The Witch and Her Companion: I'm Just a Normal High School Student, but I Became the Familiar of the Highest-Ranked Witch. Also, It Seems I'm the Only Guy in the Witch Organization I Joined

Chapter 85: Betrayal and Unrequited Love

[Rachel Poker]

The secret tea, which came from a grand box with a padlock, was actually quite delicious once I drank it.

Though I had memories of drinking it before, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was my first time having it this time.

“──It’s been over four hundred years since I joined the Ravens.”

Sitting down in a chair, Rose took a sip of her tea and began to speak slowly.

“At the time, I was still in my twenties, but I had already been able to use magic since I was ten, so I knew I was a witch. By then, the witch hunters had lost much of their power, and there weren’t many radical ones left… But one day, my village was betrayed, and they set it on fire. It didn’t matter if you were human or a witch, they didn’t even put us through an inquisition… it all happened suddenly.”

Even though I had lost the memory of that time, just looking at Rose’s eyes, full of sorrow, I could imagine how horrific it must have been.

“Half of the villagers burned to death, and I lost my friends. After that, I was kicked out of the village… The people who had always been kind to me, even knowing I was a witch, threw stones at me as if I were their enemy. After I left the village, my feet naturally led me to this place. I had heard rumors that Ravens was gathering witches, and more than anything, I wanted revenge on the witch hunters.”

“──This place, you mean?”

“This used to be the headquarters of Ravens, you know. When the organization split, the Seraph Witch Association took over this land.”

I understood now. In other words, the Joker card had been doing its job well.

It wasn’t that Ravens’s headquarters had changed over time, but rather that the headquarters had simply turned into the Seraph Witch Association’s base.

“──Back to the story, though, Ravens easily accepted me. By the way, Magenta joined Ravens on the same day I did.”

“Ah, those were the days, huh, Rose…”

“…Be quiet.”

Magenta, leaning against the wall, chuckled without making a sound. This must have been a part of Rose’s black history.

“Anyway, back to the point. Rachel was a truly mysterious witch.”

“…What do you mean?”

I leaned forward, eager to hear more.

But suddenly, “mysterious,” huh?

“Well, on the surface, she seemed like a really ordinary girl, but there was something strangely magnetic about her—despite not having any major feats, she had become a Lord, surpassing even monster-like witches… And yet, no one seemed dissatisfied with it…”

“She didn’t have any major feats?”

I had thought this was my chance to learn something about myself, but now, it didn’t seem like anything interesting was coming up. I felt somewhat pathetic.

“No, I mean, compared to the other Lords. It’s not that I’m saying this lightly, but she did her job properly.”

“I see.”

Rose, perhaps realizing she had introduced the late Rachel too casually, hastily made a correction. How earnest of her. But I’m still alive, though.

“Then… well, her magic was also full of mysteries. The fact that she could use the same magic as Vivian was already a strange thing, but there were also many speculations about what other types of magic she could use.”

“──Ah, I remember that.”

Magenta smiled nostalgically as she looked at Rose.

“…Speculations?”

“Yes, Rachel kept her magic secret, including anything besides Kurobane. No one in the organization knew what other magic she could use.”

What? Then no one knew what kind of magic I could use… My past self was such an idiot.

“There were all kinds of rumors—like that she could shoot flames from her hands or use healing magic… there was even a rumor that she could transform into a cat.”

Unfortunately, once again, these were unreliable details. A witch can usually only use up to two types of magic. Even if I, as a Lord, could use three, these rumors didn’t add up. They were probably just that—rumors.

“Is it rare for a witch to hide their magic?”

Suddenly, Emilia raised her hand and asked with a serious expression.

“Well, there are certainly witches who keep their magic secret, but… in Rachel’s case, it was different. Normally, if a witch doesn’t have the trust of the organization’s witches, they can’t serve as a Lord.”

“Is that so?”

“Back then, Ravens had a bunch of crazy witches like Bubblegum, you know? If you were trying to lead an organization like that, in the end, overwhelming strength is what matters. Since each witch was exceptional on their own, no one would follow anyone weaker than them.”

“I see… That’s a very clear explanation.”

It was true that getting Bubblegum to obey would be no small feat. That’s how powerful the Four Great Witches were. In fact, even Vivian treated Bubblegum like a child.

“As for Rachel and Ibis’ relationship, I’ve explained that before, right?”

“Yes, I believe… It was a love triangle with someone named Judas.”

Judas… I couldn’t remember her face, but for some reason, my chest tightened at the mention of her name.

She was said to have killed me, and I felt I should learn more about her.

“Yes… they never made it public, but Ibis and Rachel were in a romantic relationship. That itself wasn’t something to be condemned, but the problem was that Judas was also in love with Ibis… An unrequited love that could never come true, and it led to that tragedy…”

Hearing that I was in a relationship with Ibis… it felt like the girl who had appeared so often in my dreams might have been Ibis.

Though, like Judas, I couldn’t remember her face.

Still, I remembered being shocked by the idea of witches loving each other when I visited here before. Now, however, it wasn’t some abstract thing. It was a strange feeling to realize I was actually part of it.

“…And when you say ‘tragedy,’ do you mean Judas killing Rachel?”

“It wasn’t just Rachel. Judas killed eleven other witches too.”

Rose’s voice seemed to tremble slightly. But I could tell that it wasn’t anger — it was deep sorrow. For some reason, I could sense that.

“…But why weren’t the other witches involved in the love triangle?”

“I don’t know all the details, but the witches who were killed, they all admired Rachel… Maybe that’s why…”

I couldn’t remember what kind of person Judas had been, but if that was truly the only reason she went that far, then she must have hated me with all her heart.

“…I see. Do you remember the details of when Rachel died?”

“…Yes, I remember it well.”

Rose, who had been gently drinking her tea, set her cup down on the table without taking a sip.

“—That day, for reasons I don’t understand, Rachel suddenly ran out of the castle… Judas went after her to bring her back, but she didn’t return with her. Instead, she came back badly wounded… The next person to leave the castle was Ibis, asking for details.”

Rose continued as she gazed at her tea.

“And Ibis didn’t return either… When Judas’ injuries had healed, she left again, saying she was going to search for Ibis, and left the castle in Viviann’s hands. That was the last time anyone saw her.”

“…”

As I tried to process the situation in my head, I was struck by the strange realization. Though I was hearing this like it was someone else’s story, I was the one who was involved.

I knew I should remember why I left the castle that day, and why Judas, not Ibis, followed me. But I couldn’t recall it. I was supposed to know, yet my memories eluded me.

“—Ibis came back with terrible injuries about a month later… She was completely broken, looking like her soul had been drained, and all she said was, ‘Judas betrayed me.’ Viviann eventually forced the truth out of her, and that’s when we learned that Rachel and the witches who had been searching with her had been killed.”

“After that, Viviann went to retrieve the bodies, but apparently, they were in no condition to even identify who was who.”

So, that meant if I wanted more details about that, I’d have to ask Viviann.

“…If the bodies were unidentifiable, then maybe Rachel isn’t really dead?”

I asked, and though it seemed like an impossible idea, I couldn’t help but think about it. After all, I was still alive.

“No… Ibis saw it clearly. She saw Rachel’s head get chopped off right before her eyes.”

“…I-I see.”

That was hard to believe. Surely there must have been some kind of misunderstanding… maybe she had mistaken what she saw…

Without thinking, I touched my own neck. There’s no way it could’ve been really cut, right?