Chapter 70.6 – Miriya Part 2

「Welcome to Bit Village. I am Daon, the village chief.」

The one greeting the adventurers was a man with a magnificently trained physique. Even compared to active adventurers, he was clearly powerful at a glance. The moment Miriya saw him, her heart leapt.

(He hasn’t changed at all…!)

Even without a knight’s armor, dressed only in the clothes of a provincial commoner, his presence was exactly the same. Surely his strength hadn’t changed either.

Daon glanced over the adventurers and paused briefly when his eyes reached Miriya. But he immediately shifted his gaze away and began explaining the rules. Perhaps he had noticed her but prioritized work first.

And most of what he explained was the same as what Irai had already told them. The fact so much of it concerned the Witch only showed how important she was within the village.

(I want to talk to him already, but work comes first. Separating public and private matters is the basics…)

They would be staying in the village to defend against the demon realm from now on. There would be plenty of opportunities to talk later. Learning the rules of the job came first.

「Currently, besides Witch-sama, the court magician is also staying in Bit Village. We should discuss coordination with the knights and the magician after everyone settles in. With this number of people and all the luggage… we won’t fit inside the village itself.」

「Yeah, that makes sense. We’ll need a campsite. As long as you provide the land, adventurers can live just about anywhere.」

「Indeed. In that case… ah, perfect timing. Please wait a moment. Witch-sama has arrived, so I’ll consult with her regarding the campsite.」

At the mention of the Witch, Miriya looked toward where Daon had gone.

And the instant she saw her, she caught her breath.

…Because the woman before her was overwhelmingly beautiful.

It was as though a fully blooming flower had been trapped in human form, a beauty so extraordinary it felt unreal. Since Miriya was also a woman, she merely found herself overwhelmed by the beauty alone, but the male adventurers, unaccustomed to seeing such a woman, could barely even look straight at her after she smiled back at them.

(…Ah, she’s smiling.)

Even Daon, who had just been glaring sharply at the adventurers, softened his expression and smiled in front of the Witch.

Beautiful beyond belief, a hero who had fought dragons, and immensely powerful. No person should be that perfect. Compared to someone like that, a mere beastman would surely fade into insignificance, perhaps not even worthy of entering her sight.

Suddenly, the Flower Witch looked over and their eyes met.

Miriya instinctively bristled and bared hostility toward her. Was it rebellious resentment from realizing instinctively she could never compete? Or ugly jealousy?

…Even after being suddenly threatened, the Witch merely smiled awkwardly and let it pass, and seeing even her personality be so perfect only made Miriya feel more pathetic.

(Does… Daon like the Witch? Did he forget about me?)

A sharp pain stabbed her chest.

The way Daon looked at Miriya carried no warmth of familiarity. It was completely different from the way he looked at the Witch.

Her hopes deflated completely.

Feeling dejected, she quietly followed instructions. …But maybe if she talked to him, he’d remember her. Just as she managed to lift her spirits a little, she heard the Witch herself would apparently be creating the campsite.

「Creating a campsite sounds easy when you say it like that, but clearing trees and opening up space should be hard labor. …With a body that slender…?」

「She’s called a witch, so I guess she’ll handle it with magic. …Though it’s hard to imagine.」

Among beastmen, few could use magic, and among humans, magical talent was valuable. Still, most people could only use magic tools or simple spells for daily life, and even adventurers generally used only support magic in combat.

Powerful magic required talent, and those with such talent usually became Holy Knights instead of adventurers. The restrictions were stricter, but the pay and reputation were much better. Adventurers were simply people who accepted monster-hunting jobs for cheaper pay, making a living from monster materials and such. It was rare for adventurers to witness truly powerful magic.

「We plan to use this area as the campsite.」

Led out of the village by Daon, they stopped before a grove beside a small path. The Witch instructed the wolf beastman boy who seemed to serve her to wait at the roadside, then stepped into the woods alone.

And then she gently stroked the nearest tree, almost tenderly.

So it was true that she loved plants. Perhaps cutting down the tree saddened her.

(Hm? …Something’s strange…)

The tree the Witch touched rapidly lost its color. A magnificent chestnut tree, full of moisture and fruit, transformed into a dead tree in the blink of an eye. Miriya initially thought withering it first would certainly make cutting it down easier,

But the moment the Witch let go, the tree crumbled away into dust without even leaving roots behind.

(W-wow… so this is magic…)

The magic wielded by races gifted in such things was on an entirely different level.

Only demonfolk could probably turn a tree to ash in an instant like that. And even more astonishing, the Witch had lost her voice, meaning she was casting this magic without chanting.

Using magic without chants supposedly required an incredibly deep understanding of magical principles. In fact, Miriya had thought stories of demonfolk capable of that were just legends or exaggerations.

…As expected, a hero who survived the war against dragons was simply on another level.

After looking down at the tree reduced to dust, the Witch turned back toward them.

She was smiling, yet somehow the smile looked sorrowful and fleeting, perhaps because Miriya had heard she loved plants.

…Indeed, she was gently touching each tree one by one, carefully laying them to rest.

(She’s incredibly strong, but also kind. …Even this boy has completely fallen for a Witch like her. …Daon probably has too.)

The eyes of the wolf beastman boy standing nearby sparkled brightly with admiration for the Witch.

…Young Miriya had probably once looked at Daon the same way.

「…The Witch has cleared out a pretty huge space for us. Alright, let’s put up the tents.」

「There aren’t even any trunks or roots left, so this’ll be easy. Let’s work efficiently so we don’t make her do more than she already has.」

The other adventurers began hauling their heavy luggage, and Miriya tried to follow suit.

But one of the adventurers stepped in front of her and told her to move somewhere else. And because his reason was something as insulting as 「you stink」,

Hearing that in a place where the man she loved could hear it made blood rush to her head, even though it was the kind of insult she usually ignored.

「I don’t stink! You’re the one reeking of sweat! My nose can tell just fine!」

Arguments were bad. She knew that.

But she still puffed up her fur and shouted back loudly. Beastmen had sensitive noses, which was exactly why they cared so much about cleanliness. She wanted Daon to understand this was nothing more than discriminatory slander.

As the shouting continued, all sound suddenly vanished from the surroundings.

Her ears and tail shot upright in alarm as she shut her mouth and looked around warily. Even the male adventurer in front of her looked confused, so this clearly wasn’t his doing.

(Huh? What’s this around my feet…?)

At some point, unfamiliar grass had sprouted all around them in huge quantities.

And when it came to plants, there was only one possible source, the Flower Witch.

Following the spreading grass with her eyes, Miriya found the beautiful Witch standing at the other end.

It was obvious at a glance that the Witch was responsible.

And the Witch smiled gently at both Miriya and the adventurer.

(…Ah… we were warned not to anger her…)

She was smiling calmly.

Yet she had forcibly stolen not only their voices but every sound itself, dominating the entire space and making them 「understand」 through sheer force.

She was definitely angry.

…Angry at their ugly conflict.

All strength drained from Miriya, and her tail curled between her legs instinctively.

In the presence of overwhelming power, instinct alone made one want to submit.

The ash of the trees drifted through the air at the edge of her vision, and the only sound remaining was the pounding of her own heartbeat inside her body, making the unnatural silence all the more terrifying.

So this was a demonfolk. …This is even scarier than facing a powerful monster head on.