Chapter 33.5: Ilai

Ilai primarily operated within the territory of House Elnato, but his largest business client by far was the frontier margrave, Lord Elnato himself.

Since the margrave had been particularly concerned about the state of Bit Village, where the witch now lived, Ilai had been summoned for updates several times.

「So, this witch, she’s not a threat?」

「Yes, not at the moment. She does indeed control plants at will and devotes herself to the villagers. There are animated mandragoras under her care, but I’ve appraised them myself, and they appear to be completely harmless…」

The lord had a personal benefactor in Bit Village, which made him especially concerned about its proximity to the magical wasteland. Up to now, he’d relied on Ilai, who regularly passed through the village as a traveling merchant, to keep an eye on it and report back if anything suspicious happened.

Given that, it was only natural for the sudden appearance of a 「Witch」 to catch the lord’s attention. The villagers seemed unusually accepting of her, so Ilai had been keeping his distance and quietly observing her actions.

(She doesn’t act like a villain, but… after seeing that status…)

When he’d used Appraise to check her status, the text had distorted, twisting and trembling in unnatural ways. Ilai’s magic power wasn’t very high, so failing to appraise someone wasn’t unusual. But in those cases, the text should appear as solid black blocks.

He had never seen anything like that before. It meant the target was either overwhelmingly stronger than him… or not human at all.

「Keep watching her. The Holy Knights concluded she’s the real thing, but… if that’s true, we really can’t afford any hostility from her.」

A true demon would be a one-person army. Even though the court mage Nikolaus, a known survivor of the demon race, was still around, this witch had likely lived far longer. If she had survived the cataclysmic war against the dragons, her power would be immeasurable. If she ever turned on humanity, she would become a new disaster in herself. The lord’s concern was warranted.

「She’s been cooperative so far. I’ve never felt hostility or ill intent from her. And here, this is jam made from one of her plants. I had it appraised, and it’s perfectly safe. I’d like to market it as a specialty product from the village.」

Ilai had purchased a jar of jam made by the beastkin boy, Noel, and presented it as a sample to the lord. According to the status readout, it had no toxicity, no addictive qualities, and was both safe and highly nutritious. While it should be consumed in moderation like any other food, it was undeniably a high-quality product. With Ilai’s merchant’s eye, he was confident it would sell well.

He had taken on the dangerous task of assessing a mysterious witch, after all, surely he deserved a little reward.

「I’ll authorize the sale. My daughter will probably love it, and I’ll take a few jars myself. Ah, right, one more thing. Deliver a gift to the witch. But don’t tell her it’s from me.」

「Understood. What should I bring?」

「Something a woman might like… It’s a mirror, enchanted to reveal one’s true form, useful if someone’s using magic or a skill to disguise themselves. I got it from the court mage himself. Frankly, I think it suits the witch far better than me. He also asked me to pass along his regards. Use it as the gift.」

Ilai felt his face freeze in a strained smile.

That meant, if the witch wasn’t what she appeared to be, the mirror would expose her the moment she looked into it.

「My lord… if it reveals she’s not a witch, ?」

「You said she bears no hostility. If that’s true, there’s nothing to fear.」

(This is why nobles are terrifying…!)

It was a subtle way of saying, 「Take responsibility for your words.」 Ilai had no way of refusing. With this gift thrust into his hands, he could only laugh bitterly.

(All I can do now is hope the witch is genuinely kind…)

What’s worse, they even used a teleportation circle to send him directly to the outskirts of the village. Clearly, someone wanted answers fast. Whether it was the lord himself or the court mage who was impatient was unclear.

That woman, strange as she was, had never given off any sense of malice. The villagers clearly adored her. That alone was worth trusting. So now Ilai had to place all his hopes on that trust, confirm her identity using the mirror, and report back. It was obvious, if Ilai didn’t return, they’d draw their own conclusions.

(Well, here goes. Merchants need guts… If she turns out to be human, I can finally relax…)

Bracing himself, Ilai headed for the witch’s house.

Plastering on his best merchant’s smile, he greeted Noel, who was tending to the garden. The boy replied that the witch was bathing and asked him to wait a bit.

Ilai felt a brief wave of relief… but barely a minute later, the witch returned. Perhaps she had sensed his presence.

(Still too perfect. She looks like a doll… If she really were artificial…)

He fought to keep his nervousness hidden behind a grin and began with the usual small talk and business discussion.

Noel’s thoughts were always easy to read, but the witch’s expression never changed. She smiled, as always, and said nothing. She didn’t speak, and her tone never shifted, so it was impossible to read her emotions.

(Why is everyone around me so unreadable lately… My stomach can’t take this…)

But he couldn’t disobey the lord’s orders. His future depended on it.

「So, Witch, today I’ve brought you a little gift. A token of apology and gratitude.」

Doing his best not to show how tense he was, he pulled out the mirror he’d been entrusted with. He hoped that by unveiling it in front of her devoted servant, Noel, she wouldn’t be able to lash out even if she was hiding something.

「Whoa… This must be really expensive… The carving is incredible. But it suits you perfectly, Witch-sama!」

The mirror reflected the witch’s image. A stunning woman… and the smiling face of a joyful young boy.

Only then did Ilai finally relax. It looked like she was really human.

(Now I can finally get back to business without worry… Sorry for doubting you, but I had to do it to survive. I’m sure a clever witch like you understands.)

It wasn’t exactly an apology, but to make it up to her, he resolved to do everything he could to fulfill her requests from now on. And the magic mirror would serve to protect her from the many people who were surely going to come her way.

「Oh, and Witch, about that mirror. It’s enchanted with special magic.」

He openly revealed the secret, implicitly admitting he had doubted her. The witch smiled as if to say she had known all along.

…Truly, she is impossible to read.