Chapter 4

### Chapter 2

It was well past midnight.

In a room at an inn on the outskirts of the forest, Claudia, dressed in a loose nightgown, asked Noah, who was sitting on the opposite bed,

"Do you know the witch Ardelheit from five hundred years ago?"

"…The legendary sorceress, right?"

Noah, who had used the inn's bath to wash off the mud and blood, was now wearing a child's outgrown clothes, looking neat and tidy.

His black hair, which had been wet, was beginning to dry, and the ends were starting to curl lightly.

Looking at him now, Noah's appearance was indeed well-put-together. If he dressed properly, he could easily pass as someone of noble or royal blood.

However, his obsidian eyes glared at Claudia like a beast, and he held a dagger in his hand.

"She's called the 'Witch who changed the world' or the 'Source of modern magic.' It's that well-known."

"Hmm. Yes, thank you."

"…Rather than that—"

Pointing the tip of the dagger at Claudia, Noah glared up at her.

"Who are you, really?"

"Me?"

Asked, Claudia tilted her head slightly.

Then, she deliberately acted out a sad expression, pretending to cry.

"That's terrible, Noah. To forget your benefactor like that."

"I met a kid, about five years old, in the forest."

With a somewhat exasperated look, Noah braced himself.

"You're not an adult like you."

"No…."

Claudia leaned forward from the bed and looked at herself in the mirror by the wall.

There, a beautiful girl of about sixteen was reflected.

She had long, slender limbs and a mature face.

Her chest was softly and abundantly full, and her waist was slender. However, her hair, which was a sweet milky tea color, remained the same as when she was a child.

"I actually wanted to look more like I was in my twenties."

"Create?"

"I just woke up and my magic power has recovered, so I temporarily took on an adult form. You must have seen the transformation with your own eyes."

"…"

It was just a little while ago, right before they arrived at the village where the inn was located.

"If we both looked like children, the inn wouldn't let us stay, right? I didn't expect you to carry me all the way out of the forest."

"It's because you went to sleep without explaining what 'home' was. You didn't explain anything properly."

"That's why I'm explaining it to you now."

The bed creaked as she sat back on the edge.

Noah, on the opposite bed, slightly lowered the tip of his blade and said,

"You're not planning to say you're Ardelheit, are you?"

"To be precise, I'm her reincarnation. In this life, I'm the princess of this country, Claudia Natalia Brightkreuz. I'm six years old."

"…"

It was clear on Noah's face that he didn't want to believe it.

However, when Claudia smiled, he pouted and put away his dagger.

"Oh, you're making a face like you don't want to believe it, but it's okay now?"

"Wanting not to believe and not being able to believe are two different things. I don't want to, but…."

At that moment, Claudia's chest made a small sound.

A fluffy smoke appeared, and when it cleared, Claudia had returned to her six-year-old body.

Sitting on the bed, her feet no longer reached the floor, and Noah looked at the small Claudia with a displeased expression.

"…I can't accept such a ridiculous use of magic with just a little reason."

"You do have some knowledge of magic, don't you?"

Claudia observed Noah with a "hmm."

Inside his body, a pure and powerful magic power flowed.

Most notably, the color of his eyes, which indicated the nature of his magic power, was a pitch-black that Claudia had never seen before.

"…You're the reincarnation of the witch Ardelheit…."

Noah muttered.

Even though Claudia had returned to her child form, he still called her "you" instead of "you" (formal).

"So, are you an adult inside?"

"Hmm, yes. You can think of me as an older sister."

"I don't like that."

After refusing with a deeply displeased look, Noah asked, "One more thing."

"…Is there a new slave contract between us?"

"It's a bit different. It's a stronger magic, a familiar contract."

"Familiar…."

The boy's voice whispered, as if savoring the meaning of the word.

"I can feel a power flowing into me that I've never felt before. …Here."

Noah pressed his hand over his left chest, covered by a white shirt.

"This is your magic, right?"

"Yes. As a familiar, you can use my magic."

"…"

"Even if you don't like it, bear with it. I'll release it when I'm fully recovered in the morning."

Then Noah said with a sincere look,

"It's fine like this."

Surprised by the unexpected words, Claudia was taken aback.

"Why?"

"Being able to use your magic is convenient for me."

Claudia narrowed her eyes at his words.

It was clear from the situation that Noah had some circumstances.

A child under ten years old, entangled in an old-fashioned slave contract, had tried to escape and was willing to risk his life.

(If it's an interesting situation…)

"I'll pay the price if necessary."

Seeming to sense Claudia's evaluation, Noah said.

"Can you pay? You… no, you, to me?"

"You have some value to me. That's why you saved me back then."

"…Haha!"

Claudia started to laugh, finding it amusing.

She hopped off the bed and walked up to Noah, looking up at him intently.

"In this life, I only do what I want. If you become my familiar, you'll have to go along with it. Are you sure?"

"…I will obey."

"You escaped from slavery. You might have a harder time with me. Even so?"

"I will obey."

Looking down at Claudia with his pitch-black eyes, Noah said,

"Didn't you say I could choose my way of life?"

(—It doesn't look like a child choosing their desired way of life—)

Claudia smiled with a wicked witch's grin.

"Alright."

After all, in this life, Claudia had decided to only do what she wanted.

"Then, let's return to my tower tomorrow morning."

"…What will we do there?"

"Well,"

Claudia, recalling the face of her uncle who had pushed her, told Noah,

"Perhaps a major cleaning."

The novel and manga adaptation have been decided! The book will be released on June 25, 2022.