Season 1 Side Story Chapter 16. Witch (5)

Season 1 Side Story Chapter 16. Witch (5)

"... A sheep?"

Raina displayed a slightly dumbfounded expression. It was understandable if one didn't know the full story.

"Wha... What's this?" Raina turned to Almond and asked.

"Ah... This is..."

Almond began to explain about his ally, but the appearance of that ally came first.

Kwang!

From out of nowhere, a white smoke burst and someone leaped out from it.

"Sorry to interrupt such a romantic moment!"

Thud.

A short figure landed in mid-air.

"It's me, making an entrance!"

It was Lorang, whom Almond had asked for help.

"The desert witch has arrived, you know~!"

No, she was the Desert Witch.

***

The witch's sudden appearance was utterly unexpected, at least for everyone except Almond.

"Wi... Witch?"

"Lorang?"

"The desert witch... was real?"

The mercenaries started trembling and stepped back.

That was expected. Stories about the Desert Witch were as feared in this world as tales of the Grim Reaper. Besides the religion of goddesses, she was considered evil in other religions.

"So? Of course, I exist. Were these guys always this gullible? Huh?"

However, Lorang was still just Lorang in Almond's eyes.

The Desert Witch was described as having wavy reddish-brown hair, emerald green eyes, playful freckles, and... the overtly long nail on her pinky finger.

Indeed, Lorang had always grown that nail and blatantly hinted that she was a witch. Amazingly, no one ever suspected her.

"Look. There is so much evidence gathered here."

Wooong...!

Her nail emitted a dense magical aura and a beam shot out like a laser.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

It began connecting various pieces of evidence.

"Hey, Almond. I thought you wouldn't be able to call me, you know? As you know, witches can't use magic properly unless they're called by name and asked for help. You even wrote 'To the Desert Witch Lorang' in the letter!"

Yes, she was still Lorang with her chatty mouth. Only now, she wore a skirt and transformed into a cute girl. The witch was indeed a witch.

— Ha! Kudos to those who got it right!

— It's hard for many to guess this in one go. Kudos!

— Oh my... Lorang was the witch!

— Lol

— Lorang's face got a massive upgrade lol

— Come on, the old man said that if there was a demon, it would've burned already lol. The witch was right in front of them lol

Some viewers caught on, and some had seen this story before. Quite a few already knew. However, this could be easily missed by those playing for the first time. Almond, being quite observant, managed to catch on.

'It made no sense.'

In hindsight, Lorang had always been an oddity from the beginning. She used rare magic to transform him into a sheep and effortlessly knocked out Beret, the priest...

A boy his age simply couldn't possess such abilities. A player could simply gloss over it in the game, but on closer inspection, too many oddities existed. Among boys, it was unusual for someone to maintain such well-kept nails. Above all, Almond couldn’t learn about Ran without Lorang.

From the beginning, Lorang wanted to carry out this grand scheme through Ran. It was probably Lorang who opened up Lete to accept a player, or in this case, a god.

"... Your comrade?" Raina asked while wiping away her tears.

The way she asked felt somewhat prickly like she didn't like being left out of their relationship.

"No... Not a comrade. Just... that person brought me here."

"Oh..."

Thud!

The resisting believers all became sheep.

“Hahaha! How does it feel to become the lambs you all love so much? Huh?”

Lorang, perhaps having a deep grudge against these believers, even kicked the sheep.

“I regret not hitting that bastard Beret once!”

Life in that school had probably been challenging.

‘Could it be...?’

Almond briefly wondered if all those sheep at the school were people she found annoying. Later, Lorang vehemently denied it.

“Now, they will act immediately in Taran with this evidence.”

Taran was the name of a country. Among the alliances, it was the most powerful and valued freedom. Thus, it had the most modernized system. Their police force would move after securing the evidence.

“But... Lorang.”

Almond carried the fallen Ran and asked, “How did you come to the school in the first place? You said you can't use your powers without being asked.”

“I can use it moderately. I can always turn someone like you into a sheep,” Lorang chuckled as she said this.

It seemed careless to reveal such a business secret, but she probably felt that confident.

“But... manipulating the perception of an entire school is a big deal, especially those bound by a strong faith.”

It was said that believers of a religion were much harder for witches to manipulate. Almond considered visiting a church in the future.

“Alright. Here we are.”

Suddenly, a vast plain stretched out before them. Was this also the witch's magic? The battle had surely started at night, but now it was a bright morning.

“Alright, little lambs! Feast!”

“Baaah~”

The sheep, who were once devout believers, rushed into the meadow with their fluffy wool.

'Wow.'

Could such a peaceful scene exist? White sheep hopping around in a green meadow.

“Uh... um, Master Almond.”

From behind, Ran woke up and called out to him.

“Is this... home...?”

It was understandable for Ran to be mistaken. This meadow resembled the one from the school and that place was Ran’s homeland.

“Ah, Ran. No, this is where that factory was.”

“That... is it? Did... everything get resolved?”

“Yes, everything was─”

Almond couldn't finish his sentence.

[Revenge (★★★) Cleared!]

[Story Mode Cleared!]

His journey had ended.

Thud...

“... Huh? Ma... Master Almond?”

Slam!

Almond, who had been walking well, suddenly collapsed.

Ran hurriedly got up and turned him over.

“Ma... Master Almond? No... Lete?”

Ran’s voice trembled. He had a bad feeling.

“Ran,” the Desert Witch called out to Ran.

“Look at his arm.”

“...?”

Ran looked at Lete’s arm and broke down crying.

[Protect Ran... even if I die.]

“Baaah~”

The cries of the numerous grazing sheep somewhat masked Ran's intense grief.

[Side Story End]