Chapter 89: Is it funny that I picked the wrong dragon?

In the dark, damp cave, a bonfire was burning brightly.

A small, flat-chested, silver-haired witch sat in front of the bonfire, unbothered by the damp environment.

She was humming a tune while skillfully roasting two catfish she had just caught.

Under the continuous heat of the fire, a mesmerizing aroma gradually wafted from the roasted fish. Smelling the fragrance, the little witch’s face broke into a smile full of anticipation.

But then, she subconsciously glanced to the side, at the blonde girl opposite the bonfire who was covered in a brown raincoat.

“Ugh, why is she red?”

Faced with the sight of the cute blonde girl, the little witch complained, as if colorblind to red and green.

This little witch was, without a doubt, Charlotte, who had only been practicing at the Starsea Magic Academy for a month.

Thanks to the Magic Golem control incident during the entrance exam, Charlotte, who had used the Crimson Judgment Bullet to end the event, was naturally given a welcome gift of a 100 academic credit deduction.

In the Starsea Magic Academy, academic credit was the only measure of a student’s excellence.

If a witch’s credits didn’t meet the standard, no matter how capable she was, she couldn’t advance to the next year, let alone become an official witch and challenge for a title.

And so, to fill this initial deficit, Charlotte resorted to every means possible, accepting various commissions in her free time to earn credits.

This time, Instructor Mashiro, who always “looked after” her, gave her a commission to execute an evil dragon.

In the northern part of the Kingdom of York, near the Boundary Mountain Range, lay a small village named Helen Village, after the famous dragon slayer Helen who once lived there.

Now, this village was being frequently attacked by massive, dragon-like monsters, severely affecting their normal lives.

They had sent a plea for help to the Starsea Magic Academy in Tsumuguri City.

Although the commission looked extremely dangerous, Charlotte did not hesitate to accept it, given the generous academic credit reward.

To her, taking down an evil dragon was as simple as defeating a Knight Captain in the Magic Tower.

After accepting the commission, Charlotte rode her broomstick and flew thousands of miles to Helen Village to assess the situation.

Seeing a witch finally arrive to help, the villagers, who had suffered greatly from the dragon’s bullying, warmly welcomed Charlotte, even though the witch looked as small and sickly as a rotten tomato.

From the villagers’ accounts, Charlotte learned that the monster constantly harassing their village was a massive, blue evil dragon.

Knowing what her opponent looked like, Charlotte was excited and began searching for the dragon’s trace.

Before searching, she told the villagers to find a safe place to hide, as she couldn’t predict whether her fight with the evil dragon would affect the village.

After the villagers evacuated, Charlotte leisurely flew in the sky on her broomstick, overlooking the vast forest below, searching for any signs of the dragon.

She quickly sensed a strange magical signature coming from a cave not far away.

She flew over to investigate and saw a dragon suddenly burst out of the cave, charging aggressively toward her.

Seeing the dragon, Charlotte was surprised, as its color was red.

Charlotte couldn’t help but wonder if the villagers of Helen Village had an inherited color blindness, which led them to mistake the dragon for a blue one.

Despite her surprise, Charlotte did not panic at the dragon’s attack. Instead, she became excited. She had never fought such a massive evil dragon before!

But unexpectedly, after only two exchanges, the dragon ran out of strength and plummeted from the sky, transforming into a blonde girl.

Seeing this, Charlotte was astonished. She hadn’t expected such a massive evil dragon to be transformed from such a small girl.

Despite her surprise, Charlotte instinctively caught the unconscious blonde girl. As she held her, Charlotte realized the girl was severely injured.

Some wounds were still bleeding heavily, with no time to heal.

To stop the bleeding, the girl’s clothes had been ripped and tattered, barely covering her chest and groin.

Charlotte didn’t hesitate and immediately cast a Holy Magic spell, instantly healing all the girl’s wounds.

Afterward, Charlotte carried her into the cave for shelter. She used magic to catch two catfish from a nearby stream and began roasting them over a bonfire.

The two fish were soon roasted by Charlotte until they were crispy outside, tender inside, and fragrant.

Just as Charlotte was about to grab one of the roasted fish to taste it, the blonde girl opposite the bonfire slowly opened her eyes.

She looked bewildered at the brown raincoat covering her, unable to understand how it got there.

Puzzled, she slowly sat up and scanned her surroundings. The dark cave made her feel a little safer.

However, when her gaze met the silver-haired little witch sitting happily by the bonfire opposite her, the blonde girl shot up like a cat whose territory had been invaded. She put up her hands in a fighting stance, staring intently at Charlotte with hostility.

But at that moment, she suddenly noticed that her two arms, which she had raised to defend herself, were spotless. All the previous wounds and bloodstains had completely vanished.

As if the injury had never happened, the girl felt no pain at all.

The girl looked confused, her face blank.

‘What’s going on? My wounds are all healed?’

‘With my self-healing ability, it’s impossible for a severely injured body to be completely repaired this quickly.’

‘Did the witch in front of me heal all my wounds?’

Thinking this, the girl’s gaze softened with disbelief as she looked at Charlotte.

‘No, that can’t be right. I’m a demon, after all.’

‘Demons and humans have been irreconcilably opposed since ancient times. This witch, the strongest guardian of the human race, should rightfully expel me. How could she be so kind as to heal all my injuries?’

While the girl stood ready to fight, the stomach she was exposing let out a mournful sound of protest.

“Growl—”

The prolonged, mournful sound was clearly audible throughout the entire cave.

Hearing the sound, the girl’s face immediately flushed with humiliation, like a warrior who had been caught naked in the bath by her arch-enemy.

Her gaze involuntarily dropped from Charlotte and landed on the fragrant roasted fish in Charlotte’s hand.

Seeing the golden-brown shine of the roasted fish, the girl instinctively swallowed.

Noticing the girl’s reaction, Charlotte understood. “Do you want to eat?”

The girl looked astonished. She couldn’t believe the witch in front of her would be so kind as to offer her food.

Despite her suspicion, her survival instinct won out. She cautiously reached out her hands.

The moment her fingers brushed the roasted fish, she immediately snatched it into her arms and, as if afraid Charlotte would change her mind, turned her back and began to devour it.

Since fleeing her home, the girl hadn’t had a proper meal. Hunted relentlessly, she had only managed to survive on wild fruit picked along the way.

Compared to her previous miserable experiences, the delicious roasted fish was priceless.

In no time, the girl completely devoured the fish.

However, just one roasted fish wasn’t enough to fill her empty stomach.

She looked forlorn, turning her head with tearful eyes to look at the other roasted fish in Charlotte’s hand.

“Eh? You want more?” Charlotte, who was about to enjoy the other fish, finally couldn’t resist the girl’s sad gaze.

She reluctantly offered her own fish. “Alright, alright, you can have this one too!”

After receiving the fish, the girl began to devour it again.

But halfway through the meal, tears streamed down her eyes despite her best efforts.

She knew during her escape that her happy life was gone forever.

But now, tasting such delicious roasted fish and feeling a sense of happiness far greater than before, her tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

‘If only time could freeze at this moment forever!’

Seeing the girl crying non-stop, Charlotte didn’t know what the girl had been through, but she reached out her small hand and gently stroked the girl’s head.

“There, there, it’s alright. You don’t have to be afraid anymore!”

Hearing Charlotte’s comforting words, the girl could no longer contain her emotions. She threw herself into Charlotte’s arms, bawling uncontrollably, as if she had finally found her mother.

Even if this “mother” had no cleavage to squeeze out any milk.