/
C185: THE HOLY WITCHES’ ENROLLMENT
Anyway, after seeing the girls adjusting to their mentors just fine, I returned and saw that Angel’s grueling training with Mrs. Astres and Glasya had already ended.
Angel is lying flat on the ground, drenched in her own sweat.
She’s breathing heavily, so she’s probably still alive…somehow.
“She did well for her first day. As expected from Lady Platy’s sister.”
“Her performance is on par with our army’s privates.”
She must’ve worked hard, considering the two demon queens generously praised her.
Then, her sister Platy dragged her to who knows where.
She seemed to have stayed here the whole time while her sister was being ‘trained.’
Curious, I followed them and saw that she had carried her to the bathhouse.
Similarly, Veiltail, Discus, Heckerlii, and Batrachus, who had also finished their work, went through the curtain leading to the women’s bath.
“Ahh… This feels so good…”
“It’s heaven on earth…”
“I can’t believe just taking a dip in hot water can feel this good…”
“I could feel the fatigue leaving my body…”
The girls’ lax voices echo through the partition between the men’s and women’s baths as they soak themselves.
And then, they got out of the water.
“Woah! This white, ice-cold drink tastes so good!!!”
“Oh, it’s called milk? I see… Huh? The luxurious satyr milk?!”
“The coldness feels even way better on the throat after the hot bath.”
“Is it chilled in this box? …It’s Master Puffer’s custom-made icebox?!”
“There’s a freezing potion that can keep the temperature constant at the desired level?! That’s a member of the Six Witches for you!”
I could hear them having the time of their lives through the partition.
Women sure get lively when they’re in groups.
Then, supper came.
Tonight’s menu is tonkatsu with loads of shredded cabbage.
“Sooooooooooooooo good!”
“It’s crispy, juicy, hot, and above all… Delicious! Divine!!!”
“The veggie garnish resets your palate after the strong flavor… I could eat this foreverrrr!”
“The soup and other dishes that go with it also taste exquisite!”
“We don’t even get any of this at the Mermaid Palace! What in the world is this place?!”
The girls wolf down the tonkatsu, soup, and rice that was served to them.
Seeing their satisfied faces also made me, the cook, happy.
“Now… Do you realize how fascinating and wonderful this farm is?!” comments Platy. “A farm visited by the Demon King, served by many witches, produces delicious crops, pleasant baths, and many other amazing things. And its owner is no one other than my husband! Hurry and show your respect!”
“Y-YES, MA’AM!!!”
The mermaid girls cast their rebellious spirit aside and bowed their heads, save for their leader, Angel.
“Urk…”
Maybe it’s because of her pride as royalty that she’s desperately trying to preserve her autonomy?
“Angel… I’m sure you know how I’ve always beaten you at your own game despite your antagonism,” says Platy as if she’s cornering her. “Sure, half the reason why you came here uninvited was that you were being pressed by the public to be the Demon King’s concubine and wanted my help, but let’s be honest here, the other half was you wanting to compete against me as usual.”
“…!”
“But now, I am fully committed to making this farm flourish together with Dear. As his wife, I can no longer be just your sister, and I want you to understand that,” she adds as she clings to my arm.
So, this is how she’s going to persuade her?
“…I can’t accept that!”
However, her sister doesn’t want to back down just yet.
“You’re my famous sister who has left a significant mark as mermaid royalty in history! I can’t call myself the number one merprincess without defeating you first!”
“Do you really have to do that?”
Can’t she settle with being number two?
“I’ve been striving to be at the top ever since I was born a princess! I will continue to challenge you to prove that I can be better than an older sibling!”
“Good grief…”
Platy, who is now my wife and co-owner of the farm, is already extremely busy. She probably can’t find the time to entertain her sister looking for trouble.
She tried reasoning with her farm duties as a starter, but it still didn’t work.
Just when Platy was considering killing her as her last resort…
“I’m going to work on this farm too!”
“HUH?”
Both of our eyes widen at Angel’s statement.
“I’m not so conceited as to think that I can beat you the way things are right now! Appropriate training is required when dealing with a formidable foe!”
“What is this girl blabbering about?”
“That’s why I’m going to observe my nemesis in action, steal her magic techniques, and grow while I’m here on the farm! And then one day, I will defeat you, Sis!!!” says Angel as she munches on her second serving of shredded cabbage from the tonkatsu.
I wonder if it’s not just because she wants to challenge Platy but also because of the food that she has decided to stay?
“I see what you’re trying to get at, but you’re still a student, aren’t you? If you stay here and skip classes, your grades credits will drop, and you might be expelled from school. What then? Have you forgotten that you’re a princess? With position comes great responsibility, you know?”
“Didn’t you also drop out of school, Sis?”
“Ugh… I can’t find the words to refute that.”
There it is, her Witch-like outlaw phase.
“But that’s all the more reason to not drop out of school like I did. Otherwise, the mermaid royal family’s authority will crumble. The same goes for your friends. Go home and continue your studies.”
“Huh? You’re sending them home?” interjects Puffer. “I’ve already started training them as recruits for my department. If I can get these girls to handle the brewery, I can visit Prince Arowana more often…”
“Shut it, sister-in-law.”
Puffer…
So that’s why you’re unusually optimistic about replenishing our workforce…
“Anyway, you guys should return to the Mermaid Kingdom, pronto! And don’t interfere with my love nest with Dear!”
“Whaaat? No way! I also want to live here and eat tonkatsu every day!!!”
I knew it, that was her main goal all along.
As their verbal tug-of-war continued, something disastrous happened.
It’s Angel and the rest of the mermaid girls’ lower halves.
“GYAAAAAH!!!”
The Five Legitimate Holy Witches, was it?
The slender legs of every member are transforming into something grotesque… Tentacles? Barnacles? Or like a massive mass of algae?
“What’s going on?! This is too sudden!”
“Is this… a side-effect of the humanizing potion?!”
Oh, right. I forgot mermaids have to drink a magic potion that turns their tail fins into human legs when visiting the land.
Angel and the others had been in their human form the moment they first showed up.
“Hey, Angel! Where did you procure the humanizing potion you drank?!”
“Isn’t it obvious? Nothing stands in the way of Angel, The Witch of the Holy Light!!!”
She made it herself?
“Are you stupid?! The humanizing potion is not something a student can make. A little mistake in its compounding and it can cause major side-effects!!!”
“No way! But I followed your recipe!!!”
“We wouldn’t be called witches if anyone could make it with just the recipe! Oh, for crying out loud! For now, let’s get you fixed!”
In the end, our farm’s personnel had to calm down the five girls and relieve them of their symptoms with Platy and the other witches’ help.
They were able to regain their human legs for the time being, but the effects of the defective potion were hard to get rid of, so it would still take them a long time to get their tail fins back.
Hence, they’re also going to live with us on the farm while the effects gradually wear off.
Platy sighs, Puffer is ecstatic to have assistants, Garra Rufa is desperate to clear up the misunderstanding, and Lampeye doesn’t care; she just keeps on flirting with Hendra.
The five new girls seem to have mixed feelings about their new life on the farm, but I’m sure they’ll be fine.
I won’t make them do anything crazy, anyway.