Chapter 201 – Episode 201. Each Person’s Path, Each Person’s Relationship (2)
It is said that she is a witch whose sentiments as a human have worn off, but that is because she has a point of view that is closer to that of a demon than a human.
Witches are also beings who feel emotions, and since their senses are not paralyzed, it is not strange that they devote themselves to rest or hobbies to soothe their tired mind and body.
In other words, soaking in hot water like now can definitely be considered as a rest for witches.
“… Whoa.”
Soaking herself in the improvised bath, Margaret began to close her eyes while looking up at the ceiling in silence.
The calm that gradually begins to come in the darkness that came before long… It was the feeling Margaret felt most comfortable with.
Because she accepted many witches’ vengeful spirits into her body, she couldn’t even rest comfortably.
Just by closing your eyes, their grudges and unfulfilled lingering cycles repeat, causing insomnia.
That is why whenever she takes a break, she always prioritizes the time to meditate while soaking in hot water.
“Hiya, I think I’ll live~”
What is different from usual is that there are people who enjoy spending alone time together.
Half-submerged on the other side of the bathtub, Yumir stretched herself out and began to smile softly at herself.
“How long has it been since you’ve been soaking in hot water like this? You’ve created such an amazing bathhouse on the spot. Your magic skills have improved so much without seeing it?”
Of course, there is nothing she can’t do herself, but after she became a great mage, her powers grew so much that it became difficult to finely control magic except telekinesis.
It was inevitable that a considerable amount of time and effort would be spent on crafting such as making something of her.
On the other hand, Margaret seemed to like even such difficulty, and she created this bath without hesitation.
Even when she pretended to, she felt that she had greater capabilities than she did, but she did not show the slightest feeling of being oppressed by those qualities.
“… Yeah, that’s great.”
She did such an outrageous thing casually, but on Margaret’s face there was only the apathy she displayed when they first met.
“Because it is absurd from common sense for an inferior student at the academy to do something like this.”
What came out of her mouth was not arrogance as an authority figure, but rather self-torture.
Dark atmosphere.
After reading it, Ymir hardened his expression, and soon lowered his eyes and made a bitter expression.
“I didn’t mean to be mean to you, but… Sorry, I must have poked a sensitive spot.”
Anyone familiar with her Ymir would first think that her current attitude was not like her.
Since that day, she developed distrust of people, because she always chased away those who approached her with a barbed attitude.
“No, you don’t have to apologize. I didn’t say that specifically to get an apology from you.”
However, what Margaret felt when seeing such a passive attitude was none other than familiarity.
Because the Ymir she knew was afraid of people’s gazes, and always tried to hide behind me when facing someone.
Even with that kind of personality, she never thought she’d come to find herself first.
‘You’ve changed, Ymir too.’
Unlike her own self, who could only be transformed by borrowing her witch powers, she was changed directly by her own will.
She wants to overcome her world that she is afraid of, she sharpens her mind and body…
If her feelings as a human being had remained in her, she would surely have thought of her now as great.
“… How.”
Yes, what I feel at this moment is, in the end, just nostalgia from her memories.
She thinks she used to be like that, but that hasn’t really changed. Despite the fact that she was a friend whom she clearly missed, liked, and should be sorry for.
“How did you recognize me? Time has passed since that day, and my whole body was wrapped up tightly.”
Was it because she had that much sincerity to herself that she immediately recognized herself that had changed so much?
Unlike herself, she still considers herself a true friend?
“I thought you looked at the chest.”
However, what continues is a story that is completely far from such sentimentality.
“What, what?”
“It’s the heart. I’ve rarely seen anyone as big as me in my life, other than you.”
“…”
“… No, has it gotten bigger since then? Seeing it this way, it seems to have changed a bit.”
While holding her chin, Yumir begins to look at himself carefully.
She saw that even her eyes were wide open, as if she could see through herself, and she began to feel a chill run through her body.
‘You’re kidding, right?’
Yeah, it must have been because the atmosphere just got awkward.
Margaret, who was eager to accept it, silently soaked her body, and Yumir let out a cheesy laugh at her and began leaning her shoulders against the wall.
“Yeah, if you look closely, your body is fine. At that time, things were broken.”
“…”
“… Are you okay with the drug?”
Margaret quietly puts her hand on me at Ymir’s question.
Unlike when she was soaked in her medicine, her skin has elasticity, and her appearance maintains a youthful appearance that is comparable to that of Yumir.
The heart is beating normally and the movements of the muscles are delicate. Because her psychological stability became evident in her desire as a witch, it was stable except for the voice that echoed in her head.
“Yeah, that’s why I became a witch.”
If someone you don’t know sees it, they’ll probably think it’s no different than a virgin who’s never hugged a man.
As far as the body goes.
“Do you want to go back to before that?”
“… I want to forget.”
– It’s okay.
She folds her lower body with her hands folded together, and begins to put her head between them.
“I just accepted it because I wanted to forget everything that happened back then.”
It must have been like that in the past.
Mad with her sense of inferiority, she lashes out at her friends, and in order to be liberated from such a harsh reality, she goes crazy with her medicine and destroys her body and mind…
However, when he realized that even that was just a dream, the only thing that came to him was disillusionment with his own existence and fear of wanting to run away from the world.
“After she dropped out of the academy, was kicked out of her family and entered a convent, she changed her name and lived by praying every day.”
There were times when she relied on her faith to allay her fears, but in the end it only blinded her own eyes.
When she had time, she always offered her prayers and dispelled her anxiety, repeating in a corner of her heart that she longed for repercussions in her own life.
Is it good whether it be God or the devil, she asks to be freed from everything she feels.
“That’s how she found it while staying at the convent. The remains of the witches kept by the Church.”
Yes, her desperate prayers finally came true.
By revealing to the world evidence of arrogance and injustice committed by those who worshiped God before him.
“In the church? Why were you keeping it?”
“They must have coveted the power of witches, too.”
Wasn’t the witch hunt, after all, the result of incitement?
Even the demons who signed the contract in the first place survived over and over again over several centuries, and in the end, it was because of the ancient people who lost interest even in the existence of the world.
Their search for humans and contracts with them is nothing but pure interest, and for those who know the truth, witch hunting is a political means, not to exorcise injustice.
So, if the remaining remains at the end could be utilized, they would try to utilize them. No matter how much the source of power comes from the enemy of mankind, good and evil do not exist in power itself.
“Of course, from their point of view, there was no proper way to use it, so it seems that they kept it in the basement… After the royal government changed, management was neglected, so even a low-level person like me was entrusted with cleaning the secretly managed charnel house.”
“And in the process, I had an opportunity to gain the power of witches, and I became a witch… You mean?”
“Okay, isn’t that an insignificant story?”
“… It’s not an insignificant story, you bastard.”
Although it could not be overcome with effort or willpower, isn’t it the result of a miracle that can be called heavenly luck in itself?
Of course, that made it impossible to set foot anywhere on the human side, but as long as you escaped their pursuit and took refuge in the Demon King’s Territory, you can stop worrying about that part.
“I’m glad though. It’s because I can see it in a normal state like this.”
Yes, because becoming a witch is, in the end, nothing more than being born with powers different from those of humans.
Ymir, who had realized the true nature of witches while researching that power, was sincerely relieved at the sight of her best friend at this moment.
“You really think so?”
Without knowing how those words would be perceived by Margaret herself.
“You think so…”
“Yumi. What happened happened.”
Margaret, speaking quietly, wiping her hand away from her own arm.
The smoothness of her skin was palpable through her palms, but that was only her outer appearance.
Even at this moment, she is still shining in her eyes. Her own filthy past steeped in her drugs and lust.
“Unless you turn back time, everything that has passed will not come back. Youth, youth, and…”
Purity too.
No matter how much the body is restored, as long as the memory is preserved, the mind can never prove its purity.
Even at this moment, regret for him was lodged deep in her heart.
Because erasing the traces of her own miserable past was the reason she became a witch herself.
All of her emotions stemming from her memory, which served as a trigger for her, remained deep in her mind even at this moment, encouraging her to live as a witch.
She said she had to become a witch to forget all of that. She said she couldn’t undo what had already happened, so she had to take on a responsibility that was too great for her to bear.
“… Yumil.”
And her own close friends also existed in what she had to turn away for that purpose.
“Do you consider me a friend?”
Even the friend she once led herself to, betrayed her heart and should feel sorry for her.
“Yeah, I think of you as a friend.”
“Don’t you hate me?”
Still, maybe
I thought that if I saw the friend I met at that time again at this moment, something might change, but the result did not change either.
“Rather, I knew you would hate me. Why didn’t I reach out to you then?”
“Even if it’s true, you don’t have to apologize. Because right now I can’t feel anything while looking at you.”
That’s what makes her a witch.
Declining into a selfish tribe that cannot expect any human appreciation for anything except the contract that binds them.
“… Yes, we can’t go back to the way we were before.”
So, in the future, it will not happen that she herself continues the relationship with her old friend.
Because what was here was not Madoka, an inferior student at the academy, but Margaret, a newly born witch who sacrificed such an existence.
“I won’t say I’m happy or sorry.”
Margaret, who had uttered her realization with her sincerity, immediately stood up in her bathtub, looking down at her old friend.
With an emotionless face that still doesn’t feel anything.
“Just, from now on, let’s just get to know each other. You as the archmage who will save the world, and I as a servant who will bring in those who will not be welcome in this world.”
After that greeting, Margaret tries to turn her back on her seat. Normally, she would have to stay a little longer, but just now she couldn’t.
Even if she doesn’t feel anything, the memories she wants to forget keep flickering in her head as she faces her face.
She said that even the moment she thought it was a good memory might turn into a bad color…
“Yes, it means that your propensity as a demon has deepened, right?”
Concerned about that, as she tried to distance herself, Yumir muttered insinuatingly and began to flick her fingers in the air.
At that moment, space was twisted and something landed on her palm.
It is a magic that utilizes ‘subspace creation’ that can only be caused by distorting the surrounding space by constantly spreading and operating powerful mana around it.
As mentally draining as it is, it is a skill that even archmages use only when storing important items.
“Madoka, look here for a second.”
After dispelling the magic and pouring what she took out into her mouth, Yumir got out of her bathtub and started approaching Madoka, who was trying to get away from her.
“I have something else to say… What!?”
It’s been awhile since I’ve tried to take it lightly.
Soon, Margaret’s eyes widened in surprise at the foreign body sensation she felt around her mouth, and her body began to stiffen.
