Chapter One: First Case, First Reward
THERE is a witch who devours the misfortunes of others. She lives alone in a dank and dreary manor and has yet to receive a single visitor.
Her manor lies in a narrow alley not far off a bustling main street, one that floods with ladies in dresses the color of the recently melted snow. Yet the stillness that pervades her alley makes it feel like another world entirely.
It was into that world that a tall blond man walked, his eyes on the handwritten map he carried, checking each building along the way before finally reaching his destination: an old two-story house with ivy winding its way up the brick walls. A small signboard was perched next to the wooden front door.
“‘The Witch of the East’s Apothecary,’ eh? I’m not sure if that’s charming or suspect…”
The colored glass window inlaid into the door was fogged over, obscuring the inside from view. The windows were all covered with flowery lace curtains, making the sign’s presence the only hint that the shop was open for business. Ernest knocked and then tried to peer through the curtains. After waiting for a few moments with no response, he opened the door.
“If she put the sign out, that must mean the shop’s open for business, right?”
He was so excited, it made him feel like a child. But why wouldn’t he be? He was about to meet a witch from a distant land, one who could devour the misfortunes of others.
The door lurched open with a creak, followed by the resonant chiming of a bell. The shop was completely dark, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, a unique floral aroma overtook his senses.
He took in the shop filled with the sort of things one would expect from a witch’s shop: jars crammed with plants, frogs preserved in alcohol, unfamiliar powders, and tomes written in a foreign script. There were several shelves, a counter, and a door into another room, but it was on a couch in that back room next to a small window where Ernest’s gaze finally landed.
There sat a petite girl with jet-black hair who couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen.
Her otherwise straight hair was disheveled on one side, as if she had slept on it. While most of her clothes were very much in the Hylantian-style, the shawl-like garment covering her shoulders appeared to be Eastern
“Good day, m’lady…or perhaps I should say, ‘good morning.’”
The girl’s eyes popped open, shocked by the young man’s sudden appearance. Her body went rigid, making her look like a frightened cat. But the stoic expression she wore eclipsed any hint of the anxiety she was feeling inside.
Ernest flashed her a smile, and she rushed to sit up straight.
✦ ✦ ✦
“A customer? I beg your pardon.”
Embarrassed that she had been caught napping on the job, she took her place behind the counter. The single tuft of hair that bobbed atop her head gave her otherwise subdued demeanor a subtle charm.
Her eyes, festooned by long lashes, were the same arresting black as her hair, a feature so rare it made it clear she wasn’t from Hylant. She was cute now, but would surely grow into a beautiful woman in her own right.
“How can I help you?”
“Ah, yes…I’m Ernest Travis Selden, an attendant to the royal family. By that, I mean I do various jobs for the benefit of our country,” Ernest said, using simple words for this careless girl whom he had caught napping on the job.
“Are you…a nobleman?”
“Yes, I hold the title of count. Might I ask your name?”
“How rude of me. I am Yuuri. Yuuri Watoh. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Count Selden.”
Ernest was familiar with the Watoh name. The head of Watoh Company himself was the one who suggested Ernest visit the witch’s shop. Watoh Company was well-known as a purveyor of goods from the East, catering especially to the desires of the nobility and the royal family. The head of the company hailed from the East himself, so it should have been no surprise that this girl shared the same last name.
“You’re such a big girl to be helping out in the shop like this. Are you a relative of the Watohs?” he inquired, intending his first words to be a compliment.
But the petite girl went silent, her lips in a pout and her cheeks red, clearly not amused.
“I heard the witch here is an expert in Eastern medicine? Is she here?”
“That would be me,” the scowling girl said curtly.
“Come again…?”
“I am the witch you seek. My grandmother previously held that title, but as she’s passed away, I am all that’s left.”
“You’re the ‘Misfortune Devouring Witch’?”
“I don’t care for that title. …And just so you know, I’m nineteen. You don’t need to talk down to me like a child.”
Ernest stood opposite Yuuri, his eyes fixed on her. Nineteen? By Hylantian customs, that made her an adult.
Sensing his doubt, Yuuri turned away with a loud “hmph” added for good measure.
“…My apologies, m’lady. Please accept this letter of introduction the head of Watoh Company wrote on my behalf,” he said, setting the letter on the counter. He hoped it’d be enough to convince her to help him. Yuuri took her time in reading the letter and ensuring the seal was the genuine article before finally looking back up at Ernest.
“So, you want to learn about medicinal herbs from the East, specifically those from Xingka?”
Xingka was the largest country on the eastern continent, and the continent’s leading power in economics, cultural influence, and medicine.
“Yes. I’m not at liberty to go into detail, but I desperately need books on Eastern herbal medicine. I could order them through Watoh Company, but it would take too long.” Ernest was acting at the behest of the royal family and thus, discretion was paramount.
“So that’s why Watoh Company sent you to me?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Would you mind having a seat over there then? Many of my books are shelved and it will take me some time to find the ones you require,” Yuuri said, indicating the couch beneath the window. There was a table next to it with a teacup and a book written in an unfamiliar script on it. Yuuri shelved the book, cleaned up the remnants of her tea, and headed for the back.
She returned a short time later, accompanied by a gentle flowery aroma. She was struggling to balance a tray with two teacups on it, a sight which did little to convince Ernest she really was nineteen.
“….Here you go. It’s jasmine tea, a Xingkaese specialty.”
“So that’s where that flowery aroma was coming from. …Is your family from Xingka?”
“No, my family is from Hinomoto, which is further east. Watoh Company is heavily involved in trade in that region and much of Hinomoto’s medical knowledge comes from Xingka anyway, so we learn Xingkaese growing up.”
Hinomoto was a small island country, east of the eastern continent, and the farthest place on the planet from the western continents.
“Hinomoto, eh? I’ve only ever seen it on the map. What is the customary way of drinking tea there?”
“Support the base of the cup with your left hand and wrap your right hand around the cup. It’s not boiling hot, so take your time and allow the cup to warm your hands,” Yuuri explained, demonstrating the gesture as she spoke.
Ernest wrapped his hands around the dainty teacup as she instructed and lifted it to his lips. The tea had a strong fragrance and smooth taste, but it left a slightly bitter aftertaste. It was subtle in flavor, completely different from the black tea he normally drank.
“…It’s good. The flowery aroma is strong.”
“Normally, jasmine tea is made using low-quality tea leaves and so the aroma is meant to obscure its weak taste. But here, it’s imported by the aristocracy, and is made using higher quality leaves instead.”
“It seems the royal family, and subsequently the nobles, have taken a liking to Eastern goods. They seem to have developed a great respect and affinity for your culture.”
“I am pleased to hear that. …If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see to your books.”
Yuuri curtsied and headed for the back room. She was so polite and proper, and yet still painfully unaware of the hair sticking up on top of her head. The corners of Ernest’s lips twitched into a smile.
“You might want to take a look in the mirror first. Your hair has wound itself into a most charming state.”
He knew it was rude, but he couldn’t help himself. She froze and her free hand wandered to the top of her head. With a gasp, she rushed out of the room.
“Looks like I made her mad again…” he sighed. He wasn’t normally one to tease young women. And yet, something inside pushed him to tease this young witch he had only just met.
Yuuri returned with an arm full of books just as he was finishing his tea. “Several of these books are hard to find, so please be sure you return them to me.”
“Of course. And thank you. When I return, I’ll see to it you are compensated accordingly. …Until next time, my little witch.”
Yuuri clearly resented being called little. She was seething.
And that was how Ernest Travis Selden met the mysterious witch from a distant land, Yuuri Watoh.