The White Witch's First Encounter with Arthur
Whenever a rough stone meets a whetstone, a story is born. And in any era, that stone is bound to be rubbed smooth by love.
I was still just a girl when Arthur first entered my life.
At the time, he was being bullied by the other village children.
Arthur had golden hair, a pretty face, and even though he was from a distant family, he looked like he could have passed for a beautiful girl among the boys.
That was exactly why he became such an easy target for their cruelty.
But even then, something about him touched me.
His father was a pharmacist, after all. The scent that clung to him wasn’t as unpleasant as the other boys’.
So I went to the adults and got those bullies to leave Arthur alone.
“Liber… I heard from my father. You stopped those boys from bullying me… Is it true…?”
“Yeah. I did.
“W-why…? I’m weak, I’m from outside the village… and my face… it’s girly…”
“Being weak or coming from another village doesn’t make it right to bully someone. And to begin with, I never liked those boys very much. They just kept getting in my way just to get my attention.”
“Hic… Ugh… Thank you… I… I was so… miserable…”
Arthur dropped beside me and started crying with big, fat tears.
So that much bullying had hurt him that much?
I hadn’t done it expecting anything in return, but I scratched my cheek and thought for a moment.
“If you’re that grateful… you can become my subordinate.”
“Subordinate?”
“Yeah. You’ll do everything I tell you without complaint. After all, I saved you. It’s only fair, isn’t it?”
At the time I was trying to create a book, so I decided to use Arthur as a laborer.
Wait a second… didn’t this just turn the bully into my subordinate?
But anyway, being a cute, pretty girl’s subordinate was better than being bullied by some ugly, stinky boy.
He followed my every order without a single complaint.
Then, as my attempts to make a book kept failing, I started thinking about marrying into a rich family around age ten.
That was when Hesti, who had been searching for a disciple with real talent, met me.
She wanted me, the village chief’s daughter, to become her disciple at all costs.
She offered my parents a large sum of money as a bribe.
Later I heard it was enough to cover ten years of worry-free living.
Now that I thought about it, it seemed she was offering me enough money that I might have had to borrow to pay her if I wanted to learn magic.
But she wanted to take me as her disciple before someone else snatched away such a promising talent.
In the end, my parents gladly accepted the money and agreed to send me to Hesti.
I loved reading books.
Hesti loved having a disciple.
My parents loved the money.
Everyone won in this trade.
Except for one person.
“Liber… you’re really leaving the village?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to read books… I want to be a witch. Can you loosen my leg strap? My legs hurt…”
Arthur clung to my leg, sobbing.
Ever since I’d been taking care of him like a big sister and playing with him, he’d gotten attached.
The sudden departure must have hurt him deeply.
Arthur was only ten years old at the time. I could understand why he was crying over such a sudden goodbye.
Even when we graduated elementary school, some of us cried.
“Can’t you stay? I… I actually…”
“If you want me to stay, will you let Arthur read books?”
“Eh? Eh?”
“You know, one book can keep a healthy cow alive for ten years, right? Can you handle that?”
“Ugh, I’ll do my best to…!”
“I can’t be satisfied with just one book. At least… yeah, if I can get a new book every half-year, that would be nice. Then every year I could keep twenty cows alive.”
“Twenty cows… every year…? Th-that’s… impossible.”
“Why not? Hesti the witch says she’ll do it. What else can I do?”
Since I couldn’t do what Hesti could, I couldn’t stay in the village either.
I calmly reasoned with Arthur’s will until he agreed.
Arthur could no longer argue with me.
He sat on the floor, curled up, and cried silently.
I really couldn’t stop him.
“Haa… Arthur. Anyone looking at you would think you’re going to die. Stop crying.”
“Sniff… Huuung… B-but…”
“Fine, fine. I’ll ask the witch to let me visit the village often. That’s settled.”
“Really…? You’ll come back?”
“Yeah. Actually, it’s strange. Why are you crying like you’ll never see me again? Do you not want to see me? Wow, that hurts. I thought we were friends.”
“N-no, it’s not like that! I just… if I leave, I might not come back again…”
Am I really that cold-hearted?
Even though I showed this side of me, I always took care of anyone who became a friend.
After thinking for a moment, I squatted down, put my eyes level with Arthur’s, and offered my pinky.
It was our secret gesture.
“Then I promise. I’ll definitely come back and not forget.”
“Hey, that’s a promise!”
“Yeah. If I break it, you come looking for me. Then I’ll grant you one favor.”
“One favor…? What kind of favor will you grant?”
“Umm… then that means I broke my promise. No matter what, it’s fine.”
“No matter what?!”
Thanks to that promise, Arthur stopped crying and hooked his pinky.
Good. Laughing is much better than crying.
I gently stroked his golden hair.
He really was like a gentle puppy.
After leaving the village, I lived with Hesti for about half a year and then returned to Lipori, my hometown, every half year.
It was a three-month walk each way.
Honestly, going back every half year took real effort.
But after Hesti left for the north and started serving Lethe, I stopped going.
Or rather, I couldn’t go anymore.
Lethe, the greatest witch, ruled over all witches, so leaving their lands was impossible.
And Lethe’s lands were even farther than Hesti’s house.
Round-trip travel would take three months.
Naturally, there was no time to travel while learning magic.
After becoming an adult and leaving Lethe, I had immediately moved to the north.
It had been about five years since I last met Arthur.
Who is this? That’s not the boy I know…
Arthur had become almost a different person.
Even as a girl, his face looked quite handsome now.
His shoulders were broad, and he was tall enough that I had to tilt my head way up to see his face.
His flowing golden hair was the same, but it now felt more like handsome rather than girly.
The last time I saw Arthur, he had been a timid, fragile boy.
What on earth had happened in those five years? His sudden change left me speechless.
***
When the blizzard finally subsided, I came to the nearby village with Arthur and his party.
Luckily, the village had an inn.
After booking a few rooms, I dragged Arthur to the table and got straight to the point.
“So, why are you in the north?”
“That’s… I was about to ask you the same question. Liber, why are you here…?”
“I told you not to answer my question with another question. Arthur, you want to be scolded?”
“Ugh… I’m sorry.”
I smiled faintly at the long-forgotten feeling of warmth.
Arthur had grown, but he was still Arthur.
His party members seemed startled by us, but my gaze was fixed only on the stammering Arthur.
“Umm… I’m looking for something.”
“Something?”
“Because of my circumstances, I can’t explain in detail, but that something is in the north, so I came here.”
“Haa… looking for something…”
What kind of circumstances were they that they were hiding both the reason for coming to the north and the party’s identity?
I worried about a normal village boy like Arthur wandering around in such a dangerous area.
What if he ran into a dangerous monster? I hadn’t learned magic either.
As I was wondering how to send him back, Arthur asked why I was in the north.
I answered honestly.
“I’m looking for a person.”
“A person?”
“Yeah. Someone very important that I have to meet again.”
“…What?”
Crack.
Arthur’s face froze like stone.
It was as if the entire world had collapsed around him.
But I had no time to worry about him.
Seeing him again brought back old memories, and emotions burst out.
“It’s already been two years since I last saw him… Ahaha, I really am an idiot. I keep looking for someone whose life or death I don’t even know. My head must be messed up. How much attachment is left?”
“Liber…”
“…Ah. Sorry. I suddenly can’t hold it back…”
“You… found someone that precious.”
“Yeah…”
After that conversation, silence fell between me and Arthur.
At least I needed time to settle my emotions.
Whoa, wait a second. My head finally cleared and I felt incredibly embarrassed.
I hadn’t talked to many people lately.
Before I knew it, I had let my emotions run wild…
Ah, never mind. I need to get inside quickly. This is definitely my black history.
Thirsty, I gulped down water and tried to run away.
But at that moment, one of Arthur’s party members, a tanned beauty with black hair named Isha, approached me politely.
“Um… are you the White Witch, Liber-san?”
“Ah, yes. I do have the nickname White Witch.”
“R-really?! The savior of Arkea? The one who drops meteorites from the sky?!”
“There is such magic.”
“I thought the White Witch was just a rumor… to actually exist…”
“Being treated like a legendary existence is quite fresh.”
As I confirmed that I was the White Witch, the orange-haired young boy Caron raised his voice in excitement, and the blue-haired young man Marc muttered to himself in disbelief.
These people were quite unique.
Somehow, there was no one with the same hair color among them, and each carried weapons.
Why was Arthur traveling with such people?
Perhaps they had mistakenly told Arthur they could help him reach the north.
If so, it might be better to send him back without getting involved in danger.
I looked at Arthur with the intention of using some strong-arm tactics.
But for some reason, he was staring blankly at empty space with a lost soul in his eyes.
That sight drained my energy.
…Yeah. If he’s not telling me why, there must be a reason. I’ll ask again later after some time.
It was nice to meet an old hometown friend, but I couldn’t meddle in his affairs like a parent would.
Since we were staying at the same inn, I would investigate more tomorrow if possible.
Just as I was about to return to my room after greeting them…
Caron suddenly blocked my path.
“W-wait a moment! Can I ask you something?”
“What… kind of question?”
“…We came to the north to obtain the Frost Giant’s Belt. There’s a prophecy that with it we can save the world. But none of us know the north well… Could you help us?”
“Wait. Caron, talking about prophecies like that…”
“Quiet! This person is the famous White Witch herself! Didn’t you see me stop the blizzard earlier?! If you help, this matter can be resolved quickly!”
Caron’s action didn’t seem to have been decided among the party.
The other two, excluding the dazed Arthur, looked puzzled.
Frost Giant? Belt? Prophecy to save the world?
Many suspicious keywords appeared, but I immediately refused the offer.
I was too busy looking for Hesti and wasn’t a volunteer to solve strangers’ problems for free.
Then Caron added a condition.
“You said you’re looking for a person, right? We’ll help you!”
“It’s fine. It’s a personal matter. Besides, it probably won’t be much help.”
“No. That’s not true at all.”
Your help is meaningless.
I thought he would understand and give up, but Caron answered confidently.
“We have a mirror in our family’s treasure vault that answers any question with yes or no. If we use it, it will be a great help in finding the person you’re looking for.”
“A mirror that answers… every question?”
“Yes! It answers any question three times in your lifetime with yes or no. It sounds very useful, doesn’t it?”
…I couldn’t refuse.
If it was a divine artifact that answered all questions, it would surely help a lot in finding Hesti.
I acknowledged that the proposal was attractive.
I didn’t know if such a mirror actually existed, but I could ask Arthur.
“If that’s true, it would definitely be helpful.”
“See? Much better than wandering around searching aimlessly!”
“So, if I get just that belt, that’s the end?”
“D-do you really accept?”
“If there’s such a useful mirror, I’d rather ask you for one.”
I had failed many times while searching for Hesti over the past two years.
I couldn’t refuse such a tempting proposal.
Seeing that the deal was struck, Caron ran over to Arthur, shook his shoulder, and shouted loudly.
“Arthur! We did it! The White Witch said she’ll help us catch the Frost Giant!”
“Huh? What are you talking about now…?”
“Please take care of me for a while. It seems we’re traveling together by chance. Arthur.”
I had planned to send him back.
Now he was in the group by mistake.
I waved at the bewildered Arthur.
He looked momentarily happy, but soon after, he lowered his head with a pained expression as if he had bitten dirt.
Soon after, Isha patted Arthur’s back and whispered quietly, so softly I couldn’t hear.
“Arthur… are you okay…?”
“No… it feels like my heart is breaking… You had someone precious… I’m happy to meet you, but it’s too painful…”
I didn’t know what they were talking about, but since it was whispered, it was probably a personal story.
I didn’t need to worry about it.
More importantly, we had to catch the Frost Giant.
Yeah. Catching just one monster wouldn’t take long.
I optimistically thought the situation would end quickly.
Let me find the artifact, borrow it, and search for Hesti as fast as possible.