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Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I’d thought about increasing the number of mandragora, but the issue was the scream that came when pulling them up. If I could create them without the scream, great, but I doubted it would be that easy. If anyone was nearby when I did it, they could die. I spent several days worrying about how to proceed.

With the diversification skill, I can grow only leaves, flowers, or fruit from a plant. I can also accelerate growth or wither them at will. I’ve even made fruit containing medicine. But when it comes to altering a creature’s body, basically leveling up and evolving by spending evolution points, I wasn’t confident I could pull that off mid-creation.

(I’ve been turning the yard into a playground, so kids come to visit all the time. And now the knights are always watching, too… How am I supposed to grow mandragora under these conditions?)

With Leonhart, Ritter, and their group of ten knights now stationed in the village, things were tight. They’d been here before and were clearly unsettled by how much had changed. Whenever I entered the village, I could feel their wary eyes on me.

(Hmm… I guess the changes were too fast. From the outside, it probably looks super suspicious…)

All I did was try to make life easier for the villagers and grant their wishes. A lot of the plants I’d absorbed in the demon realm ended up being useful. But for all that to become commonplace in a human village so quickly,it must look bizarre. And if people are claiming 「a witch made all this」 it only makes it worse.

(Ugh… I really can’t let them find out I’m a monster. For now, I’ll try to be friendly. Smile and wave, right…?)

Even though I was screaming on the inside, my face could only show a calm, gentle smile. I tried waving at the knights who were watching me warmly, but… it didn’t seem to help. They averted their eyes.

「Witch-sama! Fresh eggs for you!」

「Thanks to you, our livestock are thriving. Here—fresh milk. Please accept it.」

「You must be tired from using your powers all the time, right? We gathered some petals—use them for garden fertilizer!」

「Hey Witch-sama, for that secret base on top of the tree, can you make a giant grassy bed?!」

Whenever I walked through the village, people kept calling out to me. They also brought tons of things, so Noel’s arms were quickly overloaded.

Noel had somehow become officially recognized as my attendant by the villagers and seemed determined not to let his 「mistress」 carry anything. Though just a child, being beastkin meant he had the strength of a grown man. Even so, the sheer volume of items made it hard to carry with his small body.

(Seems like nobody in the village is in trouble right now… Maybe we should head home. Noel’s about to collapse.)

「I’ll help you two carry that.」

Suddenly, Leonhart appeared and casually lifted the basket of milk out of Noel’s hands. He moved with practiced ease, like he often helped carry heavy loads for others.

From what I’d seen over the past few days, Leonhart seemed to be more liked by the villagers than the other knights.

「I… I can carry that much!」

「You’re beastkin, so I’m sure this weight is nothing for you. But still—please let me help. …I owe Witch-dono my life. I’d like to repay her.」

「…You do?」

「Yes. It happened when I was investigating the changes in the demon realm and climbed the mountain alone—」

As Leonhart began recounting his story, Noel stopped to listen. When Leonhart took a step toward the watermill, Noel followed naturally alongside him.

Their story of how we met seemed to really interest Noel, so this was a good conversation starter. I could see Noel’s suspicion slowly fading as he listened.

(Wow… he’s really good at winning people over. I wish I could do that…)

Of course, if I tried talking to people, I’d kill them, so I couldn’t really imitate that tactic. But by observing his social grace, maybe I could find clues for getting the knights to lower their guard. I followed the two as they chatted.

「I didn’t expect to meet anyone in a place like that. I was ready to die. But Witch-dono appeared… and in her mercy, she wept for me.」

「I get it. Witch-sama is kind.」

「And those beautiful tears—worked a miracle, healing my wounds.」

「The same thing happened in the village. Witch-sama’s tears have a special power to heal people…」

Before I knew it, Noel had started speaking formally to Leonhart, and was eagerly recounting stories of my deeds. Like a child proudly bragging about something fun to an adult, Noel animatedly shared every detail. Leonhart listened with practiced nods and gentle prompts, keeping the conversation going.

Ever since I picked Noel up, we’ve spent every day together. If I’d slipped up anywhere, he probably would’ve mentioned it by now… and just thinking that made my nonexistent body temperature drop several degrees.

(I haven’t done anything weird in front of him… right…?)

What if this whole exchange was part of the knights’ investigation? I silently screamed inside, following the two as they walked. Noel was happily chatting, but Leonhart’s serene smile made me anxious. I couldn’t tell how he was taking all this in.

「Witch-dono… are you really unable to speak? Isn’t that inconvenient?」

「Not really. Witch-sama’s intentions are easy to understand. She’s always thinking about us and what we need. I’m proud to serve her. That’s why… I didn’t want her taken away, and I acted a bit rude.」

「I understand your feelings, Noel-dono.」

「Yes. And since you were saved by Witch-sama too, I thought you’d understand how I feel…! Please do your best to clear her name!」

「Of course.」

Leonhart turned back and smiled at me.

And that smile—somehow—felt like it was saying: Why are you pretending you can’t talk?

I let out a massive scream in my head. But on the surface, I returned his smile gently.

(He totally suspects me. Oh nooooooo…!)

I’ve got to do something—anything—to reduce suspicion.

(That’s it, I’ll go to the mountains! If I’m far from people, I can grow more mandragora safely!)

By creating other 「suspicious things」 I could divert attention away from myself. If I gave them something else to focus on, maybe I could scramble the investigation.

My panicked mind made the decision: within the next few days, I would definitely grow more clone mandragora.