Chapter 35:

Tough Choices

The Little Witch Who Loves Slimes Just A Little Too Much

“...N-Nora?”

I jolt awake.

As soon as I see Lucas gazing at me, I fall apart. I can’t help but cry.

“I’m so sorry, Lucas. It’s all my fault. I should've listened. I’m a terrible friend. Arthur’s right, something’s wrong with me. I almost got you killed all so I could save some monster. I understand if you hate me now—”

“Nora, can you come closer, please?”

As I lean in, Lucas gives me a warm smile, wipes the tears away from my face, then pulls me into his chest and holds me tight as he pats my head.

“I could never hate you, Nora. Sure, you made a mistake, and I won’t lie—a pretty big one at that—but you’ll learn from it and become an even greater summoner than you are now.”

He tilts my face toward his and looks me in the eyes.

“Arthur’s wrong. There’s nothing broken about you. It’s your boundless compassion that makes you so incredible. And my stance hasn’t changed. If you really did make peace with the monsters near your village, then I just know we can accomplish that across the kingdom…

“But getting everybody on board… you’re gonna have to start developing a more nuanced philosophy, and contemplate what that peace would really look like. Everything can’t be black and white. Just as not every person is redeemable, neither is every monster. You also can’t weigh every life as equal in value. We have to stay pragmatic. There are going to be situations where we simply can’t save everybody. You have to learn to weigh the risks and make tough choices.”

I nod. “I promise, Lucas, no matter how heartwrenching the choices I have to make are, no matter how hard I have to work, no matter how much pain I have to endure, I’ll do everything in my power to save as many lives as I can.”

He smiles and pats my head.

“You may not get it right every time, but until we achieve the peace we're trying to create, I’ll be right there by your side every step of the way.”

“Lucas... I—”

Suddenly, I hear whimpering coming from behind me.

Petra’s crying in the doorway, with Arthur and Vincent standing behind her.

Heat rushes to my face. “How much of that did you—”

Petra runs toward us before throwing herself onto the bed, crushing us under her bulk. “That—that—that was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard!”

Lucas struggles to breathe. “Alright, Petra. I already almost died once this mission—please don’t make it twice.”

Vincent turns to Arthur. “You see now why each of us has come to put our trust in her?”

“...I’ll be outside.” Arthur walks off.

***

Eventually, we arrive back at the cave, having decided to give the mission another go—without Vincent’s help. We’ve also rejected the notion of luring it outside and having Arthur’s dragon take care of it for us. We’re determined to prove we’re capable of taking down this monster ourselves.

Vincent is, however, on standby outside, and reminds us not to repeat the same rookie mistake of getting caught up in the heat of battle—that if a battle looks unwinnable, there’s always the option of fleeing.

Trekking back inside the cave, we find the Verdant Bearowl’s been trying to smash its way through the barricade Arthur put up. We all get into position, ready to put our new plan into action.

As soon as it breaks through, its movements are sluggish, worn down from struggling against the barricade for so long. Pudding and I pepper it with sticky shots to slow it down even further. It charges at us, but the others intercept it and start knocking it around from all sides.

Sugarcube pesters the bearowl from above until it stands up to take a swipe at him, but as soon as it does, Lucas throws a chemical bomb at its face—the combined product of his engineering knowledge and my botanical knowledge—momentarily blinding it.

The second it starts to stumble backward, Petra and Pepper tackle it to the ground, each pinning one of its arms. Arthur and Lucas try to pin its legs, while Pudding, who I’ve fed a handful of herbs to increase his size and weight, pins the bearowl’s torso.

Now on its back, I can trap it much quicker with my earth magic than before—

My stomach drops.

On the bottom of its backfoot, where there’s no plating, I find a festering orange wound

Everything suddenly clicks into place.

Tears begin streaming down my cheeks as soon as I realize what I have to do.

My spell unravels as I send myself flying toward the beast in a burst of wind.

Lucas shouts, “Nora?! What are you—”

“Petra! Hold its mouth open with your club!” I yell.

“What?!”

“Just do it!”

I land by the bearowl’s head and point my wand straight down its throat.

Its outside may be fire resistant… but its insides aren’t.