Chapter 106 – Reunion with the Ancient Witch

Раssing thrоugh the schооl fеstivаl gаtes, I felt a mоmеntary strоng resistanсе, likе рushing аgаinst dense аir.

Oncе I brоke thrоugh it…

Му visiоn suddеnly brightеned.

Тhe surrounding сlаmоr rеturned.

“Senрai?”

“It’s nоthing. Just like beforе, thеre’s a barrier hеrе that reacts to Маgic Power. Mr. Dаikуo prоbablу fоrсеd his way through, though.”

Тhis barrier аlsо sеemed tо hаvе the pоwer to rеpel malevоlеnt entities uр tо a сertain lеvel, so dubious сharасters likely couldn’t infiltrаte thе sсhоol fеstival.

Thеу’d nеed to bе as strоng аs а Dеmоn to mаnаgе it.

So, lеt’s еnjoy this safe and secure prestigious girls’ school festival.

“Woo! Alright then, I’m gonna wander around with Yatagarasu.”

“I’d get lost if I were alone.”

“You’re admitting that so shamelessly…”

The two guys wandered off together.

Apparently, they were paired up last year too.

And Mr. Daikyo said he’d be going around the stalls with his family.

“Gotta do some family service. Besides, my daughter might attend this school someday.”

“I see. Well, we’ll go explore freely then.”

After parting ways with them, Mashiro and I… walked around with the Grimoires tucked inside my bag.

“Ahh, this nostalgic atmosphere… University was fun… High school too…”

Mashiro was getting sentimental.

It definitely reminds me of university festival days.

High school festivals were much lamer back then…

We bought two American dogs from a specialty stall.

Grabbed some drinks too, and ate while walking.

“Whoa, this fish sausage is thick!”

“Quite the volume… Only possible at a school festival price…!!”

Both Mashiro and I love food, so we kept buying and eating stall food one after another.

As we did, a person who looked like security smoothly approached me from the side.

“Welcome, Newest Witch. Our mistress wishes to see you.”

“Ah, right, right, I forgot.”

This place of learning was the garden of the Ancient Witch.

All the attending female students were, in a sense, her beloved children.

It made sense that many students excelled after graduation.

“What’s up, Senpai?”

“I need to go somewhere for a bit. Feels wrong to leave Mashiro alone… hmm… there!”

I spotted the Daikyo family and decided to entrust Mashiro to them.

“Just some Witch-related tedious business.”

“I see. Then I shall look after Mashiro-kun. Go fulfill your duty.”

“Come back soon, Senpai!”

Seeing me off, I entered the school building.

Along the way, there was a spot that seemed like a blind corner… so…

“Metamorphose Spice!”

With a black-and-white shimmer, I transformed into my usual petite form.

Of course, I wasn’t wearing this school’s uniform this time.

To play the part of a visiting girl, I appeared in a cute white duffle coat.

The effective use of black for buttons, cords, and accents was nice.

‘The Ancient Witch, huh… Been a while.’

‘Mmm, for me, it’s been about a hundred years, maybe.’

‘What about me, I wonder… Witches probably weren’t even born yet back then, right?’

“As expected, Grimoires live long lives.”

Since the surroundings were lively, talking Grimoires didn’t draw attention.

Chattering away out loud, I arrived at the principal’s office.

“Hello!”

“Please, come in.”

The principal’s office door opened by itself.

Spice stepped inside.

She dispelled the duffle coat, revealing the Apron Dress underneath.

“It’s warm in here! Hi! Long time no see!”

“It has been a while, Newest Witch.”

The Ancient Witch had the air of a refined elderly lady.

She stood up to welcome Spice.

Dressed in a tasteful gray suit and skirt.

Her gray hair was still up in a bun, the kind of style you’d want when you get older…

Wait, no, Spice was an uncle.

“You seem to have grown stronger, even repelling the Witch of the Mind. Yet I sense no arrogance in you.”

“Thanks to everyone, I’m getting a lot of help! That’s right. The world is full of amazing people, so no time to get cocky.”

“That is good. And… you carry three difficult Grimoires, yet handle them well. They await your growth. When your power as a Witch reaches the appropriate level, they will guide you to the depths of the Magic Arts. It seems you are quite liked by all three.”

“That’s a relief! Human relationships are important, after all!”

It’s the most important thing I learned from working life.

Incidentally, Floppy also helps mediate between them.

I’m really indebted to our household A-Phone.

“So, from here, it’s Witch talk? Feels like things have been quiet since summer.”

“The Witch Without a Book lives in Europe. It seems a Great Demon General appeared there, restricting her movements. The other Witches also seem to be closely watching the Great Demon General’s actions.”

“Wow, you’re well-informed! Is there a Witch Network?”

“Just the benefit of age.”

The Ancient Witch smiled.

The Witch Without a Book was probably someone called a weakling or something.

And the other Witches can’t move freely either.

“Witches are also humans living in this world. A Great Demon General trying to destroy the world is a nuisance. However… I believe there is no need to worry about the Great Demon General.”

“Why is that… ah, that was a silly question! She’s here, after all.”

“Yes. The world under the sun will likely be saved by that girl. She has already reached a realm even I cannot touch. I cannot imagine how high she will climb.”

‘Ah, that terrifying girl! Eeek!’

‘Mmm, just being near her, you could feel her immense power!’

‘Even from here, I can feel her presence strongly!’

‘Brothers, Sisters, please calm down.’

It was Floppy soothing the frightened Grimoires.

What a capable little sister.

Thanks to her, the Grimoires quieted down a bit.

Seeing this, the Ancient Witch’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A new Grimoire…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I never thought I would see this with my own eyes. Until now, copies of Grimoires existed all over the world. Using these, Witches and magic users mastered Magic. And the three that gathered with you are the Original Texts. That is to say… true Grimoires, in the real sense, never existed beyond the seven volumes brought from the Otherworld.”

I see.

So Flota and the others are something special.

“Everyone tried to create new Grimoires. But no one succeeded. This world has low affinity with Magic; it couldn’t produce Magic approaching the level of the seven Original Texts. The Magic Power exerted, unless by a Witch who has mastered the Magic Arts, falls far short of its original effect.”

“Is that so!? So the reason the effects were greater in the Otherworld was…”

“Because the world itself has a high affinity for Magic. Therefore, true Grimoires should not have been born here. But… Newest Witch Spice. What you possess is becoming a new Grimoire.”

“Wha… what!?”

Our Floppy!?

The Floppy that’s been learning various things from the three Original Text Grimoires, gaining intelligence, and becoming able to use Magic?

Well, thinking about it, maybe it’s not so unbelievable.

‘Little Floppy is amazing! She’s my proud little sister!’

‘Mmm, I’ve been teaching her all sorts of things!’

‘She’s my little sister! She’s so capable!’

The Grimoires started gushing noisily.

All of this started because Flota whimsically began nurturing a Civilian A-Phone.

You never know how things will turn out in this world.

“I’m glad I met you directly. You’ve shown me something rare. Newest Witch, you always do things that surpass my imagination.”

“Is that so!? But, but, the Ancient Witch’s advice has been a great help, so please continue to look after me.”

“Of course. For this world’s sake, let us strive each day.”

Handshake!

Thus ended the reunion of the old and new Witches.