NOVEL NEXT Chapter 69
Chapter 69. The Solitary Witch
“…Damn it.”
In the middle tier of the royal capital, within the Frembleed household.
This house, which once boasted considerable prosperity, now had hardly any signs of life.
This was because the head of the family, Xenos von Frembleed, had been found guilty of various crimes such as embezzlement, illegal trade, and false accusations, and was thrown into prison.
Naturally, the house was dismantled, and this opulent mansion would soon become the residence or villa of another noble.
In this fallen noble mansion, already brought to the ground, the voice of Chris von Frembleed, the son of the former head, echoed.
“Damn it, I can’t understand anything…!”
He stared intently at the emerald dial he had summoned before him, filled with complex, bizarre, and diverse characters.
But, admitting defeat, he ground his teeth in frustration and hung his head.
…Originally, this was not the time to be doing such things.
Although he would not end up like Xenos in jail, he could not escape punishment either.
After all, he was the son of a family that had already fallen. Despite having some magical abilities, the stigma was too heavy.
Most likely, he would become a servant in some household or be adopted by a low-ranking family struggling for an heir.
In the face of such choices, he should have been running around trying to secure the best option possible.
…But.
To Chris now, none of that mattered.
He remembered the person who was once his brother.
Oppressed from a sense of inferiority in their childhood, and eventually banished from the family.
Yet, five years later, he appeared before Chris as a remarkable magician.
His magical abilities and dedication to magic showed a clear difference in class.
Strong, beautiful, and infuriatingly superior—his once younger brother.
The magic his brother used was now in Chris’s hands.
His brother had said this magic could be mastered by anyone with the will and perseverance to learn it, that with enough effort, it was within reach.
Chris wanted to try it.
By doing so, he felt he might understand the thoughts of his brother, who had always been a mystery and a source of fear in their childhood.
And simply, he intuitively felt that if he backed down here, he would live in fear for the rest of his life.
Thus, Chris began studying this magic—the [Emerald Tablet].
But.
“…Damn it.”
Cursing again, Chris collapsed to the ground.
He understood nothing.
Through repeated observations, he could barely grasp that ‘this part corresponds to such an effect of the magic’.
But beyond that, he could make no progress. He could not understand what was written or the effects it described.
…At this rate.
He would never catch up to the view his brother had, not even finding the starting point—
“…No.”
Chris denied his own thoughts.
It was not that there was no starting point. On the contrary, what he wanted right now was right at his feet.
“…”
He looked down.
There was a small package that could be held in both hands. Judging by its shape and weight, it was likely a book.
—No, he already knew what was inside without guessing.
Because on the surface of the package, in his brother’s handwriting, was written:
‘This is a textbook. Please use it if you like. If not needed, I would appreciate it if you could return it’.
“…Don’t mock me…!”
At first, he thought so.
The one who had crushed him. The one who had brought him despair.
How could that person now offer a helping hand? Was he mocking him from a superior position? He thought so.
—No, he still thought so.
“…Enough.”
Although it was something useful to him now, he had kept it at hand, but enough.
He wouldn’t read it. Throwing it away would feel petty, which irritated him.
Then, as his brother wished, he would send it back later. Resolving this, he was about to toss the package aside—
“Hey, aren’t you going to read it? What a waste.”
A voice suddenly stopped him.
“What the—”
He turned around quickly.
There stood a figure in a hood, appearing suddenly.
Judging by the silhouette and voice, it seemed to be a woman around his age.
Ignoring his surprise, the mysterious woman continued.
“I’ll tell you, mastering that magic on your own is really tough. It’s something even a genius of several generations barely mastered the basic theory of with a bit of special help over a long time. A normal noble would never get it on their own—”
“Who the hell are you!”
But her words didn’t reach his ears. In the confusion and slight fear, Chris shouted.
“Who suddenly shows up and starts talking? Who are you? You’re an outsider, you have no—”
“I do have a stake in this.”
This time, she interrupted Chris, countering him with a shocking truth.
“Because the contents you’re about to throw away, I wrote them.”
“…Huh?”
“Yeah, my beloved disciple asked me to check on you on my way home today.”
With this information, several pieces fell into place in Chris’s mind.
He knew in fragments that his brother had a mentor-like figure. And now, hearing this woman claim she wrote the textbook.
And with the atmosphere confirming her claim, not to mention the vast magical power emanating from her.
All this led Chris to accurately guess the identity of the woman before him.
…But. All the more reason not to let his guard down.
“…What are you here for…!”
With hostility clear, Chris growled.
“Did you and your apprentice come to mock me?! Leave me alone, I’ve decided to face this magic by myself!”
“…”
“It means nothing if I don’t do it alone. I won’t borrow your power! Just because we use the same magic, don’t think you can—!”
“…Well, I don’t dislike that spirit.”
As Chris shouted, the woman muttered in a slightly serious tone.
“Hey, Chris.”
“!?”
Before he knew it, she was there.
The woman had appeared in front of Chris at a speed he couldn’t react to.
“Don’t mistake where to be stubborn, okay?”
She lightly tapped her index finger on his chest and spoke.
He gasped.
At the pressure. And at the fierce, beautiful blue eyes that peeked out from beneath her hood.
“Chris, why do you want to use this magic?”
“…To understand what he saw. To see how close I can get to him with my power.”
“That doesn’t contradict borrowing the wisdom of predecessors. He learned from the same thing.”
As he confessed his inner thoughts, she immediately responded sharply.
“If you have a clear desire, don’t add unnecessary things. Be greedy. Purify your thoughts. Embrace what you need as much as you want, but cut off the unnecessary. That’s how you define the shape of your heart.”
“…”
“Only those who achieve that qualify to be magicians.”
Her words were heavy.
It was clear they came from someone who had practiced and realized them herself.
He gasped again. At the same time, the pressure from the woman vanished as she stepped back.
“Well, that’s all I wanted to say. The rest is up to you. Use it, return it, throw it away—do as you like. Neither I nor he will be angry.”
Then the woman, with a lightness that made her previous intensity seem like a lie, waved her hand.
And just like when she arrived, she disappeared in a blink.
“…”
But the impact of that brief encounter was immense for Chris.
He looked at his hands again.
Don’t mistake where to be stubborn. He learned from the same thing. Every word she said, the atmosphere similar to his brother’s that she exuded.
It slightly changed the shape of his heart.
“…Damn it!”
Chris clenched the package in his hands tightly again—
—and tore it open.
With a determination that seemed to shout, “I’ll do it!”
He cast aside whatever had held him back.
He pulled out several books from inside and, with a fierce gaze, began to read.
…And most frustratingly…
That day, his understanding of magic advanced as if his previous struggles had never existed.
◆
“Well, I guess that’s good enough.”
Seeing Chris tear open the package and begin reading the creation magic books she had written…
The woman—Rose—turned her back on the Frembleed house.
“What do you know, that kid might have some potential after all.”
Honestly, at first, she had come mainly because her apprentice had asked her to.
But contrary to her initial feelings, she might have seen something quite interesting.
“Maybe he has potential because he’s Herm’s brother. I might have a little something to look forward to.”
Muttering to herself, she walked to a small hill on the outskirts.
From there, she looked down on the royal capital, where she once lived.
—She had hated this place.
A haven for hopeless people. They pretended to praise excellence but shunned those who excelled too much.
A dead-end filled with people with murky hearts, flourishing in their privilege.
She had wished many times that everything except her two dear friends would burn and disappear.
…But.
Surely, now it’s different. Slowly but surely, things were changing.
Thanks to her purple-haired friend who didn’t run away.
If her apprentice was to be the key to this change, that would be wonderful.
Feeling refreshed, she decided it was time to head home and started to chant.
“‘I define wings; to the unseen giant, the yoke of wisdom; release it to the ends of the world’.”
It was her signature spell.
One of the reasons she was feared, was a magic that transported her to a domain allowed only to her.
“Bloodline Magic—[Hraesvelgr].”
As she called the name, her body floated gently.
There were no witnesses, and there wouldn’t be any unnecessary commotion. She would leisurely travel through the sky back to her home.
…Honestly, she used to hate this magic too.
Because it made her realize that no one could catch up to her. No one would come to where she was.
But now…
At least she knew one person who could reach the same place. Someone who decided to strive for it. Someone who had begun taking the first steps toward it.
So she was no longer lonely.
And so, she spread her arms wide against the clear blue sky, with a beautiful and delicate smile that could captivate everyone in the royal capital.
“I’m waiting! My brilliant and beloved fellow magicians!”
She shouted her thoughts…
And thinking of the day when she would no longer be solitary, the solitary witch flew off into the distant sky.