The Last Boss Witch Will Keep Her Past Self's Crush Until Her Dying Day Chapter 20

Mystery incidents that disturbed the public.
Gouging out the children's eyes, ripping the faces of beautiful women, implanting bombs into the magical beasts and creating live weapons….
There was no special purpose behind the insane witch's violent crimes and at best it was thought to be an attempt to disrupt the public order in the Kingdom and wrap it in chaos.

However, it seems that there was a reason for those inconsistent crimes.
The ingredients for the Rose Gem that brings about immortality and youth…were the bodies of humans and magical beasts.
Just what kind of horrifying thing did Jebera create?! She wasn't sane.

“The perpetrators of the mystery incidents were gathering ingredients for the Gem, right?”

After the gloomy babysitting duty ended, I asked Sonia while we were on our way home.

“Who knows? I'm irrelevant to those so I wouldn't know.”

“It's not like I'm saying that you're definitely the mastermind. I just want to hear your opinion.”

Sonia laughed lightly. It's probably like what you said, she said.
If the purpose of the mystery incidents is to gather the ingredients of the Gem, there is something I'm concerned about.

“Is there somebody besides you who knows the recipe?”

“Including what I remember, a complete recipe shouldn't exist in this world, but it wouldn't be surprising if somebody has been holding onto the research notes.”

As Sonia said, Alonia's slave-witches seemed to be changing very often.
Were they used in experiments or did they get killed after displeasing Alonia? Or did they get cold feet and ran away from the horrifying research?
A runaway witch could've stolen a glance at the details of the research and now started to take actions in order to create the Gem. Alternatively, a different person who threatened that witch could be the mastermind of the mystery incidents.

“There is also a possibility that Jebera could have been hiding other recipes, which might've been discovered by somebody recently.”

In the end, Sonia also doesn't know who could've had the recipe.
This is too dangerous.
The witches who caused the mystery incidents were all crazy. They were openly gathering ingredients, after all. If they manage to complete the Gem, they might bring disturbance to the Kingdom.

“Wait a minute. If I remember right, The King was providing Alonia with materials, right….?”

“Yes, a few times a year. Some of the people who had been processed with the freezing magic have been delivered here from the royal capital.”

Saying something nasty so easily…
It seems like the ones ended up turning into ingredients were the ones who wouldn't get questioned even if they disappeared ―― Sinners, orphans or those who had their hands in shady businesses. So with the King becoming her sponsor, Alonia could research without having to worry about the procurement of materials, huh.
It's really sickening.

“Why did you feel like sharing the information about mystery incidents at this point?”

In truth, I was planning on putting on airs for a bit longer, but there's no meaning in keeping it secret anymore.”

“Huh?”

“You don't think of me as the mastermind of the mystery incidents anymore, right? I thought I'd fully clear up your suspicious since it was a good opportunity.”

Indeed, I've started to think that Sonia isn't an evil witch. Her personality is unbelievably twisted, but it's not that surprising if you keep her upbringing in mind. Instead, I even feel respect for her part that has gotten over her past and laughs positively.
It's impossible to connect Sonia, who's fully enjoying her time in Cucurouge, and the grotesque incidents.

Now that I know the motive behind the mystery incidents, I can say with conviction that there is no way Sonia, who suffered terribly due to Alonia's experiments, would try to create the Gem.
And if by any chance she did decide to create the Gem, the King would provide her with all the ingredients. I doubt she'd be causing flashy incidents in the first place if she wanted to do the job without letting the King find out.

“….I don't get it. Why didn't you try to clear up the suspicions right away?”

“Because being suspected was fun and thrilling.”

The moment I saw Sonia's astoundingly refres.h.i.+ng smile, my body instantly got heavier.
I feel stupid for worrying about all sorts of things.

“It was a joke. I just missed my timing to talk.”

Sonia shrugged.

“There is no doubt the purpose of the mystery incidents was to gather the ingredients for the Gem, but there must have been another aim too. Why did the culprits you caught mention my name?”

“Wasn't it because they wanted to frame you?

“If it was just that, they only had to fabricate definite proof that I was involved. Simply making an insane witch give testimony is too sloppy.”

I started thinking while groaning.
Culprits of the mystery incidents declared Sonia's name as the name of the mastermind. For the Prince, it was the name of his fiancee.
Sonia said once before too, didn't she? That we should talk first in order to reach a peaceful conclusion.

“Normally he'd go directly to Sonia to probe into the truth, huh. A letter would be okay too…”

“You're right. And if I found out that somebody was trying to frame me, I would start taking actions to clear the suspicions regarding me. The main purpose of the culprits could have been luring me out from Cucurouge.”

　I don't know just how good is the Gem recipe that the culprits have, but I'm sure that they would definitely wish to get their hands on the experimental data that Alonia obtained after researching Jebera's recipe for more than 10 years. In addition, Sonia herself possesses strong antibodies against the Gem's poison. They might've intended to catch her and use her for experiments.

“In fact, you didn't come in contact with me until the day of the marriage ceremony. And I also didn't try to investigate the mystery incidents even though I heard rumors. It must've been a miscalculation for the mastermind too.”

It must have also been unexpected that Sonia managed to avert the suspicions. She took me and hurriedly returned to Cucurouge. If the knight with Witch Killer was by her side, the witches couldn't carelessly lay their hands on her either.

“Mh? Did you possibly bring me back as your servant…in order to ward off other witches?”

“I might've had such ulterior motive for a bit. But the biggest reason was that I wanted to play with you, Will.”

It seems that she choose a long way around towards the royal capital and traveled quite cautiously. She also refused escorts from the royal family because it would stand out, apparently.

“….Is there a possibility that King of Mistria is involved in the mystery incidents?”

“I don't think it's likely. That person is afraid of the truth from 20 years ago being revealed. He wouldn't take any flashy actions on his own accord. Rather, I feel that he gave Prince Rain full rein because he wanted to probe into the opponents' intentions.”

“Didn't he try to frame you and detain you legitimately?

“I and the Prince were supposed to marry. Even without making it a big ordeal, he would eventually be able to restrain me as his daughter-in-law. That person is smart.”

Indeed, if Sonia and the Prince got married, the King would not only be able to keep the people who know the truth close to himself, but also coerce her to continue the research of immortality. Why would he bother to charge her with false accusations, break the engagement and create a nationwide scandal? For now, it's reasonable to think that the King is uninvolved in the mystery incidents.

“In either case, the mastermind's motive is unclear and everything I told you just now is simply speculation. It might've just been hara.s.sment from the witches who hate me.”

“You seem to have….many enemies.”

“You're right. I don't remember doing anything bad myself, but I wonder if I acted too roughly in my past life? Not that I really mind it though. Since I have been born with such beauty and intelligence, I must be prepared for some adversity.”

Otherwise, it would be unfair, right?
Sonia asked for affirmation with a grin, but I neither agreed nor disagreed.

***
The life of the servant under the Lord in an unstable position pa.s.sed disappointingly peacefully.
I'm pretty used to the farm work now and I also think that I'm improving with the cooking and house ch.o.r.es. I've also reconciled (?) with Phantom and exchanged drinks with him while listening to him brag about his daughter.
I have no dissatisfaction with life with Sonia either. Far from the dissatisfaction, I'm living with the most fulfilling eating habits in the last 20 years.

　
One morning, I came to town after being told to make groceries. Today is the first time I went outside the village alone.
Dendra town that's quite away from Cucurouge. Because the road to Azurro, the capital of the west, is under maintenance, the traffic of the merchants is energetic and crowded.

I wonder if Sonia is testing me. I don't feel any signs of being watched. If it's now, I can escape both from the witches and the kingdom.
The money handed to me is more than what's needed for the groceries. I've been told to use the leftovers as my pocket money and buy whatever I want.
In any case, this amount of gold would be enough as traveling expenses for a while if I ran away just like this.

…Well, it's not like I feel like running away for now anyway.
It's about a time response came from the kingdom. I'm thinking of at least seeing through the results.

『 Go back and tell his Majesty that Witch Sonia has no intentions of breaking the peace treaty with Mistria. But still, if you threaten me or my precious people, I will engrave an even worse b.l.o.o.d.y tragedy than the attack twenty years ago into the national history.  I will be waiting for a wise reply.』

I wonder how will the King reply to Sonia's threatening message?
How will the feudal lord Sanigue move?
How many witches would ally with Sonai if a battle happened?
Some members of the mystery incident crew might hide within the ally witches and target Sonia.

　What should I do?

『There won't be a battle. Each nation of the continent is competing for supremacy with each other, after all. His Majesty should also want to avoid giving an opening to other nations by squabbling with the witches.』

What if other nations invaded while he was busy fighting with the witches?
What if Cucurouge allied with another influential person and the matter of coup d'etat was exposed?
As long those possibilities exist, King of Mistria won't confront the witches. He will definitely accept Sonia's proposal. Sonia declared so.

I understand her logic, but would everything really go Sonia's way?
We don't know who's the mastermind of the mystery incidents and we also don't know just much does the King want the Rose Gem. There is no guarantee that he won't be swallowed by greed and take extreme actions.

Even in the situation akin to standing on thin ice, Sonia still maintains her composure.
She either has really strong guts or her senses are just paralyzed.
But it's really strange. When she says that everything will be okay, I really start feeling that everything will turn alright.
If anything inconvenient happens, she'll probably solve it alone. At the very least, it doesn't seem like she would rely on me. No, I would be troubled if she did try to rely on me but still.

Nevertheless, I intend to fulfill my duties as Sonia's servant for a while. I don't know how serious she was when she said that she wanted to play with me, but I wouldn't mind listening to a caprice or two. She'll get bored soon enough anyway.
But before that, I still have one pending matter to solve.

“As expected, the one who should apologize….no, but ―― “

I was wavering.
Whether or not I should've apologized to Sonia for suspecting her as the mastermind of mystery incidents and acting rudely all the time.
In the end, Sonia hadn't done anything bad. Nevertheless, I've said many harsh things to her and took a curt att.i.tude.
Now that her innocence has been proven, isn't it time I apologized for my previous actions?

I don't think that Sonia minds it that much.
But if I don't apologize, my mind won't be at ease. This is only for my self-satisfaction…I just want to get it off my shoulders. Isn't it cowardly to push the apology she didn't even ask for on her just so I could feel relieved?
Besides, I don't feel like standing before Sonia and obediently apologizing. What kind of face, what kind of words should I use to apologize?
　
Recently, I've been repeating questions without solutions. I'm disgusted with my own patheticness.

“Hey bro, you'll be getting in my way if you stand in the middle of the road! Come and see! We just received new items!”
　
Hearing the voice of the fresh market owner, I returned to myself.
That's right. I came here to do shopping. I took out the groceries list and went to purchase needed items.

Yup, let's buy a bit more meat than what was asked…the roast beef the other day was tasty enough to almost make me cry. I wonder if she'll make it again?

“Black-haired bro, you're Sonisan's new servant, right? then, how about this? heathaze berry. It's her biggest favorite.”

“Heathaze berry? never heard of it.”

Red fruit piled up like mountains. A bittersweet smell hung in the air and I naturally started to salivate.

“It's a local specialty of this region. This year it appeared on the market earlier than the usual. It's tasty too. Come on, buy it for Sonisan! Hey, it's good, right?!”

The shopkeeper's desperation is suspicious.
If it's Sonia's favorite, then it would also be cultivated in the village's orchard. But, according to the shopkeeper, heathaze berry only seems to grow at the foot of an active volcano. It was a very forced explanation.

“….Actually, I kinda messed up the number of the stock by one digit. If you buy a lot, I will give you a service next time.”

I ultimately succ.u.mbed to the shopkeeper's sob story.
Oh well. I have enough money. Children and the women seem to love eating fruits so I'll give this to her and try to gauge the timing for an apology.
I casually bought several boxes of the heathaze berry and returned to Cucurouge.

***
“Welcome back, Will. Were you able to buy something good?”

As I entered the house, Sonia came to welcome me. As I thought, was she testing whether I would properly come back or not?
Or was she in the same state of mind as the parents who worry about their children's first errand?…no, that would actually be gross so let's try to not think about that.

“I bought everything you asked me for. Also…..this.”

When I handed heathaze berry to her, Sonia was taken aback. That's an unusual reaction.

“Will…why did you get this?

“Well, the shopkeeper said it was your favorite and he was troubled because of his big stock, so…”

This time I was the one who was taken aback.
It was because Sonia smiled bashfully.
It was an entirely different expression from her usual black smile. She truly seemed happy and even I who was looking at her…..

“Thank you, I love these. Fufu, I'm happy.”

“I-I see…”

I unintentionally averted my eyes. What's this? how strange. My heart is strangely unsettled and won't calm down. I feel like I took a surprise attack.

“What's with that reaction?”

“Nothing, I just didn't expect that you would be so happy because of some fruits….”

“I don't want to be told that by you who gets emotional over meat. Besides, it's really funny…after all, even though I told you that you could buy whatever you wanted, you came back after buying something for me instead. Did you finally decide to serve me?”

“W-wrong! There's no ―― “

“Well, whatever. Let's make a tart for today's snack. Oh, but since we have so many…we can even make a jam. It'll also be good as the steak sauce. I'm sure you'll like it too, Will.”

Sonia took heathaze berries and headed towards the kitchen. While seeing off her happy-looking back, I unintentionally pressed down on my heart.

　For the first time, I saw Sonia as a 16 years old girl. Where did her usual dignity go?
To show such a radiant smile because of something I bought casually…
The matter of apology entirely flew away from my mind.

It must be because of her appearance. It's frustrating, but I must acknowledge Sonia's beauty. Of course, the destructive power of her smile would also be high. If they were shown such a face, any man would…

　No, let's stop thinking deeply about it.
There's no time to be disturbed by something like this.

The heathaze berry tart had an exquisite taste with piercing sourness and mellow sweetness that spread through the whole mouth. Put together with the aroma of the alcohol, it was a pastry suited for adults.

I was told to buy it again if I felt like it and I nodded silently.
I wonder for which reason will I buy it the next time, the taste of the tart or Sonia's smile?

—-
Notes:
Tried my best today!

The word Sonia uses is 一喜一憂 and according to the dictionary, it basically means to change the mood from happy to sad or vice versa (because of something).
heathaze berry 陽炎ベリー

don't forget to point out any mistranslations, typos and weird grammar