Chapter 26: Want to be Witch – 3?

Vivian was left speechless by the woman’s proposal.

A flood of questions hit her all at once.

Become a witch?

Was this woman a witch herself?

Was that why she could come to such a high place without causing any disturbance?

What would happen if she called the guards right now?

What were this woman’s intentions?

“Don’t overthink it.”

The woman’s soft voice interrupted Vivian’s thoughts.

After blowing out a puff of smoke, she stepped into the room with a captivating grace.

Vivian instinctively took a step back.

She felt a primal fear, yet a peculiar curiosity held her back just as much as the fear.

Leaning against the cabinet, Vivian mustered up her courage again.

“I-I asked who you are.”

“You already know the answer.”

Vivian responded with another question.

“A-are you a witch…?”

“My name is Elena.”

The witch, who introduced herself as Elena, sat on Vivian’s desk.

With a snap of her fingers, the unlit candle flickered to life.

With that, the witch’s face became even more vividly illuminated.

Vivian froze at the sight of this almost magical display.

However, ignoring Vivian’s confusion, the witch continued.

“Vivian Rondor, the last direct heir of the Rondor family. Fourteen years old. Lord of Loctana, in a very precarious position.
Many political rivals. You’ve already survived one assassination attempt. And in this vast estate, the only person you can truly call an ally is… Linne Rommer, right?”

The witch recited Vivian’s circumstances as though reading from a record, showing no sign of emotion.

“You must have had a tough time.”

Her words of comfort were far too sweet for such a bewildering situation.

Vivian swallowed hard, silently staring at the witch.

Elena smiled warmly and said,

“It hurts my heart to see you being so cautious.”

“H-how am I supposed to not be cautious…? Y-you’re a witch.”

“So what if I’m a witch?”

Vivian began to recite the knowledge she’d learned from Lady Linne’s readings.

“T-the existence of witches is strictly forbidden by the Las Order…!
Do you not know that you can be executed just for being a witch?
Not long ago, I even signed an execution order for a witch!”

“That doesn’t explain why you should be wary of me.”

“I-I was taught that witches also worship demons…! That they bring harm to many people because of it…!”

“Worshiping demons is a misconception. And harming people? Isn’t that something anyone could be guilty of? Even a grandmother from somewhere has likely caused harm to others while living her life.”

Elena’s voice was both mesmerizing and sharp.

After exhaling another puff of smoke, Elena stood up.

With slow, deliberate steps, she approached Vivian.

Vivian didn’t move.
Whether it was fear, tension, or perhaps even pride, she couldn’t tell.

“Vivian Rondor, like I said earlier… I’m only here because you look like you need help.”

Vivian wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.

The witch’s words had struck deep, touching on a helplessness that Vivian had buried within herself.

Elena’s remarks were aimed precisely at her pain.

Vivian did need help.

Elena spoke again, calmly,

“You can’t do anything on your own, can you?

You don’t have anyone you can trust by your side, right?

You’re suffocating in fear of death, aren’t you?”

Each word pierced Vivian’s heart deeply.

This person, whom she hadn’t known for long, was getting closer and closer, trampling into her soul.

Vivian felt her chest tighten.

In truth, just moments ago, hadn’t she been wrestling with the same anguish?

Hadn’t she been feeling pathetic, sensing the shadow of death in her loneliness?

“You’re still being oppressed by your hateful enemy, aren’t you?”

The witch whispered closer to Vivian’s ear.

“Don’t you desperately want to defeat Kailo Alan?”

At the mention of that name, Vivian’s heart pounded fiercely.

Even this, Elena had read from Vivian’s mind.

The image of Kailo mocking her, saying her family was weak and that’s why they died, was still vivid.

She didn’t want to lose to him.

But even in the witch’s sweet words, Vivian sensed the lurking darkness.

“H-how do you know me so well?”

“I’ve been watching you. You looked like you needed help.”

“And, you just… came to help me because I looked like I needed it? I don’t even know you.”

Elena shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, to be a bit more honest… I thought you might be able to help me too. I figured we could help each other.”

Though Elena’s tone was light, her intent was clear.

“Lately, the persecution of witches has been increasing.”

She turned her head and looked out the window.

“The Las Order’s witch hunts… their search networks are so widespread now. While most of the ones they catch are innocent people, sometimes they manage to capture real witches and execute them.”

“Ah, but look at that.”

Elena said, turning her gaze back to Vivian.

“You’re the lord of Loctana, aren’t you? And you need help.
Don’t you think we could work together?”

“W-why should I do that? W-witches deserve to die.”

Vivian answered with a trembling voice.

Even as she openly said that witches deserved death, Elena remained unfazed.

It was as if such scorn was something she’d long grown accustomed to.

“There’s no need to be so rigid, is there? If you accept my help, if you decide to become my apprentice, if you choose to become a witch… you could stop trembling and have many people beneath your feet.”

It would be a lie to say that Vivian wasn’t briefly tempted by the proposal.

Something inside her wavered.

Though she didn’t know what kind of power the witch wielded, Elena’s confidence implied that she could solve all of Vivian’s problems.

Elena brought the tip of her long pipe close to Vivian’s face.

Seeing the glowing embers of the tobacco, Vivian flinched and turned her head, but Elena didn’t stop, pressing the pipe’s tip against Vivian’s left cheek.

Contrary to her expectation that it would burn, a cold sensation spread across her cheek.

Forcing Vivian to meet her gaze, Elena spoke.

“It’s a simple proposition, Vivian. If you promise to help me… I’ll teach you the power of a witch. It’s not an opportunity that comes easily. And I like you. Having the lord of Loctana as my apprentice… wouldn’t that be fun?”

“And what kind of power does a witch have?”

“You could curse someone to death… eavesdrop on conversations… you’d have a secret weapon no one knows about.”

It was a power that left a bitter taste, but it was undeniably effective.

Trying to shake off her unease, Vivian questioned,

“B-but if I get caught being a witch… I’d be killed.”

“You’re going to die if things stay as they are.”

“Isn’t it time you made a choice?”

Vivian remained silent.

The witch’s words grew heavier with each passing moment.

At some point, Vivian found herself unable to easily reject the bewitching offer.

Rather than outright rejecting it, she was weighing the costs and benefits.

Could she trust this hand being offered so easily?

Was there a hidden motive behind it?

If she accepted, what would change?

What kind of future would await her, and what would she have to lose?

“Then couldn’t you just help me without me becoming a witch?”

“Oh my. I came here to become your mentor, not to become your servant, you know? I can’t tolerate the humiliation of becoming someone’s servant.”

“And strength, originally, is something you must learn to wield on your own. It’s not something you entrust to others.”

Vivian couldn’t refute that.

In the end, she was just sulking for a moment about the unpleasant thought of becoming a witch.

“Then… is that really the end? You’ll pass your power onto me if I help you…?”

Sensing that Vivian was being tempted, the witch smiled.

She then revealed something honestly.

“Oh, there is one more thing.”

“What?”

“It’s not that you have to do something for me… but to become a full-fledged witch, there’s a price you must pay. After all, you can’t grasp such powerful strength without offering something in return. A sacrifice, you might say.”

“A… sacrifice?”

The witch looked at her for a long moment before quietly answering.

“…The thing most precious to you.”

“To become a full-fledged witch, you must sacrifice the thing most precious to you.”

If Vivian had heard this a few years ago, she would have ended the conversation at this moment.

But now, the witch’s words didn’t seem so chilling.

“The thing most precious…”

Vivian muttered softly, her gaze falling to the floor.

Her mind drifted back to memories of the past.

Her father’s warm smile.

Her brother’s strength.

Her mother’s gentle embrace…

All of those things were now gone.

Vivian no longer had anything precious left.

“…I don’t have anything precious.”

The witch answered as if it was no big deal.

“You don’t need to sacrifice it right now. Witches only make the offering when they become adults anyway. You have to be at an age where you can clearly recognize what you’re holding in your hands.”

“And if I still don’t have anything precious by the time I become an adult?”

“That’s something you can think about when the time comes.”

“What did you sacrifice?”

The witch placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

“I sacrificed my descendants.”

“My children, and the children they would have had… I sacrificed them all.”

Vivian didn’t know what to say.

This offer that had come to her in her moment of helplessness was indeed tempting.

The fear of death, the pressure from the adults, the helplessness, and self-loathing she felt were unbearable.

But still, she hesitated.

She didn’t know what value something precious in the distant future might hold for her, so she found it hard to make a decision.

She wasn’t even sure if anything precious would ever come into her life.

Vivian asked.

“If I have to sacrifice something precious… does becoming a witch even hold any meaning?”

“You can’t have everything. If you can sacrifice a little happiness to get what you want, you should.”

“Vivian, you can survive, and you can have your revenge.”

The witch said simply.

“Isn’t that what you needed the most right now?”