The Witch and the Doll Swear

My father once taught me to kill fish.

Yansha City is a city close to the sea, and all kinds of fish are the most commonly seen in three meals a day. When I was about 10 years old, my father said that it was time for me to help the family, so he took me to the kitchen and handed me a relatively light kitchen knife.

Except eel, hairtail, or puffer fish, which require extremely high processing techniques, the processing methods of most fish are similar.

The first thing is to remove the scales. The fish on the seashore of Yansha City have very hard scales, and it takes a lot of time to clean them all.

Then cut off the head and tail of the fish with a knife, leaving a section in the middle, and cut the belly of the fish along the largest and longest bone, because if the internal organs are accidentally broken, the fish will become fishy. If the gallbladder is damaged, it will be bitter, so be careful here.

After taking out all the internal organs, divide the body of the fish into two parts as equal as possible along the largest bone, pick out the big fish bones, and one fish will be processed. Next, whether it is to be cut into thin slices It is very convenient to make fish raw, whether it is fried or soup.

——Tingna, remember, no matter what the situation is, your own life and your own safety are the most important. Try not to do dangerous things, otherwise you will be like this fish.

My father always said that when he taught me how to kill fish and when he taught me all kinds of fish dishes.

Whether this sentence has any deep meaning, I don't know. My father is just an ordinary fisherman who works in a fishing workshop. According to him, he has wandered at sea for more than 30 years without any experience to brag about. When I asked him the meaning of this sentence when I was young, he also agreed Just shake your head and tell me:

——Nothing, special meaning.

Maybe.

But day by day, year after year, after the bar mitzvah.

I just discovered that "safety first, life most important" has been deeply engraved in my mind.

——Since life is the most important thing, taking life away is unforgivable.

And, naturally, the inference was drawn.

It is in the academy that this idea changes.

A girl from another class suddenly broke into the classroom with a knife and killed a boy in my class and her first love.

I only know the name of that boy as a friend, but witnessing this incident gave me a big shock.

So far I still don’t understand what it’s like to be in first love, but maybe all girls have a natural common language on the topic of love. After that incident, almost everyone accused the boy of treachery, and everyone I sympathize with that girl - even though she is the perpetrator.

I think it's kind of scary.

In the end, this incident became a big issue. It is said that in court, the judge was almost forced to let the girl who was "hurt by love" go under pressure from the public. This made me change the [unable] to [difficult].

The reason why it is [difficult] instead of [possible] is because the girl was later accused of intentional homicide and sentenced to hang.

Since then, the impression of [Killing], accompanied by the blood spray from the boy's neck and the girl's demented and stern smile, has been fixed in my heart as a crime that cannot be washed away no matter what.

So, I think life is the most important thing.

So, when Alice said with a blank face, she and Liliana [killed more people than Miss Tina you have ever seen].

I'm scared.

I felt scared from the bottom of my heart.

No, that's fear.

Even worse than the hallucination of seeing that Shadow Demon kill Liliana.

It's like suddenly seeing another side of someone you're close to, a side you can't accept no matter what.

It's like knowing that the person who was supposed to be innocent is actually a murderous executioner.

Liliana said again, [It's not that I didn't kill people, so no one will die because of me].

Just a few days ago, forty people were sent to the gallows in the southern suburbs of Yansha City.

I went to see it, although I didn't know any of those people.

However, I saw the pedals disappear under their feet, their necks made a frightening sound for a moment, and then they didn't move at all.

Ten times more people were hanged than those who died that night.

As far as the result is concerned, they are all because of Liliana, because of... me.

So, since that day, there seems to be an invisible gap between me and that lovely witch lady. She is still beautiful, and every inadvertent move will make my heart beat faster, but.

No matter when, that white skin seemed to be stained with black blood.

Ah, how am I going to face Liliana and Alice?

In every sense, I too have blood on my hands.

But I kept telling myself that I did nothing wrong, I didn't ask Liliana to flatten the old city, it was Miss Liliana's own actions, which caused all of this later——I kept comforting myself like this So, I want to shirk responsibility, but I can't even convince myself.

There is nothing to do but distance yourself.

——Then, why do I have to come here again?

Pushing open the door where the seraphim hangs upside down, as if falling from the sky, I changed my shoes at the entrance, followed the pure gold candlesticks and the oil paintings on the wall, and walked to the door of the study with the information bag in hand.

"..."

Push open the door, put down the information bag, start working, sort the information into categories and put it on the desk, and leave - just do it, yes, just do it, that's enough.

Recently, Alice noticed that she was alienating herself. For morning tea, she gradually only brought tea and snacks, and then left.

"……Ah"

The blond girl smiled self-deprecatingly, and pressed her hand on the doorknob.

——Who can blame this?

Push the door open and close it.

After a while.

open again.

"...Ha... How am I going to face it, Miss Liliana and Miss Allie..."

The empty-handed girl came out of the study in distress, and walked towards Liliana's room along the route she remembered.

But there is no way to worry about it. I have something to do.

Must do.

"Liliana...Miss...?"

Pushing open the door, there was no witch or doll among the velvet and soft pillows on the gorgeous big bed.

"Miss Liliana? Miss Alice?"

Walk through the empty hall, walk up the spiral staircase, in the laboratory with many equipment whose names are unknown, the girl who always shows her beautiful body indifferently and always sits on the small round table drinking tea The puppet is also not there.

An unreasonable fear made the girl quicken her pace.

The gazebo where Liliana and Alice often hang out.

The upper level of the castle has a glasshouse with skylights.

Finally, the girl suddenly remembered an important place that she had neglected.

Because I have been there once or twice, I have no place to go again.

Occupying the largest area of ​​the castle, the Great Library.

"...It's really stupid..."

When she saw the platinum-blonde long hair spread like silk on the carpet through the gap of the large metal door that was not closed, the girl cocked her mouth in self-deprecating manner, and knocked herself on the head.

"ha……"

Next... how should I speak?

Worrying about this, the girl went into the library.

The petite witch was reading a book behind the door. She curled up on a big wine-red sofa, crossed her legs, and a thick, large book with a bronze cover floated in front of her.

As always, the girl didn't have any clothes on her body.

Having known this petite witch for more than a month, Tina saw her wearing clothes only a handful of times. She is like the goddess of beauty in the ancient myths of mankind, born from the foam under the clear sky, and all clothes can only make her pale.

"... Goo."

Even though I have seen it many, many times.

The fair and non-human skin still made the girl feel dazed for a while.

"...Well, Miss Liliana, good morning..."

"..."

The girl was silent.

But it was just that she was unwilling to answer with words while reading a book, and she actually heard the girl's greeting.

Tina knew this too.

So she went on to say:

"Miss Liliana, although it may seem cheeky to say that...can you please help me?"

The witch still didn't look up.

Only at this time did Tina realize that a doll who was inseparable from Liliana was also there.

So the sound that should have sounded at this time did not appear.

"I met four pairs of parents at the association this morning."

The girl had no choice but to continue talking.

"I realized it after I took the information."

The beginning of the matter should start from this morning.

Compared with the night, the adventurer's association in the morning is much more lively.

Tingna, who also came to the association early today, mentioned the information collected by the association from various channels from Mary as usual, and prepared to leave with a little heavy steps.

at this time.

"I saw them... four middle-aged people, probably four pairs of parents. With black circles on their heads and wrinkled clothes, they talked to adventurers in the association and asked them to help save their children."

--what happens?

Tingna, who stopped with such a little curiosity, watched as they went up to beg every adventurer they saw, bowed, held the hands of those adventurers, and even knelt down in tears at the end.

"I beg you, everyone is fine, please, for the sake of the true God, save our children."

They cried.

Eight middle-aged people, the gullies carved by the years were weeping on their faces, and the tears disappeared before they reached their chins, deeply wetting those old faces.

"However, no adventurer pays attention to them. Ms. Liliana should know that. For adventurers, the most difficult thing to accept is the commission of saving lives. The time for adventurers to send commissions is not fixed. Here People set out to save people, but the rescued people should come back by themselves. Or the adventurers who rescued people finally brought back corpses and relics, and the client said that you didn’t save people, so why should I pay you for a dispute... like this There are a lot of situations.”

Not to mention, these parents who know at a glance that their family background will not be rich.

That sad and helpless figure made Ting Na feel a little unbearable. It just so happened that at the counter, the girl saw the figure of Ai Lifu, one of the few people who could speak in the association. So, after she finished the delivery of a commission , Tina quietly asked her.

"Ah, those people?"

The yawning Elif was visibly impatient at the mention of those people.

It seems that they ran to the association last night when we were about to get off work.

Ai Lifu described them crying and howling, "Our children must be in danger, please find adventurers to save them!"

Those who were still on duty at that time were all stunned.

After asking, I found out that their son and daughter are both students of Yansha City Magic Academy. In terms of the current time, it was the day before yesterday that I told them that I would come to the association with my friends to pick up commissions for the credits of the academy's activities, and said that I came back at night, but I didn't come back all day.

Then, one of them had a talisman at home that could keep his son safe outside. The talisman suddenly shattered last night, so the bearded man thought something must have happened to his son, so he called the other three. Parents ran to the association.

"Their sons and daughters did take over a commission that morning and left. The four of them formed a team to hunt down the slimes that proliferated in the water source."

But the Adventurer's Association is not a help-seeking organization.

Therefore, the receptionists of the association could only issue commissions for them according to the procedure, but the four of them only took out 20 silver coins when they collected enough money.

Then there were very few adventurers at night, so the eight middle-aged people waited in the association overnight. No matter how much Ai Lifu and others persuaded them to go back, they said that it was their only (or oldest) child , No matter what, I have to go back to them.

As a result, the receptionists on the night shift had to stay with them all night.

——The women and the two men cried all night, and the two men smoked bad cigarettes all night, I really don't understand them, what problems can be solved by that, it just drags us down That's all.

Thinking of Ai Lifu's indifferent expression, Ting Na couldn't help but smiled wryly.

Yeah, what's the use of venting emotions?

"..."

Liliana still didn't take her eyes off the book, but the speed of turning the pages slowed down.

"I looked at it for a while, but, no one reached out to them."

"Of course, the adventurers are not a charity organization. Those students went to the north, the mangrove forest at the foot of the volcano. It is very dangerous for ordinary adventurers...at least not a place where a few people can go for 20 silver coins , I looked at them, and I really felt very pitiful, so—”

"...So, you thought of me."

A faint voice came from behind the book.

What she wanted to say was said first, the girl was momentarily at a loss for words, and nodded in embarrassment.

——For such a small amount of money, is your son only worth this price, or is my life only worth this amount?

After an adventurer indifferently pushed the hunched woman away, and the other adventurers bypassed them, the four middle-aged women finally couldn't hold on and collapsed. Weeping in front of the association's gate.

At that time, Elif shrugged her shoulders with half pity and half sarcasm.

However, I seem to see the shadows of my parents from them.

After being playful and lost in the city, I found myself with red and swollen eyes, hugging my crying parents.

"..."

The crying of my parents, I don't believe that there is no one who is touched, and I don't believe that the adventurers here don't even have a sympathetic person.

It's just that sympathy belongs to sympathy.

It is truly pathetic to sacrifice one's life for this.

The premise of helping others is not to kill oneself, such a simple thing even Ting Na knows.

so.

The awe-inspiring figure under the starlight flashed in the girl's mind.

"...Miss Tina, that's your sympathy."

This time, Liliana turned her head slightly to this side.

Although Miss Witch's tone has always been like this, but at such a time, the indifferent gaze that does not show disgust or approval also makes what should be a firm refusal become ambiguous.

At least, not a rejection without any wiggle room.

"However, for Miss Liliana, this shouldn't be such a difficult task. Four families can be saved with just a little effort. Although the reward is indeed a little less, I think the lives of the four young people and their families Gratitude from the heart should be far more precious than those rewards..."

Well, there is hope.

Although I don't know how slim the hope is, but if there is one, then I shouldn't give up.

"...Miss Tina, you said [should]. That means, you think [it should be so], but neither the life of a stranger nor the insignificant gratitude is worth costing me. Precious time to study magic."

After a pause, the witch repeated.

"...no matter which one."

"...Miss Liliana, do you have no sympathy at all? Even though you possess great power, you don't do anything. If you go, Miss Liliana, those adventurers might be saved. But--"

The girl bit her lip.

The light of hope was submerged in the light of the magic lamp shining from the witch's side, flickering thinly, as if it would be extinguished as soon as the petite girl turned another page.

"...There is no need to reason with me, tell me the responsibility of strength..."

"...and no need to show me affection and tell me what to do as a human being..."

This time, the witch finally looked away from the book.

The black pupils looked at the girl quietly, and her words were as smooth as ever, and when she closed her eyes, it was like a rigid echo from a poor-quality phonograph magic.

But Tina couldn't take her eyes away.

The dark pupils are like the deep and lofty night sky, surpassing everything Tina knows. The high dark night covers everything, just like this, everything should surrender and tremble, every breath that is not allowed is arrogance, every heartbeat that is not allowed is an ugly blasphemy.

In that deep water, Tina couldn't even find her own existence.

"...I have my own value balance and my own code of conduct, which cannot be shaken by your few words, Miss Tingna, even if [morality] is mentioned, [obligation] cannot be overwhelmed—because it is [human] Universal values, and me in front of you."

Reaching out and gently stroking her shoulder, the witch turned to the next page of the book.

— not humans.

With these short words, the witch proclaimed her peaceful return.

Ting Na stared blankly at the witch who started to flip through the book at a frequency of one page a minute. She wanted to speak, but her throat seemed to be blocked.

—Is this magic?

Is it magic to quiet yourself because you are too loud?

When did you kneel down on the ground? There wasn't even time to be amazed by it.

Tina realized right away that it wasn't magic that had silenced her, but just magic.

——The role of Liliana Einstein [Real].

That petite body has actually been bathed in more wind and rain than myself.

The world seen by round eyes that still has childishness is unimaginable to me who grew up in this city and never took a step.

The heart and will that have spent time longer than one's own life cannot be easily moved by one's own words.

"...Even so."

I have a deep understanding, so I am almost aphasia.

Even if it is barely squeezed out, even I can't hear clearly.

"...Even if it is, look at me..."

at this time.

"Ah, ah, Miss Tina, you really - you really don't have a way to figure out the client."

Ehhhhh, sighing like that.

On the top of the bookshelf at the side, words smelt of alcohol floated.

Tina was taken aback for a moment, then raised her head subconsciously, and then, on the top of the Ionic-style decorative pillar, she saw a head of black hair.

"...Miss Alice...?"

Even though she knew that there would be no one else in this castle except herself, Alice and Liliana, the girl still hesitated for a while before saying the name of the doll.

"Hoo hoo... Good morning, Miss Tina, do you recognize, do you recognize, hiccup, do you recognize Alice?"

"Uh-huh……"

There was a little hiccup in the little puppet's words, and she floated slowly down from the top of the pillar. Tina looked at her, and in no way could she relate to the way she had met the first time.

Recently, Alice's hair color has always been black, which has an oriental atmosphere. She also wore an oriental cheongsam before, but today's Alice has really changed a lot.

The milk-like whiteness on the skin is gone, replaced by a brown color that seems to be diluted with milk; the black hair is tied up in a high ponytail, and tied with a butterfly decorated with daze; the original round and lovely eyes are slightly raised, It has become a slightly pointed hanging tip, painted with lavender eye shadow; the short kimono is embroidered with lavender bellflowers, and the belt is tied into a beautiful knot at the lower abdomen. This skirt is very short and loose The kimono was on Alice's body, exposing the doll's shoulders and slender collarbone.

For some reason, when Alice was wearing this costume, Tingna took a step back unconsciously when she saw that slightly drunken expression.

"Well, Alice's appearance doesn't matter now. In short, Miss Tina, you overlooked one thing, and Lily did the same. Really, how can you talk if you don't even agree on each other's positions?"

The small lips were painted with bright red lipstick, and they gulped down the water in the vermilion porcelain bowl in their hands—no, is this scent wine? Dongguo baijiu?

Ting Na stared blankly at the little puppet floating crookedly in front of her with flushed face. Although Alice's dress-up is amazing every time, but.

This is the first time that it has become impossible to connect with the previous image at all.

"Are you distracted, Miss Tina, would you like some drink-?"

"Eh, no, no need..."

The girl shook her head desperately. Although she knew that Dongguo had very strong alcohol, could even dolls get drunk?

"What a pity—well, never mind."

Gulu Gulu, the puppet drank the wine in the red bowl boldly, wiped the corners of its mouth with its hand, and then pointed the bowl at Ting Na.

"First of all, Miss Tina, remember that Miss Tina is now in the position of the requester? Then Lily is the person who is asked, and then Miss Tina's position is [intimate person], which is private I came to negotiate with Lily as a liaison from the Adventurer’s Association, but—”

The large and shallow bowl pointed at Liliana, and at that moment, the vermilion bowl was filled with mellow wine from nowhere.

"……Yeah?"

"That's right—that's right~~~~ So Lily thought this commission was troublesome, and Miss Tingna kept persuading her from the standpoint of [a close person], so of course we can't go together! So I said—— "

The wine bowl was handed to the girl again, and the little puppet smiled slightly. The face was obviously still young, but this young and delicate face gave her smile an indescribable mature charm. Looking at the brown eyes with long eyelashes, Tina nodded unconsciously.

"Okay, so now, let Miss Tina change her position to the [client]—remember, it is not the parents who have never met who may have lost their children but Miss Tina [you] is entrusting Lily, and then , for Lily, the remuneration paid by Miss Tina is obviously not worth Lily putting down her books and going on a long trip."

That smile seemed to be saying "That's it", and Alice, who floated on Liliana's shoulder, sipped her wine after talking a lot.

Liliana put down the book again and looked at Tingna.

"I……"

The lights that had been extinguished between the pages of the book seemed to be rekindled.

But Tina stopped abruptly with just one word.

"I……"

That's right, I made a mistake, it wasn't those who entrusted Miss Liliana, entrusted Miss Liliana, and hoped that she would save those students, but myself, the "publisher" of this entrustment, was myself.

However, what kind of remuneration can I pay for this commission?

The girl was silent.

Although it is not certain whether they are really in danger, but the question is not there, how much am I willing to pay for the lives of those four people?

For strangers... No, I can't say yes, strangers...

Le Diarra.

Maud.

Muthra.

mark.

These four names, Tina remembered, of course she remembered.

"Those four students, when I was the receptionist of the Adventurer's Association, um, on the last day, they came to my counter to accept the commission, and also to hunt down the slimes that grow in the water source..."

They were received by Tina as the receptionist, the last of the adventurer party.

Because I wanted to take on the mission of hunting down slimes, which was actually very dangerous, I was rejected by myself, but because of the broadcast that called me to the office, I couldn't explain how dangerous the request was, so I hastily rejected it four years ago. teenagers and girls.

After they were transferred, they took over the same commission.

"...Miss Tingna thinks this is her responsibility?"

"……Yes……"

It was after knowing this that Tina made up her mind to come to Liliana and Alice.

"They seem to be freshmen in the advanced department of Salt Sand City College, and they may not have learned the monster ecology class... If I had explained to them how dangerous slimes are, maybe they would not have encountered them. This kind of thing..."

"...This is totally not your responsibility, Miss Tingna."

"I know, but even if I know..."

Grabbing the neckline, the girl smiled wryly at the witch whose expression had not changed from the beginning to the end.

"It is also the receptionist's responsibility to prevent adventurers from accepting requests that do not match their abilities. I was the one who failed to explain the danger. I should have explained to them carefully and told them how dangerous the request was. But I didn't It can be done, so even if I know that this is their own choice, and that the other receptionists are not doing their duty, I will still feel guilty..."

After Tina finished speaking, she fell silent.

She suddenly felt that she was really ridiculous.

Obviously it's for myself, for my own peace of mind.

But he persuaded Liliana in such a tone, putting himself on the moral high ground.

Even the reason why he distanced himself from the girl in front of him was only——

Knowing that Liliana and Alice had killed someone, he just couldn't get along with them at ease.

That's all.

That's all.

That's all... that's all.

"Miss Liliana, I..."

want to apologize.

But those three simple words couldn't be uttered.

Tina had no choice but to say:

"I don't know what kind of reward I have to pay to make Miss Liliana willing to help me. I also know that I don't want to pay for the lives of those four people."

——I just want to feel at ease so that I won't have nightmares.

"As long as it is what I can pay, no matter how much the reward is, please, Miss Liliana. Go save them, please save... me."

"...Even if that's your life?"

The petite witch who was sitting on the sofa put down her book, as if she was tired of such a conversation, touched her shoulder and stretched a little.

"Even if that's..."

The girl's body trembled slightly.

She raised her head, because she didn't know the meaning of Liliana's words, and she didn't know how to respond, so she just stared blankly at that luxurious and slender figure.

Obviously she was looking down on Liliana and Alice sitting on the sofa by virtue of her height, but why?

It seems that the two of them are high above.

"Miss Tingna, can't you just hand over the right to bid to other people? Let alone a witch... The price of entrusting something to a witch is a real life."

Although she said terrible things, Alice smiled teasingly.

Now, it is even more impossible to judge whether Liliana's words are serious, or just made a joke with a blank face.

At this moment, Ting Na seemed to understand the feelings of those people who made contracts with cunning demons in the novels.

But it's not a novel,

"...Even if that is, my life."

I have no choice.

If you don't want to really receive bad news, and then have nightmares at night, because the conscience of the person you meet by chance is disturbed.

"...I see, then, in exchange for Miss Tina's life in the next year, you will be by my side and accompany me through a corner of this long eternity before Kannazuki next year."

There was a moment of silence.

This time, the witch tapped the little head of the puppet on her shoulder, put a feather bookmark on the book in her hand, put it on the small table next to the sofa, and stood up.

A plain dress envelops that luxurious body.

"...And I will take over this commission, then, let's go, Miss Tingna, please hug me."

"……Eh?"

"Lily, it's obviously safer for you to hug Miss Tina at this time."

"...That's right, then..."

Because of the girl's movement of pulling her hair, the girl suddenly lost her mind, as if she had heard a conversation that could not be ignored.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, why suddenly—"

Miss Witch's body fragrance that matched the scroll ink suddenly brushed over the tip of her nose, and the girl took two steps back in embarrassment.

"Miss Ting-Na is the one. Saving people is a very urgent matter. Of course, the sooner the better, the foot of the volcano in the north of the city, if you want to go."

On the right shoulder of Liliana, who tilted her head in confusion, Alice spoke words that made Tina's thinking stop as a matter of course.

"—Of course, fly, pass, go, most, fast. Isn't it?"