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Chapter 192: Riding Together With the Witch
"Who are you?" Suyan demanded, lacing his voice with a heavy dose of suspicion and caution as he eyed the newly arrived witch.
Any experienced fisherman who frequently caught nothing but seaweed knew that patience was the most critical virtue of angling. So, despite the internal victory lap he was currently running at the sight of Dorothy, Suyan locked those feelings down tight. He couldn't afford to spook the prize catch that had just willingly swam into his net.
Dorothy didn't seem offended by his hostility; in fact, she expected it. Her gaze subtly swept over the row of 'Vongola Rings' adorning Suyan's fingers. Could one of those rings be part of the 798 rare ÄRMs my sister stole from our homeland eight years ago? she wondered.
Her homeland, Caldia, was the most enigmatic and powerful magical kingdom in the world, bar none. The wizards of Caldia possessed the most advanced ÄRM-forging techniques in existence. It was an undisputed fact that the vast majority of the world's truly devastating ÄRMs originated from her home—a fact made terrifyingly apparent when Diana stole their armory eight years ago. To fulfill her mission and bring those ÄRMs back, Dorothy couldn't afford to let any powerful artifact slip through her fingers.
Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Dorothy looked at the handsome young man and raised her hands, casually showing off the myriad of jewelry-based ÄRMs decorating her body. Her voice took on a soft, disarming tone. "As you can see, my name is Dorothy. I'm a traveling merchant, and I have a deep passion for collecting all sorts of rare ÄRMs."
She pointed a delicate finger at him. "I saw your performance against that thug. Aside from that wind-based Nature ÄRM you used to blow him away, you must have quite a few other rare ÄRMs on your hands, right?"
"And what if I do?" Suyan replied coldly, keeping his guard up. "Are you planning to rob me of my ÄRMs, just like those street trash?"
"No, no, no! Didn't you hear me?" Dorothy waved her hands frantically, adopting an innocent, harmless persona. "I'm a traveling merchant! A merchant! So, if you have any rare ÄRMs that you aren't currently using, why not sell them to me? Or better yet, I can trade you some of my ÄRMs that might suit your combat style much better."
"Oh." Suyan gave her a flat, thoroughly unimpressed look.
He suddenly remembered that this pink-haired girl was insanely, unfathomably wealthy. Not only was she draped in highly valuable ÄRMs, but she also carried a Dimension ÄRM called the Ring Dagger—a magical spatial warehouse storing countless other artifacts she rarely used in combat. In the anime, she had casually tossed two ultra-rare magic stones to the side character Jack, simply because she noticed his weapon had empty slots and he happened to be friends with Ginta.
"What's with that 'oh' supposed to mean?!" Dorothy stomped her foot, her innocent merchant facade cracking instantly to reveal her underlying irritation. "Well? What do you say to my offer?"
"What do I say?" Suyan repeated, narrowing his eyes into a sharp, judgmental glare. He relentlessly tore down her fabricated identity. "I've heard the name 'Dorothy' thrown around by a few people lately. If my memory serves me right, that's the name of a deeply infamous, notoriously underhanded witch who travels the world scamming, tricking, and stealing rare ÄRMs from anyone she crosses paths with."
He crossed his arms, staring her down. "That infamous witch named Dorothy... that wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
"Th-that..." Dorothy froze, her mind racing as she failed to formulate a coherent response.
While she was fully aware that her somewhat ruthless methods had tanked her reputation over the years, she never expected to be recognized and called out so effortlessly by a complete stranger. A sharp pang of regret hit her. I knew I should have used a fake name! I could have called myself Dolores or something! But it was too late to backtrack now.
"Judging by that reaction, you really are the notorious witch, Dorothy," Suyan chuckled, his tone shifting into something light and mocking. "Well, now that your little merchant cover is blown, what's your next move, Witch? Are you going to drop the act and try to take my ÄRMs by force?"
"Tch!" Dorothy clicked her tongue and looked away indignantly. "Who would do something as barbaric as that?!"
While she was certainly ruthless when it came to acquiring rare ÄRMs, her methods leaned heavily toward manipulation, trickery, and exploitation. She had never actually used her overwhelming magical power to blatantly mug an innocent person—unless they attacked her first with ill intent. If she went around slaughtering people for their loot, she wouldn't just be an "infamous witch"; she would be a highly wanted, evil criminal hunted by every nation.
"Is that so?" Suyan blinked, intentionally injecting a heavy dose of theatrical disappointment into his voice. "Well, that's a real shame. I was actually hoping you'd attack me."
He leaned in slightly, a wicked smirk on his face. "Because if you threw the first punch, and I ended up beating you... I suppose I could do whatever I wanted to you afterward, and nobody could say I was out of line, right? Such a shame!"
"You! What the hell is wrong with you?!" A thick vein throbbed visibly against Dorothy's temple. She balled her hands into tight fists, the veins popping on the backs of her hands as her face burned with indignation.
In that exact second—for just a single, fleeting second—Dorothy genuinely debated beating the living daylights out of him, stealing his ÄRMs, and leaving him bruised in an alley. But Suyan didn't give her the chance to explode. He casually turned his back to her, offering a dismissive wave.
"Whatever. Since you aren't going to fight me, I'll be taking my leave. Goodbye, beautiful Miss Witch."
With that, Suyan began walking away, silently counting down in his head. Three... Two...
"Wait a minute!"
Right on cue, Dorothy's desperate voice rang out behind him. Suyan paused, looking back over his shoulder with an expression of mild annoyance. "Is there something else you wanted, Miss Witch?"
"Um..." Dorothy faltered.
She had panicked and stopped him because she was desperate to get her hands on his rare ÄRMs, but she hadn't actually formulated a plan on how to get them. He already knew she was a witch. He hadn't attacked her like the other greedy idiots she usually dealt with, and he had simply turned around and walked away without a second thought. She was completely out of her depth here.
"If you don't have anything to say, I really am leaving now," Suyan said lightly, taking another step.
Patience is the ultimate bait. While sincerity was a fantastic finishing move—a trump card that paired well with almost anything—relying entirely on sincerity made you a fool, not a master. You needed tension. You needed the target to chase you.
Seeing her prize about to slip through her fingers, Dorothy panicked and blurted out the first high-value bargaining chip that crossed her mind. "Have you ever heard of Babbo?!"
"Babbo?" Suyan stopped in his tracks, mimicking a look of deep concentration as he muttered the name under his breath. Then, his eyes widened in fabricated realization. "When you say Babbo, are you talking about the legendary ÄRM wielded by Phantom—the leader of the Chess Pieces who plunged the entire magical world into war six years ago?"
"You actually know about it?" Dorothy was genuinely shocked that this random guy knew the lore, but a sharp sting of regret quickly followed. Why had she used Babbo as bait?!
Babbo wasn't just Phantom's primary weapon; it was undeniably one of the 798 artifacts her sister Diana had stolen from Caldia. More importantly, it was the most dangerous and unique ÄRM in that entire collection. Dorothy had spent years tracking down whispers and rumors, finally confirming that the Cross Guard—the heroes who won the war six years ago—had sealed Babbo away in a highly secure, hidden location. She had just handed over her most valuable secret to a complete stranger!
But then, rationalization set in. Countless greedy treasure hunters have tried to find Babbo over the last six years, she reminded herself. Some of them even managed to locate the seal. But they all failed to retrieve it, and many never returned. The seal was protected by lethal traps and guardians. Using this arrogant, capable guy as a meat shield to clear the traps wasn't a terrible idea. If he dies down there because of his own greed, even better! I'll just scoop up Babbo and scrape his rare ÄRMs off his corpse.
Having convinced herself of this flawless, morally ambiguous plan, Dorothy smiled confidently. "Since you know what Babbo is, this makes things much easier. I know exactly where it's sealed."
She stepped closer, offering a conspiratorial grin. "Your combat skills are pretty impressive. If you're interested, we can team up, bypass the seal, and claim Babbo together."
"Oh?" Suyan raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised that she had pulled the Babbo card just to get a shot at his rings. He immediately pointed out the obvious flaw. "And what happens after we find it? There's only one Babbo, but there are two of us. How exactly do we split the loot?"
"Well, about that~" Dorothy tilted her head away, puffing her cheeks out in an exaggerated pout. God, this guy is so annoying! Can't he just be blinded by greed like everyone else? But to reclaim Caldia's ÄRMs, she swallowed her irritation. Turning back with a bright, entirely fake smile, she offered, "Why don't we worry about that after we actually secure Babbo? What do you say?"
"I suppose that works for me," Suyan nodded agreeable.
His end goal had never been Babbo; it was the witch standing in front of him. As for the legendary ÄRM itself? Babbo was the most unique artifact forged in Caldia. It possessed true sentience and could move and operate entirely on its own, without requiring any magic from a host. More importantly, while history remembered Babbo as Phantom's weapon during the First War Game, the truth was far darker. Babbo contained the soul of an ancient, profoundly evil entity known as The Orb. The Orb was the true mastermind behind the Chess Pieces, the king hiding in the shadows who had corrupted Diana's mind and forced her to steal the ÄRMs.
During the climax of the war six years ago, when Phantom and the protagonist's father, Danna, engaged in a mutual-kill strike, The Orb had forcibly swapped souls with Danna. The Orb took over Danna's human body, while Danna's soul was forcefully sealed inside the metallic shell of Babbo. Suyan had zero interest in dealing with a sentient, highly opinionated ÄRM, and he had even less interest in wielding another protagonist's middle-aged father as a blunt instrument.
Seeing Suyan agree, Dorothy breathed a massive sigh of relief. She had finally managed to reel in this infuriatingly difficult man.
"I take it you don't have any pressing engagements right now?" she asked briskly. "We should move immediately. The sooner we get to the seal, the less chance there is for unexpected complications."
"I've got nothing but time. I'm ready when you are," Suyan agreed cheerfully.
"Good. Follow my lead." Dorothy nodded gracefully. "Nature ÄRM, Zephyrus Broom!"
She summoned her signature weapon, a large, ornate witch's broom. She intended to straddle the broom and fly them both to the underground palace where Babbo was sealed. However, the moment her hips settled onto the wooden handle, before she could even channel her magic to lift off...
Suyan casually hopped onto the back of the broom, sliding up right behind her. Without an ounce of hesitation, he wrapped his arms securely around the witch's soft, slender waist.
Dorothy's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her entire body violently jolted like she had been electrocuted. She frantically shoved his arms off her, a deafening, high-pitched shriek tearing from her throat. "You jerk! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
So her waist is incredibly sensitive, huh? Suyan deduced calmly, watching her complete meltdown. He kept that observation to himself, instead rubbing the back of his neck with a helpless shrug. "I need a lift, Miss Witch."
"You—!" Dorothy's face burned scarlet. Half of it was pure fury, and the other half was the sheer shock of a man grabbing her waist for the very first time. She grabbed Suyan by the collar of his shirt, practically spitting in his face as she roared, "Are you kidding me right now?! You're a wind-element user! What kind of wind-element user doesn't know how to fly?!"
Somewhere in the Pokémon world, a permanently grounded Groudon felt deeply offended by the stray bullet.
Suyan remained silent, offering her a look of profound, deeply unconvincing innocence. He would love to fly, truly! But unfortunately, he hadn't developed or stolen a Nen ability capable of unassisted flight just yet.
"Nature ÄRM, Storm Ring Fan!"
Suyan conjured Karaku's fan once again and casually tossed it into Dorothy's hands. He offered her an embarrassed, self-deprecating smile. "As much as I hate to admit it, this Nature ÄRM is only capable of generating high-pressure gales. It doesn't have any utility for sustained flight."
"This..." Dorothy stared at the fan in her hands, completely bewildered.
Did this guy seriously just hand over an ultra-rare Nature ÄRM to her?! Wasn't he terrified she would just steal it and fly away? She was the notorious, thieving witch of Caldia, for crying out loud! She gave the fan a cursory inspection, confirming its immense power, before reluctantly tossing it back to him. "What about the other ÄRMs you've got? Don't tell me none of them can fly!"
Suyan held up his hand, pointing to the Vongola Rings decorating his fingers. "This one is a lightning-attribute Nature ÄRM. This one is water-attribute. This one is—"
"Wait, wait, wait." Dorothy held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "Aren't you a wind-element user? Why do you have so many different elemental ÄRMs equipped?"
In the magical world, the compatibility between an ÄRM and its wielder was governed by a concept known as "magic wavelengths." Using an ÄRM that perfectly matched your innate wavelength not only drastically amplified the weapon's destructive output, but also significantly reduced the magical drain on the user's stamina. For example, in the anime's final battles, the plant-user Jack utilized a wildly powerful fire-attribute Nature ÄRM from Caldia to defeat an opponent. However, within minutes, the fire ÄRM completely drained Jack's mana reserves, nearly killing him in the process, simply because the fire wavelength violently clashed with his innate plant wavelength.
Because of this strict limitation, elemental magic users exclusively stuck to ÄRMs of their own affinity. Someone like Suyan, who casually walked around with a rainbow of clashing elemental ÄRMs strapped to his hand, was practically unheard of.
"Never mind." Dorothy rubbed her temples, a migraine beginning to form.
Watching Suyan eagerly prepare to explain the abilities of every single ring, and realizing he didn't seem to be lying about his inability to fly, she decided to just drop it. Whatever. He already touched my waist once. Letting him ride behind me won't kill me. She justified it to herself as offering a dying man one last, generous blessing before the traps at Babbo's seal inevitably ripped him to shreds.
Dorothy cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "Fine. I'll let you ride the Zephyrus Broom with me. But you are not allowed to fidget, and you are absolutely not allowed to touch me unnecessarily. Understood?"
"Loud and clear. No problem at all," Suyan agreed instantly.
"It better not be a problem," Dorothy threatened, shooting him a vicious glare over her shoulder. "Because if you try anything funny, I won't hesitate to toss you out of the sky."
She leveled the Zephyrus Broom in the air and carefully sat down on the front half. Even though she was mentally prepared for it this time, the moment Suyan slid in behind her and wrapped his arms securely around her waist, a violent shiver wrecked her frame. A strange, inexplicable sensation bloomed in her chest.
She forced herself to focus forward. "Hold on tight."
In the next second, the broom shot into the sky, carrying them high above the clouds.
They hadn't been flying for long before Dorothy finally snapped. "Hey! Can you stop shaking so much?! Do you want me to throw you off right now?!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Suyan quickly apologized, his voice laced with forced embarrassment. "This is actually my first time ever experiencing flight like this. I'm just a little overwhelmed and excited. I'll try to keep it together."
Hearing that, Dorothy fell silent. She couldn't help but feel a strange pang of fondness for the man sitting behind her. He was surprisingly simple-minded, getting so worked up and excited over something as basic as flying. It was hard to figure him out. Her mind drifted back to her own childhood, recalling the sheer, unadulterated joy she felt the first time Diana gifted her the Zephyrus Broom. She remembered the thrill of her first flight, the wind in her hair, her sister's warm smile.
Will I ever be able to go back to those days? she wondered melancholically.
Suddenly, driven by a whim, she called out to him over the rushing wind. "Hey, what did you say your name was? You never actually introduced yourself, did you?"
"Suyan," he replied smoothly.
"Hm?" Dorothy's entire body went rigid as she felt a sudden, distinct shift in the way he was holding her. Her voice cracked with flustered irritation. "You! What is it this time?! If you keep acting weird, I really am going to drop you!"
"My bad, my bad," Suyan chuckled softly, his breath tickling her ear. "I just saw a really silly-looking dog running around down on the ground, and it distracted me. Don't worry about it. Let's keep heading to the seal."
"A silly dog?" Dorothy blinked, her curiosity instantly piqued.
She followed his gaze, peering over the edge of the broom to look at the landscape sprawling far below them. There wasn't a dog anywhere in sight. Instead, she saw a goofy, incredibly hyperactive boy with spiky blonde hair sprinting frantically across a dirt road, looking completely lost. But watching the kid's wildly exaggerated, idiotic movements, she had to admit Suyan's description of a 'silly dog' was painfully accurate.
Puppies like that were the easiest marks in the world. If she were flying solo, she absolutely would have swooped down, thoroughly investigated the kid for rare ÄRMs, and scammed him out of every copper coin he possessed. But she had a much bigger fish to fry right now. Furthermore, she had this infuriatingly handsome man sitting right behind her, plastered against her back. She absolutely refused to let a third party see her in such a compromising, intimate position with a man.
Dorothy huffed, adopting a haughty, tsundere tone. "I'll let it slide this one time. But if you try my patience again, I really, really will throw you to the wolves."
"Got it," Suyan replied absentmindedly.
His eyes were glued to the shrinking figure of the blonde-haired boy far below them. It was Ginta Toramizu, the newly summoned hero of this world. What were the odds that Ginta would crash-land into this magical realm on the exact same day Suyan successfully lured Dorothy into his trap?
Then again, it made sense timeline-wise. Snow White had already fled Lestava castle and was actively being hunted by Loco and Ian. The catalyst for the main plot had already been triggered. What surprised Suyan was simply the geographical proximity. In a quasi-medieval world where communication and travel speeds were agonizingly slow, finding Dorothy in just three days was an absurd stroke of luck. It turned out she was already operating in the same starting zone as the protagonist.
Suyan had no intention of causing unnecessary complications or interfering with Ginta just yet. He merely adjusted his grip, wrapping his arms just a fraction of an inch tighter around Dorothy's slender waist.
Dorothy's face immediately flushed with annoyance, but she quickly tamped down her temper. He's probably just scared I'm actually going to drop him, so he's holding on for dear life, she rationalized, her heart beating a little faster. It's just a little tighter. We've already flown this far, and I'm honestly getting used to his body heat against my back. Besides, she reasoned, he was going to meet a horrific end at the bottom of the dungeon very soon. Why bicker with a dead man walking?
Comforting herself with that morbid thought, Dorothy channeled more magic into the broom, significantly boosting their speed. They left the blonde-haired 'silly dog' far behind in the dust.
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