WTBHI 67

Episode 67

The next morning, as soon as Gremory got out of bed, Anna pounced on her.

“Kyaa! Lady Mori! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?!”

Gremory blinked in surprise as Anna hugged her. Most people would feel uneasy after learning they’d been unknowingly supporting a witch all along. But Anna… she had a strange kind of madness in her too.

The next to jump on her was Isolen. Still in her pajamas, she ran in the moment she opened her eyes and tackled Gremory. Sandwiched between the two women, Gremory was squished helplessly.

“Hey! Where have you been all this time?! We were so worried, you awful witch!”

“I can’t breathe.”

“Do you know how much I suffered while you were gone? I gathered 120 holy relics—just so you could live safely without the Witch Hunters barging in!”

“You do know that even with a barrier, witches can still get in, right? It just seals their powers.”

“Then we just need to tighten security. If their powers are sealed, they’ll be like normal people. Anyway, could you make some more dark mana stones later? I’m totally broke after buying all those relics.”

Next came Alice, holding a huge bowl filled with a strange, creepy-looking soup.

“Hoho, Mori unnie! I made a special dish just for you! It’ll make your scary hunger go away!”

“…The soup is blue. What did you even put in it?”

“You’re better off not knowing. It might taste bad, but you have to eat every last drop~!”

Gremory made a sour face as she started eating. The soup tasted just as terrible as it looked, but it was weirdly effective. Her hunger vanished—completely. She had no appetite left at all.

After stuffing herself with the nasty soup, Gremory took a walk in the garden. The head nun and familiar knights greeted her warmly, happy she had returned. They only thought she had gone missing during the hunt and had just come back.

Thanks to her return, the ducal mansion was lively again. The servants were cheerful at the return of the once-lost mistress.

Cheshion had the holy relics Isolen bought transported all over the territory. The 100 relics were placed in a giant magic circle. When power was infused into the central artifact, a large dome-shaped barrier shimmered and activated. It sparkled for a moment before turning invisible.

Everything seemed peaceful—except for one person.

It was Isolen. She was locked in her room, fuming.

On the surface, she pretended to welcome Gremory back. But honestly, she felt bitter. The woman who stole the man she liked had returned—and she was even a witch! Not just any witch, but one being hunted! And because of her, Cheshion had nearly died.

Even though she hated that Gremory was back, something felt strange.

‘What’s wrong with me? I used to support her being with the duke. So why do I hate it now?’

She had worked so hard collecting relics, praying for Gremory’s safety. So where was this anger coming from?

Isolen glanced at her left index finger. On it was the black ring Gremory had given everyone in the mansion. She always wore it, thinking it was just a friendship ring.

‘This is weird. I don’t have any real reason to hate her. Could someone have put a spell on me?’

Could it be that the witch who attacked the duke—Laith—was trying to break their friendship with some kind of curse?

“Gasp!”

She quickly looked around. But she was alone in the room.

‘No way… if there was a real curse, I’d already be out of my mind. It’s probably just my imagination.’

She gently touched the ring. She remembered Gremory’s face when she gave it to her, telling her never to take it off.

‘She said it would protect me. Maybe it has protective magic.’

A dry chuckle escaped her. A friendship ring… with a witch.

As she touched it, her anger faded a little. But that only made her more suspicious.

‘I think something’s seriously off. Should I go ask Mori? But would she even be able to tell now that her powers are sealed by the relics?’

If that’s the case, then any curse should be blocked too. Unless… a super-powerful witch could still curse someone even through a hundred relics?

She decided to go see Gremory.

Gremory was probably lounging in her room, eating Anna’s weird snacks.

When she arrived, Gremory was indeed stretched out on the sofa, munching on jerky made from a magical beast.

“Oh, hey.”

Isolen marched up and stared straight at Gremory’s face.

“Hey, Mori.”

“Huh?”

“Do I look weird to you?”

“What do you mean? Your face? That’s always been weird.”

“Not that. Look closer.”

“Hmm… Nothing besides your face.”

“…Forget it.”

Feeling annoyed, Isolen turned to leave. But her thoughts still tangled.

‘Am I seriously hating her just because I want to?’

As she walked alone through the hall, a long black shadow followed behind her.

That afternoon, the sun warmed the garden as the mansion’s residents enjoyed tea together.

Cheshion made an announcement.

“With the barrier in place, no one is to leave the estate for the time being.”

Gremory nodded while sipping her tea. But then Isolen dropped a bomb.

“Your Grace, I think I need to leave at least once.”

“Why?”

“I went into debt with House Ortega to get those 120 relics.”

She quietly handed over a card.

To the Honorable Duke Cheshion Edel,
If you urgently require holy relics, House Ortega is willing to help.
As a birthday gift to Your Grace, we’ll lend as many relics as needed.
However, in return, you must attend the upcoming ball with my daughter as your partner.

“…What.”

Cheshion sighed deeply.

The seal of Duke Ortega was on the letter, so it wasn’t just Catherine’s idea. The Duke must’ve planned this to push his daughter toward a match with Cheshion.

Gremory gave Isolen a sharp glare.

“What the heck?! You accepted that crazy deal without asking?”

“I had no choice. I gathered relics using five years’ worth of the budget. But after 80, it wasn’t about money anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“There just aren’t that many relics in the Empire. Eighty was the limit. Most of them are owned by House Ortega. Without their cooperation, we couldn’t reach 100. And Ortega took advantage of that—Mori!”

“Graaah!”

Gremory bared her fangs and snatched the card, ready to shred it. Cheshion quickly held her back.

“No, Mori! That’s the invitation! If you rip it, they might cause trouble!”

“So you’re really going? You’re ditching me to dance with that ugly pumpkin?! After setting up a barrier with 100 relics, you’re seriously going to their estate?!”

“I’m not going there to cheat! I’m just going to dance!”

Watching the two argue, Isolen gave a twisted smile. Normally she would’ve felt guilty for creating this situation—but instead, she felt a strange thrill.

‘I hope they fight even more because of this.’

Even as the bad thoughts filled her, something still didn’t sit right.

When she first wrote to House Ortega, she’d been furious. She hated their manipulation and felt awful knowing how this would affect Cheshion and Gremory.

‘But now… why does it feel so satisfying? Like I’ve secretly hated her all along?’

Isolen grew more and more confused. Was this her true self? Or was something else at play?

“…I’ll go finish up some paperwork. I have a lot to do,” she said quietly, standing up.

Gremory stood too, stopping her chatter with Cheshion.

“If you have a lot to do, I’ll help.”

“No, it’s fine. You just got back—rest for today.”

Isolen could no longer hold her expression. She fled the garden.