I opened my eyes in a remote part of the Academy.
In fact, I had no way of knowing the exact location. It was because the Great Witch had collapsed before I could even ask about it.
Of course, there were still many questions lingering in my mind.
I had no idea how I was rescued by Liya after losing consciousness, nor did I know what happened to Liya afterward. There was no way for me to know where the Great Witch had dragged me.
Nevertheless, I decided to push down the rising questions.
First and foremost, it was essential to improve the Great Witch’s condition. After that, I could ask whatever I was curious about.
Fortunately, I was thankful that I was a senior at the Academy.
Having spent several years at the Academy, I couldn’t help but become familiar with its geography, no matter how vast it was.
Thanks to that, my wandering came to an end relatively quickly. My body, no longer hesitant, shot through the air like an arrow, cutting through the wind.
At the end of the path, I found myself at the research building of the alchemy department.
It was a stealthy mission akin to a special operation.
I had to keep my presence low, walking as silently as possible while stifling my breath. I even used spatial refraction, typically employed for evasion, to avoid others’ gazes.
There was a reason I had to do so.
The Great Witch was akin to a symbol of the Southern Kingdoms.
Long ago, the south was a land of struggle, rife with small villages and nameless kingdoms. The natural stronghold known as the “Great Forest” did not permit the approach of outsiders and also did not allow peace or prosperity.
A hellish land where only war continued day after day.
What struck them was disaster.
The entity named “Vampire” rose to become the terror of the Great Forest in an instant. Even thousands of allied forces could not stand against that monster.
Everyone faced d*ath.
Centuries of war had torn the south to shreds. No group existed with the power to oppose the vampire alone, let alone a central point to unify the south.
At that time, a great mage appeared.
The woman, a noble from a fallen nation, sacrificed herself to seal the “Vampire” deep within the Great Forest. Those who witnessed the unprecedented magic that manipulated the five elements and the bl**d-soaked battle that lasted until half of the vast Great Forest vanished had no choice but to exclaim in unison.
“A new Master has been born!”
Afterward, the woman discarded her name.
She was reborn as the “Great Witch,” the root and historical figure of the Southern Kingdoms.
She was a symbol like this.
I could not show a face flushed with embarrassment, gasping for breath and moaning. It might transform into news that could shake the very foundation of the Southern Kingdoms.
To put it another way, it could be compared to rumors of the Empire’s Emperor suffering from a serious illness.
The “Great Witch” must always be strong.
She could not become weak or waver. Thus, she must not show a face like a sickly little girl.
That was the fate of a Master.
Fortunately, no unfortunate incidents occurred that could render my efforts meaningless. I successfully slipped unnoticed into Emma’s workshop.
In fact, the real challenge was just beginning.
“What do I do…?”
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh in frustration.
Before me lay a note I had organized not too long ago.
——
<Method of Preparing an Unidentified Drug>
1. Mix 3:1:2 ratios of ground seeds of Silver Moon Herb, crushed leaves of World Tree, and Great Forest Mist Flower.
2. Then, bring it to a boil in clear water from a mana-rich water source for 3 minutes, then filter it through a strainer to leave the essence.
3. The residue from the above process should be dried quickly with hot, dry wind. (※Necessary for step 17)
4. The essence should be reduced gently until it’s no longer loose when dropped.
…(Excerpt continues)…
——
It was a sequential summary of the preparation method written on the back of the letter. Even though I summarized it as briefly as possible, it still contained over 24 steps.
Could I pull this off?
As I hesitated, I heard a faint groan in my ears.
“Ugh… Huh, uhh…”
Even just before losing consciousness, the Great Witch’s body was writhing in pain.
How much must it hurt?
In the end, I let out a deep sigh.
After all, I had no choice.
Could I do it?
No, I had to do it.
It had been a long time since the Great Witch had a dream.
It was a memory from a long time ago, a story from hundreds of years ago when the girl still had a name.
One day, the girl realized.
“You, you’re a genius.”
It was a teacher whose face she could no longer properly remember.
The mage who first took responsibility for the girl exclaimed like that. It was after the girl had mastered everything she had never been taught in just one night.
“A genius,” you say.
The girl didn’t particularly like that praise.
It was not an objective or quantifiable evaluation. What in the world could be the standard for “genius”?
But the girl had to realize again.
“You’re a genius.”
“The future of the family depends on you.”
She didn’t know the standards of being a “genius.”
However, it was clear that everyone surrounding the girl called her a “genius.” While she couldn’t grasp the detailed criteria, the girl had thus become a “genius.”
After that, everyone who caught a glimpse of the girl’s talent couldn’t help but be in awe and admiration.
Before long, the girl’s fame spread throughout the continent. There was hardly a moment to feel the heavy burden of countless people’s admiration and expectations. Hadn’t she carried this weight since before she was even ten years old?
Since she had never received expectations even once, the girl didn’t understand how heavy the expectations of many people could be.
She had merely thought it was a given.
Still, yes.
Sometimes, she felt a longing.
The girl had an older sister who was seven years her senior. Her sister, who cherished and adored the girl, would sometimes express the burden of being the eldest daughter.
“Everyone in the family thinks of me as the next head.”
It was a statement that was difficult for the young girl to understand.
Why was it so hard to bear others’ expectations? And if it was such a great pain, why couldn’t she just shake it off and leave?
It was around the time when she vaguely began to grasp the answer.
“The next head of the family will be you.”
Upon the declaration of the head of the family, the vassals clapped as if it were a natural decision.
The girl saw.
She saw the tears of bl**d falling from her sister’s eyes, stained with cold and hot emotions.
As time passed, the tears she witnessed then became flames that burned everything down.
In the ruins.
The girl became quite lonely.
As always.
It was a nightmare she had seen countless times. The worn-out heart of the Great Witch no longer rattled.
Is this the end? The girl whispered that self-deprecating sigh.
“…Master?”
Suddenly, the shadowy world was dyed in bright light.
The Great Witch could only look around in surprise. Such memories were not supposed to exist.
The girl’s world was always dark and gloomy. Had the world of monochrome ever shone so brilliantly?
White clouds slipped by like a tsunami over a clear lake that floated on her retina.
It was an unfamiliar landscape.
In the distance, she saw the shadows of two people. A man with a worried expression and a girl turning her head with a sulky face.
“Master, what on earth… did you have a nightmare?”
It was strange.
At that weird question, the girl involuntarily smiled gently.
“Hmph, nightmare? It’s probably just past my bedtime. Oh my, age is scary… Hiiieek?!”
With a snap, a finger flicked, and lightning struck from the void.
It was a punishment meant to admonish the cheeky disciple. But it would only cause a prickling pain.
Seeing the trembling girl, the Great Witch tried hard to suppress her laughter. Then, with a cough, she spoke in a solemn voice.
“…I was awake all along, my second.”
It was probably what the girl had not wished for in her daily life.
And the world crumbles down.
White, oh so white.
Erasing all memories as it fell apart.
*
The Great Witch gasped and opened her eyes.
Sweaty and wide-eyed, her shock was apparent.
What the hell is this?
The nightmare itself was not strange. It was a memory she had seen many times before, before awakening the utmost magic.
But the subsequent dream was clearly strange.
It was a scene the Great Witch had never experienced before. Even though she had taken in disciples a few times throughout her hundreds of years of life, she had never held such affectionate and longing feelings.
Yet, why?
Why did her heart race like this?
The Great Witch carefully placed her hand over her pulsating heart after a long time.
“Happiness?”
Such emotions had not been permitted to me.
It was then that a sudden realization struck her mind.
Her whole body felt refreshed.
It was entirely different from the state of moaning in excruciating pain just before. The Great Witch’s alarmed eyes scanned her body.
Eventually, her gaze fell upon the incense burner placed by her pillow.
From there, a faint smell of medicine was wafting out.
A scent so familiar.
“…How?”
With the question that spilled out absentmindedly, the Great Witch gradually rose.
It was the medicine the Great Witch usually carried in a pipe. To seal the monster known as the “Vampire” deep within the Great Forest, the Great Witch had to make her body the core of the barrier.
This was the price she had to pay.
Living a pitiful life where she couldn’t maintain normalcy without pain-relieving drugs due to unimaginable pain. It was inevitable that the Great Witch would develop a drug with no side effects that suited her body.
Yes, it was a formula that no one should know.
In a corner of the workshop, a man lay slumped over. He seemed to have tried to fight off fatigue, but having lit incense, it would have been difficult to overcome his drowsy body.
In front of him lay a small note.
<Method of Preparing an Unidentified Drug>
It was a complex process that even experts hesitated to challenge.
Due to the extremely unique preparation method, it was a concoction so arduous that one could not follow it without long-term skill.
But this man did it.
The Great Witch’s eyes silently turned to the man sprawled across the table. Although it should have been their first meeting, his face felt oddly familiar.
After a long pause where his lips twitched, the first words the Great Witch barely managed to utter were accompanied by her trembling gaze.
“…Ian Fercurus.”
Who on earth are you?
