NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 3 Part 1
The news has been crazy lately.
The town itself is perfectly peaceful, yet whenever I turn on the TV, all I hear are unsettling stories.
I never really paid much attention to that kind of thing, but a certain old hag—no, my master—told me I should at least try to care about politics and economics once in a while. So, reluctantly, I watched.
“I’m about to die soon anyway, so is there even a point in watching this?”
Muttering to myself, I absentmindedly munched on my meat spaghetti when a particular news segment caught my attention.
“At the recent international conference held by the Seven Sages, discussions revolved around the recent changes in ecosystems and the state of magical energy. A key topic was the surveillance zones that have appeared across the Euro-American regions. Two sages have already been dispatched to investigate—”
“Huh? The conference is already over?”
It had been about a week since my master left for an overseas assignment.
As I sat at the dinner table, eating with my familiars, I widened my eyes at the news on TV.
My master had said she’d be back in two or three days.
Even if the trip got extended, I figured she’d be returning around today.
I turned my gaze to the phone lying on the table.
People often get surprised when they find out that my master and I own cell phones.
Many still hold onto the outdated notion that witches live in some primitive, ancient way.
They assume we always use convenient magical means to communicate.
Who the hell would bother with that kind of hassle?
Casting a communication spell takes minutes.
A smartphone? Just a few seconds.
People don’t realize that modern technology has already surpassed magic in some areas.
Yet, when I unlocked my phone, there was no sign of any message from my master.
Maybe she was somewhere with no reception.
“Well, I guess I’ll just consider it an extended break.”
Muttering that to myself, I took another bite of spaghetti.
Across from me, my familiars—Carbuncle and the white owl—exchanged puzzled glances, tilting their heads.
On the table, directly opposite me, sat another plate of meat spaghetti, covered in plastic wrap.
It looked like it was destined to become my breakfast tomorrow.
“How long has it been since I last changed my breakfast routine?”
The words echoed surprisingly loudly in the quiet room.
They say misfortune strikes like a bolt from the blue.
Disasters tend to come on days that seem no different from any other.
Maybe, deep down, I had already sensed something was off.
The fact that I even bothered watching the news.
The fact that my master still hadn’t come back.
Somewhere inside me, I had a bad feeling.
And then, early the next morning—something happened.
I was asleep in bed when I heard a noise.
A rattling sound came from the front door, followed by a loud thud and a series of crashes.
I figured it was just the small animals making a ruckus again, but then—
With a creaking noise, the door swung open.
Light flooded in, making me instinctively scrunch up my face.
“Wake up. That’s an order.”
“Mmmn… Munch munch, chomp chomp… Lemme sleep a little longer…”
Still half-asleep, I mumbled into my pillow, drool trailing down its side.
Then—something pressed down on my face.
It was… the sole of a foot.
A foot.
Was.
On.
My.
Face.
The moment I realized it, an ungodly stench assaulted my nostrils.
“GAH! THAT STINKS! UGH! BLEEEEUGH!”
As I retched in the corner of my room, a voice indignantly shouted,
“How rude! It’s not that bad!”
Terrified, I lifted my head.
“What kind of nerves do you even have…?”
Standing there was a woman dressed in the most stereotypical witch attire—pointed hat, broom, the whole deal.