NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 4 Part 1
Ever since I was little, I would sometimes see strange things.
“Hey, Master.”
“What is it, Meg?”
“That person… they look kind of black.”
A person shrouded in a strange black mist, like a dark fog.
Their presence always seemed fainter than others, as if they could disappear at any moment.
When I pointed this out, my master gently stroked my head and said sadly,
“So, you can see it.”
Later, I learned that the person wrapped in that mist had passed away.
A black mist that only appears around those whose time is near—those who will likely die within a month.
My master called it the “Reaper.”
“Reapers don’t wear suits?”
“Of course not! Good grief, what show are you getting that from this time?”
“It was a movie.”
“It doesn’t matter where it’s from!”
At the time, I was really into movies and had a completely mistaken idea of what a reaper looked like.
The black mist didn’t always appear. But sometimes, when death loomed thickly around someone, it would show itself.
For example, old age, terminal cancer, or severe, irreversible injuries.
It only appeared to those bound by inescapable fate.
It’s been over ten years since then.
Even now, from time to time, I still see the Reaper.
“Hendy-san, I’m here with this week’s batch of efficacy-enhancing potions and preservation solutions!”
“Ah, thanks, Meg-chan. You can just leave them over there.”
“Got it.”
I had come to visit Hendy-san, the town doctor, to deliver the medical magic potions he had requested earlier.
Traveling to hospitals in the city and small clinics in town, I would mix and provide the necessary potions.
Offering magical expertise like this was part of my training.
Of course, I could never provide medicine without my master’s approval.
As I was unloading the goods from my cart, I heard a small voice go, “Ah!”
“It’s the witch lady!”
“Well, if it isn’t Anna-chan. Hey there.”
“Let’s play!”
“Sorry, kiddo, but I’m busy.”
“Boo! You’re stingy and ugly!”
“Which mouth just spouted that, huh?! You little brat! I oughta rip out that hair, turn you into a meatball, and feed you to the pigs!”
“Waaah, she’s mad~!”
While I was playfully messing around with little Anna in the waiting room, I suddenly heard laughter.
“You two sure get along well.”
In the corner of the waiting room, Flare-baasan, who lived on the outskirts of town, smiled at us.
An elderly woman who lived alone in a house with a beautiful flower garden.
She was always kind—I had never seen her angry before.
When I was younger, she often taught me how to care for flowers, though I hadn’t visited her in a while.
“Flare-baasan, long time no see. Fancy running into you in such a gloomy place.”
“Sorry for being gloomy…”
I ignored Hendy-san’s feigned hurt from the reception desk.
“Meg-chan, you’ve grown so much. You look healthy, and so does Carbuncle.”
At that moment, my Carbuncle peeked out from the pile of goods with a chirp.
When did it get in there?
“Hey, you sneaky thing! I told you to stay home with White Owl!”
“Kyuu…”
“Oh, let it be. This little one adores you, Meg-chan.”
“It just can’t sit still. Wonder who it takes after.”
“Just like you, big sis!” Anna said with a bright smile.
I’ll kill you.
My eyes fell on the paper bag Flare-baasan was holding.
I recognized the name of the medicine written on it.
“Hey, I made that potion.”
“That’s right. It works wonders when taken with my joint pain medicine. Thanks to you, I can still walk around just fine.”
“Glad to hear that. You’re turning eighty this year, right? Stay healthy, seriously.”
“Fufu, I suppose I must now that you’ve said so.”
“Heading straight home after this?”
“No, I’m taking a little walk to the forest on the edge of town. Going to visit the grand sacred tree.”
Flare-baasan slowly stood up as she spoke, and I gently supported her.
“Well then, Hendy-san, I’ll be off. Anna-chan too.”
“Take care.”
“See you later, Grandma!”
“Thank you, Meg-chan. This is far enough.”
“You sure? Be careful. Oh, Flare-baasan, can I come visit sometime? You can teach me about flowers again.”
“Of course, I’d love that. Come anytime.”
She waved at me with a gentle smile as she stepped outside.
Then, for just a moment—I saw it.
That familiar black mist clinging to Flare-baasan.
A wave of goosebumps ran down my entire body, and I involuntarily gasped.
I felt my own breath trembling.
Even though the day was cold, sweat trickled down my forehead.
“What’s wrong, big sis?”
Anna’s voice brought me back to reality.
She was looking up at me with worry.
Noticing my pale expression, Hendy-san also approached.
“Meg-chan, you look unwell. Are you feeling sick?”
“Huh? Ah… no, I’m fine. I’m all about being healthy.”
“If you say so… The season’s changing, so be careful.”
“Thanks. By the way, does Flare-baasan have any serious illness?”
“No, not that I know of. Why?”
“No reason. Never mind.”
The black Reaper clinging to Flare-baasan.
It was a sign—her unavoidable fate had been sealed.