Ch.54The Witch of Lament (2)

“Sigh… Sigh…”

The old woman, no, the Witch of Sighs, continued sighing until she noticed Alreina.

“Sigh, what’s that now… As I’m about to die, has an angel come to take me away… I should die…”

The witch tried to get up from her bed with unsteady steps.

“Mom. She’s not an angel. Stay still. Don’t fall like last time.”

“Sigh… Now they won’t even let me walk…”

As the woman stopped her, the Witch of Sighs sighed again.

“Sorry. She’s always like this. But thankfully she only sighs and doesn’t do anything else strange.”

“Ah, I see…”

Undisguisable confusion appeared on Alreina’s face.

The man had clearly told her to find the Witch of Sighs.

He hadn’t specifically told her what to do once she found the witch, but Alreina thought she would learn some method to dramatically improve her abilities.

But the Witch of Sighs she found was an old, wrinkled grandmother like a dried date, suffering from dementia and just sighing constantly.

Had the man been mistaken about something?

“She’s at it again.”

Alreina looked up at the woman’s words and saw the witch nodding off.

“Sighing, sleeping, sighing, sleeping, on endless repeat.”

“I see…”

The woman closed the door and came out to the living room, pointing to an armchair.

“Sit.”

After Alreina sat down, the woman casually waved her fingers, bringing a teapot and cups from the kitchen.

Alreina’s eyes widened as she watched the refreshments float over and settle on the table.

She had met several wizards before, but they all used destructive magic, never this kind of everyday magic.

“So. You came all this way to find my mother? Who are you?”

“My name is Alreina. I travel across the continent on adventures.”

“Hmm, an adventurer. You don’t look like one at all. What have you been doing until now?”

Alreina briefly explained what she had been doing since Starting Village.

“Ha, how can such a tiny thing lie so well?”

The woman snorted and took a sip of tea.

“Unless a god descended upon you and revealed the entire future, there’s no way you could have done all those things.”

“There was. A god.”

“What?”

“It was probably a god.”

“What are you talking about? Anyway, why did you come looking for my mother?”

“To become stronger.”

When Alreina mentioned barely defeating a Scarlet Dragon just before coming here, the woman’s brow furrowed.

“I did hear rumors about that… That was you?”

Sensing that further verbal explanation wouldn’t convince her, Alreina showed the royal seal from her pocket.

The woman’s expression changed as she stared at the seal given to Dragon Slayers.

“Really…?”

“Yes, really. I came all this way because I was told the Witch of Sighs would have a way for me to become stronger.”

“Who told you that?”

After thinking for a moment, Alreina decided to tell her about the potion man.

The potion man wouldn’t have sent her here without reason.

Alreina needed help from the Witch of Sighs, and hiding the most crucial information would prevent things from progressing properly.

“Hmm…”

After hearing everything about the potion man, the woman stroked her chin, deep in thought.

Her already pale face looked even paler as she became serious.

“Hmmmm…”

After thinking for quite some time, the woman slowly opened her mouth.

“The owner of a potion shop in Starting Village?”

“That’s right.”

“How could such a person know all this and tell you… It’s very suspicious in many ways. Plus, that dragon hunt incident.”

The woman calculated something, folding her fingers.

“It doesn’t make sense. The distance from here to there is too far even for a decent wizard to cross. If that man really crossed over, he must be an archmage. But such an impressive person wouldn’t just run a potion shop. What is going on?”

“It might have been a dream. I wasn’t in my right mind then.”

“Nonsense. If it had been a dream, you would have died long ago. Even thinking it was an illusion is strange. Wait a moment.”

The woman, who had been muttering to herself, got up and walked to the bookshelf.

She took out several extremely thick books, placed them on the desk with a thud, and began flipping through them, mumbling something.

Alreina couldn’t understand everything she was saying, but occasionally heard terms like dimensional leap, secrets of world creation, and otherworld transfer.

While the woman searched through the books, Alreina sipped her tea and looked at the fireplace.

Mister. I came here as you said, but I don’t know what to do now.

I wish you would appear again and guide me like before.

Huh?

Alreina’s eyes widened as she felt the toad statue next to the fireplace move.

But the toad statue remained still. It was probably just an illusion caused by the firelight.

“It’s also strange that if you returned from the future, it means you experienced all those events.”

After quite some time, the woman still couldn’t take her eyes off the books, and Alreina, growing impatient, cleared her throat.

“Ahem.”

“Huh? What? How long have you been there?”

“Since earlier.”

“Ah, right. Sorry, sorry. When I start reading, I get completely absorbed.”

The woman returned to her seat and said:

“That man is probably from another world.”

“Another world?”

“Yes. I’ve been continuing my mother’s research. And I’ve reached a conclusion.”

“What is it?”

“This world isn’t real. It’s a virtual world created by someone or someones.”

Alreina didn’t know whether to laugh or how to react, as the man had never taught her what to do in this situation.

“This is a huge stage, continental in scale. A performance where neither what is being performed nor who the protagonist is has been revealed.”

“I… I see…”

“Everyone exists only for the protagonist, a kind of supporting role. They can only prove their worth through interaction with the protagonist. I’ve run the calculations many times, and the result is always the same.”

“Umm… Are those calculations correct…?”

“Maybe? She may be groaning like that now, but my mother is a genius. There’s probably no wizard in this world who can use magic as well as she can.”

“I see…”

“And I think you are that protagonist.”

“Me?!”

Alreina jumped up from her chair in surprise. Suddenly what…?

“You said Starting Village, right? At the edge of the continent? You started there and came all the way here. Meanwhile, you defeated all kinds of evil things and saved countless people. There have been many heroes throughout history, but compared to your achievements, they’re just minor supporting characters in an epic.”

“No, I’m not that great…”

“And probably your journey’s final destination is…”

Alreina’s mouth fell half-open at the woman’s words.

That very place mentioned in the final chapter of the strategy guide. How does this woman know about it?

“Is that also a result of your calculations?”

“No, just a hunch. Looking at the route you’ve taken, I feel like you’ll go there. Anyway.”

The woman looked at the strategy guide that had been placed on the table while discussing the potion man.

“I think that man is the creator of this world. Whether a god or some transcendent being beyond our comprehension. And that person chose you as the protagonist of this world.”

Alreina truly didn’t know what to say in this situation.

If the man had been beside her, would he have told her the appropriate response?

“Then I can guess why he sent you here.”

“What is it?”

“It’s because of my mother’s specialty, the Subspace of Sighs.”

The Subspace of Sighs.

A secret space beyond the infinite veil, unobservable in reality.

A place where, due to time axis variation, one second in reality becomes one year.

“I think he intends to put you in there to make you stronger in a short period.”

“I’m not sure about that part.”

“Right. If that’s not the case, there’s no reason to send you all the way here. But it’s strange.”

The woman tilted her head.

“Why would such a great being not train you directly and instead use such a difficult method? No, creating an entire world for just one protagonist makes him quite the madman from the start.”

“He’s not a madman.”

When Alreina became serious, the woman’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Sorry. My expression was too harsh.”

“He is kind and gentle. Without him, I would have died many times.”

“You like him?”

“Yes.”

Alreina answered without hesitation.

“I like him. There hasn’t been a day when I didn’t think about him. When everything is over, I’ll go to him.”

“And then set up a love nest and live happily ever after.”

“Eh…”

As Alreina closed her mouth, the woman burst into laughter.

“You’re cute. Alright. Let’s start right away.”

“Isn’t the witch sleeping right now?”

“Mm-hmm. I’ll do it, not my mother. She’s not in her right mind anymore and can’t use magic. Why that expression?”

The woman raised an eyebrow at Alreina’s dubious gaze.

“Don’t worry. Though I look young and fresh on the outside, I’ve been practicing magic for fifteen hundred years.”

“What?! You’re an elf?!”

Alreina shouted at that absurd statement.

“Sigh… It’s so noisy I can’t even sleep…”

The Witch of Sighs’ lament could be heard from inside the room.

“Do only elves live long? Wizards who have reached enlightenment can live this long too. Now, open! Subspace!”

A gap formed between the woman and Alreina.

Looking at the gap rippling with ominous purple light, the woman explained:

“One second here is one year in there. I can control and set everything in the subspace as I wish. It’s a kind of fantasy space. At the same time, I can see your condition as clearly as if it were in the palm of my hand, so you don’t need to worry at all.”

“I understand. But…”

“You’re wondering if you can trust me? Not trusting me means not trusting the man who sent you here, doesn’t it?”

At those words, Alreina clenched her fist and stood up from the chair.

“I’ll go in.”

“Good. I’ll prepare food, a place to sleep, and everything else you need, so do your best.”

“By the way…”

Alreina, standing just in front of the gap, asked:

“Why is it called the Subspace of Sighs? Is there a reason?”

“You’ll find out when you go in. See you later, little one.”

With the woman’s farewell, Alreina entered the Subspace of Sighs.

* * * * *

20 years later.

“Sigh… When will this ever end…”

Sitting atop a mountain of dragon corpses, Alreina sighed.