The Elf Who Wants to Eat Pudding (2)
Under the elf's unmistakable intimidation, Pares agreed to help find the Minotaurs.
She knew these mountains reasonably well. Her practical classes had brought her here often enough to become familiar with the terrain.
Even so, every step made her more nervous.
The woman in black followed at a measured distance, and Pares could feel her presence without turning around.
She's like a professor with a particularly foul temper…
Pares managed a strained smile and glanced back.
“Um, if we keep going straight this way, we should find them.”
“Are you certain?”
“Probably…?”
“Probably?”
It was only a question, but something in the woman's voice sent a chill down her spine.
Sweat broke out across Pares's face.
“I-I mean, absolutely! I'm sure of it. Just follow me!”
“You should have said so from the beginning.”
That sounded disturbingly like a warning.
If we don't find a Minotaur, is she going to blow my head off like that bird's?
Pares shuddered and studied the map with renewed attention.
The elf, meanwhile, seemed thoroughly tired of walking.
“By the way. Are you a witch?”
Pares stopped and looked back.
For an instant she thought this was another threat. But the woman's expression suggested she was simply curious.
Pares breathed a little easier.
“Not officially. I haven't received my seal through my professor yet. First I have to finish my credits, choose and complete my graduation assignment, and write a separate thesis. Only after all that can I become a witch.”
“Really? The process has grown troublesome. I didn't have to go through all those steps.”
“Well, witches used to be persecuted. Now it's a promising profession, isn't it? When you become a witch, your appearance stops changing. You don't grow old, and you don't have to bow and scrape before nobles. You can stand on your own. It's practically a dream.”
The elf tilted her head.
“There are disadvantages too. Witches give up the ability to have children in exchange for their youthful appearance. And it's only their appearance that stops aging. Their lives are no longer than ordinary human lives.”
“That's fine with me.”
“What's fine about it?”
“I don't intend to get married anyway. House prices keep climbing. It's hard enough to support myself these days, never mind raising a child. You know what I mean?”
You know what I mean?
The elf narrowed her eyes. That was a rather familiar way for an apprentice to address her.
Pares cleared her throat and hurried to change the subject.
“But for someone as accomplished as you, it might be a shame. You must have made plenty of money. Wouldn't you want children?”
“I could have them if I wanted.”
“What? But how could a witch have children?”
“I'm not a witch.”
Pares stared.
“Didn't you say you were the Black Flame Witch?”
“I did.”
“Then you are a witch, aren't you?”
“No. I only pretended to be one.”
What in the world is she talking about?
Pares couldn't begin to understand.
Still, arguing seemed unwise. She nodded as if everything made perfect sense.
“Anyway, I envy you. If I earned enough money, I'd buy a comfortable place in the imperial capital and live happily. You must have a tremendous mansion.”
“A mansion…”
The elf thought briefly.
It wasn't exactly wrong, so she nodded.
Pares's eyes shone.
“I knew it! Then I bet you have a library and expensive pets too.”
“Pets?”
After a pause, the elf nodded again.
“I do keep one.”
“A cat? Cats suit witches, after all.”
“A cat…? No. If I had to choose, I'd say it's more like a puppy.”
“Dogs are nice too. Is it well trained?”
“I'm trying. It doesn't listen very well.”
“I see.”
Pares nodded, then broke into a smile.
The elf noticed.
“Why are you laughing?”
“No reason. You seem almost cheerful when you talk about your puppy. Maybe you're not as frightening as I thought.”
“You're lying.”
“I'm not! If anyone's lying, it's you. How long are you going to pretend you're the Black Flame Witch?”
The elf let out a deep sigh.
“How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Then show me! You know, that spell… what was it called? The Gwangpung Black Kill Spear!”
A feeling of intense embarrassment crawled up the elf's spine.
She frowned.
“What is that supposed to be?”
“What? It's the famous magic the Black Flame Witch used when she fought the Church's witch hunts. It's even taught in the basic curriculum.”
“I never gave it a name like that.”
“Really? But the head of the Dokwol Guild said that was the technique's name.”
“Dremes?”
Pares nodded.
The elf felt a headache coming on.
What has that woman been telling people?
Why had Dremes taken someone else's magic and burdened it with such an embarrassing name? Worse, people were apparently being taught that nonsense as history.
The elf opened her mouth to set the matter straight.
“Shh!”
Pares suddenly raised a finger to her lips and pointed through the brush.
Beyond it lay a clearing.
There, a female Minotaur nearly four meters tall was tearing into a goat.
“That's the one you asked about,” Pares whispered. “She's enormous and terribly strong. If you and I work together, perhaps we can— Hey? Are you listening?”
The elf was already walking into the clearing.
She had no reason to wait for Pares's advice.
Grrr…?
The Minotaur sensed someone approaching and raised its head.
The elf kept walking.
To Pares, it looked like suicide.
“Stop—”
The rest of her warning died in her throat.
Behind the elf, an immense black magic circle was unfolding.
Countless circuits linked together, forming orderly patterns. Symbols flared in their proper positions, multiplying the magic coursing through the structure. The design was at once unfathomably intricate and astonishingly precise.
Pares stared.
There was no wand in the woman's hands.
There was no second witch assisting her.
Yet she had assembled an enormous, perfectly interlocking spell in an instant.
How can that be possible?
The Minotaur let out a roar and charged, abandoning the goat.
The elf's magic was already complete.
Enormous bladed spear-shapes emerged from the center of the circle.
Light flashed.
Bang!
A black spear shot forward like a bullet.
It pierced the Minotaur's enormous body and drove into the ground with a thunderous impact.
KRAAASH!
Earth heaved and split. The mountain shook as though struck by an earthquake, and violent winds swept outward in every direction.
Birds erupted from the surrounding trees in frightened flocks.
“Ah!”
Pares shut her eyes and braced against the blast.
When the wind finally subsided, she opened them cautiously.
The Minotaur lay dead, skewered by the tremendous black spear. It had fallen so quickly that it hadn't even had time to scream.
“Ah…”
So that's what separates us.
Pares stared at the impossible scene.
Was the woman truly the Black Flame Witch?
She looked toward the distant figure, standing with her black robe fluttering in the fading wind. Suddenly it was difficult to think of her as an ordinary person at all.
“E-excuse me…”
Pares approached, still trying to calm her racing heart.
“Are you really the Black Flame Witch? The one who put an end to the Church's witch hunts?”
The elf glanced at her.
“Yes.”
“Then why did you disappear for twenty years?”
“Because I came to understand that you people are only human, after all.”
“Pardon?”
Pares didn't understand.
The elf seemed disinclined to explain. Instead, she summoned several large buckets and indicated them with a tilt of her chin.
“Now.”
“Yes?”
“You said you'd repay me. Milk it.”
“Ah…”
The request was abrupt, but Pares could hardly refuse.
Besides, the woman before her was the very hero she had admired for years. To be given a task by the Black Flame Witch was almost an honor.
Still, one selfish thought came to mind.
“Could I keep one bottle of the milk? It might make an excellent subject for my graduation assignment…”
The elf nodded.
Delighted, Pares hurried to carry out the milking.
After the milk had been collected, the elf left Pares and returned directly to the pudding shop.
“Ohhh…”
The beastfolk shopkeeper stared at what she had brought.
Five buckets were filled with Minotaur milk.
“I can't believe you've come back so soon! Just as I'd expect from the Black Flame Witch!”
“Enough. Make the pudding.”
“Of course! It'll take about three hours, so please wait!”
The shopkeeper seized a bucket in both hands and waddled into the shop with it.
Watching the awkward little figure carry the heavy load was almost painful.
Three hours.
The elf felt mildly annoyed with herself. Had she really spent all this effort simply because she wanted pudding?
But having come this far, she could hardly go home without tasting it.
It was delicious back then.
The thought of enjoying that flavor again made the delay tolerable.
She sat on a chair beside the serving stall and waited.
After a while, the shopkeeper returned, wiping their hands. The pudding had been prepared and placed in the freezer to set.
“Lady Riya! Just two more hours now.”
“All right.”
The shopkeeper was used to her short answers. Smiling, they sat beside her.
“Where have you been all this time? The Dokwol Guild has been looking for you.”
“The Dokwol Guild?”
“Yes. Dremes especially. She still hasn't given up trying to find Lady Riya.”
“I see.”
Her expression did not change.
The shopkeeper hesitated, then continued.
“Do you have any thought of returning to the guild?”
“No.”
“I suppose not…”
An awkward silence settled between them.
The Riya the shopkeeper remembered from twenty years earlier had not been so cold.
What could have happened to make her vanish without a word?
There was no way to know.
After searching for something else to say, the shopkeeper remembered the reason for this visit.
“Oh! Will you be eating your pudding here?”
“Pack it. I'll take it with me.”
“Of course. How many portions would you like?”
“Two…”
The elf paused.
Why should I bring one for Theorad?
For all she knew, he was enjoying his time with Ashley at that very moment.
“No. Just one.”
Yet she didn't entirely want to close off the possibility.
She turned to the shopkeeper.
“I may bring someone I know next time. We'll eat it together then. Find another supplier if you must, but make sure you have enough milk.”
“That might be difficult, but I'll try. Say… is this person someone you love?”
“No.”
The answer came without hesitation.
The shopkeeper tried again.
“Then someone you like?”
The elf opened her mouth, ready to deny that as well.
And stopped.
For some reason, the question was harder to answer.
She considered it for a long while, then closed her eyes against the gentle breeze.
“Who knows.”
The shopkeeper saw something remarkable.
For the first time that day, a faint smile touched the elf's usually expressionless face.