7. Jealousy is my strength (25)
“… … You did something stupid.”
That was the sound I heard as soon as I opened my eyes in a hazy mind.
Whoa, the woman exhaled smoke continued like a cumulus cloud. As I stared blankly at it, a memory flashed through my mind.
yes, i was stunned
It was something that I managed to complete after failing several times. The Archwitch was groaning and suffering, and I wanted to relieve the pain quickly.
So I put it in an incense burner and lit it.
It was stupid.
As soon as I breathed in the smoke of burning medicinal materials, I had to realize that fact. Wasn’t it the drug Master used in the first place?
There was no way the intensity was weak.
It was fortunate that the medicinal effect made the body drowsy. Depending on the type of drug, it also drove people into a frenzy.
What if I just went out of my mind?
It wasn’t going to end with ‘ugly’. An unmanned vehicle that reached a high expert level was nothing short of a kind of tactical weapon, and there was a risk of harming hundreds of lives in an instant.
Of course, there must have been a catastrophe.
The Archwitch also seemed to be pointing this out. As for me, even with ten mouths, I had nothing to say.
Eventually, I had to put my head back on the table with a sigh.
“sorry… … .”
“Well, there is no need to apologize. If you have to ask, it’s my fault… You must have been surprised that I fell out of nowhere.”
I was taken aback by his calm voice.
Surprisingly, the Archwitch did not show any sign of anger or shyness.
He was the founder and root of the Southern Ten Kingdoms. The weaknesses of these giants were inexhaustible. If I have a bad heart, I might cause chaos in the Southern Ten Kingdoms.
Even so, the Archwitch did not force me to keep a secret.
It was a completely different attitude from before, when he threatened his life to confirm my innocence. I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
Like it or not, the Archwitch only asked me in a flat voice.
“Do you have any idea why I fell?”
It seemed like he already knew what I was going to say.
Feeling prickly, I sneakily avoided the Archwitch’s gaze. I couldn’t think of it because I was in a hurry right away, but the recipe for this drug was the knowledge I received from ‘me’ from the future.
Of course, there was no way I knew at this age.
However, I not only obtained this recipe, but even succeeded in actually preparing it. Although this was entirely thanks to the technology of ‘I’ from the future.
How should I explain this?
No answer came, so I took another step back.
“Yeah, I’m fine… … .”
“Don’t lie.”
Of course, it was an attempt not to get a tooth stuck.
As I hesitated in spite of that cold voice, the Archwitch sighed. There was a faint hint of annoyance on his face.
“… … I can’t admit it yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“You, yourself.”
Lying on the sofa across from her, the archwitch resting her head on her head was resolute.
It was literally saying that my existence was unacceptable.
“I can’t believe it at all… How could someone like you exist?”
“No, isn’t that too harsh… … .”
“Huh, from now on, you are my special care target.”
Despite my timid resistance, the Archwitch had already decided my future.
Tak, came the sound of the Archwitch’s smoking pipe striking the ashtray on the table.
“From now on, you will have to take on the responsibility of resolving the anomalies in the area together with me. In addition, you should help me with the selection of my apprentice.”
“Yeah? You mean the disciple?”
“Yes, disciple.”
The archwitch made a pitiful expression as she exhaled the cigarette smoke she was holding.
“Do you think I came here to play? Since you have promised to select disciples, you should do so.”
“No, do you really need to do that? In an emergency like this, everyone would understand and move on… Above all, there is no reason why you must choose a disciple right now.”
“Fateful Intuition.”
It was an incomprehensible sound.
I put on a puzzled expression, but the archwitch didn’t seem to want to change my decision.
“I feel like it must be… So you’ll have to be my assistant for a while.”
“I-I’m sorry, but I have other things to do… … .”
“How far have you learned to connect and harm?”
I was silent once more.
‘Do the result’, it was none other than the archwitch’s vision. Of course, there was no way that the person who created the technology wouldn’t recognize it.
It was something I was already planning on doing.
Still, I felt something ominous, so I hesitated and tried to come up with an excuse that didn’t work.
“What are you talking about… … .”
“It’s a pitiful level.”
However, the Archwitch was not an easy opponent.
A single line comment.
I couldn’t hide my tearful heart and gave a ferocious look.
Whoa, and cigarette smoke wafts into the sky. A hazy light shimmered in the Archwitch’s eyes.
“I don’t know how you learned it, but won’t you stop ruining my face with the things you stole from? I can’t even raise my head in shame for a sword maniac or a Celestial.”
“… … I was the one who stabbed that ‘celestial man’.”
It was a counterargument that I had unknowingly uttered.
Then the Archwitch breathed in the cigarette smoke again and vomited. while twisting the corner of his mouth and curling it up.
A faint laugh escaped from the woman’s mouth.
“Do you have a temper about the subject?”
“Wouldn’t it be natural if it were unmanned?”
“Hmph, while not being able to refute the saying that I learned by stealing… … .”
I didn’t have anything to say to return it.
Actually, I wasn’t the one who received the vision from the Archwitch. Most of my skills were stolen after spying on his memories.
Maybe he didn’t like that.
That’s why I was particularly annoyed.
The fact that the Archwitch didn’t acknowledge me, why did it bother me so much?
I averted my gaze with a feeling of displeasure, as if I had swallowed a fish thorn.
“I want to ask the inside story right now, but you should be fortunate. First of all, we have to solve the problem at hand.”
For me, it was a declaration worthy of a sigh of relief.
I don’t know what kind of change of heart it was, but the Archwitch didn’t seem to have any intention of questioning me. Rather, he must have decided that it was better to seek my cooperation first.
Conversely, it also meant that the situation had deteriorated just as much.
Seeing my questioning eyes, the Archwitch pretended to be helpless.
“Anyway, it seems that the ‘vampire’ is aiming for the academy.”
“Isn’t that obvious? In the yard where even the family members witnessed it right away.”
“It’s not at the level of the family… The main body is coming here.”
Before my questioning could continue, the Archwitch blew out smoke once more.
The exhaled cigarette smoke did not dissipate as quickly as before. Clumps of translucent steam were drawing pictures in the air.
It was the shape of a bat trapped in a circle.
“This is the approximate composition of the barrier that confined the vampire. This vast barrier only exists to confine one demon. And this barrier is directly connected to my body, which is strange these days… … .”
The Archwitch slurred her words and clicked her fingers.
Then, the bats inside the circle began to move vigorously. Hook, hook As the bat slammed into the circle, the cigarette smoke scattered finely.
“… … I mean he’s having a seizure. That’s why I collapsed suddenly in front of you.”
“Then, isn’t the body remaining within the barrier?”
“Yes, it must be so… … .”
There was a shadow on the face of the sighing archwitch. His face looked displeased, like that of a soldier recalling his first murder.
More novels at noblemtl.com
Just right, and a cheerful sound echoed once again.
Before long, the bat made of cigarette smoke began to split in two.
“I don’t know what they did, but it looks like the vessel containing the body’s consciousness escaped. Although the body with the majority of power is confined within the barrier.”
I was silent with my arms crossed.
It seemed like there was a loophole in the barrier just by hearing about it, but it was a spell the Archwitch made while exhausting most of her power.
There was no way it would break through so easily.
If that were the case, vampires would have been roaming the outside long ago.
As such, there were still some questions remaining about the case.
But one thing, what we had to do was clear.
“… … you find it.”
Whoa, the archwitch blew out smoke again, and the shapes of the circle and the bat faded.
What I see beyond that is the figure of a woman with a particularly tired expression.
“There must be a reason for deliberately overdoing it and touching the barrier. It must be because you are so wary of me… But, if it’s you, no problem. Rather, there will be many acquaintances at the academy, so it will be helpful.”
“Everyone I knew would have gone mad.”
“No way, not all… No matter how much a vampire’s magic is, there is a limit. It is of no use to the strong outside the standard.”
I swallowed a laugh when I heard that.
‘Strength outside the standard’.
It’s easy to say, but at least ‘high expert’ or ‘great wizard’ could use such expressions. In other words, Professor Derek was the only one I knew.
It was just as I was about to voice such an objection.
“No, there is only one.”
Could it be that he knows of Professor Derek’s existence?
When I sent a questioning gaze, the Archwitch’s dubious smile grew even thicker.
“He’s very strong, and he’s helpful to you too.”
and after some time
Across from me sat a middle-aged man with gray hair. If you met him at a ballroom, you would mistake him for an elderly gentleman, but his appearance was different.
Strong muscles and a relaxed atmosphere unique to Kangja.
The room was dark because the curtains were not drawn. Even so, those blue eyes shimmering like flames were never covered by darkness.
Imperial swordsmith.
I spoke in front of the only three absolutes on the continent, swallowing dry saliva.
“… … The Archwitch said she wants to make me a disciple.”
and silence.
After some time had passed, the swordsman’s lips slowly opened.
“How dare that old hag?! To steal the treasures of our empire… I wonder if I’m really senile because I’ve been getting old so much… … !”
With a bang, he slammed the table.
Seeing the swordsman’s face reddening and venting his anger, I closed my eyes tightly.
Was this really the best?
while consulting like that.