"I Became a Witch, but Now Everyone's in Love with Me!"

Chapter 54: She Should Have Been Pure
 

In fact, the Monkey Lady doesn’t mind having someone around.
For a fairy who lived on Monkey Mountain but had almost no contact with the monkeys, she had never felt much in common with those monkeys who had no ambition and only knew how to fight among themselves.
At most... they looked a little similar.

"I say, Taotao, what’s your relationship with that little monkey? She’s been guarding you there for three days."
The girl was still sitting upright on the branch, her clean stockings hanging to dry beside her, her white, attractive little feet swaying mischievously in the air.
So cute.

But the Monkey Girl doesn’t think there’s anything cute about this person.
Before, she must have been blinded by greed—thinking Jiang Cha was someone easy to deal with.
"What’s ‘Taotao’? Such a weak name..."

"So that little monkey has nothing to do with you? Then I’ll go play with her?"
"She once saved my life. I’m just repaying her."
"Oh~~"

The girl stretched out her voice, tone full of teasing. "I thought you were attracted to her."
"What nonsense."
The Monkey Lady glared at her unhappily, then looked at the little figure in the distance—who thought she was hiding well—and sighed helplessly.

She wasn’t a member of the monkey group. In a place no less complicated than the human world, it was best for her, an outsider, to avoid getting involved.
But what she could see clearly, not everyone could.
For that reason alone, she actually liked Jiang Cha more. At least this girl was sensible and could read the situation clearly.

She just talked too much.
......
The days passed, one by one. Perhaps it was because the fantasy world wasn’t very sensitive to time measured in days. After a month—just as Jiang Cha was beginning to grow impatient—the monkey group finally took action.
"Now that the three major tribes have merged, we humbly invite the Monkey King to return to her position!"

It was an old monkey—its facial hair already white—and also the wisest one in the group.
It knew very well that the reason the monkey clan had managed to keep control of this precious land was only because, before the Water Curtain Cave appeared, there had been no other resources on Flower-Fruit Mountain besides peach trees.
But now, things were different.

They desperately needed someone strong to shelter them.
But the Monkey Girl’s response was simple—just one word:
"Roll."

Jiang Cha didn’t say anything, merely watching the farce unfold with interest.
It was true the beginning of a play was important—but if the ending remained the same, its impact on the world would be minimal.
Instead of acting rashly and destroying the trust she’d worked so hard to build with the Monkey Girl, it was better to wait for the right moment and act when it really mattered.

"I don’t think you can escape?"
After the old monkey was kicked and beaten away by the Monkey Girl, the human girl looked up at the sky, her words laced with hidden meaning.
"Some things were arranged long ago. It’s useless to resist."

"Damn the gods?" The Monkey Girl paused, then laughed disdainfully. "When the day comes, I, your Monkey Sister, will break their plans with my own hands!"
"You speak with great vigor~"
The girl smiled gently, her eyes playful, but didn’t say anything else.

......
"Hey, when are you planning on leaving?"
Three days later, during their usual chat, the Monkey Girl’s face suddenly turned serious.

"Hmm? Oh~"
The girl blinked, then suddenly realized what she meant. "I’m not planning to leave yet. After all, what’s coming next is getting more interesting."
"Tsk. Don’t blame me if you die!"

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone I know you once we’re out there."
The Monkey Girl grabbed her iron staff and charged toward the Water Curtain Cave with impressive speed and force, while the girl followed slowly behind her, as if she really were just there to watch the show.
Glancing back at the human girl, the Monkey Girl felt a little suspicious—but deliberately sped up. Only after confirming she could still keep up did she stop this pointless test.

For a single human, gaining a foothold among the monsters of this wild continent would be meaningless. And the Monkey Girl was sure Jiang Cha wasn’t the type who cared about power.
There was no need to be on guard.
"Sun thief! How dare you act wildly here!"

The invading enemy wasn’t strong.
The Monkey Girl rushed forward, smacking a leopard demon away with a swing of her staff and kicking a deer demon to death. Her whole body radiated an aura that was neither demonic nor human. In any case, she didn’t resemble a monster at all.
And that was correct—she wasn’t a monster.

"The Great Sage Equaling Heaven shows her power for the first time."
Jiang Cha stood at a distance, smiling like a flower as she watched.
She was genuinely delighted—delighted that this world’s script hadn’t diverged much from her expectations. It meant she hadn’t wasted her time fumbling in the dark.

"Amazing! Amazing! Taotao is the best!"
The girls clapped excitedly, cheering as the Monkey Girl returned in victory—under the fearful gazes of the other monkeys.
She should have been a pure, native elf—but in the end, this treacherous world forced her to choose: demon or Buddha.

One thought makes you the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
One thought makes you the Fighting Buddha.
No one cared that the little Monkey Girl had once only wanted to eat some wild peaches and take a good nap in the mountains.
"Don’t call me by that name."

The Monkey Girl shook the blood from her staff, glancing back at the battlefield littered with corpses—and at the familiar little monkey who had died there.
Suddenly, she lost all interest.
"Let’s go back."

"I know~ Taotao, don’t be so fierce!"
"Who’s being fierce with you?"
"You!"

"...Next time I’ll hit you first."
"Look! And you say you don’t mean me any harm!"
"..."

Faced with the girl’s unreasonable antics, the Monkey Girl had gradually gotten used to it.
What else could she do? She couldn’t bear to hit her. She couldn’t hide from her. Having someone to bicker with at least gave her a sliver of something to look forward to in this boring world.
Not much—just a little.

.....
In the days that followed, the Monkey Girl spent more and more time fighting.
The monsters that attacked that day were just underlings of a greater beast. Since she’d chosen to help the monkey clan, she had to face the consequences.

That was how monsters operated—there was no reasoning, only strength and weakness.
She fought eagle demons that soared in the sky, tiger demons who were apex predators, and bull demons with divine bloodlines.
With every battle, her power grew stronger—as if she didn’t need to train at all. Even when she did nothing, she would suddenly become stronger just before a fight.

The demonic energy around her thickened with each clash.
"Taotao, which hill is this?"
"I can’t remember. Why do you care so much? Just finish the fight and go home."

This was the forty-eighth.
A quarter of the demon realm had already fallen under the Monkey Girl’s hand.
Jiang Cha, who had been scouting the terrain for each of these battles, remembered clearly.

"There’s nothing threatening up there, Taotao. Go on ahead."
"Then I’ll be back soon!"