"We'll arrive soon."
Master tossed out the words as we walked the path. We were still deep in the forest, surrounded by nothing but trees, but hearing that instantly lifted my spirits.
'Finally...!'
It had taken a full month to reach this place. We'd stopped in villages along the way, but only long enough to resupply food and water before pressing on, so it had basically been a month of roughing it outdoors. Fortunately, we hadn't run into any trouble on the roads. But winter was harsh enough on its own to wear anyone down, so it was high time for some proper rest.
"There it is."
"Oh!"
How much farther had we walked? Master raised his right hand and pointed ahead. A clearing in the woods. And right in the center stood a single house. Fresh green moss clung to the roof and walls, making it look like it had grown right out of the earth, part of nature itself.
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
I followed Master toward the house in the woods. Just as we reached it, the door swung wide open. A middle-aged woman stepped out. She had to be the Forest Witch. I figured a Forest Witch would dress plainly...
But the Forest Witch wore a blue tunic. Blue, of all colors? It was rare. Commoners like me usually wore brown, green, or gray. And that wasn't all—she had a black cloak draped over her shoulders, trimmed with fur. She looked like a noble lady.
"Well, if it isn't...?"
The woman came out frowning. But the moment she spotted Master, her face lit up with a brilliant smile, as if the scowl had never been there.
"Long time no see, Rozanna."
"Digori! You're still kicking!"
Master and the Forest Witch caught up on old times. I waited quietly, biding my time for a chance to greet her without interrupting. Then her gaze shifted to me.
"And who's this?"
"My disciple, Heros."
"No way—you took a disciple?"
"Got lucky."
Rozanna's eyes went wide at Master's words as she turned to look at me. Curiosity sparkled in her eyes.
"Heros, nice to meet you. I'm Rozanna, a Plant Mage. And a friend of Digori's."
"Hello, Lady Rozanna."
I finished my greeting with Rozanna. She turned back to Master and picked up their conversation.
"If you took him on, he must have some serious magical talent. You're awfully picky, you know."
"Yeah. Heros is a genius."
Master didn't deny it. Rozanna let out a short gasp of admiration. Then she flung the door wide open.
"Can't leave an old friend standing on the doorstep. Come on in."
Rozanna guided Master and me inside the house. Nice smell. The moment we stepped in, I glanced around. A faint fragrance filled the air. Dried flowers and unidentifiable herbs hung densely along the walls—they were probably the source.
That looks like alchemy gear.
Directly across from the door sat what I guessed was equipment for brewing potions. I couldn't be sure, but with the furnace, the large cauldron on top, and all those glass vials on the shelves, it seemed a safe bet.
"Melissa!"
At that moment, Rozanna called toward the stairs. A bit of rustling followed, and soon a girl with her brown hair neatly tied came down from the second floor. She looked about my age. Unlike her master, she was dressed plainly.
"You know Digori, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I just need to introduce Heros."
Rozanna looked at me after hearing the girl's reply.
"This is Heros, Digori's disciple. And this is Melissa, my disciple. Say hello."
"Hi, Heros."
"Nice to meet you."
Under Rozanna's lead, Melissa and I exchanged greetings. Being strangers, it was a bit stiff.
Swoosh.
After the greeting, Melissa glanced at Master beside me and gave a silent bow. Then she turned to her own master, Rozanna.
"Master, I'll head back upstairs and finish sorting the luggage so I don't disturb your conversation."
"Go ahead."
With that, Melissa headed to the second floor. Rozanna led Master and me to the table, sat us down, and served some tea I didn't recognize. Steam rose gently from the wooden cups.
Slurp.
I took a cautious sip. It was sweet. Sweetness I hadn't tasted in ages. A shiver ran through me. While I quietly savored it, Rozanna took the seat across from Master. And they got down to serious talk. Master spoke first.
"Sorting luggage? You moving?"
"Yeah, the world's gone mad lately. Thanks to all those black mages running wild, my reputation's taken a hit. Just because they call me a witch doesn't make it true."
"Villagers giving you trouble?"
"No, nothing like that. It's just... the way they look at me. Like they're about to burst in any second. So I'm prepping to leave. Oh! Once I settle somewhere new, I'm changing my nickname too. Something like Forest Sage. This whole mess taught me 'Forest Witch' has a bad ring to it."
The black mages must be stirring things up here too. Probably Eremus affiliates. I focused on the conversation while speculating.
"Lucky timing. If we hadn't pushed so hard, we'd have found an empty house greeting us instead."
"Tell me about it. So, what brings you here? You don't drop by without a reason."
Rozanna met Master's gaze as she asked. There was a hint of reproach in her words. But as always, his expression didn't flicker as he said what he came to say.
"Came to have you check Heros's vessel. I figured it'd be big, but that's just a guess. I want confirmation—turn it into certainty."
"Knew it. Want me to do it now?"
"That'd be ideal."
Rozanna turned to me at Master's reply. Her green eyes met mine. And in that instant... I felt something strange.
Is she casting magic on me?
Mana poured from Rozanna, flowed toward me, and lightly scanned my body. She was definitely using magic on me. It felt unpleasant, but I held still. I trusted that a friend of Master's wouldn't do me harm. Besides, hadn't she already stated her purpose? To check my vessel.
"Rozanna?"
How much time passed? Over a minute went by with no reaction from Rozanna. Master sensed something off and called her name. But she stayed locked on me, unblinking, frozen in place.
"Rozanna!"
Only then did Master realize something was wrong and shout her name louder. At that moment.
Crackle!
Sparks flew from all over Rozanna's body. And then...
"Gasp!"
Rozanna sucked in a ragged breath, her face twisted in terror as she cried out to Master.
"Digori! What in the world is that child's true nature?!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Check Heros's vessel. When she'd received the request, Rozanna had accepted Digori's favor with a light heart. One spell, and she'd wipe the slate clean.
How big is the vessel? Let's take a look. Digori's first disciple. Naturally, Rozanna was curious too.
Hum. Rozanna cast her spell.
[Piercing Gaze: A magic that revealed an object's essence—useful in all sorts of ways.]
Huh? What is this?
As she peered into Heros's vessel through the magic, Rozanna felt doubt. No color at all. Piercing Gaze let her see souls. And souls manifested as colors. Every person's soul had its own hue, and the shade revealed their aptitude for certain magic fields. But Heros's soul was black. A color Rozanna had never seen since learning Piercing Gaze.
What does black symbolize? As far as Rozanna knew, black affinity pointed to no known magic. After a moment's thought, she stopped pondering and focused on gauging the vessel's size.
At least I can tell the vessel's huge.
Heros's soul was pitch black. So black, she couldn't even measure its depth. She ramped up her concentration to the max.
Let's ease in slow.
The black soul loomed before Rozanna's eyes, drawing slowly closer. To be precise, the soul wasn't approaching. Her consciousness was sinking into Heros's inner depths. To gauge a soul's profoundness, she had no choice but to peer inside.
Why no end in sight? Just how big is this vessel?
In the midst of observation, Rozanna grew puzzled. It felt like she'd delved deep for ages, but the bottom was still nowhere in view. The soul's depth exceeded her imagination.
Fine. Let's see who wins.
Her curiosity ignited, Rozanna pushed faster with renewed vigor. Then, suddenly, she realized someone was watching her. An intense gaze from ahead.
What? Who...
The moment the thought crossed Rozanna's mind...
[How presumptuous.]
A woman's resolute voice struck Rozanna's eardrums. And she felt her own soul crushed under the weight. Immense pressure. Terror that her very existence might vanish any second drove Rozanna's mind to its limits.
Aaah!
Seized by fear, Rozanna tried to cancel the spell. But she couldn't. The agony wracking her body halted her thoughts. Even so, the spell canceled. Just as she'd wanted. But the process was all wrong. Canceled against her will. Uncontrolled mana rampaged, scattering everywhere and wounding her soul in the backlash.
That was close...
Still, Rozanna felt relief. Escape from that mysterious voice. From its overwhelming presence. Had she lingered there, she might have lost her sense of self, reduced to a vegetable. In Rozanna's view, that unknown entity was no being for human eyes.
Thus, she reached this conclusion. Heros... is not human. How could a human harbor such a ferocious entity within their soul? It was the most logical judgment.
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