After ordering the surrounding guards to disperse the crowd, the captain turned back to Beatrice and respectfully said, “To be frank, I have a request. Miss Witch, may I have a word with you in private?”
“No.”
She tossed out that single word, then took Aurora by the hand and walked past the captain without even sparing him a glance.
The captain raised his hand, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately stayed silent. Even with his face hidden beneath a silver helmet, one could imagine the hesitant expression he must be wearing at that moment.
But really, it wasn’t surprising. After all, most people thought of witches as kind-hearted travelers who would lend a hand here and there—earning some coin or small gifts in return. A flat-out refusal like that was rare.
“Miss Witch, please—wait a moment!”
The captain turned toward them, and the harsh grinding of metal against stone rang in Aurora and Beatrice’s ears.
But Beatrice acted as if she hadn’t heard him at all, still pulling Aurora along without pause.
“Beatrice, why don’t we at least hear him out?” Aurora gently tugged at Beatrice’s skirt from behind. Ever kind-hearted, she simply couldn’t stand the thought of ignoring someone in need.
“Didn’t I tell you when we came down here? Don’t meddle in other people’s business.”
“But there might be a generous reward, right?”
“That makes it even worse. The richer the reward, the more dangerous the task. It’s the same logic as Adventurers’ Guild commissions.”
“O-okay…”
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade her, Aurora obediently fell silent and let herself be dragged along.
“Miss Witch! Innocent people are getting hurt as we speak. I beg you—please help us!”
Zzzzt.
The footsteps behind her suddenly stopped. No matter how Beatrice tugged, Aurora wouldn’t move.
She turned back—only to be met with Aurora’s slightly angry, puppy-like glare.
“Knew it. We can’t just walk away!”
“H-Hey!”
Before Beatrice could even finish her protest, she was forcibly dragged back in the opposite direction.
The witch’s boots screeched against the ground, leaving a long streak behind her until they stopped just two meters away from the guard captain.
“Please, Beatrice, let’s at least hear him out. Just this once?” Aurora pleaded as she clung to Beatrice’s hand and nuzzled it against her cheek like a puppy asking for attention.
Her voice was soft and whimpery, like a little animal’s cry, and the sugary-sweet tone made Beatrice’s heart skip a beat.
“Ugh… fine.”
“Yay! I knew you were the best, Beatrice!”
Aurora cheered and rubbed her cheek against Beatrice’s in delight. Her adorably obedient behavior made the onlookers all wear expressions of envy, though no one could quite tell which girl they were more jealous of.
Beatrice turned around and, with an obviously annoyed expression, looked at the captain. “Alright, speak. What is it?”
The sweet, clinging scene between the two seemed to stun the captain for a moment. It was only when Beatrice addressed him again that he snapped out of his little daydream of envy.
“Th-this isn’t something we can discuss here. Please follow me.”
“Tch.”
Beatrice rolled her eyes so hard they practically hit the back of her head, her irritation completely and unapologetically on display.
After ordering the surrounding guards to disperse the crowd, the captain turned back to Beatrice and respectfully said, “To be frank, I have a request. Miss Witch, may I have a word with you in private?”
“No.”
She tossed out that single word, then took Aurora by the hand and walked past the captain without even sparing him a glance.
The captain raised his hand, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately stayed silent. Even with his face hidden beneath a silver helmet, one could imagine the hesitant expression he must be wearing at that moment.
But really, it wasn’t surprising. After all, most people thought of witches as kind-hearted travelers who would lend a hand here and there—earning some coin or small gifts in return. A flat-out refusal like that was rare.
“Miss Witch, please—wait a moment!”
The captain turned toward them, and the harsh grinding of metal against stone rang in Aurora and Beatrice’s ears.
But Beatrice acted as if she hadn’t heard him at all, still pulling Aurora along without pause.
“Beatrice, why don’t we at least hear him out?” Aurora gently tugged at Beatrice’s skirt from behind. Ever kind-hearted, she simply couldn’t stand the thought of ignoring someone in need.
“Didn’t I tell you when we came down here? Don’t meddle in other people’s business.”
“But there might be a generous reward, right?”
“That makes it even worse. The richer the reward, the more dangerous the task. It’s the same logic as Adventurers’ Guild commissions.”
“O-okay…”
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade her, Aurora obediently fell silent and let herself be dragged along.
“Miss Witch! Innocent people are getting hurt as we speak. I beg you—please help us!”
Zzzzt.
The footsteps behind her suddenly stopped. No matter how Beatrice tugged, Aurora wouldn’t move.
She turned back—only to be met with Aurora’s slightly angry, puppy-like glare.
“Knew it. We can’t just walk away!”
“H-Hey!”
Before Beatrice could even finish her protest, she was forcibly dragged back in the opposite direction.
The witch’s boots screeched against the ground, leaving a long streak behind her until they stopped just two meters away from the guard captain.
“Please, Beatrice, let’s at least hear him out. Just this once?” Aurora pleaded as she clung to Beatrice’s hand and nuzzled it against her cheek like a puppy asking for attention.
Her voice was soft and whimpery, like a little animal’s cry, and the sugary-sweet tone made Beatrice’s heart skip a beat.
“Ugh… fine.”
“Yay! I knew you were the best, Beatrice!”
Aurora cheered and rubbed her cheek against Beatrice’s in delight. Her adorably obedient behavior made the onlookers all wear expressions of envy, though no one could quite tell which girl they were more jealous of.
Beatrice turned around and, with an obviously annoyed expression, looked at the captain. “Alright, speak. What is it?”
The sweet, clinging scene between the two seemed to stun the captain for a moment. It was only when Beatrice addressed him again that he snapped out of his little daydream of envy.
“Th-this isn’t something we can discuss here. Please follow me.”
“Tch.”
Beatrice rolled her eyes so hard they practically hit the back of her head, her irritation completely and unapologetically on display.
The captain’s thoughts were completely seen through, and after stammering for a moment, he suddenly stood up and gave a deep, ninety-degree bow.
“Please, Miss Witch! Our nation is still too weak. We don’t even have any high-level magic users—barely any knights above the intermediate rank either.”
“We’ve been investigating these cultists night and day, but there’s been no progress at all. The number of missing people in the city keeps growing—it must be the work of those cultists!”
“I beg you, if you help us capture those damned cultists, our town will treat you as honored guests from now on!”
“Heh. Honored guests?”
With another cold snort, Beatrice stood up from the sofa. Her eyes were icy as she spoke, her tone sharp as frost:
“Let me ask you—if your town knows there are cultists around, why are you still allowing outsiders in and out?”
“Th-this…”
“Oh, is it because the money they bring is more valuable than their lives? Or is it that you don’t care about their lives at all?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Then why is the town still open?!”
Faced with Beatrice’s sharp questioning, the captain fell silent, unable to find the words.
He had suggested closing the gates to the king, but the idea was flatly rejected. The king’s response had been:
“If it’s just a few cultists, then capture them. Do you realize how much economic loss even a single day of closure would bring to the capital?”
Easy for him to say. The king clearly had no idea how terrifying the cultists really were.
“Heh. Honored guests? Who would even want that.”
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