Chapter 3: The Witch Part II

Early in the morning, we kept having conversations about yesterday.

“You kept bugging Ace?”

Shinsui’s face turned into something like the bees stung him.

“O wos jost! O jost wont to sloop togothor woth hor bot sho totolly clobborod mo toll O wos knockod.”

Yeah, all the vowels turned O because he can’t speak well.

“Good morning, everyone! How was it? Did you sleep well?”

The princess arrived. She’s very pretty.

“Thank you for accommodating us, your highness. We will now take a look at the castle.”

Nitsuji said.

“Jairo, did you sleep well?”

The princess linked her hand on the bastard.

“Yes.”

The bastard replied.

“Really? That’s great!”

Then the princess looked at us, girls, with cold eyes.

“I heard you didn’t sleep with your fiancée. Did you fight or something?”

The princess asked the bastard.

“No, your highness. They just love each other so much that they’re so worried that they’ll commit a mistake since they’re too young.”

Nitsuji said that without batting an eye!

You just say what your mind was thinking, aren’t you, Nitsuji?

“I’ll get you for this, Nitsuji.”

I said while smirking at Nitsuji.

“Are you really together?”

The princess asked the bastard.

“Of course no—!”

Nee-chee and Shinsui stopped me again by covering my mouth.

“She said ‘of course’, your highness!”

Nee-chee laughingly said.

“Ah, the castle will be having a ball tonight. Satchel might be coming so will you please guard milady?”

Who’s this? I think I haven’t seen this guy yesterday.

“Let me introduce to you my loyal butler. He’s name is Warrod.”

Then Warrod bowed to us. You had a different butler yesterday.

“According to my sources, Satchel will be coming at the ball for milady’s head.”

Warrod explained.

“I get the point. Do you have any picture of this Satchel? Since he’s the enemy, could you also please bring the available details about him? Maybe we’ll have the lead on where to find him.”

Nitsuji asked Warrod.

“Yes.”

He replied.

“Everyone, come at the ball with me! Especially you, Jairo! I want you to be around!”

The princess insisted.

“Okay, guys. Here’s the plan.”

Nitsuji said after the princess and her butler left.

“Jairo, Jen, Ken and Nee-chee, you guard the castle as well as the princess. The remaining will locate Satchel’s whereabouts. We’ll be contacting each other using the Telepin, got that?”

“Okay!”

We all agreed.

Before Nitsuji and his group left, he said something to me.

We arrived at the ball too early.

“Shouldn’t we patrolling right now?”

Ken asked.

“I’ll stay here. The bastard is with the princess right now. Ken, could you and Nee-chee roam around the castle instead of the four of us?”

I asked Ken.

“Sure. We’ll go now.”

Ken agreed.

“Be careful, Jen!”

Nee-chee said.

“What’s the real story about this case?”

I asked myself.

“Thank you for attending this ball. I would like to thank the following.”

The princess’ speech was too long.

I was looking at the bastard and the princess without averting my eyes on them but all of a sudden, omeone grabbed me. He covered my mouth so I couldn’t shout for help. He’s wearing a glove with a sleeping gas and I fell unconscious.

When I woke up, my hands were already tied up. Damn, I have a dislocated hand and now this?

“Where am I?”

It’s so dark, I couldn’t see anything. Ever since I was little, I’ve been so scared of dark places.

That’s when the light turned on.

“Who’s there?”

“You’re awake? We’ve already captured your friends!”

I heard a familiar voice.

“It’s you?”

I had been thinking who’s the one behind me and I guess I was totally right.

“It’s the butler, Warrod.”

I said.

“Indeed.”

He clapped his hands.

“Why are you doing this? Where’s my partner?”

I tried to struggle with the chains.

“You need not to know.”

He said.

As I kept questioning him, I had freed my hand from the chains using the Laser Ring, one of Hashimaru’s gadget, it has the ability to produce laser beams normally to cut metals like chains, and I got freed easily. I fell down.

“Ouch!”

My butt hurt.

“As expected of an agent, you’re not an average young girl.”

I was shocked when he was already in front of me by the time I fell. He strangled me.

“I’m a professional assassin. You can’t beat me. Just stay quiet while your friends are being killed.”

When he said that, my mind went blank.

No, it will happen again. That same scene will be exposed to me again.

“Ace’s not breathing!”

“What happened here? Ken’s not moving anymore. Her pulse not beating anymore.”

I don’t want that. I don’t want everyone else to die ever again. Not when I’m still breathing.

Please let me protect all of them.

Suddenly, a strong whirlwind started circling around me.

“Wha—! What’s happening!”

“I don’t care if you’re an assassin. I won’t let anyone lay a finger on my friends.”

I said.

I looked at him and I felt weird. It was like my whole body was burning inside. I don’t know what’s happening.

The dress I was wearing was torn as the wind started to run rampant.

I also don’t know how I look that time. It felt like the air was not invisible to me. I can see the small molecules of the gas as if I could touch it. When I came to my senses, Warrod, the butler, was already there lying on the ground unconscious.

I left the room and had to get back to the main hall. As I approached the door, I saw the men who were there at the ball lying on the floor mummified. I don’t know what’s going on but I need to find the bastard as soon as possible.

I promised Nitsuji just a moment ago.

“Jen, I don’t know who’s the real enemy so please look out for Jairo. He seemed like he’s not himself so look out for him.”

“The bastard is good to go even if I don’t babysit him.”

I was scared seeing the guys that seemed like every youth has been sucked out from them. I had to search for my friends.

I found everyone, only the girls, tied up on the wall like a painting inside the princess’ chamber.

“Ken!”

I saw her hanging there.

“Jen.”

I heard Ken’s voice as she call me.

“Are you alright? Wait, I’ll get you down from there.”

I managed to get them down.

“What happened? Where’s Nee-chee?”

“I don’t know what happened.”

Ken touched her forehead.

“What?”

I contacted Nitsuji.

“Nitsuji? Where are you?”

“Jen, are you alright? I tried to reach out to you and Nee-chee but neither of you wasn’t answering.”

Nitsuji explained.

“The situation’s gravely. Come here quick!”

I exclaimed.

“I also found out the true situation.”

Nitsuji added.

I used the Trackstone, Hashimaru’s gadget, serves as tracking device, to locate them. As it moved, we followed it.

We all met below the underground tunnel.

“Sorry, I’m too careless. We realized that Satchel is not after the princess’ life. This is him. Satchel is not an outlaw. He’s just a common man.”

Nitsuji explained.

“We found out that Satchel is not after the princess life but vice versa. The princess was after Satchel’s life that’s why; he kept hiding from place to place.”

Shinsui added.

“What exactly is the princess?”

Ken asked.

“No, she’s not the true princess. That woman is a witch. She’s tricking everyone. She cursed the true princess using her witchcrafts and turned her into a plant.”

Satchel explained.

Was that the flower I saw when we were talking with the witch?

“I used to serve the late princess. Please believe me. That witch sucks the youth of every man she used to like; she hates girls. Her endless beauty was because of her sucking of life energy of men.”

Satchel said.

“Pray for your soul, bastard.”

I jokingly said.

“Quit it, Jen!”

Everyone said.

“I think the one who called the agency for help was the real Princess Nereya. When we came here, she was already turned into a plant and then, the witch took her place. The question is why? Why did she pretend to be the princess? It seems like she’s scheming something.”

Ace deducted.

“Isn’t that obvious already? Satchel said that the witch sucks the youth of the men she likes. Considering that she also likes Satchel here. She wanted to get him by pretending to be the princess. I’d take a guess; by the time we arrived here, she already laid her eyes to the bastard. She wanted to get both of them.”

I explained.

“That witch used to like you too, Mr. Satchel?”

Ken asked.

“Yes. That’s why I kept hiding.”

He replied.

“The butler is also an assassin.”

He added.

“Yeah, he just tried to kill me a while ago.”

I responded.

“Let’s go save him.”

Nitsuji said.

When we arrived, everyone was there.

“Oh! You’re here, Satchel! What a pleasant surprise!”

“Actually, we came here too.”

Shy and Ace said.

The bastard was also unconscious. He’s lying on a bed while we saw Nee-chee lying on the ground. Wow, a shocking treatment for guinea pigs.

“I’m sorry but we’re taking Jairo back with us!”

Shy said.

“You think you could beat me? Mere teenage agents can’t bring me down.”

The witch said.

“Are you okay, Nee-chee?”

Ken helped him stand.

“I’m glad that you’re safe, Ken. I thought you were—!”

Then Nee-chee suddenly stopped talking and he fainted.

“Nee-chee! Nee-chee!”

Ken was very worried.

“I was kidding actually!”

He jokingly said.

“Yeah! He’s completely doing just fine!”

We punched him.

“Are you planning to kill me?”

He’s crying like a baby.

“Do you want to die that much?”

The witch suddenly appeared right in front of us.

“Everyone, be careful!”

Nitsuji warned us.

I actually didn’t listen to him.

“Jen, I don’t know who’s the real enemy so please look out for Jairo. He seemed like he’s not himself, so look out for him.”

“The bastard’s good to go even if I don’t babysit him.”

I was guilty. I promised Nitsuji that I’ll look out for the bastard but he got captured and I couldn’t do anything just like that time.

I ran to where the bastard was lying the moment the witch averted her eyes away from him.

“Are you still alive or what? Open your eyes!”

I tapped him.

“No, Jen! Don’t!”

Ace exclaimed.

“What are you doing, you little girl! Get away from my Jairo!”

The witch shouted. Her angry voice made the tunnel shake. Everyone went paralyzed. I couldn’t move.

“You can’t win against me.”

The witch said.

“I can’t move. What’s happening?”

I asked.

She got Satchel too. What a witch!

“You are just making me angry, little girl!”

She sent me flying towards the wall.

“Ouch.”

My back hurt so bad.

“Jen!”

Everyone reacted.

“Stop! Don’t hurt her!”

Shy shouted.

“You girls are just too noisy!”

The witch said.

That time one of arms was already dislocated when I was sent flying towards the wall. I’m bleeding all over and I was still paralyzed.

“Jen, stop moving! You’re already bleeding!”

Nitsuji said.

“Don’t worry about me! I’m still fine!”

I said.

“How dare you do that to her!”

Ken angrily said.

“Shut up!”

The witch shouted so angrily.

I laughed.

“What are you laughing about?”

The witch asked.

“I really hate girls who think like ‘There’s no guy who would want to resist me’. You’re not Aphrodite for goodness sake!”

I smirked at her.

She just exploded out of anger because of me and as she was about to hold my hair, Nitsuji opened the flash bomb, which was very effective for witches and that was given to him by Hashimaru. With that, the witch seemed blinded and we got freed from the paralysis.

“Are you okay, Jen?”

Shy came to me.

“I’m fine.”

“I heard that witches are sensitive to light. I guess, it’s true then.”

Nitsuji said.

“Thank you, Nitsuji!”

I thanked him.

“No... no... My youth.”

The witch crawled like she was already dying. I guess the flash bomb was also fused with other stuffs that can kill witches. Not more than a minute, she melted away. After that, the real Princess Nereya returned to her original form and thanked us.

“Thank you for saving me.”

She said.

“No. We’re just doing our job, your highness.”

Nitsuji said.

What about the bastard?

He was still unconscious and because I promised Nitsuji that I’ll look out for him, they made me watch over him at the agency hospital.

“Why the hell am I doing this when I’m the injured one here?”

I asked myself.

The bastard finally regained consciousness.

“Oh? You’re awake already? Good.”

I said.

“What happened?”

He asked.

“The princess who fell in love with you was actually a witch. You were almost killed by her.”

I explained.

He stood in his bed as he kept touching his head.

“What’s wrong? Does your head hurt?”

I asked him.

“No, I’m okay.”

If he’s okay, can I go now?

“Seems like you’re okay now so I can go now right?”

I said.

“Wait, Jen! Is your hand okay now? You dislocated it, right?”

He knew too? That I dislocated it?

“Just do you think whose fault is that? It’s already fine so snap out of it.”

I was a bit angry.

“Did you get your arm injured too?”

He asked.

“It’s okay. I’m fine.”

He tried to reach my hand.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

At least he knew how to apologize.

“I don’t know the reason why you got easily captured by that witch. It felt like you weren’t yourself. It’s not like you.”

Then I left. I wondered why he did fall from the spells of that witch. I didn’t know his reasons but I felt like I was partly responsible for that. Well, just a hunch.