Chapter 20
The Blue Witch led the Hell Witch into the living room, brewed exactly two cups of tea, and sat down at the table. The Blue Witch and I sat side by side, with the Hell Witch across from us.
I whispered to the Blue Witch.
"You forgot a cup. There are three people in the living room."
"I know. I did it on purpose."
"Hmm...? What do you mean...?"
"I'm not giving you one because you're not welcome. Get it? It means there's no tea for you."
"Oh, I see? Come to think of it, I saw something like this in an old daytime soap. A nasty mother-in-law kept harassing her son's wife when she came to the house. Pretty nasty, huh? Feels like the worst side of women."
"..."
The Blue Witch silently went to get a third cup.
So she was giving her one after all. She should've just brought it out from the start.
The Hell Witch had watched our exchange with a puzzled look at first, then a grin. When the Blue Witch handed her the cup of tea, she thanked her in a booming voice, straightened her posture, and got down to business.
"So, you're going to let me meet the wandmaker, right!?"
I looked at the Blue Witch, but she merely shifted her mask and sipped her tea, showing no sign that she would answer, so I reluctantly replied myself.
"Um, well, I'm the wandmaker's apprentice. I'll pass along your thanks."
"So you're the apprentice-kun!! Nice to meet you!! Is your master-san out right now, or are they sick!?"
"Oh, no. They're just extremely socially awkward and don't want to meet people."
"Hey!! You shouldn't badmouth your own master!!"
"Eek! S-sorry! I'm a good person, please don't eat me."
"I told you, I don't eat people!! I only eat truly bad people!! Sorry, I must sound like I'm threatening you!! Don't worry about the loud voice, either!! It just turned out this way when I mutated!!"
"R-right..."
Is she like the Dragon Witch? Having your way of speaking forcibly changed sounds like it'd be a real hassle.
The Hell Witch folded her arms and groaned.
"Hmm, if they don't want to meet me, I guess it can't be helped!? Oume Witch wouldn't tell me anything!! I couldn't figure out why they wouldn't let me meet them, so all I could do was sit there!!"
"Hey."
"Shut up."
When I jabbed the Blue Witch in the side with my elbow, she looked away awkwardly.
You call me socially awkward and a maladjusted shut-in, but you're pretty messed up yourself.
The oni woman looked up at the ceiling and thought for a while, then nodded once, shoved a hand into her pants pocket, and spoke.
"Then, Apprentice-kun!! I want you to give this to your master-san!! Tell them it's a token of thanks from the Hell Witch!! If they're making wands, this should make good material, right!?"
Saying that, the Hell Witch placed a huge gemstone on the table.
It was a flat stone somewhat smaller than my spread palm. Its color resembled vivid amber, but unlike amber, it was cloudy and opaque.
But more than anything, its beauty was remarkable!
It struck me instantly.
That distinctive presence.
That inexplicable, eye-catching allure.
No mistake.
"It's a magic stone! Are you sure I can have it!?"
"No, not you—your master!?"
Chastened, I nodded, then quickly pulled the amber magic stone toward me before the Hell Witch could change her mind.
Jackpot!
I made a wand from a Gremlin, and it came back as a magic stone!
This thank-you gift is bugged! Best deal ever!
The Blue Witch looked somewhat exasperated at my inability to hide my grin and spoke brusquely to the oni woman.
"Hey, are you sure?"
"About what!?"
"Giving away a magic stone so easily."
"Edogawa lends hers to people all the time, doesn't she!? What's the problem!?"
"The Edogawa Witch was killed the moment she lent a magic stone to the Iruma Witch. It's not an era when you can casually lend things out anymore."
Hearing the Blue Witch's warning, the Hell Witch sprayed tea from her mouth and coughed.
"What!!!? To the Iruma Witch!!? Edogawa!? She wasn't the kind of person who'd do that, was she!?"
"Everyone thought so. That's why no one knew until it happened. The Edogawa Witch, the Crow, and the Meteor Wizard died in Iruma's coup. I killed Iruma. The Arakawa Wizard returned home after the coup was suppressed, so the Flower Witch rules Arakawa Ward now. Oh, and Vampire somehow managed to establish a conversation with Mermaid. She's about as intelligent as a dolphin that has learned human speech."
"Wait, hasn't everything changed way too much in just two and a half years!?"
"You haven't heard it from the Eyeball Witch, I take it."
"It's not that I haven't heard anything!! But I was told Oume Witch had grown cold toward anyone who wasn't one of her citizens, so there was probably no point in visiting!! And what about that mask!?"
"What's it matter what I wear?"
"O-oh, okay...!! I won't ask!!"
I get the impression she thinks the mask, too, was triggered by some major incident. But I have the Blue Witch wear it because I'm too socially awkward to look directly at her beautiful face. It's an incredibly stupid reason, so I really wish she'd leave it alone.
"A lot happened while I was rampaging with my magic!! Even though I'm an oni, I feel like Urashima Taro!!"
"Ask the Eyeball Witch for the details. She's probably the best-informed person around. Adachi Ward isn't habitable anymore, right? She should also be able to arrange a new administrative district for you."
"Oh, sorry!! I'm planning to leave Tokyo!!"
The Blue Witch's hand, pouring a refill of tea into my cup, stopped for an instant.
She hadn't looked particularly happy to begin with, but now she became even more displeased and demanded an explanation.
"Why? You're from Tokyo, aren't you? It's not as if you left your family behind in your hometown."
"Well, Tokyo's peaceful now!! Well, not exactly peaceful yet, but look!! Reconstruction has come a long way, hasn't it!? I looked at the city on the way here from Adachi Ward, and it didn't feel like I might not even survive until tomorrow!!"
Huh? Terrifying.
Was central Tokyo really like that in the old days?
Good thing I holed up in Okutama. And good thing the first person I met was the Blue Witch. Even if she did almost kill me.
"But there are lots of regions without witches or wizards, and they're brutal, right!? I thought I'd travel the world and go around helping the people who survived!!"
The Hell Witch added that no one was left in Adachi Ward, and the Blue Witch asked her quietly.
"You don't intend to keep protecting the city?"
"Adachi Ward!? When no one's even there anymore!? Hmm, I don't think so!! Kill and eat the bad guys, clean up, and help the good people!! That's what suits me best!!"
"I see..."
"...? Ah!! Sorry, that was insensitive!! There are hardly any people in Oume because of... no, I mean, I'm sorry!!"
"..."
The Blue Witch fell silent and stopped moving, and the Hell Witch looked at her worriedly.
She also sent me a flustered look, which made me flustered too. Um, I'd appreciate it if you didn't look over here so much.
"Um!! I think I've made things awkward!! Ahhh, my voice gets loud on its own even at times like this...!! Anyway, I've taken care of what I came for, so I guess I'll be going!! Apprentice-kun, be sure to give your master-san my regards!!"
I hurriedly stopped the Hell Witch as she tried to leave—awkwardly and quietly, though her voice was still booming.
Her business might be over, but ours isn't!
A review! How did it feel in use? Give me the data from using the wand!
"Oh, um, excuse me, but not quite yet."
"Oh, sorry for trying to leave on my own!! What is it!?"
"Um, could you tell me how the wand felt to use?"
"How it felt!?"
The oni woman sat back down in her chair, then tilted her head as her massive butt made the chair creak.
Well, I suppose getting feedback on product use from an engineer might be a little unfamiliar.
"Hell Witch-san, you got a magic wand from Eyeball Witch-san and used it to bring your magical rampage under control, right? Even though it had been rampaging for two and a half years. I'd like to hear anything about how you used the wand, what worked well, what you wish it had done differently, how it compared with and without the wand—anything like that. It would help us as a reference... or rather, my master."
"Wow, what's this? It feels like a craftsperson's professional pride!! Sure, I'll tell you as much as you want!! What should I talk about!?"
"Oh, I don't have anything specific in mind. Just tell me whatever comes to mind."
"That's how this works!? Hmm, well, let's see!! First, I lived in Adachi Ward!!"
According to the Hell Witch, she had originally been a female university student living in Adachi Ward.
While unconscious during her mutation, she was attacked by monsters, but a woman whose name she never learned protected and saved her. After recovering consciousness, she wore her benefactor's clothes and began helping and protecting people as the Hell Witch.
However, the Hell Witch's magic was excruciatingly impractical. She hadn't learned any spells with fine control; every spell she could use was a map-wide weapon.
A spell that made every living thing within its range kill one another.
A spell that turned the area into a sea of fire and burned everything to ash.
A spell that submerged the area in a pool of blood and inflicted such agony on anyone who touched the blood that they chose death.
Every one of them had an area of effect far too large to use casually. She could use nothing but hellish magic—she truly was the Hell Witch. That was why she mostly fought monsters and villains with her fists.
Even after acquiring the magic stone that had been delivered to and stored at a police box, she refrained from using it, thinking that amplifying magic that was already wide-ranging and difficult to control would only make it even harder to handle.
But then an emergency arose that left her no choice.
"You know slimes, the enemy characters you often see in games!? One of those monsters showed up!! It apparently multiplied in the sewers and came up to the surface, and we had to wipe it out quickly to keep it from spreading!!"
"So you used an area-of-effect spell and went out of control?"
"That's part of it, but not the whole story!! Two spells weren't enough to wipe them all out, so I amplified my magic with the magic stone and chanted three spells simultaneously!!"
"Three at once? How?"
"Because I have three mouths!!"
"Huh?"
Right before my eyes, the Hell Witch lifted a teacup to the back of her head. I couldn't see it from the angle, but I could tell the back of her head was writhing and swallowing the tea as it poured down.
Ah, she has a mouth on the back of her head! She's a monster! Well, she's an oni, so technically she is a monster, but still!?
"And I have one here, too!!"
"!?"
The Hell Witch's abdominal muscles suddenly began talking, and I nearly fell out of my chair. But when I looked closely, it was merely a mouth-shaped slit aligned perfectly with the gap between her abdominal muscles. What kind of camouflage is that?
The Hell Witch closed the two mouths as if nothing had happened and continued speaking with only the one in the normal position.
"Anyway, back to the story! I overdid it, but I wiped out the monsters!! But because I overdid it, my magic went berserk!! Adachi Ward turned into hell, awash in blood, fire, and miasma!! I spent two and a half years restraining the rampaging magic while sipping blood and eating mud!! If I completely let go of control, I thought hell would spread to the surrounding area!!"
"Th-that's horrific...!"
When I heard she'd restrained her magic for two and a half years straight, I'd imagined something like being able to sleep and eat normally but being unable to leave ground zero.
But from the sound of it, she hadn't slept or rested at all. What kind of stamina did she have? No, her mental strength was the terrifying part. Her mana control must have been incredible too.
"But!! About five days ago, the Eyeball Witch came through hell all the way to ground zero to bring me a wand!! The balance between the rampaging magic and my control had been evenly matched, but it suddenly tipped in my favor, and I erased hell!! Happy ending!! That's about it!! Does that sound useful as a reference!?"
"Oh, yes, I suppose."
I nodded vaguely.
It felt like most of what she'd told me was an introduction to the Hell Witch's background, not feedback on using the wand.
I suppose an amateur like me couldn't know what information an engineer needed, so she'd carefully talked through every thought that came to mind. I'd seen reviews like this on online auctions, so I understood.
I asked several more specific questions about the wand's handling that she hadn't mentioned, drawing out valuable data she herself had considered trivial.
Yes, this is the kind of thing I meant. This kind of specialized data can help create unusual wands and derive general principles.
I was satisfied. This might be enough to upgrade magic wands by another level.
It might have been a little meddlesome, but in return for the valuable data, I decided to give the Hell Witch one piece of advice. Like the Dragon Witch, if she was being controlled by twisted tendencies caused by her mutation, someone ought to tell her and set her straight. She might not realize how dangerous she was.
"Well then, um, one last thing. This has nothing to do with magic wands, and I'm not telling you that you have to do this or mustn't do that. I'd just like you to take it as the idle muttering of a passerby. Though, actually, I'd be happy if you took it at least a little seriously..."
"What!?"
"Um. Maybe you should stop eating people? It seems like that could complicate your relationships and make people dislike you... I mean, that's just speaking generally..."
It had scared me too. Even now that I had a vague sense of what kind of person she was, I still wondered if she was really okay.
When I made the tentative suggestion, the Hell Witch smiled brightly.
"Thanks for worrying about me!! But I won't stop!!"
"Even if the other person is a villain, I know that eating people is wrong!!"
"Someday, someone will pass judgment on me!!"
"The world will become peaceful and strong enough to pass judgment on a man-eating oni!!"
"But that day isn't today!!"
The Hell Witch's words were forceful.
The unwavering conviction behind them struck me with a force greater than her booming voice.
"The world today can't keep going unless we kill and remove the villains who hold everyone back too much!! There's no time for trials!! There are lots of people who need to be killed immediately!! To put it in the Foresight Witch's terms, 'Unfortunately'!!"
"The Foresight Witch is doing her part behind the scenes, and Vampire probably is too!! As for the Eyeball Witch... I don't know, but to a greater or lesser extent, this is necessary!!"
"I think that necessary evil is evil!! I kill people, eat them, and get hated for it!! I make the world better in an unpleasant way!! And in the end, the heinous man-eating oni is defeated!! That's the way I want to live—and die!!"
"..."
"Ah, sorry!! You were only worried about me, and I went off talking about myself!! It's true that I like human flesh, so basically, I'm a bad person!! But I wanted to at least thank my benefactor!! That's all!!"
Saying that, she stood up and tried to leave for real this time, but I stopped the oni woman once more.
Apparently, she was a good person despite being a bad one.
Her journey would probably be a lonely one. Even if she left Tokyo and went around saving people wherever she went, eating people there would dull their gratitude.
She was painfully aware of both her own good and bad deeds, and had resolved to lay down her life as a foundation for peace. I wanted to give her a partner to accompany her on her journey.
"Um, I'll make you an extraordinary wand from this magic stone, so would you let it be your travel companion? It'll definitely be useful. I'd really like you to use it... or at least that's what my master would probably say, I think. What do you say?"
The Hell Witch stared down at me from her huge frame, looking blank for a while, then said:
"You know..."
"Yes?"
"Aren't you actually the Wandmaker yourself!? You don't seem like an apprentice at all when you talk!! You never say there's something you need to ask your master about, and it sounds like you're making every decision yourself!!"
G-got meeeeeee!!!!!
W-w-where's your proof that I'm the real one!?
Evidence is proof, isn't it!?
"N-no way. My socially awkward master just leaves everything to me. I mean, I'm socially awkward too, but I'm a little better, I guess. That's why I'm the apprentice, not the master. Really. I'm not lying."
"That's true, isn't it!? I said something weird!! Forget it!! I'd be absolutely delighted to get a good wand, but you don't have to go out of your way for me!!"
The Hell Witch gave a light laugh, then said she would be staying with the Eyeball Witch for a while to catch up on everything that had changed over the past two and a half years, and finally left.
With just one person gone, the living room gained enough empty space for two.
In the silence loud enough to make my ears ring, I asked the Blue Witch, who was still deep in thought with a hand on her chin.
"Hey, do you think she got suspicious? I feel like I acted pretty suspicious when she asked if I was the real one and I denied it."
"...Hmm? Oh, it'll be fine. Dairi is suspicious by nature."
"I see. What a relief."
Then I guess it's fine.
Thank goodness I'm socially awkward.
Well then, this socially awkward person is going to make a special magic wand exclusively for the Hell Witch, so I guess I'll head back to Okutama for now.
It's been a while since I worked on a magic stone. My hands are itching to get started!!