Witch Taming System-Chapter 40: Leticia Herscher [3]

"That’s..."

It was difficult to process.

More than anything, the fact that witches, the very beings he had been raised to hunt, were also the ones maintaining something that kept the world safe, struck him the most.

It didn’t sit right.

Of course, there were witches who harmed people. He had seen that firsthand. But now, Lancel had come to realize there were two sides to the same coin.

"...But aren’t there other Herschers?" he asked. "Can’t they take your place?"

"I wish it were that simple."

Leticia gently swirled the tea in her cup.

"But the truth is, none of us can compare to the First Grand Witch. Not even close. That’s why it doesn’t just take one of us. At the very least, five Herschers at their peak have to be sacrificed at the same time just to maintain the mantle."

"...."

"Though of course, it’s not my turn yet. I’m still just an apprentice witch, after all. But still..."

She met his gaze with a bitter smile.

"What’s the point of all of that... if I’m just going to die anyway?"

Lancel reached out and placed his hand over hers.

"Then don’t go back to Riviere."

Leticia’s eyes lowered, landing on his hand. For a moment, she didn’t say anything before letting out a chuckle.

"Haha. I wasn’t planning to," she said. "But I think my guardian is already looking for me. She’s... quite scary."

"Your guardian?"

"Mhm."

She nodded.

"Since a Herscher’s mother is meant to become a sacrifice, we’re separated from them the moment we’re born. We’re handed over to witches capable of raising us properly. I guess you could say she’s kind of like my mother. I mean, she’s the only one I’ve ever known."

"I see."

* * *

Days passed in what felt like a blink.

Before Lancel even realized it, after moving from town to town, they had already arrived at his hometown, Emadestrin.

"I was born and raised here," Lancel said.

"Oh? Show me around!"

"It’s nothing special..."

Lancel scratched the back of his head, his tone turning a little awkward as he looked ahead.

They walked through the town slowly. As they did, Lancel began to speak, recalling parts of his past.

"Just like you, Leticia, I’ve never actually met my parents," he said. "The organization told me I was born to one of their operatives who died on a mission."

They walked past shops, vendors, and small pubs, moving deeper into town until the surroundings slowly opened up.

Eventually, they reached the rice fields.

"To keep things stable, they assigned another operative as my guardian. He raised me here. And sometimes, he’d take me along on missions."

"Where is he now?"

"Dead."

"...Oh."

"I killed him. He was a deserter."

"...."

Leticia had no response to that.

She knew there were still many things she didn’t understand, especially given how she had been raised. But Lancel wasn’t any better. His social skills were just as lacking.

Way to ruin the mood.

Still, Leticia didn’t dwell on it and quickly changed the topic.

"Don’t you think they might find you here?"

"If they do, we’ll just move," Lancel replied. "To the next town. And the next. And the next. Until eventually, they’ll have no choice but to give up."

"Hehe~ You’re quite the rebel now, Lancel."

"Where do you think I got it from?"

They continued like that, going back and forth without much thought until someone called out to Lancel.

"Lancel?"

Lancel turned, and so did Leticia.

"You’re... Lancel, right?"

"Merilda?"

It was someone he recognized. An adventurer he had worked with before, Merilda.

"Oh, look at you. It’s been a while," she said, smiling. "Why’d you suddenly leave town? Got tired of the adventuring life in Emadestrin?"

Her attention eventually turned to the girl standing right beside him.

"Oh? And who’s this pretty lady? Your girlfriend?"

"Ah, this is..."

He was about to say no. But when he glanced at Leticia, he saw the look on her face. That teasing smile, like she was waiting to see what he would say.

And just like that, the words got stuck in his throat.

Seeing him hesitate, Leticia let out a chuckle before stepping in.

"Hello, I’m Leticia. Lancel’s owner."

"...Owner?"

"Bark, Lancel!"

"...."

For a second, Lancel just stared at her as if she had lost it. Until Leticia burst into laughter.

"Pfft—Hahaha!"

After introductions were out of the way, Merilda ended up showing them around town.

It should have been Lancel’s role, but Leticia didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she looked more interested following someone else’s lead as she took in everything around her.

Emadestrin was located to the north of the human capital, one of the towns that fell under its jurisdiction.

With high walls surrounding it, it evoked a clear message to outsiders to keep their distance. Within those walls, however, the place was far more developed than most towns.

Leticia took in every detail as they walked. Truthfully, it couldn’t compare to Riviere. But she didn’t feel the need to say that. She didn’t want to think about Riviere anyway.

As they walked with Merilda leading the way, Leticia suddenly leaned closer to his ear and whispered.

"Does she know who you really are?"

"No one does."

"Ooh~ That’s pretty cool," said, clearly amused. "An assassin at night, an adventurer by day... living a double life."

She leaned back, her smile widening, as if she was about to laugh.

"Oh my. You’re too cool, Lancel. Way too cool!"

Lancel let out a sigh.

That teasing attitude of hers never changed. He couldn’t recall a single day where she hadn’t poked at him like this, always finding something to comment on and turn into a joke.

Still, he didn’t mind it.

At that moment, as if something crossed her mind, Leticia suddenly stepped forward and linked her arm with Merilda’s.

"Take me to the adventurer’s guild!"

"Ehh..." Merilda glanced at her. "You really want to go there? It’s full of smelly men who don’t even know what a bath is."

"Kind of like Lancel, then?"

"Oh, you’re right. It really is like Lancel."

"Right? Hahaha!"

The two of them burst into laughter.

Behind them, Lancel clicked his tongue.

"...I can hear you."

"Oh? Then maybe you should take a bath more often," Merilda shot back, grinning.

"Yeah, Lancel," Leticia added, glancing over her shoulder. "First impressions matter, you know."

"...I bathe way more than Merilda."

In fact, Lancel was the complete opposite of what they were implying. If anything, he was overly particular when it came to cleanliness, to the point that most people would find it excessive.

Leticia knew that.

That was exactly why she was teasing him.

They went around town after that, with Lancel showing Leticia different parts of Emadestrin. She took everything in with interest, asking questions here and there.

After the tour was over, Merilda stepped back and waved at them.

"See you two next time! And hey, Lancel... let’s take a job together when we meet again."

"Sure."

With that, she turned and walked off, leaving them behind.

She had already shown them around and even guided them to one of the better lodgings in the area.

The two of them stepped inside and approached the receptionist.

"Room for two, please."

"Ah, sorry," the receptionist replied. "All of our double rooms are currently occupied."

"In that case—"

"We do have one room available," the receptionist continued. "It’s a larger room with a single king-sized bed. If that’s fine with you folks."

Lancel frowned. "That won’t—"

"We’ll take it."

He turned. Leticia had already placed the payment down.

"Wait—"

"It’s fine," she said casually, glancing back at him. "It’s just a bed."

"...That’s exactly the problem."

Leticia only smiled. Even now, she was still in a joking mood, as if none of this bothered her in the slightest.

Up until now, they had never actually shared a bed. At most, they would get a room with two separate beds, or one spacious enough for Lancel to take the couch.

When they stepped inside the room, there was nothing more to it than what they were given. Simple furnishings, a modest shower room, a closet, and a single king-sized bed at the center.

But why were the lights red?

"I’ll take a shower first."

"...."

Lancel swallowed.

There was something about the atmosphere that felt off.

Or maybe it wasn’t the room itself.

Maybe it was Leticia.

Lately, something about her behavior had been different. If anything, it almost felt like she had developed some kind of romantic interest in him.

But that couldn’t be it.

Leticia was just using him as a means of escape. A way to distance herself from everything she had run away from. That had to be the case.

And besides, she was beautiful. Too beautiful for someone like him.

Still, if that really was the case, Lancel found that he wouldn’t actually mind it.

Objectively, Leticia was beautiful. Probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Even among witches, who were already above ordinary standards, Leticia stood above them.

Her long, luscious blonde hair shone so brightly it seemed to reflect the sun itself. Her azure blue eyes were deep and clear like the ocean.

And then there was her body. An hourglass figure with generous curves in all the right places. Full, heavy breasts that pushed against her clothes, a slim waist, and wide, soft hips that swayed with every movement.

She was the complete package. The kind of beauty that made a man’s mouth go dry just by looking at her.

"Haa... I must’ve lost it."

To even think of Leticia like that, Lancel felt like something had gone wrong with him.

Before he could dwell on it any further, the sound of the door caught his attention.

Leticia stepped out of the bath.

"Eh?"

But there was something about her outfit. She wore a thin nightgown that exposed a generous amount of her milky-white skin.

While it technically covered her breasts, the fabric was so sheer that he could clearly see the full shape of them. Her nipples pressed against the thin material, leaving little to the imagination.

The nightgown barely reached her upper thighs, revealing the smooth curve of her hips and the soft plumpness of her buttocks underneath.

One wrong move and it looked like the whole thing would ride up and show everything. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The hem fell just above her thighs, leaving little to the imagination as she took a step forward.

Lancel swallowed hard, unable to tear his eyes away.

"...You’re staring too hard."

Leticia looked away shyly.

"You know..." she said. "You’re so dense that if I didn’t do this, you’d probably never notice..."

"R-Realize what...?"

"Sigh... don’t make me say it."

Lancel stayed silent for a moment, trying to process what she meant. He was aware, of course. But the mind refused to accept it.

"...Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Leticia, I—"

"I’ve liked you for quite a while, already. You bastard!"