Witch Taming System-Chapter 42: Leticia Herscher [5]

The sound of rain pittered and pattered against the cold midnight wind.

The warehouse already came into view. Seeing this weather and atmosphere, Lancel realized that the Leviathan Group had found him quite some time ago.

This was just how they operated. They always made sure to set up the perfect environment before striking, picking the right weather conditions, choosing an isolated area, and securing an easy escape route afterward.

In conditions like these, it was easy to drown out any noise and hide whatever evidence remained.

———!

The moment Lancel stepped inside, he immediately recoiled. A blade had hovered just inches from his neck, but with his quick reaction time, he managed to move back in time.

"I thought your senses would be dulled by now. But who knew you still had it in you, you deserter?"

Lancel narrowed his eyes and took a closer look. The man who had nearly killed him was one of Leviathan Group’s executives. Someone he had worked closely with in the past.

"Cain."

"It’s been a while, old friend."

Knowing Cain, the moment the assassination order for a deserter came down and Lancel’s name was announced, Cain must have taken the assignment for himself.

"How’s life with the witch treating you? Ever fucked her yet?"

"None of your business."

"Ah, I’m so envious!" Cain grinned. "I bet none of the women I’ve railed before can even compare to a witch! Tell me, Lancel, how does she taste?"

"Just shut your mouth, Cain."

———!

Lancel kicked off the ground and thrust his dagger straight toward Cain. It was a magic tool he had plundered from a witch he had killed many years ago. She said it had been blessed by a deity himself.

Now, that same dagger Lancel once used to kill witches was being pointed at an ex-colleague.

"Pretty slow there, Lancel. Hahaha!"

When Lancel struck, his blade merely phased through empty air as smoke slowly filled the area.

Just like Lancel, Cain had plenty of tools at his disposal. Since they had worked closely together, Lancel knew most of Cain’s tricks. This was one of his favorites, an Illusion Weaver that created smoke and afterimages.

Ordinary humans couldn’t use magic, so they relied on various tools with different activation methods. Illusion Weavers were basically ready-made smoke bombs.

Once thrown on the ground, they generated this kind of thick fog. Lancel had a few of them himself, though these days the prices were heavily inflated.

Of course, the organization had the resources to hoard as many as they wanted.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A series of flashy exchanges followed. Lancel’s main weapon was a dagger, while Cain’s was a lance.

At first glance, it might have looked like Lancel was at a disadvantage because of the lance’s long reach, but Lancel had always been known for his quick footwork.

He could easily close the distance, no matter what weapon his opponent used.

"Too slow!" Cain laughed, spinning the lance in a wide arc.

Lancel ducked under it and closed the distance again, slashing upward. Cain stepped back just in time, the blade cutting through empty air.

Smoke burst out from another Illusion Weaver Cain had dropped earlier, filling the space between them with thick gray haze.

Lancel clicked his tongue. He knew this trick too well. He lunged forward blindly through the smoke, relying on his own instincts.

His dagger met resistance immediately. Cain’s lance had blocked his advance again.

They broke apart for a second, both breathing hard.

"You know what, I take my words back. You’re a lot shittier than before," Cain taunted. "Or maybe that witch is draining you dry every night."

"Shut up."

Lancel charged again. This time, he feinted left, then dropped low and swept his leg. Cain jumped back, but Lancel was already following up and thrust his dagger toward his stomach.

Cain moved at the last moment, the blade slicing a shallow cut across his side instead of going deep.

Cain hissed in pain but grinned wider.

"Ah, fuck..."

He slammed the butt of his lance into the ground. Another wave of smoke exploded outward. Lancel cursed and covered his mouth.

A shadow moved to his right. He spun and slashed, but it was only an afterimage. The real Cain appeared from the left, lance thrusting straight at his chest.

Lancel barely managed to parry with his dagger. The force pushed him back several steps. His back hit a crate, stopping his retreat.

Cain seized the opportunity and pressed the attack, stabbing his lance forward in quick, successive thrusts. Lancel dodged and blocked desperately, the sound of metal ringing louder than the rain outside.

"You know," Cain said between strikes, "when they gave me this mission, I was actually happy. Finally, a chance to settle things with you properly."

Lancel gritted his teeth and countered with a fast slash. Cain leaned back, the dagger missing his throat by a hair.

"Too bad you’re still the same reckless idiot you always were."

The fight continued as both men moved through the smoke and rain, blades flashing in the dim light of the warehouse. Neither had landed a decisive blow yet.

"A naive idiot, too. Did you even know?"

This was one of Cain’s bad habits. When Lancel took on jobs, he didn’t talk much. Cain, on the other hand, loved to blabber. But calling him naive was enough to make Lancel respond.

"Know what?"

"The client who requested the job to murder that witch. Leticia, was it? She’s a cunning bitch, alright."

"...What are you talking about?"

"You know, Lancel. I always follow one rule. If something seems way too good to be true, then it probably is."

"...."

"The one who requested the job to murder Leticia Herscher..."

"...."

"Was none other than Leticia Herscher herself."

At that, Lancel paused his advance. It felt like his whole world was spinning.

Cain pointed the lance at him and continued.

"Did it never occur to you just how easily you fell for her scheme? You should probably get yourself checked. Must be some crazy mind magic she played on you. Unlucky for you, though. The organization never takes excuses. A deserter will be executed, regardless of their circumstances."

Lancel felt the urge to run straight back to Leticia and demand an explanation.

It was no wonder she always brushed the topic aside and answered vaguely whenever he asked what she really wanted from him.

Why him. Why she chose him. Why she was so kind to him. To Lancel, Leticia Herscher felt like someone who had stepped out of a fairy tale and pulled him into a fantasy.

But now that his thoughts turned to her, he realized something.

Where was Leticia?

There was no way she would just sit back and watch all of this happen.

"Ah, you’ll probably never get the chance to ask her," Cain said with a smirk. "She’s currently occupied by Denim right now."

"...Denim?"

Denim. One of the higher-ups in the Leviathan Group. If Lancel was considered a professional at dealing with witches, then Denim was an expert.

In terms of skill, Denim far surpassed Lancel. In fact, it was safe to say she surpassed most members of the Leviathan Group even outside of witch-specialized jobs.

As the saying went, it would take at least fifteen powerful adventurers to take down the weakest witch. But Denim could handle it alone.

She was probably strong enough to deal with a full-fledged witch by herself. And Leticia was only an apprentice.

"...."

This was a problem.

"...Denim is back?" Lancel asked.

From what he knew, Denim had been away on a long assignment. The last time Lancel had seen her was six years ago.

The fact that she was here now made him feel like all his luck had run out.

Booooom——!

At that moment, an explosion erupted from outside. Debris flew everywhere, and it didn’t take long before the warehouse began to collapse around them.

Lancel pushed off the dust, debris, metal, and wood that had buried him before realizing that a sharp piece of metal had impaled his arm.

"Khhh...!"

He let out a loud scream before gritting his teeth hard to fight off the pain. From a short distance away, he saw that Cain’s entire body had been pierced through by a large metal pipe, blood pooling from beneath him.

As Lancel turned his head, he saw the familiar sight of Denim standing there. Behind her loomed her magic tool, an artifact called Basilisk, a massive snake that moved under her command.

But looking ahead, his breath caught in his throat.

"...Leticia?"

Standing there was Leticia, her body all bloodied and battered. Leticia was strong, he knew that. But Denim was simply too much for an apprentice witch.

"...."

No, wait. As he looked more closely, he could see that Denim had also been grievously injured.

It was an unimaginable sight. Never before had he seen Denim bleed, and this was a lot of blood.

If one looked closely, it seemed as if Leticia had won the fight. But when Lancel noticed the cracks appearing on her figure, he reconsidered his thoughts. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"...!"

At that moment, Denim turned and met his eyes. Blood dripped from her nose and lips, but her Basilisk had already pivoted away from attacking Leticia and was now rushing straight toward him.

Lancel tried to crawl away, but sharp pain flared through his body, pinning him in place.

Just as Basilisk was about to plunge its fangs deep into him, Leticia moved.

———!

Lancel’s eyes widened as he saw Leticia’s disfigured figure step in front of the attack.

Half of her face was ruined, as glowing white particles drifted out from the one side of her face.

It was hard to even make out her features anymore.

"I’m sorry, Lancel," she said. "I never wanted to show you this unsightly form of mine."

"Leticia, you—"

"I’ll find you again. Just like I always have. Even if not now, then in another lifetime."

"What are you saying?"

"This is goodbye for now."

"Leticia—"

Before Lancel could finish, everything was swallowed in darkness.

And as Leticia turned to face Denim, who was staring at her as if she were looking at a monster, she opened her mouth.

"Nyarlathotep."