Leca did as the old woman instructed and peered into the cauldron. He had expected some kind of soup, but to his surprise, the inside was filled with transparent water.
The clear liquid revealed the image of a room. But inside the room, all that could be seen was thick black mist swirling upward.
"I can't see anything. Just black fog…"
"That is my answer. Do you know why nothing is visible?"
"…?"
"Someone is using magic to block external observation of that room. In other words, the one inside is using dark magic."
"But I saw it before. So they only activated the barrier after letting us see it?"
The old witch handed Leca a cup of freshly brewed tea. He took it but didn't drink. Noticing that, the witch said,
"Drink. It'll loosen the tension in your body."
Leca downed it in one go and wiped his mouth. At his feet, the cat rubbed against his boots. He reached down to stroke it, and it purred contentedly.
"What I'm wondering is…"
"Yes, Granny?"
"Was what you and that girl saw ever real to begin with?"
"…What?"
The witch clucked her tongue at Leca's stunned expression. She lifted the cat and stroked it gently.
"What if it was staged? I mean, what if the scene you and that girl were shown was prepared in advance—just for you two—while blocking everyone else from seeing it? That's a real possibility."
"It makes sense in my case. I saw it through a fire orb. But Lady Mia… she astral-projected into that space in her dream, and even spoke with Salamander."
"Hmmm…"
The old woman closed her eyes, nodding slowly, then said,
"Here's what I think."
"Yes?"
"Something smells off. It feels like a trap."
Leca's heart dropped.
"A trap…?"
"If what that girl saw was real, then all the more reason to worry. Why would someone capable of this kind of magic allow only you and her to observe it? Doesn't that seem suspicious?"
Leca bit his lip. Her words made too much sense. But by whom, and for what purpose?
"Of course, I hope I'm wrong. It's possible that the dark mage simply noticed someone peeking in and cloaked the place after the fact."
"Then… we can test it."
"Exactly. If the same result appears again, chalk it up to an old woman's paranoia."
Without hesitation, Leca conjured a fire orb and muttered an incantation. The orb lit up, revealing the image of a room—filled entirely with black fog.
It was identical to what he had seen in the witch's cauldron.
Leca dispelled the orb.
"Not ideal, but there's no choice. I'll have to go there in person and confirm it."
The old woman gave him a deep, knowing look and nodded.
"Unfortunately, I don't know the way to the Mage's Path that opens under the full moon. But I can introduce you to someone who does."
"Thank you, Granny."
Leca hugged the old witch. She patted his back with a tender hand.
"You'd best go tonight. That witch might be unavailable after today."
"Where should I go?"
The witch handed him a tattered map. Leca unfolded it.
"She lives deep in the heart of the Black Forest. The trees make it hard to keep your bearings, so follow carefully. Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes?"
"She's got a nasty temper. I've told her about you, but if you say the wrong thing, she won't help. Be careful."
"Got it, Granny. Thank you."
Leca bowed once more and stepped out of the old witch's hut. Now, he had to reach the witch who lived at the center of the Black Forest.
Outside, the sky was darker than before. The moon was veiled behind thick clouds. Leca studied the map, then transformed into a wyvern and took to the night sky, soaring toward the forest.
The Black Forest lay to the west of the kingdom. Unlike the Paradise of Monsters, it had fewer monsters, but was home to many carnivorous plants—and the trees were so dense that sunlight barely penetrated, even in the height of summer. That's how it got its name.
Before long, Leca arrived.
It should be around here. Better double-check.
He folded his wings and descended to the forest floor. Returning to human form, he consulted the map—but a vine from a man-eating plant crept up and coiled around his leg.
Without hesitation, Leca slashed it with his sword.
That one movement triggered a chain reaction—sticky fluids from the surrounding plants sprayed at him from all directions. Though the poison had no immediate effect, prolonged exposure would slowly paralyze the body.
All around him, man-eating plants had arranged themselves like a net, closing in. He had been marked as prey.
Leca shifted quickly back into wyvern form and unleashed a torrent of flame.
Fwoooosh.
The carnivorous plants were engulfed at once. Their agonized shrieks echoed eerily through the night.
Once the flames had nearly burned them to ash, Leca summoned a water spirit to extinguish the fire. Just then—
"KYAAAH!! What have you done?! My poor babies!"
A shrill scream.
He turned to see a young woman with a fierce scowl standing there.
She wore a form-fitting black dress and a pointed black witch's hat. Her long jet-black hair flowed all the way down to her calves.
The woman narrowed her red eyes fiercely and shouted,
"So you're the one who killed my darlings! You damn lizard! Shall I freeze you with an eternal ice spell?"
Leca immediately reverted to human form.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know they were yours. They attacked me first."
"Hmm…?"
The woman approached and scanned him from head to toe, then grinned.
"You're actually pretty handsome. I have a soft spot for good-looking men, so I'll let you off this once."
Leca stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to thank her or not. The witch let out a cackling laugh.
"You must be the fire spirit the old hag Beatrice told me about."
"Then you're the witch of the Black Forest?"
"That's right. You found me. The ones you burned were my guards—they protect my house."
Sure enough, a small cottage came into view—hidden earlier by the dense plants.
"I'm really sorry. How can I make it up to you…?"
"Become my lover. That'll make us even. Hoohoohoo!"
Leca froze, visibly stunned. The witch's eyes narrowed with irritation.
"What's this? Is that how you embarrass a lady to her face?"
"It's not that, I just…"
"Forget it! Now I'm in a bad mood. I'm not telling you the way to the Mage's Path!"
— That witch has a terrible temper. I told her about you, but if you say the wrong thing, she won't help you. Be careful. —
Granny's words came rushing back. What now? He couldn't just go back empty-handed.
Leca hurried forward and grabbed the hem of the witch's dress.
"What is it now? Still got business?"
"I'm truly sorry. Please tell me the way. I'll make restitution for the plants however I can."
"I told you—become my lover and I'll tell you."
Cold sweat ran down Leca's back.
"I… I'm tied to the royal palace. I'm not in a position to be anyone's partner."
"Oh? So you've got nothing to offer me? I don't do bad deals."
The witch turned to leave, but Leca grabbed her sleeve again.
"Ugh…"
Mia tossed in her bed. There was a strange noise near the window.
Knock knock, knock-knock-knock.
Finally, she got up. What the heck was that? Rubbing her eyes, she went to the window. The clock read a little past 3 a.m.
"What the—Leca?!"
To her surprise, the one tapping on the window was Leca. When she opened it, he leapt in swiftly and shut it behind him, lowering his voice.
"Forgive me for waking you at this hour."
"Leca? What on earth are you doing…"
"There were guards posted outside your door. I couldn't get in."
So they're even putting guards outside my room now. Just to keep me from seeing Leca? Seriously? Then why didn't they think to block the window?
"There are usually guards at the window too… but they were asleep."
Leca seemed to read her thoughts perfectly. Mia quickly drew the curtains.
"But why risk something like this? What if you'd been caught!"
"I heard… that you'll soon undergo a dangerous rite of passage. That you'll be meeting the unicorn."
"Oh, that? Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"Should I secretly follow you? If I transform, I can—"
"Please don't. I can handle this on my own. I don't want to see you punished because of me again."
"If I don't get caught, it won't be a problem. I'll follow you in secret."
Mia gave a small laugh.
"Actually, I never told you this…"
"What is it?"
"When I escaped from Sibareth, I met your father. He gave me an ancient sword and shield as a gift. I've gotten a lot stronger since then."
Leca's eyes widened.
"My father…?"
"Yup. I'm practically invincible now. So, you can stop worrying."
Leca's face lit up with joy.
"That's wonderful news, Lady Mia!"
"Tell your father thank you for me, okay? I mean it—I'm really grateful."
"I will… but Mia, I also visited a witch today. I was looking into the Mage's Path that opens under the full moon."
"Seriously? What happened?"