I Became a Forest Witch Who Raises Dragons

Do You Want to Come to Our House?

‘Quite a lot…’
After freeing all the people trapped in the iron bars, about twenty people gathered in front of me.
By the way, Louis is lying unconscious in the corner. I hit him one more time because I got angry again after seeing the elf’s condition earlier.
…Since I had set the pain-increasing magic to maximum, he fainted unable to bear the pain.

At that level, even a flick would feel like being shot, but it was still too light a punishment compared to what that guy had done.
‘One.. two…’
The number of children in front of me matched the number of missing children the village chief had mentioned.
Fortunately, it seems they haven’t been sold yet, as Louis said.

But the condition of some children doesn’t look good. They look emaciated at best, and there’s even a young child whose eyes can’t focus properly.
“Wh-where are we going?”
The child who looked like the oldest among them cautiously asked me.
“…We’re going back to Heren Village, so don’t worry.”

“Really?!”
“Yes. The village chief of Heren Village asked me to bring you back.”
Murmur murmur. Hope began to swirl in the eyes of the others who heard this.
“C-can we go back too?!”
“Please… send us back home….”

People started approaching me one by one.
When I informed them that they were free, hope began to shine in their eyes that had been filled with resignation and despair.
“Is… is it true? Th-thank you!!!!!”
“Thank you!!!! How can we ever repay this kindness…!”

While everyone was cheering with joy at being freed, a woman came to me and asked in a trembling voice.
“Um…. What happened to the people who were already taken away by those guys? My… friend was taken away recently…”
The woman in front of me seemed to have been kidnapped along with her friend and brought here.
She was crying, probably worried about her friend.

‘What should I do…’
At first, I only came to find the children, but the situation has become bigger than expected.
It seems some people have already been sold, and according to Louis, there are people like Cain infiltrating other villages.
In other words, the number of victims could increase.

And it’s just my guess, but I have a feeling there might be someone behind all this.
Louis’s group seemed too incompetent for such a large operation.
Rescuing the kidnapped victims and investigating the mastermind are beyond what I can do.

‘There is someone suitable for this kind of thing…’
Among the few people I know, there is someone perfect for this kind of situation.
That’s because she’s the captain of the Green Guard, responsible for the empire’s public safety.
…She was also my companion when I was in the hero’s party.

‘The problem is it’s a bit awkward to call her.’
It’s not that I’ve done anything wrong to her, but I feel a bit shameless contacting her now after disappearing into the mountains without a word after defeating the Demon King.
After deliberating for a long time whether to contact her or not, I finally decided to do so.
I can’t keep quiet about what happened today anyway. It will eventually reach Marian’s ears.

‘I wonder if it’s still connected…’
Party members had communication connected to each other for easy contact.
…Because I had gotten lost before.
I had blocked all communication directed at me as soon as I left the party members… but it should still be connected.

“Phew…”
After taking a deep breath, I started communicating with Marian.
[Mari. Can you hear me..?]
Silence followed. There was no answer.
Well, she wouldn’t answer my call after I didn’t contact her for over half a year. It might not have reached at all. It’s been over half a year since I last used this channel.

Just as I was wondering if I should look for another way…
[Could it be Ariel? Ariel?!]

…Marian’s voice, sounding very excited, came through.
[Do you have any idea how much we’ve been looking for you?! What have you been doing to only contact now… No, never mind that. Where are you now. I’m coming right away.]

Marian spitting out words like a machine gun before I could even answer.
‘Was she always this talkative?’
In my memory, Marian had an image of being righteous and at the same time taciturn.

For her to pour out words like this, she must be very angry… What should I do?
‘What else. It’s my karma.’
For now, I told Marian my current location.
…Then the communication cut off with her saying to wait there.

Now I’ll have to wait until Marian arrives.
‘Saya must be waiting…’
I told her I’d be back soon, but I’ve dragged it out this long, so Saya might be very angry.
I should buy some meat skewers on the way back. I shouldn’t forget this time.

‘By the way…’
It’s not new, but this is really a terrible space.
An unknown stench is vibrating, and of course, being a closed space without windows, the stench feels even worse.

These trash wouldn’t care about the hygiene of the people locked inside.
Moreover, the light from the single magic lamp on the ceiling is far too small to illuminate this place, creating an overall dark atmosphere.
It’s an environment that can’t be good for mental health.
Even though I haven’t been here long, I feel like I want to leave this place right now.
…To think they kept people in a place like this.

‘Should I just kill him…?’
I felt the urge to kill Louis, but the fact that he’s essential for uncovering the truth of this incident suppressed my impulse.
‘I have to endure…’
While waiting endlessly for Marian like that, one person─no, an elf caught my eye.

Amidst everyone cheering with joy at being freed or crying thinking of their sold friends, there was an elf sitting alone with an expressionless face.
Her eyes were still empty and held a sticky darkness.
She had a body only slightly taller than Saya, and seemed to weigh even less than Saya. She probably looked about the same age…

…Feeling sympathy for her appearance, I found myself unconsciously speaking to her.
“Hey…”
She slowly turned her head towards me, seemingly having heard my voice.

‘I spoke to her, but… what should I say?’
Maybe I should at least ask her name.

“What’s your name?”
“….”
The elf in front of me is just staring at me blankly instead of answering.

‘Ah. Maybe she doesn’t know the imperial language?’
But she spoke it when I first saw her. Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk.
Just as I was about to turn away from her and wait for Marian quietly…

“Name… don’t… remember..”
…She answered in a voice that sounded like scraping metal, completely hoarse.
How much suffering must she have endured to scream until her voice became like that?
“…I see.”

Cut ears, a completely hoarse voice, and a body reduced to just bones.
I couldn’t even imagine what kind of pain she had gone through.
How much did I wish for someone to save me while I was trapped in the magic tower?
The terrible pain and despair I experienced every day gradually chipped away at my mind, driving me to a point where I could no longer endure.
…Until I finally decided to escape and burn everything down.

At that time, I hated the goddess so much. Thinking why she had pushed me into such pain.
Well, that’s all in the past now. Anger tends to erode with time.
Now, I even feel grateful to the goddess who gave me a new life in a corner of my heart.
Of course, that person who betrayed me is an exception.

“Um… Can I… not be sold…?”

She asks me, seemingly still unable to believe her situation.
I spoke softly to reassure her.
“…You don’t have to worry anymore. You can go back to where you were now.”

But she didn’t seem as happy as I expected, and the reason could be understood from her next words.
“I… have nowhere… to go..”
‘…Does she mean she can’t go back to her hometown..? Or that she has no family? Maybe both.’
I’m not sure what circumstances she has, but she states this fact calmly.

“Then. Do you want to come to our house?”
But to me, she looked so fragile as if she might collapse at any moment─so I offered her to come to our house.
‘I wanted Saya to have a friend her age anyway…’

I also needed someone who could take care of Saya when I have to leave the house in the future.
Apart from safety, I don’t want Saya to be lonely.
But the most important thing is the girl’s will.
Taking her without her wanting to is no different from kidnapping.

“….”
The elf girl who heard my offer looked dazed.
It’s understandable to be surprised when a stranger suddenly asks you to come to their house.
But who am I?
I’m the one who made Saya, who sneaked into our house, a member of our family.

“If you come to our house, I’ll cook delicious meals for you every day. I’m actually pretty good at cooking, you know?”
Having grown up without parents in my previous life, my cooking skills naturally improved to take care of my little sister’s meals, so I was quite confident in my cooking.
‘…Is it a bit much to lure her with food?’

Since she looked about the same age as Saya, I unconsciously tried to lure her with food. Hmm… What other appealing offers could I make?

“Plus, our house has clean air, and there’s cute Saya too!”
“Sa…ya?”
“Oh, Saya is the name of the girl living in our house… She’s about your age. I’m sure you’ll like her if you live together?”
There’s no way anyone could dislike Saya. How could anyone dislike such a cute child?

After making several more appealing offers…
“Yes.. Please let me… go to Ariel’s house..”
…I finally succeeded in persuading the elf girl.
The thought that I might look like a kidnapper luring a child must be my imagination.

‘Marian must have arrived.’
I heard hurried footsteps coming from the underground stairs leading to the prison.
Judging by the sound, it seems to be about three people.

“Ariel!!!!!”
As their presence reached here, I heard a voice calling my name.
A tall figure, a head taller than my not-so-small body for a woman, with a trained body with just the right amount of muscle.
Light green hair grown a bit below the waist, and white skin that hasn’t tanned much due to usually wearing armor.

Sharp eyes with sky-blue irises that shine as if containing the blue sky.
The captain of the Green Guard in charge of the empire’s public safety, Marian, appeared.
‘She’s not wearing a helmet today…?’
Conscious of her sharp eyes, she usually had a habit of wearing a helmet that covered her face.

But the Marian in front of me now is not in armor and helmet, but in civilian clothes.
…Does that mean she came in such a hurry?

Marian’s gaze, slowly scanning the surrounding people, stopped on me.
“…So you were here. Ariel.”
She approached me with large strides.
Marian, who came right in front of me, slowly opened her mouth.

“Found you. Ariel.”
“Eh..?”
‘Wait, I’m using disguise magic right now?’
Marian is a complete physical type as you can guess from her appearance. There’s no way she could see through my disguise magic…
“…Are you wondering how I could recognize you even though your appearance is different?”

Marian spoke to me, seemingly having read my thoughts from my expression.
Uh… Wait. Isn’t she too close…?
Marian kept getting closer to me, and then hugged me.
…As if she would never let go again.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you. Why did you disappear without a word, you idiot.”