Chapter 38: To the Familiar Forest (Part 1) – The Witch’s Training

The usual forest.
The usual witch’s house.

The usual cluttered living room.
The usual table.
The usual black sofa.

And the usual herbal tea.
Today’s herbal tea had four black, glowing dots moving across a blue, undulating ocean.

“…”

Every single time, I can’t help but wonder—what is this herbal tea?

I have absolutely no desire to drink it. And how does one even prepare something like this?

The witch’s cooking is always weird but somehow always amazing, so I can only assume she’s doing it on purpose.

As I was thinking that, the witch arrived.

She sat casually across from me on the red sofa.

She was wearing her usual all-black outfit, though this one revealed a bit more skin than usual and looked more relaxed.

Her shoulders were boldly exposed, and because of that, nearly half her chest was showing.

Maybe she still hasn’t recovered from her fatigue. Then she grinned slyly.

“Oh my, oh my. That gauntlet—you’re already using it, I see.”

“Yes. Thank you. It’s very easy to use.”

“Mm-hmm. Hearing that makes Kon very happy.”

She really did look happy. It made me feel warm inside too.

Which is why I needed to tell her.

“Actually, Witch—I have something to talk to you about.”

“Hm hm. And what might that be?”

“First, about this gauntlet. It’s called the [Gauntlet of Silent Sanctity].”

“Oh ho. So you gave it a name?”

“No, it came with that name from the beginning.”

“Hmm? Hm? What do you mean by that?”

The witch looked puzzled. Her large fox ears swayed gently.

“Yes. As soon as I put on the [Gauntlet of Silent Sanctity], my Relic [The Silent One] adapted to it.”

“Hmm? Hmm? The Relic adapted… So that means it’s an OOPArts, huh?”

“Yes. And only while I wear the Gauntlet of Silent Sanctity, I can use a relic called [Silent Move], which is an automatic-type.”

The witch tilted her head. She closed her eyes, gently swaying her fox ears side to side, and then opened her eyes again.

“Let’s see, let’s see… So, that means Kon and her team created an OOPArts after all.”

“That’s how it seems.”

The witch touched her lips with her fingers and slowly parted them.

“Hmm. Hmm. That gauntlet… we used a ton of magic silver and magic gold. Fragments of a grand tusk blade, mithril, adamantite, some ancient gear that moves on its own, a cursed porcelain doll, strangling metal, bloodletting branches, mist stone, ogre wolf fur, demon bull leather… and a lot more.”

“Huh?”

There were a few very concerning materials in there…

“But anyway, anyway! That’s how the Gauntlet of Silent Sanctity came to be. To think it would become an OOPArts—it’s deeply moving. It was worth putting real effort into crafting it again.”

The witch let out a satisfied sigh.

I could tell she was truly pleased.

“OOPArts can’t be made, right?”

“Well, well… technically, yes. But I’ve always felt this—until a relic adapts to it, you can’t tell whether something is an OOPArts. So even if someone’s made one before, they wouldn’t have known.”

That’s exactly what I thought.

Which means there might be more OOPArts out there than anyone realizes.

“But still, still… to think it would be [Silent Move].”

“You know it?”

“Mm-hmm. It’s an automatic-type relic that acts without conscious input. There’s a girl named Edda, a First-Class Seeker known as ‘Auto Doll’. She has that relic. Have you tried using it yet, Wof-boy?”

“Yes. I tried it and realized it’s difficult to use in combat. It’s convenient, but losing consciousness… is scary.”

And there’s the physical cost of using it.

Even if it works and I come back to myself, there’s no guarantee my body won’t be torn to shreds.

“Hmm, yes, yes. It’s different from how ‘Auto Doll’ uses it.”

“Did she use it often?”

“Fairly often, yes. But she combined it with other automatic-types. You see, ‘Auto Doll’ only owns automatic-type relics.”

“I see…”

So that’s why she’s called ‘Auto Doll’. Only having automatic-type relics is… quite a unique choice.

Hmm… If I combine it with other relics—nah, I don’t have any that would work.

Well, for now I’ll keep testing it carefully within safe limits.

“By the way, how was the knife?”

“That one was normal. But the sharpness is incredible. As expected from a double-edged blade.”

I had tested the knife as well.

It sliced right through tough slabs of meat. Definitely something I can use for daily purposes.

“Hm hm. Kikka’s got skillful hands.”

“She’s Velent-san’s daughter, right?”

“Mm-hmm. She has a bright future.”

If the witch praises her, she must be exceptional.

I hadn’t met her because she was napping when I arrived. Oh, right.

“Witch, there’s one more important thing I want to say.”

“Hm hm. What is it?”

“I want to become a Seeker.”

When I said that, the witch gave me a knowing smile—a real witch’s smile.

She stared into me and asked:

“Oh ho. And you mean before you turn fourteen?”

“Yes. I do have reasons, but more than that, I just feel like… I have to become a Seeker. Not being one feels unnatural now.”

“Hm hm. The fact you came to that realization on your own… Kon is very happy as your master.”

So she’d been waiting for me to say it on my own all this time…

“Witch. Can I get the same special exception that Mineha-san received?”

“Oh my, oh my. Regarding that… Well, if we’re talking whether it’s possible or not—yes, it is possible. Yes, yes. Kon has received your intention loud and clear, Wof-boy. So leave it to me, okay?”

“Yes. Please take care of it.”

I bowed my head. The witch smiled with obvious delight.

“Oh, right, right. Related to that—the investigation of that forest. It’s been scheduled for this week.”

“Got it. That’s pretty sudden.”

“Well, well. The investigation team was finally decided.”

“Is that so? Can I ask who?”

“Oh ho ho… That’ll be a surprise for the day of.”

The witch smiled mischievously. If it’s a secret, that probably means someone I know is involved.

If it were a stranger, there’d be no reason to keep it a secret.

Well, I guess that’s better than someone I don’t know, but it still feels like I just saw the trick behind a magic trick.

The investigation of that forest… It’s a creepy place, but it doesn’t seem like there’s actually anything to be found.

So, it’ll probably be over quickly.

Ah, right.

“Witch. About magicsilver and magicgold…”

“Hm hm. Now that you mention it, I only heard a little about that. The magicgold was something you found with your relic, right?”

“Yes. I found it using Wheel of Fortune. And, witch, there’s something about the magicsilver and magicgold that’s been bothering me. Are there parent-child relationships among dungeon monsters?”

“Hmm? Hmm? What do you mean by parent-child?”

The witch looked puzzled.

“The first Monoceros I captured that had magicsilver and magicgold— they were a parent and child. The one with magicgold was the father, and the one with magicsilver was the daughter.”

“Ohhh, ho ho. In that case, those two Monoceros must not have been dungeon monsters.”

“Uh, are there Monoceros among regular monsters?”

“Oh my, you didn’t know? They exist in nature too. Most likely, for some reason, that parent and child wandered into a herd of dungeon Monoceros.”

“Is that safe?”

Wouldn’t dungeon monsters attack them?

“There’s no need to worry. Dungeon monsters only attack humans like us.”

“Really? But that parent and child used a relic.”

“Oh? Oh? Bronze-tier Monoceros using a relic? That’s probably due to the dungeon’s influence.”

“You mean the dungeon made it possible for them to use relics?”

“Yup yup, that’s one theory. Ah yes, since you’re going to become an adventurer, let me tell you something interesting.”

“W-What is it?”

The witch had a mischievous look on her face—like she was thinking of something ridiculous.

“You see, dungeons sometimes reach out to help those in need. Be sure to remember that.”

“You mean, because that parent and child were in trouble, the dungeon helped by granting them a relic?”

“Maybe, just maybe.”

“…I see. I’ll remember that.”

So, dungeons can help you. That’s the first time I’ve heard that.

“By the way, Wof boy. What happened with Pakira-san the cat’s base and all that?”

“Oh, she managed to purchase it without any problems.”

“Well well, that’s good to hear.”

“You were worried about it?”

“Just a little, a tiny bit.”

“It’s rare for you to be concerned about something, witch.”

“Well, well, cat beastkin are quite rare, after all.”

“…Now that you mention it.”

Now that she says it, besides Pakira-san… I’ve never seen another cat beastkin.

Hmm. I guess I hadn’t noticed until she pointed it out. It just never struck me as unusual.

I mean, in my previous life, cat ears and tails were standard features for beastkin.

The witch suddenly stood up from the sofa and stretched with a big uuuuuunh.

Whoa, that moved a lot. I won’t say what, but… wow.

“Well well, then. Wof boy. Let’s do some intense physical training with Kon today.”

“You mean self-defense practice, right?”

What a terrible way to say it… I sighed and stood up.

And then, in the courtyard, I got thrown and flipped dozens of times, ending up completely worn out.

During joint locks, her chest and hips—soft, dangerous weapons—were right there.

Also, her clothes got so disheveled there were a lot of wardrobe malfunctions. Like, a lot.

Even for a 13-year-old like me, I thought, This can’t be okay, right? The witch really is something.

Thus, today’s training with the witch continued until both my body and spirit were completely exhausted.

“Ah!”

On my way home, when I bought a bunch of meat from the butcher I always go to, I suddenly remembered.

I forgot to tell the witch about the enchantment on the dagger knife.

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