Chapter 113: The Garden of Witches
A sudden murder.
The silence lasted only an instant before everyone fell into panic.
“A-ah!”
“T-the Regent just killed someone…!”
He killed a person in front of everyone without the slightest hesitation.
Amid the chaos, the only one who remained unfazed was Perda.
He simply stared at the woman he had just killed.
“What a waste of time.”
The woman did not move.
That was normal.
Her forehead had been pierced through. How could she move?
While everyone else recoiled from Perda’s sudden action, only Perda remained calm and resolute.
“Enough with the pointless acting, witch. It must be exhausting lying there like that.”
At that moment, the body everyone believed to be dead began to tremble.
“A-ah!”
“T-the corpse is moving!”
Like a puppet with its strings connected incorrectly, it rose with unnatural movements.
With the hole still piercing her forehead, she opened her mouth.
“…How did you figure it out?”
An awkward smile appeared on the terrified woman’s face.
Crack—
Shortly afterward, that figure began to crack apart.
Her skin peeled away as if she were shedding her body, revealing the true form beneath.
Hair made of white scales.
Vertical pupils.
A staff entwined with two serpents.
And a forked tongue flicking in and out of her mouth.
Her identity was impossible to mistake.
“Yor Philiaz, the Serpent Witch!”
“A witch infiltrated our castle!”
The people who had been kneeling scattered in terror.
In an instant, a wide empty circle formed around Perda and the witch.
‘Yor Philiaz.’
Perda also knew that name.
Her notoriety was among the greatest even among witches.
She was powerful.
And the more powerful a witch was, the more intense her demonic energy became.
That energy brutally oppressed the surrounding area.
The witch slightly lifted the edge of her skirt and gave a playful greeting.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Regent Valdrova.”
Her voice was not harsh.
It was clear and high-pitched.
But it overflowed with malice.
“You’re the first person to pierce my forehead the moment we meet. If you’re going to become a Grand Duchess’s husband, shouldn’t you treat me with a little more elegance?”
“Stop exaggerating. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have used another method.”
“Oh, how brave.”
Licking nails as sharp as blades, she smiled.
“And it just so happens that my favorite hobby is ripping the hearts out of brave humans.”
“Are you volunteering for that hobby?”
The moment he finished speaking, Yor’s figure disappeared.
No.
Something had launched itself at her at a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye.
It was Ruri.
She crushed Yor’s neck with a kick and pinned her down.
“Your heart will be ripped out before mine, witch.”
Ruri growled.
But the witch was completely unfazed.
She merely looked at her as though she were adorable.
“What a clingy little girl. You should relax a little and learn to be more flexible. That’s how adults are made.”
Then she glanced beneath Ruri’s skirt and smiled with satisfaction.
“Quite cute.”
“Damn fucking bitch…!”
“Enough.”
Just as Ruri’s fist was about to smash her mouth apart, Perda stopped her.
“I don’t have time to play with you, Yor Philiaz.”
Perda moved a finger.
“Drop the pointless provocations and information-gathering attempts. Just deliver Big Sister’s message and leave.”
Upon hearing that, Yor narrowed her eyes.
The woman who had been exaggerating every gesture until now genuinely seemed surprised.
“The fact that you know I’m gathering information, fine, I can accept that. But how did you know the other part?”
“Because Echidna suffered an accident and everything ended far too cleanly.”
Witches and demons.
People connected to either rarely met a clean end.
“Pursuing endlessly and cursing whoever kills a witch is precisely what your kind does.”
“Hmm, what nonsense. Do you know that Echidna was an expelled witch?”
“When a witch wants an excuse, she always finds one.”
“Hehehe. You’re right.”
At that moment, the Yor whom Ruri had pinned down scattered into dozens of snakes.
Yor reappeared among the crowd and casually walked out.
“Our Regent knows far too much about witches.”
Her expression became serious.
“Anyway, I’ll deliver Big Sister’s message.”
One of the snakes coiled around her staff stirred and vomited up something long.
It was a sealed scroll.
Yor cleared her throat and began reciting.
“Perda Valdrova. It is hereby declared that you have been invited by Lucy Philiaz, Root Pillar of the Philiaz, Mother of Witches, and Big Sister, and that you are obligated to accept this invitation.”
Playfully imitating a royal messenger, she presented the scroll toward Perda.
Then she seemed to remember something and added with a smile.
“There are no traps.”
Perda silently observed the scroll.
“You must not accept it.”
Ruri grabbed his arm.
“Clingy little girl, sorry, but this is a matter between adults. Could you step aside?”
“Shut up, witch.”
Ruri’s expression became even fiercer.
The anger and contempt she displayed were on a completely different level from before.
“The only reason your mouth is still intact is because I’m being patient.”
“Oh, how scary. Though this big sister’s mouth is already split open. Want to see it?”
Crack—
The skin around her mouth split wide open, revealing a cavity large enough to swallow a human head.
“Aaaah!”
The crowd recoiled in horror at the grotesque sight.
Yor laughed in satisfaction.
Perda did not even react.
He simply continued staring at the invitation.
“Why should I go?”
Yor smiled with her eyes.
“Because Echidna died after touching a rune that you created.”
A simple answer.
And one he already knew.
“That’s enough.”
“Are you serious?”
Upon hearing that, Ruri turned her head.
The killing intent radiating from her vanished instantly in shock.
“They are witches. And she is their leader. They hate men and use them as toys. Do you really intend to trust them?”
“Oh, how cruel. We have feelings too, you know?”
After making an exaggerated gesture, Yor cast a furtive glance at Perda.
Her eyes shone with curiosity.
“Even so, I’m curious too. What makes you trust us so much?”
Perda remained silent and took the invitation.
Yor shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter. Come alone. Though, well, you’ll only be able to come alone anyway. I’m telling you so you don’t waste your time.”
Then her eyes settled on someone.
Zed.
Upon seeing him, she smiled broadly.
“What a pleasure to see you, handsome Swallow boy. How have you been?”
“Oh, I’ve been doing very well. And yourself, miss?”
“Hehe, since when did I become your miss? Though I admit, hearing that from such a handsome boy brightens my day.”
Although she was smiling with her eyes, what she conveyed was killing intent.
“You know, don’t you? There are plenty of women who hold grudges against you.”
“Haha, yes, I know, but I’d rather not worry about that.”
“Of course, of course. Don’t worry. That way, when you let your guard down, I’ll be able to kill you in the most painful way possible. Keep living like that for the rest of your life.”
She gave Zed a smile while moving a finger.
“Then, goodbye~.”
Her figure sank into the ground and disappeared completely.
After the witch’s departure, an awkward silence remained.
Everyone looked at one another before letting out sighs of relief.
Gradually, they returned to their own business.
However, two people remained motionless.
Perda continued staring at the invitation.
“You must not go.”
Ruri stopped him once more.
“Do you even know where you’re planning to go?”
“To the Garden of Witches.”
The Garden of Witches.
The place where witches are born and receive the name Philiaz.
A sanctuary meant for all witches.
Since he had been summoned by Lucy Philiaz, it was obvious that would be his destination.
“And you still intend to go, knowing what kind of place it is?”
Limbo.
The space between dimensions.
A tiny interval between one world and another.
The time spent there is so brief that ordinary humans cannot even perceive it.
Lucy Philiaz, the First Witch, built the refuge of all witches there.
“If you enter that place, you may never return.”
“That won’t happen.”
“And why are you so certain?”
“Because I was officially invited into their territory.”
Perda knew witches very well.
They had their own rules as well.
And the Garden of Witches was a sacred place.
They could not turn a sacred place into a trap driven by hatred and resentment.
Not even against a man they despised.
“And besides, I have to bring Echidna back.”
“That witch is not that important.”
Ruri could not understand it.
To her, it looked as though Perda was risking his life for a mere witch.
“If you fall into a trap and die, Lady Valdrova will be left alone again.”
Those words made Perda hesitate slightly.
Because he could picture Valdrova alone once more.
“Please do not forget your position.”
However, after hearing the rest of her words, Perda reached a conclusion.
My position.
‘My position is…’
That he still was not worthy of standing by her side.
Perda unfolded the invitation.
***
He felt himself being pulled in.
His body was breaking apart.
From mass to molecules.
From molecules to atoms.
And even those atoms seemed to split apart.
It was a sensation that would drive both an ordinary human and most mages insane.
Perda was no exception.
Even for an officially recognized Four-Circle mage, his instincts screamed that it was lethal.
Yet despite all those warnings, the transfer concluded without issue.
‘Incredible.’
Limbo was a tiny space between spaces.
A place that did not exist and could not be perceived.
And precisely because it did not exist, it was infinite.
Locating a specific position there and performing a perfect transfer was something Perda could never accomplish.
It demonstrated how long the witches had lived in Limbo.
How deeply they understood it.
And how thoroughly they had utilized it.
It also demonstrated why witches had never been eradicated from the continent of Serdes, no matter how dangerous they were.
Perda opened his eyes.
The sky rippled with chaotic colors.
Beneath it stretched dark, damp grass.
And a path.
At the end of the path stood black thorns and black roses forming a wall.
Perda walked forward.
A strange wooden gate appeared before him.
He immediately recognized that architectural style.
It was an Eastern construction that existed only in historical records.
— Oh.
A voice echoed throughout the garden.
Perda knew that voice.
It was Lucy Philiaz’s voice.
— The invitation was delivered barely an hour ago. No, not even ten minutes ago. And you’ve already opened it? How impatient. Or perhaps you’re simply that confident in your own abilities.
A soft laugh was heard.
Creeeak—
The garden gates opened.
— Whatever the reason, I’m curious to see you, little one. Come in already.
Beyond the gates stood a building with unusual architecture.
That place was known as the Pavilion of Roses.
— Oh, he really came.
— The husband of a dragon has entered the witches’ territory.
Light voices echoed throughout the Garden of Witches.
Soon, that deep and solemn voice sounded again.
— Come closer, little one.
Perda began walking.
As a guest, maintaining proper manners.
“And as the Red Dragon’s fiancé, preserving his dignity.”
He climbed up to the pavilion and passed through the entrance.
What he found was several women gathered around a gazebo.
Their clothing differed, but all of them wore black veils that concealed their faces.
That was the etiquette of the witches of the Garden of Witches.
And among them, a single woman occupied the highest seat at the center.
She also wore a veil.
Her silhouette revealed only one thing.
That her build was similar to Ruri’s or Morida’s.
Yet as she sat smoking a pipe on a long wooden bench, she radiated the presence of someone who had lived countless years.
The mistress of the Pavilion of Roses.
The mother of all witches.
Big Sister.
She was Lucy Philiaz.
Although her face was hidden beneath a black veil, Perda could feel her gaze examining every part of his body.
“For someone so brave, you have quite a delicate appearance.”
The pressure emanating from her was on a completely different level from what he felt when looking at someone like Ruri.
“Welcome to the Garden of Maidens, little one.”
Perda replied.
“Thank you for the invitation, Big Sister.”
“Oh? And it seems you’re not going to speak respectfully to our Big Sister?”
“He must be desperate to be cursed.”
“Do you want me to curse you myself, brat?”
The witches’ voices were filled with hostility.
“Silence.”
Lucy gave a brief command.
The witches immediately fell silent.
“Allow this maiden to apologize on their behalf. My girls have too many wounds related to men.”
“I don’t mind. If anything, I should apologize if I was discourteous. Would you like me to speak more formally?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
A thick cloud of white smoke escaped through the folds of her veil.
“Hearing formalities from a monster like you makes me uncomfortable.”
“A monster?”
“Did that bother you? Of course, saying that to a little one who’s only nineteen years old must sound rather cruel.”
She let out a low laugh as another puff of smoke drifted out.
“But these eyes have seen far more than you imagine.”
Now he understood why her gaze felt so unpleasant.
Lucy was looking through him.
“It is the sort of perception one acquires after living for far too long. Among other things, I can see how many people someone has killed.”
Lucy’s head tilted slightly to the left.
“In your eyes, a great many people have died.”
“……”
Was she referring only to this life?
Even so, he had killed many people.
But the word monster did not fit the current Perda.
‘Monster…?’
Yes.
He was a monster.
He had hated countless people to feed his hatred.
He had been hated by even more people.
And he had killed more people than he could count.
Even those who did not need to be sacrificed disappeared as long as they did not represent a significant future threat.
The Perda of that time was undoubtedly a monster.
‘Is it a sin that even time cannot erase?’
Is it because that feeling remains the same even after returning to the past?
Is that why that voice still remains within me?
As those questions crossed his mind, another suddenly arose.
“Can you also tell whom I killed?”
Among those countless victims,
Lucy Philiaz herself had been one of them.
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationShe’s a loli.
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationMy bro killed so many people in one of them was this witch he is really monster.
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationThis bastard…
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationNo you don’t have feelings.
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationWow look at the audacity of this witch.
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationPervert witch.
Bernath Jean
VIP MortalHi, the official discord link is invalid. Can someone send the new link?
Fernando
Qi RefinementI think Zed is responsible for the birth of many witches 😂
Fernando
Qi RefinementIf she’s trapped in a time loop, perhaps she knows about him having traveled back in time?