SOMEONE rushed through the corridors of the Witch’s Council headquarters, illuminated by flickering candles far away from Elminage Academy for Gifted Witches and Wizards. “By the celestial scourge, why must I deal with this nonsense?!”
The middle-aged man wearing a black witch’s hat and long robe was in an impatient hurry. His sprint through the corridors eventually brought him before the chairman’s office where he puzzlingly knocked on the door belonging to him.
“Enter.”
Despair slammed down on him like a tidal wave at the young voice answering from within. Dear God, please allow me to leave this room in one piece, he prayed, deeply inhaling what may become his last breath.
“…Pardon the intrusion.”
Resolved to his fate, he slowly turned the knob and slunk into the room. Hands held protectively over his head, he braced himself for death—nothing happened. His behavior must’ve been quite amusing to any onlooker because bell-like laughter filled the room.
“Oh my word, why’re you so edgy?”
“Aah, uuh, no, well…I see you aren’t accompanied by That companion today.”
The man remembered being graphically attacked by a fearsome black dragon the second he entered the room just the day before.
Reclining behind the man’s desk, the boy hidden beneath a deep white hood gave his head an endearing tilt.
“Should I call for him?”
“No! You needn’t go through the trouble, please!”
“Haha! That cutie is currently in the middle of a meal anyway.”
The man tried to see what manner of person that voice, which sounded like rolling bells, belonged to under the hood, but shadows fell perfectly to obstruct his view.
Who would believe that the chairman had been overthrown by this young child who now controlled the Witch’s Council? A few months ago, the child emerged from the shadows with unprecedented techniques and overwhelming magic. Naturally, the Witch’s Council paid the child no attention at first, but the chairman shuddered at the mere memory of the consequences they went through for ignoring the boy. Ever since then he’d been used as a mere front for the boy’s antics.
“Malevolent one.”
“What’s up?” the boy responded to that title in a chipper voice.
The chairman gave his report without looking where he assumed his eyes were. “The plan is proceeding smoothly. Freelance witches from all over the world are almost entirely ours now, and the most promising ones are already detained in the council headquarters.”
“Good work.”
Gulping, the chairman restlessly linked and unlinked his fingers. He voiced the unease he couldn’t chase away. “…Is it truly all right for us to continue on this path?” He locked his gaze on the floorboards and rattled off his concerns with nervous sweat soaking his back. “Using black mana to create black magic weapons… If the masses discover what we are doing, they might execute us for making use of heretical powers. Aren’t we dipping our hands into the taboo—”
“Wizmac.”
The chairman jumped at the sound of his name. The boy had teleported right in front of him. A slender, white hand reached up and cupped Chairman Wizmac’s right cheek. Eyes darker than the deepest black depths of night glimmered under the white hood.
“It’s fine. We aren’t doing anything wrong,” the boy cooed in the sweetest voice while his irresistible powers consumed the chairman.
The image of falling into an abyss overtook Wizmac’s brain. Hundreds of hands grabbed at him, covering his mouth and limbs and tearing him into a thousand pieces.
Just when he thought he’d been pulled to the surface, the white-hooded child endearingly cocked his head. Shuddering, Wizmac held his aching head in his hands. Moans ripped from his throat.
“Aah…aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!”
“It’s all right. Before long the Witch’s Council will stand at the top of the world. And then you will be king. Or maybe emperor would be better?”
Honeyed whispers melted into his distorting mind. Rattled with ultimate bliss and excitement, Chairman Wizmac turned dilated eyes to the heavens and swore his loyalty.
“I-I live to serve your every command.”
Trembling like a newborn doe, the chairman exited the room with a deranged smile. Left alone in the office, the chuckling boy flipped through the papers Wizmac left behind.
“That’s right. There’s nothing wrong with destroying this entire rotten world. Make it fall apart until there’s absolutely no point in having some stupid Spirit Priestess…”
His hand landed on a page about a certain young man. He pulled it out with an intrigued smile.
“Now he looks usable. I think I’ll sound him out myself.”
Wind whirled through the room without warning, sending papers flying everywhere. By the time the final page hit the floor, not a single person was left in the room.
✦ ✦ ✦
TWO days after Oswald ended her apprenticeship, Nichika was standing in front of Elminage’s gates at the break of dawn to depart on the next leg of her journey.
“I can’t believe you! You tricked me from the start!”
“Ow! I said I’m sorry. I couldn’t expose myself.”
Melissa, who had woken up at the crack of dawn to see her off, stopped smacking Nichika’s shoulder and puffed out her cheeks. The corners of her eyes softened and she clapped her lightly on the back.
“I never imagined you carried the huge responsibility of Spirit Priestess on your shoulders. You don’t look the part.”
“Yeah…it’s crazy that it’s me,” Nichika said wistfully, drawing a small smile from her friend.
“You are a disappointment for not noticing anything despite being close friends,” scolded an unforgiving voice from behind, erasing Melissa’s smile and causing her shoulders to jump.
“G-Grandmother…”
Nichika looked over to see the headmaster descend the last step from the castle. She didn’t look the least bit tired despite the early hour. Maybe she maintained a prim and proper demeanor twenty-four hours a day, regardless of the time or place.
Cheek twitching, Nichika asked a question to which she had already guessed the answer. “Did you possibly know I wasn’t Angelica from day one?”
“I had already heard of you from Ini, and while I can’t comment on her magic potential, the real Angelica Rubens is notorious for hating anything to do with learning.”
From the sound of it, Nichika still had a long way to go before she perfected her espionage skills. Smiling dryly at that realization, she watched as a man shrouded in gold splendor alighted from the sky in a flurry of flapping wings. It triggered a case of déjà vu that caused her to shudder.
“My sweet honey! Good morning! Isn’t it a truly fine morning? Take the day off and treat yourself to a date with me!”
“NO THANK YOUUUUUUU!” She shoved her hand in his face, stopping him from throwing himself on her in a bear hug. Melissa covered her gaping mouth with her hand.
“Love triangle flag…!”
“It’s not like that! I swear he is so not a possibility for that!” Nichika retorted and prepared herself for another ridiculous remark when Wolfie charged into their circle with impeccable timing.
“Morning! I woke up on time like a good boy today! Praise me! Praise me!”
“You even have an innocent puppy-dog type vying for your attentions?! I’m sensing a love polygon in the making…no, once you hit this number, it’s totally going in the reverse harem direction!”
“Melissa, do you count everything that’s male as a love interest?!” Nichika exasperated.