Franka Aglaia regained consciousness amidst a headache that felt like her skull was splitting.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

Various parts of her body ached and throbbed, and her limbs felt heavy like water-soaked cotton.

The near-feverish state of her body was one of the typical symptoms of being cursed.

Indeed, it was a curse.

She had been defeated by that woman in black—

“You’re awake, I see.”

—Franka’s eyes snapped open.

She reflexively tried to assume a combat stance, but her heavy body wouldn’t move as nimbly as she wished.

And even if her body had been light, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

Skeletal hands extending from the chair firmly gripped Franka’s hands and feet.

As expected of a necromancer, even the method of restraint exuded wickedness

Franka quickly surveyed her surroundings.

The witch, Dorothea, peered over her tied to the chair.

The Tin Knight and the golden-haired girl stood behind her.

And even her own familiars were bound in the corner.

“My children...!”

Franka let out a small scream as she confirmed the state of the two golden monkeys.

The bat-winged one had no major injuries other than bruises here and there from being hit several times, but the insect-winged one could hardly be called fine even as a polite lie.

There were clear marks of cuts and gashes all over its skin, and black, seemingly festering blood was flowing from the wounds, staining its golden fur.

Dorothea spoke to Franka, who was rattling the chair, “Don’t thrash about. Their not dead yet.”

“You, how dare you, how dare you do this to my children!!”

“You were the one who targeted someone else’s life first, and then you were the one who got thoroughly beaten and defeated. Don’t act like you’re the one-sided victim. And remember that if you get excited and thrash about now, it will only make things worse for you and your precious children.”

Franka’s mouth snapped shut.

As if trying to suppress her throbbing headache and anger, she took several deep breaths before speaking, “First, treat those children’s wounds.”

“Why should I?”

“The fact that you’ve kept me alive like this means you have some business, right? If those children die during our conversation, I will absolutely not open my mouth no matter what happens afterward, no matter what you do to me.”

Dorothea fell into brief contemplation.

Truthfully, there was no need to comply with Franka’s demand.

The overwhelming advantage was on Dorothea’s side, and while they had ended up capturing both monkeys by chance, in reality, one hostage would have been enough.

“I could refuse...”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues to kill one first, and if she doesn’t comply, kill the other one too!]

“...but, well, as the victor’s mercy, I’ll grant you that much.”

Dorothea abruptly changed her words.

She didn’t want to reveal that she had entertained the same cruel thought as the Tin Knight.

That would be shameful as a civilized person.

Dorothea took out a container of special ointment and was about to hand it to Adelaide, but suddenly changed direction and passed it to the Tin Knight.

“Apply it only to wounds that look moderately severe.”

The Tin Knight, who received the ointment, approached the monkeys and started smearing the ointment on them, seemingly amused.

As the special ointment seeped in, the monkeys thrashed about, flailing their limbs due to the maddening stinging and itching.

The skeletal hands restraining the monkeys shook to the point of rattling, but the Tin Knight paid no mind.

Seeing the Tin Knight mercilessly twist the jaw of a monkey that had bitten his forearm, Adelaide immediately understood why Dorothea had given the ointment to the Tin Knight instead of her.

Franka raged for a while, asking what on earth they were doing, but regained her composure when she saw the monkeys’ wounds healing rapidly.

Franka asked, “...What do you want?”

“Oh, I want plenty.”

Dorothea nodded as if to say look around.

There was the sight of the inn, wrecked and overturned everywhere.

“First. The chaos that broke out when your familiar first attacked me, and then what happened here now. Tell the city guard that it’s all your responsibility and turn yourself in. Say that the first time you attacked unilaterally, and the second time it was something you did alone without any relation to us. Whether you say your familiars went berserk and rampaged, or that an experiment failed, come up with the reason yourself. The point is, we were never here. Got it?”

Franka’s eyes narrowed.

“Even if I accept the first part, you want me to take the blame for the chaos you caused here?”

“If you want to argue like that, the first incident was because of you too, you know? If you don’t like it, just give up. We’ll find another way.”

It was an impassive statement, but that made it all the more chilling.

Realizing that the “other way” Dorothea spoke of didn’t include the safety of herself and her monkeys, Franka had no choice but to nod.

Confirming this, Dorothea listed the next requirements one by one.

Firstly, all treasures and information about them in Franka’s possession would be handed over.

Secondly, Frank must give compensation for various equipment like the staff and shield that were broken during this affair.

Thirdly, any hostile actions against Dorothea’s group were prohibited.

Lastly, swear to all of the above with a “Blood Oath”.

Unable to hold back any longer, Franka exploded, “Just kill me instead! My master will exact the blood price for me and my children!”

Dorothea made a sulky expression.

“No, what are you complaining about now?”

“Prohibiting all hostile actions? Even if I turn myself in and take the blame for your crimes too, what about after that? If you decide you’re done with me and try to kill me, are you saying I should just die without any resistance?”

The eyes—and blue light—of Adelaide and the Tin Knight, who were listening from behind, widened.

Wait, was this Dorothea’s plan?

Dorothea burst into a hollow laugh.

“I didn’t even think of such a thing? What kind of person do you think I am...? Huh?”

Feeling a strange prickling sensation on the back of her head, Dorothea turned her gaze behind her.

Slap! Slap!

[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts for them to stay still so he can finish applying the medicine!]

“Y-yes! Please stay still! Ah, Sir Knight! Here’s some more ointment!”

[Oo, ooh-ki?!]

But all she could see was the Tin Knight earnestly admonishing the monkeys and Adelaide nervously assisting.

Dorothea tilted her head for a moment but soon turned back and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, alright, then I’ll make that clause void if we attack first. No other issues, correct?”

“...What’s the penalty for breaking the oath?”

A smile formed on Dorothea’s lips.

Franka’s question essentially assumed she was accepting the contract.

“Well. How about becoming a frog?”

***The battle concluded with the victory of the Tin Knight’s party.

Franka and the two monkeys were apprehended by the city guard, and thanks to Franka’s “voluntary testimony”, the Tin Knight’s group was able to obtain a not-guilty verdict in just a few dozen minutes.

Objectively speaking, the Tin Knight’s party was equally suspicious, and normally it wouldn’t have been strange if they had been investigated for a day or so, but Adelaide’s golden hair and violet eyes possessed a peculiar magic that made the city guard’s stiff backs bend flexibly and their stern faces break into smiles.

The Tin Knight even raised the question of whether they could have resolved this from the beginning by just pushing Adelaide forward.

Dorothea ignored that remark.

Franka was wealthy enough to rent out the most expensive lodging in the city.

The party’s wallets also became fat after extorting a huge compensation from Franka.

They were also able to obtain information about their new destination.

To the west of Lowefelt, right at the border of the Empire’s territory, a new underground labyrinth had been discovered, and rumors suggested that a treasure was hidden deep within.

Although several months had passed since the labyrinth’s discovery, due to its extreme depth and complex internal structure, progress in conquering it had been slow.

Franka explained that she had been looking for the “Key of Opium”, which had the power to open all kinds of locks, to break through this underground labyrinth, and when she realized Dorothea had the key, she tried to take it—only to fail spectacularly.

Despite gaining so much, Dorothea’s expression was not bright.

“Haa. Damn it. We got had at the end.”

They got compensation. They got information. They resolved the social issue.

Yet the treasures they sought after still eluded them.

Dorothea recalled the events of last night.

After making the Blood Oath, that was, a contract like the one Dorothea had made with the Tin Knight and the kingdom’s noble, Dorothea demanded Franka hand over the treasure, and Franka complied.

Or more precisely, she tried to comply.

“Huh? No, wait, why is this...?”

Despite rummaging through her belongings earnestly, Franka couldn’t find the treasure.

Franka claimed the treasure had disappeared.

Normally, Dorothea would have snapped at her not to play tricks, but this time she stiffened her expression.

The “Blood Oath” was magic with powerful binding force, but it had the strict condition that the contracting parties must clearly understand and agree to the contents of the contract.

At the point where Franka’s body hadn’t immediately turned into a frog, there was no possibility that she was intentionally stalling for time or deceiving the group.

Thinking that it might have been buried in some debris during the battle, they tried using Franka’s animal compass, but instead of circling inside the inn, the purple mole disappeared into the middle of the street.

As the group blankly watched the direction the mole was leaving, they were able to spot something glinting in the sky.

A winged, golden monkey flying through the sky, clutching something in its hand.

Franka muttered in a trembling voice, “Master...?”

The Wicked Witch of the West.

Franka’s master and the most skilled alchemist on the continent.

She was the culprit who had intercepted the treasure that should have belonged to the victor.

The monkey, larger and with more lustrous fur than Franka’s familiars, soared off into the sky without looking back even once.

If she had the ability to extract the treasure during Dorothea and Franka’s fight, she would have had the power to help or rescue her apprentice, Franka.

Recalling Franka’s face when she realized she had been abandoned by her master, Dorothea made an unpleasant expression.

Objectively speaking, it was a fight where they gained a lot, but the image of Franka being taken away by the city guard with a completely dejected look lingered like an afterimage.

Even though they weren’t close friends, and even though she told herself there was no need to care about someone she had fought to the death with, the bad aftertaste wouldn’t leave her.

As expected of someone on par with a great witch, it was the worst encounter from the very beginning.

Dorothea fell into thought.

The opponent was a witch evaluated to be on par with her teacher.

It was frustrating, but there was no way to immediately reclaim the stolen treasure.

However, given that she didn’t try to steal the “Key of Opium” that Dorothea possessed and only retrieved the treasure Franka had, it seemed that the Wicked Witch of the West wasn’t planning to seriously enter the treasure-hunting race yet.

My teacher and the Great Witches of the west, north, and south don’t get along well. If one starts acting openly, the other witches will start to intervene. I wonder if the witches of the south and north are also after the treasures? Or like me and Franka, their apprentices...

As Dorothea was lost in her thoughts, someone tapped her back.

Seeing the Tin Knight who had somehow approached right beside her, Dorothea responded gruffly, “What is it.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that originally, emblems were not stolen from rivals but obtained in new cities!]

“She’s not my rival.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that as we collect treasures on our side, the other side will have no choice but to make contact again!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that a gentleman’s revenge is not too late even after ten years!]

Dorothea chuckled.

“What do you mean ten years? You look like someone who couldn’t wait even ten weeks.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ protests, telling Dorothea not to underestimate his patience!]

“Yes, yes, whatever you say.”

“Ah, Miss Witch! Sir Knight! The carriage and travel permits are ready!”

Seeing Adelaide waving her hand next to the carriage, Dorothea and the Tin Knight walked forward.

They carried with them the grudge of turning a perfect 100-point victory into a mere 80-point one, vowing to never forget.

And so, they set off toward their next destination.