Chapter 50: 10

Volume 1: Chapter 010: Makia Laughs at the Pitiful Shadow that the Crimson Witch has Become

I’m Makia and I’ve just turned 11.

I’m on a spring picnic right now.

 

[2] The Southern Continent always did have a warm and stable climate. Therefore so, spring here is very mild and gentle. The blooming almond flowers are just beautiful.

 

“So then, father told me that if you do something bad, the Crimson Witch will come and eat your brains!”

“Wow~ That’s so scary~”

“….”

Lately, Smirda-chan has gotten into the habit of pretending to know all kinds of things. [3] My favourite is her elaborate horror stories relating to the Crimson Witch. I bet she never imagine that the real Crimson Witch is sitting right in front of her.

My reaction to her story was a single ‘Hmm…’ as I ate the Ham & Egg Sandwich in front of me. Compared to competing over who has the bigger brain, I’d rather have these Ham & Egg Sandwiches!

While the girls chatted together under the almond tree. I can see Tooru standing by himself at a distance. He is sniggering to himself right now. [3] Ah, well, I guess it’s a little funny to realise that our once great existence has now been reduced to these warning stories designed to scare misbehaving little kids.

“And then, I heard that the Crimson witch is really scary looking. I heard that she’s an old woman with pure red hair, red eyes and a red nose with a mouth like a slash open wound. She hates pretty girls because she’s too ugly and likes to turn them into frogs. When I heard about this, I got so worried that I couldn’t sleep at night…”

“… Oooh~~~”

Smirda-chan brushed back her ringlets and sighed with a tragic, faraway look in her eyes. As though she is some kind of troubled heroine in a story. The girls, aside from me, took the cue to butter her up by saying, “That’s right~~ Smirda-chan is too cute.”

Well, the truth is close, yet not so close. [3] She is right about the pure red hair and I did turn beauties into frogs. The rest are all made-up crap… but I guess that’s what happens when facts devolve into legends and folklore.

In the first place, I wasn’t ugly, moreover, I kept my 17-years-old appearance [1] throughout my reign so what’s with that detail about me being an old woman?

Also, what’s that thing about a mouth like a torn open wound? Am I a mountain witch?

“Ladies, may I?”

Tooru, who had been watching everything from afar interrupted the girls.

Immediately, sparkles appear in these girls’ eyes. They blush and look away like pure maidens. [3] Tooru is only 14-years-old now but he’s already very popular with the girls. As expected of the former Demon King with a big harem in his previous life.

“I hear a lot of stories about the Crimson Witch. But why haven’t you said about the Black Demon King? Do you know anything about him, Smirda-sama?”

“Ahh- uhm… err….”

Smirda-chan, when directly spoken to by Tooru, suddenly stutters. Something the rest of us rarely get to see. She peeks at him and pats a roll of ringlets.

“T-The Black Demon King, I heard that he’s a beautiful young man with dark hair and eyes. That he’s a vampire who sucks the blood out of beautiful ladies. That’s why he kidnapped so many princesses from their castles. However, in the end, he died under the hands of the legendary hero who stormed into the castle, and that he died while protecting his beloved princesses…”

“… …”

I see, that’s quite different from what really happened.

Tooru and I exchange a look. It was clear from my expression that I did not like this [1] version of the Black Demon King, while Tooru has this annoyingly triumphant look on his face.

Personally, I think there should be a limit to how much people should stretch the truth.

When these girls sigh with their glittering eyes over this ‘wonderful Black Demon King’. I seriously want to expose the truth.

Hey you girls, want to know a secret? The Black Demon King of the North did not die protecting his loved ones, he was tricked by the hero and killed. It was a really embarrassing story too, a black story!!

“Well, legends only got that far I guess…” [3] muttered Tooru as he stood up.

He is slender and tall, and although he is only 14 years old, he has quite a mature air about him. I bet the girls just can’t help but fall for his charms.

“Humph, just go away, you walking piece of black history,” I chase Tooru off, even as the girls sigh regretfully as he walks away.

“Makia-chan is so lucky. To have a cool knight like Tooru around her,”

“No, he’s not a knight, he’s just an attendant…”

“But one day, he’ll become a knight of the Odelle family, right? How wonderful to have a knight with black hair and eyes. That’s so rare in the South…Will Makia be under Tooru-san’s protection forever? Ahhh~~ That’s so romantic~~”

The tall and slender Linda-chan is currently squishing her own cheeks and squealing to herself. I stare at her dispassionately as I reach for a jam sandwich wondering just what is so wonderful about the situation-

Oh, it’s apricot jam~!

-what was I thinking of again? Oh right, black hair and eyes. Well, to be honest, that kind of colouring was pretty common back in my other previous life…

“I have a knight, too!” [3] Smirda-chan suddenly shouts.

[1] It is kind of easy to understand Smirda-chan. She just doesn’t like it when other girls get compliments. Especially me, since she has a strange kind of rivalry going on with me.

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“That’s a lie~ Smirda-chan, I haven’t ever seen your knight~”

Millia-chan, who can’t read the atmosphere at all, says so in a very honest way while clutching at a bag of cookies.

Smirda-chan then glares at her. She is a very competitive child. [1] It’s almost cute to see her act all haughty like that.

“Makia-chan… Would you give me Tooru-san?”

“… What?”

I am so taken aback that I accidentally dropped the apricot jam sandwich.

“Uhm… Wait Smirda-chan, don’t you have your own knight? Why do you want Tooru?”

“I do have one, but I still want him!! What is it, Makia-chan? You’ve been very cheeky lately!! Are you looking down on us because you have Tooru with you?”

“Then, you should go and ask him yourself, Smirda-chan. Tell him that instead of wasting his time with a countryside family, he should serve you and your family in the big city. He might just go with you,”

“… very well, I shall tell him right away.”

Smirda-chan looks very confident.

Well, she should, since her family ranks higher than mine in terms of status. If Tooru follows her, they could give him more rewards than us.

Not to mention, since Smirda-chan seems to have taken quite an interest in Tooru, she could convey all sorts of personal favours to him.

“… …”

[1] I flash a smirk at Tooru who is still lurking under a tree a short distance away. He gives me a bitter smile back, I’m sure he has heard everything we girls said about him.

 

Smirda-chan did not notice our exchange and stepped forward confidently toward Tooru.

We all watch with interest as the two exchange words. Smirda-chan’s suddenly drooping shoulders are very obvious even from a distance.

“How was it?” I asked a little meanly when she finally returns.

Smirda-chan points  her finger at me with a bitter expression and says the following:

“You’re horrible, Makia-chan!! You just want Tooru-san for yourself. You think you’ve won the battle against me, don’t you?! Some day the Crimson Witch will come for you and eat your brain!!”

You, who have been bragging about all those stories just to show off, decide to throw that in my face this late in the game?

That’s too hilarious.

Indeed.

It was so hilarious that I did what I wasn’t supposed to. I roll around the picnic ground, clutching my stomach and laughing my head off.

“C-Crimson Witch…. Crimson Witch you say… Ahahahahah!!!”

Smirda-chan, it’s not like I want to make a fool out of you.

You’re right, the Crimson Witch does exist. However, it’s too strange to be threatened with your past-self, you know?

Even though the Crimson Witch of the West once burned down the continent, she has now been reduced to a boogeyman who is mainly used to scare children.

I laughed so much that Smirda-chan began to blush and look even more bitter.

I bet she had never experienced such an embarrassing situation in her life.

 

[Gumihou: Ah… Smirda-chan, it’s best not to provoke this kind of people…]

 

[1] Filling in the ‘Unspoken’. Often, when it comes to Japanese novels, the translation might be a bit lacking since the author deliberately choose to use less words and let the reader fill in the blanks through a preset cultural understanding.

 

If the missing info looks too sparse, Gumi will fill in some of the blanks. This is not to imply that the writer’s craft is lacking, but we do have a cultural gap. Gumi will try to fill in these gaps unobtrusively.

[2] Adjust paragraphs, for aesthetic purpose

 

[3] Connect short paragraphs to make one reasonable paragraphs

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