A Witch Is Still Human in the End.
That phrase meant that no matter how powerful a witch might be, their flesh was not much different from that of a fragile human.
A blade, melting in the electric current, flickered blue as it heavily severed an arm.
Even after being cut off, the severed limb twitched as if still alive until, at last, it ceased to move.
And then, a beat too late.
The one holding the sword collapsed with a dull thud.
His body, charred black.
The molten skin of his hand fused tightly to the hilt, making it impossible to let go.
“Mister?”
As if reality had just started to set in, Alje blinked blankly.
Then, with a voice torn apart by anguish, she screamed.
“Mister Hans!”
“Ugh…”
When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a young girl staring down at him, tears dripping onto his face.
Even in his current state, Hans couldn’t help but admire her.
He wasn’t sure if it was because of her breathtaking beauty or because, despite being a mimic monster, she could shed tears a testament to the remarkable transformation abilities of her kind.
The line between the two was slowly blurring in his mind.
“Mister! Are you okay?”
“He had been unconscious twice now, completely defenseless.”
And yet, he hadn’t been devoured.
Maybe it was finally safe to trust her.
More importantly, considering how thoroughly he had been fried, his condition was surprisingly good.
No lost senses, no trouble moving he couldn’t be entirely certain, but his mind seemed intact too.
Given that his body remained whole, wasn’t that enough of a blessing?
As he sat up, Hans muttered,”You protected me, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Oh, well, of course.”
“Really, thank you.”
Thud.
A small doll tumbled out from his clothes.
“Greta.”
“Eh?”
The reason Hans knew more about witches than “just a little.”
That was because he personally knew one.
Not quite at the level of a Grand Witch, but certainly more skilled than a single severed arm of one.
She had always insisted that he keep this doll close to his heart.
Now, the doll had turned into little more than a lump of charcoal, having absorbed a fatal attack meant for him.
Its purpose was fulfilled.
Its once deep reddish-brown eyes, now faded, stared blankly at him for a moment before crumbling into dust.
“Ah! Mister!”
And then, Hans had to face the wrath of Alje, who realized she had been fooled.
“Oof, this brat is actually hitting a patient.”
“Patient, my foot! I healed you completely!”
Alje pounded his shoulder repeatedly in protest.
Hans chuckled as he endured the fierce assault from the mimic monster.
Well, she had a point.
That spell had been powerful enough to erase an entire section of a hill covered in corpses.
Even if the doll had absorbed some of the damage, surviving at all was nothing short of a miracle.
The only reason he was still standing was thanks to the Saint.
“Thanks, Alje. I never thought I’d have the luxury of being healed by a Saint.”
“Wow, now you say that?”
She huffed and puffed but couldn’t quite hide the way her lips curled up.
Seeing her adorable reaction, Hans was tempted to tease her more.
But first, he ignored her for a moment and examined the severed witch’s arm he had cut off.
It hadn’t been touched.
It lay exactly where it had fallen, discarded among the other bodies on the hill.
And then Crunch.
“What’s wrong?”
The witch’s severed arm had dried up completely, withered like the other corpses on the hill.
If it hadn’t been such a memorable experience, he might not have even recognized it.
Hans studied the limb for a moment before asking Alje,”How long was I out?”
“I don’t know!”
“Huh?”
“There’s no sun or moon here. No clocks either.”
Right.
Alje had been in this place far longer than he had.
It wouldn’t be strange if her sense of time was completely broken.
That meant he had to guess on his own.
Hans pondered for a moment.
He couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t think he had been unconscious for long.
His injuries were severe, but healing had been administered immediately.
At most, a few hours?
No, even if he had been out for days, a corpse shouldn’t have dried up and shriveled so quickly.
Not under normal circumstances.
“I don’t get it.”
Hans gave up thinking and threw the witch’s arm aside.
Thinking too hard about things wasn’t his style.
Besides, he had no companions here to do the thinking for him, and he couldn’t expect Alje to come up with any brilliant insights either.
Hans decided to focus on something he could do.
Taking out his frustrations.
As he cheerfully hacked away at the motionless witch’s arm, Alje hesitantly approached and tugged on his sleeve.
“Mister?”
“What?”
“So… that really was a witch?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“It wasn’t surprising that she was shocked.”
Even if she lacked common sense, as a Saint, she must have been thoroughly educated about their sworn enemies.
“Wow, scary.”
“Try changing your expression before you say that.”
But the girl just giggled and tugged at his arm.
“But it’s okay because you protected me!”
“Hah. If you put it that way, you also healed me, so we’re even.”
“It’s a Saint’s duty to care for the wounded!”For someone who had been acting clueless, she suddenly sounded quite resolute.
Those weren’t the words of a monster.
Hans suddenly wondered if he asked her who she really was, how would she answer?
“That’s admirable.”
“Hehe.”
Instead of pushing the issue, Hans simply ran his large hand through her hair.
Even though it got messed up, she didn’t seem to mind and smiled brightly.
But.
As soon as his hand left, her expression turned somber.
“No one’s ever praised me before.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. No matter how hard I tried, it was always just expected. And when I got hurt, no one cared.”
She was smiling, but Hans felt something shift inside him.
Still, he was an excellent actor.
Even without a script, he delivered the perfect response.
“Well, now you have someone who cares.”
“Really? Where?”
“Here.”
With a playful motion, he pointed at himself, making her burst into laughter.
“Haha! Mister, you’re so obvious!”
“Oops, you caught me.”
“Hmm. But I don’t hate it.”
After Hans woke up, they resumed walking.
Whether unconsciousness counted as sleep, he wasn’t sure, but his body felt fine.
And moving was better than standing still.
The same repeating landscape.
Corpses everywhere.
A place perfect for driving someone insane.
But thanks to the girl who jingled beside him like a little lily of the valley, Hans remained relatively sane.
Sane enough to crack jokes with her.
“So, do you hurt anywhere?”
“Everywhere!”
“Where exactly?”
“All over!”
And when a monster suddenly pounced on him from behind, he had enough restraint not to draw his sword.
Though maybe that was also because his blade, half-melted, was now closer to a club.
“My heart hurts.”
“Of course it does. It got pierced, after all.”
Alje clung tightly to his back.
As he instinctively caught her soft, bare thigh, Hans couldn’t quite sort out the pounding in his chest.
Fear?
Desire?
Maybe they weren’t so different after all.