Chapter 14: The Secret
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: The Secret
“Why is it that curses don’t work on me?”
Hearing Yohan’s words, Margaret stiffened and stared at him. It felt like just yesterday she’d been warned not to let him find out about his immunity to curses. How could he have found out so fast?
It should have been impossible for him to notice so quickly, no matter how perceptive he was. Unless Evangeline had told him a thing or two…
‘That damn bitch, seriously—’
She’d threatened to kill Margaret if she said anything, yet here she was, having apparently spilled every secret there was to spill about curses and whatnot.
Forget the double standard; it was enough to make one suspect this was all a trap, that Evangeline had told Yohan everything just to get her killed.
“...I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
For now, Margaret decided to play dumb. No matter how certain Yohan was, he had no physical proof. If she, a witch, feigned ignorance, not even he would be able to prove anything…
As she was thinking this, Yohan casually raised his hand and called for the shop owner.
“Sir.”
“What is it?”
“Do you see anyone in front of me?”
“...There’s no one there.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Having called the owner over and secured his proof in an instant, Yohan looked at Margaret sitting before him and gave a slight, knowing smile.
“Would you care to explain?”
“—Since when? Since when did you know?”
“I started to suspect around the time my teacher told me about curses.”
Of course. Sighing at the confirmation that Evangeline had revealed her secrets, Margaret conceded with a nod and slowly looked down at the steak in front of her.
Then, she placed her hand directly on the cast-iron plate the steak was on. Though some time had passed, it was still scorching hot—yet her expression remained completely unfazed.
“Well?”
“What do you mean, ‘well’...? Doesn’t that burn?”
“Of course not. I’m not really here in the first place.”
“...What do you mean, you’re not here?”
“I am isolated from this world. That’s why other people can’t see me.”
This was the curse of Margaret, the Witch of Space. It was the reason why others not only couldn’t see her, but couldn’t even hear her voice.
“...So, even though it looks like you’re touching things, you’re not actually there?”
“Oh, you get it? You’re smarter than I thought, Disciple.”
As she said this, she tried to pick up the steak with her fork. Watching her struggle, Yohan finally understood why she had entrusted everything to him.
She couldn’t interfere with this world. A dimensional exile, unable to even eat or move things on her own.
Only her magic power was the sole means connecting her to this world.
“No one can see me. Even other witches can’t, unless I want them to. Well, that’s not to say it’s completely impossible for them to see me…”
“What do you mean…”
“Powerful witches, like your teacher, can sense my presence through my magic power alone.”
That was one of the reasons she had become close with his teacher. Even if Evangeline couldn’t see her directly, she could feel her presence and communicate with her.
Having revealed her curse, Margaret grinned and played innocent.
“If you ask me, I think the reason curses don’t work on you has something to do with your teacher.”
“...With my teacher?”
“Yes. Normally, you shouldn’t be able to see me. If you, a person with no magic power, can see me, doesn’t it make sense that Evangeline did something? She might not look it, but she’s a truly powerful archwitch.”
It was a rather plausible argument. Plausible enough for Yohan, the person in question, to find it somewhat convincing. After all, it’s easier to believe that someone superior did something to you than to believe you possess some special power yourself.
Guessing at Yohan’s thoughts, Margaret started to sway his mind with casual chatter.
“Ah, you know that bookshelf in your teacher’s room? I’m the one who made it.”
“The one that automatically produces a new book every day?”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
A bookshelf that produced an infinite number of books. Recalling it, Yohan began to find Margaret’s words more and more credible.
It was an object that could never be created with science. If an archwitch praised by the witch who made such a thing had cast a spell on him, it seemed plausible that he could see through a witch’s curse.
However, that created a contradiction.
“And yet, that same teacher refused to show me her face, claiming I would be cursed.”
Hmph. Letting out a breath through her nose, Margaret looked at Yohan’s resolute expression and shook her head as if she had no choice.
If he was going to be this persistent, she’d have to release a piece of information herself. Information that would make him back off in fear.
“Well, that’s because…”
“Because what?”
“Maybe she just doesn’t want to show her face to someone from another world?”
Hearing Margaret’s words, Yohan stared at her with a shocked expression, as if to ask, How did you know?
There. Now we’re even. Margaret seized control of the conversation and smiled leisurely.
*
“Maybe she just doesn’t want to show her face to someone from another world?”
The moment those words left her lips, I flinched, my eyes flying open as I stared at her. This was on a completely different level from me deducing that I was immune to witches’ curses.
‘How in the world did she know?’
I had never given her, or even my teacher, any hint that I was from another world.
Everything I had brought from Earth had been taken by the villagers, and after that, I was the only one who ever went back and forth to the village.
That meant my teacher never had the time to ask the villagers about my origins.
Even in the cabin, I did my best to act like a simple country boy, careful not to show any unusual behavior.
“...What are you talking about?”
“See? You’re reacting the same way. Whether human or witch, everyone has a secret or two they can’t talk about.”
Right. Hearing her words, I realized I had just said the exact same thing she had when she was flustered earlier.
I had to admit it. My reaction alone was as good as revealing that I was from another world.
“...Did my teacher tell you?”
“She did. In this, we’re the same.”
“So my teacher already knew.”
That was a relief. If my teacher hadn’t known, and this witch had somehow discovered my secret, I would have had to worry about her snitching on me.
The very fact that my teacher knew I was from another world and hadn’t kicked me out told me a lot.
‘She’s not going to kick me out, at least not right away.’
In a world that discriminated against outsiders from outside the village and ostracized foreigners, I had thought there was no telling what would happen to me if my identity as someone from another world was revealed.
I was happy to be wrong. It seemed my teacher, who had lived for hundreds of years, didn’t care about such trivial matters. Whether I was an outsider or from another world…
If I no longer had to worry about being kicked out, then there was no reason to hide my identity.
However.
“—Whether that’s true or not, I don’t think this is the place to talk about it.”
“You’re right. Hehe. Have you noticed that man has been giving you a very strange look for a while now? We might get reported the second we leave.”
“...Wouldn’t that be a big problem?”
“What’s there to worry about? They don’t know where we came from or how we got here.”
Now that she mentioned it, she was right. What did it matter if we looked suspicious? We could just teleport away.
I belatedly understood why my teacher had taken her in. If I truly had a constitution that made me immune to witches’ curses, many witches would covet me.
No matter how overpowered my teacher’s abilities were, she couldn’t protect me from all of them. But with a witch who could manipulate space, it was a different story.
We could just run away.
No one would be able to follow.
We could escape, build another cabin in some forest, and continue living.
That was the way of the witch.
*
After leaving the shop, I wandered around the city with Margaret. I must have looked like a country bumpkin, because a few thugs tried to pick a fight with me.
I didn’t need Margaret’s help. I might have been weak enough to lose to monsters, but I was still the disciple of a witch who had awakened his magic power.
There was no way I’d lose to some untrained back-alley thugs. After I easily subdued them, Margaret started clapping in surprise.
“Ooh, impressive, Disciple.”
“It was nothing… If it were you, Margaret, you would’ve won without even lifting a finger, right?”
“Huh? Well, I’m a witch and you’re a human, aren’t you?”
“Ah, right…”
Sensing her casual disdain for humans, I continued to wander the city with her. Soldiers gave me strange looks as I walked around, talking to myself, but they didn’t stop me for questioning or anything like that.
They probably figured I was fine since I’d made it inside the city. The clean clothes I was wearing must have helped.
As we were walking, I saw a large crowd gathered in the middle of the city.
“I wonder what’s going on.”
“...Disciple, let’s just go.”
“Huh? Why? Let’s just take a quick look. It won’t take long.”
Seeing the crowd had piqued my interest, but Margaret shook her head, opposing the idea of going over.
Her reaction, however, only made me more curious. No matter how barbaric this medieval fantasy world was, they couldn’t possibly be holding a public execution show in the middle of the street, right?
I pushed through the crowd and, as I got closer, a soldier in full plate armor raised his sword and shouted.
“And now! We shall carry out the execution of this wicked witch-follower!”
To my astonishment, these ignorant fantasy residents were, in fact, putting on a massacre show.