Chapter 28
Muniel spoke with an apology in her voice.
‘Huh?’
Soles felt a flicker of confusion.
‘That doesn’t seem like she’s talking to us.’
A moment ago, Muniel’s words sounded as if she were speaking to someone who wasn’t even present.
But because Muniel’s expression was impossibly complex, Soles didn’t press the matter further.
“Grandmother.”
Nibelia raised her hand.
“I have an idea!”
“What idea?”
“Should Nini try waking Azel up with a kiss?”
Nibelia, clever as she was, had already memorized the name of the child lying on the bed.
“You didn’t even hear what I said.”
Ardores swallowed a bitter laugh.
He had just warned her not to kiss others recklessly.
Although exasperated, Ardores first sought Muniel’s opinion.
“Of course not.”
At Muniel’s rejection, Nibelia pouted slightly.
“Phew…”
Aref quietly exhaled a sigh of relief, silently thankful.
‘Huh?’
Then he pondered why he felt that relief.
In truth, Aref hadn’t even fully realized that the emotion he’d just felt was ‘relief.’
“What’s gotten into you, Nini?”
Soles asked, surprised.
“You’re telling a stranger you’ll kiss them first?”
“Azel isn’t a stranger,” Nini replied energetically.
“Azel gave Nini fifty million Uba! That makes him a good person! Anyone who gives money is good!”
“Money cured your shyness, huh…”
Muniel first taught her that just because someone gives money doesn’t automatically make them a good person.
“No one gives money for no reason. Those people are either scammers or intend to harm you, Nini.”
“Harm? What’s harm?”
“It means hitting and bothering someone. They’d say, ‘I’ll give you money if you come with me,’ and then take you far away to sell you.”
“S-Scary…!”
Thus, Nibelia learned the harsh truths of the world.
Even amidst all this commotion, Azel did not wake.
“How about holding hands instead of kissing?”
Muniel suggested.
“Hold hands and pray for him to wake up quickly.”
“Grandmother’s suggestion is pretty good!”
“…Nini, your tone just now was quite cheeky.”
Reflecting Muniel’s advice, Nibelia grabbed Azel’s hand.
Azel’s hand was very cold. Thin and bony, the joints protruding.
Nibelia held it gently with both hands and blew warm breath over it. She could feel the coldness fade slightly.
“Hi, I’m Nini. I’m four years old.”
Like a proper kindergartener, she introduced herself first.
“I saved Azel, and, um, I earned fifty million Uba. Thank you so much! So wake up quickly, and let me earn another fifty million Uba.”
“Nini, you’re supposed to be praying for him to get healthy…”
Soles, wearing a wry smile, tried to stop her.
Then, a subtle movement.
Azel’s closed eyelids twitched slightly.
“Huh?”
Nibelia looked at the hand she was holding.
The fingers twitched.
“Uuuh…”
Even Azel’s tightly closed lips emitted a faint sound.
“Grandmother! Grandmother!”
“Yes, Grandmother is watching too.”
Muniel sat on the edge of the bed to calm the surprised Nibelia, calling Azel’s name in a soft voice.
“Little one… Azel. Are you coming to?”
“……”
“This is the Deiamor Mansion. My name is Muniel Deiamor. Do you remember my name?”
“……”
A tiny, fragile voice whispered.
Muniel leaned down to put her ear near Azel’s lips.
Listening carefully, Muniel signaled to Ardores, who immediately left the room.
“Yes, that’s the person. Your grandmother told you about me, right?”
“……”
“Now that it’s okay, rest a little more. When you wake up next, you’ll have warm soup and soft bread.”
Muniel slowly adjusted Azel’s bedding.
“Nini.”
“Yes.”
Her wrinkled hands stroked the child’s pale silver hair.
“Azel is really awake.”
“Azel’s awake!”
Nibelia beamed.
Azel, having regained consciousness, fell asleep again but woke up hours later.
The doctor Ardores had summoned examined her in detail.
“Her stamina has dropped significantly, but otherwise there doesn’t seem to be a major problem.”
Eat well and sleep well.
And carefully apply the prescribed ointment to her wounds.
That was the entirety of the doctor’s instructions.
“I feel bad that recently I’ve only been treating sick children.”
“The world’s a harsh place. It always has been, though.”
After seeing the doctor off, Muniel explained the situation to Azel again.
“Do you know who I am?”
“You’re the Saint, right? My grandmother taught me. Even before she passed, she said I should go to the Saint…”
Remembering her deceased grandmother, Azel began to cry.
“I’m sorry for finding you so late,” Muniel said, offering her handkerchief. Azel hesitated but accepted it, wiping her tears.
She also sniffled.
“Your grandmother and I were comrades. In a way, I was your first friend here.”
“She said the same. That she was the Saint’s only friend…”
“But we hadn’t been in contact. She was a rare friend. I sent gifts only when I got married and had children. Annoying, but someone I really wanted to see.”
“……”
“Later, would you join me to visit her grave?”
“Yes…!”
Azel wiped her tears and nodded.
Once Azel calmed, Muniel spoke.
“There are people waiting for you outside. My grandchildren. Can you greet them?”
Azel glanced at her left hand.
She remembered the warmth and softness of the hand she had held when she first regained consciousness.
“Yes.”
Soon the door opened.
Red hair, golden hair, white hair.
And a huge redhead.
The children and an elderly person lined up by height and approached Azel’s bed.
“Hello!”
Nibelia smiled and greeted again.
“Did you sleep well? No tummy aches? I was supposed to get cookies…”
Huh?
Suddenly stopping, Nibelia tilted her head. Something seemed off as she stared at Azel.
Azel tilted her head, returning Nibelia’s gaze.
“Don’t force others to eat what you want.”
Ardores ruffled Nibelia’s white silver hair with his large hand.
He introduced the children to Azel.
“Soles, Aref, Nibelia. These children saved you.”
“These children… no, these people?”
Azel looked at the children in disbelief.
So small, yet they saved her?
But she soon corrected her expression, bowing her head in gratitude.
“Thank you for helping me. Because of you, I survived. My name is Azel, and I’ll turn fifteen this summer.”
Her crimson eyes sparkled as she lifted her head.
“And I am a witch.”
Witch.
“Long ago, when gods didn’t exist and this land was desolate, one of the long-lived humans first sowed seeds and nurtured sprouts. That person was called a witch.”
A cool evening breeze entered through the wide-open window.
Muniel explained about witches to the children.
“Witches can use mana like wizards, but only women can become witches.”
“Saint,” Aref said cautiously, his sharp gaze softened.
“In storybooks, witches curse people…”
“That’s all a lie,” Muniel said.
“Witches are a little different from wizards. They only use magic to tend the land and grow plants.”
“Ah…”
Soles frowned, saddened.
“So that’s why Azel was captured by bad people?”
“Because of their powers, witches have suffered a lot throughout history. They’ve been falsely accused many times too.”
“The witches poisoned the land, causing crop failures!”
“The witch next door took medicine from my husband! He must have taken it and cheated! That sly fiend!”
“If it weren’t for your power, would I have married someone like you? So shut up and tend the crops!”
At some point, people began to treat witches lightly, trying to exploit them like slaves.
Unlike wizards, witches couldn’t use their powers to attack others.
So they chose seclusion.
“Earlier, I mentioned a witch’s curse. That was actually a cowardly lie made up by humans abandoned by witches.”
They survived thanks to witches, and when witches disappeared, they blamed witches for their own incompetence.
“I have never met anyone as kind and wonderful as a witch,” Muniel said.
“And what about grandfather?”
Nibelia pointed at Ardores, who sat sulking next to Muniel.
“Your grandfather is splendid and charming.”
Ardores finally relaxed.
“These witches helped us during the war forty years ago. They used herbs they grew to make medicine and treated wounded soldiers and knights.”
“Witches are amazing!”
Nibelia gave a thumbs-up.
Soles nodded after hearing the full story.
“The technology that those bad people claimed to invent originally belonged to Azel.”
“Stealing is bad.”
“That’s right! Bad!”
Aref spoke strongly, and Nibelia chimed in.
Then she jumped up, pretending to cut her wrist with her hand.
“Like this! Cut off a hand like this! To set an example!”
Her shocking words left her older brother and companions speechless.
“Oh, Nini…”
Muniel laughed heartily.
“Where did you learn that? You sound like you’re punishing thieves found during war.”
“Grandmother and grandfather did it! Cutting off hands and fingers, and putting them into holes…”
“Hohoho!”
Muniel’s laughter grew louder, swallowing Nibelia’s voice.
“…Haah.”
Ardores just kept washing his face repeatedly, silently.
