Chapter 544: Jealousy is My Power (44)
Chapter 544: Jealousy is My Power (44)
Traveling alone with a superior is always a burden.
It is especially true when you haven't known the person for long and the gap in status is astronomical. In that sense, the Great Witch was perhaps one of the worst possible traveling companions.
After all, she was one of only three Masters on the entire continent.
Of course, I wasn't exactly someone who could be ignored wherever I went. My achievements—crushing the Dark Cult's plots multiple times and standing my ground against the subordinates of the Evil God—were more than enough to establish me as the Morning Star of the continent.
But the woman walking beside me was the Great Witch.
A hero who had already saved the continent from the brink of destruction once before.
I, who was only just beginning to build a reputation, couldn't possibly be compared to her. She was a figure to whom even the Emperor of the Empire had to show formal respect.
Naturally, standing beside her, I couldn't help but feel needlessly anxious and restless.
Yes, that was how I should have felt.
"Yaaaawn... The sunlight is so warm it’s making me bored. Tell me a funny story."
"We’re almost at our destination anyway."
The Great Witch was stretching with her fingers interlaced, and I responded in a calm tone.
Strangely enough, there wasn't even a hint of tension between us.
Perhaps the experience of traveling with the Sword Duke for a few days had helped. Or perhaps the memories from my future self were influencing me.
However, I was a bit curious as to why the Great Witch didn't take issue with my attitude.
At first, it had been a mistake.
I had been startled by my own casual demeanor, my heart sinking as I worried I might have offended her.
But surprisingly, the Great Witch showed no sign of displeasure.
On the contrary, she even bantered back as if it were nothing. Even now, her face showed nothing but a sense of languid boredom.
Perhaps her nature was simply one that didn't care for authority.
Of course, there was no way for me to truly read her inner thoughts. No emotion could be felt in the dull pupils of the woman who was rhythmically gnawing on her smoking pipe.
And yet, how should I put it?
There was something peculiar about the feeling conveyed through her gestures and tone.
"Hmph, you cheeky brat... Not obeying your elder immediately when she speaks."
"How interesting could the words of a young kid like me be? It would be better if someone who has lived hundreds of years longer than me shared some stories... Gack!"
Thwack.
The smoking pipe smacked the back of my head as it passed. Despite the significant difference in our heights, it was a strike so fast I didn't even see it coming.
The pipe, which she had been using to light a fire moments ago, was hot. A short cry of pain escaped my lips from the unexpected ambush.
I rubbed the back of my head and hissed, swallowing a groan. I then shot a protesting look toward the Great Witch.
Naturally, she didn't even look at me.
She simply put the pipe to her lips and exhaled a cloud of smoke like a long sigh.
"……Mentioning age is forbidden from now on."
"Wait, you didn't say anything when the Sword Duke mentioned it?"
"Because it’s my prerogative."
She was a woman who was difficult to read in many ways.
It was fine for the Sword Duke, but not for me?
I felt a sense of injustice deep down, but what could I do?
I had no choice but to swallow my resentment in silence.
However, getting hit with the pipe wasn't entirely without merit.
"My stories, huh..."
Along with her languid breath, the bitter scent of herbs tickled the tip of my nose.
Before I knew it, the woman's light green eyes had grown hazy and unfocused. Where were those pupils looking?
At the very least, it wasn't at the present.
The Great Witch's expression turned quite bitter as she scanned scenes from a much more distant past.
"……Heh, they’re nothing but boring stories."
"Don't you have many proud tales of heroism?"
"The opposite. They are all filled with regret."
She spoke as if it were nothing, but I found myself falling silent for a moment.
My gaze drifted to the corner of her mouth. There, a bitter crescent moon had formed.
"Self-inflicted consequences, karmic retribution... No matter what you call it, the fact that it’s my fault doesn't change. To be honest, I don't exactly have a heroic temperament. Unlike what the world expects... So, listening to my stories won't be fun."
"I still want to hear them, though."
The Great Witch let out a short burst of laughter.
She seemed to think I was just being stubborn or offering clumsy comfort.
She looked at me with eyes that found me somewhat endearing. It was one of the few instances of blatant goodwill she had shown.
"Pfft! Kid, are you trying to comfort me just because you're a man? Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not someone you need to worry about—"
"I was like that too."
Now it was the Great Witch's turn to fall silent.
At my blunt confession, the woman who had been laughing froze. Regardless, I simply continued with what I wanted to say.
"I've killed many people. People who were friends, people I fought alongside... I wonder if it really had to be that way."
It was my unadorned, true feelings.
Raw, unprocessed emotions carried a strange weight. Sometimes, I was so afraid of carrying that burden that I would throw out a joke just to change the atmosphere.
But my companion was the Sage of the Great Forest.
She wasn't someone who couldn't handle that much weight.
A sound that might have been a sigh scattered along with the smoke.
"……Have you ever heard of 'Connection'?"
"Is it something similar to fate?"
"It’s similar if you think it is, and it’s not if you don't. Think of it as a more fluid concept."
As she spoke, the Great Witch drew a small circle with her index finger. At first glance, it looked like mere idle play, but the imaginary circle soon expanded its diameter, and five points appeared in the air.
Fire, water, sprout, metal, earth.
"In the Five Elements that make up all things, there is such a thing as compatibility. They can coexist and generate one another, but sometimes they are in opposition... It is the same for people."
Between those five points, a single dot of light was bouncing and ricocheting back and forth.
That was likely the representation of a 'human.'
"Life changes depending on the time, luck, and even the personality of every single person you encounter. In the Great Forest, we call this 'Connection'—something that can neither be severed nor predicted... The continuous facets of a life that touch and link together."
"It’s a more profound concept than I thought."
"It’s nothing, just a difference in worldviews... Anyway, the important fact is that in these successive moments of life, no one can calculate the aftermath their choices will bring. There will be times when you regret the past and feel pain... but unless you are a god, you cannot avoid making mistakes."
"Then, perhaps the Great Witch also..."
I realized my mistake as soon as the question left my mouth.
I worried I had touched upon a sensitive subject. Everyone has secrets they want to keep hidden, and I was no exception.
How much more so for a Great Sage who had lived for hundreds of years?
However, it didn't take long for me to realize my worry was unnecessary.
"……Hmph, do you even have to ask?"
The Great Witch's face as she answered looked somewhat hollow. It was a face worn down by the storms of time, a face that seemed to have forgotten even the word 'hope.'
"You must have seen it, right? The pain that ravages this body of mine at all hours... This is the price for my sins. Don't you end up like this."
Why is that your fault?
Before I could even ask, the Great Witch squeezed her eyes shut along with a puff of smoke.
I could see her hand gripping the smoking pipe tighten slightly.
"If only I had made up my mind sooner, much sooner..."
The regret bleeding from her voice was so pitiful.
I chose to remain silent. Unlike the Great Witch, I was still too immature to handle someone else's raw sincerity.
How could someone who couldn't even sort out his own heart do such a thing?
Still, feeling uncomfortable saying nothing at all, I cleared my throat and decided to change the subject.
"We’re almost at our destination."
The Great Witch didn't seem particularly keen on pouring out her emotions either.
Her expression quickly regained its composure as her pupils scanned the surroundings intently. Letting out a curious hum, she asked me.
"Kid, what do you see?"
"Pardon?"
I could only tilt my head at the sudden question.
Even when I sharpened my Qi sense to understand her meaning, it was the same. I couldn't detect any reaction in the vicinity.
The senses of a knight who has reached the level of High Expert do not miss even the smallest breath.
If I didn't feel anything, it was safe to assume the area was secure.
Just as I was about to say that.
The look in the Great Witch's eyes as she watched me was strange. It was the gaze of a teacher looking at a student before an exam.
And then, it suddenly clicked.
"……This is strange."
"Isn't it?"
We were in the middle of a forest.
Naturally, all sorts of living creatures should have been thriving here. Yet, I couldn't feel a single breath other than the trees and grass.
It was far too suspicious.
The Great Witch continued her explanation with a somewhat satisfied smile.
"We don't seem to be affected, but any random riffraff would have turned back before even reaching this place. A very subtle barrier has been cast... so subtle that even I only noticed it after we entered."
"Is that even possible?"
I blurted out the question in surprise.
Just as the Sword Duke possessed unparalleled knowledge and skill regarding the sword, the Great Witch was an expert in sorcery and barriers. If it was something a person like her didn't notice immediately, it had to be a barrier of an incredible level.
Despite this, the Great Witch remained calm.
"Don't make a fuss. As long as I'm not in my main body, I have my limits... though it’s true the level of the barrier is unexpectedly high."
"Should we stop for now?"
I was asking if we should call for backup.
At that, the Great Witch fell into thought, letting out a long, drawn-out groan. Of course, her hesitation didn't last long.
"No, it’s too late... A Swordsman is already here."
That short statement was enough.
My hand immediately moved toward my waist.