Chapter 753 – The Witch’s Hometown

000

＂Uh, um…＂

Warm sunlight pouring in through the open curtain.

For her, it may be her first experience.

It was always underground that I fell asleep in peace, and the sun rising high in the sky was obscured by dark clouds, and the only thing that came down was the ugly red light of the sun.

Also, the feel of her soft bed wrapped around her body was something she was not used to.

The beds in the underground shelters remaining within the empire’s territory are items that can hardly be called beds even in empty words.

The basics are such poor quality products that you can’t help but be satisfied with being able to lie down on your back while withstanding the hard texture after placing an old, dirty cloth on top of the box.

The last time she lay down in a normal bed was when her parents were still alive.

It was the basement of the noble district of the old empire, an area where so many low-level demons were summoned that it was impossible to get close to it again.

When you open your eyes to check the current situation, what comes into view is a wooden ceiling that is old, but at the same time has been cleaned so well that it gives the impression that it is a mansion cherished by people.

Da Capo feels a strange sense of helplessness in her body, and at the same time, when she remembers the last scene she remembers, what is flashing back in her mind is-

At the same time that her own body was thrown into the sleeping gap created by her burning rays, she extended her hand towards the man left behind in the barrier.

And, along with that, something like a white spider’s web came out from his hand, pulling his body and saving him.

“… That’s right! In that dream-like space… To the spider god named Anansi…”

After remembering what she had done up to that point, she hurriedly lifted her hand from under her bed and looked at the back of her hand.

However, fortunately there were no holes for spewing out spider webs, so I was left wondering what it was back then.

What was more curious than that was that I needed information about where I was now and what happened after that.

I knew this was a safe place, but I couldn’t help but feel anxious because I couldn’t see any other children.

So, I tried to get out of bed, but my body still felt heavy, and my legs didn’t move like my mind did.

It felt like there was a lump of lead hanging all over my body.

I began to suspect that my body was bound by some sort of invisible binding magic, but even when I looked at my body with magical power, all that remained were traces of recovery magic.

＂Ugh…!＂

If you try to force yourself to move your arms somehow, only strange sounds come out of your mouth and your body doesn’t move much because your body doesn’t move properly.

“Ho, you can’t even get out of bed by yourself…?”

At that time, she was in a state of despair, thinking that the reason her body was so weak might be a side effect of the medication she had been taking to keep moving.

A knock was heard on the door of the room he was in, and the door opened at the same time.

“Uh, sister. “Are you awake?”

That voice was one of the voices that Da Capo wanted to hear the most right now.

＂Shitaka?＂

When I turned my head to look at the door, I saw her looking in that direction with her hand on the door.

＂Shitaka… I’m glad you’re safe!＂

She wanted to hug her right away, but since she still couldn’t move her legs properly, she couldn’t stand up and just spread her arms.

Then, Shitaka, seeing Dacapo, runs over and falls into her arms.

Even though she was sitting, because of the height difference between the two, when Shitaka’s head was just below Da Capo’s face, the two could feel each other’s warmth.

At the same time, what tickled Da Capo’s nose was a fragrant soap scent she had never smelled before.

In the basements of the Empire, it was not common to find water clean enough to drink, and it was not an environment where luxury items such as shampoo and soap were available, so it may be rude to say that they had a bad smell, but they lived unsanitary days. There was no doubt about what was being sent.

After waiting a little while for their emotions to subside, he pulled away from her and asked her a question while rubbing her red eyes with her fingers.

＂Shitaka… Where is this place?＂

“While her sister was unconscious, Amelia and Lilim’s colleagues brought us here. So─＂

“From there, I’ll explain.”

When the voice interrupting Shitaka’s words was heard from the door, both people’s eyes turned there at the same time.

Then, there stood a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl wearing a blouse accented with a blue ribbon and a long blue skirt.

In her hands, she was holding a tray with steaming soup and freshly baked bread.

Although her appearance was a little different from what he knew, Da Capo recognized that she was Amelia from her aura and voice and bowed his head to her.

“Thank you, Amelia. Not only the children, but I too was taken out of the barrier…”

“Please raise your head, Da Capo. We also received great help in rescuing Cleon.”

Even though she was embarrassed by Da Capo, Amelia walked up to her and handed her the tray she was holding in her hand.

What was in the bowl was a well-made cream-based soup with bite-sized pieces of pork, potatoes, and carrots, sprinkled with a little pepper as an accent.

And, when you press the bread with a brown surface with your finger, it feels soft and soft, and you can feel the flavor of the flour.

There is no doubt that the person who made it had great cooking skills, but it was a normal breakfast meal for the people of the kingdom.

“Ah… Thank you.”

However, even such a routine menu would feel like a special food to her, something she could only eat on her birthday – considering how difficult it was to eat after her parents passed away.

But before she could lay her hand on her food, she turned to Shitaka and spoke.

＂Shitaka is…＂

“We already ate! I wanted to wait for my sister to wake up and eat together, but the kids smelled the soup and I couldn’t help it~”

He scratched his head and said apologetically, and Da Capo shook his head with a smile.

＂Ugh. Are you okay? Eating on time is actually a good thing. Then, I will eat well too.”

When she gently scoops up the ingredients of the soup with a wooden spoon and brings it to her mouth, the sweetness and savory taste of the soup, which has been heated to just the right temperature for her mouth, spreads at the same time and gently wraps around her mouth.

Carrots and potatoes crumbled with a fluffy sensation at the slightest bite, and it was not difficult to get them down her throat.

＂Delicious…＂

＂Right? Kuon’s cooking skills are truly amazing.”

Looking at her Da Capo, her honest sentiments flowing out of her mouth, Amelia praises her as if she were proud of her group.

And then, perhaps because she felt the need to convey her situation to her, she opened her mouth once again and spoke.

“… Please listen while you eat. Because you need to make important decisions about where you are now… And what you will do in the future.”

In response to Amelia’s story, Da Capo nodded his head and looked at her with a tense expression.

001

Helix.

A place where not much is known to Cleon and his party other than that it is Lila’s hometown and that it is a mountain village with hot springs.

No, it would be better to say that it is a place that has never been known.

As soon as Lila opened the portal to her hometown and passed through it, what her group saw was a huge tower structure that was ‘straight’ in the middle and broken in the middle.

It looked like a village in the mountains with buildings built around the tower.

Laila opened her portal in the center of the village – in other words, right in front of the broken tower.

At the center of the fountain, where the water is not gushing out at night, a red magic stone with a motif of a red burning flame acts as a wedge for the portal, helping people coming here from outside to safely pass through the portal. It was.

“Is this Helix… Except for that tower, it seems like a more ordinary place than I thought.”

“Actually, yes. Oh, you better not go near that tower. Because there are golems guarding the ruins inside. Well, the entrance itself was blocked by a barrier.”

When Lila, who immediately drove a wedge in, casually talked about a dangerous place, Cleon wondered if it would be a good idea to find another place right now, and looked back at the children and group coming through the portal after them.

＂Everyone, no one is missing?＂

Six children, Dacapo, and the automata Arnia are on his back, and the other party members have safely passed through the portal.

After confirming that her number was not empty, Lila nodded her head, concentrated her magic power, and closed the portal she had opened.

“Okay… Then. Welcome to Helix. It’s a small town in the mountains, so there’s not much to see, but I think it’s a good place to live.”

＂Wow…＂

And, following Lila’s words, the children rescued from the empire each looked around with exclamations of exclamation.

The windmill seen in the distance – the sun has set, and the wind is not blowing, so it has stopped, but it must have been the children’s first time seeing a tall building that was neither broken nor collapsed.

Moreover, if you see a considerable number of houses lined up, you will get the feeling that this is a place where people really live.

From cleanly maintained roads to tall trees planted here and there.

It was for the first time that they felt that an ‘ordinary place’ was such a wonderful place.

Moreover, since the sun has set – as if it were natural to illuminate the streets of the village at night, there are streetlights powered by magical power.

＂There is so much magic power…!＂

＂We had to take one and use it back…＂

The children talked about it as if it was the most touching thing, but Lila turned to them with a wry smile and clapped her hands to draw the children’s attention to her.

“Now. I know you’re excited, but even if you do it, you lose… And it’s late. Children who make noise on the street may be disliked by the villagers. Since they are all grandparents, they will be sleeping at this time.”

“… I see. Since such many people suddenly arrived, I may have to explain the situation properly.”

Likewise, when Cuon, who lived in a rural mountain village, speaks like that, Cleon speaks to Lila.

“Lila. “Is there someone I need to say hello to?”

“Ah… Well. Yes. Should I call him the acting chief…”

Lila scratched her head as if a little embarrassed by Cleon’s words, and then closed her mouth for a moment.

Then, with a sigh, she moved her finger and moved her group as if to ask them to follow her, and led her group through the streets of the village.

Walk like that for about 10 minutes.

Lila arrives and stops in front of the largest mansion in town.

It was comparable to the mansions of most noble families, but there were no lights on and there were no guards.

And, more than anything, seeing that it was quite old, I could tell that it was a place that boasted a long history.

＂What is this place?＂

＂The Flamewatch family’s mansion. So… It’s our house.”

When Lila spoke as if she was a little embarrassed, Sasha exclaimed with admiration as if it was a great mansion.

＂Wow~! It’s quite spacious!”

“Compared to the Gold Mine or the Tromeia family’s mansion, the building is a bit smaller. Now, let’s go in. I also came back after a few years… I’m not sure what’s going on inside.”

＂How is it done? It must be full of dust.”

At that time, a male voice was heard in the group’s ears.

When the group turned their heads in that direction, hearing a voice that was past middle age and entering the realm of old age, there stood a man with a long gray beard, leaning on a cane, looking at Lila and the group.

The thick eyebrows, wrinkles between the eyebrows, and shadowy face make it difficult to read the eyes as the eyes cannot be seen properly. No matter where you look, you get the vibe of an executive in this town.

＂Geh… Uncle Fromme…＂

And Laila looks at the old man and calls his name and title at the same time with an uncomfortable expression and voice.

＂… Uncle?＂

Could it be that he is Lila’s relative? And when Cleon looks back at her, Laila shakes her head and speaks.

“Oh, no, no. Uncle is just a title. There is no connection in blood. He was my grandfather’s sworn brother, and he didn’t like being called my uncle, so I told him to call me uncle.”

“Okay. There’s no way I’m related by blood to a tomboy like that.”

＂…＂

However, as if he knew that they were close, Cleon bowed his head and waist towards him.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Fromme. I’m Cleon. He is now an adventurer who is going on adventures with Lila. “I’m sorry for suddenly visiting the village in the middle of the night and causing a commotion.”

“Oh, the young man over there is quite polite, isn’t he?”

As if Cleon’s greeting pleased her, Fromme smiled and brushed off her beard.

However, Cleon could not help but think that Fromme’s reaction was a little surprising.

That’s right, this place is definitely within the kingdom’s territory.

Therefore, it was not surprising that the group accompanied by three members of the dark horse clan did not have a good impression, so I was prepared to be told to leave the village immediately.

＂Anyway, what kind of group of adventurers is there with 9 kids, one by one?＂

＂Nine?＂

Lila looks around at her group as if asking what Fromme meant.

Then, she suddenly realized that Amelia and Lillim were included.

Who else?

＂… Maybe me?＂

When Sasha points her finger at herself, Fromme nods her head as if to say yes.

＂Well, well… Even though Sasha is basically still treated as a child, she is still at an age where it is not strange. ＂

Kuon was comforting Sasha, whose beast ears on her head were clearly depressed.

In contrast, Amelia and Lilim thought that it might be better if they were recognized as children, so they could explain things less, so they just smiled quietly and sparing their words.

Then, when she heard one of her children yawn loudly, Fromme sighed and shook her head.

“There are a lot of things I want to ask, but for now, let those kids rest. I’ll hear more details tomorrow.”

＂If you say yes, we would be grateful~ Then we will come directly to you tomorrow morning.＂

When Lila answered with a sly smile, Fromme shook her head, still clicking her tongue as if she didn’t like her, then swooped up into the air and used her flight magic to fly to the rest of her village. It was flying towards the house.

Naturally, he had expected her to walk with the cane in her hand, so when Cleon closed his mouth as if it was unexpected, Lila smiled awkwardly and explained to him.

＂Ahaha… Uncle Fromme is also a wizard. Rather than studying magic as a scholar, I feel like I learned magic that is necessary and convenient for daily life.”

＂Is it similar to an adventurer?＂

“Huh. Her uncle was also an adventurer in his youth. After coming to Helix with her grandfather and settling down, she stopped going on adventures.”

At the unexpected appearance of his senior, Cleon seemed surprised and chased after Fromme, who was flying away.

“Oh, and. The acting chief I was talking about earlier is Uncle Fromme.”

“Deputy? I thought Mr. Fromme was the village chief.”

When Amelia says that, Lila shrugs her shoulders and answers.

“The original village chief was his grandfather. After her grandfather passed away, there was a story that the person who was most suitable to be the village chief was Uncle Fromme… She said that she was no better than her grandfather, but strangely insisted on calling her grandfather’s deputy and calling him acting chief…”

“… Proof that they were that close.”

“Okay? It feels like a strange stubbornness…”

At Lila’s words, Cleon shrugs her shoulders and uses magic to unlock the front door of her mansion.

Then, watching the large grilled door open on both sides while making a sound that needed oiling, the group, except at that time, gulped and swallowed their saliva.

“Okay, everyone comes in. … If I ever need to clean the inside, would you help me?”

Looking at her smiling and scratching her head, her group, except her children, let out a small sigh.