Chapter 25/26: Together/ The Morning of Departure

After concluding the discussion with Efnor, I sat back and let out a sigh, gazing absently at the contract lying on the desk.

The document detailed the terms of the agreement we had reached with Efnor.

While listing everything would take forever, the gist of it could be summarized as follows:

Woolgear, Istos, Demeter, and Hecate—henceforth referred to as the “Four Witch Sisters”—agree to fully cooperate in suppressing any rebellion led by witches within the kingdom’s territory.

Additionally, the Four Witch Sisters must adhere to the following conditions:

Participate in the suppression of the rebellion within one day of its outbreak.

Obey commands from the Royal Knights unless there is a valid reason not to.

Prioritize the suppression of the rebellion above all else, using their full power.

The rebellion will be deemed suppressed when all witches involved are either killed or captured.

If these conditions are met and the rebellion is successfully suppressed, the kingdom will grant the Four Witch Sisters a territory (a forested area near the empire’s border) and provide the following support:

Fully recognize the legitimacy of a nation led by the Four Witch Sisters, henceforth referred to as the “Witches’ Nation.”

Establish diplomatic relations with the Witches’ Nation and assist in building trade and other connections.

Allow the Witches’ Nation to administer any punishment deemed necessary to kingdom citizens who harm its residents.

This contract will become valid once the assassination of the specified noble is confirmed.

The representatives for this contract are identified as Marid Woolgear for the Four Witch Sisters and Efnor von Vasilio for the kingdom. Both parties swear to uphold the agreement.

This was the essence of the deal we struck with Efnor.

While I did have some input, most of the terms were decided by Hecate and Efnor.

The idea of creating a nation exclusively for witches had never even crossed my mind, but Hecate’s boldness in attempting to make it a reality was astounding.

If this succeeds, it could indeed resolve the issue of witch discrimination.

It wouldn’t be a fundamental solution, but attempting to address such a deeply rooted problem at its core might be an impossible task.

After all, achieving that would require a complete transformation of the world itself—a challenge too immense to even contemplate.

“The differences between us witches and ordinary humans are far too vast. Our lifespans, abilities, the values and ways of life derived from them, and our sheer disparity in numbers—these differences are insurmountable.

No matter how much you tried to reach out and understand, Onee-san, ordinary humans never truly accepted us witches. Do you still believe witches and humans can understand each other?”

“No, not for a long while. Perhaps one day, we may coexist as good neighbors, but becoming friends is likely impossible. On an individual level, sure, there are humans who can become friends with witches, but as a whole? No.”

It was clear to me now that friendship with ordinary humans on a broad scale was unachievable.

This conflict had made that painfully apparent.

My ideal had been for witches and ordinary humans to understand one another, but ideals are just that—ideals.

I had always known they might never be realized.

That’s why, faced with harsh reality, I support Hecate’s plan and intend to continue helping her.

If mutual understanding is impossible and discrimination cannot be eradicated, the only option is to create separation through the framework of a nation.

It may not be a dream, but it’s practical and achievable—a good plan, all things considered.

“As for the assassination of the specified noble, Demeter and I will handle it. Woolgear Onee-san, please rest and prepare for the day of the rebellion.”

“Is there nothing I can do to help?”

“Resting properly is also an important task, Onee-san. It might be unsettling for you, but you should try to get used to waiting.”

With those curt words, Hecate quickly left the dining room and returned to her own room.

As she had said, I wasn’t used to simply waiting, which left me feeling restless. But for now, I had to trust her and remain patient.

Perhaps I’d make some jewelry to sell—I hadn’t done that in a while. With that thought, I headed back to my room.

+++

Two days after our discussion with Efnor, the nobleman in question was easily assassinated by Hecate and Demeter.

The cause of death was a combination of poison extracted from plants created by Demeter and a fairy controlled by Hecate.

From what I heard, the man died peacefully in his sleep just hours after consuming his final meal.

Since I wasn’t directly involved, I didn’t know the details, but the two of them handled it flawlessly.

This completed the preliminary condition for our agreement.

According to Hecate, the kingdom had already begun taking steps to fulfill its end of the deal.

At the same time, however, unsettling rumors were beginning to spread.

It seemed that groups of witches were being sighted in various places.

They were likely Bronte’s faction.

Were they gathering supplies? Or perhaps still recruiting followers?

In any case, it was clear that the day of Bronte’s rebellion was drawing near.

Each of us Four Witch Sisters prepared in our own way for the coming conflict.

As for me, I could only trust in my sisters and wait for the rebellion to arrive.

◆　◇　◆

“Woolgear Onee-san, wake up. Come on, Onee-san.”

“Mmm… It’s still pitch dark outside.”

“I’ve just received word from the fairy stationed with Efnor. Bronte has started her rebellion. If we don’t hurry, we’ll run out of time.”

“You should’ve started with that.”

Hearing Hecate’s words as she shook me awake, I jolted to full alertness.

I lit the lantern by my bedside using a spark spell and began crawling out of bed to get dressed.

The outside world was still cloaked in darkness, and the light from the lantern felt a little too faint to be comforting.

“What about Istos and Demeter?”

“I think they’re still asleep.”

“I see… Then I’ll wake Demeter. Hecate, you wake Istos.”

“Understood. But before that, take this little one with you.”

With that, Hecate summoned a magical creature beside me.

It was a pale blue flame, floating in the air like a wisp of light.

“This is a will-o’-wisp. As you can see, it’ll light your way. I’ve instructed it to stay with you, so you won’t need to carry the lantern.”

“A magical creature like this exists… Thank you. This will be a big help.”

Parting ways with Hecate, I let the bright glow of the will-o’-wisp guide me as I headed to Demeter’s room.

Inside, as usual, Demeter was fast asleep. Considering how early it was, it was understandable.

“Demeter, sorry, but you’ll have to wake up… Hm, still sound asleep, huh?”

“I’m awake.”

“…Oh?”

To my surprise, Demeter sat up from her bed with ease—no sign of her usual grogginess.

Even more surprisingly, she didn’t seem the least bit sleepy.

“Something happened, right? Is it urgent?”

“Y-Yes. It seems Bronte has started her rebellion.”

“Ah, I see. Got it. I’ll get dressed right away.”

“Well, you’re certainly different from usual.”

“Hmm? Oh, I always wake up right away when you call me, Onee-chan. I just pretend to be sleepy to get more pampering.”

“…That’s news to me.”

“It was a secret. But I figured a crisis like this was a good time to tell you.”

As we talked, Demeter quickly began getting ready in front of me.

The sight was nothing like the sleepy, sluggish mornings I was used to seeing when I’d come to wake her.

Lately, my sisters have been full of surprises.

Istos has more absent-minded moments than I expected, Hecate is far more cunning than I imagined, and as for Demeter… well, here she is.

“But it’s true I can’t wake up unless you call me. So, will you keep waking me up from now on?”

“…Maybe I should make an alarm clock with my voice so I wouldn’t have to.”

“That’s mean!”

“I’m kidding. If you love it that much, I’ll indulge you. Now, if you’re ready, let’s go.”

With that, I headed downstairs with Demeter, who had finished preparing.

Not long after, Hecate and Istos, both accompanied by will-o’-wisps, arrived fully prepared as well.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Were we late?” Istos asked.

“It’s fine. We just finished getting ready ourselves,” I replied.

“Doesn’t seem like there’s any issue,” Hecate added. “Now that we’re all here, let’s head to the rebellion’s location. The uprising has started in Emporio, a trade city to the southeast of here.”

As Hecate spoke, she opened the front door and stepped outside.

Following her, I walked out to find four pegasi standing at the ready in front of our home.

Each one was fitted with a custom saddle I had crafted some time ago.

“We’ll ride these. I’ll guide us, so all you need to do is hold on tight. Do you still remember how to ride?”

“I think I can manage to stay on,” I replied.

About two years ago, the four of us had taken turns riding pegasi for fun.

I hadn’t expected that experience to come in handy—not in a situation like this, anyway.

Once everyone had mounted their pegasi, Hecate spoke again.

“Let’s get going. Right now, all we can see are the stars, but by the time we reach Emporio, it should be light enough to enjoy the view. For now, just focus on not falling off.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the pegasi flapped their wings, lifting us into the night sky.

The will-o’-wisps faithfully followed us, ensuring we had enough light to see by.

With an unobstructed view of the starry sky above, we soared through the air, rushing toward the site of the rebellion.