I Picked Up a Witch from a Novel

Episode 2-a. The City Where Night Never Comes, Tevris.

Originally.

Those who are openly weak tend to survive better in crises than those who pretentiously appear strong.

For those who have lived their entire lives as the underdog, the sense of crisis about survival rings out intensely—Ding-dong.

The weak develop a habit of being alert to the eyes of those around them, looking for escape routes to survive in dangerous situations.

At least, they can do that better than the strong.

They are well aware of their own lack of ability and do not ignore the ringing alarm within.

“Horn.”

“What?”

And until now, the alarm hadn’t rung in the silence.

“What should we do? Should we cautiously go a little further, or should we just run away since we know something suspicious is going on?”

“Hm, it would be best to gather some evidence if we could continue observing a bit longer. But I wonder if that’s possible for us.”

There is still enough remaining time, and the dark wizards are unaware that we are here.

They are still muttering indistinct spells, focused on conjuring something fluffy.

As Horn said, if we could manage to gather evidence from such a process and escape, it would be possible to persuade the city’s mayor to form a subjugation squad.

Whether that squad could break through the dark wizards’ territory and uncover secrets is another matter.

If the seriousness of the problem spreads widely, there is also a possibility that some of the stronger individuals who wouldn’t normally come here would gather.

“Solving this among ourselves…”

“That’s an idealistic thought only a fool would have. Such mediocre magical resistance cloaks would burn and disappear after blocking a single spell.”

It is openly sinister and brutish.

Even to us, who possess almost no knowledge of magic, it seems that those with mediocre abilities would die the moment they set foot in.

In that case, what were the prophets thinking when they led us here?

They must have foreseen some way for us to solve this problem, even though it is clearly beyond our capacity.

“…, then let’s just grab one piece of evidence. Just one.”

“Is that possible?”

I still don’t know.

I can’t tell if we are capable of solving a massive magic problem that has lasted for a hundred years.

Still, I think we might be able to gather at least one piece of evidence, because the alarm hasn’t rung yet.

Horn and I cautiously entered.

The dark space was only lit by small flickering lights, so as long as we didn’t make noise with our footsteps, we could avoid detection.

As the figures in black robes passed by, we slowly moved one block at a time.

Peering only slightly, if we didn’t sense anyone around, we advanced slowly and inspected the interior.

The interior is vast.

Even though I thought we had cautiously entered quite a bit, the hallway stretches endlessly, and dark wizards keep appearing from afar and vanishing elsewhere.

If I hazard a guess, it seems to be wide enough to completely fill the area beneath the city.

It makes sense if the magic that envelops the city is activated from underground, encompassing the city itself.

In other words, traces of magic.

We just needed to gather the remnants left from using dark magic and return.

We thought so and nodded, then moved a little further inside.

Fortunately, there were fewer dark wizards in the spacious area, allowing us to enter without encountering any.

“…, there’s nothing worth gathering, damn it.”

“I think we need to get into a room that looks like a research lab, but I’m not sure if there’s any empty lab, even for a short while.”

They are certainly not foolish enough to leave such things lying around in the corridor.

I feel like we need to enter somewhere that looks like a research lab, but even the slightest mistake would lead to an immediate state of emergency, which is naturally frightening.

It’s as terrifying as the notion of declaring martial law in 21st century South Korea.

Time passed like that.

The remaining time of an hour and a half had dwindled to less than thirty minutes, and I began to feel we should head back.

“Hey, kid.”

“Yes, why? We should start heading back soon…”

“There’s a room over there with an open door. I peeked inside, and it looks like there’s no one in there.”

I was about to insist we turn back when Horn spoke, and I lifted my head sharply to look at the room he was pointing to.

In truth, since it was a bit far, I couldn’t see that much.

“…, really?”

“Yeah. Dwarfs have better eyesight than humans. There’s no one in there, and besides, there are books and scrolls visible too.”

“….”

Horn half-assertively nudged my shoulder.

The clock shows we have about 25 minutes left.

Time is pretty tight to quickly gather evidence and get back, which makes me hesitate.

But.

“Phew…, let’s go. We’re going in right now.”

“Let’s go, kid.”

It doesn’t make sense to come this far and not gather anything now that the goal is in sight.

Horn and I hurried toward the room.

There were no dark wizards passing nearby, and just as Horn said, we didn’t sense anyone inside the room.

We exchanged grins before stepping directly inside.

And then.

The moment we entered the room, a strange sound like crackling echoed.

Though we hadn’t stepped on anything, such a sound brushed past my ear, making my heart drop.

“…, Horn.”

“Yeah, it seems like a magical reaction.”

Horn seemed to have heard it too, and in a panic, he grabbed one scroll that could serve as evidence and tucked it into his robe.

“Run. We’re done for.”

“If we die here, I’ll curse you for life, you little brat.”

“Dying and cursing, what the hell?”

I also grabbed something that looked suspicious and turned to dash out.

The moment we crossed the door, we heard the crackling sound again, and from far down the hallway, footsteps and murmurings began to flow in.

Finally, the alarm of the weak began to ring out—Ding-dong.

Ding—

And the once small bell rang.

Ding-dong—Ding-dong—

Deeeng—

The sound grew louder.

Deeeeng—

It rang from within, unnaturally echoing, until it eventually burst into a loud crash.

The alarm shattered.

From far down the hallway, dark wizards came rushing in.

“W-why is there an alarm ringing in a place where those idiots live underground…!”

“It’s your fault for barging in, you moron…! You’d make a perfect offering if we caught you!”

In a hurry, I pulled out several of Avery’s potion bottles and threw them down the hallway toward the incoming dark wizards.

The failed experiments created through repeated trials and research often turned into successes in situations like this.

The explosive potions developed while creating healing potions, and another failed potion that served as a catalyst, unleashed a huge fireball with a sound as it hit the ground.

Shouts erupted from the spreading flames.

Though the fire would be subdued soon enough, it bought us precious time.

“Avery, you bastard. When we get back, it’s a million kisses for you.”

“Just that much, and you’d be left with a hole, you idiot.”

I’m not sure about that, but if we make it back safely, I’ll apologize for cursing my precious Sunflower for making a crazy mess.

Thus, we ran like mad toward the exit.

Fortunately, those dark wizards seemed to be devious individuals who weren’t interested in leaving the underground, which meant we didn’t encounter anyone in the hallway leading to the exit.

“Left…!”

“On it, guide!”

Of course, the hallway kept branching out, and as we were running, there were even those hurling ominous globes of mana toward us.

“Avery, you lovely bastard…!”

“You quack, when we get back, it’s a million love taps for you!”

Each time there was an explosion, Avery’s potion would delay our pursuers just long enough for us to get ahead.

There were only one or two potions left, and I had nearly exhausted my supply, but we just needed a little bit more to go!

Climbing the long staircase was also a challenge, but for now, I decided to think only about escaping this ancient ruin.

So.

We crazily dashed until we reached the long hallway we had entered.

Tap—tap—tap—

The hurried sounds of our steps began to slow down as we neared that place.

“…, damn it.”

“Isn’t blocking the entrance a foul play?”

Two dark wizards appeared at the end of the hallway, pointing their staffs at us.

Mana wavered.

The sounds of pursuit behind us were still some distance away, but the ominous flares of mana aimed directly at us and the dark murmuring of spells were there.

So.

I thought.

How can a person without a handful of mana overcome those who are spewing it?

That has always been my dilemma.

“Well, of course, you can’t. Just begging for your life is the easiest way to survive, Ain.”

Bex, the sword master, had awkwardly smiled, advising me to just beg to save my life.

“Ain, if you can beat that, then why would people live lives suited to their talents? I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but there are things that just can’t be achieved by effort.”

Sir Joseph of Krepen had taught me the futility of knowing one’s place as he beat me with a sword.

Those who do not possess the blessing of mana ultimately cannot surpass human limits; no matter how hard they try, they can only reach the end of a single branch of a single tree.

While those who have mana look far beyond to the peak of the tallest mountain, for me, it was impossible.

However.

Had I thought that I would give up and sit back, I wouldn’t have embarked on this journey.

“Horn, don’t die here. You have to repair the wagon.”

“Have you ever seen such an insolent brat? I’m not a carpenter; I’m a blacksmith.”

I would never have spoken impertinently to seek ash.

“Hm, well, wizards might be manageable. They are not physically strong like knights who draw aura, but if they can engage, there might be a 20% chance, Ain?”

“If you’re facing a knight wielding aura, just commit hari-kiri, but if it’s a wizard, at least try to get close. If you can break their barrier, you might be able to kill them; I’d say with your tenacious personality, you have a shot.”

I recalled those words and planted my feet again.

At least in the city, not feeling fatigue worked to my advantage at this moment.

Even after running for a long while, I wasn’t out of breath or my legs weren’t trembling, allowing me to dash rapidly toward the wizards.

“Horn! I’ll go first, so save your strength!”

“On it!”

Magic flies.

The ominous, murky globes of mana wouldn’t be evaded by merely twisting my body for speed.

I seized the end of the cloak wrapping around me and flung it open, blocking only the front of the magic while continuing my sprint.

The magic struck.

Ssss—

Making that strange noise, it shattered the wards of my magical resistance cloak in an instant, and despite the countering effect, horrific pain surged through me.

The skin of my arms burned and began to melt.

“Damn it…!”

Curses involuntarily escaped my lips, but I gritted my teeth, filling my mouth with the sound of grinding, yet kept running toward them.

If I stop now just because it hurts, I’ll truly die.

“Horn, another cloak, quickly…!”

Thus, I received the third spare cloak I had brought from Horn and wrapped it around myself again.

Pssss—

“Agh, you bastard…!”

Cursing at the new wave of black magic pain, I continued to build up speed, finally reaching the dark wizards.

In essence, despite my arms melting and the intense suffering pouring through me, I reached the dark wizards.

Their expressions were filled with surprise beneath their dark robes.

Their magical barrier was still intact, so they frantically began to chant their next spells, collecting mana.

“Final cloak…!”

And I—

Receiving the magic resistance cloak Horn had on, I wrapped it around my fists and swung hard toward their barrier.

Boom—

The pain felt like my arm was going to rip off.

Crack—

With that sound, cracks began to form in the barrier, so I glared at them and swung my fists again, shouting.

The barrier shattered upon contact with the magic resistance cloak, leaving two dark wizards chanting spells with their bare hands.

“Horn, it’s hammer time…!”

“Die, you demonic bastards!!”

With both of my arms completely wrecked, the finishing blow wasn’t my responsibility.

Boom—boom—

Horn, who had been holding the hammer behind me, surged forward and crushed the heads of both dark wizards in an instant.

The heads disappeared, and the two corpses fell to the ground with a thud.

“Damn it…, that’s reliable.”

“Centuries of hammering can yield such results. So, kid, are your arms alright?”

“Hah… just worry about it after we get out of here.”

“Right, let’s get out of here.”

I threw all the remaining vials of potion behind me to block the way and, together with Horn, climbed the stairs to escape.

After that, everything went smoothly.

Even with my arms ruined, I could still take down the guards without mana like me, and Horn and I retrieved our weapons from the armory and slipped out.

I even made sure to take the prostitute who advised us along.

“No, your arm is…!”

“…, I don’t know, just run for now.”

I feared that if they discovered I had brought her along, I’d be in immediate trouble, so I wrapped myself in the useless robe that lost its power after the seal shattered and dashed towards the alley where Avery was waiting.

And Avery.

He greeted us with just his head peeking from the alley.

“Ha ha…, it seems I’ve done well waiting even though I went a little over the time…”

“Potions.”

“Y-yes…? What potions…?”

I showed Avery my arm, which had melted and revealed the bone.

“Oh…, so Ain’s bones look like this? Quite the bone handsome…”

“…Do you want to die?”

“Ha ha…, please wait just a moment.”

I tried to shower Avery with curses for his insane words, but then I remembered I owed my escape to him, letting out only a sigh.

Of course, that sigh turned into a silent scream as I poured potion on my exposed bone.

“Uh, ugh…! Ugh grr…!!”

“Ha ha…, Horn, please keep quiet… if it gets out that we fled here, we’ll be in big trouble…”

“On it. Leave it to me.”

“Ugh, ugh grr…!! Ugh, eugh!!”

I wanted to slap Avery’s face as I swung my arm madly.

But thinking that would only cause more pain, I ended up shedding tears, enduring the torment until I eventually passed out.

I’m serious.

Fainting from extreme pain is quite a dreadful experience.

---