately.

"The Snake Witch... Yor!"

"A witch has infiltrated the castle!"

The people who had been kneeling scattered in terror.

Within moments, a wide circular space had formed around Ferda and the witch.

Yor Philiase.

Ferda knew that name.

Even among witches, her infamy ranked near the top.

She was a powerful witch, and her demonic aura was overwhelmingly dense.

That oppressive presence crushed everything around her without restraint.

Lifting the hem of her skirt, the witch gave a playful curtsy.

"A pleasure to meet you, Regent Valdrova."

Instead of the rough voice she had disguised herself with, her real voice was bright and high-pitched.

Yet beneath it lurked unmistakable malice.

"You're the first person who's ever pierced my forehead the instant we met. Shouldn't the Prince Consort of the Dragon Prince show a little more elegance?"

"Quit exaggerating. If I'd intended to kill you, I would've used another method."

"Oh my, how fearless. And I just happen to enjoy ripping the hearts out of brave little humans like you..."

She slowly licked her blade-like fingernails.

"Planning to indulge my hobby?"

The instant she finished speaking, Yor vanished.

Or rather—

Something moving too fast for the eye to follow slammed into her.

It was Luri.

She pinned Yor to the ground by crushing her neck beneath her foot.

"Your heart will be the first one ripped out, witch."

Luri growled.

But the witch showed no sign of panic.

Instead, she simply looked up at her as though admiring something adorable.

"What a cute little clingy girl. You should mellow out a bit and learn to live with people. That's how you become an adult."

Then her gaze casually drifted beneath Luri's skirt before she smiled with satisfaction.

"Pretty cute."

"You crazy bitch—"

"Enough."

Just as Luri's fist was about to smash her mouth apart, Ferda stopped her.

"I don't have time to play games with you, Yor Philiase."

Ferda flicked a finger.

"Stop fishing for information with pointless provocations. Deliver Big Sister's message and leave."

Yor narrowed her eyes.

The theatrics vanished from her face, replaced by genuine surprise.

"You figuring out that I was gathering information is one thing... but how did you know this was Big Sister's message?"

"Because Echidna's death ended far too neatly."

Witches and demons.

Anyone entangled with either of them rarely escaped suffering.

"Your kind hunts down anyone who kills a witch and curses them forever."

"Hmm... That's a rather foolish thing to say. You do know Echidna had already been cast out, don't you?"

"When witches want an excuse, they'll make one out of anything."

"Hehe... Fair enough."

The next instant, the body Luri had pinned exploded into dozens of snakes.

As though nothing had happened, Yor casually emerged from the crowd.

"Our dear Regent knows an awful lot about witches."

Her expression flattened with disappointment.

"Anyway, let's get to Big Sister's message."

One of the snakes wrapped around her staff squirmed before vomiting up a long object.

A sealed scroll.

Clearing her throat, Yor recited its contents.

"Ferda Valdrova, you are hereby invited by Lucy Philiase, Pillar of the Philiase Root, Mother of All Witches, and our Big Sister. It is hereby proclaimed before all present that you are obligated to accept this invitation."

After theatrically mimicking a royal herald, she tilted the invitation toward Ferda.

"The moment you open it, you'll arrive at the Witches' Garden."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she smiled brightly and added,

"There's no trap."

Ferda quietly stared at the invitation.

"You must not accept it."

Luri grabbed his arm from beside him.

"Sorry, little clingy girl, but this is a conversation between adults. Why don't you step aside?"

"Silence, witch."

Luri's expression grew even fiercer.

The rage and hatred radiating from her now were on an entirely different level.

"The only reason your filthy mouth hasn't been torn apart is because I'm exercising restraint."

"Oh my, how scary. But this big sister's mouth is already torn open. Want to see?"

With a sickening rip, the skin around her mouth split apart, opening wide enough to swallow a human head.

"Eek!"

The onlookers recoiled in horror at the grotesque sight.

Yor burst into delighted laughter.

Ferda, however, ignored the spectacle entirely, keeping his eyes fixed on the invitation.

"Why should I go?"

he asked.

Yor smiled with her eyes.

"Because Echidna died after touching the rune you created."

A simple answer.

One Ferda already knew.

"That's enough."

"You're serious?"

Luri turned toward him in shock.

Her murderous aura vanished instantly from sheer disbelief.

"The enemy is a witch—their leader, no less. They hate men and treat them as toys. You're actually going to believe her?"

"Oh, that's a hurtful thing to say. We have feelings too, you know."

After dramatically gesturing in response to Luri's accusation, Yor glanced sideways at Ferda.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"But I'm curious too. What exactly are you relying on?"

Without saying a word, Ferda accepted the invitation.

Yor merely shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. Come alone. Well... you won't be able to come any other way anyway. I'm just saving you the trouble of trying."

She paused.

"Well then..."

Her gaze shifted toward someone in the crowd.

It was Zed.

The moment she spotted him, she broke into a bright smile.

“Handsome young Swallow. Have you been well?”

“Oh, I’ve been doing just fine. And how have you been, ma’am?”

“Hoho, calling me ma’am when we’ve barely met? Still, it feels rather nice hearing it from such a handsome boy.”

Despite her smiling eyes, what he felt from her was killing intent.

“You do know there are enough women holding grudges against you to fill a bucket, don’t you?”

“Haha, I do, but I’d rather not concern myself with them.”

“Of course, of course. Don’t worry about them. That way, when your guard is down, they can kill you as painfully as possible. Do keep living like that for the rest of your life.”

She smiled at Zed and crooked a finger.

“Then, adieu~.”

Her figure sank into the ground and vanished completely.

The people left behind in the witch’s silence exchanged glances and breathed sighs of relief.

Everyone returned to their work, but two people remained where they were.

Ferda stood still, quietly staring down at the invitation.

“You must not go.”

Luri once again tried to stop him.

“Do you even know where you’re going?”

“The Witches’ Garden, I presume.”

The Witches’ Garden.

A place for all witches, where they were born and granted the name Philiase.

Since the summons had come from Lucy Philiase, that was undoubtedly where the invitation would lead.

“Are you doing this despite knowing where the Witches’ Garden is?”

Limbo.

The space between dimensions.

The time spent passing through its infinitesimal cracks was so brief that ordinary humans could not even perceive it.

Lucy Philiase, the First Witch, had built the witches’ sanctuary there.

“If you enter, Lord Ferda, you may never return.”

“That won’t happen.”

“What makes you so certain?”

“Because I was formally invited into her domain.”

Ferda knew witches well.

They had their own rules, and the Witches’ Garden was sacred territory.

They could not use that sacred domain as a trap born of hatred and disgust.

Not even against a man they despised.

“And I must retrieve Echidna.”

“That witch is not important enough to risk your life.”

Luri could not understand him.

He had spoken as though he intended to devote his life to Valdrova, yet now it seemed as if he were staking that life on a single witch.

“If you fall into a trap and die, Lady Valdrova will be left alone.”

Ferda wavered slightly at those words.

He could picture her standing there alone.

“Please do not forget your position.”

Yet as Luri continued, Ferda realized something.

My position.

“My position is…”

It was that he was still unworthy of standing beside her.

Ferda opened the invitation.

He felt himself being drawn in.

His body was coming apart.

From a body into masses.

From masses into molecules.

From molecules into atoms.

Then even those atoms were split apart.

It was a sensation that would make it difficult for not only ordinary humans but even mages to remain sane.

Ferda was no exception.

His instincts screamed endlessly that this was deadly even to a four-star mage, someone recognized as a fully fledged magician.

Yet despite those alarms, Ferda’s body was transported safely.

Incredible.

Limbo was an infinitesimal space between spaces.

It did not exist and could not be perceived.

And because it did not exist, it was infinite.

Pinpointing a location within it and transporting someone there intact was something Ferda could never accomplish.

It was proof that the witches had lived within Limbo for an immeasurable length of time, understanding it and learning to use it.

At the same time, it was also proof of why witches could not be eradicated from the Cerdes Continent, no matter how often their existence was described as a scourge.

Ferda opened his eyes.

A sky of countless colors churned chaotically overhead.

Beneath it lay dark, damp grass and a narrow path.

At the end of the path stood a wall of thorny bushes and wild roses.

Ferda followed the open trail.

Before him stood a foreign wooden gate.

It was built in an Eastern architectural style that existed only in written records.

—Oh?

A voice echoed throughout the entire garden.

Ferda knew that voice.

It belonged to Lucy Philiase.

—It has not even been an hour since the invitation arrived. No, not even ten minutes, and you opened it immediately? What an impatient little thing. Or are you simply that confident in your abilities?

She chuckled.

Creeeak—

The gate leading into the garden opened.

—Whichever it may be, I should like to see your face, child. Come inside.

Beyond the gate, a foreign-style structure that had previously been hidden came into view.

It was called the Rose Pavilion.

—Oh my, he really came.

—The Dragon’s husband entered the witches’ domain.

Frivolous voices rang throughout the Witches’ Garden.

Soon, the deep voice guided Ferda once more.

—Come closer, child.

Ferda stepped forward.

He advanced with the courtesy expected of an invited guest and the dignity befitting the husband of the Red Dragon.

When he climbed the pavilion and entered, he was greeted by women seated closely together beneath its roof.

Their clothes differed, but every one of them wore a black veil concealing her face.

That was the etiquette of the witches belonging to the Witches’ Garden.

Only one person among them sat in the highest seat at the center, and she was dressed the same way.

From her silhouette alone, the only thing Ferda could infer was that she had a build similar to Luri or Mori.

Yet the way she lounged on a long wooden chair with a smoking pipe between her lips carried the mannerisms of someone advanced in years.

The mistress of the Rose Pavilion.

The mother of all witches.

Big Sister.

She was Lucy Philiase.

Although her face was hidden beneath black cloth, Ferda could feel her gaze sweeping over his entire body.

“You are rather delicate for someone capable of such courageous deeds.”

Although she was similar in size to Luri, the weight of her presence was on an entirely different level.

“Welcome to the Garden of Maidens, child.”

Ferda answered her.

“Thank you for the invitation, Big Sister.”

“Oh my, he isn’t using honorifics before our Big Sister.”

“He must be desperate to get himself cursed.”

“Shall I place one on him right now, brat?”

The witches’ voices were edged with hostility.

“Silence.”

At Lucy’s brief command, the witches quieted even their breathing.

“This maiden apologizes on their behalf. My children bear many grudges involving men.”

“I don’t mind. Rather, if I was the one being rude, I apologize. Should I speak more respectfully?”

“That will not be necessary.”

Pure white smoke drifted from beneath her veil.

“It would be more unsettling for me to hear respect from a monster like you.”

“A monster?”

“Did that offend you? I suppose it would. Saying such a thing to a child of only nineteen must be terribly upsetting.”

She gave a dry chuckle and exhaled another stream of smoke.

“However, these eyes of mine have seen far more than most.”

Ferda understood why her gaze felt so unpleasant.

Those eyes were quite literally seeing through him.

“It is the insight one acquires after living for a very long time. Among other things, this maiden can see how many people someone has killed.”

Lucy tilted her head to the left.

“So very many people have died within your eyes.”

“…”

Was she speaking only of the time since his return?

Even then, he had killed many people, but the word monster did not suit his present self.

A monster…

Yes.

He had been one.

He had hated people in order to keep his hatred alive.

Countless people had hated him in return, and he had killed even more than that.

Even those who did not need to be sacrificed were never spared unless they posed no possibility of becoming a future threat.

The Ferda of those days truly had been a monster.

Is that karma beyond even time’s ability to undo?

Was it because such a heart would not change even after time had been reversed?

Was that why the voice still remained inside Ferda’s body?

As those questions surfaced, another suddenly came to mind.

“Do you also know whom I killed?”

For among those countless victims—

Lucy Philiase herself had been one of them.