About the memories of others.
It was a topic I had never really pondered before. After all, why would there be any reason to discuss someone else’s memories?
It wasn’t even worth considering. People leading ordinary lives wouldn’t even think of such questions.
The only problem was that my life had long since deviated from the trajectory of an “ordinary life.”
I could glimpse into the memories of others.
No, the term ‘others’ might be misleading. That other person was none other than ‘me.’
The memories of a lonely man who had to walk a solitary path.
That vague dream had regained its volume and texture, appearing before my eyes. I had long realized the identity of this small girl who was alive and moving.
She was the “Great Witch.”
One of only three masters on the continent, and the person I had honored as my teacher from the future.
Overwhelmed, a surge of feelings made my eyelids flutter. The memories of her were not mine, and thus this feeling was also not my own.
Yet, just the echo of it was enough to momentarily unsettle me.
Of course, I quickly regained my composure. It had been a while since I regained consciousness, so it was just hard to adjust. But upon regaining my reason, I found no reason to feel overwhelmed.
But the girl looking down at me was the “Great Witch.”
I could not ignore the keen insights of a woman who had lived for centuries. That weary expression of hers began to bloom with subtle interest.
“… Oh.”
Her eyes were like a predator eyeing its prey.
The way she slightly curled the corners of her mouth was oddly threatening, and I found myself bolting upright.
“I am Ian of the Percus Family, here to meet the National Mage of the Southern Kingdom…”
“How fascinating.”
With a tap, the Great Witch shook her pipe free of ash and displayed an inscrutable smile.
“We are meeting for the first time, yet you recognize me immediately… Have we perhaps met before?”
It was a legitimate point.
I couldn’t carelessly answer with her relaxed tone. I opened my lips only to close them again.
Eventually, I just spewed out a typical excuse.
“No, well… I have respected you, Great Witch, for a long time…”
“It seems you hold me in great esteem.”
She chuckled softly and began to rise. The gestures of brushing off her clothes while putting the pipe in her mouth exuded a mature aura.
Thus, she gave off an even more confusing impression.
From her speech to her actions, each detail radiated experience, yet her appearance seemed untouched by time.
I was still dazed, unable to shake off the shock of this sudden encounter. Regardless of that, the Great Witch didn’t seem to mind me particularly. She merely left a meaningful comment.
“… To make such a sad expression upon seeing me.”
I had a hunch, but it turned out to be correct.
The Great Witch seemed to have noticed the ripples of emotions that had surfaced on my face. I tried to clarify this in some way.
“No, um… that is…!”
“Enough, enough.”
However, the Great Witch waved her left hand dismissively, as if my explanation was unnecessary.
After all, she had reigned as an absolute being for centuries. Even if she had made a name for herself in the secular world, there was no reason for her to pay attention to a mere amateur like me.
“If that is what you say, then it must be true… No matter how long you live, you would not be able to peek into another’s inner thoughts. So let’s not waste any more time.”
How could I dare to argue?
I ultimately fell silent again, glancing around like a guilty puppy.
With a long sigh, smoke from the pipe wafted into the void.
The next moment.
My throat abruptly closed. I couldn’t even exhale, and I found myself vacantly staring at a world where light had disappeared.
In this shadowy realm, a verdant, green-eyed gaze alone radiated brightness.
Standing there as if nothing was amiss, the glance thrown over her shoulder was so cold and ruthless.
“… What on earth have you done?”
Magic had become a dense liquid that filled my insides. Just its presence alone radiated such an overwhelming pressure, which was but a minuscule fragment compared to her true power.
If this continued, I would die.
I didn’t need reason. My pupils expanded on their own, beginning to decipher the darkening field of vision.
I felt an odd sound brush against my ear.
“Oh.”
Just as my retina was on the verge of igniting with a silver aura.
Suddenly, the surrounding magical energy constricted around my heart more violently. I wanted to scream from the unimaginable pain, but I was in no position to even breathe.
Such freedom was not afforded to me.
Hhh, hhh.
My body, with both hands grasping my throat, collapsed to the ground once more. A calm voice descended upon my writhing form.
“The balance of the five elements has been disrupted… This is a story limited to this area, but cracks always hide a greater threat. The flow is an uncontrollable river; how can you reverse an already tilted scale?”
Step, step.
The sound of the Great Witch’s footsteps trampled on my eardrums. There was no sense of guilt in her stride.
“Of course, we must remove the weight, right? Allow me to explain it more simply… The world is like a thick fabric, and all flows are created upon it. But what happens if a heavy stone is placed on that fabric?”
All the flows would converge around that stone.
Knowledge I had never learned hammered away at my mind like a downpour. I could already hear the Great Witch’s words to follow.
“And that stone is you.”
“It is you.”
It was a strange sensation.
As my breath became shallow and my consciousness faded, my senses sharpened further. From the tips of my finely honed senses, knowledge that I should not grasp drifted in.
The Great Witch was slightly leaning forward. Her emotionless whisper soaked my ear.
“… Don’t resent it too much.”
It was right then.
My vision shattered, shattered, and shattered again…
Only after space was decomposed into faint lines that rendered everything invisible did I understand.
I saw the intangible flow binding me.
From then on, I just adhered to instinct.
A silver trace was inscribed in the void.
In a straight line, a suddenly rising axe drew a long, thin line; the Great Witch’s eyes widened. Though she had retreated two steps, not even a small scratch appeared on her body.
Finally, I was able to gasp as I thudded my chest.
Even after inhaling plenty of oxygen, the feeling of agony did not dissipate. It took several seconds to calm my breath.before I regained my senses.
My foggy gaze silently turned toward the Great Witch.
The woman, still unable to erase the dazed expression from her face, finally let out a soft laugh.
“Indeed, it wasn’t your fault.”
I was already exhausted to the point of collapse. I had no energy left to voice any complaints.
I merely coughed and breathed deeply.
“Such cunning humans, capable of orchestrating such a scheme, never reveal their true intentions up until just before death… Given the severity of the matter, I acted harshly toward you. As an adult, I apologize.”
As she spoke, the Great Witch slowly bent at the waist. The stance of one hand placed on the opposite chest carried the traditional meaning of apology from the Southern Kingdom.
It was the utmost expression of sincerity to appear as an elder. That said, it wouldn’t compensate for the experience of being on the brink of death, but what could be done?
In fact, I had crossed such dangerous lines many times before.
Eventually, a faint sigh escaped my lips.
After all, I hadn’t intended to kill you, I suppose.
“… It’s alright. The matter is indeed that serious.”
Furthermore, I wanted to resolve this situation quickly as well.
For my objectives, I had to sometimes lower my pride. I couldn’t afford to lose even a minor ally like the Great Witch due to petty grievances.
Yes, it should have ended there.
“However, there is one more thing I want to ask…”
From that subdued voice, I felt a peculiar pressure.
It was a depth of emotion incomparable to before. Although it had not materialized physically, the psychological threat itself was far greater than during that time when she had strangled my breath.
Once more, the Great Witch straightened her back and asked.
“Why are you here?”
There was no need to ask what she meant.
What was necessary was that the Great Witch was looking at me with eyes full of suspicion and questioned again.
“How do you know about my vision? No, it isn’t just knowing… For you to handle it in practice, it would have required extensive training. How on earth?”
Just then, I felt the moment she took a step closer to me.
My chin had already been seized by the Great Witch’s hand. As she sharply turned my face, her gaze that scrutinized me looked dangerously intense.
It was a visage akin to a magician facing a perplexing riddle.
Moreover, the kind of magician who must solve the riddle to feel fulfilled.
A cold bead of sweat trickled down my spine.
“That, that is…!”
“It would be best not to mix in a single lie.”
The voice that flowed from my throat was fierce.
And it was understandable. A master’s vision was akin to the fruits of a lifelong endeavor.
Having it stolen, I could not even imagine what the Great Witch must feel.
Thus, my turmoil deepened.
What if I told the truth?
It wouldn’t be surprising for her to decide to kill me immediately, saying it was nonsense.
Or, if I spun a plausible lie?
I could never dare to fabricate a falsehood before someone who had lived for hundreds of years. Should I be killed, it wouldn’t be a shock.
It was truly a moment of urgency.
The strange occurrence happened then.
“I can’t have misread… Even if it’s not my specialty, the only technique to unravel my knot is ‘unraveling.’ My efforts to even overextend… Ugh?!”
She jolted as though electrocuted.
It was a sudden change.
The Great Witch, perhaps not having anticipated this, had round eyes filled with astonishment. It took little time for her complexion to turn as pale as death.
“Ugh… Ugh, no…!”
Wobbling, her body began to sway as she grit her teeth to stifle her moans. Those startled by the sudden incident weren’t limited to the Great Witch; I froze in place, wide-eyed.
What on earth was happening?
Before I could even ask, the Great Witch’s body crashed to the ground.
Overwhelmed by pain that exceeded the limit, her body trembled involuntarily. Like wringing water from a dry cloth, she twisted her body, releasing groans.
“W, why… Ugh, it hurts…!”
I hesitated for quite a while after that. Without knowing what to do, I left the moaning Great Witch unattended for a bit.
Then, a certain memory struck my mind like lightning.
Right, if that’s the case.
I immediately hoisted the Great Witch’s small body and hurriedly took off running.
