As she spoke the last word, her voice abruptly turned vicious, putting pressure on the witcher.
Had it been the body's original owner, he might have been only too eager to crawl to this monster's feet on his knees and lick her toes.
But Dick merely narrowed his eyes and replied, "The market? What happened to the resident you hypnotized?"
"He was a vendor who ran a little eatery at the market."
At this, the Broom Witch extended an absurdly long tongue and licked her lips as though savoring the memory, looking far from satisfied. "Your scent was in his shop. You ate there not long ago, didn't you?"
"Where's the owner?" Dick demanded fiercely.
"Don't rush me, witcher. When we broke down the door, that vendor had his back to us, making some blasted juice. He was muttering about how, once he'd improved his wild grape juice, he would be sure to satisfy Lord Dick and Miss Xiya next time.
"Don't tell me you're that Lord Dick? Hahaha!" The witch looked mocking. When Dick said nothing, she grew rather bored and continued:
"See the two monsters beside me? Undead creatures they may be, but they still can't shake the habit of tearing their prey apart.
"That delicious vendor already died beneath their claws. Of course, I also had a little taste of that hot, bloody, delicious human heart.
"Dick, what's with that expression? Don't tell me that vendor was another of your dearest friends or family?
"If you'd cooperated obediently before, this tragedy would never have happened. Well, enough idle chatter. Now... will you cooperate-or not?"
Indignation surged in Dick's heart. It felt as though something had blocked his chest, leaving him unbearably stifled.
He gave a loud shout, trying to dispel that oppressive feeling, then charged toward the Broom Witch, longsword in hand.
Seeing this, the Broom Witch knew the negotiations had broken down.
She waved a hand, and the two monsters at her sides flapped their wings, skimming along the ground as they rushed at Dick.
Dodging a claw strike from one roaring monster, Dick spun and slashed the other across its abdomen.
To his surprise, a few dusty pebbles fell from its hide before a shallow bloody mark slowly appeared.
Startled, Dick swiftly turned to dodge the monster's claws, then swung his sword again.
Behind them, the old woman laughed loudly. "Witcher, you may call me a Broom Witch, but I was once a sorcerer.
"There are many kinds of sorcerers. Elemental sorcerers study the powers of gales, fire, and lightning.
"Oh, yes, that little sweetheart of yours, Xiya, is a rare lightning sorcerer.
"Others study illusions. Like Xiya's teacher, Barbara. What a genius she is!
"Rumor has it that when she once fought her enemies, she wove them into an illusion of a prosperous little town, leaving them immersed in happiness as they slowly starved to death.
"The food she wove was indistinguishable from real food in both taste and smell. How enviable."
Dick knew the Broom Witch was trying to divide his attention.
And she had indeed succeeded. After all, the strongest and most dangerous enemy present was still the Broom Witch.
Dick split his attention between fighting the two monsters and listening to the Broom Witch, searching for an opening in her defenses.
"As for me, when I was still a little apprentice, I became obsessed with an unconventional kind of magic-what you call necromancy.
"People feared this discipline, so it was banned. I could only research it myself. Without a mentor's help, every step was a struggle.
"At last, I made a breakthrough and developed a potion.
"I never imagined drinking it would make me this ugly.
"But every loss brings a gain. Not only did my magical power grow tremendously, I also met like-minded friends. Take a look at these two creations of my eldest sister. I call them Gargoyles.
"Their limbs were made from a particularly vicious kind of rabbit from overseas, then combined with Stone Troll skin, Leshen brains, a little magical power, and other materials.
"Well? Dick, my eldest sister's creations aren't bad, are they?"
Naturally, Dick had no attention to spare for answering her questions.
He guessed that the eldest sister the old woman mentioned was the last Broom Witch, the one who had not come tonight. Such information had no bearing on the battle.
As he fought the two Gargoyles, he gradually adapted to the rhythm of their attacks.
Though the Gargoyles looked ferocious, each attack faltered slightly, as though they were utterly unaccustomed to their stitched-together bodies.
Dick had also found their weakness: a patch of skin at the front of the neck left exposed without any stony hide protecting it.
At one point, Dick seized his chance and swept his sword across the first Gargoyle's neck. The monster cried out in pain, then turned and lashed out with a claw.
The second Gargoyle at his side also swiped its claw at him.
Dick had waited a long time for this opportunity, and was rather disappointed that he had failed to sever the Gargoyle's head with one stroke.
He clenched his free hand hard. Light flashed over his right shoulder, and a translucent membrane appeared-the Protection Sign.
The second Gargoyle's claws struck the translucent membrane and were bounced away, while the protective membrane shattered with a crash.
But... that was enough.
He had dodged the first Gargoyle's attack and blocked the second's.
Dick spun again, slashing once more at the first Gargoyle's wounded neck.
This time, nothing stopped him. With a hiss, blood sprayed several yards from the headless Gargoyle's neck.
Drawing a deep breath, Dick once again devoted his full strength to the remaining Gargoyle, while keeping the Broom Witch in the corner of his eye.
The old woman still stood with her arms folded, watching him with a smile, showing no intention of joining the fight.
Dick knew this was her confidence in certain victory. He gave it no further thought, instead pressing his attacks and forcing the Gargoyle back step by step.
At one point, this Gargoyle followed in its companion's footsteps, its head severed by a single sword stroke.
Rumble, rumble...
Like a ball, the head rolled to the Broom Witch's feet.
The old woman clapped her hands and laughed. "Good, good, good! Witcher, you've done very well.
"Ah, these two inferior Gargoyles are still useless. It seems the second experiment has failed. I'll have to conduct a third."
She's treating me as a tool for her experiments.
Anger filled Dick's heart. Though he was already somewhat out of breath, he held his sword firmly and swiftly charged at the Broom Witch.
Then the Broom Witch before him gripped her broom tightly. A dark red glow spread from it over her entire body, enveloping her completely.
In an instant, the light faded, revealing a hulking, thickset monster over ten feet tall, her muscles bulging.
Were it not for the long mammalian tail behind her, she would have looked just like a bodybuilder who had taken far too many drugs.
Her red, pyramid-shaped nose now gleamed with a metallic sheen.
The Broom Witch had actually transformed.
Then the broom in her hand changed shape as well, becoming a long cleaver.
The old woman stepped forward, crushing the Gargoyle's head beneath her foot with a crunch, then took another step and swung with speed and tremendous force.
Her target was Dick's shoulder.
Dick made his decision in an instant. He swiftly dropped to both knees and leaned his upper body backward, dodging the great blade's horizontal sweep. Then, letting his momentum carry him forward, he slid ahead and thrust his sword straight out, aiming to pierce the old woman's abdomen.
But then something happened that horrified Dick. With just three fingers of her other hand, the Broom Witch caught his blade, and the tremendous force brought him to a halt as well.