2. Primordial Witch

"I finally found it." and the woman exhaled before her destination, the forest.

No, her true destination isn't here, it's deep inside. In other words, "a certain person" who will be there is the person she is looking for.

Its existence was nothing more than a fairy tale to be told, but there was no doubt about it once I actually saw the dwelling place like this. A black forest with strange vegetation that I have never seen or heard of. Small but deep, it was silent, as if watching her fearfully stepping into it.

It doesn't match any place in her experience and knowledge. This forest is unusual. As much as she could feel it on her skin, her steps stopped there.

"A witch lives in the Black Forest." Where did that legend come from? Trying to unravel the beginning is nearly impossible. It is a tradition that is so widely and deeply rooted in people's consciousness. However, what sets it apart from mere fairy tales is the constant appearance of those who claim its credibility.

She lost her way and was rescued, threatened, and enchanted. There are quite a few people who claim that regardless of the era, and what they all have in common is that they all don't remember where they met the witch. "There was a witch in the Black Forest". No matter how much I strained my memory, I couldn't remember anything more than that.

This was a troublesome situation for her in her search for a witch, but she succeeded in listening to the story of a famous person who claimed to be a sage, and gained something. Affirmation that witches are real. and details about her whereabouts.

The person who dared to call herself a witness to her legend was a self-proclaimed madman, but there was no doubt about her ability as a wizard. By believing her words, she went alone to the place she was taught, and thus discovered the forest in question.

"──[Echo]"

She uses her signature detection magic to encourage her self. Reverberates the magic that she emits centering on herself, and finds out what she lurks. It's an excellent spell that can instantly grasp the position and shape of living and non-living things, as well as the terrain, but on the other hand, the enemy search range is not so wide. But at least it turned out that there was nothing suspicious about her surroundings, the distance at which she could immediately attack. Only spooky trees grow around her.

That alone was enough to dampen her spirits, but just as she was about to calm her down by gaining some safety, she suddenly noticed. The magic spread by [Echo] reached quite a distance. ...The range that this magic can detect increases or decreases depending on the situation and conditions, but I have never been able to detect such a wide range. If she's in the best shape she's ever been, she's the exact opposite.

(This is. The magic essence is thick...? Something like that)

"Magic essence" is the energy that is everywhere, like oxygen, and is the source of magical power. A mage normally takes this in and converts it into her own magical power, which she spends performing the magic formulas she has constructed in her mind. She was one of her magicians, so she sensed that this place was overflowing with abnormal magical essence by exercising her magic.

"Magic essence is always constant and infinite." Common sense that witches know. That doesn't work in the Black Forest. It's obviously funny here. Now, the basis is not only skin sensation, but its abnormalities are becoming more prominent.

"...,"

Yet she continued her steps. So far, no danger. So it's still too early for her to run away. If you give up here in the first place, there is nothing you can rely on her anymore. The witch from the fairy tale is now the only one who seems to be able to solve the sage's rude refusal.

"The problem she is facing is important and mysterious." Because it is too difficult to understand for individuals to try to solve it.

Yes, she came here to seek her salvation.

Trees with dark leaves and bearing fruit. For a while, we went through a dark forest with nothing but nothing. Then I saw it.

──Log house. No matter how you look at it, it was made from the trees of the forest.

The color is heavy, but the appearance is cute. Considering the atmosphere of the forest, that would be strange, but seeing an obvious man-made object naturally gave her a sense of relief.

"...!"

"That quickly turned into tension." The door opened without a sound. Someone is about to emerge from the log house. When I hold my breath and watch over...

"Well done"

The girl said so the first time she opened the door. Black hair, black eyes, black clothes. She was a girl made entirely of black, just like Mori. She thought she had come out on time, but she must have known from the line she was a girl. She knew that she was her guest before she saw him. She knew and brought me here. If so, do you have any intention of welcoming them?

The girl in black suddenly narrowed her eyes as she wondered if it was okay to take her words that she often came at her face value. Then she comes to me. No disrespect to witches - presumably - is allowed. If the oral traditions and gossip she's heard are true, this girl should quickly become cold to those who don't show her respect.

"Yo, I asked because I have something to do."

"What's your business? ...You say you have business with me?"

"Yes. Please listen to me."

While feeling a little bit surprised by her girl's first person, she affirms it without revealing it. If she answers sincerely, she will respond accordingly. She believed so, and her expectations were not betrayed.

"Hmm. Then come on in. Let's ask inside."

The girl pushed her in with her chin, just now opening the closed door behind her with her hand. Skin too white in contrast to black and her tiny lips. The inside of her mouth, peeking out from there, felt awfully red, and she was puzzled.

"Are you under some kind of spell?" "No, it's not." she is bored with herself Her body and mind are completely swallowed up by a witch who looks like a childish girl who loves her room.

Frightened into the log house after the girl who showed her back without any sign of alarm, she was startled by the door closing on her own as soon as she did. She seriously wondered how it was possible that she couldn't see any trace of magic. .

"It's not even about standing and talking. Sit down."

She says so and points to the other side of her. The order is to sit there. She obediently obeyed, and this time she opened her mouth.

"My name is Celia. My name is Celia Bandu."

"Hmm. So what's your business?"

She didn't come back, but I appreciate her willingness to listen. Celia nodded once, and she immediately decided to tell her the main subject.

"Primitive Witch. I've come to ask for your help."

The girl shut her mouth as she cut to the point. Celia sensed that she was silently urging her to continue.

"There is a country not far from here. The land where I was born and raised is a cruel country where only a few members of the royal family and nobility are fattened and the rest of the people are forced to oppress. Determined to change this country, he was finally hired as an exclusive magician in the royal castle.It was just a year ago.But at the same time... the royal family It seems that people have changed.Administrative reform has happened.Not a revolution, but the royal family has done it voluntarily.Debauchery has ceased, the power of the aristocratic factions has disappeared, and education and welfare have become wealthy. The state of the royal capital has become different from what it was a few years ago.In time, the wave will spread throughout the country, and our country will gain prosperity."

Then take a beat. As Celia held her breath, she finally said what she wanted to ask of her witch.

She said, "Could you come with me? I really want to find out why the country has changed."

"... I have two questions."

She didn't say yes or no, and the witch extended two of her fingers. It depends on how she responds to this. Sensing that, Celia's tension increased regardless of whether she wanted to or not.

"First of all. It's a good thing for the country to become rich, isn't it? It seems that you worked hard to achieve that. It may not be what you envisioned, but in the end it seems that your efforts have paid off. It's a thing, so can't you be satisfied with that?"

"When a country becomes rich, it means that it will eventually gain a solid national power. That's the problem. In the future, the king may be trying to use his national power for other things."

"For a while, the budget will be in the red, but in a few years or decades, it will recover more than the original amount.The question is what is the purpose?"

"What does it mean to need national power to reassess luxury?" When I thought about it, the witch seemed to understand Celia's biggest concern.

"Is it war?"

"--It could be that you want to wake it up, or it could be a completely unfounded worry. Only the lords of the royal castle know."

"I see. That's certainly a big deal for the people, even if it's just a concern. I'm curious why you asked me to investigate it, but that's not the second question. Let me hear it."

"yes"

Celia decided to answer honestly no matter what she was asked, but she was frozen by the unexpected witch's words.

"──What is the 'Witch of the Primordial'?"

"...teeth?"