Chapter 19: The Witch’s Cottage (Patreon)

In the evening, this was Ollena, a small town on the outskirts of Nuoro, the provincial capital of Sardinia.

It had no particularly striking tourist attractions—a very ordinary rural town.

Close to mountains and hills, it was full of natural scenery, yet it remained a town with little to sell itself on. It was just a remote Sardinian town.

However, Ollena was a beautiful town with charming scenery, featuring refreshing green forests and beautiful springs nearby.

A town with a population probably under ten thousand, yet it had all the essential amenities.

Although it held no fame in the ordinary world, or could even be described as very remote,

in the hidden world of mystery, a rather famous witch resided in this extremely secluded place.

Near the forest beside the town stood a small stone house with a courtyard, exuding a very ancient style and aura.

The feeling emanated from the entire building, and with no other houses nearby, it gave off a very lonely atmosphere.

The Witch's Cottage. Though a small house, its appearance fit the term perfectly. Weeds grew wildly in the courtyard—whether from a lack of interest in gardening or simple laziness was unknown.

And whenever night fell, it gave people an eerie, frightening feeling.

Thus, this little house was quite famous within the town.

Vrrroom—Screech—

Bathed in the setting sun, the roar of an engine pierced the tranquility as a car sped over.

Upon reaching the outside of the cottage, it executed a near-ninety-degree drift, stopping just short of crashing into the wall.

It came to a halt right outside the gate, having almost slammed straight into it. Along the way, various dislodged parts could be seen falling off.

Shattered headlights, a detached door, a tilted body, smoke rising from the trunk...

In short, what was once a perfectly good car now looked on the verge of being scrapped.

Thud~

"..."

Watching the car finally come to a stop, and the door completely fall off and hit the ground, Haru felt as if he had narrowly escaped death.

Good grief, this driving skill is something else!

The whole wild ride felt like a series of accidents and near-misses, almost ending abruptly multiple times.

But still, despite the thrilling and perilous journey, at least they had successfully reached their destination, right?

"We've arrived. This is the place, Miss Erika!"

"Good, thank you, Arianna."

"Not at all, it's my duty~"

Inside the car, listening to the conversation between mistress and maid that seemed routine for them,

and glancing at the nearly dismantled car—which had probably lost countless parts along the way and looked utterly pitiful—

Haru ultimately decided it was wiser not to comment.

After all, no matter what, she had gotten him to his destination, hadn't she?

"Hehe We're here"

Just as Haru was internally cursing the experience, Erika, while talking to her maid, unbuckled her seatbelt.

Then, looking at Haru beside her, who seemed unable to remain calm after the thrilling ride, she smiled and linked her arm with his.

It seemed she was worried he might run away.

But putting that aside for now, Erika smiled elegantly, yet her smile was nothing like a delicate flower. It was more akin to a female leopard, or perhaps a lioness.

Or rather, a proud and powerful queen of beasts—that better described her unruly and defiant appearance.

Like a lioness, not just anyone could easily tame her!

Also, Haru had no idea what was going through her mind. Not leaving after the incident was one thing, but deciding to follow him all the way here?

"Hey~ What's your connection with the witch here?"

"And, you're from China, right? Did you come here on the orders of that Cult Leader?"

"Could it be that the Leader is also aware of the situation here?"

"But then again, the other Kings would probably be very interested, right?"

"..."

Looking at the chattering blonde girl beside him, Haru hadn't expected her to have such a talkative, almost nagging side.

And, girl, we've only met twice at most, and the most significant interaction was me saving you just now.

Does she really think I'd just casually share information with her?

Also, she's way too close.

Where's your reserve and ladylike demeanor?

Don't you know this is just giving me an advantage?

Although, to be fair, he was probably the one benefiting the most right now.

Faced with Erika's barrage of questions, Haru adopted a cool, aloof attitude, choosing not to answer as he stepped out of the car.

Crack! Thud!

Well, perhaps due to the shift in weight from both of them leaving, the moment he exited the vehicle, another cracking sound echoed from the car, followed by some unknown component clattering to the ground.

Erika seemed completely unfazed by this, as if it were perfectly normal, while the maid, who had also gotten out of the driver's seat, wore a satisfied expression.

They were absolutely, without a doubt, a troublesome mistress-and-maid pair!

As the beautiful evening sun bathed the land and a breeze rustled the trees and grass,

it seemed the presence outside the gate had been noticed. A heavy, creaking sound suddenly echoed, and the tightly shut door of the courtyard swung open on its own.

However, there was no trace of anyone behind the door or around the doorframe.

It looked as if a ghost in a haunted house had opened the door, sending a chill down one's spine in the quiet of the evening.

The next moment, a completely black cat, with only its pupils emitting a faint glow in the dim light, appeared before the three who had just exited the car, crouched at the doorway.

"Meow~"

[Ara~ New faces. Do we have guests?]

It uttered human speech with a lazy, almost indifferent meow. Despite having a slender, elegant body and smooth fur, the cat didn't seem the least bit cute.