Chapter 5: The Witch’s Apprentice ⑤

The witch held the Relic Plate and spoke as if reminiscing.

“Hmm, hmm. The explanation flowing into my mind hasn’t changed a bit, huh.”

“So you’ve touched a Relic Plate before, Witch?”

“That was a long, long time ago. By the way, Wof boy, are you curious about my name?”

The witch set the Relic Plate down.

I flinched at the unexpected question.

“Huh? Ah, well, I mean… yeah.”

“Hmm, hmm. You really want to know, do you?”

The witch’s eyes gleamed mischievously.

When she put it like that, I didn’t feel that desperate to know.

“Well, it’s not like I have to know…”

“Hmm, hmm. I suppose I could tell you.”

The witch smiled—a truly enchanting smile.

My heart skipped a beat. But for a very different reason.

“There’s a catch, isn’t there?”

“Well, well, you could at least hear me out, couldn’t you?”

I was used to dealing with the witch.

But that smile—that smile—I could never get used to. It was the very definition of a witch’s smile.

“Alright, fine.”

The witch stood up and looked around.

She reached for a stack of papers on the shelf and pulled out a red letter.

“Oh my, oh my. This is quite the troublesome and bothersome letter, hmm. Wof boy, have you heard of the Grand Guild?”

“The headquarters of the Explorers’ Guild, right?”

“Yes, yes. And this letter is from the Grandmaster himself.”

“The highest-ranking person in the Grand Guild?”

“That’s right, that’s right. The Grandmaster—his name is Alhazard Abramirin. A geezer I find quite disagreeable.”

“…Abramirin…?”

Something about that name felt oddly mismatched.

But I’m pretty sure there is a dish called oily herring pickled in mirin.

“And what’s more, despite being a Mundane Human, that old geezer has lived for nearly 600 years.”

“Wait, a human can live that long?!”

Mundane Humans generally had a lifespan of about 100 years—though most didn’t even make it that far.

“Well, well, there are ways, you see. Like a Talisman’s Holy Egg. But let’s move on to the point. That old geezer instructed me to investigate a certain place. But it’s already been dealt with and is now a safe area, so there shouldn’t be any danger.”

“Where exactly is it?”

“Oh, oh, you know the place, Wof boy. It’s that forest.”

“…Ah. That forest, huh.”

That forest.

The forest where I was defeated.

It shouldn’t exist anymore.

I had no idea what had become of it since then.

“Honestly, honestly. I don’t know who did it, but releasing one of the most dangerous Death Dungeons in the frontier—how very considerate of them, hmm?”

The witch’s tone was dripping with sarcasm as her frustration surfaced.

Her large fox ears twitched upright, a clear sign of her irritation.

So that forest really was a dungeon.

…Well.

I guess I should own up to it.

I raised my hand.

“U-uh, Witch. That was me.”

“Hmm? Hmm? Wof boy. What was you?”

“…I’m the one who released that forest.”

“…………”

The witch fell silent.

I fell silent too.

She looked at me. Then at the ceiling. Then at the letter.

Finally, she sat down on the black sofa and placed the red letter in front of me.

She stared at me intently—then suddenly smiled.

What a lovely smile.

“Hmm, hmm. In that case, there’s no need for me to tell you my name, hmm? Looking forward to working with you, Wof boy.”

The last grain of sand in the hourglass fell.

“Yes. I look forward to working with you as well.”

And so, I ended up joining the witch on the investigation of that forest.

Just as the Elixir finished refilling the Holy Egg, the witch spoke in an even tone.

“Now, now, Wof boy. The truth is, Holy Elixir Eggs exist all over the world.”

As she spoke, she closed the Holy Egg’s lid and held it in her hand.

“They do?”

“Yes, yes. But the Elixir inside them disappears once used. And while these eggs may exist worldwide, their numbers are limited. That’s why they are valuable and incredibly expensive. More importantly, all Elixir is contained within Holy Eggs.”

The witch toyed with the Holy Egg in her hands as she spoke.

“All of it?”

“Yes, yes. Holy Eggs are containers. Now, here’s an interesting tale. According to the great sage Lautus, the sole holder of the Relic of Wisdom, he once said: ‘All Holy Elixir Eggs stem from a Great Mother Holy Egg. Every single one in existence is merely a child of it.’”

“So… does that mean that this Holy Egg… was created by storing an endlessly replenishing supply of Elixir into similar egg-shaped containers?”

What was the intent behind such a design?

Did this mean that this Holy Egg was the source of all Elixir?

I had suspected it for a while.

With this Holy Egg, mass production was possible.

A vast fortune could be made.

But the danger that would come with it would also skyrocket.

And while I wasn’t exactly one to talk—I had planned to sell potions for a living after all—

Something told me this Elixir shouldn’t be used that way.

That must be why the number of Holy Eggs containing Elixir was so limited.

“Well, well, whether that’s actually true, Kon can’t say for sure, hmm.”

The witch set the Holy Egg down on the table.

“……”

“Now, now, Wof boy. Where exactly did you find that Holy Elixir Egg?”

“In a garbage dump.”

“Oh my, oh my. You mean the dungeon garbage dump in that city, hmm?”

“Yes. It was glowing blue.”

“Hmm, hmm. I see, I see. That garbage dump does have all sorts of things, after all.”

“If I remember correctly, it collects garbage from surrounding dungeons too, right?”

“Yes, yes. Wof boy, you do know that dungeons are divided into two main types, don’t you?”

“Yes. Deep Dungeons and Bottom Dungeons.”

“Exactly, exactly. And Bottom Dungeons don’t have garbage dumps, hmm? So the garbage from the Bottom Dungeons also ends up accumulating in the Deep Dungeon’s garbage dump.”

“Right.”

“Over time, all that garbage piles up, forming land and mountains, creating the garbage dump as we know it. And because of that, nobody knows what lies beneath it. Perhaps, even now, something unfathomably powerful still lies dormant down there… hmm?”

“…Please don’t scare me. I’m heading back to that garbage dump once I’m done here, you know.”

“Oh, oh, Kon is just saying it’s possible, hmm?”

“Wouldn’t that be considered a threat?”

I chuckled wryly and then took a deep, long breath.

“This lifts a weight off my shoulders.”

“Indeed, indeed. Talking about secrets makes one feel much lighter.”

“Yes. Now I can finally let go of these two things.”

“Hmm? Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“Yes, I have a request for you, my master, the Witch.”

“Oh? Oh? What is it, my dear disciple, Wof-boy?”

“I wish to offer the Elixir’s Sacred Egg and the Relic Plate to you.”

The Witch laughed.

“I see, I see. Hmm. I refuse.”

“What?! Why!? You don’t want them? These are amazing items!”

“Well, well, that’s true, but if they were that valuable, why would you give them to me?”

“Because you are my great and respected master, the Witch.”

“Oh my, oh my, that makes me happy. The fact that part of that was spoken so flatly must have been my imagination, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh. I trust you. My kind-hearted disciple, Wof-boy, would never try to use his master to rid himself of a troublesome burden, right?”

“Of course not! But I really do think these items would be better off with you.”

That was my true feeling. A first-class Witch like her would be able to store them properly.
She wouldn’t misuse them. Though she would probably research them.

“If you like, you can even use the Relic Plate.”

“No, no, I have enough relics already. Besides, I don’t even know what kind of relic is inside this Relic Plate. Hmm. Yes, I suppose I’ll at least take custody of this one.”

“Really?”

“I’m curious about what kind of relic is inside. I have contacts who can investigate it, so I’ll ask them.”

“That’s true… I am curious. Please do.”

“It’ll take some time, is that alright?”

“Yes. And what about the Elixir?”

“As for that, you’ll continue to keep it safe just like before, Wof-boy. Besides, even if I don’t have much opportunity to use it, you seem like you’ll have plenty of chances. Though I might be misunderstood for saying this… I am a Witch who can abandon everything based on necessity and gain. But you, Wof-boy, are different. My dear disciple could never abandon someone. Am I right?”

The Witch held the Elixir’s Sacred Egg and gracefully offered it back to me.

When she put it that way, I realized I really couldn’t abandon people.
Even if it later became troublesome, if someone called for help, my body would probably move on its own.
It was both my greatest flaw… and the one thing that allowed me to accept myself.

“I understand. Thank you, Witch.”

I accepted the Elixir’s Sacred Egg from her and tucked it deep into my pouch. Then, a thought crossed my mind.

“Um, Witch, you said you could abandon everything based on necessity and gain… does that include your disciple—me?”

The Witch blinked in surprise.

“Well now, who knows?”

She gave me a gentle yet mischievous smile.

Her cheeks, slightly tinged with red.

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