1 Year Before the Prologue
In the Heima Village's clearing where the moon hung high and everyone was sound asleep, sounds of wooden swords clashing echoed.
Two tall swordswomen, Saria and Emilia, sparred on the grassy plain, their intricate dance mirroring their years of experience in the decade-long crusade against the Witch of Pride's armies.
And two of the admirers hid in the bushes, peeking at the veterans' fight, as the pink and blue heads poked out from the greenery like sore thumbs.
"Hehehe...this world is truly wonderful sometimes..."
Mel muttered with a broad, foxy smile, her golden eyes curving like a predator to a prey, taking in the view with gratitude and amusement.
One of the swordswoman's abs poking out as she swung, the skin glimmering in the moonlight like an ethereal treasure.
"..."
Lila's eyes squinted in disgust. Her puffy cheeks and soft locks of light-blue hair made for a cuteness unmatched by any witches.
"Mel. We're here to ask for favours. Be polite."
The soft voice lightly scorned her childhood friend.
The two girls weren't hiding here for fun. With the academy's entrance exam just three months away and barely enough savings to afford a trip to the capital, they had come to ask for a ride in Emilia's carriage.
Mel nudged Lila, her smirk never fading. "Oh, jealous much?"
[The Witch of Envy looked at you with further disgust. Don't enjoy it too much!]
[Favourability: 30 -> 25 ]
"Yes, I am." Lila pouted. "Happy?"
"Much, much happier."
As Lila huffed and gazed back at the swordswomen, Mel chuckled to herself. Even when she was forcefully trasmigrated for a decade, Lila is more than worth it.
[ No need to thank me, Host! ]
Of course, my kidnapper. Mel smiled menacingly at the System panel, as the poor Lila shuddered at the sudden surge of bloodlust from her friend.
"Uh... are you okay, Mel?"
Observing the guilt in Lila's round blue eyes, Mel nodded frantically. "Yep, I'm fine! No worries, I'm not mad at you!"
Lila sighed in relief. "I...I didn't say anything yet..."
Mel's eyes blinked before musing on the troubled look on Lila's face.
Amused, she poked at Lila's right cheek. The skin was elastic and bouncy like a sponge.
"Then hide your emotion better next time, okay?"
Mel grinned. "It will be obvious if you fall in love with me. I'd hate an awkward confession when I already know the answer."
A slight blush crept up on Lila's cheeks. "Don-don't jest...come on. Let's focus back on academy ride thing first..."
Mel's lips curled up to a soft smile. She wished her Lila could loosen up for a while. Because unfortunately, the Academy held no cure for her sister's illness like she expected.
Even still, Mel would never allow the death of her sister-in-law, a tragic event that sparked Lila's hated for the World to ever come to pass.
[Envy peeked at you for reassurance. Comfort her, our Trashy Hero!]
A chuckle almost escaped Mel as she headpatted Lila, the silver-haired silkiness a pure bliss for the Witch's palm.
"I'm not joking, though?" Mel glanced at Lila's deepening blush. "I would be lucky to have Lila for the rest of my life."
[Favourability: 25 -> 35]
A satisfaction welled up in Mel's heart as she felt Lila lean into the touch. Years of practising flirting with her friend paid off, and Lila's whimpering tugged her heart.
"Me too...but..."
Lila's eyes darted to the Swordswomen fights once again. More elegant, more tactful, more masculine.
Mel knowingly interrupted her self-depreciating thoughts. "Mhm. I agree. We're still too young."
The confused gaze turned to her, before Mel pulled up the most intelligent look she could muster. "An older Lila would look even cuter after all."
Then her head met a hand chop and a grumbling Lila. "The same flirt won't work on me twice."
"Oh look, you are blushing again."
"I-I am not."
Mel teased. "Need a mirror? I want my Lila to remember how sweet of a tomato mush her face always wears."
The seducer nodded to herself, thoroughly enjoying the stuttering Lila she was used to all these years.
Another tease was about to flow out naturally, before her neck's sleeve was pulled up, forcing her to stand face-to-face with another familiar face.
A cold sweat dripped from her forehead. "Ah...hi, sister Saria..."
The brown-ponytailed swordswoman, who just finished her nightly spar with her old comrade, glanced at her with a deadpan look.
"Teasing your friend again?"
"Yep. Like usual."
As Emilia approached, Mel glanced at the bountiful attachments on the knight's chest, then at Saria's severely lacking attachments.
Yep. Like usual. Utter tragedy.
Praying her Lila would grow up healthy, Mel asked. "Finish this early?"
Saria shrugged while letting go of her. "It was a light spar in the first place. What are you two doing here? Thought you were more the magic kind."
"Whew... Saria. You knew them?"
"Unfortunately, yes." The ponytail Knight sighed as she poked at Mel's forehead. "This brat begged me to take her away from the orphanage a decade ago."
Mel flashed a v-sign. "I feel like I am destined to be here, after all!"
The Knight grimaced. "If you say so."
Ultimately, Mel's persistence paid off spectacularly, granting her the chance to befriend Lila before her sister succumbed to the illness.
"Not going to lie though..." Emilia had a wry smile on her face. "I was so distracted by their flirtings that I lost a few blows to you. The Saintess would have scorned me."
Mel heard a cute hiccup from Lila as a reaction. It makes sense that the Knights who survived against Pride's wars had more keen hearing than most.
Ah. That must mean Saria also heard it.
The Witch of Lust's smirk widened when Lila's whimper grew louder. She must have realised that their conversations were also exposed from the very beginning.
As the adults' banters went on in the background, Mel's ears focused only on her dearest Lila's muffled, embarrassed whining.
Truly a chime of the century. Better than any Gacha game OST she has heard.
Mel closed her eyes in enjoyment.
----------------
After calming down, Lila and Mel finally asked Emilia for the taxi trip to the capital. And to their surprise, Emilia offered to escort them free instead, as she also had an old friend to meet in the capital.
She separated from Lila and Emilia before arriving at a cottage with Saria. The mahogany wood was polished and rich in color, as it stood silently in the moonlight.
Opening the door revealed reddish-brown ceiling and floors glowing with a serene glow. It gave her a sense of comfort that reminded her of her parents' apartment, which she dearly missed.
"Alright, chop chop. To the bed, brat."
"Hm... how about a shower together first?"
"Not interested. Sleep. Now."
With a slight push-and-pull, she was ushered into her room with the door slammed in on her.
Still as much of a tsundere she always was, that Saria...
Chuckling to herself, she eyed her room, which had always had a simple layout. A bed, a bookshelf, and a desk against the wall, all made of wood to complement the house.
"Alright. System."
Leaping and smacking her cheeks against the mattress, she began planning her next move.
"When will that 'kind, totally-not-suspicious' merchant finally arrive?"
[About two days, Host! Be careful!]
"Please. I'm a Witch, too. If anything, I am the danger."
Mel smirked full of confidence, with a slight shiver. "And with that, Lila's sister will finally be healed."
Contemplating, she flipped to her back before mumbling. "Switch: Witch Form."
A small spark of energy shrouded her robes.