Date a Witch: Reborn as the Witch of Lust! (GL)-Chapter 93: Witch Caring for Witchhunter!

Silence hung in the air, broken only by the biting of roasted meat and clinking of forks against plates.

Calina shifted awkwardly, peeking at the other four intruders of her alone time, then at her empty seat at the side.

Then, her gaze drifted to Mel, with Lila sitting to her left, Rosana to her right, and the elf at the right end of the table, though not close to Calina.

"Am I... perhaps being made fun of?" She munched harder on her food, thinking if this is called the ’cold violence’ her surrogate Father mentioned.

Given the bizarrely spicy restaurant, the Witchhunter was starting to suspect that Mel’s way of bonding with her always began with food and much trolling.

Mel’s eyes met Calina’s, holding her gaze as her spaghetti twirled loosely on the fork.

She was now feeding Lila, her fork hovering high as she watched Lila raise her head and grumpily spoon the pasta.

"Very much not!" Mel’s eyes smiled, her fork descending slowly, only to jerk back up like a malfunctioned heli in a crash. "I’m having fun."

Rosana chuckled just as Lila seized Mel’s wrist, confronting her with the full brunt of an angry pout.

"Don’t play with your food."

As Lila grumbled, Mel chuckled and cupped her reddened cheek, before slipping the forked cream pasta into her lips. freёwebnoѵel.com

Cream coated her lush lips, as Mel’s thumb brushed against it. "Of course, my future housewife."

"What’s with that all of a sudden...?" Lila’s voice trailed off, her biting on the spaghetti slowng alongside her reddening cheeks. "Though... Mel’s housewife...hehe..."

She giggled silly to herself, thanking Mel’s ’Saria-like’ cooking that granted her this marriage-like title.

[ Envy envisioned that only she would cook for you from now on! ]

[ Envy favourability: 96 -> 98 ]

Mel’s expression softened, feeding the bubbly Lila another pasta before facing Calina, as she flashed a small grin. "Jealous?"

Calina squinted her azure eyes, darting between the dazed Lila and smug Mel. "Nah, seems high maintenance."

"Oh?" Rosana chortled as she nipped at her prawn. "Seems like our Swordmaster here has some sense of humour. Forgive my presumption for your eagerness to improve your talent at violence."

"Thanks?" Calina said with a wry smile. "Well... you’re not wrong. The Enchanted Monster Hunting is definitely what I’m most excited about."

A slight pause lingered as Rosana returned to her meal, uninterested.

But a nervous laugh was sapped out of Calina, and Mel continued as she fed Lila. "Oh yeah, the Monster Hunting! Think we just passed by a few hunter stalls before we came here."

"You mean the hides and membranes from the stalls?"

"Yep!" Mel shuddered dramatically. "It was absurdly disgusting!"

"That... I can agree."

Having hunted the Witch’s monsters before she arrived, Calina heaved a sigh. "They did serve well for the Iron Kingdom as materials, however. West of here was where my village resided, and where my village was at."

"Oh. So you live here!" Mel’s face beamed, viewing it as a good sign that Calina opened up to her. "I presumed you trained like hell there by hunting them?"

Mel noticed a flicker of nostalgia in Calina’s eyes as the Witchhunter nodded quietly. "Worse. I was beaten up by them, a lot."

Unexpectedly, ’Aria’ spoke in a cheery voice. "Then you must be lucky with how deadly the monsters have been after the {Unprided Crusade}. Praise the goddess."

"I wouldn’t say so. Nearing deaths all the time were not exactly a fun experience."

Calina cast a subtle glance at the roasted chicken, full of spices and sauce.

The one she had cooked herself back in the village forest was the exact opposite - blackened, tough, and utterly tasteless.

"I was born exactly when the {Unprided Crusade} happened." She fiddled with the chicken, relaxed. "Survival of the fittest. Embervale was isolated when one of Pride’s familiars resided here."

Lila’s emerald eyes blinked with interest. "I was also born near that period, but..."

"But unlike the Northern or Western borders," Rosana interrupted. "Southern and Eastern areas were relatively safe aside from occasional Pride’s spy."

She grinned, recalling her Mother’s glorious war-wagering days. "Though we were mostly infants even when the war was single-handedly ended by the Saintess and a few {First Year} heroes."

Mel raised her brows at the logic gap Rosana noticed, before smirking as well.

All academy students entering the same year were near the age of 16, meaning their birth year was mostly the same.

Calina’s jaw clenched open, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she realised she almost let slip her largest secret.

"Aw..." Mel put on a foxy grin, her tone dripping with playful mockery. "Little baby Calina holding a sword to go hunt? How cute."

"My-my circumstances are different..." Calina stammered, the ground suddenly more appealing than Mel and Rosana’s piercing, teasing gaze.

"Do pray tell." Rosana idly slid her fork against her prawn, forgetting nobility for some gossip.

"I experienced the swordsmanship myself in the exam, and I would hardly be surprised if that swordsmanship dated back when you were but an infant."

"Oh?" Mel shot a smile at Rosana. "Props to you for surviving it, Miss Rosana."

"As the next Duchess of the North, naturally." Rosana brushed her hair aside as she met Mel’s soft gaze. "Though, I would call you more impressive for tearing the hunting ground apart, Mel."

"Oh, please..." Mel waved with a chuckle. "I was merely doing what I could for Lila and me to be in a room."

"That’s right." Lila suddenly rested her chin on Mel’s shoulder, glaring at Rosana. "She did this for me, and not for your amusement. Do remember that!"

"Oh, should I?" Rosana tilted her head, tapping her chin as she feigned serious thoughts. "I would have forgotten about your presence had it not been for Mel’s little surprises."

"Ha?" Lila’s eyes trembled with bloodlust. "You want a go again?"

"Gladly, little puppy."

As Calina watched the two bicker, Mel held back her laughter, creating a barrier between them like a shield keeping wild beasts at bay.

Her thumb stroked the sword hilt resting against the table before she glanced at Mel and silently mouthed a word.

Thanks.

Though not the most socially skilled, Calina could tell Mel was helping her avoid an awkward subject.

[ Calina was thankful for you! Ah, but she still held grude over the ’spicy food’ incident. ]

[ Calina favourability: 2 -> 6 ]

Noticing the habit that reminded her of Wrath, Mel’s laughter reeled back in her throat.

Then, she sneaked a V-sign underneath her table, whispering. "Don’t mention it."

But as the banters between Lila and Rosana grew heated, they eventually snapped their gazes back onto Mel.

"Mel! Stop whispering secrets to Calina without me!"

"Ah my prey, looks like you left the collar on your feisty little pet here."

"Shush! What’s with you..."

One was blatantly aggressive, like a threatened puppy. One playfully fierce like a prideful lioness.

Slightly startled, she glanced at the elf, who was calmly munching on a roasted potato.

The elf locked gazes with Mel before smiling with her eyes.

"If you two were dissatisfied, how about settling with a hunting competition later?"

A fire surged in both Lila and Rosana, as confusion flickered in Mel and Calina’s expressions.

Uh oh...

Mel’s face sank a little, the weight of the pressure oozing from Lila and Rosana suddenly heavied upon her shoulders.

The rivalry between these two over her was fiercer than Mel had ever expected.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om