NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 3 Part 2
“I am Inori. If I say ‘The Witch of Wisdom from the East,’ does that ring a bell?”
“The Witch of Wisdom?”
I twirled last night’s meat spaghetti around my fork as I mulled it over.
The Witch of Wisdom.
That was undoubtedly one of the honorary titles bestowed upon the Seven Sages.
As if reading my thoughts, Inori smirked.
“That’s right. I am none other than one of the Seven Sages—’The Witch of Wisdom,’ Inori.”
“Hahaha! What an amusing thing to say!”
“Why are you speaking in historical kanji readings?”
It wasn’t unreasonable for me to be skeptical.
Long, black hair, a well-defined nose.
She looked about twenty-four or twenty-five at most.
Far too young.
However, it’s said that some witches with strong magic can maintain a youthful appearance.
Maybe Inori was one of them.
I could certainly sense an incredibly strong magical power within her.
Something deep, unfathomable, and eerie.
It vaguely reminded me of my master.
“So, why is the great Witch of Wisdom at my house?”
“Didn’t you watch the news? The investigation in the West?”
“Oh, yeah, I think I heard something about that…”
“There’s been a shift in the ecosystem over there due to magical influence. Your master is part of the investigation.”
“Hoh…”
According to Inori, my master had gone to a place with an extremely high concentration of magic.
No wonder I couldn’t reach her.
Highly magical areas sometimes interfere with communication signals.
“So, does that have anything to do with why you’re here, Inori-san?”
“Yes. Your master asked me to check in on you since she’s worried.”
“What?! I’m already seventeen! I can handle housework just fine; she doesn’t need to worry!”
“She was more concerned about whether the house would still be standing.”
“Ah… that makes sense…”
With that, Inori patted the mountain of luggage behind her.
There were three suitcases.
Was she bad at packing or what?
She could learn a thing or two from seasoned business travelers.
“Oh, right. Inori-san, I have one small request.”
“What?”
“Wash your feet. They stink.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
Anyway…
As I watched Inori wiping her feet with a towel, I let out a quiet sigh.
“Still, my master should’ve at least sent word if she wasn’t coming back soon.”
“She said if you knew she wasn’t coming back, there’s no telling what you’d do.”
“Hahaha! What nonsense! Ha-ha-ha!”
No telling what I’d do?
Please.
At most, I’d just borrow a few small animals—I mean, familiars—for some new magic experiments.
As I was lost in thought, Carbuncle climbed onto my head.
“What’s up with you? Feeling lonely? Ohh, there, there, shasha-shasha-shasha.”
I ruffled its fur roughly, making it squeal with delight.
That was its way of expressing joy, not distress.
Yes. Definitely joy.
“Oh, nice. You have a Carbuncle.”
Inori sounded genuinely pleased.
“You have one too?”
“No, a college student in my apartment does. They got it from a pet shop.”
“Huh. You can buy these at pet shops…?”
At my gaze, Carbuncle trembled slightly.
No need to be scared.
I was merely considering breeding them for some extra cash.
“By the way, did you make this herbal blend?”
At some point, Inori had started browsing my apothecary shelf with interest.
“Oh, yeah. That’s mine. You could tell?”
“Well, that old hag Faust doesn’t really focus on herbal medicine much these days.”
“True.”
My master was proficient in all kinds of magic, but that also meant she was always busy.
Lately, she had been especially focused on time magic research.
Herbalism and botany, which I was currently practicing, were things I had inherited from her studies.
“This smells nice.”
“Right? I made it recently. It’s got restorative properties too. You must be tired from all those meetings—want some tea?”
“I think I will.”
Herbal tea was my specialty.
Even my master liked it and often asked me to make it before breakfast.
It was similar to black tea, but depending on the herbs used, the flavor and color could change drastically.
“Mmm, this is good. The taste is nice too.”
“I fine-tune the flavor by blending it with black tea. If you mix this herb with that one, the aroma gets stronger, and then if you add a bit of magic, you can—blah blah blah.”
As I explained, Inori sipped her tea with a pleased expression.
“Hmm. Seems like you’re pretty capable.”
“Nah, I’m still just an apprentice. Ehehe… ghehehe… hihi.”
“Why is your laugh so gross…?”
Inori gave me a look of utter disappointment, then muttered something cryptic.
“Apprentice, huh…?”
What was that about?
“You grow these herbs yourself, right? Do you have a field somewhere?”
“Oh, yeah. I cultivate them in the forest over there. I manage the magical balance, too.”
“I’d love to see it. Take me there.”
“Sure. I actually needed to go to the forest anyway.”
“Are you gathering something?”
“I was thinking of preparing a medicinal bath for you. If I use mint oil, even the soles of your feet will smell amazing.”
“Do they still stink?!”