Chapter 1

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

I wanted to keep a cat.

I had finally bought my dream home, a small house with a backyard. Living alone would be lonely, but I wasn’t so accustomed to humans that I could live with someone.

I wanted to keep a cat.

But what I ended up keeping… was a witch who hated humans.

“You’re clumsy,” she said.

“You didn’t have to point it out,” I said.

Two piles of peels were on the table; hers and mine.

Same carrots, same knives. Yet my peels were six times bigger than hers. I admit it was strange that some of my peels were almost whole carrots. But the way she looked at me with such contempt pissed me off, so I kicked the witch’s leg.

“Ow. You want me to crush you?”

“I’ll rip your skin off first.”

“How can you rip human skin off, when you can’t even peel carrots, you former assassin?”

“Shut up. I’ll hand you over to the country, you witch.”

I glared at the girl who appeared to be 13 or 14. Not that my glares affected her, though. She said she was 26, the same age as me, with those looks, so there must be something wrong with witches.

Magicians were oppressed in this country, so it would’ve been straight to the stake for her if someone found out. Or maybe she could’ve blown everything up and ran.

There was said to be only five of those dreadful witches in this continent.

And although she looked like a little girl, she was one of them.

※

If someone asked why I retired from assassination, I had planned to answer, ‘because it was dark.’ But no one asked and obviously, I didn’t tell anyone either.

In the past, I concealed my face all day, checked to see if people were watching me and ate lunch only when hidden. This unhealthy lifestyle continued for ten years, which I thought was plenty. I just wanted to peacefully bask in the sun.

Fortunately, the man who fostered me had died and because I had obeyed his teachings, none of my colleagues knew my face. So one day, for no particular reason, I figured it was the right time and left.

Leaving was good and all, but… I was genuinely useless at everything else. It was a huge shock when it hit me. One time I tried working at a bar, I got into a fight with a customer on the first day and got fired. I was clumsy in every field of life other than assassination…

So when I arrived in this country, I had to take the castle army officer exam if I wanted to eat. Although my style was irregular, I was confident with a sword and this exam made the examinees fight each other, so even better!

Working as an adventurer was an option, but I wanted a life where… I could spend my days off peacefully with a cat, in a small house with a backyard… so I needed a stable job. I didn’t want to dig some random ruins or fight monsters. I wanted peace. Peace is good.

Peace was supposed to be good.

So why did I live with this witch?

※

“You can stop helping now, please go somewhere else. We’re running out of ingredients,” she said.

“Don’t tell me what to do, this is my kitchen in my house!”

“Then do you know what comes after cutting the ingredients?”

“…”

This little brat… apparently she’s too old to be a brat but she’s totally a brat. Everything other than her looks wasn’t cute at all. How did you have to raise someone for them to turn out like this?

“Come on, please go over there, Lu,” she said as she stole the knife from my hand.

One glance from her and it disappeared. Holy shit! That’s so scary!

I didn’t want to see any more unnatural phenomena so I reluctantly returned to my seat… 30 minutes later, an appetizing dish was brought to the dining table.

I brought a spoonful of it to my mouth in silence.

… Goddamn, it’s delicious. I didn’t know what country it was from but it was really good. I was too annoyed to tell her that though.

Afterwards, I continued eating in silence until my plate was clean.

How can a witch be so good at cooking and making tea? Maybe the witch thing is a facade to hide from society and she’s secretly a court lady?

I drank the tea she served after the meal—which I took for granted, of course—and reconfirmed what I hated about her until I remembered something.

“Oh yeah! Listen up.”

“I’m listening.”

“I finally got Miss Dyna to go on a date with me.”

“To hell?”

“I’ll slice you up.”

Miss Dyna is a graceful court lady who’s my sunshine and she works in the same castle as me. Unlike this nasty brat who always has to make sarcastic remarks, she’s totally different. Mainly body-wise. Like her gorgeous chest and her curvaceous hips… uh, anyway, she’s also popular among the other officers in the castle for the gentle smile she gives everyone.

And finally! My time has come!

My dear colleagues, don’t resent me for getting ahead. I only got this far because I shadowed her every day, slowly building up an internal glossary of her likes and dislikes.

“Pervert.”

“Don’t read my mind!”

“I can’t read it, but it’s showing on your face.”

“Whatever! Just give me ideas for what I should talk about on the day!”

“‘I’m a stupid, worthless mutt, but please let me live in a corner of your house and provide for me.’ Sound good?”

“I can make enough money on my own!”

“So that’s what you point out…” The witch sighed and rolled her eyes.

Don’t act like you’re older than me. We’re the same age.

“It would be weird if I didn’t make money. Who do you think provides for you?”

“I pay for my own living expenses.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t know that! I’m kind of embarrassed! I’ll apologise in my mind—not out loud though.

Maybe she picked up on that too, as the witch combed her long black hair and shrugged.

I stared at her in wonder. Still… if she has the money to support herself, why is she living with me? Her large, black, catlike eyes looked back at me.

“Tina,” I said.

“What is it?”

“Give me proper advice. My life depends on this.”

“… Fine.”

The witch floated up and crossed her legs.

Why don’t you have a tail? I know you’ve got a black one, you’re just hiding it from me.

I wanted to keep a cat.

That was my first thought when I had finally bought the house of my dreams.

But what I ended up keeping was a witch who hated humans—and to be honest, living like this wasn’t that bad.

Back | Title | Next

Like this:Like Loading...

Related