Gilbert, you should be polite and hospitable. Gilbert, make him feel welcome.
Yes, of course.
When the witch entered the living room where she usually spends her time, she had two good-looking boys by her side. She approached them slowly, her hand on the sword she carried at her waist.
It's been a long time," she said. He was such a beautiful boy. ... I wonder why he is so uninteresting when he grows up.
You've been kidnapping little boys.
'Oh my, they were all happy to come to me, weren't they?
The room was well furnished and decorated with large, gorgeous flowers. The room is well furnished and decorated with large, luxurious flowers. The boys are beautifully dressed and have nice skin. The boys were beautifully dressed, their skin was glamorous, and they seemed to be treated well.
I don't need to hear that nonsense. Let's have those boys back, too.
They are still alive. They are still alive, and they can probably start over with their families now. We had spent the last few days checking the witch's trail and even knew that she was kidnapping them.
The boy, who seemed to be older than me, put a cup of tea on the tray and approached me to give it to me. His hands were shaking.
You are ... Gilbert Coa? You must be Sir Coa's son. Your parents are worried about you.
Tea is ready."
The boy did not answer the question, but looked up as he placed his tray on the table with a blank expression on his face.
'I am just Gilbert.
His azure eyes are clear and unclouded. Just when I thought the witch's enchantment could affect my psyche this much--
Gilbert's arm with a knife reaches out to me. I avoided the tip of the knife and at the same time grabbed the arm that was about to cut me.
With a twist of his wrist, the untrained boy immediately drops the knife with a clank. I pick up the knife and pull Gilbert up so that he hangs by his arms.
He resists, flailing his legs, but I whisper a word in his ear. Then he stopped moving.
I've been licked too," he said, "to be attacked by a child.
You ... let go of my Gilbert!"
The witch twisted her face and stretched out her arms gingerly. She tried to release something from the tips of her palms.
--Oh, no!
I threw the knife I was holding at her forehead, but she jumped up and made a big leap to avoid it.
Sweet!"
The witch jumped down with a stomp in front of me and pulled Gilbert away from me as if to take him from me and held him in her arms.
'Oh, Jill ... my Jillbert, you scared me ....'
The witch stroked Gilbert's head with a lowered eyebrow. How she seems to love the boy, but when he grows up, he too will be killed. And yet, Gilbert said, "I was afraid, Master Witch," and put his hands behind her back and hugged her.
While the witch is off guard, I pull my sword from my waist and slash at her at the same time.
I aim for her neck with a sound of cutting air, but the sword only grazes the witch's hair as she avoids the boy.
Tsk."
I click my tongue and move away, then take up my stance to strike again. Just when I thought I was going to decide next time, the witch sneered.
'Hmmm, do you think you can cut me with such a mere sword?
I doubt it.
The witch avoided Gilbert to the side and faced him head-on. As soon as she raised her hands and flashed her eyes, her body grew muscular and large. She seems to have used the art of change.
--That's not good.
Just as I was thinking that, I hear an unexpected voice from behind me.
"Ludo-sama!"
Alicia?"
As soon as I turned around, her clear violet eyes flashed into my eyes. She was about to enter the room again, her arm almost held by the door, her face pale. But how could she be here--?
The witch's hand is stretched out from behind me and clamps down on my neck.
"Ggggghh...!
Oh, Ludo-sama!
With the strength of an arm not unlike a woman's, I was grabbed by the neck and lifted upward. As my feet leave the ground, I can't breathe and it becomes harder and harder.
Alice's body stiffened as she looked at me and froze in place.
I was so scared that I couldn't breathe.
"Hush!
My throat was crushed and I couldn't speak. I wanted to tell Alicia to leave, but I clenched my teeth and couldn't even open my mouth.
I was trying to tell Alicia to leave, but I couldn't even open my mouth.
I held the sword in my hand with one hand and swung it up from below to cut off the witch's arm behind her.
The feeling of cutting flesh was felt in the arm. But because there was no momentum, the bone was not cut, and it stopped halfway, but the witch's grip on her neck was weakening.
"Hmph."
I let go of the sword and landed on the floor, trying to escape from the arm. I inhale and glare up at the witch, and she smiles suspiciously with the corner of her mouth raised while holding back her arm.
'Pfft, pfft, you do that too. But no matter how many times you get cut, ... hola, you'll be fine, okay?"
The witch dropped her sword with a clang and held her bleeding arm.
...."
She knew it wasn't easy, but witches regenerate quickly, even if they are cut. As he picks up the sword he dropped downstairs, Alicia, who was at the entrance, comes running up to him.
'Ludo-sama!
That was close."
The witch raises her hand above her head and releases a barrage of black arrows. I shot them away with my sword as they approached Alicia.
I shot them off with my sword.
In the midst of the tension, Alicia approaches me and places a small lump in my hand.
'It's a magic ivy seed.'
With just one word to me, she stands to face the witch. She straightens her back and lifts her chin. Her violet eyes were shining and her whole body was full of energy.
When the witch saw Alicia, she stopped attacking and for a moment, her eyes narrowed and she looked surprised. She probably didn't expect Alicia to return to normal.
You ... are telling me you were able to escape from that magical ivy?"
Yes, I did. I am truly loved by Master Ludvik.
I am truly loved by Master Ludwig. You sound so proud of yourself.
Alicia, who began to talk to the witch, steps ahead of me and begins to talk to her as if she were agitating the witch.
She says, "Well, surely an older woman like you can't know what true love is. I can see behind the mask. You are really a wrinkled, gray-haired old woman, aren't you? I know."
When Alicia laughed deliberately, the witch bit her back teeth and showed her anger. Like a cat with its fur bristling, she turned her palms up and let the black haze grow.
'Now that that's out of the way, you two, I'll take care of both of you together.
The witch raised her hands and began to chant some incantation into the black haze. --Now!
I rushed at the witch, pointing my tip at her. I move quickly and cut her with a kesa-gatame, and red blood spurts out from her belly. But.
"Oh my, cutting me won't do you any good, will it?"
Oh, I know!"
While the witch was laughing hysterically, she stabbed her hand blade into her side, aiming at the cut. No matter how much damage is done to the witch's body, it quickly regenerates. This is because they use a secret technique to prolong their lifespan while they are still young.
The witch's face contorted as if she was feeling pain.
I heard her groan, "..., what are you doing?"
I hear her groan, but I quickly pull my hand out of her body and run back to Alicia. As I stand to be her wall, the witch groans.
'Ha, look what I'm going to do! ... what⁉"
The witch gets down on one knee and begins to writhe. My cut is already closed, but she stops moving and glares at me. --I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.
What did you ... do to me...!"
I finally get down on both knees, and the witch's face is pained as she clutches her stomach. The blood that should have stopped flowing from the wounds continued to flow.
The witch's question was answered by Gilbert, who was standing right beside her.
It's magic ivy, Master Witch. It has sucked the witch's enormous magical power and is growing large.
Ji, Jill? What are you talking about?
The most important thing to do is to make sure that you have the right tools to do the job.
I made a cut with my dagger and held up a handheld sword that held a magic ivy seed. When I pulled it out, leaving the seed inside the witch's body, the magic ivy sucks in magic power and grows.
Taking in an enormous amount of magical power, the magic ivy extended its tentacles with great vigor.
The witch with the embedded seed contorts her face at Gilbert's betrayal. As if to resist the ivy that sucked the magic power from her body and multiplied, she put her hand into the wound and tried to get the seed out.
'Ugh,... Oh, you,...!
Witch-sama? Are you all right?"
Gilbert approaches but never touches it. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance with a few minutes of your time and then go back to work.
Jill ... hey, give me a kiss. With your true love, this ivy will ... be gone."
"Hmmm, my dear witch. It's a rare request from you. But no."
He smiles softly with his beautiful face, but never touches the witch.
Jill ... why?"
All she could do was moan, and she couldn't bear to let Alicia see her whole body covered in green, so she pulled her close and let her bury her face in his chest.
You are not to look."
'... yes.'
Then he calls out to protect the boy near the witch.
'Gilbert, come here, it's dangerous. The witch no longer uses her powers."
Green ivy covers most of his body. It would be difficult to move even the tips of his fingers.
'So she can't use her magic anymore ... like this, forever?
That's right. The ivy seems to suck up the magic power, so the lifespan will also be shortened. I'll stay like this until my body perishes.
"It will stay like this ... forever."
Gilbert stands up, smiling suspiciously, and turns to me and bows.
'Thank you, my lord. Now I can ... be with the witch all the time."
Gilbert?"
He went to the witch who was lying limp and spoke to her, smiling.
I heard that you can stay with me even when I grow up, Master Witch," he said, smiling. Don't worry, I will water the ivy and take care of you. I love you, witch.
Gilbert, smiling happily, never leaves the witch, as if he really intends to stay.
The other boy, perhaps freed from his enchantment, is crying, saying he wants to go home. With the threat over for now, I leave the boys in Zephir's care and get up to hug Alicia's body.
She looked as if she would fall asleep any minute. I guess I had exerted too much energy.
Alethe, it's finally over. You can go back to sleep now."
"Ludo, Ludo-sama."
I yawned, closed my eyes, and fell asleep in my arms.
I carried Alicia back to the castle of Baruche. I held her in my arms for a long time as she slept soundly in the carriage.
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