Chapter 8: the little girl and the evil doctor
——Or just go home.
"I'm so hungry...I can't afford to eat..."
After leaving the Kingdom of Pilsen, the witch lady quickly fell into a depression. Because she had been living in seclusion in the Misty Mountains, isolated from the world, Angelica had no need to make money.
In the end, it was because I left in such a hurry that I forgot to ask the bearded king for his reward...
"Anyway, the destruction of the world has nothing to do with me. I really miss the warm kotatsu at home..."
Angelica kept muttering like a nagging woman. Gradually, a town could be seen ahead of the avenue. The witch regained her spirits, hoping to find a place to make money in the town.
Plop——
"Huh?"
There was a dull sound coming from the woods nearby, as if something had fallen heavily.
Adhering to the fine tradition of never leaving empty-handed and stripping the robbers of all their valuables every time she took the risk of knocking them out, Angelica pushed aside the bushes, just in case she could pick up something cheap.
Behind the bushes was a flat area in the forest. Someone had dug a huge pit in the middle. The outer edge of the pit was painted with strange patterns in animal blood, woven into the pattern of a magic circle. Angelica jumped around the bloodstains like hopscotch and glimpsed into the pit.
The witch lady and the disheveled girl in the pit looked at each other.
I didn't faint. It's a pity that I can't loot the loot with tears in my eyes.
Angelica was about to say goodbye and leave, but the girl in the pit immediately screamed.
"Please, please wait a moment! Can you rescue me?"
After thinking for a while, Angelica used magic to rescue the girl from the pit. The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old. Although she was a little disheveled because of falling into the pit, it was still obvious that she had no shortage of suitors.
"Thank you. Then...as expected, you are..."
"I am not the demon you summoned."
Angelica decisively rejected the girl's guess. The patterns of magic circles are unique, and even a slight change will lead to completely different results. It is very difficult to identify the effects of every magic circle in the world, but Angelica can do it with her experience.
"How is that possible? You know I'm summoning a demon..."
"I just happened to recognize your magic circle. It was poorly drawn, so I can only give it 30 points at most. I am a witch, the "black" witch Angelica. Also, although it has nothing to do with me, the demon you want to summon, Agalia Rept, is essentially an extremely dangerous guy. I don't know what you are going to do, but I suggest you don't try it again."
"…No, I have to summon the devil."
"But you failed. I guess you fell in because you wanted to confirm whether the summoning was successful, right?"
According to the correct process of the ritual, the pit will change into a passage connecting to hell, and the devil will come out of the passage to the world, but the magic circle drawn by the girl is extremely crude and does not meet the requirements at all.
"I need the power of the devil. To avenge me."
The girl's green eyes burned with an unwavering flame of hatred.
"You said you are a witch? I heard that witches also possess powerful magical powers. Since you can't summon demons, asking a witch for help will have the same result, right?"
"Who knows? I have no reason to help you..."
"I'm willing to pay any price! Even if it means losing everything I own!"
"I wish us a pleasant cooperation."
The witch lady seemed to have triggered a keyword system and immediately put on an earnest smile. She didn't care about the mud on the girl's palm at all and shook hands with the girl to show her friendship.
After a brief understanding, Angelica learned that the girl's name was Flora, and she was a resident of the town of Gra ahead. When Flora was very young, her father abandoned his family and disappeared, leaving Flora and her mother to depend on each other.
Flora, who grew up in a single-parent family, has great respect for her mother who raised her alone. However——
"My mother was murdered, and I want to avenge her. As you can see, I don't know any magic, so I can only turn to the secret book of summoning demons bought from the merchant. To be honest, I have some doubts that I have been cheated..."
The two of them traveled together to the town of Gera, and Flora frankly told Angelica her purpose. Angelica wanted to tell Flora that the method was correct and that the failure to summon was purely a technical problem, but she thought it was unnecessary.
Gera is a simple and ordinary town with good public security and pleasant scenery. Although it lacks unique food and other memorable features, the residents of the town have no complaints. In a sense, Gera should be considered a good place for retirement. On the one hand, the air here is fresh, and the second reason is...
"Good afternoon. Are you going to Dr. Rothschild's to recuperate today?"
"Yes, my appointment is for this afternoon. Thanks to Dr. Rothschild, my joints are finally no longer painful on rainy days..."
There were two women chatting on the side of the road, but when they saw Flora, they quickly stopped talking and tactfully stepped aside.
Flora's face was gloomy, as if just hearing that name was enough to arouse Flora's anger.
The second reason why nearby residents like to move to Gera for retirement is that there lives a doctor named Rothschild in Gera who is very famous in the area. It is said that his medical skills are good enough to be hired as a private doctor by nobles. However, Dr. Rothschild is not greedy for money and has declined many invitations from nobles. The clinic he opened in Gera charges quite low fees, which most ordinary families can afford.
"…It's a lie. We have all been deceived by that devil in human form."
Flora commented after returning home, but Angelica's expression was not very good.
"Look, Flora. Isn't there too little furniture in your house?"
It's not to the point of being penniless... but it's almost as poor as being destitute. The house itself may have some value, but there is almost nothing in the house. There are only some minimum living furniture, such as a bed and a table. It seems that there is not even a chair.
"It's all that bastard Rothschild's fault... Ugh... cough, cough, cough, cough——!"
Flora gritted her teeth, her face suddenly changed, she covered her mouth and began to cough violently, and it took a long time for her to calm down.
"I will not break my promise. As long as you can avenge me, I will..."
"Will you sell your house to pay me?"
"I'll sell my soul to you."
"What use do I have for your soul?"
"But this is the only reward I have."
Flora spread out her palms helplessly, as if she was determined to make a deal with Miss Witch not based on what the witch wanted, but on what she had.
Angelica simply sat down on the table.
"You actually want to continue to live intact, right?"
"What?"
"It's easy to get a dagger, an axe, or similar weapons. I heard a lot of people talking about Dr. Rothschild on the way. He should be a celebrity here. He seems to be of a certain age, but he's not married. Judging from his reputation, Dr. Rothschild probably doesn't have a bodyguard."
"Gera Town is a safe city, and having a sheriff is enough."
"So your real purpose is not only to kill Dr. Rothschild, but also to allow you to escape unscathed and continue to live. Miss Flora, I must say that your demands are very greedy, aren't they?"
Flora was silent for a while. It seemed that Angelica was mocking her. How could she take advantage of everything? But after thinking deeply, Flora agreed with Angelica's statement.
"I have to admit that I was angry, because I hope to restore the old days. A long time ago, my father abandoned my mother and me and ran away from home. Everyone in Gla Town is very kind. With their help, we got through the most difficult years, but everything was ruined by that man."
Flora decided to reveal the whole story. Since she wanted Angelica's help in revenge, she couldn't hide anything.
"A few years ago my mother got a strange disease... She kept coughing and was getting weaker and weaker. We went to see that guy and the medicine he gave her was very expensive, and we couldn't afford it at all."
"You need medicine to see a doctor. Different medicines have different prices. That's normal."
"Huh...we thought so at first."
Flora said angrily.
"Five years! Five years! Mother's condition didn't get better at all. That guy kept prescribing us ineffective and expensive medicines, trying desperately to squeeze our value dry! All the furniture in our house was sold off over the years to pay for Mother's medical treatment... But in the end, that devil thought we couldn't afford any more money, so he chose to poison Mother to death."
"ha?"
Angelica was slightly stunned. So Dr. Rothschild is actually a murderer?
"Why don't you go find the governor? Isn't the security in Gra Town pretty good?"
"They investigated! But the sheriff was bribed by that guy and spread rumors that I was slandering them. If I could solve it through normal means, I would not summon the devil."
"So that's how it is."
Angelica thought about it, she had seen many similar things.
"It is really a helpless situation that a good person with a good reputation in the town is actually a devil behind the scenes."
"I once thought about dying with him. After all, I have no relatives except my missing father. But why should I pay with my life for that hypocritical bastard? I don't plan to give up this house. It contains all the memories of me and my mother. My mother raised me alone and she definitely didn't want me to end my life in this way."
Flora finished speaking in one breath, and she felt much better.
But then, Flora started coughing violently again. It was probably because she was too excited, and she didn't calm down for a long time.
"Lung breath."
"Um?"
"The same disease your mother has."
"Do witches also know medicine? Wait, I remember there is indeed a witch who is the god of medicine..."
"Don't think too much, I just have more experience."
The specific symptoms are similar to asthma in the world Angelica once lived in. Both are respiratory diseases and can be fatal.
"I want to remind you that, judging from your performance, you may also have pulmonary asthenia, which is a disease that is likely to be inherited."
"...Then I have to find a way to kill that guy. He is probably coveting our family's last asset: this house."
Flora came to the window and closely observed the movements outside until she did not see any sneaky figures, then she continued to tell the truth to Angelica.
"I have no relatives. If I die, the consul has the right to reclaim the uninhabited house. My mother seemed to have made a will before she died."
"seem?"
"I'm not 100% sure, but before my mother passed away, she did write something without telling me. Afterwards, I searched every corner of the house, but couldn't find it. Then I found that guy often appeared around my house... I think he must have stolen my mother's will. My mother would leave the house to me. He must have wanted to instigate my mother to transfer the house to his name, but he failed in the end. He hasn't given up yet. He definitely wants to wait until I die and then buy it from the Archon at a low price."
Angelica wanted to say that Flora's conjectures were a bit too much, but considering Flora's hostility towards Dr. Rothschild, she thought about it and decided not to say anything.
"That guy's existence means there won't be any other doctors in Gra Town. He's very famous, and it's completely enough for him to take care of all the residents in Gra Town. Other doctors will just be asking for trouble. If I want to cure the disease, I have to get rid of him first."
"Okay. I'll go get ready. Do you mind if I go visit your enemy?"
"I don't care. But remember, don't be fooled by his appearance."
"I will keep it in mind."
Angelica muttered to herself, "I have much more experience than you, a little girl," and then left Flora's house alone.
Dr. Rothschild was a celebrity in the town of Gera. Even children of a few years old knew where he lived. For this reason, many people from neighboring towns would make a special trip to Gera to see Dr. Rothschild. Therefore, the residents of Gera were not surprised by strangers inquiring about Dr. Rothschild's clinic.
Dr. Rothschild's residence was some distance away from Flora's home. When Angelica walked to the clinic, she happened to see a bloated middle-aged woman standing in front of the door saying goodbye.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Rothschild. Please eat the fruit I left for you quickly. It won't taste good if you wait too long."
After the middle-aged woman left, Angelica knocked on the door of the clinic, and a magnetic voice came from inside.
Angelica took off the wizard hat that might get stuck and prevent her from entering, and entered the clinic. In the huge room, there was only a man in his fifties wearing a white coat. He was the only doctor in the town of Gra: Rothschild.
Seeing that it was a stranger, Rothschild flipped through the manual on the desk.
"At this time... there are no other appointments. Hello, are you from the neighboring town to see a doctor?"
"My name is Angelica, and let me get straight to the point. I'm here for the girl named Flora."
"Flora..."
Hearing the name, Dr. Rothschild opened his mouth and let out a long sigh.
"Please take a seat."