NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 8 Part 4
For a moment, I was captivated by her unusual appearance.
Snow-white skin and hair.
Eyelashes so pale they seemed like they might melt away at a touch.
Despite her delicate features, her expression was lively and confident. The sharp canines visible at the corner of her mouth and her bold, determined eyebrows dispelled any notion of fragility.
Her attire was unique, resembling traditional ethnic clothing. It was charming and gave me the impression of someone from a secluded forest-dwelling tribe.
Floating around the girl were small, luminous white orbs—beautiful, ethereal.
I knew what they were.
Spirits. Manifestations of the world’s fundamental laws.
She was surrounded by spirits, an undeniable presence.
“What are you staring at so intently?” she asked, clearly annoyed.
“Eh? No, it’s just that you…”
Her strange physical features, her presence—
She was undoubtedly a witch.
When magic runs too strongly through a body, it sometimes causes physical alterations like this.
I knew this well enough from Sophie, a prodigy witch with extraordinary magic power.
But strangely, I couldn’t sense any magic flow from this girl at all.
The word ‘albino’ floated into my mind.
A congenital genetic mutation that causes a lack of melanin, resulting in pale hair, skin, and eyes.
Her appearance was undeniably reminiscent of an albino.
As I hesitated, the girl jabbed a finger at me and declared, “You must be an event staffer.”
“What? Why?”
“That shabby attire, that weak magical presence, that pitiful, poverty-stricken face—it’s obvious. You’re a background character. I shall overlook your unsettling words from earlier. Instead, I require a guide.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
For someone I had just met, she had quite the attitude.
Annoyed, I grabbed her face in an iron claw grip.
Blunt words deserved blunt force.
If you let yourself be underestimated, as a woman, it’s over.
As I twisted her face around, she shrieked, “Stop it!”
“Do you even know who you’re messing with!?”
“Just teaching an arrogant little brat some manners, you brat!”
“Stop it! I said stop! Stop it, stop it! Waaahhh! Waaaahhh!”
Seeing her bawl, I finally let go.
She immediately started hurling insults between sobs, “Idiot! Ugly!”
She still had the nerve, huh?
“Bwaahhh! So mean!”
“That’s what happens when you disrespect your elders, you little brat. Who raised you to be so rude to strangers? I’d like to see your parents’ faces.”
“You’re the last person who should say that! Waaaahhh!”
Now that I had successfully made her cry, I realized something.
From the way she spoke, could she be the child of some important figure?
I hastily scanned the surroundings but saw no sign of any parental figure. A small relief.
Given the noise around us, it seemed like my crime of making a child cry had gone unnoticed.
“Alright, alright, stop crying. Sorry for grabbing your face.”
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped her tears.
Just then, my Carbuncle, which had been quietly nestled in my pocket, hopped onto her shoulder and began licking her tears.
Her expression instantly transformed.
“Whoa! So cute! I’ve never seen an animal like this!”
“He’s my familiar. He’s from another realm, so I doubt you’d recognize him.”
Just moments ago, she had been crying with snot running down her face, and now she was all smiles.
Despite her old-fashioned speech, she was still just a regular girl in some ways.
“Where did you come from, anyway? Where are your parents?”
“I have no such things. I came here with my attendant, but while I wasn’t looking, they wandered off somewhere.”
“So, you’re lost, then.”
“I am not lost!”
She pouted and turned away.
Too much of a hassle to argue, I let it slide. But still, ‘attendant’?
That confirmed it. She had to be the child of some high-ranking individual.
Which meant…
“If I return this kid safely to her guardian, I might get a nice reward…?”
“Your greed is showing.”
I wanted to reunite with Sophie and Inori, but they’d been swallowed up by the crowd of reporters, and I had no idea where they were now.
Oh well.
“Hey, why don’t you come with me? At least until we find your, uh… attendant?”
“Really!?”
She lit up for a second but quickly schooled her expression.
“Hmph. Well, if you insist, I suppose I can allow it.”
“What a pain in the ass.”
Then, something occurred to me.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
“Hmph. I have no name to give you.”
“Oh, you little—”
I pinched her cheek, making her squirm and shriek, “Stop it! Stop it!”
“No means no! I was told not to give my name! I was only allowed here as a special exception! It’s a rule that I mustn’t tell strangers my name!”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
So she won’t give her name, but she’ll wander off with strangers? Just what kind of education do rich people give their kids?
“You’re from North America, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“The spirits. There are so many around you. They’re drawn to you.”
“You can see spirits?”
“My eyes have strong magic in them.”
Like in Western Europe, North America was a land brimming with spirits, a place where nature itself was strong. Trees were said to possess clear, human-like consciousness.
The presence of spirits around her meant she came from a land rich in nature.
And if someone brought such a small child to a grand magical ceremony, it was likely she was from the local area—North America.
“You’re the first witch I’ve met who can see spirits.”
“Well, spirits aren’t the only things I can see.”
“Hmm… You’re starting to interest me. What’s your name?”
“Oh, now you care? I’m Meg. Meg Raspberry.”
“Meg.”
“That’s right. The world’s beloved beauty. Etch it into your mind.”
“You may have strong magic in your eyes, but you clearly have poor vision.”
“Have you ever heard of gratitude?”
And so, my odd little journey with the mysterious girl in search of her attendant began.