episode_0066

After that, they went around and looked at various places in the city. But for some reason, Usher frowned at the sight of the streets becoming more and more crowded. It was because he was reminded of what had happened when he had lost the girl’s hand in the village. He put more strength into the hand he was holding with her and nervously moved through the crowd, finally letting go of his tension.

“Heuh, Usher, I can’t anymore.”

“Ah, sorry!”

Belka seemed to have trouble keeping up with his pace, so he looked for a place to rest for the tired girl. Before long, they found a suitable structure to sit on and decided to rest there. However, perhaps because the structure was higher than expected, the girl struggled to climb onto it. Seeing her like this, Usher wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up.

“There, is this okay?”

“…Yes.”

Then, seeing the girl finally settle comfortably on the flat structure, Usher also jumped lightly and climbed onto the structure. Sitting next to her like that, the street was still crowded with many people and dwarves. People occasionally glanced at them, but no one approached any further than that. As Usher looked at them from a close but distant place, he felt a sweet floral scent brushing past his nose and a small weight on his shoulder.

“Belka?”

The girl had leaned her head on his shoulder. He wasn’t expecting an answer, so he looked at the girl leaning on his shoulder and then looked ahead again. They were the only ones stopped and looking at everyone else passing by. His heart was pounding, and he could sometimes hear his heartbeat coming closer to his ear.

“That guy buys her stuff so easily.”

Rogi had been secretly watching Usher and Belka as they walked around the city. Then, he thought that Usher was showing off by buying the girl shoes, but when he nonchalantly handed over the iron coins to pay, he was angry that he was worse than that guy. The money that Rogi had on hand right now was only a few copper coins at best. He knew that it was because the adults had never given him proper work to do because he was still young.

Then how could he explain that a kid who looked about the same age as him had enough money to buy shoes for a girl? He thought about whether he should get a job and earn money right away, but it was clear that if he went to the adults, they would be surprised and chase him away. Then, he reminded himself that even if he earned money and bought her something like that, the girl wouldn’t accept him, and he bit his lip. He already knew that it was over with the girl, but what was this feeling that he didn’t want to accept?

After seeing them buy shoes, he continued to follow them and saw them sitting side by side on a structure that was good for sitting on. Anyone could tell that they were dating, leaning against each other so affectionately. He was annoyed by the sounds of people happily muttering that they were a young couple as they passed by, but he couldn’t voice it. Because the girl he saw looked so happy. As if just being together was all she needed.

Seeing that, Rogi felt an unknown misery and accepted it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t give the girl that kind of happiness. And he blankly recalled last night. The tears the girl had shed, an awkward and stifled sob as if she had never cried properly before.

“…Let’s go back.”

He trudged along like a defeated soldier. The adults had pushed him to go out and play, but he had parted ways with the other kids a long time ago, chasing after the girl’s back, and he wasn’t in the mood to play. He thought he should go back to where the adults were, but in reality, he didn’t know where his steps were leading him, and he walked aimlessly. He realized something was wrong when he belatedly recognized that the road had become too dark.

“Where is this again?”

Had he lost his way? Perhaps because he had walked too mindlessly, he had wandered into a dark alley.

“Isn’t this a bit dangerous?”

He remembered the adults telling him not to go to dangerous places. Could there be gangsters around here? He scanned the alley, but surprisingly, he didn’t see any thugs leaning against the walls smoking or squatting on the ground. He was relieved for nothing, and then he discovered a nameplate with strange letters written on it. The letters looked like squiggly worms crawling, but he could still make them out to some extent.

“Devalin’s Magic Bookstore?”

The word “magic” reminded Rogi of the jerk. The worst guy who had violated the girl and dragged him in. Because of that, he felt bad, but he remembered the girl’s mutterings that he had secretly overheard last night.

“…She said she was made, right?”

People are normally born, not made. It was just a what if thought, but maybe the girl named Belka was born through magic? He knew very well that he had to give up on her, but there were still too many unanswered questions for Rogi to abandon his lingering feelings for the girl. So he couldn’t resist his curiosity and opened the old door of the alley.

“Hello? Ugh! The smell of dust.”

Beyond the open door, it was as dark as the shady alley, and the smell of dust that rose up because of opening the door blocked his nose. He had to be thankful that there wasn’t a moldy smell. He wondered if it was a failed store with only a name left, but fortunately or unfortunately, there was a lamp emitting a weak light inside the store. And before long, he discovered someone slumped in a chair.

“Excuse me, I’m here to look at books…”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence. At first, he had approached to ask for permission, but as he got closer, he could see his appearance in detail, which he couldn’t see from afar. First of all, he was shorter than him, who was still young. He couldn’t compare directly, but he seemed just as small as that guy who had monopolized the girl’s love. If that was all, he would have just thought he was a dwarf, but the problem was that he was too ugly.

A large hooked nose that seemed to take up more than half of his face, sharp canines and crooked teeth were visible between his parted lips. His back was hunched like a hunchback, and he seemed to have an unpleasant smell. Most shocking of all, his skin, which was blotchy and oily, looked green, although it wasn’t clear because of the faint lamplight. He was shocked by that, but Rogi barely recalled his knowledge of dwarves.

“A green dwarf?”

Dwarves are mainly divided into two types. The first is the gray dwarf, who is only small in stature and otherwise difficult to distinguish from humans. Rogi didn’t know why they were called gray dwarves. He couldn’t find anything gray about them, no matter how hard he looked. Perhaps dwarves didn’t live in Pasiphaea, because he had never seen one in his hometown, but after coming here, more than half of the people walking on the streets were gray dwarves.

But he had never seen where the green dwarves were. Now that he saw one, he could understand why they were called that at a glance, compared to gray dwarves. Their skin was green. Rogi gave up on waking him up because of the foreignness that was similar to a person but gave a sense of revulsion. He tried to bear with it as much as possible, but.

“This is too much.”

He didn’t have the confidence to face him and talk to him properly, so Rogi couldn’t wake him up. He could understand why gray dwarves would get so angry when compared to green dwarves. The green dwarf was snoring, flaring his large nostrils as large as his large hooked nose. He thought he would say hello when he woke up later, but he quietly looked around the store, hoping that he wouldn’t wake up. The inside of the store was dark because there was nothing to light it up except for the faint lamp, but it was a proper bookstore than he thought.

“I hope there are proper books too.”

Rogi muttered and rummaged through the old and dark bookstore’s bookshelves. He picked one out at random and took it out.

“This is what I saw when I was young.”

The tattered magic book, which had been widely spread regardless of region since he didn’t know when, was the first thing he saw. Still, with a hopeful heart, he opened the book, but.

“Just as I thought.”

Inside the book, there were pages filled with indecipherable letters, along with pictures of hands moving and a large drawn letter. This was so common that you could see it anywhere. As a joke, everyone had read it when they were young. Still, since he had opened it, he looked through it to the end to see if there was anything different, but it was the same book without a single word changed. He sighed, put it back in its place, and decided to choose a book carefully this time.

He was examining the titles of the books that were not clearly visible with the light of the faint lamp. When he found one that caught his eye.

“About Witches?”

The first thing that came to Rogi’s mind when he saw the title of that book was Belka. He felt a little sorry, but he couldn’t help it. The girl had such a beautiful and mysterious feeling that the word witch couldn’t be more fitting. He immediately opened the book and looked into its contents. And he became engrossed in the book as if he were drawn in.

“A witch is one of the few beings who can use magic that has been passed down since ancient times…”

Because of that, Rogi didn’t know. He didn’t know that the sound of the old door of the bookstore opening was heard while he was reading the book, and that a dark figure was slowly approaching behind him.

“You seem interested in magic. Kid.”

“Ugh!”

Rogi was horrified by the man’s low and sinister voice that came from right behind him and had no choice but to turn around. There, a strange man wearing a dark and gloomy robe was looking down at him.

“Oh, there’s no need to be so surprised. I’m just a customer here.”

The unidentified man said as if to calm him down, but Rogi couldn’t do it at all. How could he not be surprised when he saw that figure?

“Most of the books here are not very useful, but there are occasionally hidden treasures.”

The man was covering his entire body with a dark robe that seemed to be assimilated with the darkness of the old bookstore. Under the deeply pressed hood, there was only darkness, so his face could not be seen, and under the wide sleeves of the robe, there were hands that were wrapped in bandages and did not reveal a single piece of skin. That appearance alone was scary enough, but the bigger problem was the man’s voice.

“Hoo, this is.”

The man bent down and picked up the book that had fallen in front of him. It was the book that Rogi had been reading just now. He looked at the book with interest and then opened it as it was and flipped through the pages. He read it so quickly that the pages of the thick book reached the end in an instant and were then closed.

“Witches, witches. They are very interesting people. You seem curious about what witches are like.”

The man’s voice was clearly that of a young man, but it had a different sense of intimidation than others. A chilling low voice that seemed to press down on people every time he heard it. The sense of intimidation was so vivid that it was frightening.

“Wh-What do you want?”

“Don’t be afraid, kid. It’s rare for foolish people to be interested in magic up to your age, so I was just curious.”

The man was openly calling him foolish, but Rogi couldn’t say anything. Maybe, just maybe, this man was a wizard. There was no evidence that this man was a wizard, but if this man wasn’t a wizard, who would be a wizard?

“Do you want to know more about witches?”

“I-I just want to read that book.”

“I’ve read this book too. But there are quite a few omissions or distortions. After all, the people who write are humans, so the thoughts of the writers can’t help but be reflected in the writing.”

He clicked his tongue, saying that this book only looked at witches from a bad perspective and that people who read this book would have no choice but to think badly of witches.

“So I’m going to tell you. About witches.”

“But why would you do that…”

“Hehe, these days, there are hardly any foolish people who want to explore the truth. Originally, I would be busy with my research, but I think I’m happy to meet a beginner after a long time.”

He gave an unpleasant laugh, saying that it was just a trivial whim. But Rogi knew that this wasn’t a bad situation. He was a bit suspicious, but that was why he could trust the information. He swallowed nervously and asked him.

“Do you know a lot about witches?”

“Well, I’m not a witch, so I can’t say I know the details. They are so shy that most of them don’t even have minimal interaction.”

So does that mean he doesn’t know after all? Rogi was about to turn around, thinking that he had been deceived, but the man’s words were heard before that.

“But as someone who uses the same magic, I can say that I know better than a guy like you.”

“Huh!”

The man’s hand, which he looked back at, had a glowing orb floating on it, illuminating the dark bookstore. It wasn’t that bright of a light. But he couldn’t help but be surprised by the sight of the mass of light, which was brighter than most candles. It certainly wasn’t a candle. The shape of the thing on the man’s hand was close to a perfect sphere, and it wasn’t simply placed on the man’s hand, but it was floating in the air.

“C-Can I touch it?”

That was what Rogi reflexively blurted out before he could even think properly.

“If you can touch it, that is.”

He belatedly regretted it, but fortunately, the man didn’t seem to mind. With trembling hands, Rogi tried to touch the sphere of light floating in the man’s air.

“Huh?”

But he couldn’t touch the sphere. He clearly thought he had touched it, but his hand had already passed through the sphere, and the light was still in the same place. He tried to touch it again and again, wondering what it was, but in the end, Rogi couldn’t touch the sphere.

“It’s no use no matter how hard you try. This is just light. Do you think you can touch light?”

Instead, let’s continue the story, he said as he dragged a chair from somewhere and sat down. Even so, he was burdened by the tall man looking down at him, but Rogi sat quietly in front of him.

“Okay, I think you’re ready to listen to the story now.”

He smiled contentedly and began to speak, putting the tips of his bandaged fingers together.

“People think of witches as just evil wizards, but if you know them, they are lonely and sad women.”

Even if they are people who use the same magic, it is difficult to meet witches. They have been using magic for much longer than they think, and they take it for granted.

“In that sense, there are some guys who see them as descendants of ancient humans.”

In the very old days, it was natural for humans to use magic. Perhaps some of those who did not lose their magic remained, and their descendants are witches.

“It’s not an implausible story, but it’s a very inadequate claim.”

“Why?”

“Can you explain why only women can use that magic?”

Rogi pursed his lips at his words. If men could use the same magic, there would be no point in distinguishing between witches and wizards. They were distinguished because the magic they used was different, even though they seemed the same. Summoning magic and bloodline magic differed greatly in scale and purpose.

“We have no choice but to skip over that since nothing has been revealed about it.

But what is certain is that they are humans who are no different from us.

“But even among those witches, there are special ones.”

Among witches, special ones are sometimes born. The bloodline magic of witches is not particularly powerful, but those special witches are an exception.

“They have the power to cancel the magic of wizards.”

At his words, Rogi was reminded of the jerk who had been left in the wilderness for a punishment. Come to think of it, he had said he was a wizard. How was she able to neutralize him like that? As the belatedly raised question was immediately resolved, he was able to confirm the fact that he had been vaguely feeling. The girl, Belka, was a witch.

“They are born with the power to be feared even by wizards, but they are not without weaknesses.”

Those who meet them are given the opportunity to offer a sacrifice exactly once per person.

“A sacrifice…?”

Suddenly, the girl’s words came to mind.

“The price for the sacrifice has been paid. Whether it was what you intended or not, the contract has been made and it is over.”

And he remembered the rabbit he had given her.

“Yes, they have a rule that they must accept the sacrifices offered by others in return for being born with stronger powers than other witches.”

Moreover, since it is a rule that is forced by innate magic, not restrictions imposed by themselves or others, they must abide by that rule.

“The condition for the sacrifice is simple: it must be a living creature.”

The wishes that can be asked of them become larger depending on the value of the sacrifice offered in that way. This is because the magic she can perform becomes more powerful as the value of the sacrifice offered increases. Therefore, it is important to offer as valuable a creature as possible when offering a sacrifice.

“You can’t expect complete subjugation from them no matter what sacrifice you offer, but they have an obligation to grant the wish of the person who offered the sacrifice once, whether they like it or not. You can enjoy wealth and fame, gain power, or gain truth, but many people will want the witch’s child. Having the witch’s bloodline is a very precious opportunity.”

Rogi couldn’t say anything at his words. Perhaps he had unknowingly done something more cruel to the girl than he thought? It was when Rogi was unable to speak due to the shocking truth. The man stood up from the seat where he was sitting.

“But it’s strange. It’s strange.”

“Wh-What is?”

“Your expression.”

The man quickly approached and grabbed his shoulder. His grip was so strong that the shoulder he was grabbed on felt like it was about to fall off, but Rogi couldn’t even scream as he gasped at the darkness in the robe that had come right in front of him. And a chilling laugh came from within that darkness.

“Khuk! Khukhuhuhu! You, you’ve met a witch? A very special witch at that!”

The sound of something hard colliding with something hard was heard from somewhere. Rogi barely realized that it was the sound of his teeth clashing together.

“How did you meet her? When? Where? What does she look like? What is the color and length of her hair? What is the color of her eyes? What is her skin like? What clothes is she wearing? How tall is she? What is the length of her arms and legs? What is the shape of her ears? How many teeth does she have? What are her fingers like? Are they all attached? Are her nails long? Short? Are her breasts big? Are her feet twisted? What does her face look like? What is her personality? What is her voice like?”

This was terror. Terror that rose from under his feet to the top of his head and licked him. Rogi barely shook off the man’s hand and hurriedly ran out of the bookstore. But.

-Clang!

“Ack! What is this!”

He tripped and fell over something that made a loud noise at his feet. He looked to see what it was, and there was a large iron cage that could fit a child. There was nothing inside, but there hadn’t been anything like this before he went inside. But that was only for a moment, and he had no choice but to get up and run away as soon as possible at the sound of footsteps approaching from inside the bookstore. Just before leaving the alley, he saw the man holding the iron cage he had just knocked over and looking at him.

The man’s face was still hidden by the darkness of the deeply pressed robe, but he somehow felt like he was smiling.