Chapter 73

10-day consecutive update project: Day 2!

"Huh?"

When Sophie blinked a few times, Reijanian's eyes sparkled like a cat's. Wow, beautiful. No, not really.

"Is that person Rubenis-sama?!"

"Whether or not he's grand enough to be called 'sama' is another matter. But as far as I know, the only person who's completely red from head to toe and calls himself 'ore-sama' is that witch."

Indeed. Sophie had never met such a strange adult before or since. With that appearance and behavior, it's like walking around with a business card. Anyone could spot her.

"Rubenis is known for being exceptionally free-spirited and eccentric, even among the free-spirited and eccentric witches. I heard she doesn't have any disciples, but you are one! Right here!!"

"Wait, wait a minute!"

It's not the time to point out that she's calling herself an eccentric. Sophie shook her head vigorously.

"I only received the opportunity to see magic, but I didn't receive any guidance!"

"You know, she's like a cloud, hard to grasp, and powerful enough to dye the clouds red. That's the Red Cloud Witch Rubenis. She's almost a Great Witch. How many witches run away just hearing that man's name?"

"They run away?"

"Because they don't want to get involved."

What kind of witch is she?

No, what kind of man is he?

A wild beast? A thug? It's both intriguing and not. Why is that? Sophie couldn't imagine anything good and shook her head again. Being the disciple of such a Great Witch is no joke, it's terrifying! Oh, my.

"I can't just claim to be the disciple of such a person!"

"The fact that such a person has produced a witch-in-training on their own is a bit of a scandal. If you're not her disciple, who is?"

But, who is a disciple, anyway? Reijanian said there are no disciples. She should have confidence in her own words, but Reijanian confidently veered off in a different direction.

"Besides, didn't you learn defensive magic from his book? That makes you a disciple!"

"Being called a disciple and being told by the person themselves that you're a disciple are very different. The master doesn't even know about the disciple. How ridiculous is that? If the master hears that someone is a disciple, they'd be the most surprised. 'Who's that?' They'd say. Sophie would be too embarrassed to use magic or walk outside again. The fun journey with Livio would end. No way. Sophie clung to Reijanian's back as she ran.

"But I learned other magic thanks to Lady Lunatietta and Azwerro!"

"Lunatietta and Azwerro?"

Reijanian stopped, and Sophie sighed in relief.

"Yes. Lady Lunatietta guided me when I could only use basic defensive magic, and when I faced Eleanor's curse, I couldn't have done anything without the staff given by Lady Lunatietta and Azwerro's power."

"Hmm?" Reijanian blinked and turned around. The blue-eyed bear yawned widely, completely uninvolved.

"...That bear... Wait, that magic... It's not a divine servant or a spirit, but a god?"

"Indeed."

"Wow."

Reijanian sniffed and stared at Azwerro's fluffy body, then turned back to Sophie.

"Can I dissect you a little?"

"No way!"

"No way!!"

What does "a little" mean in "dissect"? Is there a difference between "a little" and "a lot"? How much will you cut? Cut a god? Scary, scary, scary!

Shaking in fear, Sophie watched as Reijanian laughed.

"No, no, just kidding! I was just curious about your biology."

"Lie! Your voice was serious! Witches have never respected gods! That's why witches are disliked!!"

Sophie blinked, remembering that Azwerro had said something similar when he first met Lunatietta. Maybe it's not just a matter of compatibility, but a lack of good memories with witches.

Even someone who has only lived for a few decades has people they'd rather not meet, so it's not surprising that Azwerro, who has lived for a very long time, has witches he'd rather not remember.

Sophie quietly discarded the sentimental thought. After all, the atmosphere isn't like that. Seriously.

"Gods are really rude. No creature loves nature and reason as much as witches."

"That's exactly it! I don't feel any respect for the god who created nature and reason! You probably only think of us as part of it!"

"Well, it's hard to worship something that exists so visibly. It's annoying how they easily go beyond reason."

"The last part is the truth! There's no inside or outside of reason! It's our reason!"

"Hydeta's arrogance~"

Reijanian laughed, and Azwerro's fur bristled. The small, fluffy bear was cute, but the rising magic was terrifying.

If this continues, it might destroy not just Eleanor's room but the entire castle. Panicked, Sophie picked up the round body.

"Azwerro!"

"Mother!!"

On the other side, someone was holding Reijanian back.

Reijanian was raising her hands, gathering thick magic, so the others couldn't just stand by. It would be a scandal if her mother destroyed the king's fiancée's bedroom. It would be so embarrassing that she couldn't walk outside. Could she walk naked in the streets? No, she couldn't. Could she be the king's advisor naked? No, she couldn't. That's the situation.

"Mother! Please stop! Sophie is a witch, even without a title. Azwerro is a god with strong magic. That's enough to know!"

Reijanian, who was being restrained by Adolphus, made a dissatisfied face.

If what they said was true, it was natural for a god to be respected and for a witch to be interested only in the biology of gods. They might just be fundamentally incompatible, regardless of any special memories. Sophie realized this. Mixing them is dangerous, and putting them together is dangerous.

Sophie firmly resolved to be more careful about the distance between witches and Azwerro in the future. She didn't have a specific plan, but she knew she couldn't leave a fight unattended. She wanted to reflect and improve. If a country were to be destroyed while she was spacing out, she wouldn't be able to die in peace. It's okay, Sophia has built herself through reflection and improvement.

By the way.

As a side note, Sophie had never prayed to a god or even believed in their existence until she met Azwerro. "Respecting a god" was something she couldn't really relate to. She firmly resolved never to say it.

"Alright, alright. I went too far, even though gods are unpleasant. I'm sorry."

"...Hmph. I also apologize, even though witches are all fools. I forgot that you can understand words."

"......"

"......"

No, they're not apologizing at all. They're not giving in at all.

Someone who truly apologizes doesn't mix in insults. "I'm sorry" isn't an apology. Well, that's true. I'm not asking them to shake hands and smile or hug and kiss, but...

"What?!"

"What did you say, witch?!"

"Mother!"

"Azwerro!"

They don't need to yell at each other like children. Right?

Sigh.

Sophie sighed, and the sighs overlapped.

When Sophie looked up, Adolphus was letting go of Reijanian, his eyes distant and his face exhausted, with little resemblance to their first meeting. Hang in there...

Feeling a sense of futility, Sophie lowered her head. "I want to confirm something," a husky voice said.

The fresh air that entered when the window was opened drew her gaze, and as expected, Ehrich was tilting his head.

"Was it important to clarify whether Sophie is a witch because it relates to the identity of witches?"

Reijanian shrugged. "No. Lady Eleanor's body is still cursed, and the curse is sealed by Sophie's magic. To avoid burdening Lady Eleanor, it would be better for Sophie to use magic. As I mentioned earlier, witches and mages use magic differently. I thought it would be more efficient for witches to work together."

"I see."

No, no, no. Ehrich nodded in understanding, but Sophie was shocked. Renetta was puzzled in her mind.

"Sophie has surpassed the beginner level. She's at least intermediate, not yet advanced."

No, no, no, no.

Unaware of Sophie's head-shaking, Reijanian continued.

"For the same reason, we can't use too powerful magic, so we might need to reapply it halfway. In any case, I think it's better for Sophie to learn more magic."

Yes, that's true. It makes sense. But casting a spell for the first time on someone, especially the king and his fiancée, is nerve-wracking. And she has only tried it twice and hasn't succeeded yet.

She couldn't just say, "Sure, I understand." The free-spirited nature of witches and gods made her want to sigh, but she held it back. Ugh.

"Sophie."

Their eyes met, and Reijanian's eyes narrowed charmingly. She wanted to look away from the incredibly charming witch but couldn't. Beautiful people are all so magnetic.

Livio, standing silently beside her, was also intimidating. What's with this feeling of being surrounded? Why is Livio silent?

Feeling like she wanted to run away or hug Azwerro to death, Sophie replied, "Yes," and Reijanian approached her.

Then, she lifted Sophie's hands.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Huh?"

While hearing a deep, low voice that made her brain numb, Sophie thought.

What did she just say?

I managed to update during lunch break yesterday, but I couldn't take a lunch break today, so it's a bit late... I'll try to update a bit earlier tomorrow! Thank you for your continued support!