Episode 29

The black flames rising from Idwild’s shoulders hit the basement ceiling and spread widely to the sides.

“Bertrand…! Become one with me…!”

“Cut the crap!”

I drew my Holy Sword.

The bright light of the flaming Holy Sword overwhelmed Idwild’s black flames, lighting up the basement like broad daylight.

“I like tall women!”

The Holy Sword flashed and cut through the waist of the black flames.

The upper part of the severed flames rose and scattered, while the lower part wavered like a puppet with its strings cut and extinguished.

“You still have the Goddess’s blessing…?”

Overwhelmed by the Holy Sword, Idwild’s hands trembled, and she crouched, not knowing what to do.

I retrieved the Holy Sword, spun it once, and placed it on Idwild’s shoulder.

“Ugh…”

Black smoke rose from her shoulder where the blade of the Holy Sword touched her.

The dark magic within her was reacting.

Idwild groaned and knelt.

Kneeling, she looked up at me with pitiful eyes, but I didn’t withdraw the Holy Sword.

Unable to endure it, Idwild bent over and placed her hands on the ground.

In a humiliating position like a dog, she couldn’t bear the weight of the Holy Sword and gradually collapsed.

With her thighs touching her stomach, kneeling low, and her forehead on the ground, Idwild sobbed in a bowing position.

“Please… Bertrand… please…”

Looking down at her relatively narrow waist and full hips in a string panty, I spoke.

“Stop the nonsense, dark magician.”

“Don’t do this… Please remove it…”

“Answer me.”

“Okay…”

“Apologize.”

“I’m sorry… Please forgive me…”

I withdrew the Holy Sword and sheathed it.

“Sob… sob…”

With her face buried in the floor, Idwild quietly sobbed.

The shoulder where the Holy Sword had touched was clean, as if nothing had happened.

It wasn’t burning the flesh but incinerating the dark magic inside the body, so there might not be a wound, but the pain must have been significant.

So, who told you to practice dark magic?

In the same prone position, Idwild cried for a long time, her shoulders shaking.

I went to the desk and slumped into a chair, waiting for her to stop crying.

On the desk, a Sansa made from the head of some unfortunate person was staring at me.

Feeling disgusted, I picked up a book lying next to it and flicked it off the desk as if swatting a fly.

“Kyakakakakakaka!!”

Suddenly, the book fluttered on its own and let out a bizarre laugh.

“Damn it, seriously!”

I threw the book on the floor and stomped on it hard.

“Kkkkkkkk!”

“Ha… your workshop is always so disgusting no matter when I come…”

Glancing over, Idwild was still lying on her large chest, sobbing.

Idwild is a madwoman.

She’s a madwoman, but different from the usual kind of madwomen.

That dark magician kills people without a second thought.

It’s not out of malice, she just needs materials for her dark magic research.

But she doesn’t realize that it’s wrong.

I don’t know how messed up her upbringing was, but she’s definitely not normal.

To Idwild, murder is just a means to obtain experimental materials.

Like how ordinary magicians collect unusual plants for research.

That Sansa rolling on the floor must have been made by killing someone and cutting their head off.

That person died unknowingly just to become a material for that talisman of misfortune.

On top of that, she has an abnormal obsession with me.

According to a fellow hero, it’s her desire to find something she’s lacking in me.

When I asked what that lacking thing was, even she didn’t know.

Anyway… I needed knowledge of dark magic, so I traveled with her briefly before parting ways, but now I’ve met her again here.

By the way, she seems to have lost some weight since before.

Of course, her chest hasn’t shrunk at all.

Looking at her thighs and buttocks as she lay face down with her back to me, I thought so.

Did she go through some hardship somewhere?

And why are her feet so dirty… she’s not even wearing shoes…

“Idwild.”

I called her name, but she didn’t move.

“Hey. Idi.”

Calling her nickname, she finally lifted her head slowly.

“Get up. The floor is hard.”

“Are you forgiving me…?”

“Forgiveness or whatever, just put on some clothes first.”

Idwild sat up on her knees but didn’t stand up.

She twisted her body in that position to look at me, not knowing what to do.

“What are you doing? Get up.”

“I’ll just stay like this…”

I got up from the chair and approached her.

As I approached, she moved her knees and turned her body towards me defensively.

“Get up and put on some clothes.”

When I put my hands under her armpits and lifted her up, Idwild let out a short scream.

“No…!”

It was only after lifting her up that I understood why she refused to get up.

There was a puddle of water where she had been sitting.

“Oh…”

Idwild hung her head while I held her arm.

Drops of water trickled down from between her legs into the puddle.

“Did you wet yourself…?”

“Let go of my arm…”

When I let go of her arm, she backed away while looking at me, retreating into a corner where the candlelight couldn’t reach.

The Holy Sword must have hurt quite a bit.

She wet herself a lot…

Looking at the circular puddle on the floor, I felt sorry for no reason.

“Sorry… could you bring me some clothes…”

Without a word, I picked up the robe that had fallen on the floor and approached her.

She was just untying the knot of her panty.

“Don’t look…”

“It’s too dark to see much anyway.”

“If you could see well… would you look…?”

“Damn.”

As I turned around and stood there, Idwild approached me quietly with her hands behind her back after putting on the robe.

“What’s behind your back.”

“Panties…”

“…Let’s not talk about it.”

Idwild fidgeted, hiding the panties behind her back, glancing at me.

Anyway, that timid girl wouldn’t speak first…

“Why are you still here? Didn’t you move to another place?”

“There’s no place as good as here… so I came back…”

“Where is that? Make sure never to go near there.”

I’m not just saying it, dark magic workshops contaminate the area, making it uninhabitable.

“Oh, and damn it, Idi. You.”

“Sorry… I was wrong…”

“Do you even know what I’m about to say?”

Instead of answering, Idwild turned her gaze to the Sansa that had fallen to the ground.

I too looked at that disgusting thing and said,

“You promised you wouldn’t make that thing again.”

When Idwild remained silent, I gripped the handle of the Holy Sword threateningly.

“Yes…! I did! I’m sorry…! Please forgive me!”

Startled, Idwild knelt and clasped her hands, glancing fearfully at the Holy Sword.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

No… I didn’t mean to go this far, but anyway.

“Why do you keep selling that kind of thing?”

“I needed money… that’s why…”

“Do you gamble or something? How can a magician be out of money?”

“I have no income… no commissions…”

“Aren’t there any curse requests or something? There are plenty of people who want to do illegal things.”

“Well…”

According to her, rituals that cast curses on others are hard to come by these days due to intense competition among her peers.

Dark magicians are also in a kind of business, and without some level of affinity and social skills, it’s hard to get commissions.

Just sitting around looking at skull decorations doesn’t make customers line up…

So that gloomy woman, with her big chest like a cow, can’t find clients and doesn’t even have proper shoes.

“I hate to say this, but you kill people easily. Don’t you take their money?”

“I only kill homeless people or those without family ties… I still choose who to kill…”

“That’s very considerate of you.”

This is the main reason why she hasn’t been caught by the Royal City despite all the killings.

She only kills those whose deaths or disappearances won’t be questioned.

“You… You came back here because you couldn’t pay the rent and got kicked out, right?”

“Yeah…”

“You really are… pathetic.”

“You’re worried about me… Bertrand, you’re really kind…”

We remained awkwardly silent for a moment.

“Hey. Then sell me something.”

“Uh… what kind of thing…? I can make anything. Just tell me.”

Idwild said, her eyes shining.

“A medicine that makes it harder… or helps you last all night…”

“Not that. I need a smaller statue like the one at the entrance.”

“A statue…? What for…?”

When I said it was to guard a wagon parking lot, Idwild seemed to ponder it.

“A statue would be perfect for that… but… a wagon parking lot…?”

“There’s such a thing. Anyway, can you make it?”

“Of course I can make it…! But…”

Idwild trailed off, glancing at me cautiously.

“Could you… pay in advance…?”

“…How much.”

“A hundred gold coins…”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

A hundred gold coins for just one magic spell?

“I don’t have that kind of money. I’m leaving.”

“Eigh… eighty coins…!”

I pushed Idwild’s shoulder aside and walked towards the stairs.

Idwild ran over and grabbed my sleeve.

“I’ll do it for fifty coins…!”

“For fifty gold coins, I might as well hire a person.”

When I shook her hand off my sleeve, Idwild practically clung to my arm.

I felt the soft, large sensation of her chest.

“Thirty coins… Thirty coins will do…”

I pushed her away and stomped up the stairs.

“Bertrand…! Where are you going…!”

As Idwild followed me, I just turned my head and spoke.

“Now that I think about it, I could just take the one at the entrance without spending any money.”

“Th… then go ahead…!”

“Alright. Take care.”

“Twenty coins…! No, ten coins!”

As I headed towards the entrance, the statue, still immobilized, stood there.

When I hoisted it onto my shoulder, Idwild sat down with a look of despair.

“Five coins… Please… I’m hungry…”

Idwild shed tears quietly.

Her dirty feet showed under the hem of her robe.

Seeing that, I put the statue down and said,

“Let’s do it for ten gold coins.”

“Thank… thank you so much…!”

Idwild crawled on her knees and grabbed the hem of my pants.

I let out a deep sigh and asked,

“Have you eaten?”