The Wandering Witch VOL. 2 - The Witchfolk Genocide Arc

12.1| The Kingdom of Gisnell

"... You're right. It is a rabbit." Noct muttered.

Chell nodded. And then, without waiting for the thief or saying anything else, she turned back to the path they had been walking on, leaving him behind. Noct had stared at her small retreating figure, still squatted down, a look of disbelief on his face. With the forest surrounding them and coloring the scenery in a vivid green, the Snow Witch clearly stood out among the canopy, glowing in an almost faint silver light. In the forest, she had allowed her long white hair to fall freely. She was wearing the same silver clothes from when they first met, tailoring them with her magic so that it looked as good as new. All of the bloodstains had completely vanished from the fine cloth. To Noct, she looked like a priest, or almost even an angel, perhaps.

As he studied her then, a strong breeze passed by, rustling the trees and causing the leaves to dance. A few birds cried out, flying over the gaps in the greenwood. Chell suddenly paused. She looked above her. The entire scene gave a kind of surreal feeling. To a stranger's eyes, the Snow Witch might have looked like one of the mythical forest sprites, peaceful and magical beings born from nature itself. But Noct knew that it was only a trick of the eye, a false impression. No one would ever expect that someone as innocent looking as her was hiding a human skull inside of her satchel, nor the fact that she was actually a Titled Witch—the infamous Snow Witch rumored to be a notorious, merciless woman.

Noct had sighed. Did I really just swear an oath to this feeble-looking girl?

He stood up, wiping sweat from his cheek. He tugged at his scarf. Then, shaking his head, he had followed after her.

Five days ago, when they had chosen to escape Uldard undetected, the witch had suddenly requested that they get off the wagon by the forest a few miles away from the kingdom. After they had, she then announced to Noct that they would be walking the rest of the way to avoid any trouble. They would cut through the forest path until they reached their destination, a kingdom to the north of Uldard, she explained quietly. Noct wasn't in any place to refuse. For one, he didn't know a single thing about the lands outside of Uldard. For two, she was the one who had guaranteed to be his benefactor, after all. The least that he could do was to follow her request.

Ah, until I don't need to, that is...

In the end, however, they got lost for a few times.

As it turned out, the Snow Witch had a terrible sense of direction. At first, he hadn't thought that it was possible, considering how confident she had been in leading him the way. That was, until he realized on the first day that they had been passing the same oak tree for a quite while already. When his uneasiness finally took over him, Noct asked Chell if she knew where they were going. She had paused for a long time before answering him. For a split second, he thought he saw her eyes flicker to one side.

She spoke quietly. "... Yes."

Noct had stopped walking. He then titled his head. "Are you sure, little miss?"

She paused again, before nodding only once. There was an uncertain look in her eyes.

He smiled uneasily. "... Are you really, really sure you know the path?"

Chell blinked at him. Then, she finally looked away. Mumbling in a quiet tone, she answered hesitantly. "I... have a map..."

"Ah, you do?" Noct tried to mask the relief that could be heard in his voice. "May I see it?"

With some reluctance, she had handed him a folded and crumpled-looking parchment from her satchel. Luckily, Noct had been taught how to read maps before by the Pierrot. This was essential when he had needed to find any escape routes in Uldard while he was in the middle of a steal. When Noct looked over the map, it was only then when he realized they had been going in circles.

In the end, the thief ended up being the one to lead the way despite being the one most unfamiliar with his surroundings.

On the second night, as they had sat around a small fire, Noct had asked Chell how she managed to make her way to Uldard without getting lost or robbed or even killed on the journey. He had voiced out the question by accident when he could not take the silence anymore, although he was half-serious and half-kidding at the same time. It had been on his mind a lot. If she was this horrible at traveling alone, then it was a mystery how she managed to stay unharmed until now. In reply, Chell had turned to him with her silver piercing eyes that seemed almost eerie in the glow of the firelight.

"... The dead... guided me," she whispered heavily as an answer. The fire crackled. Her tone had implied that she didn't want Noct to question any further.

So she was led by them. Of course.

He shifted uncomfortably. "I... see."

The thief decided to stray away from bringing up topics about the dead after that.

They continued to travel through the dense forest that seemed like a limitless expanse of trees and grass. On days, they walked. On nights, they slept. The rations Noct had brought for them provided enough food for a few more days. Water posed a small threat, since it could be taken from any running streams of springs they encountered. If it came down to it, Noct was confident in his ability to catch any rabbits or elks he might encounter.

Throughout the journey, an unsettling silence had draped over them like a thin veil. For Noct who was used to the noisy bustle of a crowded kingdom day and night, the sudden peace had left him with an uneasy feeling. It was not soon before he began to long for the presence of other people, for any signs and sounds of life that weren't from the woodland creatures. He was getting tired of listening to the whispers of the trees and the sounds of the occasional small animal that they happened to meet. He'd find comfort in reminding himself that in each step, their destination was surely getting ever closer. Noct could feel it. The last time he checked the map, he was certain they were very close already. It was only a matter of time.

In that moment, the sudden sound of the rustling of bushes snapped Noct out of his unpleasant reverie. He turned around to look as a small deer quickly sauntered away, most likely startled by their presence. Distracted by the animal, Noct tripped over an overgrown tree root and almost fell face-first into the ground if it weren't for the low tree branch that he managed to hold on to at the last moment. He grunted in embarrassment and annoyance at himself, muttering curses to the trees under his breath as he looked up. He realized that Chell had stopped moving and was standing by his side, her gaze fixated at a view in front of them. He followed her example. Noct felt a smile of relief slowly creep up his face.

A single word escaped his mouth, laced with a feeling of utter relief. "Finally."

He had not noticed it at first, but they were standing at a clearing at the edge of a low hill. In the far distance, they finally saw their four-day long destination.

With high defensive walls and hundreds of multicolored rooftops jutting from the inside, it almost looked like a close replica of the kingdom of Uldard—except this one was slightly smaller. Even from their position, they could hear the sound of the busy morning hustle and bustle. As he narrowed his eyes to see better, he could discern the ant-like movements of the people within the walls. Noct's sight trailed over to the largest figure he could see from their vantage point, the distant and enormous snow white palace located at the tip of the kingdom's highest point. Even from afar, he could view the building's elaborate architecture, the two tall spiral towers that rose up from each ends, the vast garden that housed ornamented plants. The thief could only imagine how long it took to build such a grandiose structure and how much it costed. He blinked, tearing his gaze away from it and surveying the crooked streets again. They were here. They had finally arrived at the place that they had been traveling days for.

The Kingdom of Gisnell.

----> thank you for reading!

Q:
What do you think about Chell and Noct's interactions?