NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 1 Part 7
“Thank you, Onee-chan.”
By the time the magic had faded and the cherry blossoms returned to their original green leaves, the sun had already dipped low, stretching the shadows long across the ground.
As I returned to Anna-chan’s house, the two of them stood there to see me off.
“Was that really okay?”
“Yeah. I’m sure Mama is happy.”
“Even though it wasn’t a real cherry blossom?”
“Well… yeah.” At least try to cover for me.
As I sighed, Hendy-san also bowed his head and said, “Meg-chan, thank you.”
“Ever since my wife passed, it’s felt like my daughter and I were sinking deeper into grief. But I realized something—if we stayed like that, my wife wouldn’t be able to rest in peace.”
“Seriously, try being a dependable father for once. You even skipped work in the end.”
“I wonder if my patients will forgive me today.”
Hendy-san scratched his cheek with his usual sheepish smile, then suddenly, his expression changed.
“More importantly, Meg-chan, are you alright?”
“Huh? About what?”
“Well, it’s already evening, isn’t there something you need to help Faust-sama with?”
“Crap.” I had completely forgotten. “Alright, I gotta go—”
As I turned on my heel, Anna-chan called out, “Onee-chan!”
I’m in a hurry here!
“Onee-chan, will you become like Faust-sama someday?”
“Huh?”
“You will, right? Promise me.”
“Uh…”
I couldn’t say it.
That I only had a year left to live.
As I hesitated, struggling to find words, Hendy-san gently wrapped his arms around Anna-chan from behind.
“Of course, Meg-chan can do it. She’ll be a great archmage one day.”
The trust in their eyes made me feel strangely embarrassed, and I found myself sniffing involuntarily.
“Well, obviously. Just wait and see.”
I waved at Anna-chan and Hendy-san before setting off.
The city at sunset was one of my favorite sights.
The marketplace bustled with people on their way home from work and housewives finishing their errands, while the scent of stew drifted from the brick houses.
At the end of the day, people wore faces that were a little tired, a little relaxed.
There was something gentle, yet a little bittersweet, about that scene.
As I walked, something warm suddenly brushed against my foot.
Carbuncle was scratching at my leg.
“Oh yeah, you were here, weren’t you? Completely forgot about you.”
As I picked it up, Carbuncle let out a sharp cry, clearly annoyed.
“There, there,” I said, ruffling its head roughly. It let out a squashed-sounding “Gyuu…” before falling silent.
With it perched on my shoulder, I continued my walk through the city.
“Oh, Meg, heading home?”
“Yep.”
“Meg-nee, good work today.”
“You too.”
“Meg-chan, here, a little something for dinner.”
“Thanks.”
As I strolled through the streets, voices reached my ears from all around.
For some reason, their smiles lingered in my mind today.
“Someday, a great archmage, huh…”
Looking up, I saw the twilight sky tinged with deep hues, with the first star twinkling above.
I sighed and scratched my head.
“If they say things like that… I can’t die just yet.”
At my murmured words, Carbuncle let out a small “Kyuu.”
“You sound happy about that.”
“Kyui?”
“Cheeky little thing.”
I gently stroked Carbuncle’s fur.
Night.
As soon as I stepped into the house, my master greeted me with an exaggerated voice.
“Well, well, I expected you to return looking like a dead fish, but you seem to have regained some light.”
“Please don’t compare me to fish.”
I held up the small bottle containing what seemed to be a tear and showed it to my master.
“Would this be a happy tear?”
“No.”
The response was immediate and sharp.
“This is a tear mixed with sorrow. Not a happy one.”
“So it’s just a useless, dirty tear then?”
“You really need to do something about that foul mouth of yours.”
“Nonsense.”
“Honestly, who did you take after…”
My master let out an exasperated sigh, then stared intently at the bottle.
For someone who could see through everything, they seemed genuinely intrigued.
“It’s not a happy tear, but it’s a pure one.”
“Pure?”
“Yes, a clear, untainted emotion, filled with kindness.”
“So the bottle mistakenly gathered it up?”
“Perhaps.”
My master seemed oddly pleased.
“Uh… you look happy.”
“You have the ability to open people’s hearts, Meg.”
“So what? That’s a useless skill.”
“Would it kill you to accept a compliment now and then?”
“More importantly, why did you wait until a year before my death to tell me about the curse? If I had five or six more years—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
“If you had five or six years, you could have accomplished something?”
“…No.”
I knew myself well enough.
Even if I had been told earlier, I probably would have wasted the time, thinking I still had plenty left, and reached my final day without doing anything.
“The vision of death only reveals itself one year prior. That’s when you first learn about your illness, that you will die at eighteen.”
“Even for a grand mage like you, Master?”
“Yes, no exceptions. The curse rewrites fate itself. That’s how powerful it is. But you understand, don’t you?”
My master smiled softly.
“It’s because of who you are now that I told you. Because now, you have the resolve and the power to defy fate. Do everything you can, Meg Raspberry. From today, for this one year, dedicate everything to your life.”
I quietly took a deep breath.
“Understood.”
That was my only reply.
This is the story of an inexperienced witch, given only one year to live—
A story of the miracles she brought into the world.