[V2C1] Wrath of Radical Fans

Monica turned over under her blanket, and something soft and warm touched her arm. It was Nero in his black cat form. Apparently, Nero had nestled into Monica’s blanket to avoid succumbing to the cold.

Last week, Monica had returned to Sazandol after her battle with the peas at Marquis Highown’s estate. The first snow of the year was already twinkling in the sky, earlier than usual.

While the snowfall wasn’t enough to accumulate on the ground, it did bring the chill of winter with it. Recently, the days had become considerably colder.

Due to his sensitivity to the cold, Nero’s active hours were gradually decreasing day by day.

Last year, despite grumbling about the cold, Nero had remained active until just before the winter solstice break. But this year, Nero was always curled up near the fireplace or under a blanket, even though there was nearly a month until the winter solstice.

(I think it’s before noon… Should I get up soon…?)

Isaac had returned last night, and the enticing smell of soup wafted from downstairs.

Ever since Isaac started living with her, Monica had grown dependent on him for meal preparations.

Monica thought it was only fair for her to cook sometimes as well, but her culinary skills weren’t particularly advanced. She often cooked a few slices of meat with a sprinkle of salt, or boiled some chopped vegetables into a soup. There were no intricate recipes.

It wasn’t bad (or so Monica thought), but she hesitated to serve her cooking to someone with a more refined palate, like Isaac.

“Oh right. I need to ask him to not put peas into today’s soup.”

Monica got out of bed, divided her hair into two, and loosely braided it.

She needed to be cautious about her appearance; otherwise, Lana would scold her. However, since returning from Marquis Highown’s estate to Sazandol, Monica hadn’t seen Lana even once. With the winter break approaching, her trading company was probably busy with various dealings.

(I heard Lana will be visiting her family during the winter break… I hope we can have a leisurely meal before that.)

Thinking such things, Monica slid her blanket over the sleeping Nero and left the room.

However, she heard lively voices from the lower floor. Monica realized that she had guests.

This voice is… Monica thought nostalgically and, as she descended the stairs, caught the details of the conversation with her own ears.

“Ah, the flock of wyverns that filled the skies of Kerbeck was a symbol of despair for the people! The Dragon Knights exerted everything they had, only to pull a single one to the ground! But then! Onee-sama shot them all down by herself! Her heroic figure will undoubtedly be spoken of for generations in the land of Kerbeck!”

“Yeah, I saw that happen too. By the way, at that time, Monica specified a particular space, invoked reconnaissance magic to accurately grasp the coordinates of all enemies within that region, then shot through the wyverns’ foreheads with a triple reinforcement spell. Multiple reinforcement is a tricky thing to handle, as the more you strengthen it, the more prone to collapsing the formula becomes. In Ridill, only the Artillery Mage is capable of sixfold reinforcement. Still, achieving triple reinforcement is impressive, and moreover, being able to activate it over a huge range without chanting is something only the Silent Witch can do.”

“Oh my! You directly witnessed that scene!?”

“After shooting down the wyverns, the fact that she used wind magic to ensure there was no damage at the falling point of the carcasses is also commendable, don’t you think? Supporting such massive bodies with the wind and slowly bringing them down to the ground, that requires precise control. It’s like threading a needle…”

“You are absolutely right! The villagers were deeply moved by Onee-sama’s wonderful consideration!”

Monica froze halfway down the stairs.

The unusually talkative Isaac was rapidly explaining Monica’s magic, and the guest was eagerly nodding in response.

(Wh-what should I do…? It’s really awkward to go down right now.)

As Monica hesitated, the guest quickly noticed her and lifted her face.

“Hello, Onee-sama. I apologize for the sudden visit.”

Curtsying with the perfect manners of a lady was Isabelle Norton, the daughter of Count Kerbeck, who had been a great help during Monica’s infiltration mission two years ago.

Isabelle wore a fancy velvet dress, and standing behind her was Agatha, a maid wearing a simple navy dress.

Isabelle and Agatha had also assisted Monica for the Supreme Council two years ago, so they knew the true identity of the second prince.

They didn’t seem surprised that the second prince had become a disciple to the Silent Witch; rather, they seemed to have been engaged in an enthusiastic conversation with her as the subject.

Monica descended the stairs and respectfully bowed her head to Isabelle and Agatha.

“Um, it’s been a while. Uh… I’m glad you came to visit, Isabelle-sama, Agatha-san.”

When Monica moved to Sazandol, she had sent a greeting letter to the Norton family in Kerbeck. This included a note saying, “If you happen to be in the vicinity, please feel free to stop by.” Actually having them come made her genuinely happy.

As Monica nervously conveyed this, Isabelle’s eyes sparkled with emotion.

“Oh, Onee-sama! I’ve been wanting to see you for so, so long! Actually, I was on my way home from the dormitory at Serendia Academy, you see…”

“Oh, right. The academy is already on winter break.”

Sazandol, in the western part of the kingdom, was located opposite to Kerbeck, which was in the eastern region. Isabelle decided to stop by Monica’s house despite the significant detour.

Isabelle was currently a third-year student at Serendia Academy, the same age as Robert and Elianne. Monica seemed eager to hear about the school life, and Isaac quickly prepared tea for them.

“I’ve been so rude not to offer tea to our guests. My apologies, Miss Isabelle, I was so absorbed in our discussion.”

No need to ask about what the topic of the conversation was. As Monica gave a strained smile, Isabelle nodded joyously.

“No worries, Walker-sama, you are very knowledgeable about the Silent Witch… I had considered myself her biggest fan, yet it seems I still have a lot to learn.”

Apparently, Isabelle had chosen basic magic as her elective in order to learn more about Monica.

“The more I learn, the more I realize how amazing Onee-sama is,” Isabelle murmured, and Isaac gave a strong nod in agreement.

“I’m sorry, Miss Isabelle, but when it comes to knowledge about the Silent Witch, I cannot afford to yield. After all, I’m her top disciple,” Isaac declared proudly.

Monica gave a wry smile at the brazen claim, as Isabelle sighed wistfully.

“I do my best to gather information about Onee-sama every day, but I have a long way to go.”

“G-Gathering information…?”

Monica was perplexed about what exactly Isabelle wanted to know, when Isabelle confidently showcased the results of her efforts in person.

“For example, about half a year ago, you presented the Black Chalice at the academic conference. The fact that the Silent Witch, who hadn’t shown up at conferences before, stood on the stage became a hot topic, and people flocked to the conference.”

“Yes, it was quite challenging…”

“Lately, you’ve been on a collaborative research project with Thorn Witch-sama and stayed at the manor of Marquis Highown.”

“Yes, I stayed there for all of last week.”

As Monica responded with a nod, Isaac interjected, saying, “Wait a moment. You stayed there for the whole week? …I thought you said it was just a day trip.”

Isaac glanced at Monica with a slight frown.

Come to think of it, Monica recalled that Isaac had been working on his tasks in the Erin Territory all of last week.

“Well, you see, um, there were some… various things.”

Various things, such as almost getting eaten by peas.

Although Monica was safely rescued thanks to Cyril and Raul, the aftermath was quite troublesome.

The magically contaminated soil required careful observation, so Monica had no choice but to stay at the Highown Territory for a few days.

When Monica hesitated in her explanation, Isaac earnestly pressed her.

“So you were staying at Cyril’s house…?”

“Oh, um, yes. Marquis Highown kindly said we could take as much time as we wanted so…”

Marquis Highown, despite having a similar aura to Claudia, had prepared excellent guest rooms for Monica and Raul.

Moreover, being a family of librarians, the Marquis’s residence had a well-stocked study.

During her stay, the Marquis allowed Monica to read as many books as she liked. As a result, she became engrossed in reading and lost track of time.

“It was such a lovely mansion that I felt a bit reluctant to leave…”

“…Oh, I see.”

“So, I ended up coming back a little later.”

In reality, she had become so absorbed in reading that she forgot about meals and sleep. As a consequence, every time mealtime or bedtime arrived, Monica was scolded by Cyril and dragged to the dining room or guest room.

Incidentally, the books she didn’t finish were lent to her. So, last night, she got carried away reading the borrowed books and accidentally overslept.

When Monica let out a light laugh, for some reason, Isaac covered his mouth with his hand and fell into silent contemplation.

(Did Ike want to borrow some books too…?)

As Monica looked up at Isaac, he glanced back, about to say something. However, before Isaac could speak, Isabelle went first.

“Oh, by the way, Onee-sama, I heard that you have been staying in a village called Sechen a lot lately! Sechen is famous for its hot springs, so you must be fond of taking thermal treatments!”

“…Huh?”

In response to Isabelle’s words, Monica tilted her head.

Sechen. It was an unfamiliar name. Naturally, she had no memory of staying there.

Isaac muttered with a bitter expression, “Again, information I don’t know…” but even Monica wasn’t aware of this information.

“Um, Sechen…? Where is that?”

Upon noticing Monica’s doubtful tone, Isabelle widened her eyes in surprise. Her maid Agatha explained in her place.

“Sechen is a small village in the Lagott Territory. It’s located about halfway between the Reinberg Territory, where you previously defeated a Curse Dragon, and the capital.”

After listening to Agatha’s explanation, Monica became even more perplexed. Since leaving the mountain hut two years ago, Monica had visited various places outside the capital, but she had no memory of staying in a village called Sechen.

When Monica honestly conveyed this, Isabelle widened her eyes again.

“No way… According to what I heard, the Silent Witch was in the village called Sechen…”

“Miss, could this possibly be… that?”

Agatha murmured in a low voice, and Isabelle nodded with a grim expression.

“Yes, you are right. It must be that.”

What could that be?

As Monica only got more and more confused, Isaac crossed his legs on his chair, then propped his cheek on his hand and muttered.

“…So an impostor Silent Witch is in that village?”

Taken aback by the words “impostor,” Monica was bewildered, but Isabelle nodded solemnly.

“Yes… This must be a plot devised by someone to trap Onee-sama.”

A plot. Monica gasped at the terrifying statement.

However, in contrast to Monica turning pale, the trio of Isaac, Isabelle, and Agatha seemed to exude an unsettling atmosphere. All three had, to put it mildly, intimidating gazes.

“Well, I suppose we can’t just ignore this.”

“Yes, posing as Onee-sama… This is an unforgivable affront.”

“Milady, shall we advise the lord of that village?”

Isabelle considered Agatha’s proposal for a moment before shaking her head.

“If we’re going to advise the lord, we first need an accurate understanding of the facts… Agatha, write a letter to Father, saying we will be taking another detour before returning home.”

“Understood.”

“…Um, Isabelle-sama? Agatha-san?”

Although Monica timidly called out to them, both of them were busy preparing letters and arranging carriages, a sense of duty visible on their faces.

Monica didn’t really understand what was going on, but things seemed to be getting out of hand. She needed to stop them.

As Monica was busy worrying, Isaac looked out the window and muttered softly.

“Sechen will be a bit colder. Should we procure some thick winter clothing?”

“…Um, Ike, Ike…?”

Isaac offered a beautiful smile to the grimacing Monica.

“Don’t worry; the villagers probably don’t know my face.”

Isaac’s smile was as gentle and warm as the spring sunshine. Despite that, his eyes gleamed with a coldness of below freezing.

This gave Monica a profoundly unpleasant premonition.

Yet, in the presence of the three quietly kindling their fighting spirit, the Silent Witch was utterly powerless to do anything.

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