Chapter 15
Wrapped in a blanket, Monica rolled over in her sleep, and her arm brushed against something soft and limp. The soft, warm body belonged to Nero, who had transformed into a black cat. Apparently, he had lost his battle with the cold and crawled under Monica's blanket.
Last week, around the time Monica returned to Southdoll from the Marquis of Hiohne's territory after struggling with the pea, the first snow of the year had begun drifting through the air earlier than usual.
The snow had not fallen heavily enough to accumulate, but it seemed to have brought winter's chill with it, and the days had been growing steadily colder.
Nero, who was sensitive to the cold, had been active for fewer and fewer hours each day.
Last year, he had complained about how cold it was but remained active until just before the winter solstice break. This year, however, despite there being nearly a month left until the solstice, he spent nearly all his time curled up near the fireplace or inside a blanket.
(It's probably almost noon... Maybe I should get up soon...)
Isaac had returned the previous night, so the pleasant smell of soup wafted up from downstairs.
Ever since he had come, Monica had been taking advantage of him and leaving all the meal preparation to him.
She sometimes thought she ought to cook for herself, but Monica's cooking was not especially tasty.
She merely salted meat and grilled it. For soup, she simply cut up some vegetables and boiled them.
It wasn't bad—or so Monica thought—but the results were hardly fit to serve to someone with a refined palate like Isaac's.
"Oh, right. I should tell him to make something other than pea soup for lunch."
Monica got out of bed, parted her hair into two sections, and tied them into loose braids.
Lana would scold her if she dressed too casually, but Monica had not seen Lana even once since returning to Southdoll from the Marquis of Hiohne's territory. With the winter solstice break approaching, the merchant company was probably busy with all sorts of things.
(It seems Lana is going back to her family home for the winter solstice break too... I hope we can have a leisurely meal together before then.)
As she thought this, Monica tucked the blanket back over the sleeping Nero and left the room.
Then she heard voices coming from downstairs. One of them, a clear, vigorous voice that seemed to belong to a guest, sounded familiar.
As she descended the stairs, thinking how nostalgic that voice was, the conversation reached Monica's ears as well.
"Ah, the flocks of winged dragons that fill the skies over Kerbeck are a symbol of despair to its people. Even when the Dragon Knights join forces, they can barely drag those massive creatures down one at a time! And yet! Big Sis shot them all down by herself! There is no doubt that Big Sis's heroic feat will be passed down through Kerbeck for generations to come!"
"Yes, I saw it too. At the time, Monica designated a specific area and used a detection spell to precisely determine the coordinates of every enemy within it, then used a triple-enhancement spell to shoot each winged dragon between the eyes. Multiple-enhancement spells are difficult to handle because the more you enhance them, the more easily the spell structure collapses. In this country, the 〈Cannon Mage〉 is said to be the only person capable of using sixfold enhancement. Even triple enhancement is remarkable, of course, but more than anything, the 〈Silent Witch〉 is probably the only person in the world who can activate it over such a wide area without chanting."
"My goodness! You witnessed that scene firsthand!?"
"And don't you think it was amazing how she used wind magic to ensure that the fallen bodies wouldn't cause any damage where they landed? Supporting that much mass with wind and lowering it gently to the ground requires control accurate enough to thread a needle..."
"That's right! The villagers were deeply moved by Big Sis's incredible thoughtfulness!"
Monica stopped halfway down the stairs.
Downstairs, Isaac, more talkative than usual, was rapidly explaining Monica's magic while the guest listened with shining eyes and nodded along.
(W-what should I do...? It'll be so awkward to go out there.)
As Monica shuffled her feet, the guest noticed her at once and looked up with a bright smile.
"Good day, Big Sis. I'm sorry for visiting so suddenly."
The visitor giving a perfect lady's curtsy was Isabelle Norton, daughter of the Count of Kerbeck.
She was the great benefactor who had helped Monica during her infiltration mission two years ago.
A maid named Agatha stood behind her, dressed in a simple navy-blue dress, while Isabelle wore a high-quality velvet dress.
Isabelle and Agatha were among the people who knew the Second Prince's true identity and had helped with the Supreme Council two years ago.
They had not been surprised when the Second Prince became the 〈Silent Witch〉's uninvited disciple. If anything, they seemed delighted to spend their time chatting about the 〈Silent Witch〉.
Monica hurried down the stairs and bowed her head to Isabelle and Agatha.
"Um, it's been a long time. Um... I'm happy that Isabelle-sama and Agatha-san came to visit me."
When Monica moved to Southdoll, she had sent a letter of greeting to the Norton family in Kerbeck.
She had added a line saying, "If you happen to pass nearby, please be sure to stop by," but she was honestly happy that they had actually come.
When Monica shyly told her this, Isabelle's eyes lit up with emotion.
"Ah, Big Sis! I really, truly wanted to see you! Actually, I'm on my way home from the Serendia Academy dormitory today..."
"Oh, I see. The academy is on winter break already."
Southdoll was in the western part of the kingdom, while the eastern territory of Count Kerbeck lay on the opposite side. Even so, Isabelle had apparently gone out of her way to stop by Monica's house, knowing it would take her out of her way.
Isabelle was currently a third-year student at Serendia Academy. Monica was eager to hear about the academy from someone in the same year as Roberto and Eliane, and Isaac quickly prepared some tea.
"How remiss of me to leave a guest without offering her tea. I simply hit it off with Miss Isabelle."
The topic of their conversation went without saying.
When Monica smiled vaguely, Isabelle nodded with a grin.
"Yes, Walker-sama knows so much about the 〈Silent Witch〉... I considered myself her number-one fan, yet I still have so much to learn."
Apparently, she had gone out of her way to select a basic magic course so that she could learn more about Monica.
When Isabelle murmured, "The more I learn, the more I realize how incredible Big Sis is," Isaac nodded as though to say, Of course, of course.
"I'm sorry, Miss Isabelle, but I can't concede that I'm the person who knows the most about the 〈Silent Witch〉. After all, I'm her first disciple."
Monica gave a wry smile at the uninvited disciple who proudly called himself her first disciple, while Isabelle sighed wistfully.
"I make a point of gathering information about Big Sis every day, but I still have so much to learn."
"G-gathering information...?"
As Monica wondered what, exactly, Isabelle wanted to know about her, Isabelle proudly presented the results of her research right in front of Monica.
"Apparently, when Big Sis presented the black chalice at the academic conference six months ago, it became a major topic of conversation because the 〈Silent Witch〉, who had never appeared at an academic conference before, took the stage, and people flooded into the conference."
"Yes, it was very difficult..."
"And recently, I hear you've been going to the Marquis of Hiohne's territory for joint research with the 〈Thorn Witch〉-sama."
"Yes, I stayed there all last week."
At Monica's reply, Isaac cut in with, "Wait a moment."
"You stayed there all last week? ...I thought you were only going for the day."
Isaac looked at Monica with a slight furrow in his brow.
Then Monica remembered that Isaac had spent all of the previous week working in the Duke of Erin's territory.
"Um, well, there were some... circumstances..."
A pea had eaten her.
Monica had been rescued safely thanks to Cyril and Raul, but dealing with the aftermath had been difficult.
In particular, the magic-polluted soil had to be monitored over time, so she had no choice but to remain in the Marquis of Hiohne's territory for several days.
When Monica faltered, Isaac pressed her for an answer with a serious expression.
"While you were staying there... you stayed at Cyril's house?"
"Oh, yes. The Marquis of Hiohne-sama told us to take our time and relax."
The Marquis of Hiohne, whose manner strongly resembled Claudia's, had prepared splendid guest rooms for Monica and Raul.
Moreover, as befitted a family of librarians, the Hiohne household had an exceptionally well-stocked study.
The marquis had told Monica she could read as many books as she liked during her stay, and she had promptly become so absorbed in reading that she forgot the passage of time.
"It was such a wonderful estate that I felt a little reluctant to leave..."
"...I see."
"So I ended up coming home a little late."
More specifically, Monica had become so engrossed in her books that she forgot to eat and sleep.
As a result, every time it was time to eat or go to bed, Cyril had shouted at her and dragged her to the dining room or guest room.
Incidentally, she had been allowed to borrow the books she had not finished. So last night, she became absorbed in reading one of those books and accidentally overslept.
When Monica gave an awkward smile, Isaac inexplicably covered his mouth with one hand and fell silent, as though deep in thought.
(Maybe Aike wanted to borrow some books too...?)
When Monica looked up at Isaac, he looked back at her and seemed about to say something.
But before Isaac could speak, Isabelle opened her mouth.
"Oh, right! Come to think of it, I hear you've been staying frequently in a village called Sechen lately, Big Sis! Sechen is famous for its hot springs, so you've taken a liking to hot-spring therapy lately!"
"...Huh?"
Monica tilted her head at Isabelle's words.
Sechen. It was a place-name Monica had never heard before. Naturally, she had no memory of staying there.
Isaac muttered bitterly, "Another piece of information I didn't know..." but it was information Monica herself did not know either.
"Um, where exactly is Sechen?"
At Monica's questioning, Isabelle blinked in surprise, her eyes going round.
Agatha explained in her place.
"Sechen is a small village in Lagot territory. It's roughly halfway between the territory of the Duke of Rheneburg, where the 〈Silent Witch〉-sama once defeated a cursed dragon, and the royal capital."
The more Monica listened to Agatha's explanation, the more confused she became.
Since leaving the mountain hut two years ago, Monica had visited various places besides the royal capital, but she had no memory of ever staying in a village called Sechen.
When Monica honestly explained that she had no such memory, Isabelle's eyes flew open.
"No... I was told that the 〈Silent Witch〉 was staying in a village called Sechen..."
"My lady, could this be one of those...?"
When Agatha murmured in a low voice, Isabelle nodded grimly.
"Yes. You're right. This is one of those."
What did she mean by "one of those"?
Just as Monica was becoming thoroughly confused, Isaac shifted his crossed legs on the chair and murmured with his chin propped in one hand.
"...A fake 〈Silent Witch〉 in that village?"
Monica was stunned at the idea of someone impersonating her, while Isabelle nodded solemnly.
"Yes. Surely this is a conspiracy devised by someone seeking to frame Big Sis."
A conspiracy. At the terrifying statement, Monica let out a small gasp.
Yet, in stark contrast to Monica, who had gone pale, Isaac, Isabelle, and Agatha all radiated an ominous air. To put it mildly, all three of them had frightening looks in their eyes.
"This is not something we can leave alone."
"Indeed. Impersonating Big Sis... It's unforgivable."
"My lady, shall I report this to the lord of that village?"
When Agatha asked Isabelle, Isabelle thought for a moment and shook her head.
"If we are to report this to the lord, we must first establish the facts accurately... Agatha, before we return to the territory, write Father a letter saying that we'll be making a detour."
"Understood."
"Um, Isabelle-sama? Agatha-san?"
When Monica nervously called out to them, both women were already making preparations for a letter and arranging a carriage, their faces filled with a sense of mission.
Monica wasn't sure what was going on, but she had to stop these two before something terrible happened.
As Monica began to panic at that premonition, Isaac turned his gaze toward the window and murmured,
"Sechen is colder than here. Shall we procure some thick winter clothing?"
"...Um, Aike, Aike...?"
Isaac gave the grimacing Monica a beautiful smile.
"Don't worry. Surely the villagers don't know what I look like."
Isaac's smile was as gentle and warm as spring sunshine. Yet his eyes gleamed with the icy chill of subzero temperatures.
Monica had a truly terrible feeling about this.
But faced with the three of them quietly stoking their fighting spirit, the 〈Silent Witch〉 was utterly powerless.