The Witch and Her Assistant (2)
I am a witch. Sometimes I stand in the way of the protagonist as the final boss. Other times I become an ally and block the enemies who stand in the protagonist’s path. A witch’s capricious behavior has been one of the most popular tropes across every era and every culture. Flying around on a broomstick, ripping off the main characters with unfair trades, and if things go wrong, casting black magic to become an obstacle to true love—yes, that’s me.
That’s right. I was destined to become a witch. If anyone ever asked me why I became one, I would surely answer, “Because that’s where pure love is.”
Hmm, hmm. Excellent. Truly excellent. Even I have to admit that no better answer could possibly exist. No matter what the demerits of being a witch are, or what kind of immortal life awaits me… just imagining the happy future that will come two hundred years from now brings a smile to my face.
“Have you finally gone senile? Please lose your mind gracefully.”
Senile? In witch society, a hundred years old is still a fresh, budding baby! I puffed out my cheeks at Joshua, who had casually thrown out that sharp remark, and expressed my silent protest.
Joshua let out a deep sigh while sweeping the cave with my beloved steed—my broom, Triceratops.
“My beloved assistant, Joshua. It’s good that you’re cleaning, but do you even know what kind of broom you’re using right now?”
“It cleans better than any other broom, so I figured it must be special.”
Well, it is a luxury broom infused with alchemy and layered with black magic. And the base material it’s made from is a one-of-a-kind treasure you can’t find anywhere anymore. Joshua had a good eye. Using Triceratops, cleaning was nothing. A light push and it would glide along on its own. Once it absorbed mana, it could erase dust without even needing a dustpan. Very convenient.
Maybe it was time to start teaching Joshua black magic. She was ten years old—the exact same age I was when I became my master’s disciple. If she learned magic as my assistant, she wouldn’t even need a broom for cleaning anymore.
Once she finished sweeping and neatly put the broom back in its storage spot, I cleared my throat loudly to get her attention.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
“Estelle, did you eat something bad?”
Was that… not the right approach? Still, I had successfully drawn her attention, so the cough itself didn’t really matter.
“Joshua, today I’m going to teach you about black magic, so come here.”
“Black magic?”
The power that forms the world is mana, and the power that comes from the gods is divine energy. Black magic is what you get when you twist the natural order and corrupt mana. If you use it in a crowded place, you’ll immediately be branded a heretic, but there’s nothing better for protecting yourself.
A small black wind, small enough to fit in my palm, wrapped around my wrist and formed a beautiful quadruple helix. The mysterious yet alien rings of the spiral gathered together and transformed into the shape of a butterfly, which gently landed on Joshua’s shoulder.
“What do you think? Cool, right? Pretty, isn’t it?”
“It is, but… if I learn black magic, doesn’t that mean I’ll become a witch? I don’t want to be a witch.”
I had been certain that “cool” and “pretty” would work on a child without fail… Joshua’s eyes had sparkled as she stared at the black butterfly made of black magic, but she quickly shook her head with a pout.
“Learning black magic doesn’t automatically make you a witch. To become a witch, you have to pass the witch’s trial.”
Just because you learn black magic doesn’t mean you become a witch. There was such a thing as a class-change quest, after all.
“What kind of trial did you take, Estelle?”
“That’s a secret.”
“That’s so mean.”
I sat the slightly puffed-cheeked, sulking Joshua on my lap. She said she didn’t want to change classes, yet she was curious about the class-change quest. No matter how cute and adorable my little assistant was, I couldn’t reveal industry secrets!
I had no intention of raising Joshua to be a witch, but if she learned a decent amount of black magic, alchemy, and herbalism, she would have the means to survive on her own. In the world of Aria Chronicle, the best possible ending for a powerless girl was to become the wife of a farmer or a woodcutter. That was how harsh things were. I really wanted the girl I had grown to care for and love to have the strength to survive on her own, even if she was alone. A safety net was necessary, whether Joshua wanted it or not. If she got angry with me later, I would deal with it when the time came.
“Joshua, what do you think black magic is?”
“Something dirty.”
“Aww, that’s not the answer I was hoping for. Then, what about darkness?”
“Something scary.”
We had hit a wall right from the start. I broke into a cold sweat at her immediate, unenthusiastic reply. It seemed I would have to change her perception of black magic first. Light and darkness. I needed to teach her about the duality of both powers and help her understand them. First, I had to create an internal sense of familiarity so she could face darkness without rejection.
“Joshua, do you know why the sky is blue during the day?”
“Um… because the god who made this world decided to make it that way?”
“It’s actually because of Rayleigh scattering.”
“Huh?”
Oh no, I messed up. A memory from my past life a hundred years ago had suddenly popped out and I worried I had crushed a child’s innocence. Think, Estelle. A way for Joshua to stop being afraid of darkness…!
After thinking hard, I wrapped the concept in a fairy-tale style I had adapted in my previous life: the brother and sister who became light and darkness. The story went that darkness was actually a good kid once you got to know her! I poured my heart into the packaging.
“And so the brother and sister who became light and darkness decided to split the day in half and embrace the world in their arms.”
“Oh…”
The only things Joshua could enjoy in this witch’s cave were the fairy-tale books I had copied as a hobby. Fortunately, the fairy-tale approach seemed to be the correct one. She cautiously poked at the black magic butterfly resting on her shoulder, and the sight was utterly adorable.
“And black magic isn’t only about casting terrifying curses or hurting people.”
It could be applied in all sorts of ways depending on the user’s mental health. I reached out my hand, and a black tentacle extended from my fingertips, picked up one of the potions I had in storage, and placed it gently in my palm.
“Now, close your eyes. Try to feel the mana around you.”
“Mana?”
“You don’t have to think too hard. You’ll feel something ticklish. That’s mana.”
To make it easier for her to sense mana, I scattered some of my own and slowly raised the mana density inside the cave.
“You’re not secretly tickling me on purpose, are you?”
“Do I look like the kind of witch who would play such childish pranks?”
“Yes.”
This was exactly why I disliked sharp-eyed little kids. I had considered it, but if I played a prank and she stubbornly refused to learn, it would be a problem. I quickly abandoned the idea.
I let the flow of mana circle around her slowly so Joshua could feel it. Since humans with low mana affinity could suffer mana poisoning in areas with high mana density, I moved carefully so she wouldn’t be startled. Delicate mana control wasn’t my specialty, but this time I showed the best mana control I was capable of.
“Something is circling around me… Is this the thing that’s always been around me?”
“A-already…!?”
I had been planning to take it slow starting today and draw up a full ten-year curriculum, but she had sensed the flow of mana in less than ten minutes? It had taken me seven years to feel mana for the first time. Did that mean Joshua had already been sensing mana this whole time? I briefly wondered if I had gone through all that trouble for nothing, but of course a girl with no knowledge of magic wouldn’t have realized what she was feeling was mana…
Joshua, you terrifying child. What if she decided she didn’t belong here and left for the Magic Tower to become an archmage? I pushed that premature worry aside and continued the lesson at a rapid pace.
“Now, you should feel that same ticklish energy inside your own heart.”
“It feels weird…”
“Imagine yourself grasping it in your hand.”
It was only a simple way to use mana, but in my mind Joshua had already secured the top seat at the Magic Tower. She was practically a genius. She took everything I taught her and shaped mana into various forms as if she were drawing pictures. I watched her with pride. So this is how people become doting parents. A motherly smile had taken over my face and refused to leave. Was I turning into one of those obsessive moms? No way! Our Joshua would never do anything wrong!!! I shuddered at the thought of myself becoming that kind of auntie and continued watching the beautiful trails of mana Joshua created.
“Estelle, look at this!”
When Joshua brought her hands together, mana surged above them, forming the silhouette of a woman who looked just like me and a cute little girl with bangs covering her forehead.
“How… beautiful.”
While I was wondering what to do with a child who was purely delighted, my instincts took over and I stroked Joshua’s head. At first she flinched as if rejecting the touch, but soon she seemed to give in and closed her eyes, appearing to enjoy the sensation. The mana shaped like a woman in Joshua’s hands was gently stroking the mana shaped like a little girl.
I had been worried about how I would endure the next two hundred years. But if I spent them with Joshua, a hundred years would probably fly by in the blink of an eye. If she reacted like this when first learning mana, I couldn’t wait to see what kind of fun reactions she would show for the rest of her studies. Just imagining it filled me with joy.