“Here’s where I live.”
Hmm.
“Not surprised at all, huh?”
Adriana shows me the underground village where the ‘Witches of the Black Forest’ live, as if introducing her room.
The village hidden beneath the forest is indeed a mysterious sight, but having seen it many times in my past life, I wasn’t particularly amazed.
“But is it really okay for you to bring me here?”
I thought this village wasn’t too welcoming to outsiders.
‘After all, outsiders rarely come here.’
No one enters the Forest of the Demon Realm, so how could they find a hidden village underground within it?
“It’s fine; I’ve already told them about you.”
“Hmm?”
“Although you can’t stay long, the Grand Witch has also expressed a desire to see you.”
‘The Grand Witch, huh.’
If I were to ask if I’ve met her, the answer would be yes, but we weren’t that close. In fact, she had only bowed her head and looked scared of me.
Following Adriana, I occasionally caught witches looking at me, startled and wary, but I found it more familiar.
‘I experienced this before in Yggdrasil.’
Having faced the wary eyes of elves, I easily dismissed the stares from the fewer witches.
It felt like overreaction compared to my expectations, but oh well.
Entering a shabby-looking house that definitely resembled a witch’s lair, I found a wrinkled old Grand Witch brewing something over her cauldron.
‘Still looks the same.’
She looked just like I remembered from my past life. While the Elf Queen seemed to defy aging, the Grand Witch appeared to have aged to her limit and couldn’t get any older.
When Adriana briefly explained me, the Grand Witch set down her stirring spoon and came over to inspect me curiously.
“You have a face burdened by many things, don’t you?”
‘This old lady is at it again.’
She definitely has a hobby of giving cryptic remarks to newcomers.
While that wasn’t inaccurate, getting too caught up in those remarks would risk me ending up like Adriana, who summoned Apviel.
‘That’s a witch’s weakness.’
They can see destiny and the future, but their blind faith can lead them to trip over their own feet.
“Actually, I couldn’t find what you asked me to look for, so I sought the Grand Witch’s help.”
“Oh, really?”
That was a good move. The Grand Witch would know a lot.
“I asked about the Earliest Apocalypse?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Apviel told you about it?”
“To be precise, he said it after seeing a girl.”
Since Adriana didn’t know that part, her eyes widened in surprise, and the Grand Witch slowly opened her narrowed eyes to look at me.
“You’ve met the Earliest Apocalypse?”
“Yes, I know who it is.”
Saying that flatly made the Grand Witch chuckle and reach out, and a staff hanging on the wall flew into her hand.
“Guide me; I need to dissect that child.”
Well, isn’t that something?
“Let me say one thing in advance.”
“…!”
“Ugh!”
Both the Grand Witch and Adriana suddenly bowed their heads and began trembling. I didn’t take my gaze away, speaking as casually as before.
“If you say that about her in front of me one more time, you will die.”
As I retracted my killing intent, the Grand Witch slowly set her staff down and took a breath.
“…This is something. I thought you were just a kid, but you’re more beastly than a Magical Beast.”
“I-I was surprised.”
“Anyway, tell me what you know.”
There was no need to bow my head and plead here. This was the Forest of the Demon Realm. A place where you could do anything if you have power.
The Grand Witch already knew that, so she began to speak without hesitation.
“Actually, it’s not that great. It’s just a story from an old book we have.”
“…”
Nodding for her to continue, the Grand Witch began unfolding the story like an old storyteller.
“When the world becomes filled with villains, the gods’ judgment begins. Among them, the calamity that literally breaks the world the quickest is the Earliest Apocalypse.”
“…”
“It’s the end brought by an unnamed God of Death’s messenger.”
“Please tell me more.”
Excitedly exclaiming, thinking I had grasped some clue, the Grand Witch shook her head.
“That’s the end of it.”
“…Huh?”
“That’s all it says in the old book. There’s nothing more.”
“No, what does that mean?”
“Well, what can I do? Want me to show you the old book?”
As she reached out, a dusty book flew toward me. The Grand Witch opened it and showed me the part about the end.
“What’s this?”
The content inside was narrated like a fairy tale.
A long, long time ago, the world was corrupted, and seeing that, the God of Death stepped forward before any other gods to take away all of the corrupted beings.
That was the Earliest Apocalypse.
That’s literally all it said.
I wondered if there was another story on the back, but there wasn’t.
“Honestly, until you came and said that, I didn’t believe it. But if an old Magical Beast like Apviel knows about it, it can’t be wrong.”
“Then will the world really be destroyed?”
When Adriana asked, the Grand Witch couldn’t answer. I had thought it was merely a legendary tale, but what did I know?
“If it really exists, wouldn’t killing that person end it?”
Not wanting to provoke my mood, but thinking she had to say it, Adriana asked.
However, unexpectedly, the Grand Witch shook her head.
“If the God of Death intervenes directly, it’s not that simple. Rather, ‘death’ could be the trigger that sets it off.”
“Ah…!”
At the Grand Witch’s speculation, my brain tingled and rang.
‘That makes sense.’
When Rin became the master of the army, she seemed someone else entirely. At first, I thought it could be due to the passage of ten years.
But as I spent more time with Rin, I became convinced that no matter what happened, she wouldn’t fall apart like that.
‘If the God of Death had taken residence in her body when Rin died, it would explain everything.’
In a moment, I looked down at my hands.
Having considered killing Rin multiple times while attending Aios Academy, I had even attempted it on several occasions.
A chill shot through my entire body.
Just a little misstep, and I could have summoned that apocalypse in an instant.
“I learned a lot, but.”
“Hmm?”
“Who asked this before me?”
I lifted the old book slightly and asked the Grand Witch. It was covered in dust, but this single page looked freshly dusted.
“Isn’t it strange to remember a fairy-tale-like story?”
Did someone really remember terms from trivial tales so clearly?
I thought even the smartest of witches wouldn’t remember to that extent, and I guess my prediction was correct as she fell silent for a moment before nodding.
“Right. Before Adriana quit the academy and came here, a man visited us.”
“Huh? To our village?”
“At first, we obviously tried to drive him away. But in front of his displayed power, we had no choice but to listen to what he wanted. It wasn’t massively difficult.”
“…”
“That was about what you mentioned, the Earliest Apocalypse.”
“Did you see his face?”
“No, but somehow, I don’t know how, but he utilized the power of a Magical Beast.”
Tudogs.
Those Tudogs had come to the Black Forest witches to gather information—even about the apocalypse.
‘What the heck are they?’
I knew they were odd just from being able to roam the Forest of the Demon Realm, but they even knew about the apocalypse?
“What kind of Magical Beast power did he use?”
I began to gather further details from the Grand Witch.
It didn’t take long.
After about thirty minutes, I said I’d take my leave and exited the village.
The sight of the witches spitting at me as if urging me to hurry was a bit annoying, but that’s just typical of them.
‘Bunch of old maids.’
Too busy buried in books and magic to ever see a man, they were actually starving for attention but tried to act dignified by getting angry like children.
‘Plus, they mentioned the Tudogs came too.’
Now I understood why they were irked; it seemed they had a run-in with the creatures before I arrived.
“Are you going to be quick about it?”
But here, Adriana was different.
Since she had the title by Hayun and Rin as ‘Kiss Attempt Offender,’ I took a step back and said.
“Since vacation at the academy is ending soon, I might arrive a tad late.”
I couldn’t keep Michelle in my room all the time, so I had problems to resolve.
I had thought of a few, though.
“Well, I did have some spoils, so it’s still worth it.”
I looked at the old book I had taken from the Grand Witch with satisfaction.
It had only been gathering dust anyway, so it seemed she just wanted to get rid of an antique occupying space.
“I thought there would be some thrilling development since it’s been a while.”
“…Was your personality originally like that?”
When I first met her, she played the role of an intelligent girl, then later I only saw her fighting desperately to survive, so her personality confused me.
“Isn’t it a kind of growth?”
Could you grow stronger by overcoming life-and-death crises?
Actually, I too had gained some insights after facing life-threatening situations several times in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
“Just so you know, I like someone, and I’ve confessed.”
I firmly placed a wall, but Adriana shrugged her shoulders.
“How do you think we witches have managed to thrive in a village of only women?”
“…?”
“We bring a man from outside every fifty years and have a group…”
“W-Wait! I don’t need to hear this!”
These guys were really crazy.
Suddenly, I remembered how witches from my past life had clung to me, making me feel a chill run down my spine.
“So, we don’t feel much resistance against polygamy?”
“I have my own resistance against it.”
While I was contemplating which insults would hurt them most, Adriana unexpectedly pulled something out dramatically from her robe.
“Take this.”
“Huh?”
The item Adriana handed me was a black ring.
I realized that it had a unique design, woven from thin branches and was enchanted.
“If you wear this, you can only teleport to our village once. Use it in case of an emergency.”
“Thanks, this is really something I needed.”
In my heart, I wanted to march directly to the Ancient Beasts right now and demand information, but I lacked the equipment for it.
Apviel fought using his physical abilities and his army of insects, but due to the covenant, he could come alone, making it easier to deal with him.
If I started confronting other Ancient Beasts properly, my current weaponry wouldn’t suffice.
‘I’ll come back later and deal with it all.’
I’ve killed some, and some I’ve spared after attempting to kill them.
There were a few guys I couldn’t defeat, but they weren’t a significant issue overall.
“Then I’ll be off.”
I hurriedly brushed off Adriana, who looked like she wanted to do something with a wistful gaze, and exited the forest.
It would take at least ten days from the forest to Elgrid, but after encountering issues like a carriage wheel breaking, it ended up taking an additional three days.
In the end, despite the vacation ending, I ended up missing a few days of attendance.
‘I hope I don’t get expelled.’
The dean has my back, so I thought it’d be simple enough for him to overlook this as I set foot in Aios Academy.
“Today, we really need to reach a conclusion!”
“Hehe, with such a light mindset, do you think you can become the master’s woman?”
“Crazy bitches, let’s settle this once and for all today!”
Watching Rin, Elise, and May in a three-way battle.
“How did you say to wear this ring again?”
I examined the ring Adriana had given me, turning it over and over.
