“Heckate.”
“That’s right.”
“I didn’t expect you to come find me.”
It’s almost like I’m in cahoots with Eligos—the timing is just too perfect. Though, that’s not actually the case… I looked at Heckate, who appeared as a cat wandering around Yeomyeong-gwan. As soon as she noticed my gaze, she started circling around me, as if observing a curious human.
“It’s fascinating. How can a human possess three blessings? Even if you’re a descendant of the Quartz family, that’s beyond the norm.”
As expected of the goddess of magic, she immediately recognized the blessings stacked upon me. My wariness towards Heckate intensified even more. It never hurts to be cautious.
“Y-Your Highness…”
“Elisa, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in…”
“But the little witch wants to come too.”
Little witch?
“Little… witch?”
“You have witch’s blood running through your veins. If there’s witch’s blood, then you’re my little one.”
Little…? I found myself unconsciously staring at Elisa’s chest. It’s way too big to be called little. At this point, it’s not a little one, but a momma instead. Wait, what am I even saying?
“Your Highness…?”
“Men are so naughty.”
That flat voice hits harder than I expected. I turned my gaze back to Heckate, who was borrowing the body of a cat. No, the cat that had transformed into Heckate.
“If it’s Your Highness, touching is totally fine, too.”
“The little one is also naughty.”
What kind of conversation is this? Just because I looked at her chest once, why did the topic switch to this? And why is Elisa hesitating while looking at me?
Don’t try to grab my wrist and pull me in. I’m not about to fondle anyone’s chest in front of a goddess.
“Y-Your Highness. Do you not want to touch my… chest?”
“Elisa. Calm down for now.”
Shouldn’t it usually be the other way around? Why is she sobbing about not touching her chest? I desperately pulled her shoulder and hugged her, patting her back.
“Humans are really interesting.”
Interesting? What on earth is interesting about this?
“So, what’s the reason for your approach? You know who I am, don’t you?”
“I came to meet you, but I was intrigued watching the little one.”
“Were you a cat from the beginning…?”
I saw that cat when Rue hadn’t yet made a contract with me. Was it Heckate back then too?
In response to my question, Heckate stretched like a cat and answered in a soft voice.
“Not since then. I’ve only been here for about half a year.”
Just a few months… If I believe her words, that means she’s been watching me for months. That’s quite… a long time to be surveilled. If I think about it, she must have been watching me since before the dragon hunt.
“You have a curious expression.”
“Yeah. I have a lot of questions. I hope you’ll answer them.”
Questions piled up regarding why she’s been watching me, her strangely friendly demeanor, and information about that guy. Her intentions.
“Will the Quartz family little one talk with me? The little one is warlike, it seems.”
“I am a pacifist.”
“The Quartz family little one is a liar.”
I guess I can be a bit brazen. When I think about my actions, I’m far from a pacifist. Of course, I’ve engaged in a lot of physical discussions.
“Anyway, I’m willing to talk with you.”
“Alright. Then… come to the forest.”
“Can’t we just talk here?” Why do we need to go to the forest? We could easily have a Q&A session right now. I looked at Heckate with confusion, and she scratched her body like a real cat while saying:
“Little one, this isn’t a conversation we should have in an open area.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone to eavesdrop.”
“There wouldn’t be any ‘humans’.”
That made me think of Eligos and Kalon. My useful sources of information… Does she want to keep our conversation from getting overheard by them?
“Got it. I’ll visit later.”
“Oh, and the witch little one should come too.”
“M-Me too…?” Elisa asked back with a hesitant voice. The goddess nodded, confirming her statement.
“That’s right. The little one should come too.”
“Why is Elisa going?”
“Because she’s a witch little one.”
That answer makes no sense. However, Heckate turned, as if she didn’t have much time, and said:
“I think you’ll start to catch on soon, so let’s meet in the forest.”
“Wait…!” Has she vanished?
I looked down at the spot where Heckate had just been.
A strange echo lingered late.
“Yohanneee…”
“It looks like I ended up going on a journey with you.”
“Hehe…” Elisa nodded with a shy smile. Is she really so happy about going on a journey with me?
“It’s great that we can go to the northeastern Witch’s Forest together…”
“Together… together?”
How on earth do I explain this to the kids?
Sure, they’ll understand if I explain, but… the semester starts soon, can we return before that?
“Elisa. We should head in soon. We need to gather together to discuss tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
With her upbeat response, I felt a soft touch on my palm.
We headed towards Yeomyeong-gwan while holding hands.
————————-
“So… you’re saying you’re going to the northeastern Witch’s Forest with Elisa?”
Karina asked me with a voice full of concern. I nodded in response to her question.
“Yeah. That goddess said for Elisa to come with me.”
“Is that alright? I don’t think Uncle will get hurt, but… Elisas isn’t the same.”
“I’m fine…”
“If you’re with Uncle, it should be okay. But it’s still dangerous, isn’t it? Are you sure?”
Maybe because Elisa is her close friend, Viola looked at her with worry. It’s only natural to be concerned.
After all, we’re going to meet a being whose allegiance we can’t discern.
“Viola. Don’t worry. I’ll protect Elisa with my life.”
“Hey, saying that makes it even more concerning.”
Is it?
“Don’t say scary things and come back safe, both of you!”
Sif is right. If we’re going, we should both come back safe.
“I want to go too… if it weren’t for being the student council president.”
“You chose that path. Take responsibility until the end.”
“I want to go, but I can’t!”
“Good, you thought well.”
“Hehe.”
Looks like convincing her was easier than I thought.
Seeing her enviously makes me think I should spend some time with her later. I announced to comfort the disappointed couple.
“I’ll go on a date later, so don’t be too sad. We have plenty of time.”
“Just remember that this can be my time being forgotten…”
“You’re included in that.”
“We don’t have substitutes!”
“Well, there’s bound to be some sort of method.”
Seeing Renny expressing envy makes me wonder if dates are that significant. Honestly, I prefer being together with everyone. But since I brought it up, I guess I must follow through.
“If I stay in the sanctuary… wouldn’t that work? It’s practically impenetrable by most methods.”
True, that place isn’t one that anything could easily invade. But sending Karina to the sanctuary for a date feels a bit…
“That seems a bit off.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“No need to worry too much; there are other methods.”
“I don’t know what method you’re thinking of, but it makes me a bit uneasy…”
“Just wait and see.”
I wrapped up my statement and turned my gaze toward Elisa, who was half joy, half anxiety.
As soon as our eyes met, she smiled and held my hand tightly.
“Yohanneee… when do we leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“We’re leaving right away tomorrow.”
No need to beat around the bush—let’s just get it done quickly.
“So I won’t see you from tomorrow…”
“Millia. I’ll be back soon, so don’t be too disappointed.”
“Contractor! What about me?”
“Of course you should come along.”
Your abilities are too useful when fighting gods.
“Hooray!”
Rue, Elisa, and I are confirmed to be a trio.
Thinking about it, I’ve done all sorts of things to help the kids grow, but I rarely got the chance to utilize it.
They wouldn’t be much help against outsiders, so that’s a bit disappointing. To deal with outsiders, they’d need to at least reach the level of Merlin or Sir Kalintz.
Aside from Karina and Renny, it’s tough for mere students to do anything.
Ugh…
I’d have to rely on them for support in the back…
“Thanks for understanding, everyone. It’s getting late, so I’ll head in and sleep.”
“Yohan, sleep well.”
“Goodnight~”
“Uncle, good… night.”
“A-ah, thinking about it, if you’re gone, I’ll have to work late again…”
Renny winked at me. Signifying that she wants me to buy a few bottles of alcohol.
I smiled at the cute little drinker’s desperate request and turned my gaze away.
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