TWFLLYM Ch 64

Not Alone

Something was wrong.

The voice would never say such things. The person Kalart knew would never demand the death of another without a reason.

[Countess] "Don't just cut her throat. Slice her as much as possible. Cut her slowly so she screams in agony. I will watch everything with a happy smile."

[Kalart] "......"

[Countess] "Well? Hurry."

The woman, now a confusing blur to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to press her lips against his. Kalart twisted his shoulder and pulled away.

[Kalart] "What are you doing?"

The woman stared at him with eyes full of disbelief, as if she couldn't imagine being rejected.

[Kalart] "Convince......"

He forced his stiff lips to move.

[Kalart] "......Convince me."

[Countess] "What?"

[Kalart] "Otherwise, I refuse."

[Countess] "Unbelievable. You still have strength left to resist. I hate everything about you except your face."

The woman's hand gripped his hair tightly. Her nails dug into his temples. The scent in the air turned dangerously thick. Kalart felt like his entire body was melting into the perfume. Suddenly, blood gushed from his nose.

[Countess] "Stop resisting and accept this. If you break any further, I can't promise what will happen to you."

Kalart groaned and stumbled. Blood poured from his nose, pooling at his feet. His skin turned ghostly pale. The Countess looked equally strained as she poured her power into him.

[Countess] "Ha! You are just a human."

Her knuckles turned white as she increased her grip. It looked as if she intended to sink her entire fingers into his skull, not just her nails.

[Countess] "Just give in!"

Crash!

[Knight] "Your Highness!"

[Knight] "Gasp! What is going on......!"

The Royal Guards, now free from the black magic, arrived. Roserikta was with them.

---

The shock lasted only a second. It had to.

[Knight] "What is this...... Your Highness!"

The knights didn't understand why the Countess was clutching the Prince's head as if to crush it, or why he was bleeding so heavily. However, one fact was clear: she was hurting their master. They had to save him from her hands.

Shing!

The guards drew their swords all at once.

[Countess] "You...... you ruin my work every single time. Especially now."

She didn't even blink at the charging knights. Her eyes remained fixed on Roserikta.

[Countess] "How cute."

Only the Countess could make the word "cute" sound so terrifying. Roserikta forgot her own panic. Seeing Kalart in that state took her breath away, but saving him was more important than being afraid.

[Roserikta] "It looks like your power doesn't work well on the Crown Prince."

She spoke while clutching the bag on her shoulder.

Despite her racing heart, her mind grew cold and sharp. She figured out the situation quickly. The Black Witch had no reason to kill Kalart; she needed him. Therefore, he was in that state because he was fighting her magic.

[Roserikta] "So, stop being greedy and give him back."

The Black Witch's lips curved.

[Countess] "Look at how you speak. Give him back? Does the Crown Prince belong to you?"

[Roserikta] "He isn't mine, but I am still better for him than you. I won't ruin him as you do."

[Countess] "You are a good liar. Then what was that love potion for?"

Roserikta stopped for a moment.

I didn't do it. Clobell did.

But claiming innocence to a Black Witch would change nothing.

[Countess] "Don't criticize me when we are the same. In the end, the one who takes him wins. Isn't that right? Though fighting with a girl like you is beneath me."

Crack!

A sickening sound came from the Countess's fingers. It sounded like bones grinding together. Kalart's tall frame shook like paper in her grip.

[Roserikta] "No!"

She screamed, and the knights rushed the Countess.

[Knight] "Your Highness!"

The Countess snorted and flicked her left hand.

Slide—Boom!

The black statues blocked the knights' path.

[Knight] "Gah!"

[Knight] "What are these things!"

Thwack!

The statues swung their arms, attacking the guards. The knights had to fight an enemy unlike anything they had faced before.

Clang!

[Knight] "Damn it! Swords don't work!"

[Knight] "Cutting them is useless! Hit them with the back of the blade!"

The Royal Guards were elite for a reason. Facing unknown enemies like black marble statues, they stayed calm and looked for a way to fight.

[Knight] "Saving the Prince is the priority. Clear a path!"

They didn't forget their goal. The most urgent task was separating Kalart from the woman who might not even be the real Countess anymore.

But knowing the goal didn't make it easy. The statues were solid walls. Worse, they moved with deadly force. A blow from their stone arms could crush a head or shatter a shoulder.

[Roserikta] "Clobell."

Roserikta pulled out a bottle of the Water of Life.

[Clobell] "Tell me!."

Roserikta had to stay calm. Swordsmanship couldn't defeat a Black Witch. She also couldn't defeat the witch alone if she left the knights behind. There was only one way: use the magic she had available, even if it revealed her identity.

[Roserikta] "You are the fastest here, right?"

[Clobell] "Of course."

The nervous cat swallowed hard.

[Roserikta] "You can slip between the statues. I will distract the Black Witch. While I do, throw this at her."

[Clobell] "Will one bottle be enough?"

[Roserikta] "It will only buy us time. But it is our best move right now."

She placed the bottle in Clobellina's mouth and took out a bottle of Axaca powder.

[Roserikta] "Eorin da a sea du. Give my power to my cat. Go, Clobell."

[Clobell] "I'm on it!"

Glowing powder settled into her fur. Soon, the cat vanished from sight. Invisible, Clobellina darted between the statues toward the witch.

[Roserikta] "Now, it's my turn."

She blew a handful of Axaca powder into the air, and a wild wind blew. She reached out and caught the wind, which transformed into a broom.

[Roserikta] "Sorry for the wait. It's time for you to fly."

Roserikta hopped onto the broom as it took off.

Whoosh!

The broom zoomed toward the Black Witch.

[Roserikta] "Let him go!"

Roserikta scattered another handful of Axaca powder. The powder clung to the Countess's hand.

The Black witch waved her hand to protect herself before it touched her. To an observer, it was just dust, but the power in the powder would have crushed her if it had landed.

[Countess] "Oh my. I'm seeing a fairy show at my age."

She smiled and waved her hand.

[Countess] "Try more. How much powder do you have? Enough for a lifetime? I can do this for over three hundred years."

Thump!

A statue suddenly grabbed the broom from below. Roserikta splashed Water of Life on it, but it had little effect on the stone.

[Roserikta] "Tch."

Roserikta kicked the statue's neck. Her ankle throbbed with pain, but the statue stumbled. She quickly steered the broom out of reach.

The Countess floated through the air toward Roserikta, still holding Kalart with one hand. The knights, busy fighting the statues, gaped in shock. The witch walked on air as if it were a solid floor.

Sweat poured down Roserikta's back as she faced her.

How many spells does she know?

A Black Witch who lived for three centuries was a nightmare. Even with Axaca powder and the Water of Life, Roserikta was no match for her. She had only one thing to rely on.

[Countess] "Are you done playing? Shall I show you something now?"

[Roserikta] "I know you are bluffing. You don't have enough life force left."

[Countess] "You are so small, yet you talk so much."

[Roserikta] "I know what I need to. I know a Black Witch is like a flea that must constantly suck human life."

The insult made the muscles in the Countess's cheek twitch.

[Countess] "A flea?"

[Roserikta] "Do you prefer 'mosquito'? They seem the same to me."

[Countess] "Your arrogance is familiar."

Before Roserikta could ask who she meant, the Countess dug her nails into Kalart's cheek and dragged them down.

Rip.

His skin tore, and blood flowed. Fresh wounds appeared on his already bloody face. Roserikta felt like her own skin was being cut.

[Roserikta] "Stop it......!"

[Countess] "Keep talking. Every time you say something 'cute,' I will make this man look even more beautiful."

[Roserikta] "......"

She bit her lip. Those wounds were fine—she could heal them. She just had to save him first.

[Roserikta] "I figured something out earlier. Life force doesn't work if it's mixed with something else. When I used the Water of Life, the knights recovered. That means you can't steal their life anymore. Am I right?"

[Countess] "Ah, is that so?"

The Countess looked down at the floor.

[Countess] "You were brave because of that. But what a shame. Only a few of them have your Water of Life in them."

The Countess took a deep breath.

[Knight] "Urgh......"

[Knight] "Gasp!"

Except for the five knights Roserikta had treated, the other guards collapsed, groaning in pain. The witch was draining their life all at once. Dark, misty energy gathered around her as the knights vomited or shivered on the floor.

[Knight] "Wake up!"

[Knight] "What is happening!"

The five healthy knights tried to help their fallen friends, but the statues continued their assault. They had to fight stone limbs while moving their comrades to safety.

But the horror didn't end there.

[Knight] "As the Lady wishes."

Clang!

The knights who were just screaming in pain suddenly stood up and attacked their friends with their swords.

[Knight] "Hey! What are you doing!"

[Knight] "Watch out! They lost their minds!"

A new despair took hold. Without saving the Prince, the healthy knights now had to fight their own brothers.

[Knight] "Argh...... Your Highness!"

Pushed into a corner, the five knights called out to their master in agony. They couldn't use their swords against their friends, but they couldn't put them away either. They simply gripped their hilts until their knuckles turned white. No one knew what to do.

[Countess] "Do you think this is all?"

She stared at Roserikta with eyes that looked like black holes.

[Countess] "It isn't. I have magic you couldn't imagine. Want to see more?"

She waved her hand gracefully. Purple smoke rose from her fingertips.

[Countess] "I showed you the Dream Intrusion last time, so let's try something else...... Oh, have you seen this before?"

Immediately, screams erupted.

[Knight] "Aaagh! What is this!"

The healthy knights dropped their swords and began tearing at their own uniforms.

Roserikta ground her teeth.

[Roserikta] "This is a Living Dream."

[Countess] "You actually know the name. The Witch of Versaryl didn't bring back a half-wit out of pity after all."

The Countess winked playfully.

A Living Dream was the opposite of a Dream Intrusion. It turned the reality of a conscious person into a nightmare. To the knights, their swords and clothes now looked like terrifying monsters. They rolled on the floor, screaming in terror.

[Countess] "Oh, how cold. Are you just going to watch? They will die of shock at this rate."

Roserikta couldn't run to help them. That was exactly what the witch wanted.

[Roserikta] "You shouldn't talk. You are the one hurting them."

[Countess] "And who is the one pretending to be on the humans' side?"

[Roserikta] "I'm not pretending. It's called kindness. Why don't you try learning it?"

While they spoke, Roserikta searched for a weakness. The witch seemed perfect. She floated in the air, holding a grown man with one hand, while casting multiple spells at once.

What do I do?

She needed the witch to absorb the Water of Life, but she couldn't force her to drink it.

[Knight] "Ugh!"

[Knight] "Get away! Don't come near me!"

The Living Dream grew worse. The knights were now terrified of everything around them.

Time was running out. She had to stop the witch before the damage became permanent.

The advantage I have is that I am not alone.

Clobellina was somewhere nearby, invisible, waiting for an opening with the Water of Life. She was certain the witch had forgotten about the cat.

Just as Roserikta hadn't sensed the witch because the moon had abandoned her, the witch couldn't sense the moon's energy in others.

In that case...

She steered her broom.