Excalibur Chronicle of Raidorl - Chapter 211: Witch Rituals

A rebellion by some nobles in the royal capital, led by the Count Irudo Rewir, was put down by Sven Arbeil and Angelica Ilkas.

The violent act was aimed at the absence of the regent, Raidorl Zain. If it had not been for the two outstanding people, the royal city would have fallen into the clutches of the enemy.

The rebellion was short-lived. The uprising would appear to have ended without incident, with little human casualties from the allies side.

However, this was also an incident that suggested that the regime by Raidorl was by no means stable and insurgents are lurking.

Imperial Invasion.

Death of King Granard.

The purging of corrupted nobles.

An earthquake, caused by the witches.

The revolt of the Count Irudo Rewir

And against the hordes of undead that swept in from the west.

Repeated incidents.

The people’s anxiety was gradually increasing due to a reign that was far from stable.

None of the problems have been solved. All have caused damage, but have been dealt with appropriately. Raidorl Zain should have been blameless.

However, a small spark was slowly gaining momentum and would eventually catch up with Raidorl.

Having usurped the authority of his brother king, Raidorl position is like a house of sand. It could have collapsed at any moment.

〇 〇 〇

While such disturbances are taking place in the Royal Capital.

In the western border region where Raidorl is located, another small incident is about to take place.

“Then let the cooking begin!”

It is the middle of the night, when the trees and animals are probably asleep. A woman’s voice echoes through the house.

The one who uttered the bright voice, as if breaking through the darkness, was a black-haired girl dressed in a maid’s uniform. It was Neimilia, the exclusive maid of Raidorl and one of the 『The Six Witches of Doom』.

Neimilia shakes her hair, which is tied into twin-tails, and holds up a knife in a good mood.

“Today I want to cook a hearty and energising meal for my master, who is tired from work!”

Neimilia is in a provincial city. The building where she lives is a small mansion in the middle of the city.

It was once the residence of the town’s lord, but the undead invasion caused the lord of the mansion to flee, and he has been missing ever since.

Raidorl was sleeping in this mansion as a temporary base for the reconstruction of the west and to defend it.

In the kitchen of such a mansion, Neimilia, a maid, was making noise all by herself.

In the middle of the night. Wielding a knife.

“Now, I’ve brought out this ingredient! It’s the Fer De Lance, a poisonous snake, that I just picked up in the forest!”

“『Kishaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!』”

“Okay~, you’re a lively one. It’s about to go berserk and try to bite me.”

Neimilia’s hand was holding a snake nearly two metres in size, which she had taken out from somewhere. Her hand is holding the brown snake by the neck, and the snake is struggling against it.

“First of all, I’m going to cut this snake♪…..into bite-sized pieces that are easy to eat”

“『Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?』”

Neimilia slams the viper onto the kitchen table and then slices it to pieces with a knife.

Blood sprays back and stains her innocent face, but Neimilia’s smile is unbroken. She was smiling happily even with blood on her cheeks, which made her smile even more terrifying.

“The chopped snakes are stewed with herbs to remove the odour. In the meantime, let’s deal with the next ingredient, shall we? Shall I deal with the birds next?”

“『Kokeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!』”

Now a chicken-like bird appears.

Its movements are blocked by a thin wire-like string, and for some reason a cloth is wrapped around its eyes, blocking its vision.

“This is the Lesser Cockatrice. It uses the evil eye of petrification, so I’ll make sure to cover its eyes before preparing it. You can crush its eyes if you like, but it’s more profitable not to damage its eyeballs, as they’ll be used to make medicine.”

(レッサーコカトリス)

“『Koke』”

“The preparation is the same as with ordinary birds. I choke it, tore off his neck, tore off his wings…..and then I knew it♪”

Fresh blood splatters in the kitchen again. Lesser Cockatrice died and was also dismembered into bite-sized pieces of chicken.

The lesser cockatrice is also a type of demon. It is small and agile. In addition, it has an evil eye with a petrifying effect and is known as a troublesome demon in its own right.

However, to Neimilia, a witch from…..『Darkness』, it is no different from a mere chicken. The cursed evil eye does not work on witches.

“I mustn’t forget the importance of vegetables as well as meat. Nutritious vegetables are essential for the master’s health. Since I am cooking today, shall I use vegetables from the specialities of the West? Onions, cabbage, turnips and garlic. Solanaceous beans and chickpeas. And …… Here’s a mandrake!

(マンドレイク)

“『Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!』”

Strange ingredients appear again.

The plant held by Neimilia is a root vegetable-like plant. It has a face-like pattern just below the leaves, and the end of the root is split in two, like the lower half of a human body.

The bizarre plant is apparently alive. It was jitterily resisting to escape Neimilia’s hands.

“『Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!』”

“As you know, people who hear a mandrake scream will lose their lives. But……I don’t have to worry about that because I’ve cut off its vocal cords beforehand. The fact that it’s moaning is a sign of freshness–.”

(TL: I’m guessing this reference from Harry Potter)

“『Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!』”

Neimilia does not hesitate to cut up the mandrakes on the kitchen table.

This one is more careful. She slams the knife down on it until it shatters.

“Mandrake is hard, so chop it well. Oh, the Fer De Lance is boiling! The smell seems to have been removed, so dump out the broth, add water back in and throw in the meat and vegetables that have been…… prepped! Stew it and put the lid on – don’t open the lid even if the spirits of the dead cry―♪”

Neimilia is in a good mood and the ingredients in the pot have been simmering for ten minutes.

She opens the lid, finishes it off with a light shake of seasoning and transfers the finished dish to a plate.

The soup, with its bizarre ingredients, is red to the point of toxicity. It is not the redness of spices or tomatoes, but blood seeping out from ingredients that have not been sufficiently drained.

“Alright~, it’s done!『Neimilia’s whimsical bloody soup. Served with mandrakes』!”

“Well…..what happens if I eat that?”

“One bite of this and you’ll be full of energy. Master’s nether regions will be packed with energy!”

“I see……then you eat it!”

“Fugyan!!!”

He grabbed the plate Neimilia was holding and slammed it into her face.

Neimilia let out a short scream as she was shoved face-first into her own home-made dish.

“What are you doing producing bewitching drugs when you’re making a racket in the middle of the night! Do you know what time it is!”

It was Raidorl who woke up to the noisy voices coming from the kitchen, who launched into a painful tirade with an angry voice.

He was supposed to be upstairs in his bedroom, sleeping and resting, when he was woken up by the noises from the crazy maid.

“Aaahhh! What are you doing, Master? My face, my face will melt!

“Don’t try to feed your Master something that will melt his face!”

“Because, Master has been busy and doesn’t love me at all…It’s a legitimate self-defence!”

“What self-defence! You’re trying to poison your Master!”

“I worked very hard to make this for the master! Please drink it properly. I don’t care if it’s just the tip!”

“The tip of what? Oi, keep that away from me!”

The master and servant yelled at each other over the soup that gave off a mysterious smell.

The noisy and chaotic night in the West was drawing to a close.

It was the day after this that news of Count Rewir’s uprising arrived from Sven.