episode_0004

“Don’t worry. Not all warlocks are bad and mean people.”

The warlock who removed his robe was very different from the warlocks in fairy tales and mercenary stories.

There wasn’t a single thing on his body like strange tattoos, blood stains, skinny skin like a skeleton, fire burning in his eyes, or rotten skin.

No, in some ways, he was no different from an ordinary person.

The warlock in front of me right now, with her robe removed, could truly be called an ordinary ‘grandmother’. It was so ordinary that I felt like I had seen it once or twice in town. It felt natural to just call her grandmother.

I didn’t feel the slightest bit of discomfort when I was among the old ladies chatting under a tree that provided good shade. The only difference was that there was an atmosphere that made one feel a bit like a noblewoman.

It was similar to the feeling I had when I saw the wife of the lord, the owner of the estate where our village belongs. I even thought that the lord’s wife might change like this when she gets a little older. Thanks to this, my vigilance has eased, albeit slightly.

“Well, you said that warlocks are evil people… … .”

Of course, this does not mean that trust has suddenly increased. All the warlocks I heard about were described as evil and cunning, so although it may be a bias, the perception was bound to be bad.

“Ugh… … . Kid. Do you know about Certified Warlock?”

“A certified warlock?”

“Looking at you, you don’t seem to know. A certified black magician is a black magician recognized by the government. It is a qualification given only to those who swear not to use black magic as a tool to harm people, and who can keep it… … . Simply put, would you understand if the country recognized you as a good warlock?”

Seeing the grandmother who seemed to be describing herself as a good warlock made me even more suspicious. How is this different from a fraudster saying, “I am a good citizen?”

“Now, this is the mark of a certified warlock… … But, you won’t believe it.”

And, perhaps through her eyes, the grandmother took out a strangely shiny object and let out a small sigh.

To be honest, I didn’t even know there were certified warlocks, but even if I held it out as a certificate, there was no way for me to know if it was genuine or not.

“I will be waiting for you here. Would you like to go to the village and ask the adults? I’m going to ask if there really is a certified warlock and if this certificate is real. I really have no intention of causing any harm to you or the village you belong to.”

Seeing the warlock insisting on his own harmlessness and goodness, I slowly nodded. I thought it would be better to run away from this place first.

To prepare for possible tracking, I ran away without even receiving a certificate to take with me. It’s a world with magic, and the items given as tokens may have something like location tracking magic.

Anyway, I started running so quickly, circling the mountain here and there in preparation for possible pursuit, and then ran toward the village. Frankly, it’s not that far from town, so I doubt it makes sense to do so.

I ran to the village and immediately approached the soldiers guarding the entrance to the village. They were the ones who blocked the entry of unidentified and suspicious people at the entrance to the village, or when monsters or beasts approached from outside.

“Andrew, didn’t you say earlier that you were going to get a tree? What about trees? And why are you panting like this? What’s going on?”

One of the soldiers guarding the entrance to the village, whom I was quite close with, looked at me and asked me questions. The little boy who said he was going to get a tree ran like crazy without any wood, so it seemed like he was expecting something to happen.

“Brother, tongue!”

“Uh, yes. What’s going on?”

“Is there such a thing as a certified warlock?”

“Certified warlock? There is. Why, did you meet someone in the mountains who said he was a certified warlock?”

“No, was that really a thing?”

“… … Have you met? As for the certificate, did you see the certificate?”

The soldier grabbed me and asked me about the certificate, so I nodded slowly. I don’t know if it’s real or not, but I did see it presented as a token.

Then, my older brother looked at me nodding and rummaged through a nearby desk and brought something out.

“By any chance, did it look like this?”

“Huh? that’s right! So, is that person really a certified warlock?”

“Wasn’t it sparkly?”

“It was a little shiny, though.”

“Then you are a certified warlock. It’s made with magic, and it’s said that it glows when the black magician who owns it holds it.”

“Wow… … . So that person is a certified warlock? So you’re saying you’re not a criminal or a dangerous person?”

“That’s right. Because he is a warlock recognized by the country. I heard that if you commit a crime, you will die immediately. I swore before death that I would never harm anyone… … .”

“Really? Brother, thank you! See you later!”

After hearing that the old lady I met on the mountain was a certified warlock and that there was no need to worry, I moved towards the village entrance again.

I don’t know anything else, but since it was confirmed that the old lady was a certified warlock, I was planning to go there. It was because all the fear I had at hearing the word ‘warlock’ disappeared, and curiosity took its place. As I saw a warlock in front of me for the first time in my life, I couldn’t help but become curious.

When I ran to the place where I met my grandmother, she was still there. He had taken off his suspicious robe and was sitting on a nearby stump in normal clothes, waiting for me.

“Looking at the expression, it looks like they confirmed it.”

When my grandmother confirmed that I had returned, she smiled softly. He didn’t seem to care at all about the things I had disbelieved just a moment ago.

No, but why doesn’t anyone tell me that there are certified warlocks?

I sighed in relief, but I didn’t understand. If they had let me know right away that there was a certified warlock, I wouldn’t have had to run back and forth to the village like this.

“Do you wonder why the adults didn’t tell you about the certified warlock?”

But then, as if she had read my thoughts, my grandmother started talking. I was startled, wondering if he had read my thoughts, but then nodded. Curiosity was slightly more important than fear of having my thoughts read.

“It’s simple. It is said that warlocks must be recognized as evil, so they are good in many ways.”

“Huh? why? Because you want to destroy the world like in a fairy tale?”

“It may seem like that, but the reason is simpler than you think. You could say that this is to scare children who don’t listen to their parents.”

Grandma’s explanation was simple. If you don’t listen to your parents, a warlock will catch you – this was because in order to tell the same story, the warlock needed to be an evil character. Rather than being taken away by a ‘nice and pretty sister’, it was better to scare the children by being taken away by a ‘mean and evil warlock’.

I thought there was a profound reason, but it was a very practical reason. Of course, he said that wasn’t the only reason. Since most warlocks are close to criminals and create all kinds of problems, the idea was to create a bad perception of warlocks and reduce the number of aspiring warlocks.

“Would you mind telling us other things as we go, and show me the way to the village? I kept walking and I felt tired.”

“Ah, yes. Follow me.”

Now that I knew that there was actually a certified warlock, there was nothing I couldn’t guide them to the village. Seeing how the soldier brother, who had been nervous when told he was a warlock, relaxed and relaxed when told he had seen the certificate, it didn’t seem like there would be a problem if I took him with me.

Anyway, as I guided the warlock grandmother to the village, I asked her the one thing I had been curious about from the beginning.

“Hey, grandma? But why were you dressed in such suspicious clothing? If I had been dressed normally like I am now, I wouldn’t have been so suspicious.”

“It is very dangerous for an old man like me to wander the world alone. Did you know that thieves target those who seem helpless and weak, and rarely mess with those who travel alone and suspiciously?”

Even if I were a thief, I didn’t think I would mess with someone walking around the lawless area alone wearing a robe.

Although it is impossible to reliably determine strength just by looking at appearance, it is true that appearance plays a large part in determining strength. However, if you were covered in a robe so that it could not be seen, you would naturally hesitate.

They said that most thieves would not mess with a suspicious human because they were not sure whether they would be able to survive by messing with that suspicious human. Especially if you don’t have luggage.

After solving the biggest question, I guided the grandmother to the village and talked about various things. Like stories about other regions, it was a story I did not easily hear. Since most of what the mercenaries said was bluff, I couldn’t trust them, but the story the old woman told was quite interesting.

“By the way, grandma. Why did you come all the way to this remote corner? Travel?”

“Travel… … You could also say this. I’m looking for someone who can be my successor, so wouldn’t it be okay to call it a trip to find a successor?”

“Successor? How do you find a successor?”

“Find people with enough talent to become warlocks and appoint them as successors if they wish.”

The grandmother said this was not an easy task, adding that she had already been rejected three times.

“… … How do you determine talent?”

“Do you want to give it a try?”

“Honestly, I’m a little curious… … . If you survive well when a curse is cast, doesn’t that mean you have talent as a warlock?”

Let’s check your talent! Be cursed! For a moment, I was afraid that I might suddenly curse. Realizing that I did not have the qualities to be a warrior, an archmage, or a legendary blacksmith, my goal was to live a long, thin life.

At my worry, the grandmother burst into laughter and shook her head.

“A few hundred years ago, talent was identified that way. But it’s not dangerous now, so don’t worry.”

“You really did that?”

“My teacher is from a time when talent was understood in that way.”

They decided that if you endure a true curse, you have what it takes to become a warlock. I got goosebumps. I thought that if this situation had happened a few hundred years ago, I might have been cursed without a single word.

But along the way, I felt a little uncomfortable.

“… … Wait. A few hundred years ago, are you a teacher?”

” Since you don’t know anything about public warlocks, it’s natural that you don’t know much about warlocks. Warlocks can live for a very long time. My teacher lived for over four hundred years, and I am also living for over three hundred years.”

When I heard that he lived an incredibly long life, I almost shouted, ‘I want to become a warlock!’ No, the oldest man in our neighborhood is in his 70s, so three hundred and four hundred years!

“Why do warlocks live so long? Are wizards like that too?”

“Wizards also live a long time, but warlocks tend to live about a hundred years longer. Understand that warlocks are a little more familiar with death, so they can move away from it.”

I felt like I realized why wizards in fairy tales always appear as inspiration with long beards. Since they all live for a long time, it was natural for them to appear as old people.

And, after learning that fact, I became very envious of wizards and warlocks. Living for hundreds of years, not just a few decades!

In the end, I couldn’t bear it anymore and asked my grandmother to test my talent as a warlock.