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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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After hunting and smashing monster heads on this uninhabited island full of monsters, I slowly began to grasp the nature of my magic.
‘Magic nullification… and selective at that.’
Magic that touched my hands would disappear. However, it wasn’t unconditional – only magic that I truly believed I could negate would vanish.
‘That must be why Master’s magic worked…’
When Evangeline first demonstrated her magic and I ended up floating through the air, the reason was simple – I couldn’t have imagined she was affecting gravity itself.
Even now, after becoming somewhat aware of magic, I would still shake my head if asked to block that magic. Affecting gravity? How was such a thing even possible?
When I shared my theories about my magic with Master, she mused thoughtfully:
“This… it really does resemble that.”
“That?”
“There’s something like it. Hmm… well, shall we head back first?”
As if recalling something she preferred not to mention, Master changed the subject and ordered Marguerite to open a gate back to the cabin.
Reading the atmosphere, Marguerite used her magic to send us home. I returned with arms full of monster corpses, tossed them into storage, and brushed the sand and dust from my clothes.
“Ah, right. Johan?”
“Yes, Master?”
“Since you caught these monsters yourself, you can do what you want with them.”
“…You mean?”
“Yes. Like before, go to the city with Ritz.”
I paused briefly at those words before breaking into a natural smile and cheering loudly.
“Really!? Awesome! Then tomorrow…”
“Yes, I’ll specially permit it. You can go tomorrow.”
“Then I should prepare tomorrow’s tasks in advance! Master, excuse me!”
Though I grinned as I turned away, I immediately dropped the smile and sighed internally.
‘Master, even kindergartners wouldn’t fall for that.’
The technique of smoothly changing subjects when there’s something uncomfortable to discuss – it was a bit too advanced for someone like her who lacked social skills.
Thanks to this, I realized she was hiding something from me, and that it was related to my magic.
‘What could it be?’
However, I couldn’t figure it out here. Getting secrets out of two witches determined to keep them from me wouldn’t be an easy task.
Fortunately, I would have a chance to work on them one at a time – tomorrow we would head to the city where crowds gathered.
Swallowing my curiosity, I began handling the tasks that needed to be done in advance.
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“Livestock to the countryside, people to the royal capital.”
This common saying showed how people always praised the capital’s greatness. Indeed, arriving at the royal capital, I could see why.
‘This is practically modern era level, isn’t it?’
Befitting a fantasy world with magic and monsters, the royal capital was more developed than many minor countries on Earth. This seemed strange considering only witches could use magic.
Either they didn’t discriminate against witches, or they enslaved them. The royal capital had to be doing one of these two things.
“What do you think?”
“…It’s amazing. I didn’t expect this level of development.”
“Right? Even I as a witch find it impressive. It wasn’t nearly this incredible when I was first born.”
Marguerite said this while reminiscing about her birth. As a witch who had lived hundreds of years, her emotions must have been quite complex.
As we stood on the street, carriages rushed past. Looking closer, I realized they weren’t being pulled by horses but by bipedal monsters.
Though initially shocked to learn they had even domesticated monsters, I soon nodded in understanding. Just as wolves became dogs, it made sense that some monsters might have evolved to survive by submitting to humans.
‘…Monsters are useful for so many things.’
Spices weren’t very expensive in this world. Though village chiefs hoarded them like gold dust, that was just because their villages were so poor.
The reality was quite different. There were monsters whose secretions could become spices that removed the fishy smell from meat. Humans bred these monsters to produce spices.
These spices were so common they even grew in the forest near our cabin.
“…Miss Marguerite, do you know where to exchange these?”
“Yes, of course. Follow me.”
“Thank you.”
Planning to first sell the monster corpses I’d brought, I followed Marguerite into a building. Inside, burly people wearing equipment made from various materials were arguing with the staff.
“Come on, just a bit more!”
“The price is fixed…”
“Look at this! It’s clearly at least 1.5 times bigger…!”
One was negotiating prices for monster materials he’d hunted.
“This quest is to hunt Kal-Bizak.”
“That again? Seems like we could handle stronger ones now.”
“Don’t overdo it. Reckless challenges are foolish.”
Others were planning their next hunt and strategy.
“Welcome! To the Adventurers’ Guild!”
And staff greeting me with bright smiles.
I approached and asked about exchanging goods. The staff member smiled and pointed to the side.
“Please line up over there.”
Following their gesture, I saw over dozens of people queued at a counter.
I went to the back of the line while sighing heavily. Times like these, I really missed having a smartphone. Or at least they could use numbered tickets.
As I stood in line grumbling, I felt the surrounding adventurers’ gazes boring into me. Of course their eyes would roll seeing someone with my delicate appearance, whom they’d assumed was a client, getting in the adventurers’ line.
‘Is everyone here a muscle freak?’
Looking at the builds of the adventurers surrounding me front and back, I wrinkled my nose at the imagined smell of nonexistent sweat.
Well, for normal people without mana, strength was the answer. To survive in the dangerous adventuring industry, they had no choice but to build muscle.
“Apprentice, it’s too chaotic here for me… I’ll be over there, so don’t cause trouble.”
“…I don’t want to be here either.”
“Come on, at least you’re visible. These people keep trying to grope me since they can’t see me.”
How can they grope you if they can’t see you? Before I could ask, Marguerite hid herself in a far away corner where people didn’t walk.
Though she’d moved away from me, she was still within sight. I let out a small sigh and waited for my turn.
And before long─.
“Oops, excuse me.”
An adventurer naturally cut in front of me. Well, if I saw some sardine mixed in among muscle freaks with biceps as thick as thighs, I might have done the same.
In this uncivilized fantasy where courtesy and morals were hard to develop, strength was justice and truth.
“I really hate this kind of thing.”
“What? What do you─ Aaaagh!”
“Makes it seem like I’m just hiding my strength.”
I grabbed the face of the adventurer blocking my path like I was trying to crush it. The Iron Claw, one of the wrestling techniques. Though physically it shouldn’t be very effective…
“Aaaaaaagh! My face, my face─!”
My mana-enhanced physical abilities gave this ridiculous technique excessive lethality. Though the adventurer tried to pry my hands off with both arms, he wasn’t a gorilla, and there was no way he could remove my arms that could momentarily match monsters in strength.
Finally, after throwing away the guy who had fainted while crying and sniveling – I got back in line.
Fortunately, after one show of force, no one else tried to cut in line.
‘Such uncivilized bastards.’
If they’d just quietly lined up from the start, none of this would have happened. Grumbling like this, I finally reached the exchange counter.
Whether they had seen my earlier behavior or not, the staff member greeted me with slightly trembling eyes.
“W-welcome. If you could place your items here…”
“Here.”
“Y-yes. Please wait a moment…”
The staff member took the items and went inside, returning after quite a while with a large pouch.
They glanced at the surrounding adventurers, then carefully held out the pouch while whispering:
“Here it is… you can check it, but I don’t recommend doing so here…”
“…No, shouldn’t I immediately check it right in front? What if you try to change your story later?”
“B-but…”
Ignoring the staff member’s advice, I immediately rummaged through the pouch right there to confirm it was filled with gold coins, then left the building after securing it.
Marguerite followed behind me as I left.
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You did that on purpose. Opening the pouch there.”
“…I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“What? You mean you really didn’t know?”
Marguerite frowned slightly as she looked at me. What, should I not check if the exchange amount is correct…?
However, moments later, I realized why she had looked at me that way.
Poke.
“Don’t open your mouth.”
I felt something sharp against my back. A hard, cold sensation – a knife. As I stiffened slightly and glanced behind me, I saw several adventurers I had seen earlier at the Adventurers’ Guild standing there.
‘Right, they’re basically mercenaries.’
People who normally work hard taking quests, but turn into bandits when no one’s watching – from a modern perspective, human garbage.
However, in this other world, they were just normal adventurers doing what might be considered natural. They led me into a deserted alley.
“Hand over the money.”
“Don’t want to.”
“What? Is this guy crazy…”
The adventurer thrust his dagger at me. But I wasn’t scared. Not because I had awakened mana and could easily overcome mere blades, but because Marguerite was here.
With someone who could escape anytime and who could bisect even giant tentacle monsters with spatial magic in one strike, what was there to fear from mere adventurers?
“Hmm- should I defeat you here and exaggerate the story to brag to Master about taking down a bandit group to satisfy my petty pride?”
“What? What are you saying, you bastard─!”
Just as one adventurer lost his temper and tried to charge at me, a girl suddenly jumped down from the roof. Landing in front of the adventurer, she immediately kicked away his dagger and sent him flying with a kick to the stomach.
Incredible strength from such a tiny frame. The other adventurers who had been about to attack after seeing their companion fall stiffened when they saw her appearance.
“H-hey… run!”
As the adventurers fled into the distance, the girl didn’t chase them but turned to look at me. Her golden twin-tails whirled around once.
Along with her fluttering hair, the rosary hanging from her neck also danced through the air, showing off its presence.
It was the holy knight uniform I had seen in another city.
‘Why is a holy knight here?’
The natural enemy of witches, a witch hunter. As I stiffened at encountering a holy knight – Marguerite, who had been hiding beside me, carefully opened her mouth.
“…Apprentice, just listen without speaking. This one isn’t a holy knight.”
Before I could even ask what she meant, Marguerite whispered with trembling lips:
“She’s a witch.”
The third witch had revealed herself.
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