[V12C3] Melissa Roseberg's Astonishment

Melissa was sitting in the director’s office of the Sazandol Mage Association, which she had taken for herself. She read the successive reports of bad news as she glared at the map and ruffled her hair in frustration.

Meanwhile, outside the window, a squirming patch of purplish plants was obstructing the sky, letting out a chorus of squeals.

Several hours had passed since the black shower from the ancient artifact Gluttonous Zoe, and the situation did not show any signs of improvement. The sun was already starting to set.

They knew nothing about the whereabouts of Theodore or his servant Throth. All the city gates were sealed, and the harbor was infested with water dragons.

(A powerful spell is enough to break through the gate blockade… But they’ll probably reseal it just as fast.)

Moreover, opening the gates would lead to a rush of panicked civilians trying to flee the city, resulting in further casualties. Large crowds were simply sitting ducks for Theodore’s next attack.

It was possible to bypass the gates via flight magic, but they only had three users of flight magic: the Dragon Slayer Mage and two Mage Association staff.

(We’ve already sent a familiar to the capital… Our job is to hold out until reinforcements arrive.)

In the meantime, they needed to locate Theodore, ensure the safety of civilians, recover the affected victims, and keep an eye out to prevent riots. Frankly, none of these tasks suited Melissa’s temperament.

Right as Melissa was about to contemplate the viability of covering Sazandol in sedative potions, Silas entered through the window using flight magic.

She had instructed Silas to bring Monica with him, yet he returned by himself.

“Dragon Slayer, what’s the meaning of this? Where’s the Silent Witch? Don’t tell me she got caught in the black rain…”

Silas shook his head with a grim expression. He answered slowly, as if carefully choosing his words.

“…Silent-neesan engaged in battle with Theodore and was defeated. She had something precious devoured.”

“What!?”

Melissa could not help but grimace at this outlandish turn of events.

If Monica had her precious things stolen, then her mana must have been devoured as well. Similarly to the Barrier Mage, she was no longer able to fight.

The situation was already so dire that they needed as much manpower as possible, yet Monica was the only wielder of chantless magic. Losing her was an extremely significant blow.

“What precious thing did the Little One lose? Her hair? Skin? Youth?”

“…I’m not really sure, but it seems like her memories were devoured.”

“What do you mean ‘seems like’!? Didn’t you meet Moni-Moni directly!?”

Frustrated, Melissa banged her hand on the desk. Silas scratched the back of his head in an attempt to disguise his awkwardness.

“Apparently, she lost her memories and is afraid of men now. That’s why her disciple wanted you to come…”

“Disciple?”

Monica having a disciple was news to Melissa. Either way, it took some nerve for a mere disciple to summon the Thorn Witch.

“Well, I’m super busy right now. Tell that disciple to come to me if they have any business.”

“…Isaac Walker.”

“What?”

“Uh, he said that you would come if I mentioned his name, or something like that…”

Melissa opened her mouth to ask who that was, before pausing and furrowing her brow. While the name sounded somewhat familiar, she had never met anyone like that.

She tapped her crossed arms with her fingertips, retracing her memories.

——In the future, if a man named Isaac Walker comes asking for your help, I want you to lend him a hand without asking any questions.

Melissa inadvertently let out a gasp, recalling the words spoken by Second Prince Felix Arc Ridill, along with his perfect smile.

The cunning prince had sniffed out Melissa’s secrets and used them to blackmail her.

＊　＊　＊

Melissa delegated the command of the Mage Association to Ray (who screamed and cried), and had Silas carry her to Monica’s house via flight magic.

It wasn’t advisable to be outside after the sunset, but Melissa believed there was a low chance of Theodore attacking at this hour.

His objective was to absorb the mana of as many people as possible, which was why he invoked the black rain once the sun had come out and many people were walking the streets. Logically speaking, the same thing would not work at nighttime, when hardly anyone was outside.

The lights were on in Monica’s house, so it appeared to be occupied.

Melissa violently slammed the door knocker until it was opened by a young man with blond hair.

The right half of his face was covered in a black eyepatch, and his sharp eyes made him somewhat intimidating.

(Oh, pretty handsome guy.)

Although he wasn’t Melissa’s type, a girl who preferred shadowy men might fall for him at first sight. As she entertained such thoughts, the young man glanced briefly at Silas, who stood behind Melissa.

Silas nodded back, holding the door without entering the house.

“I’ll keep watch outside, so call me when you’re done,” Silas said.

“…Thank you,” the man replied.

Silas casually waved his hand at the man, then closed the door.

This exchange, though brief, gave Melissa the impression that Silas and the man were familiar with each other. Perhaps they were acquaintances.

Setting aside those thoughts, Melissa surveyed the interior of the house. It seemed a bit small for the residence of a Sage, but it looked tidy and well-maintained.

In contrast with the homely and comfortable living spaces, there were bookshelves packed with rows of magical textbooks and research materials. This was undoubtedly the home of a mage.

(…Hmm?)

Melissa examined the table, sofa, and other furniture. A question popped up in her mind, but before she could voice it, the man with the eyepatch spoke up.

“Thank you for coming all this way, Lady Melissa. I am Isaac Walker.”

“…Some nerve you have, calling me out like this. So? What is Prince Felix’s pet dog doing in the house of the Silent Witch?”

Melissa pushed out her lower lip as she glared back. However, the man calling himself Isaac retorted in a monotone voice.

“I have no intention of answering your questions. Weren’t you told to assist me, no questions asked?”

Melissa immediately decided that she hated this guy.

She was the type of person who countered hostility with hostility and malice with malice, paying it back double with a sneer on top.

In line with her principles, Melissa took a bottle from her pocket. It was nothing more than a perfume scented with roses, but once she imbued her mana, the ordinary perfume could turn into an aphrodisiac or a deadly poison.

“Don’t you back talk me, lackey. One whiff of this will turn you into my servant. Understand?”

Melissa provocatively shook the perfume bottle with her red-painted nails, but Isaac seemed completely undeterred. Without any change in expression, he bowed his head to Melissa.

“…Allow me to apologize, Fourth Thorn Witch-dono. I was on edge due to the situation with Monica… I humbly request your assistance.”

Melissa scoffed and played with the perfume battle on her palm.

“What are you to the Silent Witch? At least answer that.”

“Her disciple.”

“…Disciple?”

Come to think of it, Silas had mentioned something about Monica having a disciple. However, Melissa never heard about any disciple from Monica herself.

The circumstances of how Isaac became her disciple remained a mystery, but Melissa had no intention of dragging out the conversation. Time was of the essence right now.

“Whatever. So where is Moni-Moni… the Silent Witch?”

“This way.”

Isaac led the way upstairs and knocked on one of the doors, but there was no response.

“Monica, coming in.”

Isaac called out and opened the door, but he did not enter the room. Instead, he held the door open and gestured for Melissa to go inside.

Without a word, Melissa stepped into the room.

The dim candle-lit room appeared to be Monica’s bedroom, as Monica was lying down on the bed wrapped in a blanket. She appeared to be mumbling something, and only after straining her ears could Melissa make out that it was numbers.

“Moni-Moni, Little One. Can you hear me?”

Melissa called out to Monica, but there was no response. The girl’s eyes were vacant, as if staring into an empty void.

After examining the black mark on the back of Monica’s neck, Melissa grabbed her cheeks and peered into her face.

Monica’s childishly round eyes certainly reflected Melissa, but they were not aware of her. These were the eyes of someone rejecting everything they saw.

Thinking that a slap might bring her to her senses, Melissa raised her right hand, but someone grabbed her wrist.

“Please, don’t do that.”

Isaac, who was standing by the entrance, had moved behind Melissa in a flash and stopped her.

The sharpness of his glare sent a shiver down Melissa’s spine.

(Such bloodshot eyes…)

Suddenly, Monica stopped murmuring numbers and gasped.

“Ugh… ah… ah… no… ah…!”

Monica was looking at them with fright… Or more precisely, her eyes perceived Isaac as an object of fear.

(Oh yeah, Dragon Slayer mentioned that she’s afraid of men.)

Monica let out a few labored breaths, but eventually, she returned to murmuring numbers in a slightly louder tone than before.

“3776445… hah… 516950440010… hah…”

Despite looking like she might burst into tears at any moment, Monica’s mouth gradually twisted into a distorted smile as she continued murmuring numbers.

That smile gave Melissa the creeps. She flinched back and averted her eyes.

Isaac, on the other hand, stared right at Monica and her broken smile. Despite the pain visible on his face, he refused to look away.

＊　＊　＊

Leaving Monica in her room, Melissa and Isaac moved downstairs. After all, it felt too eerie to talk in front of Monica in her current state.

“Anyways, it’s clear to me that the Silent Witch is as good as useless right now,” Melissa began.

Honestly, it would have been better if she was in a coma.

The spell for removing shadows and lifting the victims out of their comas was already complete and awaiting verification. Given enough time, all of the comatose victims could be healed.

However, the precious things that had been stolen were a different story. Those would never come back unless they did something about Gluttonous Zoe.

“Just so you know, the Mage Association won’t take her in,” Melissa continued.

Many mages were gathered at the Mage Association. In other words, the building was Theodore’s biggest target, and thus, the most dangerous place in Sazandol.

Moreover, the Mage Association was already struggling to deal with the situation. They didn’t have the manpower to care for Monica right now.

“That said, I understand that she needs the help of a woman. I’ll explain the situation to the Silent Witch’s friend, President Lana Colette of the Flux Company, and request her assistance. She’ll take good care of the Little One.”

Melissa took a small bottle of candy from the pocket of her robe and placed it on the table.

This bottle was one of House Roseberg’s greatest secrets, a magical tool with the effect of prolonging temporary imbuement magic.

“I’ll leave this here. It’s just normal candy infused with mana, but that should help for mana deficiency. Give Moni-Moni some if she’s slow to recover.”

“…Thank you. I sincerely appreciate your help, Fourth Thorn Witch-dono.”

Isaac’s formal expression of gratitude was only met with a scoff from Melissa.

“Hmph… Actually, why aren’t there any female servants here? Or what? Did they get taken out by the black rain?”

“I handle all of the miscellaneous tasks myself.”

Melissa recalled the doubt she had earlier, when observing the house.

By examining the furniture, it was possible to gauge how many people lived there. Melissa’s first impression was that Monica did not live by herself.

She had assumed the existence of a visiting maid or something similar, but…

“…Wait. Don’t tell me you actually live with her?” Melissa asked.

“What of it?”

Upon hearing Isaac’s casual response, Melissa dropped her jaw and shivered all over.

“…No, no, no. Hold on. But you’re a man.”

“For mages, isn’t it normal for a disciple to take care of their master?”

There were indeed some witches who enjoyed being waited on by their favorite pretty boys. But Monica? That little girl who always squealed when placed in front of the opposite sex? A bit hard to imagine.

Well, Monica Everett the Silent Witch was technically an adult woman.

(Eh…? H-Hold on, do Cyril-sama, President Colette, and my idiot brother know about this…?)

Melissa silently decided to question Monica about all of this once the incident was resolved. Meanwhile, Isaac pulled out a chair from the table, gesturing for Melissa to sit.

“…I’m pretty busy, so can I go now?” Melissa asked, giving Isaac a dubious gaze.

“I want you to tell me everything you know about Theodore Maxwell and Gluttonous Zoe, the shadow removal spell that Monica made, and her secretly developed Star Arrow… Everything.”

This guy seemed to be a genius at saying unbelievable things in an nonchalant tone, Melissa thought to herself. All of this was clearly classified information.

Noticing Melissa’s frown, Isaac pulled back a chair and seated himself across from her, crossing his legs as he spoke from a position of dominance.

“I know about you making a killing off your potions. You don’t have the right to refuse.”

“…You remind me of Prince Felix.”

Like how they both loved blackmailing people with a smug face… Melissa muttered silently to herself. Isaac, however, continued in the same nonchalant tone.

“Oh no, I could not possibly compare to him, as I am nowhere near as kind… Now, please have a seat, milady.”

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