The witch wants to survive.
W. Flower_Hwaryeong
After waking up, V had been overly attentive to Karcia's condition. He'd even summoned a doctor to take her pulse and fed her all sorts of healthy meals. Whenever she showed even the slightest sign of refusing, saying it seemed excessive, she'd immediately recoil like a wet puppy, her eyes watering. So, she'd been forced to accept his care for four days. Her body was fine. The only problem was the scar on her stomach. While the reason for her body swapping remained unknown, the scar was still evident even in her new form. Karcia rubbed the edge of her stomach.
“…Is this something you told me to never forget?”
Irene's last words flashed through my mind. "... We truly care for you. So, just this once, please..." The words wouldn't come to mind. What on earth was it? I racked my brain, trying to think, but no words would pop into my empty head.
“This is driving me crazy…”
“Carcia, Carcia!! I told you to stand up!!…”
V, who entered the room carrying lunch, saw her standing up and quickly pulled her back to sit on the bedside table. Displeased with being treated like a seriously ill patient, she narrowed her eyes. V, seemingly oblivious to the stare, cooled the soup he had brought and served it to her mouth.
“Come on, come on in.”
“…I’m fine now. Can you stop now?”
“No. You died and came back to life, so why do you talk so much?”
“The congressman said he was fine too!!”
The congressman had even told him there was no need to worry, saying he was healthy and in good shape. So why was he making such a fuss? When V showed a look of incomprehension, his face quickly drooped and he put down his spoon.
“…I’m worried. I’m worried that you’ll suddenly leave me like that time.”
Again, he looked as if he was about to burst into tears. Well, I couldn't say anything even if he came out like this. He died while I was out suppressing the northern monsters. How shocked he must have been... I understood, but this wasn't right. I patted him on the back without saying anything, and he seemed to understand my approval, so he picked up the spoon again and brought it to me.
“Well then, first of all, this…”
“Enough. This is enough.”
Still, it's not like that. When I flatly refused, he once again slumped and put down the spoon. If this continued, I would become lazy before I could even begin my revenge. First, I asked V about my body. I was going to ask him to find out where my original body went and whose body it was now. But V's complexion was somehow off. It seemed like he'd been in an accident, or maybe he was in pain. So, I put my hand on my forehead and, oh my gosh... I was boiling with fever.
"you!!…"
“No! I’m really okay.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Are you in a position to take care of me right now?!!”
I dragged him by the collar and laid him down on the bed. He lay still, as if he knew he was wrong. I was so dumbfounded that I glared at him with my arms crossed, when V suddenly complained of pain and bent over. He seemed to be covering his head, so I turned him over, wondering if he had a cold, but Carcia stopped when she saw him. He wasn't holding his head. That was... his face, or more precisely, his left eye.
“You… what the hell were you doing while I was dead?”
“…Haha, it’s nothing, ugh!!…”
It wasn't a big deal, but the pain was starting to rise, veins bulging in his hands and forehead. Carcia knew that agonizing pain. So, she'd promised that child wouldn't suffer like this... but what? This child was already in such pain. She quickly reached out and used healing magic on V's eyes. But...
“What? Why isn’t it working?…”
If the magic power had leaked out, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed. But why wasn't the healing magic working? Surely,
“When I go back, my body will be different from before.
“You’ll only know that when you wake up.”
Was part of his power sealed?… Surprised for a moment, Vie Carcia, groaning in pain, used a sympathetic spell. A sympathetic spell is similar to a painkiller. It acts to reduce pain. After applying the spell to his left eye, the pain finally subsided, and Vie Carcia, breathing slowly, spoke in an angry voice.
“V, what on earth have you done?”
“…That’s nothing special,”
"Don't tell me it's nothing. I saw it with my own eyes, and you'd lie like this? Do you not want to be by my side anymore?"
No!!… V, who had suddenly raised his upper body, grabbed the edge of Karcia’s slip in a hurry. This was Karcia’s unique way of handling V. When he said the words he was most afraid of, “Don’t you want to be next to me?”, he immediately listened. This time, there was no change. When he nodded as if to tell her to speak, she quickly began to speak fluently. The events that had happened in the short time Karcia was unconscious were truly shocking.
“Are you crazy enough to sign a contract?!!”
He bowed his head, speechless. Exasperated, Carcia felt a surge of heat throughout his body, and he began fanning himself with his hand, running his fingers through his hair. A contract was, quite literally, a barter. The god and the contract holder exchanged what they wanted. It was obvious. The god would have wanted his eyes, and V would have wanted Carcia's resurrection. It was absurd. Even the god spoke as if he was going to save them, but he was actually making a contract?
“But… I would have made the same choice!! Losing Karcia would have been like losing my life!!…”
“Even so, how could you possibly think of giving me your eyes?!!”
Just because he looked fine, it wasn't everything. V said his left eye was completely dark, making it impossible to see anything. When I asked him to tell me everything, God said the pain would last for a few days and that it might hurt occasionally. So, I asked him if he knew anything about his changed body, and V opened his mouth cautiously.
"...The owner of this body is the daughter of the Duke of Edenberg. Just as I was escorting Lord Carcia to the mansion, the Duke of Edenberg's carriage overturned, killing everyone in the family. So, I brought the body of the recently deceased princess and placed Lord Carcia's soul within it..."
Ha… How did he survive? It's truly remarkable. To take over a dead person's body. I tried to suppress my anger. I was so angry, but I couldn't be angry at a sick child, so I tried to hold it in. But how easy is that? I watched him closely, and as he grabbed my hand, saying, "It's Karsian..." I held it in until I finally exploded in anger.
"Are you really out of your mind?!? Yeah, I guess my body is like that, I'm dead. But, are you crazy enough to sign a contract?! I told you to take good care of your body, didn't I?"
"...That's the same for you, Karcia. When I returned from subduing the monsters, I believed you'd welcome me back, saying you'd done well. But when you returned as a cold corpse, how do you think I felt?"
He had nothing to say. He was already dead at the time. How could he understand when he wasn't involved? But still, this wasn't right… Carcia placed a hand on her forehead and chewed her lip. She knew she'd be sad, but she didn't want him to sacrifice himself to save her. Rather than feeling grateful, she felt more heartbroken. It felt like she was suffering pain she didn't need to endure because of him.
“……Haa, let’s talk about it later. You get better first.”
“Carshi,”
“Sigh. Just stay still. If you get out of bed, I really won’t see you.”
After making her request and leaving the bedroom, Carcia first decided on her priorities. Revenge required status, and since she happened to be the daughter of a duke, she needed to first devour the duke.
It's not too late to take it slow. It's better that way. Take it slow.I'll squeeze your breath.