2. The Primordial Witch
At last, I found it. The woman exhaled in front of the forest, which was her destination.
No, the real destination is not here, but further inside of this place. To be more specific, the ‘certain person’ who is likely to be there is the person she is looking for.
Although her existence was as good as a fairy tale, there was no doubt about it now that she had actually discovered where she lived. A black forest with strange vegetation that I have neither seen nor heard of before. Small, yet profound, the place was silently watching her as she cautiously stepped inside.
This place doesn’t mesh with any place in my experience or knowledge. This forest is not ordinary. Her footsteps stopped there for a moment as she instinctively felt it.
A witch dwells within this black forest. Since when has that legend been passed down? It’s almost impossible to even try to unravel the beginnings. It’s a legend that is so widely and deeply rooted in people’s consciousness. However, what distinguishes this from being just a mere fairytale, is the fact that there are always people emerging to assert its credibility.
From being helped at the place they wandered into, were threatened, and had some kind of magic cast on them. There have been quite a few people who have made such claims regardless of the era, and the common point among them is that none of them remember where they met the witch. “There was a witch in the Black Forest.” No matter how much they strained their memory, they couldn’t remember anything beyond that.
For the girl who is searching for a witch, this is a troubling situation, but she succeeds in hearing a story from a certain famous person who calls themselves a sage, and she gains some insight from it. The reassurance that the witch truly exists. That, and details about their whereabouts.
The person who boldly claimed to be the witness of this legend was a well-known eccentric, but there was no doubt about their abilities as a magician. By believing in those words, she went alone to the place she had been instructed to go and thus ended up discovering the forest in question.
“──[Echo]”
She uses her specialty detection magic as a way to encourage herself. By emitting magic around herself, it echoes and resonates with the surroundings to find those who are hiding. It is an excellent spell that can instantly ascertain the position, shape, and topology regardless of whether it is a living or non-living entity, but its search range is not very wide. But it turned out that there was nothing suspicious around her, at least nothing within the range. There are only eerie trees growing in the surrounding area.
That alone was enough to dampen her spirits, but as she was beginning to calm down having secured temporary safety, she suddenly realized. She suddenly realized that the magic power spread by [Echo] reached quite far… The range of this magic can explore varies depending on the situation and the conditions each time, however, it never has been able to search such a wide area before. If she were in an unprecedentedly good condition, that would be one thing, but right now, she is quite the opposite.
(This is. Magic essence, so dense…? It’s unbelievable…)
Magic essence is everywhere, just like oxygen, and it’s the source of magical power. Ordinary magicians take this, convert it into their own magical power, and spend it to execute the magic formulas constructed in their minds. As a prominent magician, she realized that due to the casting of magic, this place was filled with an abnormal amount of overflowing magic essence.
Magic essence is always constant and infinite. This is the common sense that is known to the magicians. That does not hold true in this black forest. There is clearly something strange about this place. The evidence is no longer just a gut feeling anymore, and its abnormality has become more apparent.
“……”
Even so, she continued to move forward. There is no danger for the time being. If so, it’s still too early to run back home. If she gives up right here and now, there is nothing more she can rely on. The one who could solve that which was bluntly refused even by the sage is now none other than the witch from fairy tales.
The problem she is facing is both important and incomprehensible. It is not a problem that can be solved by an individual.
That’s why she came here, seeking help.
Trees with black leaves and fruits. After walking for a while through the dimly lit forest where there is nothing else and no one around. Before long, it became visible.
──A log house. The pitch-black object was, no matter how you think about it, made from the wood of forest trees.
While the color is intense, it has a lovely appearance. Considering the atmosphere of the forest, it was indeed unusual, but upon seeing a clear man-made object, she naturally felt relieved.
“……！”
That sense of relief immediately changes into nervousness. Without a sound, the door was open. Someone is about to emerge from the log house. She watched anxiously, holding her breath, and then──
“You’ve done well coming here.”
That was the first thing the girl said when she opened her mouth. Black hair, black eyes, black clothes. She was a girl made entirely of black, just like the forest. She came out as if it was something she planned, but from her words, it seemed the girl had understood. She was aware of the presence of such a visitor as myself before she even saw me. She knew and let me come this far. If so, does that mean there is a welcoming intention?
Unsure whether I should take her words, “You’ve done well coming here,” at face value, the black-haired girl then narrows her eyes. And then I came to my senses. There is no room for disrespect toward presumably── the witch. If the rumors that have been passed on are true, then this girl would immediately turn cold to anyone who does not show proper courtesy.
“I-I have come here to ask you a favor.”
“A favor? …What kind of a favor?”
“Yes. So please will you listen to my story?”
Even though she is somewhat surprised by the girl’s first impressions, she acknowledges it without showing it. She will respond reasonably as long as I speak to her sincerely. Her expectations, which she believed in, were indeed not betrayed.
“Hmm. Well, do come in. Let’s hear it inside.”
While reopening the door she had just closed behind her back a moment ago, the girl signaled with her chin to enter. Her skin is too white in contrast to her black attire and her small lips. A glimpse of the inside girl’s mouth seemed to be unusually red, which bewildered her.
Is there some kind of trap inside? No, that is not it. I am being overwhelmed. Although she appears to be nothing more than an innocent girl who likes to stay indoors, she is actually a witch who has completely overwhelmed both her body and mind.
She followed the girl who showed no signs of being cautious and had her back turned, she nervously entered the log house, only to be startled when the door suddenly closed by itself. I was seriously wondering how it worked for a moment since I could not see any magic traces, when I turned my gaze back forward, only to find that the girl had already taken her seat at the table.
“Don’t just stand there. Have a seat.”
Saying so, she points to the opposite side of the table. Sit there, is what she trying to say to me. I obediently followed that, and this time I began to tell my story.
“My name is Celia. Celia Burndeux.”
“Hm. So, what brings you here?”
While she didn’t introduce herself back to me, I was grateful that at least she was willing to listen to me. After nodding her head, Celia decided to quickly proceed to the main topic.
“Miss Primordial Witch, I have come to ask for your help.”
Once I made my point, the girl fell silent. Realizing that the girl was silently urging her to continue, Celia decided to explain the content of her request as briefly but politely as possible.
“There is a country not too far away from here. It is a terrible country where only the royal family and the nobility thrive at the expense of the rest of the people who are oppressed, this place is where I was born and raised. Determined to change this country from within, I made my way to the royal court and was finally appointed as a court magician at the royal castle. That was just a year ago. However, around the same time… The royal family suddenly changed as if they were a different people. A policy reform has indeed occurred. It was not a revolution, the royalty carried it out voluntarily. They cease self-indulgence, weaken the power of the aristocratic factions, and invest resources in education and welfare. The state of the royal capital has become unrecognizable compared to a few years ago. Eventually, the changes spread to the whole country, and our country gained prosperity.”
In a single breath. Celia, after catching her breath, finally spoke about what she wanted to ask of the witch.
“Could you come together with me? I really want to find out why my country has changed.”
“…I have two questions.”
Instead of answering with a yes or no, the witch held up two fingers. The outcome will be determined by how I answer this. Celia’s nervousness was undeniably heightened by this feeling.
“First of all. It’s a good thing for the country to become prosperous, right? It seems like you also worked hard to accomplish that. It may not be what you envisioned, but the end result is something like the fruits of that effort, so can’t you be satisfied with that?”
“When a country becomes prosperous, that means it will eventually grow in strength. If it is used for the benefit of the people who have been suffering, then there is nothing to say, but it becomes a problem if it is not. The king might be planning to use up the national power for something else in the future.”
“Their finances will be temporarily in deficit, but over several years or decades, they will recoup more than the initial investment. So the question is, what is the purpose of this?”
Is there’s so much need for national power that they even willing to change their extravagant spending habits? When considering that, it seemed that the witch also understood Celia’s greatest concern.
“Don’t tell me there’s going to be a war?”
“──Someone might have the intention to cause it, or it might be a complete groundless fear. Then again, that is something only the masters of the royal castle know.”
“I see. Indeed, just having concerns about that is a significant matter for the citizens. I’m also curious about why you relied on me to investigate it, but my second question isn’t about that. I would like to hear it.”
“Yes.”
Celia, who has decided to answer truthfully no matter what she is asked, however, freezes at the unexpected words of the witch.
“What is this ‘Primordial Witch’ you speak of?”
“…Eh?”
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