A Journey Unwanted-Chapter 442 - 431: Ponder

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Quadling Country]

[Glinda’s Castle]

The journey through the Good Witch’s castle had been surprisingly swift.

Their guide had led them through several tall hallways and open passages, yet the pace had never slowed long enough for them to properly examine anything in detail. They caught glimpses—arches, corridors branching in quite a few directions and even just the extremely polished floors reflecting the light of passing chandeliers—but little more than impressions remained as they moved steadily forward.

Still, even in passing, a few things had become clear.

The structure was vast. Larger than the outer walls had suggested.

And more noticeably, the Good Witch clearly had a fondness for red.

Red carpets stretched along the hallways they passed through. Red banners hung in folds along stone walls. Even the chandeliers overhead carried small red crystals made into their frames.

It wasn’t overwhelming exactly but it was consistent enough that the pattern became impossible to ignore.

The second thing that stood out was smaller, though no less noticeable.

There were no men.

Servants passed them occasionally as they moved through the castle, but every single one of them was a woman. Some carried books or trays, others walked with uniforms and concealed weapons down different halls, but not a single male voice or figure had appeared during the entire walk.

Puck had noticed.

The Cowardly Lion had noticed.

Even Grimm had logged the detail away.

Eventually their guide slowed.

She stopped in front of a single door set slightly apart from the others along the corridor. The door was white wood, polished so smoothly that the surface seemed to gleam. Thin golden decorations had been worked into its frame, patterns that curved like vines along the surface.

Without hesitation, the woman stepped forward.

She pushed the door open and moved through it first, passing ahead of them as if inviting them to follow.

The three of them entered after her.

The room beyond was spacious.

The ceiling rose high above them, suspended from the center hung a golden chandelier, its elegant frame branching outward like the limbs of a tree. Embedded along the structure were numerous red gems that scattered light softly across the room.

Their footsteps carried them onto a long red carpet threaded with fine golden stitching that ran across the floor toward the center of the chamber.

Puck drifted forward slightly, her gaze wandering as she took in the space.

Despite its size, the room was not crowded.

In fact, it was surprisingly sparse.

At the center stood a round table covered by a deep red cloth that hung neatly over it. The fabric was heavy enough that it barely moved, even as the air shifted when the door behind them closed.

Three plush red chairs surrounded the table. Two sat side by side on one side and a single chair stood opposite them.

The arrangement was surprisingly simple.

"Lady Glinda will be along with you shortly," the woman announced. Her tone remained calm as she turned toward them and gave a small, respectful bow. "Please make yourselves comfortable while you wait."

With that, she straightened, turned without hesitation, and walked back toward the door.

Moments later, she had already exited the room, the door closed behind her with a soft click.

For a moment, silence settled over the chamber.

Puck exhaled lightly.

"Hm, guess we just gotta wait then," she murmured. Her small form drifted forward a little more as she idly looked around the room again, giving the space a slightly more attentive inspection. Her eyes moved from the chandelier, to the smooth walls, to the table and after a moment she shrugged. "Well. That was quick."

There wasn’t much here.

The room looked nice, sure, but beyond the table and chairs there really wasn’t anything that stood out. No bookshelves, no decorations on the walls and no strange magical objects waiting to be noticed.

It almost felt like a simple meeting room.

Grimm had already come to the same conclusion.

His armored steps carried him further into the chamber, the weight of his sabatons pressing into the carpet as he moved. His gaze passed over the room only briefly, there was little worth examining. Behind him, the Cowardly Lion hesitated at the door for just a moment longer before nervously stepping inside as well.

Grimm’s thoughts shifted inward.

("Hm...") He remained standing for a moment. ("I see no eyes, yet I clearly sense a gaze.") His head tilted ever so slightly, though his helmet concealed the movement. ("Someone is observing us.") He didn’t bother scanning the room, there was no need. ("Most likely the witch herself.")

His mind worked through the possibilities quickly.

("The mana saturating this castle is dense enough to carry perception. She could easily be watching through it...") A second possibility followed. ("Or perhaps through a prepared spell.")

Either method would be simple enough for a skilled practitioner. Grimm assumed the Good Witch wanted to observe them before revealing herself. Whether she had some other motive behind the delay remained unclear.

For the moment he simply didn’t care. Without ceremony, Grimm stepped toward one of the chairs and sat down. The armored plates of his legs shifted as he lowered himself into the seat across from the two empty chairs opposite him.

Puck noticed immediately.

Her head tilted slightly as she watched him settle in. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"You sure are pretty lax about all this, huh," she said after a moment, her tone carrying mild amusement. She drifted sideways in the air, looking down at him thoughtfully. "Honestly, I figured you’d be standing there like a statue, scanning every corner of the room and waiting for the first sign of trouble." Her small shoulders lifted in a light shrug, she paused briefly before continuing. "I mean, this is the castle of a powerful witch we’ve never met before. You’d think that alone would make you at least a little cautious."

Puck gestured behind her with one small hand.

"Kind of like our friend here," she said, pointing her finger toward the Cowardly Lion, whose entire body was still stiff. His shoulders were slightly raised, his tail barely moving as his eyes darted uncertainly around the room.

"See?" Puck added lightly. "That’s what I expected."

The Cowardly Lion blinked when he realized he was being pointed at.

"H-huh?" He looked between them, clearly startled at suddenly being included in the conversation. "I—I wasn’t— I mean—" He stopped himself, unsure what he was even trying to say, his paws shifted awkwardly against the carpet.

Puck let out a small chuckle at the Cowardly Lion’s reaction. She watched him for a moment as he awkwardly shifted where he stood, his mane still slightly bristled from nerves, before her attention drifted back toward Grimm, who had not reacted to the lion’s fumbling at all.

He simply remained seated at the table, and after a moment, he spoke.

"Should the witch have ill intentions," Grimm said calmly, his tone neutral, "then the matter will be simple. I will deal with her." The words came out almost too casually. It was not arrogant exactly. It was just the tone of a man far too certain in himself.

Puck’s expression shifted slightly as she studied him.

For a few seconds, she said nothing, her head tilting ever so slightly as though trying to determine whether he had actually meant what he said or if there had been some hint of humor buried in the statement.

Eventually, she exhaled lightly.

"You know," she murmured, her voice thoughtful, "I’m starting to notice a pattern with you." She drifted a little closer to the table, crossing her armored arms loosely as she looked down at him. "Every time something potentially dangerous comes up, your response is basically the same. You just brush it aside like it’s already handled." She paused briefly before adding, "Honestly, I didn’t expect someone like you to be this confident."

The word cocky had been on her tongue, but she softened it slightly as she said it.

"Now," Puck continued, shrugging, "don’t get me wrong. I know you’re strong. I’ve seen enough already to understand that much. But the way you talk about it, it almost sounds like you’ve already decided there’s nothing in this place that could even challenge you."

Her tone remained neutral yet the curiosity at his attitude was still there.

Grimm leaned back slightly further into the chair, moving slowly as his clasped hands rose a little higher. His armored fingers were interlocked, resting calmly in front of him.

"Rest assured," he said at length, his voice muffled beneath the helmet, "this is not pride." He tilted his head slightly. "In truth, pride becomes rather pointless after a certain point."

Puck raised an eyebrow as Grimm continued.

"In life," he said, "when one reaches a certain threshold of power, boasting loses its purpose. Words meant to impress others become unnecessary when reality already speaks for itself." His tone remained matter-of-fact. "I have never needed to boast," he added calmly. "And that has not changed."

Puck stared at him for a moment.

"...Right," she said dryly. She floated a little higher, folding her arms more firmly as she watched him. "It’s just, I don’t know," she continued after a second. "I’m not arguing that you’re weak or something like that. But don’t you think you might be overselling yourself just a little bit?"

Her head tilted again as she examined him more carefully.

"This is still the home of a powerful witch. One influential enough to have a castle like this and keep it running the way we saw outside." She gestured vaguely toward the walls around them. "It just feels like maybe—just maybe—you’re assuming too quickly that you’d win if something actually happened."

Grimm’s response came without hesitation.

"Indeed," he said calmly, "you have not witnessed my full capabilities." He paused. "So your misunderstanding is understandable." A hint of blunt dismissal carried through the statement. "Your idiocy, therefore, is excused."

Puck blinked.

Then her eyes narrowed immediately.

"Hey," she snapped, irritation creeping into her voice. "Me using basic comprehension abilities to question your logic does not qualify as ’idiocy.’" She drifted a little closer to the table as she spoke, clearly annoyed now. "I’m just pointing out that maybe you shouldn’t assume you can handle literally every situation that appears in front of you. That’s not stupidity, that’s common sense."

Her arms tightened across her chest.

"Honestly, if anything, blindly believing you can beat everything you meet sounds a lot more foolish to me."

Grimm remained completely still in his chair.

"Denial," he replied calmly after a moment, "is a remarkably potent poison," he mused. "Many people find comfort in convincing themselves that a reality they dislike cannot possibly exist." He paused briefly. "Your reaction suggests you may be among them."

Puck stared at him for a long moment.

"...Wow," she muttered eventually. Then she turned slightly away, shaking her head. "You really are mean sometimes."