#088 What Happened at the Witch’s House
‘Tomorrow at 1pm, in the hallway in front of the food warehouse… ?’
The note, with a clear time and place written on it, protruded from the inside of the chocolate wrapper handed over by the delivery man.
Is this a message from Emerald?
As I was staring at the note with a confused expression, Pearl asked with curious eyes.
“Oh, Amber… ! “Where did you get that!?”
“Huh!?”
She hurriedly hid her note behind her back and answered her.
“What is that?”
“I mean chocolate. “It’s very precious here.”
“Ah… “
Fortunately, Pearl didn’t seem to notice the existence of her note.
“… “The delivery man dropped it earlier.”
She was looking at me with a look in her eyes that made her want to eat chocolate.
“… Pearl, do you want to eat this?”
“Really!?”
As soon as I gave permission, Pearl clung to me and gave me a series of kisses on the cheek.
“Awesome, of course Amber is the best… !”
“Okay, calm down…” !”
She smiled with the most innocent looking face she had ever seen, and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“After meeting Amber, only good things happen. “Aren’t you supposed to bring good luck?”
“Lucky, it’s impossible for someone like me…” “
At least, I knew that if I got involved in everything, the result would be like lukewarm bean sprouts.
It didn’t cause a huge crisis, but that didn’t mean things were resolved smoothly.
I guess that’s probably the extent of what I can do in this job.
Pearl took a large bite of her chocolate with a happy look on her face, and she asked, her cheeks flushing.
“… “Are you not eating Amber?”
“I’m fine. “I ate a lot outside.”
When I mentioned ‘outside’, Pearl’s expression hardened slightly.
“… “You know, Amber.”
“Huh?”
“What about the outside world? Has it changed much from three years ago?”
From what she said, Pearl seemed to have been staying here for at least three years.
“… Most of it is the same. “Just because there are street lights on the streets, the nights are no longer dark?”
“Street lights? “What are street lights?”
“So, it’s a pillar that creates light with electricity… “
She told Pearl about the changes in the outside world.
Sellers selling ice cream appear, prices rise, etc.
Despite the ordinary news that would have been dismissed as trivial news from the outside, Pearl listened to each word with a twinkle in her eye.
Pearl, who had been listening to my story with a smile, lowered her head and said.
“… “I miss my friends who are away.”
Although she was feeling sad, her mouth was honestly biting into her chocolate, but she definitely looked listless.
“Where is your hometown, Pearl?”
“In the forest.”
“In the forest… ?”
When I looked puzzled at this completely out-of-the-box information, Pearl added an explanation.
“There is a house inside the forest where children live together. “I live with kids who are in the same situation as me.”
“If you’re in the same situation, does that mean you’re all witches?”
“That’s right. All children who were abandoned by their parents or were orphans at birth. “We taught how to use curses there and depended on each other.”
“Teaching children to curse…” ? “Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Curses are not dangerous. Depending on how you use it, it can be more useful than magic.”
I heard that, unlike magic that uses mana as a medium, a curse costs the user’s life force.
“They say it consumes life force. “How can that be okay?”
Pearl shook her head and said to my question.
“Amber. Mana and vitality are ultimately created by the body. And, vitality is not limited to only dangerous aspects such as lifespan. “Mental strength and physical strength are all part of vitality.”
She lifted the chocolate she was eating and explained.
“For example, is this chocolate I ate today? “When this is digested in my stomach, it will turn into energy that allows me to move my body.”
“… Huh.”
“Then, in order for me to use the curse safely, I only need to consume the same amount of stamina as this amount of chocolate.”
When I watched Diamond use her curse the other day, I could tell at a glance that she was putting a strain on her body.
The nosebleed was flowing, so does this mean that it far exceeded the safe limit?
“So, the important thing is quantity! “As long as you use enough energy to not harm your life, your body will not be harmed.”
Pearl blurted out an explanation as if she was interested in me listening attentively about the curse.
“And, there is one rule that must be followed at all costs. “Using curses on people is absolutely prohibited.”
“Why?”
“Why? Of course. “We are humans, not monsters.”
She said, making an image of a monster with her fingers.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Curse is originally a technique used by monsters. “If we attack people with that technology, we will be no different from monsters.”
‘Techniques used by monsters… ‘
“So, where did Pearl live, how did she use curses?”
“Mainly when hunting or repairing a fence?”
‘Fence repair… ?’
I don’t know how she uses curses, but she seems to have the idea that curses should not be used on people.
“If you have any further questions, please ask. Even if it looks like this, I’m a doctor when it comes to curses!”
Now most of the questions about curses have been answered.
The only thing left was about diamonds.
I asked her in hopes that she might do something to her.
“Have you ever heard of the name Diamond?”
When I mentioned her, Pearl’s face froze.
“… “How does Amber know about him?”
“He was originally scheduled to be captured instead of me. Does Pearl know someone?”
Pearl had a shocked look on her face and she said in a crawling voice.
“… “That girl, she was exiled.”
“What?”
At that time, a woman’s soft voice echoed throughout the room.
“Sleepers, it’s time to wake up!”
At the sound of her voice, the girls around her who were sleeping began to wake up one by one.
“It’s exercise time, Amber. “Let’s go out and talk.”
“… Okay.”
I followed her and lifted her frantic body up.
***
It was a long-awaited physical activity, but the sky was blocked by a stuffy ceiling, so not a single ray of sunlight could shine through.
The floor was hard cement instead of the sand that would be found in a playground, and there was only a pleasant smell of dust.
“Amber, throw it!”
Shoot, puck. The softball Pearl threw stuck nicely to my glove.
At first, it was common to catch the ball with the head or chest rather than the glove, but even with the worst athletic ability, I soon got used to it and was able to make a pretty decent catch.
She looked quite satisfied when she saw me like that.
“It’s been a while since I played catch with someone. “I’ve been doing it against the wall for years.”
“Ahahahaha… “
I felt sorry for her as she calmly told a very sad story.
As she was about to throw the ball back from me, I asked,
“… Pearl. “Can you tell me about diamonds?”
Pearl paused her movements for a moment, then lowered her gloves and said.
“Do we really need to talk about that now?”
“Yes, I really want to know what kind of past DIA had.”
“… Ha, okay.”
Pearl took off her gloves, leaned against the gym wall, and opened her mouth.
“He was an amazing kid. Unlike my peers, I’ve never fought, what should I say… “I would say it’s adult-like.”
“Wait a minute, wasn’t Diamond adopted by a noble family? How could she be with you guys?”
“I came to know where we were on my own. “They asked me to accept you as a member.”
“You mean you found out where it was in the forest and came here?”
“My words! So, it’s amazing.”
From their point of view, they would not have liked Diamond, who suddenly came to see them while they were still living well in the world.
“Everyone was suspicious at first. “It’s a nice house and there’s no need to leave your parents to come find us.”
“… So? “Did you accept the diamond?”
“In the end, I accepted it. Is there anything you can do when they always bring snacks and bread to you? “She was in and out, almost like she was commuting to and from work.”
It is said that Pearl, who soon became a close friend of Diamond, often followed her to her village to play.
“… It was fun being with that kid. I was able to go to the village I always wanted to visit, and there were all kinds of amazing things there. And that day too, she went to the market with Dia as usual.”
Pearl had a sad look on her face and then she said.
“That day, I was distracted by looking at the market, so I stopped… She got caught behind.”
“Caught behind? To whom?”
“… To those guys from the Magic Association.”
It is said that for a long time, the Magic Association used to stop passers-by and conduct surprise checks.
The purpose was, without question, witch hunting, and it is said that young girls without ID cards were frequently tested.
“So, Pearl, was she captured then?”
“No. At that time, Dia helped me escape. “The problem was what happened next.”
Pearl and Diamond escaped from the Association and arrived safely at the house in the forest, but it is said that peace did not last long.
“… I discovered the location of the hideout. To the association bastards.”
“… !”
It is said that wizards from the Magic Association found out where they were hiding and stormed into the house, and the witches, including Pearl, also used magic to desperately resist.
“There’s no way we can win against high-ranking wizards with magic, right? “The result was obvious.”
It is said that in an instant, all members were overpowered and were in danger of being taken away.
“So, what happened…?” ?”
“… “Dia broke the taboo.”
“Taboo… ?’
“You used a curse against a person.”
Thanks to Diamond breaking the taboo, he was able to deal with the wizards, but it is said that the members’ gaze towards Diamond was cold.
“The crisis has been overcome, but Diamond was expelled for breaking the taboo.”
“… “That’s to protect you.”
“I know! “He just had no choice but to do it for us…”
It is said that other people except Pearl had slightly different thoughts.
“If DIA hadn’t come in the first place, the association wouldn’t have had to catch up, so they suggested expelling the girl who broke the rules. “I tried to persuade as much as I could.”
“… “So, did you fail to persuade me?”
“No. “Dia left on her own before that.”
Pearl desperately tried to argue with her, but Dia said it was okay and that she was leaving.
“Dia… ? Why?”
“I guess he wanted me to stay there. “They said it would be safe to stay here.”
Pearl said with a resigned look on her face.
“… After she left, I got angry and went out there to look for her. What is the result… “She was caught like this.”
“… “
“Was it right for me to listen to DIA and stay there…? ?’
Pearl covered her face with her hands and tried not to let her expression be noticed.
“… Maybe she doesn’t want to see me anymore… “
I said, denying what she said.
“… Dia will want to see you too. For sure.”
After telling her whole story, she looked at me with sad eyes and asked.
“Amber. You won’t leave me, will you? “You’ll always be by my side, right?”
“… “
Tomorrow at 1pm. If the message I received was from Emerald, I would be escaping from here tomorrow.
What answer do I have to give Pearl…?
In the end, I couldn’t answer her question even until the exercise session was over.
—-(Author’s words)
Akyoung Mecon is currently under review!
Molukon was excluded due to copyright issues, and if it is rejected, it could be a problem for Mawlucon.
Will it be passed…?