Chapter 51 - The Witch And Me
"Love?" the witch repeated, her voice as cold as frozen ten-thousand-year-old ice.
"What a meaningless emotion. It only clouds judgment and weakens the heart."
Her fingers tightened around my neck.
I immediately felt my feet leave the ground.
"Ack–!"
My face turned slightly red as breathing became difficult.
"Wait!"
I hurriedly raised both hands in surrender.
"Just wait a moment! If you think love is meaningless, then let me prove you wrong!"
She looked at me as though I had uttered the greatest joke in existence.
"And why, should I waste my time listening to someone who is about to die?" she asked calmly.
"Because you’re an almighty witch!" I answered almost instantly.
"If you’re truly as powerful as you appear, then what do you have to fear from one ordinary man trying to change your opinion?"
Her expression remained unchanged.
I continued before she could interrupt.
"If I fail, then kill me, I won’t resist. But if I succeed..."
I smiled despite her grip on my throat.
"Then perhaps you will discover something even your overwhelming power has never given you."
The witch quietly observed me instead of dismissing me.
Several seconds passed.
Then, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
It was the smile of someone who had just found an amusing prey.
"You truly are courting death."
She loosened her grip just enough for me to breathe.
"Very well, I shall give you a chance."
Her golden eyes locked onto mine.
"But remember this, if you fail to change my mind... I will kill you in the most brutal way imaginable."
Before I could answer, she grabbed my collar.
The surrounding space distorted.
Everything blurred.
The burning city disappeared beneath our feet.
’Fuck! I escaped death only to voluntarily walk into an even bigger hell.’
But at least this hell was beautiful!
Still, for reasons I couldn’t explain.
I genuinely wanted this witch to understand what love was.
Even if it cost me my life.
That felt like my purpose along with harem life!
Back in Fu County...
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Everyone watched helplessly as the witch vanished into the sky together with the young man she had abducted.
No one dared pursue her.
No one possessed the strength to do so.
The Magistrate of Fu County slowly lowered his trembling hands.
His old eyes had become slightly red.
"That young man sacrificed himself to save this city."
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"We shall never forget such righteousness."
The soldiers lowered their heads.
Even the head constable sighed.
"Magistrate, didn’t that young man use some kind of forbidden soul-bewitching technique on the witch?"
The magistrate’s expression immediately changed.
"I see, but even so!"
He clenched his fist dramatically.
"Then it is exactly what I feared! He even sacrificed his soul for the sake of the people, using forbidden technique!"
Several nearby soldiers nodded with moved expressions.
"Someone, travel to his village immediately."
The magistrate raised his voice.
"If his body can be found, grant him a proper burial. And if not, raise a memorial in his name. I shall personally reward his village for producing such a righteous hero."
He looked toward the burning city before speaking solemnly.
"Heaven witnesses all virtue, such kindness must be repaid."
Evren didn’t knew that his accidental kidnapping had unexpectedly benefited four entirely different people.
Lin Fan.
Ye Chen.
Long Aotian.
Jiang Chen.
Thanks to Evren’s "heroic sacrifice," the four troublemakers were personally recommended by the magistrate and offered well-paid government positions.
It was as though fortune itself had descended upon them.
As expected, bastards named Lin Fan, Ye Chen, Long Aotian, and Jiang Chen always seemed to profit whenever someone else suffered misfortune.
That was simply one of the fundamental laws of the universe.
***
Years passed.
Looking back, I could honestly say I had made almost no progress.
The first problem was that the witch was completely insane.
One day, the water served at an inn was slightly colder than she preferred.
So she destroyed the entire inn.
Another time, we attended an auction because I thought exposing her to normal society might soften her heart.
For a moment, I actually believed things were going well.
She patiently sat through the entire auction without causing trouble.
I nearly cried tears of joy.
Then, just as the winning bidders were about to pay, she robbed the entire auction house.
Money. Treasures. Weapons.
She took everything.
And while leaving, she casually killed half the guards trying to stop her.
"..."
That day, I learned that my definition of "progress" and hers were vastly different.
Naturally, stories about us spread across the country.
People no longer called me a victim.
Instead, I became known as the Witch’s Brainwashed Underling.
Ironically, the people of Fu County still remembered me as the young man who had saved their city.
It was a rather contradictory reputation.
The second problem was that, she wasn’t weak to jokes.
I had heard humor could melt people’s hearts.
Apparently, that rule didn’t apply to this witch.
Whenever I cracked a terrible joke, she merely gave me a side glance.
And sometimes sighed in pity.
Once she even looked genuinely disappointed.
Then she continued whatever she had been doing.
Currently, only one hundred days remained before the deadline she had given me.
One hundred days before she decided whether I lived or died.
Over the years, I had tried almost everything.
Cooking.
Talking.
Travelling.
Showing her festivals.
Watching fireworks.
Helping strangers.
Playing music.
Nothing truly worked.
Still, I did make one interesting discovery.
She had an obvious soft spot for children.
Whenever she saw one crying, she quietly helped.
Whenever she passed an orphan, she would secretly leave food behind.
When I once asked her why, she simply answered in a rather deep voice.
"Children are still pure. They have not yet been stained by the filth of the world."
That answer stayed with me for a long time.
Because beneath all her overwhelming strength.
She was surprisingly human.
She needed food.
She slept every night.
She bathed.
She got sick.
She had a sour look when the weather was unpleasant.
She sometimes even argued with merchants over prices, who had to reluctantly give her 99% discount.
And yes, she also needed to use the bathroom.
Knowing all that made her feel far less distant.
Meanwhile, her notoriety only continued to grow.
Every year, stronger experts joined the hunt for her.
Entire sects, military commanders, royal guards and even wandering grandmasters.
Everyone wanted to kill the infamous witch.
"Damn it!"
I sighed while staring at the campfire.
"My harem dream is really going to end like this."
Adding insult to injury, I occasionally heard news about my former village.
’Those four bastards.’
Somehow, all four had become nobles.
I still had no idea how they managed it.
Not only that, each of them had become a renowned warrior.
Each had married a noble lady from a prestigious family.
And each had officially accepted ten concubines.
"..."
"What kind of bullshit treatment is this? They’re living the life that I imagined!"
Meanwhile, I had become an old man, not in age, but in appearance.
My once handsome face had disappeared beneath an unkempt beard and shoulder-length hair.
After years of running from one place to another, I looked less like a handsome hero and more like a homeless wanderer.
The only reason I hadn’t cut my hair was because the witch forbade it.
Whenever I mentioned trimming it, she’d simply shake her head.
"It suits you."
That was all she said.
I had no idea why.
Maybe she genuinely found it amusing watching my face remain hidden beneath all that hair.
Even so, the years hadn’t been completely meaningless.
There were moments, very-very rare moments, when I saw her smile.
In fact, it was exactly three times.
I remembered every single one of them.
Perhaps because they were so rare.
Or perhaps, because they were beautiful.
Currently, we were hiding deep within a mountain range, far from civilization.
The experts hunting her had become increasingly persistent.
I placed another piece of firewood into the flames.
"Should I cook chicken tonight?"
She looked up from the book she was reading, then silently nodded.
That was enough of an answer.
Just as I began preparing dinner.
RUMBLE!
The entire mountain shook violently.
Birds scattered into the sky.
The campfire nearly went out.
I immediately stood up.
Someone, had found us.
A towering man descended from the sky, landing heavily before our cave.
His lion-like mane swayed in the wind, while an enormous spear rested upon his shoulder.
General Yang.
One of the empire’s greatest military experts.
He wasn’t alone.
Figures appeared one after another atop the surrounding cliffs.
Swordsmen. Monks. Daoists. Generals. Assassins.
Experts from every corner of the country had gathered here.
Dozens of terrifying auras descended upon the mountain simultaneously.
General Yang pointed his spear toward the witch.
"Witch! Today shall be your last day! The sins you have committed can never be forgiven by the heavens!"
As his voice echoed across the mountains.
Four familiar figures slowly stepped forward from among the gathered experts.
"..."
I narrowed my eyes.
There was no way I could mistake them.
Lin Fan.
Ye Chen.
Long Aotian.
Jiang Chen.
The four troublemakers from my village, had finally become the great heroes of this era.