I Picked Up a Witch from a Novel

Episode 0-a. The One Who Moves Forward.

If the world had been peaceful,

if anyone had not had greed beyond their own,

if humans had originally been made to be such living beings,

then could everyone have smiled happily in a landscape with no problems?

Though it has now become my reality, was it not possible that everyone could have met a happy ending in this world that was originally a novel?

Ironically, if this had been such a story, no one would have paid attention to it.

I often found myself thinking like that.

Originally, it was a thought that flowed in from a gray outlook, but the landscapes I encountered while moving forward were often so miserable that it left a bitter aftertaste.

If there is a stage that symbolizes peace, there is also a stage that symbolizes the absence of peace.

If there are scenes that only present sunny and cool weather, there are scenes that pour down gloomy and dry weather.

If there are those who smile happily, then surely there must be poor souls crying sadly.

It was a story with such endings decided by God.

And somewhere in the snowy mountains, in front of a campfire in a cave,

the two kids giggling in front of it were, one might say, the role of the poor souls crying sadly.

The two children were war orphans.

Having ended their lives in a minor principality’s capital for just over a year, they were twin siblings sprawled out in a small village they stumbled upon on their way to another city.

Having lost their parents in the war, they were small children huddled together, begging for alms.

I had only stopped by the village with the thought of resting briefly, but instead of just resting and leaving, those sights continued to stick in my mind.

So,

to put it bluntly, they were small children abandoned on the street without parents.

That landscape reminded me of a certain woman,

making it impossible for me to simply ignore and walk past.

Though it wasn’t something I was capable of managing, I impulsively took in the two kids.

So, their names were

Yaki and Tori.

“…”

I would have been fine if those names were created for a fictional setting, but unfortunately, I was the one who named them.

Hmm.

If I were to make a shabby excuse, it was when I had set up my carriage on the street of that village and was roasting a chicken I caught from the grass when I saw them peeking their heads out and drooling in a tattered manner that unknowingly brought that name to mind.

“Tori, Ain Oppa is looking at us ominously.”

“Yaki, that’s not ominously; he’s just tired.”

“…, stop saying useless things and eat your food.”

So, I called them Yaki and Tori without thinking, after which the two kids liked the names and began calling each other that.

They mentioned that recalling their original names only brought sadness, with expressions mixed with various emotions still vividly remaining in my mind.

So the conclusion is, well…

For one, I’m the one who saved and is bringing them along, and since no one in this world knows the meaning, shouldn’t it be fine?

If they don’t know the meaning, then the sound is quite cute in its own way.

“Always telling me not to say useless things.”

“You say a lot of useless things yourself.”

“…”

So, you chicken-like kids, stop talking and just eat your food.

Warm breath lingers.

Puffing out a breath brings white steam as thick as snow, spreading like mist before dispersing.

Though I waddled like a bear wrapped in fur for warmth, it was not enough to fend off the chill of the snowy mountains, sending chills down my spine.

With every step, my feet sink into the thick blanket of snow, and eventually, snow seeps into my clothes, causing my limbs to start feeling numb.

“If this goes on, I’ll really die, freeze to death…”

“Ugh, be sure to take care of my corpse, Yaki…”

“…, I clearly told you thirty times before we set off not to follow.”

Though it looks messy outwardly, I know that by exchanging words like this, I can reassure myself that we are safely moving along.

“I wish I had dried them more. Right, Tori?”

“Hmm…, that sounds a bit lacking in conscience.”

“…”

Even if those words are somewhat annoying, I focus on the children’s murmurs and continue to take one step, then another.

And what I’m seeking through all this hardship is the red sunbloom buried in the snow.

This was because a quack doctor or researcher needed it, and it was the material for the research I had requested from him.

So,

“…, indeed, the assassination plan of the quack doctor uncle.”

“Revenge of the dumpling…”

“Both are not true.”

I will find the sunbloom and bring it back, no matter what.

And,

as I wander around the snowy mountains for a while,

Puff-

“Ah, what kind of wolf is frozen to death in the snowy mountains? Huh…, for now, stay behind me, you little ones.”

Before long, there are the howls of a pack of wolves surrounding us.

Though I had become a mid-ranking adventurer, I lacked talent and found myself struggling even against one or two wolves.

Puff-

As I stabbed the first wolf with my dagger multiple times, the white snowfield became dotted with red blood, adding its own color.

Only the sound of gentle snowflakes could be heard in the snowy mountains, with the wolves’ howls echoing for a while.

Perhaps it was their call to come this way because there was delicious food here.

“No, you cowardly bastards! There are already many here, why call for more comrades…!”

I panic at that and throw off the thick robe I had wrapped around myself and charge at the nearest wolf.

“No, I told you to stay behind…!”

“Try flipping that and getting buried in the snow, just…!”

Gripping the hilt of my sword at my waist, I unsheathe it.

With a screech, the blade cut through the scabbard and struck the first wolf, slicing its body in half with a rustling sound.

Blood splatters.

For a brief moment, cries of pain replaced the howling.

That was certainly a terrible thing, but I had become somewhat accustomed to it over the past three years.

Now, I casually blink and tilt my head to search for the next target to cut down.

After hearing the sound of my sword plunging back down, several wolves take a step back, startled.

I wonder why these beasts can’t stick to their instincts like proper beasts.

The wolves, unlike other foolish beasts, soon turn their attention away from me to the thick furry robe covering the snow.

After all, choosing food that can be safely taken, even if it’s not as risky, is also a matter of instinct.

However,

Creak-

A wolf bites down hard on the robe, making such a sound.

Several of them dive in, trying to tear at the wrapped-up robe, but soon a snapping sound of broken teeth is heard.

Though it was quite heavy, it was something I had made at a high price; it was not something that could be easily torn by the teeth of wolves from the snowy mountains.

“Indeed, money is national power.”

If you want to be able to just throw away the robe and dive in without worry, you definitely need a lot of money.

“Eep! Ain Oppa, stop making strange noises and save us quickly…!”

“I don’t want to get eaten and die; I’d rather freeze to death like this….”

So I stomp my feet again, stepping on the deep snow and swinging my sword.

A few breaths, a few cries.

As these things continued, somewhere on the previously all-white snowy mountainside, bright red petals bloomed.

And time flowed.

“Ah…, I’m going to die.”

After I had managed to kill all the wolves, covered in blood, I crashed onto the white snowfield with a thud.

“Uh, Oppa?”

“What, don’t talk to me. I’m tired….”

“Uh, there are red petals where you fell…”

“It’s blood, blood.”

“No, no. It’s not blood, it’s red flowers! That’s a sunbloom!”

Beneath the snowfield where I lay, there were frozen red petals of the sunbloom.

“…, what?”

What the hell is this?

Is this the reward for completing the wolf-hunting mission that I had not seen until now because I collapsed from exhaustion?

Anyway,

The twins and I returned to our lodging with the sunbloom we found.

“I’m glad we didn’t freeze to death, Tori.”

“Yaki, be quiet. I can’t feel my hands and feet.”

The two kids chatted diligently even as they descended from the snowy mountains and arrived in the city.

“Let the two of you go to the bathroom first and warm up in hot water.”

““Yes~””

I patted the kids’ heads and knocked on the door of a room before entering.

“Avery.”

“Ah…, Ain. I thought you had really died since you didn’t come after waiting for days….”

“…”

Hmm.

Don’t tell me this guy seriously wanted me dead and sent me to the snowy mountains as the kids said.

I looked at him with disbelief, my hand still on the scabbard, while he nervously approached me, extending his hand.

“Duh…, did you manage to bring back the sunbloom?”

“Here, I could only get three roots; is that okay?”

“Ah, it’s fine. Even one root would allow for several experiments…”

And the man’s eyes were solely focused on the sunbloom.

To put it simply,

Though all the companions surrounding me had some lacking and strange traits, it seemed this man was especially so.

“Just in case, don’t use it carelessly. I’m warning you.”

“…, don’t worry. For me, ash is like a disease, so I’m only working for its cure.”

The way he repeatedly adjusted that quirky white gown while gazing at the sunbloom was indeed peculiar.