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Chapter 16.5 – Daon

The Flower Witch began living in the watermill near the village. As she’d warned—without identifying the root cause, the illness might return—villagers once again began reporting nausea the following morning.

Daon immediately headed to the watermill to seek her help. But when it came into view, the area had changed dramatically from the day before: flowers bloomed everywhere, fruits and vegetables were growing, and the whole scene was vivid and full of life.

Even the building itself was starting to be overtaken by plants. …In just a single day, it had completely become the Witch’s home.

「Witch-sama, are you there…?!」

He knocked on the door but received no reply. Even when he opened it, she was nowhere to be seen—apparently out at the moment. The disease progressed quickly, but it wasn’t fatal within a single day. He decided to wait for her return.

Still, if the medicine only treated symptoms and villagers got sick again the next day, they’d need her help daily. Would this become the new normal?

(If that happens… the village will end up completely dependent on the Witch. Could that have been her plan all along…?)

If asking for the Witch’s medicine was the only way to survive, then of course the village would treat her with care. She always smiled gently and claimed she couldn’t speak, but wasn’t that just how people interpreted her silence?

If the cause wasn’t found, they’d be trapped in a cycle. It was even possible that the disease itself had been caused by her—

「Daon-san!」

「…Ah, it’s you. Where’s Witch-sama? I need to speak with—」

「She’s behind the house right now. And she already found the cause of the illness!」

「What?」

According to the beastkin boy traveling with the Witch, Noel, the illness stemmed from toxins flowing in from upstream. The Witch had realized this and had planted a flower that purified the water.

Soon, Witch-sama appeared too. She walked slowly, wrapped in a gentle floral scent, wearing her usual serene smile. In one hand, she held a basket woven from grass—just that, yet the image was strikingly beautiful.

「I truly don’t know what we’d do without Witch-sama… Ah, Witch-sama. I heard the details from this child. But several people have already fallen ill again, so I came to consult—though I suppose I don’t even need to say it anymore…」

He had intended to ask if she could make more medicine for the villagers. But before he could, Witch-sama quietly held out the basket she carried—inside, just like yesterday, were fruits filled with full recovery medicine.

Even now, she looked like something crafted, far too beautiful to be real. And no doubt, her heart was just as pure and kind. She’d already predicted the illness would persist and prepared medicine in advance, and even addressed the root cause by purifying the river.

(I can’t believe I ever doubted her. …I’m truly sorry, Witch-sama.)

Maybe it was her inhuman beauty, or the impression she gave when they first met, but even while wanting to believe in her, a part of him had remained suspicious.

Why had she lived for five hundred years in a mountain choked with miasma? He’d come up with possible reasons, but alone at home, he couldn’t help but wonder: could someone that selfless truly exist in this world?

(But now… with Witch-sama, I feel like such a person really might exist.)

He’d tried to subtly suggest offers or requests, multiple times. But the only thing she ever asked for was to be allowed to live in the village. Even that had been part of her efforts to help. …She was completely free of greed.

Just as he was about to bring the medicine to the villagers, a wave of dizziness hit him and his body swayed. He’d felt a faint nausea too—apparently, the illness had returned to him as well.

When you’re feeling unwell, it’s easy for your thoughts to take a darker turn. Still, that’s no excuse. It had been Daon’s own distrustful nature that kept him from fully believing in her.

As he stumbled, Witch-sama touched his shoulder, and he turned around. She held out another fruit—not from the basket, but a separate one filled with recovery medicine.

(She noticed I was sick too. But… the villagers should come first…)

As the village chief, his duty was to prioritize the others. As long as he could still move, he should be last. But then, Witch-sama gently scored the tip of the fruit, letting the medicine drip. If he didn’t drink it now, it would go to waste. That made it clear—this one was for him.

Witch-sama had likely seen right through him—his sense of responsibility, his hesitation. And yet, without words, she seemed to say: 「Don’t overdo it. Take care of yourself too.」

(…Honestly… What a kind witch she is.)

He would never doubt the goodness in her heart again. No matter who else might cast suspicion on her, Daon would be the one to stand up and deny it.

He downed the medicine in one gulp, thanked Witch-sama, and rushed back to the village. He’d distribute the doses she’d given him to the sick. If it wasn’t enough, he’d come back to ask her for more.

「Ah, Daon-san! I’ve been waiting. …I ran off ahead, but I didn’t take any medicine with me…」

Noel stood there, ears and tail drooping apologetically. Truly, he was a good kid. Raised by someone like Witch-sama, there was no chance he’d grow up twisted. He’d stay kind and good-hearted.

「All right, help me out then. First, let’s go to the houses with patients—」

He gave instructions to Noel, who helped deliver the medicine. Later, when they returned to Witch-sama for more, she was by the village well.

As they watched, greenery quickly spread from where she touched the well. When Daon saw the small white blossoms, he realized what it was.

(purification blossoms, huh. So that’s what purified the river. And the well too, just in case it was contaminated… Truly, just how far ahead does she think?)

It was an exceedingly rare plant that typically doesn’t grow in human settlements. Even if brought back, it decomposes waste and creates fertilizer—but never grows beyond that. The reason: it requires an immense amount of magic to thrive. Only demons and similar beings have that kind of power.

Yet here she was, growing it instantly at the well, and next, in the manure pit. Even for a demon, blooming this many flowers would use a tremendous amount of magic and cause serious fatigue. But Witch-sama just smiled gently, showing no sign of strain.

(Is she trying not to worry the villagers…? Maybe her mastery of plant magic lets her manage it efficiently—but still, the amount must be exhausting.)

And yet, she went on to bloom purification blossoms in multiple spots throughout the village. Villagers using the well while still carrying traces of illness could contaminate it. Vomit had also been dumped in the manure pit—another potential source of disease. Witch-sama intended to completely eliminate the sickness from this village.

(Beautiful in both form and spirit… Truly, the Flower Witch.)

Seeing her, Daon felt an urge to offer a prayer of thanks to the gods—for the great fortune of having such a witch come to their village.