Songstress of Schwarzwald: The Secret of Zoe, the Exiled Music Mage

Selina always did fly off to the royal capital once or twice a year. And sometimes she goes to Lang Village once a month too.

During those times, I’m left home alone to watch the house. I wonder what it was like when I was a baby? I don’t remember, so I can’t say.

I do have memories of crying while searching for Selina after I become aware of things. My past-life memories get all noisy, shouting about child abuse! Neglect! How annoying.

When I get bigger, I throw tantrums, begging “Take me with you!” I cling to her skirt, try to jump onto the teleportation circle with her—I try everything. All failures, though.

Now that I’m seven and much more grown-up, I don’t spend half the day crying and fussing like before.

“She’s going to Lang Village!”

I know she tells me this to make me give up on going to the royal capital, but I still feel excited.

“I want to gather lots of herbs and maybe get some kind of instrument in Lang Village. I think it’s necessary for becoming a Troubadour! Gah! Selina! You left that book on the floor!”

I want to gather herbs, but when she goes to the royal capital, she doesn’t come back for two days. When I was little, she returned in half a day.

“My chance!”

While putting the floor book back in the bookshelf, I look for something interesting. Well, I’ll avoid anything too adult.

But I find something that looks like an adventure story, so instead of putting it back, I leave it on the table.

“I’ll gather herbs during the day and read at night!”

Even though I can use magic now, there are monsters in the Great Forest. I want to be back inside the Barrier Selina sets up before evening comes.

I take out a carrying basket from the storage shed. Selina can use storage magic, but in Lang Village she uses cloth bags and carrying baskets to avoid standing out.

When I ask “Why use such things?” she asks back, “What would you think if someone could use storage magic?”

I think about it and answer, “I think it’s really convenient!” and she laughs at me.

“Zoe, there’s no one in the village who can use magic. Nothing good comes from showing off your abilities.”

I’m smaller then and don’t understand, but now I get it a little. Besides, I read in a forbidden book about a wicked witch being captured by villagers and burned at the stake.

When I ask Selina “Do witches get burned at the stake?” she realizes I read the book and scolds me.

“Witches don’t get burned at the stake just for being witches, but women who are disliked get called witches and burned. Besides, how would they catch a witch? She’d just escape!”

I think about it a lot since then. In other words, it’s scary if the villagers think you’re a bad woman. And while Selina can fly away, I can’t yet.

I hope I’ll be able to teleport someday. I wanna go to the royal capital!

Going to the storage shed to get the basket reminds me of all this, and I strap it on before stepping outside the Barrier.

“Gotta be careful since Selina isn’t here!”

The first time I went outside the Barrier to pick herbs, I got careless and didn’t notice a Big Boar nearby. Selina was there to defeat it for me back then, but now?

It’s scary when I’m all alone.

I stay alert enough to escape into the Barrier at any time while gathering herbs and putting them in my carrying basket.

I think I’m being careful, but before I know it, I get quite far from the Barrier.

There’s a rustling sound and I freeze.

“An Almiraj!”

I’m relieved it’s not a Big Boar, but Almirajs have horns too. If it attacks me, I’ll get hurt.

I try to climb a tree to wait it out, but there’s no easy-to-climb tree nearby.

“Yikes! Stay away!”

Almirajs aren’t carnivorous, right? They’re rabbits. Wait, maybe it’s after the herbs in my basket?

Merry and Ben like herbs too! I didn’t even get to feed them, so why should I give up the herbs to some random horned rabbit I don’t know!

Alright, I’m gonna defeat it!

I steel my resolve, but I can’t use magic when I’m nervous.

Having to sing to use magic is a major flaw! But I work hard to calm my heart.

“Wind Cutter♪”

Whoa, the Almiraj’s head goes flying with a whoosh. Blood gushes everywhere!

I’ve seen Selina defeat monsters before, but realizing I just took a life makes me dizzy.

“But I can’t waste the life I’ve taken.”

Since I cut off its head, I probably don’t need to drain the blood. Still, I should carry it home by the legs... I don’t know when Selina will be back, though.

The bigger problem is how to butcher it. Selina cheats with storage magic.

Guess I’ll do my best dicin’ and cookin’!

“Well, today I’ll just drain the blood.”

When I cut off its head, the blood really gushed out.

I’ll tie up its legs and hang it in the shed.

“I wonder if any of Selina’s books explain how to butcher things?”

Everything aside, I can’t skip my daily routine.

I lead Merry and Ben into the goat pen and milk Merry.

Since I’m eating alone, dinner is just morning porridge. I add goat milk, but there’s only a little honey left, so I hold back.

I light a candle and read the adventure novel, though I know I should really be looking for a book on how to butcher stuff.

“I probably can’t do it...”

After the fight, I’d felt all fired up—Don’t waste a life! Butcher it and eat it properly! That’s what I told myself. But now the Almiraj’s body just feels cold and forbidding.

“Selina, come home soon!”

When night falls, I really am lonely!

So lonely I’m even thinking about sleeping in the goat pen with Merry and the others.