“……What? You suddenly want to go hunt the Witch of Lust? Miss Scarlet, you’re crazy… No, you’ve lost your mind?”
Am I crazy, Witch?
That was what Sylvia had said to me when I shouted, “Sylvia! I’m going to hunt the Witch of Lust!”
Had I worried too much over the Witch of Gluttony that she thought I had lost my senses?
For a moment, I felt hurt by her gaze, which seemed to pity me, despite her flustered demeanor.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize that I had spoken too hastily.
I was so eager to share the miraculous idea that had popped into my mind about how to counter the Witch of Gluttony that I hadn’t thought it through.
Surely, it would be concerning if I suddenly barged in without any explanation, proclaiming I was going to hunt a witch.
Reflecting on my previous actions, I quickly added further explanations to Sylvia.
“Aah, do you remember the story about sacred relics that Eve-sensei mentioned? She said that to fight the Witch of Gluttony, we’d need at least three sacred relics to have a chance.”
“Yes, I remember that. But what does that have to do with the Witch of Lust?”
“When I fought the Witch of Lust last time, I saw that she had a sacred relic. If we defeat the Witch of Lust and take the relic she possesses, it should help when fighting the Witch of Gluttony, right?”
As I mentioned the sacred relic, Sylvia slowly nodded, her expression becoming more serious.
She realized that this wasn’t such an absurd idea after all.
Thinking for a moment while tapping her fingers on the desk, Sylvia opened her mouth.
“Hmm… that’s definitely not a bad idea. If we can obtain the sacred relic, it’s much better than just sitting around twiddling our thumbs.”
However, while she was responding positively to my suggestion, she raised a finger as if pointing out a problem.
“But there’s one issue. Even though we know the Witch of Lust has a relic, how are we supposed to find her? We can’t just wander around aimlessly until we discover her.”
Sylvia brought up the most significant issue that everyone would think of.
How could we embark on a hunt without knowing where the Witch of Lust was?
Fortunately, I had already thought of a solution, and I immediately replied.
“That’s not a problem. We have a way to find out where the Witch of Lust is.”
“A way?”
“Yeah, we can borrow the power of the Holy Sword that Yoon Si-woo has. Just like how you found me last time, we can locate the Witch of Lust.”
“Ah, if we do that, then…!”
Sylvia’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected suggestion, but soon after, a soft sigh escaped her lips.
She looked genuinely disappointed as she explained the problem with my idea.
“Well, Miss Scarlet, it’s a good idea, but it might be difficult. As far as I know, that ability requires something to specify the target we want to locate, like blood or hair. I was able to find you before because I had a ring that had your blood on it. But right now, we don’t have anything to identify the Witch of Lust…”
There was indeed a valid reason for Sylvia to be concerned.
As she mentioned, the ability of the Holy Sword required something to specify the target we wanted to find.
Though Sylvia looked troubled, I had another solution up my sleeve.
With a smile, I said to Sylvia, who seemed disappointed.
“Why would we be out of options? There are plenty of those around.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
“Why, the magical residue the Witch of Lust left behind at the spot where we fought her last time. If we can analyze that, we should be able to pinpoint her location.”
“Magical residue…? Can that really work?”
As Sylvia asked with a blank expression, I nodded confidently.
If you’re asking whether it’s possible or not, then the answer is yes.
How do I know without trying it?
Because this was how Yoon Si-woo used his abilities in the original story.
He had uncovered the witch’s location by tracking the magical residue of the Witch of Gluttony to lead people to safety.
Of course, in the end, Yoon Si-woo had to meet a tragic end alongside Sylvia after running out of people’s stamina while running away.
Even recalling that bittersweet ending made me smile ruefully as I steeled my resolve.
I had to devise a way to resist the Witch of Gluttony, no matter what.
Anyway, after I explained my plan, it seemed Sylvia thought it was a feasible idea, and she nodded in agreement.
“Hmm… if we can specify where the Witch of Lust is, it sounds like a good plan. Of course, hunting her isn’t going to be simple.”
“But we fought her once and won. Plus, my condition is much better now than it was during our last encounter, so we have a decent chance. Besides, it’s something we must do. The sacred relic is important, but I personally cannot forgive that thing for messing with people.”
“Indeed. It’s best to eliminate any risk factors that could lead to her leading an army back into the city at any moment. Speaking of which, you’re really planning to hunt the Witch of Lust, right?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded in response to Sylvia’s question, attesting to my intention, and soon found myself muttering in confusion.
“Sylvia… is there something about this you don’t like…?”
As soon as I nodded, Sylvia made a face that looked quite displeased.
What’s going on? What did I do wrong?
Feeling anxious, I pondered over what the problem could be, suddenly thinking she might not like the idea of me going on the hunt.
After all, Sylvia had never liked me participating in dangerous undertakings.
However, given the situation, I was the most suitable candidate for hunting the Witch of Lust.
To persuade her, I cautiously addressed Sylvia.
“Um, Sylvia, are you worried about me going on this hunt? I appreciate your concern, but it’s something I have to do. There isn’t anyone more suited for facing the Witch of Lust than me…”
But Sylvia remained displeased as she replied, without wavering in her expression.
“…I’m worried, yes. But I understand that you need me to face the Witch of Lust. That’s not what I’m angry about! Don’t you know why I’m upset?!”
“Uh… um…”
Having questioned me about why she was really angry, I felt my insides churning.
How could I possibly know why she was angry?
Yet, I knew if I answered honestly that I didn’t know, she would sulk, and I didn’t want that.
How do I know that?
I once told a junior who sulked for reasons unknown to me that I didn’t know why, and it resulted in a major emotional fallout, requiring me to beg for days to smooth things over.
Even just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.
That’s when I truly felt how complex human emotions could be.
Trying to avoid bothering her made it seem like I was making things worse, so I ended up sticking around for several days, apologizing until I finally received forgiveness…
In the end, I discovered neither of us found out why she was upset.
After all, there was hardly anything out of the ordinary from the day prior.
“Hey, could you drink with me today? I’m feeling a bit lonely.”
“Uh, I don’t drink…”
“Well, then can we at least have some snacks together?”
“Sure, let’s go.”
I had agreed to eat snacks with my junior, who had asked me for company.
“I didn’t expect you to have a pretty good body for a senior!”
“Hey, stop squeezing my arm. You seem pretty drunk already; take it easy.”
“Just a little bit more! Just a little, please…”
We hung out late into the night, leading to them getting completely wasted.
“Ugh, senior… I’m feeling really sick. Can we rest somewhere?”
“Man… I told you to take it easy.”
“Senior, there’s a motel nearby…”
“You’re really driving me nuts…”
Frustrated, I ended up booking a room in a motel nearby after they insisted on resting instead of heading home.
“Hey, senior… shall we shower together?”
“Uh… what do you mean ‘together’? Just go wash up already.”
“Ah, don’t be shy… I’ll go first, okay? Just wait for me…?”
“Yeah, fine. Hurry up and wash.”
I worried they might slip and hurt themselves while washing, so I stayed to keep an eye on them until they finished.
“Senior, I’m all done… what now? I’m fine just like this, though…”
“Uh, oh, you’re done? I left some money on the table for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll be leaving now, so you should rest well. Let’s meet next week.”
“Wait… really? Are you leaving? Wait, senior! Senior! Hey, you bastard—”
Exhausted, I went home and fell asleep.
It was a Friday, but when I met them again that following Monday, for some reason, they were furious with me.
I had booked the room, made sure they could feel better, and even given them extra money for a taxi, yet…
Thanks to that experience, I learned a valuable lesson: when someone asks if you know why they’re upset, admitting you have no clue is the worst possible answer.
With that lesson in mind, I decided to offer a vague response to Sylvia’s question.
Fortunately, Sylvia seemed relieved and quickly provided her reason for her anger.
“You said just now, ‘I’m going to hunt the Witch of Lust!’ Why didn’t you say ‘let’s go hunt the Witch of Lust together!’? Are you really thinking of going without me?”
At her words, I flinched.
Because, truthfully, I had been planning on going to hunt alone.
Since I was facing the Witch of Lust, I’d rather go solo than put others in danger.
But instinctively, I sensed the seriousness of my blunder.
If I said so, Sylvia would be incredibly sulky.
Just as I thought this, her gaze sharpened as I hesitated in my response.
So I quickly shook my head and assured her, as if to assert my innocence.
“Ah… that was a slip of the tongue. I honestly planned to ask for your help from the very beginning.”
“Ah…! I-Is that so? I was just worried that perhaps you were intending to handle this dangerous task all on your own. But it’s not like you would do something like that? I could contribute immensely to dealing with the Witch of Lust, so naturally, you would have considered me from the start.”
“Uh, yeah… that’s right. If you join me, I couldn’t ask for a better support.”
“Really? Ehehe.”
Seeing Sylvia smile brightly made my conscience twinge, yet what I just said wasn’t a lie.
In reality, Sylvia would be a tremendous asset in facing the Witch of Lust.
So I could confidently include her in my plans without hesitation.
If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t have responded this way, no matter how much she might protest.
At any rate, it seemed Sylvia was genuinely pleased with my words, grinning widely as she mumbled.
“Ehehe, I’ve become someone that Scarlet trusts and can rely on now.”
Watching that smile, I felt a sincere relief that my instincts had served me well.
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