The Witch’s Embrace and the Desolate Village

“Alright, that should do it.”

“Mmm… Hmph.”

Faein was behind me, tightening the straps of the demon-potion backpack I wore. But she was pulling them far too tight! And was it really necessary to press her thigh against my waist?

“Here, help me with the clasps on the back.” Faein turned, sweeping her long hair aside to reveal the beautiful, pale skin of her back, exposed by the opening of her sleek, black bodysuit.

What made my heart race even more was the glimpse of her purple bra strap.

As I leaned closer to my senior, that captivating scent wafted from her back once more. She was so tall that my gaze was almost level with the purple bra clasp. My hands trembled as I fumbled with the clasps, inevitably brushing against her skin in the process. Despite her immense strength, her skin was incredibly soft and delicate.

For some reason, my eyes fell upon her rounded, high-perched bottom, encased in the short black skirt, and I felt an inexplicable urge to give it a squeeze. If I were to do that, would she let out a delicate cry of shyness, or kick me with her high heels?

****

Finally, both Faein and I were properly dressed.

She looked like a female mercenary swordswoman in black, her face veiled. I, on the other hand, appeared to be a young witch embarking on her first adventure.

Faein and I stood face to face, embracing.

Her tall, full bosom forced me to lean back, lest my face press directly into her chest.

As our soft skin met, it wasn’t just me; Faein’s face also seemed to flush with a faint blush. This time, she wasn’t in control of the situation; she was compelled to embrace me.

Why, you ask? Because we needed to embrace each other to teleport!

The world spun.

We had arrived in a desolate jungle.

It was Faein’s first time experiencing teleportation, and she seemed a bit unaccustomed to it. Her legs buckled, and she nearly lost her balance. I held her waist tightly, my lower abdomen pressed against hers, helping her maintain stability.

“Mm…” Faein seemed unaccustomed to being controlled. She gently pushed me away, her face a mix of shyness and awkwardness. “Hmph, I didn’t realize teleportation was so unpleasant.”

She turned and walked to a nearby cliff, gazing into the distance. “That’s Beirut Village ahead. Tomorrow, they plan to burn the witch, Asta, at the stake in the village square.”

“We’ll infiltrate the village first to understand the situation,” I stated. “Our priority is to find Leona.”

Rescuing the witch Asta was our objective for this journey. This time, there wasn’t an overwhelming army from the dungeon or giant demon beasts dozens of meters tall. It was just Faein and me.

This arrangement was made because our combined strength was more than enough to deal with local lords and villages. Furthermore, Faein was a human woman, and I looked exactly like a human from the outside. Disguised as mercenary sisters, even if I rescued Asta, people would only assume she was an accomplice or a hired helper. There would be no way to link it to the dungeon, thus avoiding the trouble of directly provoking the human empire.

Faein and I descended the mountain together, emerging from the jungle.

At this moment, both Faein and I wore a unique earring, allowing us to maintain contact with the dungeon.

However, the place we had just arrived at was a one-time teleportation array pre-drawn by the Goblin Servants. Now that we were in the surface world, I couldn’t teleport freely, nor could I directly return to the dungeon. Our path back would require someone to meet us and set up another teleportation array, or we would need to find a dungeon entrance to walk through.

We entered Beirut Village. Although many villagers watched us curiously—our attire and demeanor felt out of place in this desolate, messy village—the entire village seemed normal, with people raising chickens, feeding pigs, and doing farm work. There was no atmosphere suggesting an innocent witch was to be burned alive here tomorrow.

Except for the tall, pitch-black wooden pillar standing prominently in the village square.

“Apathetic, ignorant commoners!” I muttered under my breath.

“Where is Asta imprisoned?” Faein asked in a low voice.

“Follow me,” I said. Rodis had already investigated everything here.

As we walked through the village path, in a dark corner, we spotted a small, green-skinned goblin hiding behind a wall, blinking its tiny eyes at us.

This was likely one of the informants Rodis and her team had planted. This lowest-level monster didn’t recognize me, so I paid it no mind.

We arrived at an open space beside the central market. There, in the middle of the clearing, stood a crude wooden cage. In broad daylight, a slender, graceful silver-haired woman, her clothes tattered, was confined within. She possessed a captivating allure.

We stood in the shadows of the market, observing the cage. Two Redfang Fortress soldiers guarded it, clad in red uniforms.

Outside the nearby tavern, another squad of soldiers was drinking. Among them, a tall, bearded warrior in armor was likely their commanding officer.

“That must be Asta,” Faein said, her voice filled with pity as she looked at the beautiful woman in the cage, who appeared indifferent despite her injuries.

To me, Asta didn’t resemble a chaotic witch about to be executed, but rather a saintly daughter who had seen through the coldness of the world and calmly faced death.

“We cannot simply act here and rescue Asta,” I stated.

Faein nodded. “I hope they won’t torment her further today.”

Just then, Faein and I simultaneously sensed a sharp presence from a nearby corner.

“Hm?”

Behind a dilapidated wall, a red-haired girl in small red armor, her pale navel exposed, clutched a long sword and a small round shield. Her eyes, filled with sorrow, gazed at the woman in the cage. Her chest heaved violently, Asta’s tortured body turning the light in her eyes to anger.

“Sister Asta,” the girl murmured, “This is my last chance to save you. Tomorrow, once the Redfang Fortress lord arrives with Great Knight Balrog, I’ll have no hope left! To believe in demons, I was so foolish! Sister Asta, even if I can’t save you, at least I can be with you…”

Looking at the squad of soldiers drinking and especially the tall armored warrior, a flicker of worry crossed the girl’s eyes. But she gritted her teeth and, with unwavering resolve, charged out!