I Picked Up a Witch With Amnesia

7. Dream of a butterfly – 12

“Do you understand the situation now? I don’t particularly feel like offering you any help with finding Bianca del Castana’s whereabouts. Anyway, Bianca del Castana and I are bound by an oath, so I can’t help directly.”

After saying that, Kirie looked away from Iris and turned her head away. It must have been a clear, celebratory order.

“…..”

And Iris just stared at Kyrie, who was ordering guests to celebrate, without saying a word. Looking at the situation, it was clear that the crazy elf did not intend to cooperate in finding Cain’s whereabouts. It would be an obvious result that begging the elf in this situation would only crumple his pride, and he would not get any proper results.

…But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t simply nod my head at Kirie’s words and back away. It was the only clue I could find. In other words, it was a clue obtained by going through the Marquis of Castana and the Duke of Estel, and having traveled about half a circumference of the northern part.

‘Should I force him to open his mouth?’

In her mind, Iris tried to predict what her odds would be in a sword fight with that old, undying monster.

‘…desperate. Do I have to hit it high enough to work?’

Viewed objectively, Iris is strong. No matter how inferior she is compared to 10 years later, if you look at her simple ‘strength’, she will have a place in the top five on the current continent.

…But even if the opponent was bad, it was too bad. Kyrie, like her, was a person with a mighty force that was ranked among the top five on the continent. Also, unlike Iris, Kyrie did not have any penalty due to regression. As Bianca, Ariel, and Iris returned to 10 years ago, they possessed untrained bodies from the past and their fighting power was weakened, but Kiriel’s body was already completed hundreds of years ago.

In addition, this is a great forest that can be said to be the home ground of the elves, and a divine tree, the World Tree, which is said to bestow all kinds of blessings to the elves, was located close to Kyrie. No matter what method is used, it must be clear that winning a decision victory against Kyrie is close to impossible.

‘…In the end, do I have to come this far and retreat?’

No matter how much I measured it, pulling out my sword at Kirie was a reckless act close to shaking hands. It was humiliating, but at this point there seemed to be no other way than to take a step back.

But, it was just then.

“Kyrie-sama. I’m sorry, but would it be okay if I say something here?”

Aria, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Iris and Kyrie, quietly took a step forward towards them.

“…Tell me. You have a right to do so.”

And, unexpectedly, when Kyrie gave Arya a good-natured nod, Iris didn’t show it on the outside, but on the inside, she was very surprised. Because, Kyrie, who doesn’t like humans very much, being so polite towards others was very unusual in itself, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Kyrie-sama. You just said this. Cain-sama and Kyrie-sama share a lifespan, and it is clear that they are inseparable.”

“…That’s right. Obviously, I did say that to Iris.”

“It’s hard to believe, but if Kyrie-sama and Cain-sama are truly on a relationship like that, shouldn’t we just sit and watch the current situation? The current situation is that Bianca del Castana forcibly abducted Cain, regardless of his will, using only her own mighty force. I think it would be very irresponsible for the person who claims the rightful ownership of that person to stand by while letting go of his hands at a time like this.”

Arya, who spat those words toward Kyrie, never looked servile. Her eyes looking at Kyrie were just straight and proud. It must be clear that there is nothing against morality. Iris thought that those two eyes must have revealed her personality well.

…But at the same time, Arya’s remarks were too naive. She was a woman who took Cain as her property, and casually talked about crazy things about ‘renting’ it to another woman. Wouldn’t it be impossible for such an insane person to easily break his stubbornness with just a few words of an aria?

“Certainly, that makes sense. good. We will cooperate with you this time.”

“…what?”

Yes, that was until Kyrie nodded calmly at Aria’s words.

“…Hey, Kyrie. Does that mean that you agree with Arya’s words?”

“Hmm, it seems that you have lost your ears to the subject of not having any talent other than having a strong body. Wherever you look, don’t I agree with that person’s opinion?”

“…then why did you refuse when I asked for help just now?”

Iris’ eyes roared with flames burning brightly, paying no heed to Kirie’s reply in a nonchalant manner.

“That’s because Iris, I didn’t want to give you this much help. And, is there any reason to respect a man like a savage gorilla who is perfectly suited to roaming the jungle?”

In an instant, Iris’ forehead was filled with veins. In my mind, it was Kyrie’s cooperation and nabal, and I wanted to rip off that damn bitch’s tongue as it was, but with superhuman patience, I was able to calm myself down.

“…Is it okay to break the oath I shared with Bianca del Castana?”

Iris spoke in the most blunt tone to avoid revealing her feelings. Of course, there was nothing I could do about living life flowing through my body.

“Don’t worry about anything. I am not telling you the whereabouts of Bianca del Castana. It just provides one way to determine her whereabouts.”

Saying that, Kirie walked slowly toward the World Tree, and soon broke off a small branch from the base of the World Tree and handed it to Aria.

“This is a branch of the World Tree. It is a tree branch that has the effect of being able to determine the current location of a specific person by contacting them with magic. Well, at this size, you can only use it once, but…”

Kirie looked at Aria, who was staring blankly at the branch of the World Tree, with a smile and a cute gaze.

“Isn’t once an opportunity more than enough? There won’t be two people after you.”

“…By the way, is it okay to break the branches of the World Tree carelessly in the first place? For the elves, wasn’t it the most sacred tree in the world?”

Still, it was a question he asked with great care, but Kirie answered Iris with an impudent face.

“I am merely pruning as the guardian of the World Tree. And, since I am the one who represents the will of the World Tree, who would dare to speak at my event?”

“…..”

At this point, the existence of the World Tree only raised doubts about why the mad elf had been chosen as its guardian. However, it wasn’t a bad development for Iris, so she sighed softly and thanked Kyrie.

“Thank you. I will never forget this favor. Kyrie el Denaris.”

And at Iris’s thanks, Kirie only sneered and snorted.

“Don’t get me wrong, Iris. I’m not helping you because you’re pretty. I just want you not to forget that I helped you by looking at his face.”

Kyrie said that while looking at Aria, who was holding the branch of the World Tree like a treasure. Certainly, they weren’t on such good terms that these embarrassing words were being exchanged.

“…Kyrie, there is one last thing I want to ask you. Can you answer me?”

“If it’s a question I can answer.”

When Kyrie nodded once in agreement, Iris slowly opened her mouth to ask a question.

“After returning to the past, why did you remain here? People like Ariel Thier and Bianca del Castana did all kinds of tricks to see Cain’s face, but you, who claim to be his true companion, just stay calm and wonder what the reason is.”

To Iris’s question, Kirie gave an answer with an incomprehensible expression.

“It is to prepare for winter.”

“…winter?”

“When everyone is drunk with the faint nostalgia of spring, someone has to prepare for winter. Especially.”

Kirie glanced at Aria standing in the distance and muttered in a low voice.

“If you don’t want to repeat the terrible tragedy that will happen 10 years later, especially, that’s the case.”

****

Before I knew it, a month and ten days had passed since I had been living with Bianca in this earthly paradise. In terms of days, it would have been about 40 days. During that time, I was able to lead a truly adequate life.

Certainly, although it was filthy and tasteless, the rice came out on time, warm water was provided by Bianca, and a cozy and comfortable bed was provided.

I just stared blankly at the sight of the sun sinking past the horizon, thinking stupidly that if about a year passed like this, I would become useless human garbage. I observed the surroundings so that my eyes would fall out just in case, but far from cracks in the space, there was only silence and peace everywhere. In a word, it meant that I ate expensive meals and worked hard all day today.

“…Really, you’re late. I don’t know if I’ll become a grandfather at this rate?”

I had hope until the end of the last, but the reality must have been quite different from the novel. Far from appearing a timely helper who could help me, all I currently had was bare fists of red blood.

“If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have brought up the word honeymoon.”

Carrying the lesson deep in my heart that sometimes it can be a problem if the setting is too much, I walked towards the cabin.

kiik-

“Heh, hehe.”

When I open the door and enter the cabin, I see Bianca sitting in a rocking chair in front of the fireplace, engrossed in knitting. Recently, Bianca had been fighting with thread and needles to knit a scarf for me, but I couldn’t understand why she was so focused on knitting even though winter was still far away.

‘…Well, it’s fine if you like yourself.’

With that thought in mind, I pulled out a nearby chair and sat down beside Bianca. I didn’t know what the outcome would be, but today was to have a sincere conversation with Bianca.

“…yes? Cain, are you here? Did you have a good walk? By the way, did you come in a little early today?”

Bianca no longer follows me like a puppy when I go out for a walk, perhaps because she’s calmed down lately.

“Yeah, I think I had enough of my walk today. And Bianca, I have a story I want to share with you.”

“…the story you want to share with me? What?”

Bianca tilted her head slightly at my words. And when I saw Bianca like that, I thought she was lovely. Why did I end up thinking that Bianca was lovely? Is this love-hate? Or did I really end up having her on my mind?

“Bianca, how are you feeling lately?”

“How are you feeling? What are you talking about?”

Bianca asks me if I don’t understand what I’m saying. I pushed Bianca’s hair slightly to the side and asked the question again.

“So, were you happy recently with me?”

At my words, Bianca’s face flushed slightly. Her appearance reminded me of an old story about the moon hiding itself in a cloud because it felt ashamed of its appearance.

“…yes. happy. I am so happy that I wonder if I can really be this happy.”

Seeing Bianca utter those words with a hazy face as if she were dreaming, I was able to sigh in relief.

“…I see. that’s really good Bianca.”

I also wished I wished for her to be happy even in her dreams. I prayed that the terrible misfortune I had unwillingly brought upon her for decades would be washed away in this way.

“By the way, why are you suddenly asking such a question, Cain?”

Seeing Bianca asking me such a question with an innocent face, I gently brushed her hair again. All, it was my fault. It was my fault. If anything was wrong with this poor woman, it would have been her love for some stupid man.

…So, the playing house had to stop at this point. Going beyond this, Bianca would inevitably desire more than the happiness she was seeking. If that happens, she will most likely be unhappy. As a result, I didn’t know that this dreamlike time with me would also become a curse.

After all, a dream is beautiful only when it remains as a dream.

“Bianca, I have one more question for you.”

“…Hmm, what is it?”

And I conjure a magic spell to awaken us from our dreams.

“It was a lie to say that we were lovers, right?”