Chapter 119: Chapter 119
The Witch of the West’s workshop was, in the Tin Knight’s terms, a very “game-like” place.
To open the large main gate, one needed to obtain key A, and to get key A, one needed item B.
However, the party didn’t need to go through such troublesome processes.
The person guiding them was none other than the Witch of the West’s disciple.
“You lot! To pass through here, you must bring the red token!”
“Oh my, isn’t it Lady Franka! Please come in!”
The burly man, who had been threatening the party for a moment, shrunk and bowed as soon as Franka slightly lifted the robe covering her head.
Dorothea gave an incredulous look at this exchange, “Witch’s workshop or whatever, this is just like the outside. More importantly, is it okay for you to show your face like that? It seems pointless to wear a robe.”
What happened afterward was mostly similar.
The pack of werewolves boasting sharp teeth and claws hid them with a mere flash of blonde hair, submitting to Franka like tame dogs.
The crow-men flaunting pointed beaks and black wings had to use their stone tablets to politely show respect instead of swinging them.
The insect-people, who looked like bees enlarged to human size, had to retreat at a single gesture from Franka, contrary to their terrifying aura when they first appeared.
Seeing this, Adelaide marveled, “Franka’s authority is amazing.”
“It is. More precisely, it shows how much they fear the Witch of the West. To bow so deeply even to her disciple, Franka.”
After agreeing with Adelaide’s words, Sophia still seemed somewhat lost in thought.
“Adel, have you ever seen such beings outside?”
“Huh? No, it’s my first time.”
“I see, I was surprised to see so many magic beasts that I could only see in books in my time, but it seems the outside is the same. This place must be special indeed.”
At that moment, Franka, who had been listening to their conversation, cut in, “It’s like my master’s hobby. She brings rare magic beasts here and settles them.”
Adelaide blinked, “You mean… she raises magic beasts?”
“‘Raising’ is a bit of an ambiguous term. You saw those guys from earlier wearing clothes and carrying weapons, right? Despite their appearance, they have their own society and live civilized lives.”
Sophia asked, “My, are there vampires as well?”
“No, I don’t think I’ve seen any of those.”
Dorothea furrowed her brow.
It wasn’t because she disliked their leisurely tourist-like appearance.
Well, it wasn’t that she didn’t feel that way at all, but considering that Franka’s presence had greatly reduced the various obstacles they would have had to overcome, it was within an acceptable range. After all, despite all the talk, their walking speed was almost at the limit of fast.
What made Dorothea feel a sense of crisis was none other than the scale of the workshop.
Franka had initially described this place as “bigger than a decent city,” but the more they heard, the more it became clear that this was just the area Franka had roughly seen, and the actual scale was much larger.
It was also a problem that the inhabitants of the workshop were far more numerous than imagined, and they all felt loyalty, or fear, towards the Witch of the West.
If things went wrong, they might have to face all of them in battle.
To Dorothea, who wore a serious expression, the Tin Knight, who had been looking around, asked.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if Dorothea’s teacher doesn’t have something !]
“Well, at least the workshop I’ve seen wasn’t this flashy. There’s a possibility that there’s another ‘real’ one, but… By the way, you’re strangely well-behaved.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what she means!]
“Usually, wouldn’t you be making a fuss about how you’re losing precious EXP, was it? Something like that?”
At Dorothea’s words, the Tin Knight chuckled.
No, a being without a face or anything couldn’t possibly laugh like that, but somehow, that was how it looked to Dorothea.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ guarantees that things won’t proceed this smoothly all the way to the end!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says there’s no need to be hasty as a chance will come if he just waits!]
It was a statement filled with strange certainty.
Although it was a claim without basis, Dorothea couldn’t easily dismiss those words.
It wasn’t once or twice that the Tin Knight’s baseless intuition had been right.
And the “chance” the Tin Knight spoke of was better understood in the opposite way rather than interpreted literally.
In other words, it meant that even though things seemed smooth now, a crisis would come soon.
…Well, it is too easy.
Dorothea tightened her grip on her staff.
Thanks to Franka cooperating much more actively than expected, things had become easier, but their opponent was still the legendary Witch of the West.
Dorothea suddenly tried putting herself in Franka’s position and the Witch of the East in the Witch of the West’s position.
Would her teacher be so easily deceived if she betrayed her?
That’s impossible. If anything, she’d probably be watching to see what I’d do, only to appear at the crucial moment and mock me.
Perhaps because she was thinking this way.
When Franka, upon reaching some underground prison, cried out in joy at seeing two monkeys imprisoned inside, Dorothea’s vigilance conversely reached its peak.
Not knowing or caring that Dorothea had entered combat mode, Franka simply broke the prison door and hugged the two monkeys tightly.
The winged golden monkeys showed an intense reaction, seemingly happy to see Franka after a long time.
The small monkey with bat wings burrowed into Franka’s embrace, while the large monkey with insect wings wept loudly.
“Oh my, look at your messy fur. You must have suffered so much. It’s okay now. Mommy’s here to rescue you.”
It was a heartwarming scene in its own way, but unfortunately, the on-edge Dorothea didn’t have the leisure to be moved by it.
Glaring at them with eyes that seemed to say they were showing off, Dorothea snapped sharply, “Hey, how long are you going to keep this up? You’re the one who said we don’t have time. Aren’t you going to move on to the next step?”
“M-Miss Witch. Even so, they’ve just reunited after being apart, couldn’t you give them a little more time to be happy?”
“I’ve already been patient enough by overlooking the fact that someone who said they’d cooperate in retrieving the sacred treasure is taking care of their familiars first.”
At Dorothea’s cold tone, Franka responded with an upset face, “Fine! I get it! You’re so heartless. My master’s room is up this way—“
《What do you intend to do in my room, Disciple?》
Franka’s words didn’t continue to the end.
On the stairs leading down to the underground prison.
A monkey with golden shining fur was standing there.
The monkey’s appearance was ordinary.
Compared to Franka’s familiars boasting a gorilla-like muscular builds or, conversely, light bodies with membrane-like wings, the newly appeared monkey was very similar to an ordinary monkey except for its wings and golden fur.
However, this didn’t mean the monkey lacked individuality.
The first unique feature was that it wore a necklace shaped like human eyeballs, and the second was that human speech leaked from its mouth.
《I’m asking, what do you intend to do in my room? Can’t you answer, Franka?》
《I’m disappointed, so disappointed! After committing a mistake and receiving punishment, not only did you fail to properly reflect—to think you would try to stab your master in the back !》
Hearing the old woman’s voice flowing from the monkey’s mouth, the familiars in the prison trembled violently.
Franka also seemed to want to argue, but she stuttered, unable to spit out those words.
It was a surprising appearance considering the confident demeanor she had shown thus far.
Dorothea clicked her tongue softly and stepped forward, “Why are you acting like you’ve been betrayed without knowing anything? It’s obvious you already knew everything and were just watching for the right time to intervene.”
The monkey’s gaze turned to Dorothea.
《What a hasty assumption. On what grounds do you say such things?》
Instead of spewing out detailed explanations and speculations, Dorothea answered cleanly, “You’re one of the Great Witches of the Four Cardinal Directions, aren’t you?”
The Witch of the West didn’t answer immediately.
But soon, laughter leaked out.
It was an overt mockery.
《Kekeke. What an amusing wench. So, you want to say that to be treated on the same level as your teacher, this much is natural? In that sense, I can certainly see that you have discernment, but still, how foolish, how truly foolish. If you knew that, you shouldn’t have come here in the first place.》
The monkey’s gaze returned to Franka.
Unlike the malicious old woman’s voice, the monkey’s face was infinitely emotionless and expressionless.
It looked more like a doll than a living being, yet incessantly emotional words leaked out from inside, making it incredibly bizarre.
《Franka, you foolish wench. I took you in as a disciple after the Aglaias begged on their hands and feet, and now you think your petty skill is the result of your own talent and try to climb endlessly higher. I absolutely won’t let this incident slide, and your father will have to face great hardship, too. It’s all your fault, Franka.》
“W-wait! This has nothing to do with my family!”
“Why are you taking her seriously? Didn’t you expect this from the moment we invaded here? Or are you going to offer up all your familiars and beg for forgiveness?”
“I know!” Franka shouted in response.
After looking at her two familiars for a moment, she straightened her hunched shoulders and stood up straight.
Franka gritted her teeth, “Don’t talk as if you’ve been doing us favors all this time! No, don’t! How much have you leeched off our family, how shameless!”
The monkey—no, the Witch of the West, smacked her lips.
It was a reaction, as if a rare toy had slipped out of her grasp.
Just as the Witch of the West was about to say something again—
The Tin Knight, who had been quiet all this time, leaped forward and suddenly cut off the monkey’s neck.
Franka flinched, and even Dorothea momentarily looked dumbfounded.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that it’s better not to let dialogue with bosses drag on too long!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says the business was finished the moment Franka resolved to properly confront the Wicked Witch of the West!]
Dorothea was about to say something, but just shook her head.
Come to think of it, it isn’t such a wrong thing to say.
It was wiser to act recklessly rather than responding to the situation the opponent had set up in enemy territory.
The party began to climb the stairs.
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